How much does Checkatrade cost per month? +
Checkatrade officially charges £30/month (+VAT) for its Approved plan and "from £59/month" for lead-generating Growth plans, on 12-month fixed contracts. The full price depends on your trade and postcode and is only revealed during sign-up. Tradespeople report real bills of £80 to £500 per month: 2026 Reddit threads alone report £300+, £390 and £500 a month. Third-party analyses put typical annual spend at £1,200 to £2,000+. Its new Opportunities Board sells extra leads for credits, but the price of a credit is not published.
How much do MyBuilder leads cost? +
MyBuilder has no monthly fee. You pay a lead fee only when a homeowner shortlists you: officially "from £7", typically £5 to £35 for everyday jobs (third-party estimates), and £50 or more on large projects. One tradesperson filmed shortlist fees of £540 and £940 on two big jobs. Fees are non-refundable whether or not you win the work.
How much does Bark cost per lead? +
Bark credits officially cost £1.80 each (published in its help centre, not on its pricing page). A typical lead needs 5 to 20+ credits depending on job size, which works out at roughly £9 to £36+ per lead. Since 1 November 2025, unused credits expire after 3 months and are non-refundable.
How much does Rated People cost? +
Rated People closed to tradespeople on 16 September 2026, when the company entered liquidation and every trade membership ended. Checkatrade Group bought the brand and website, so jobs posted there now go to Checkatrade members, and the only way to receive them is a Checkatrade membership from £30/month. Before closure, reviews reported £30 to £60/month (+VAT) plus £15 to £40 per lead.
How much does TrustATrader cost per year? +
TrustATrader publishes no prices; sign-up is by phone callback. Figures on record run from £150 to £1,200 per year depending on trade and area, and members report paying about £1,200. Membership is billed annually in advance, is non-refundable, and cannot be cancelled inside the 12-month term. Its T&Cs cap listings at 10 traders per category per area.
Which trade directory is cheapest? +
It depends on how much work you need. Pay-per-lead platforms (MyBuilder, Bark) have no fixed costs, so they are cheapest to try: expect £5 to £40 per lead and roughly 1 job per 5 to 10 leads. Of the subscription directories, Checkatrade typically costs £1,200 to £2,000+ a year and TrustATrader £150 to £1,200 on the figures on record, both on 12-month commitments. For comparison, a top-of-page Google Ads click for "plumber near me" costs £2.09 to £13.41, and a well-ranked website of your own has no per-lead cost at all.
How many other tradespeople get the same lead? +
Bark leads can be bought by up to 5 professionals (official), MyBuilder shortlists typically involve 3 to 5 trades (reported), and Checkatrade plan enquiries are reported to reach 10 to 20+ members, though Checkatrade publishes no official figure. Leads on Checkatrade’s Opportunities Board come off the board once 3 trades unlock them (official). TrustATrader does not sell leads; instead it caps its directory at 10 traders per category per area.
Are directory leads cheaper than Google Ads? +
Sometimes per click, rarely per job. A top-of-page Google Ads click costs £1.07 to £17.93 across the ten biggest trades (Google Ads data, September 2026), but a click is not a lead, and a directory lead is not a job either: reported lead-to-job conversion on Bark and MyBuilder is 1 in 5 to 1 in 10, because each lead is shared with several competitors. The only channel where the lead is exclusively yours is your own website.
