MyBuilder vs Rated People vs Checkatrade for Builders: Which Is Worth It?

Checkatrade has three tiers. Free is £0 a month and gives you a free profile to collect reviews. Approved is £30 a month. Growth has prices from £59 a month, set by your trade, the postcode areas you pick and the number of leads you want each year. Checkatrade's support page says Approved members do not appear in standard search results.

MyBuilder is free to join and you can respond to as many leads as you like. Its sign-up page says: "If you're shortlisted, we charge you a fee for the customer's contact details."

Rated People is now part of Checkatrade Group. Its help page says memberships are closed and its leads go to Checkatrade tradespeople.

For the full price comparison, including Bark, read what Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and Rated People cost in 2026.

Bark sends a job alert to several trades at once and charges credits for each introduction. Its pricing page says it takes no commission, that cost varies by service, job value and local supply and demand, and that credits are valid for 3 months from purchase. Bark does not publish one price per lead, so judge it from your own account by dividing credits spent by jobs booked.

Bark can be worth a two to three month trial alongside one main platform. Keep its results separate and compare cost per booked job against Checkatrade and MyBuilder before giving it more budget.

A builder cannot price "single storey rear extension" from a job post, so every lead you chase may cost a survey visit. That travel and time is a real cost on any platform, and it falls hardest on MyBuilder and Bark, where several builders respond to the same job.

Screen before you travel. A five-minute call to confirm scope, budget range and timeline filters out customers who are checking feasibility rather than ready to build. For larger projects such as extensions and loft conversions, a survey fee that is refundable against the contract filters out the casual enquiry, while smaller jobs usually need a free visit to stay competitive. State your survey policy in your first reply.

Respond within the hour where you can, mention specifics from the customer's description, and propose a time for the visit. A reply that shows you read the brief wins more than a generic offer to call. Follow up a quote after a day or two, because customers comparing builders often choose the one who showed the most interest. Do not undercut to win early reviews. A large project priced below cost loses money that no review repays.

Credentials separate builders on a profile. Checkatrade vets the businesses it lists, and Checkatrade's support pages describe the checks it makes. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) adds an independent trade body that homeowners recognise from consumer guidance, and its find-a-builder directory brings enquiries from customers who sought out a member. Show your FMB membership, CSCS cards, insurance details and any warranty scheme on every profile and quote.

Builders targeting public sector or commercial work register with Constructionline or CHAS and apply to local authority and housing association approved contractor lists. These need a health and safety policy, insurance and qualifications, and they lead to maintenance, void refurbishment and adaptation contracts that are steadier than consumer leads. A Houzz profile with strong project photography suits design-conscious customers planning larger renovations.

A complete Google Business Profile with recent project photos and a steady flow of reviews brings local building enquiries at no cost per lead, and homeowners usually start there. Referrals from past customers, architects, surveyors and estate agents are the highest-quality work a builder gets, and a habit of asking "do you know anyone planning similar work?" at the end of every job costs nothing. A site board on a long project and leaflets near completed jobs reach neighbours who can see your work.

Use a platform to fill the diary while this builds. Starting out, MyBuilder or Bark lets you test lead quality without a standing fee. Once you hold a good review base, Checkatrade's directory suits larger projects. Many established builders keep one directory presence and use a marketplace only to fill gaps. Creating a business and being listed on Tradehand is free, there is no fee per lead, and Tradehand takes 5% of each payment taken through it, card fees included. Paid plans are optional: Paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly.