Checkatrade alternatives that don't cost you every job

Most people looking for a Checkatrade alternative aren't really looking for another directory. They're looking for work that doesn't come with a bill every time the phone rings.

So I've split this into two parts. First, the other lead platforms, and how each one charges you. Then the alternatives that aren't platforms at all, which is where I think the real answer is for an established business.

If you're still deciding whether to stay on Checkatrade in the first place, start with is Checkatrade worth it for a trade business.

The three ways lead platforms charge you

Before comparing names, it helps to know there are only really three models:

Membership. A monthly fee to be listed, whether or not work comes in. Checkatrade works this way.
Pay per lead. You pay each time you get a homeowner's details, whether or not you win the job. MyBuilder and Bark work this way.
Pay per result. You pay when you actually get hired. Rare in the trades, and usually a commission on the job.

None of these is a scam. But with the first two, you're paying for the chance to quote, not for the job. That's the bit that bites.

MyBuilder

MyBuilder doesn't charge a membership fee. Instead, you pay a shortlist fee when a homeowner shortlists you and contact details are exchanged.

According to MyBuilder's terms and conditions, each shortlist fee is worked out from the likely size, value and location of the job, it's shown on the lead before you commit, and you pay it whether or not you're hired. The fee varies job by job, so check a few leads in your own trade and area before you sign up.

Where it works

You only pay when a homeowner has picked you out, which feels fairer than paying to sit on a list.
It's easy to start, with no long contract.
Good for filling gaps with smaller jobs.

Where it doesn't

A shortlist isn't a job. You can be shortlisted, pay, and still lose to the cheaper quote.
Homeowners on the site are comparing several trades by design.
Bigger projects are still a price-shopped decision.

MyBuilder vs Checkatrade

People ask this a lot, so briefly:

	Checkatrade	MyBuilder
How you pay	Monthly membership	Fee per shortlist
Published price	Approved £30 a month, Growth "from £59" a month (source)	Set per job, shown on each lead (source)
Contract	12 months	No membership term
Pay if you don't win?	Yes, it's a fixed fee	Yes, once shortlisted
Main strength	The tick and brand trust	Only pay when picked

Prices are at the time of writing (September 2026) and can change.

In short: Checkatrade is a fixed cost you need to earn back. MyBuilder is a variable cost that scales with how many jobs you chase. If you quote a lot and win a small share, MyBuilder can quietly end up the more expensive of the two.

Bark

Bark runs on credits. You buy a pack of credits, and each lead costs a set number of credits to contact. Bark's own pricing page says credits are valid for three months from purchase, and that bigger packs work out cheaper per credit.

The credit cost of each lead is shown before you respond, and it varies with the type and size of the job. Bark doesn't publish a single UK price per lead, so I won't guess one.

Are Bark leads worth paying for?

Sometimes. The honest points:

You pay to respond, not to win. Other professionals can respond to the same request, so you're in a race.
Speed decides it. The first decent reply usually gets the conversation.
Credits expire. Three months isn't long if you buy a big pack to get the lower rate and then have a busy spell.

Bark works best for trades who can reply within minutes and are happy quoting lots of smaller jobs. It's a poor fit if you're on the tools all day and look at your phone at six o'clock.

Rated People

This one has changed completely. In September 2026 Checkatrade Group bought the Rated People brand and website. Rated People memberships ended before the sale. Homeowners can still post jobs there, but they're now answered by Checkatrade tradespeople.

So Rated People isn't really a separate alternative to Checkatrade any more. It's part of the same group.

It's also the clearest lesson in this whole post. Trades who had built their pipeline on Rated People had to move, through no fault of their own. That's the risk with any platform you don't own.

The alternatives that aren't platforms

Here's where I'd put an established business's time and money.

Your Google Business Profile

It's free from Google. Fill in every field, add real photos of real jobs every week, and ask every happy customer for a review. It won't fill a diary on its own, but it's the first thing people check after they hear your name.

Word of mouth and repeat work

Still the best lead there is. Make it easy: a card on the kitchen worktop at handover, a follow-up text asking for a review, a note to past customers when you've got a gap in the diary. Word of mouth is brilliant. It's just not something you can turn up when you need it.

Your own website

Not a brochure. A site that shows finished work, answers the obvious questions, and makes it dead easy to get in touch. It's where every other channel should point.

Your own adverts

This is the one that replaces the platform. You put your own ads in front of homeowners in your area, on Facebook and Instagram, and every enquiry comes to you and only you. No shared leads. No race with four other trades.

The customer meets your work before they meet anyone else's. That changes the conversation from "how much?" to "when can you start?".

It's also the one you can turn up and down. Quiet month coming? Spend a bit more. Booked solid? Pull it back. I've broken down what that costs in how much Facebook ads cost in the UK for a trade business.

Owning your leads only works if you answer them

This is the part most people get wrong, with platforms and with ads.

A study published in Harvard Business Review found that firms which tried to contact an online enquiry within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited even an hour longer, and more than 60 times as likely as those that waited a day or more. It wasn't about trades, but anyone who has left a lead until the evening knows it holds.

So whatever you choose, sort the follow-up first. Someone has to ring back in minutes, not hours. That's a big part of what we do: the ads bring the enquiry in, and the enquiry gets answered while the homeowner is still thinking about it. There's more on that in how it works.

What it looks like when it works

Paradigm Lofts, a loft conversion firm in South Wales, spent £3,048 on ads in about 4 to 5 months. That turned into £257,000 in closed work, an 84x return, and Gavin, the owner, is booked up 6 months ahead. No directory in the middle.

That's one client in one trade over one period, not a promise. But if you want to see exactly how it was done, the Paradigm breakdown has every ad, the targeting, and the numbers behind the £257,000. It's free.

So which alternative should you pick?

Just starting out? A directory can help while you build reviews. Pick one, track every job, and don't sign up to three at once.
Quoting lots of small jobs and fast on the phone? Pay-per-lead platforms like MyBuilder or Bark can work.
Established, selling bigger jobs, tired of racing the cheaper quote? Own your leads. Your own ads, your own site, and a fast callback.

We turn trades businesses into the go-to premium brand in their area.

If you're doing £20K a month or more and want to stop renting your leads, you can apply here. I only work with a handful of businesses, so if it's not a fit, I'll say so.