Is Checkatrade worth it? The quick answer
For new trade businesses that need work fast, yes, as a short-term channel. Checkatrade’s lead-generating Growth plan starts at £59/month and rises with the lead volume and postcode coverage you choose, on a 12-month term, and every lead is shared with competing trades. For most established tradespeople, that same budget put into SEO for tradesmen builds enquiries you aren’t renting.
If you’re a tradesperson looking for more work, Checkatrade has probably crossed your mind. It’s one of the biggest trade directories in the UK, and plenty of tradespeople swear by it.
But plenty of others have spent hundreds of pounds a month and barely seen a return.
So is Checkatrade actually worth the money? This is a breakdown based on what tradespeople across different trades actually report.
How does Checkatrade work?
Checkatrade is a paid trade directory. You pay a monthly membership fee, and in return you get a profile listing that appears when homeowners search for tradespeople in your area.
The platform runs a set of checks on your identity, qualifications, company history and finances, and lets customers leave reviews on your profile. When a homeowner searches for a trade in their area, Checkatrade shows them a list of vetted tradespeople.
Sounds straightforward. The devil is in the detail.
How much does Checkatrade cost?
Checkatrade publishes its plans, and the headline figures are these:
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | £0/month | A profile you can share, and somewhere to collect reviews |
| Approved | £30/month + VAT | The Checkatrade tick, review requests, job management tools, partner discounts |
| Growth | From £59/month | Everything in Approved, plus a chosen volume of customer enquiries, direct booking, and search placement credit |
Taken from Checkatrade’s published pricing page and its own cost guidance, checked July 2026.
Three things worth being clear about, because they get misreported a lot:
- There is no joining fee and no vetting fee. Checkatrade states this plainly. The 12 checks cost you nothing.
- There are no per-lead charges on standard membership. On Growth you pick how many enquiries you want a year and pay a fixed monthly cost for them, rather than paying per lead.
- The £30 tier does not supply leads. Checkatrade’s own guidance says so: on the basic plan, customers find you mainly by searching your business name. If you want enquiries, you’re on Growth.
What does vary is the Growth price itself. It’s set by your trade, the postcodes you want to cover, and how many enquiries you’re after, so £59 is a starting point rather than a typical bill. Higher-value trades like roofers and builders covering wide areas will be quoted more.
The good parts
Let’s be fair about what Checkatrade does well:
- Established brand recognition. Homeowners know the name, and many trust it over a random Google search.
- Vetting adds credibility. The verification process means something to customers who’ve been burned by cowboy builders before.
- Reviews build trust. A strong review profile on Checkatrade carries real weight.
- Quick to get started. Once the checks are done, Checkatrade says you can be set up within 24 hours.
For tradespeople who are just starting out or who need work quickly, Checkatrade can fill the gap while you build up other lead sources.
The problems tradespeople keep raising
This is where it gets complicated.
You’re competing with everyone
When a homeowner searches for a plumber on Checkatrade, they see a list of plumbers. Not just you. You might be one of 15 or 20 listed tradesmen. The homeowner often contacts 3 or 4 tradespeople for quotes, and you’re in a bidding war before you’ve even picked up the phone.
Lead quality varies massively
Not every lead is a real job. Some leads are tyre-kickers comparing prices. Some are people who have already hired someone and just want a second quote for leverage. Some are for jobs outside your area or expertise. Because you’re buying an annual volume of enquiries up front, those duds still come out of the allocation you’ve paid for.
The costs add up
The number that matters isn’t the monthly fee, it’s what each won job ends up costing you. If you’re a locksmith on a plan costing £100 a month, receiving ten enquiries and converting one in five into a £100 job, you’re barely breaking even. Work out your own figure before you commit for twelve months, not after.
You don’t own the customer relationship
Every customer comes through Checkatrade’s platform. If you leave, those reviews stay behind. You’re building Checkatrade’s brand, not your own.
Pricing pressure
Because the homeowner is comparing multiple quotes side by side, there’s constant pressure to be the cheapest. This squeezes your margins and attracts price-driven customers rather than quality-driven ones.
Checkatrade vs alternatives
Checkatrade isn’t the only option. Here’s how the main directories compare:
| Platform | Monthly cost | Lead model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | £0 / £30+VAT / from £59 | Fixed monthly price for a set lead volume | Established tradespeople wanting volume |
| MyBuilder | Free to list | Pay per lead (£2-20) | Tradespeople comfortable with quoting online |
| Rated People | Free to list | Pay per lead (£4-30) | General trades, competitive areas |
| Bark | Free to list | Pay per lead (£5-40) | Broad range of services |
| Google Business Profile | Free | Free leads | Any tradesperson with a physical location |
| Google Ads, pay per lead | Ad budget you set | £30 per genuine lead, no management fee | Trades who want exclusive leads now, without a contract |
| Your own website + SEO | One-off or monthly | Free leads once ranking | Tradespeople wanting long-term, sustainable leads |
We’ve weighed up every one of these options, paid and free, in our guide to the best Checkatrade alternatives. If you’re considering a cheaper directory specifically, read our Trustatrader vs Checkatrade comparison for a detailed breakdown of costs, lead quality, and which suits different trades.
The key difference between directories and SEO is this: with a directory, you’re renting the enquiries and the fee never stops. With SEO, you invest in something you keep, and the cost per enquiry falls as your rankings build.
When Checkatrade makes sense
Checkatrade is worth considering if:
- You’re a new business and need work quickly while other marketing builds up
- You’re in a trade with high job values where the cost per lead is a small fraction of the job (think bathroom fitters or kitchen fitters doing £5k+ jobs)
- You’re in a less competitive area where the directory isn’t flooded with tradespeople
- You treat it as one channel, not your only channel
When it probably isn’t worth it
Checkatrade is likely not worth the money if:
- You’re in a trade with lower job values and tight margins
- Your area is saturated with tradespeople on the platform
- You’re relying on it as your only source of leads
- You’ve been on it for a year and the maths doesn’t work out
The alternative: owning your leads
The real question isn’t whether Checkatrade is good or bad. It’s whether there’s a better way to spend whatever you’re quoted each month.
For the same money you’d spend on Checkatrade over 6-12 months, you could invest in SEO for your trade business. The difference is that SEO builds something that belongs to you: your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews. Once you rank on Google for terms like “plumber in Sheffield” or “roofer near me,” those leads cost nothing.
No bidding wars. No monthly fee holding the tap open. No building someone else’s platform.
For a side-by-side look at all the major platforms, read our full comparison of Checkatrade, Bark, MyBuilder, and Rated People.
Should you join?
Checkatrade has its place. It’s a decent short-term lead source, especially for new businesses. But for most tradespeople who have been in business a few years, the maths of paying per lead indefinitely doesn’t stack up against investing in your own online presence.
Tradespeople who’ve made the switch from directories to SEO consistently say the same thing: the leads are better quality, there’s no bidding war, and they wish they’d done it sooner.
If you’re weighing up directories against SEO, get in touch. We’ll audit your current online presence and tell you which approach fits your trade.