Lead generation sites for tradesmen all promise the same thing - more jobs - but they charge for it in very different ways, and the charging model matters more than the headline price. A membership costs the same in a quiet month as a busy one. Pay-per-lead scales with use but charges you whether or not you win the job.
This comparison covers three of the best-known UK platforms, MyBuilder, Checkatrade and Bark, using what each publishes about its own pricing at the time of writing. It says nothing about which is "best", because that depends on your trade and area far more than on the platform.
Three pricing models
| Checkatrade | MyBuilder | Bark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Monthly membership | Pay when shortlisted | Pay per response, in credits |
| Published entry price | Free profile; Approved £30/month; Growth from £59/month | Free to express interest | Credit price varies by lead |
| Contract | 12 months on Approved and Growth | No membership | Buy credits as needed; packs available |
| When you pay | Monthly, regardless of jobs | When a customer shares their details with you | When you respond to a lead |
| Refund if you don't win | Not applicable | Shortlist fee is non-refundable | First-pack guarantee; check terms |
Checkatrade: membership
Checkatrade's published plans at the time of writing are a Free profile, Approved at £30 a month, and Growth from £59 a month, with Approved and Growth on 12-month contracts. Approved adds the Checkatrade verification tick and member tools; Growth adds lead packages and enhanced visibility, priced according to your trade, area and the volume you want.
A membership suits trades with steady demand, where the brand and vetting help win work, and where you can use the leads consistently across the year. The commitment is the thing to weigh: 12 months is 12 months, busy or not.
MyBuilder: pay when shortlisted
MyBuilder's model is that homeowners post jobs, tradespeople express interest for free, and a shortlist fee is charged when a homeowner shortlists you and your contact details are exchanged. MyBuilder's terms say the shortlist fee is non-refundable and payable whether or not you are awarded the job, and that the fee is shown before you take an action that could lead to it. The fee varies with the job, so check the amount on each lead.
This suits tradespeople who want to control spend lead by lead, with no monthly commitment. The cost to watch is your shortlist-to-win rate: several shortlists for every job won can add up.
Bark: credits per lead
Bark covers a wide range of services beyond trades. Professionals buy credits and spend them to respond to a lead; each lead's credit cost is shown before you commit and varies with the service, the value of the job and local supply and demand. Bark says credits are valid for three months, it takes no commission on the work, and it offers a guarantee to return your credits if you do not win business from your first pack - read the conditions before relying on it.
Bark suits businesses that want to test demand quickly. Because several professionals may respond to the same lead, speed and a good first message matter a lot.
How to judge any lead platform
- Track cost per job won, not cost per lead. Divide everything you spent in a month by the jobs you actually won from it.
- Track the value of those jobs. Ten small repairs and one bathroom refit are very different months.
- Note how many other tradespeople were contacted about the same lead.
- Check the contract length and notice period before you sign, and diary the renewal date.
- Give it a fair trial - a couple of months at least - then decide on numbers, not feel.
Making leads convert
Whichever platform you use, the same habits decide whether a lead becomes a job. Respond quickly, because the first reasonable reply often wins. Personalise the first message: mention the job, the area and one relevant thing you have done before. And make it easy for the customer to check you out, with a link to your own website and your Google reviews.
That last point is the one people forget. A customer comparing three names from a platform will often search each of them. The one with a proper website and a healthy Google profile looks like the safer choice before anyone has even picked up the phone.
Where your own website fits
Lead platforms send you enquiries you share with other trades. Your own website and Google Business Profile send you enquiries you do not share, and they keep working when a membership ends. Most tradespeople who rely on platforms do best treating them as one channel among several, with their own site as the place every customer lands in the end. We cover that in more detail in Checkatrade vs your own website.