Checkatrade is a lead site that charges trades for leads, either on a monthly plan or per lead. It can be worth it if each job you win from it costs you less than the profit on that job, and you couldn’t get that work another way. It’s harder to justify if you’re already busy, or your own Google profile, reviews and website bring in enough calls.
The only way to know is to do the maths with your own numbers. This guide shows you how, what Checkatrade charges, what to own instead and how to step down without the phone going quiet.
Do this today
- Count the jobs you won from Checkatrade in the last 3 months.
- Add up what you paid Checkatrade over the same 3 months. Divide it by those jobs.
- Check your Google Business Profile is set up and filled in.
- Start asking every customer for a Google review.
- Find your renewal date and note when your notice window opens.
On this page
How much does Checkatrade cost?
Checkatrade publishes three starting prices on its pricing page:
- Free. £0 a month. A profile to collect reviews.
- Approved. £30 a month. The Checkatrade tick, a profile and job management tools.
- Growth. From £59 a month. This is the plan for getting leads.
“From £59” is a starting price. Checkatrade’s pricing page asks you to pick your trade, the postcode areas you want to work in and how many leads you want each year. So your price depends on all three. The pricing page doesn’t say whether VAT is included.
There can also be an application fee. Checkatrade’s terms set it at £250 plus VAT, which it “may charge” to cover its vetting checks. It’s non-refundable.
Checkatrade Pay is extra. The pricing page puts its fees at 1.29% to 1.79%.
How Checkatrade’s pricing works
Approved doesn’t come with leads
This is the part that catches people out. Checkatrade’s terms say you won’t get leads unless you buy a Pay as you go or Fixed Plan.
The Approved terms also say your profile only shows on Checkatrade when someone searches for your business by name. To show up more widely, you need to buy more.
Fixed Plan
You pay a set amount each month, invoiced in advance. Checkatrade gives you an estimate of how many leads to expect. Its terms say that estimate “is not binding”. They also say it can stop sending leads once you reach the estimate.
Pay as you go
You pay for each lead. Checkatrade says the price per lead depends on the job value, location, season and demand. You set a monthly budget. That’s a target, not a cap. You can be charged up to 120% of it in a month. Checkatrade can also ask for a deposit of up to double your monthly budget.
What counts as a lead
Checkatrade’s terms count phone calls, messages, “Request a Quote” contacts and clicks through to your website as leads. A lead is a contact. It isn’t a job.
How long is a Checkatrade contract?
Checkatrade says Fixed Plan memberships are for 12 months. Its terms say your membership renews automatically for the same length unless you cancel in time.
The cancelling rules are strict:
- You have 2 business days after signing up to cancel without charge.
- After that, the business owner has to phone Checkatrade. Email doesn’t count.
- To avoid the next term, you must call no earlier than 35 days before your renewal date and no later than the renewal date.
- Cancelling your Direct Debit doesn’t cancel the contract. You’d still owe the fees for the rest of the term.
- Checkatrade can raise its fees at renewal with 30 days’ notice.
Is Checkatrade worth it for you? Do the maths
Most trades judge Checkatrade by how busy they feel. Your numbers will tell you more. You need four figures from the last 3 months:
- What you paid Checkatrade in total. Include lead fees and any extras.
- How many jobs you won from it. Jobs, not leads.
- Your average profit on one of those jobs. Profit, not the price you charged.
- Roughly how many hours you spent quoting the ones you didn’t win.
Then work it out:
Cost per job won = what you paid ÷ jobs won
Compare that with your average profit per job. If the cost per job eats most of the profit, it isn’t paying.
A worked example
These are made-up round numbers to show the method. They aren’t real Checkatrade prices or results.
- Say you paid £600 over 3 months.
- You won 6 jobs from it.
- £600 ÷ 6 = £100 per job won.
- If your average profit on those jobs is £400, you keep £300 a job after Checkatrade.
- If your average profit is £120, you keep £20 a job. And that’s before the time spent on quotes that went nowhere.
Same membership. Very different answer. That’s why “is Checkatrade worth it?” has no single answer. It depends on your trade, your prices and how many leads you turn into work.
When it can make sense
A lead site can patch a gap when it’s quiet. It can also help when you’re new and nobody’s searching for your name yet.
In our view it’s a plaster on the problem, not a long term fix. You can pay for leads you never win. Even when you win one, it can turn into a race to the bottom on price. If you’re a roofer, here’s how to get roofing leads without paying per lead.
Checkatrade alternatives
Each lead site charges in its own way. Here’s how Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and TrustATrader compare on cost, contracts and refunds, from each one’s own terms.
Google has two paid options of its own:
- Google Local Services Ads. You pay per valid lead, such as a call or message. Google says lead credits aren’t available to advertisers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which includes the UK. Here’s how Local Services Ads work in the UK.
- Normal Google Ads. You choose the searches, the towns and the budget, and you can turn it up before your busy months. That’s how we run Google Ads for trades.
For plumbers, here’s how to get plumbing leads without paying per lead.
What to own instead
Lead sites rent you someone else’s customers. These three things are yours to keep whether or not you pay a platform. Together they decide whether Google shows you when someone nearby searches for your trade. That’s what local SEO for trades works on.
Your Google Business Profile
It’s free. Google says you “can add or claim your business at no charge”. It’s what puts you on Google Maps when someone searches for your trade nearby.
Your Google reviews
Reviews on Checkatrade belong to Checkatrade’s platform. Its terms say your right to use them ends when your membership ends. You have to remove them from your website, flyers and anything else.
Google reviews sit on your own profile. Build up a Google review routine now, while the work’s coming in.
Your own website
A website gives you a page for each job you want more of and each town you cover. People who find it ring you direct. Nobody else is quoting off the same enquiry. That’s what we plan into websites for trades.
Should you leave Checkatrade?
Only once your own profile, reviews and site are bringing in calls. Don’t cut it off and hope.
Here’s how to step down without the phone going quiet:
- Run the maths above for 3 months. If your cost per job won is fine, there’s no rush.
- Build your own side first. Profile, reviews and website.
- Give customers your own number. Checkatrade’s terms say your Checkatrade contact number is diverted to Checkatrade if it suspends or ends your membership. Put your own number on invoices, cards and your van.
- Note your renewal date. Set a reminder for 35 days before it. That’s when your window to cancel opens.
- Call to cancel. It has to be the business owner, by phone, before the renewal date.
- Clear the badges. Its terms say you must take Checkatrade’s logo, name and reviews off everything once you’ve left.
For every other way trades get work, and which to start with, here’s how to get more work as a tradesman.
Questions trades ask about Checkatrade
Can Checkatrade put its prices up?
Yes, at renewal. Checkatrade’s terms say it can raise its fees with 30 days’ notice. Fixed Plan memberships renew automatically for the same length unless you cancel in time.
Do you get leads with Checkatrade’s £30 plan?
No. Checkatrade’s terms say you won’t get leads unless you buy a Pay as you go or Fixed Plan. On Approved, your profile shows when someone searches your business by name.
Is Checkatrade worth it for a new business?
It can help while nobody knows your name yet. Work out your cost per job won after the first few months. At the same time, set up your free Google Business Profile and start collecting Google reviews. Those stay yours. Here’s more on getting customers for a new trade business.
What’s the best alternative to Checkatrade?
It depends on how you want to pay. MyBuilder charges per shortlist. Bark charges credits to respond. Google Local Services Ads charge per lead. Your own Google profile, reviews and website have no lead fees and stay yours.
Can I leave Checkatrade?
Yes, at the end of your term. The business owner has to phone them, no earlier than 35 days before the renewal date and no later than the renewal date. Cancelling the Direct Debit doesn’t end the contract.
Do Checkatrade reviews show on Google?
Not as Google reviews. They’re posted on Checkatrade’s platform. Your Google reviews are the ones customers leave on your Business Profile. And Checkatrade’s terms say you can’t keep using its reviews on your own site once you leave.