A Checkatrade alternative is any other way for a UK trade to win enquiries without a Checkatrade membership. The main options are paid lead sites such as MyBuilder, Bark and MyJobQuote, trusted trader schemes such as Which? Trusted Traders, free listings such as Yell and Nextdoor, and your own Google profile and website.
Each one charges differently, and one familiar name has gone. Rated People memberships have ended, according to its own post of 17 September 2026. This guide sets out how each option charges. Prices come from each site’s own pages, read in October 2026. MyBuilder and Bark prices are in our comparison guide instead. Whether Checkatrade itself pays is a separate question, covered in is Checkatrade worth it for tradesmen.
Do this today
- Add up what you paid lead sites and directories in the last 12 months.
- Divide it by the jobs you won from them. That’s your real cost per job.
- Check your Google Business Profile shows the right phone number and service area.
- Before paying any new site, find its notice period and refund rule in its terms.
- If you were on Rated People, ask your past customers for a Google review.
What do the alternatives to Checkatrade do differently?
The alternatives to Checkatrade differ on how you pay and how long you’re tied in. Checkatrade’s pricing page lists a monthly plan, with Approved at £30 and Growth from £59. Here’s how the others compare.
| Option | How you pay | Published price | Tie-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyBuilder | Shortlist fee when a customer’s details are shared with you | See our comparison guide | See our comparison guide |
| Bark | Credits to contact customers | See our comparison guide | See our comparison guide |
| MyJobQuote | Credits per lead, on a subscription or pay as you go | Not published. You sign up or log in to see them | No contract (its own claim, reviewed July 2024) |
| TrustATrader | Yearly fee upfront. No fee per lead | Not published | 12 months, no cancelling inside it |
| Which? Trusted Traders | One-off assessment, then monthly or yearly | £248, then from £69 a month | Rolling, three months’ notice |
| Buy With Confidence | One-off application, then yearly | £165, then £305 a year, plus VAT, for up to 5 staff (as of 1 April 2026) | Not stated on its fees page |
| TrustMark | Through a Scheme Provider | Varies by provider | Set by your provider |
| Yell | Free basic listing, paid extras | Free. Extras not priced | None stated |
| Nextdoor | Free business page, paid ads | Free. Ads not priced | None stated |
| Google Business Profile | Nothing | No charge | None |
Paid lead sites
Paid lead sites put you in front of customers looking for a trade. You can pay whether or not you win the job. For cost, contracts and refunds side by side, read Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs Bark vs TrustATrader for trades.
MyBuilder
A customer can shortlist you, or you can shortlist yourself. MyBuilder charges a shortlist fee when the customer’s details are shared with you. Sometimes that happens straight away. Sometimes the customer has to confirm first. You see the fee before you act.
Bark
Bark charges credits to contact a customer. More in is Bark worth it for tradesmen.
MyJobQuote
MyJobQuote prices each lead in credits, on a rolling monthly subscription or pay as you go. Its fees page, reviewed in July 2024, lists factors such as budget, location and competition for the lead. Credits expire after 6 months. Up to 3 trades can respond to one job. You get 48 hours from purchase to dispute a lead.
TrustATrader
TrustATrader is a directory, not a per-lead site. Its join page says “Never pay for your leads”. You pay a yearly fee upfront instead, and that fee isn’t published.
Rated People has closed to trades
Rated People is no longer an alternative. Checkatrade Group bought selected assets, including the brand and website. Its post of 17 September 2026 says “Rated People memberships ended before the brand and website changed hands”. That post sends questions about past memberships to the liquidators, S&W. Older lists of alternatives still name it.
Trusted trader schemes
A trusted trader scheme checks your business and lets you show its badge. None of the pages we read promises leads. In our view a badge is proof for a customer who’s already comparing you, not a source of jobs.
Which? Trusted Traders
Which? charges a £248 assessment fee, which isn’t refundable if you fail. Membership is then £69 a month for up to 3 employees or £89 for 4 to 9. The page doesn’t say whether VAT is included. The checks are a credit report, customer references and an assessment by a trading standards professional. It’s a rolling contract with three months’ notice.
Buy With Confidence
Buy With Confidence is “operated solely by local authority Trading Standards services”. You’re vetted before you’re admitted. Its fees were correct as of 1 April 2026. Up to 5 full-time staff pay £165 to apply and £305 a year plus VAT. If you work at customers’ homes you’ll need criminal record checks too. They cost around £21.50 each. You can apply even if your council isn’t in the scheme.
TrustMark
TrustMark is a Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in and around the home. You can’t join it directly. You register through a Scheme Provider, and there are over 40 trade associations and certification bodies to choose from. TrustMark bills its £40 annual fee to the provider, and each provider sets its own costs. Check whether a body you already belong to is one.
Free options
Free options cost you time rather than a fee. Yell says “a basic listing on Yell.com is free”, and it sells paid extras on top. A Nextdoor business page is free too, with contact details, photos, neighbour recommendations and unlimited free posts. We’ve checked more of them in free business directories for UK trades.
Getting work without a lead site
Getting work without a lead site means customers find you on Google and contact you direct. This route has no fee per enquiry, and no other trade is sent the same lead by a platform.
It starts with your profile. Google says you “can add or claim your business at no charge”, so set up a Google Business Profile for your trade if you haven’t.
The way Google picks local results is the big difference from a lead site. Google says it looks at relevance, distance and prominence, and “there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google”. So money doesn’t buy that spot.
Your website does the rest. It gives each job and town its own page, with your own number on it. That’s what we plan into websites for trades.
In our view this is slower to build than buying a lead, and nobody can say how long it’ll take for your business. Keep a paid source running while you build it if you need the work now. Then judge each one by your cost per job.
Questions trades ask about Checkatrade alternatives
What is the best site like Checkatrade?
The best site like Checkatrade depends on how you want to pay. MyBuilder charges a shortlist fee when a customer’s details are shared with you. Bark charges credits to contact a customer. TrustATrader charges once a year.
In our view TrustATrader is the closest match, as a directory with reviews and a yearly fee.
Is there a free alternative to Checkatrade?
Yes, there are free alternatives to Checkatrade. A Google Business Profile, a basic Yell listing and a Nextdoor business page all have no fee to set up.
Can you still join Rated People?
No, you can’t still join Rated People as a member. Its own memberships have ended. Its post of 17 September 2026 says that to keep getting jobs from the platform, members need to sign up with Checkatrade.
Is TrustATrader cheaper than Checkatrade?
We can’t say whether TrustATrader is cheaper than Checkatrade, because TrustATrader doesn’t publish its fee. Ask for the yearly price, then compare it with 12 months of your Checkatrade plan.
Do trusted trader schemes send you leads?
No, the trusted trader schemes we read don’t promise to send you leads. They check you and let you show the badge.
Can you help me get work without a lead site?
Yes. We work on your Google profile, reviews and website so customers can contact you direct. That’s local SEO for trades. We won’t promise a ranking or a number of leads.