What do trade leads cost? Checkatrade, Bark and MyBuilder compared

If you have searched for “trade leads”, “leads for tradesmen” or “what should a trade lead cost”, you have probably been quoted a monthly membership, a price per lead, or both. Before buying leads for trades, it helps to know exactly what each model charges for. The figures are hard to compare because each platform charges for something slightly different.

This guide sets out how the main UK platforms charge, using their own pages where they publish figures. It then gives you a simple worksheet to work out what a paying job is costing you, and explains the alternative: building enquiries through a website and Google profile you own. For other practical reading, see our guides for trades.

All prices below were checked on 26 October 2026. Platforms change their plans, offers and lead rules regularly, so treat these as a starting point and confirm the current figures with the provider before you sign anything.

The three ways trade lead platforms charge

Almost every UK lead platform uses one of these models, or a mix of them.

Fixed membership. You pay a monthly or annual fee to be listed and to receive enquiries. The fee usually depends on your trade, area and how many leads you ask for. Checkatrade’s fixed plans and TrustATrader’s annual membership work this way.

Pay per lead or shortlist. You see a job, then pay to get the customer’s details or to be shortlisted. MyBuilder, Bark and Checkatrade’s newer Opportunities Board work this way. You pay whether or not the customer goes on to hire you.

Free listing with paid upgrades. A basic profile is free, and you pay for better placement or managed advertising. Yell works this way, and some membership platforms also offer a free basic profile.

The most important detail in all three is how many businesses receive the same enquiry. A lead shared with two competitors is a different product from one sent only to you, even at the same price.

What the main platforms charge in 2026

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A few notes on reading that table:

• Checkatrade. Its pricing page says memberships are for 12 months and are fixed plans, and it often runs introductory offers such as free months. On the Opportunities Board, you unlock individual leads and pay only for the ones you choose; Checkatrade says it is rolling out gradually. Since September 2026, Rated People leads are also bought through a Checkatrade membership.
• MyBuilder. Expressing interest in a job is free. The fee is charged when the customer shortlists you and your contact details are exchanged. MyBuilder’s terms say you do not need to be awarded the job for the shortlist fee to be payable, and refunds are limited to specific situations.
• Bark. The number of credits a lead costs is shown before you respond. Bark says credits for general requests bought on or after 1 November 2025 are valid for three months. It also has lead credit or refund policies for new professionals, which return used starter credits as account credit (not cash) in set circumstances; check the Credits and Billing section of Bark’s help centre before relying on them.
• Per-lead prices are rarely published. Several trade websites publish estimates of £5 to £40 or more per lead depending on the job. Those are third-party estimates, not platform price lists. The only reliable figure is the one shown in your own account.

What happens when you stop paying

This is the question most people forget to ask, and it matters more than the monthly fee.

On Checkatrade, plans run for a fixed 12-month term and renew unless you cancel through their team during the renewal window. Their cancellation help page says your profile is removed from public listings on your renewal date and you stop receiving leads. Cancelling a direct debit does not end the contract on its own.

TrustATrader’s trader terms describe an annual subscription that cannot be ended early, with fees that are not refundable. Those terms are older, so ask for the current version.

Pay-per-lead platforms such as MyBuilder and Bark have no ongoing fee to cancel, but your visibility there depends on continuing to buy leads or credits. Unused Bark credits can also expire.

The common thread: the reviews, profile and position you build on a directory sit on someone else’s platform. When the payments stop, so does most of the benefit. That is not a reason to avoid directories, but it is a reason to build something you keep alongside them.

Work out your real cost per job

The price per lead is not the number that matters. What matters is how much you spent for each job that actually went ahead. You can work this out from your own invoices and records in ten minutes.

Fill in one row per platform for the same period, ideally the last three or six months:

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The example is invented to show the arithmetic. It is not a typical result for any platform.

Then ask three questions. Is G comfortably below H? Where do leads drop out: between B and C (customers not answering), or between D and E (losing on price)? And how many of those customers would have found you anyway, through word of mouth or Google?

If a lot of leads drop out before you speak to anyone, speed of reply is often the problem rather than the platform. Our missed calls guide for trades covers simple ways to reply while you are on a job.

When a lead platform makes sense

Directories and lead sites are useful in the right situation, and many established trades use one alongside their own website.

They often suit you when:

• you are new, have no reviews yet and need work quickly
• you are moving into a new area where nobody knows your name
• you have gaps in the diary and can respond to enquiries fast
• the vetting badge genuinely matters to your customers
• your cost per job (line G above) is comfortably covered by the profit on those jobs

They are a weaker fit when most of your leads are shared and you regularly lose on price, when you are tied into a long contract you are not using, or when you are paying for enquiries from customers who already knew you.

The alternative: enquiries you own

The other route is to make it easy for local customers to find and contact you directly, through your own website and your Google Business Profile.

Creating a Google Business Profile is free. A website has a running cost, but the enquiries it produces come to you alone, with no per-lead fee and no competitor receiving the same message. The reviews you collect on Google stay with your business. If you stop paying a supplier, a website you own can be moved rather than switched off.

This route takes longer to build. A new website and profile need accurate service information, real photos, genuine reviews and time before you can judge how many enquiries they produce. Nobody can promise a particular Google position. That is why many trades keep a directory running while their own channels grow, then reduce their lead spend once their records show the direct enquiries are coming in.

Our Google Maps guide for trades explains how to set up and look after your profile. For the cost side, our guide to what a tradesperson’s website costs shows how to compare website quotes fairly. If you would like help with the visibility work, see our local SEO service.

How UKTL fits in

UK Trade Leads does not sell leads. Despite the name, we do not resell enquiries or share customers between businesses.

We build and manage the channels you own. Our Business-in-a-Box package includes a website for your trade, a business phone number, missed-call text-back, a CRM, review requests and Google Business Profile support. It is £197 per month (usually £297), with no setup fee, no contracts and the option to cancel anytime. You keep the website if you leave, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. See pricing for the current details.

Compare that with your line A from the worksheet over the same months. The package is not a replacement for every enquiry source, and it may not be the right choice if your directory spend is already low and working. The useful comparison is your real cost per job against the cost of building something you keep.

Frequently asked questions

What should a trade lead cost?

There is no fair single figure, because job size, trade, area and how many businesses receive the lead all change the price. A better test is whether your cost per job that went ahead (spend divided by paid jobs) is comfortably covered by the profit on those jobs.

Are trade leads shared with other businesses?

Often, yes. Checkatrade’s lead board removes a lead after three trades unlock it, Rated People has historically sold each lead to up to three trades, and a Bark request can be answered by up to five professionals. Check the current rule for any platform before you pay.

Can I buy leads for tradesmen with no contract?

Pay-per-lead platforms such as MyBuilder and Bark do not need a long membership, though Bark credits can expire. Checkatrade’s fixed plans are 12-month memberships. Always read the term, renewal and cancellation rules first.

Do I need a website if I already use Checkatrade or MyBuilder?

Not necessarily, but a website and Google profile give customers somewhere to check you out and contact you directly, and they stay with you if you leave a platform. Many trades run both and compare the cost per job from each.