Why trades go looking
If you're paying Checkatrade and wondering whether the grass is greener, the honest answer is that most of the obvious alternatives run the same two models: a monthly subscription, or a lead that's sold to several tradespeople at once — and usually a bit of both.
Below are the real Checkatrade alternatives UK trades actually weigh up — MyBuilder, Bark, Rated People and TrustATrader — each with the model it runs and the catch buried in the small print. Then a genuinely different approach at the end: paying only for an exclusive, phone-qualified appointment, booked into your own diary, when the customer is sat in front of you.
The main Checkatrade alternatives — and the catch in each
The four names trades reach for most, plus the two that do something different. Here's the model each one runs and where the catch sits.
| Platform | How it charges | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Subscription + per-lead fees — from £30+VAT/mo entry; members report £100–£300/mo all-in plus £5–£40 per lead (reported) | Leads shared with several trades; a 12-month auto-renewing contract that, per their own support pages, cancelling the direct debit alone won't end |
| MyBuilder | Pay-per-shortlist — a non-refundable fee of roughly £2–£35 that scales with job size (reported) | Their T&Cs: the fee is payable the moment your contact details are shared, even if you're not 'awarded the job'. Enquiries shared with several trades |
| Bark | Pay-per-lead via credits — £1.80+VAT per credit, roughly 4–30 credits (about £5–£40+) per lead | Each lead sold to up to 5 pros; since Nov 2025 credits expire after 3 months and unused ones aren't refunded (their Help Centre) |
| Rated People | Subscription + lead fees; pricing is opaque | Leads shared with up to 3 pros; a 12-month lock-in (forum-reported) |
| TrustATrader | Subscription-only — no per-lead fees or commission, but the price is unpublished (~£600–£1,000+VAT/yr, third-party reported, unconfirmed) | A contractual cap of no more than 10 members per trade per area, but a 12-month non-cancellable, non-refundable membership |
| Leads 2 Trade | Pay-per-booked-appointment, fenestration-first — around £65 per lead claimed (their figure) | Semi-exclusive: a premium appointment goes to up to 3 installers, into their shared diary rather than your own; a 7-day refund cutoff has drawn 1-star reviews (reported) |
Figures marked 'reported' come from third-party sites, forums and trade reviews, not the platforms' own published prices. Where a platform's own wording is quoted, it's from their published T&Cs or Help Centre.
The one thing they all have in common
Read down that table and the pattern jumps out. Every mainstream Checkatrade alternative sells you a subscription, a shared lead, or both — and you carry all the risk. You pay to appear, or you pay for a contact that three or five other trades bought at the same moment, and then you do the chasing. Whether the customer ever answers is your problem, not theirs.
That's the real cost nobody puts on the pricing page. Once you count the enquiries that never pick up, actually winning the work through a shared-lead site routinely costs anywhere from £150 to over £1,000 (reported and modelled) — and you still spent your evenings ringing round. Google will sell you the same customers directly, too: advertisers pay £22–£37 for a single click on trade-lead keywords like 'roofing leads uk' (£26) or 'how to get more electrical work' (£37) — for one click, not a booked conversation.
There is one UK company that books appointments rather than selling leads — Leads 2 Trade — but it's fenestration-first, semi-exclusive (up to three installers get the same premium appointment) and it books into their shared diary, not yours. EzDealz takes the idea further: we run the ads and the follow-up, qualify every enquiry by phone, and book a confirmed appointment straight into your own calendar — exclusive to your business and never shared. You pay per appointment that sits, on a 'no sit, no fee' basis, with no contract, no subscription and no credits, and your first two are free. See the full model and rate card, or read exactly what Checkatrade costs before you decide. We've also broken the big ones down individually — the alternatives to Bark and to MyBuilder — if you want the detail on a specific platform.
A shared lead vs an exclusive appointment
A shared lead
- Sold to up to 5 trades at once — you're racing everyone else to the phone
- You pay when the contact is shared, win or lose (MyBuilder's own T&Cs)
- Many of the numbers never answer — you still paid, and you did the chasing
- A 12-month contract on most platforms, subscription or per-lead
- Your reviews live on their platform — leave, and they can stop showing (Checkatrade)
An EzDealz appointment
- Exclusive to your business — never shared with another trade
- Every enquiry qualified by phone before it's booked into your own diary
- No sit, no fee — you pay only when the customer's there when you arrive
- No contract, no subscription, no credits — and your first two are free
- A confirmed appointment, not a name and number to cold-call
Exclusive, phone-qualified appointments close far better than shared leads because the customer is expecting you. Model it conservatively at 40%: 10 roofing appointments at £150 is £1,500 — close four and that's £375 for each job won, on work worth £5,000 or more.
What an EzDealz appointment costs
One price per trade, charged only when the appointment sits. Set against £22–£37 for a single Google click — or the £150-plus it can really cost to win work through shared leads once the no-shows are counted (reported and modelled) — a booked, exclusive appointment is a different kind of spend.
| Trade | Per booked appointment | Typical job value |
|---|---|---|
| Loft boarding & insulation | £100 | £995–£2,000 |
| Plumbing & boilers | £110 | ~£2,400 |
| Electricians | £120 | £3,000–£8,000 |
| Windows & doors | £120 | £4,000–£9,000 |
| Bathroom fitting | £135 | £4,500–£8,000 |
| Landscaping & gardens | £135 | £5,000–£15,000 |
| Roofing | £150 | £5,000–£13,500 |
| Solar & renewables | £175 | £7,500–£14,000 |
Prices exclude VAT and are charged per appointment that sits — no sit, no fee. First two appointments free. Job values are typical ranges, shown to put the appointment price in context, not a guarantee of work or income.
Common questions
What's the best alternative to Checkatrade?
It depends what you're trying to fix. If the problem is shared leads and chasing, none of the like-for-like alternatives solve it — MyBuilder, Bark and Rated People all share each enquiry with several trades. If it's the subscription lock-in, TrustATrader drops the per-lead fees but replaces them with an unpublished annual fee and a 12-month non-cancellable membership. EzDealz takes a different route entirely: exclusive, phone-qualified appointments booked into your own diary, paid for only when they sit.
Are there any free alternatives to Checkatrade?
Not really — every platform has to charge somewhere, whether it's a monthly subscription, a per-lead fee or credits. EzDealz doesn't charge a subscription or bill you for the enquiry; you pay per appointment that actually sits, and your first two are free, so you can test it without a contract.
Do the alternatives share leads like Checkatrade does?
Mostly, yes. Bark sells each lead to up to five professionals, Rated People to up to three, and MyBuilder charges the shortlist fee the moment your contact details are shared — payable, in their own T&Cs, even if you're not 'awarded the job'. Leads 2 Trade books appointments rather than selling leads, but it's still semi-exclusive, with up to three installers sharing a premium appointment. An EzDealz appointment is exclusive to one business, full stop.
Can I leave whenever I want?
That's where a lot of trades get caught. Checkatrade runs a 12-month auto-renewing contract, and their support pages are clear that cancelling the direct debit alone doesn't end it. TrustATrader's membership is 12-month, non-cancellable and non-refundable, and Rated People has a similar 12-month lock-in (forum-reported). EzDealz has no contract at all — you use it while it's working for you and stop when it isn't.
What happens to my reviews if I leave a platform?
On Checkatrade, reviews are tied to your membership — deactivate, and your listing comes down, so years of reviews stop showing publicly. It's worth building a reputation you own, on your own site and Google, rather than one that lives entirely on someone else's platform.
How does 'no sit, no fee' actually work?
We only charge for an appointment where the customer is there when you arrive. If they're a no-show, you don't pay for that one. There's no subscription and no per-enquiry charge, so the only thing you're ever billed for is a real, sat meeting with a customer who's expecting you. The full mechanics are on the pay-per-appointment page.