Two ways to pay for the same shared lead
MyBuilder and Checkatrade are two of the best-known ways a homeowner looks for a tradesperson online, and both are ways of buying leads. They price it very differently — MyBuilder charges a fee to be shortlisted, Checkatrade charges a monthly subscription plus a fee per lead — but the thing you actually receive is the same: a customer's contact details, shared with other trades who are all chasing the same work.
This page breaks down what each really costs, then shows a third way to pay that does not involve a shared lead at all. Every figure marked reported comes from what tradespeople and third-party sites say they pay, not from a published rate card — most of it the platforms do not publish. Where we quote a platform's own words, it is taken from their live terms. If you want Checkatrade's pricing pulled apart on its own, see our Checkatrade cost breakdown.
MyBuilder vs Checkatrade: the costs side by side
Both charge you to reach the customer. Here is how the money works on each.
| What you pay for | MyBuilder | Checkatrade |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Pay-per-shortlist | Subscription plus per-lead fee |
| Monthly cost | None | From £30+VAT for a name-search listing; active members report £100–£300/mo all-in (reported) |
| Per-lead / per-shortlist | ~£2–£35 non-refundable shortlist fee, scaling with job size (reported) | £5–£40 per lead — small jobs £5–£15, boiler or bathroom scale £20–£40 (reported) |
| When the fee bites | The moment your contact details are shared, whether or not you win the work (their T&Cs) | Per lead, on top of the monthly subscription |
| Contract | None | 12-month auto-renewing; cancelling the direct debit alone does not end it (their support pages) |
| Exclusive? | No — shared with several trades | No — shared with multiple tradespeople |
| Your reviews if you leave | No membership to leave — MyBuilder is pay-as-you-go with no contract | Tied to membership — deactivate and you are removed from the platform, so the reviews stop showing publicly (reported from their published guidance) |
Figures marked (reported) are what trades and third-party sites say they pay; the platforms do not publish most of it. Quoted terms are from each platform's own live pages.
A shared lead vs an exclusive appointment
A MyBuilder or Checkatrade lead
- Shared with several other trades — you are all quoting the same customer
- You pay to make contact — a shortlist fee or a per-lead fee — not for a result
- On MyBuilder the fee is due the instant contact details are shared, whether or not you are awarded the work (their own T&Cs)
- On Checkatrade the per-lead fee sits on top of your monthly subscription
- You still ring round, chase, and hope the customer picks up
An EzDealz appointment
- Exclusive to your business — never shared with anyone else
- A real appointment, phone-qualified by us and booked straight into your own diary
- No sit, no fee — you only pay if the customer is there when you arrive
- No subscription, no credits, no 12-month contract
- Your first two appointments are free
We find the customer, run the ads and the follow-up, and qualify every enquiry by phone before it lands in your diary. See exactly how it works and what it costs on the pay-per-appointment page.
So what does a won job actually cost?
The honest comparison is not cost per lead — it is cost per job you actually win. With shared leads, plenty never answer, and the ones that do are already talking to three or four other trades. Once you count the leads that went nowhere, the true cost of a won job on shared-lead sites routinely runs from £150 to over £1,000 — and you did all the chasing (reported and modelled).
An exclusive, phone-qualified appointment closes far better, because the customer is expecting you. Across sources, appointments like these close at 30–50%; model it conservatively at 40%. Take ten roofing appointments at £150 — that is £1,500. Close four and that works out at £375 per job won, on jobs worth £5,000 or more.
For context, advertisers pay £22–£37 per click on Google for trade-lead keywords — around £26 for “roofing leads uk”, around £37 for “how to get more electrical work” — and a click is not a customer. EzDealz charges £100–£175 for a booked appointment with someone who has agreed to see you. The full model and the rate for your trade are on the pay-per-appointment page.
What EzDealz charges per appointment
One price per booked, exclusive appointment — payable only if the customer sits down with you. No monthly fee, no credits, no contract.
| Trade | Per booked appointment | Typical job value |
|---|---|---|
| Loft boarding & insulation | £100 | £995–£2,000 |
| Plumbing & boilers | £110 | around £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. No sit, no fee — you only pay when the customer is there. Your first two appointments are free.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MyBuilder or Checkatrade?
It depends on volume. MyBuilder has no subscription — you only pay the shortlist fee (roughly £2–£35, reported) when you are shortlisted. Checkatrade charges a monthly subscription (from £30+VAT for a basic listing, with active members reporting £100–£300 a month all-in, reported) plus a per-lead fee of £5–£40 (reported). If you take very few leads a month, MyBuilder's pay-as-you-go can work out cheaper; if you take a lot, Checkatrade's subscription is fixed but the per-lead fees still stack on top. Either way the lead is shared with other trades.
Do I pay MyBuilder even if I don't get the job?
Yes. Their tradesperson terms state: “The Shortlist Fee becomes payable when the Customer's Contact Details are shared with you, and it is not necessary for you to be awarded the job for the Shortlist Fee to be payable.” In other words, the fee is for the contact, not the result.
Can I cancel Checkatrade in the middle of the contract?
Not easily. Checkatrade membership runs on a 12-month auto-renewing contract, and their support pages state that cancelling the direct debit on its own does not end the contract (reported from their published guidance). It is worth reading the terms carefully before you sign.
Are the leads exclusive on either platform?
No. On both MyBuilder and Checkatrade, an enquiry is shared with multiple tradespeople, so you are quoting against others from the start. An EzDealz appointment is exclusive to one business and is never shared.
What happens to my Checkatrade reviews if I leave?
Reviews are tied to your membership. If your account is deactivated you are removed from the platform, so the reviews you built up over the years stop showing publicly once you leave. That is worth weighing against the 12-month commitment.
How is EzDealz different from both?
You do not buy a lead — you get a confirmed, exclusive appointment, phone-qualified and booked straight into your own diary. There is no subscription, no credits and no contract, and you only pay if the customer is there when you arrive. Your first two appointments are free. See the full model and rate card on our pay-per-appointment page.