Stop Paying for Leads That Go Nowhere
Checkatrade and MyBuilder charge tradespeople whether they win the job or not. Here's what that's really costing you, and a simpler way to own your leads instead.
If you’re a tradesperson using Checkatrade, MyBuilder, or a similar platform, you already know the feeling: you pay to be seen, you pay to respond, and sometimes you pay and still don’t get the job.
Here’s what that’s actually costing you.
The real cost of “pay per lead”
Checkatrade typically charges a monthly membership of £50–£150, often with per-lead fees on top for bigger jobs. Add it up over a year and most tradespeople are paying somewhere between £600 and £1,200+ annually, before a single job is guaranteed.
MyBuilder works differently, but the maths isn’t kinder. You pay to express interest in a job, or pay when a homeowner shortlists you, and that fee doesn’t come back if you don’t win the work. Respond to 20 jobs, get shortlisted on half, and you could easily be £100–£300 down before you’ve picked up a single tool. Win or lose, that money’s gone.
And on both platforms, you’re rarely the only one quoting. Most leads get shared with 3–5 other tradespeople. So even when you do pay, you’re often just buying a seat at a price-comparison table, not a customer who’s already chosen you.
The bit that doesn’t show up on the invoice
The fees are only part of it. Every shared lead means time: driving to quote, sizing up the job, writing it up, then waiting to hear if you got it. Quote on three shared leads to win one, and that’s two wasted visits and a few hours of your week, on top of whatever you paid to be in the running.
There’s also a quieter cost: when a homeowner is comparing you against three other quotes from the same platform, you’re competing on price before you’ve had the chance to show what makes you worth choosing. That pressure eats into margin on the jobs you do win, not just the ones you lose.
What you’re not getting either
However many leads you buy this month, none of it is yours to keep. The reviews you build live on someone else’s platform. The profile you’ve spent years polishing disappears the day you stop paying. If you switch platforms, or the platform changes its pricing, you start again from zero.
Compare that to a customer who finds you through your own website or Google listing: there’s no other tradesperson getting the same enquiry, no per-lead fee, and the relationship, and the reviews, belong to you, not a directory.
A simpler way in
You don’t need to choose between “pay a platform forever” and “build a website from scratch.” A simple, professional one-page site, your trade, your work, your contact details, built in days, gives homeowners somewhere to land when they’ve already found you, whether that’s through Google, a referral, or word of mouth. No per-lead fees. No shared quotes. No disappearing profile if you stop paying a directory.
Stop renting your leads. Own them.
Your own website costs less than a single shortlist fee on MyBuilder, and it’s yours for good, not just this month. From £10/month, no contract, cancel anytime.
👉 See examples and get started at onepagesites.uk
Costs cited are typical ranges reported by UK tradespeople as of 2026 and vary by trade, region, and platform. Always check current pricing directly with each provider before deciding what’s right for your business.
