Is Checkatrade worth it for tradespeople?
An honest look at Checkatrade for tradespeople: the real cost structure, what you get for it, when it works, and the arithmetic to run before you sign a twelve-month contract.
Quick answer
Checkatrade membership is reported to start around £60 a month for a basic listing, with many trades paying £100–£150, and considerably more in competitive trades and areas. Directly purchased leads cost extra, commonly £5–£30+ each. Membership runs on a twelve-month contract. It's worth it if your average job value is high and you respond fast; it's poor value for low-ticket work, and it builds no asset you keep.
Checkatrade vs your own website — the structural difference
| Checkatrade | Your own site | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | ~£60–£150+ reported | £0–£20 |
| Cost per lead | £5–£30+ on top | £0 |
| Contract | 12 months | None |
| Leads shared with rivals | Yes | No |
| What you own after 2 years | Nothing | A ranking asset |
| Brand trust with homeowners | High | Built slowly |
Step-by-step
- 1
Understand the two-part cost
There's a membership fee and, separately, charges for leads you opt to receive. Reported membership sits around £60 a month at the basic end, with £100–£150 common and higher figures quoted in competitive trades and postcodes. Leads bought on top are commonly £5–£30 or more each. Checkatrade quotes individually by trade and area, so treat any published figure as indicative and get your own quote.
- 2
Be honest about what you're buying
You're buying access to homeowners who trust the Checkatrade brand more than they'd trust a name from Google. That's genuinely valuable — the brand recognition is real and many homeowners start there. What you're not buying is an asset. Stop paying and your presence disappears the same month, with nothing carried forward.
- 3
Run your own numbers for three months
Track every enquiry, what it cost, whether it converted, and the job value. Then calculate cost per won job, not cost per lead — they're wildly different once you account for leads that never reply. If your cost per won job is under about 10% of job value, it's working. Well above that and it isn't.
- 4
Know when it genuinely works
It works best for high-value trades where one won job pays for months of membership — roofing, extensions, bathrooms, full rewires. It works worst for low-ticket, high-frequency work where the lead cost is a meaningful share of the job. And it rewards speed: shared leads go to whoever calls first.
- 5
Don't treat it as either/or
The strongest position for most trades is a Checkatrade listing while it's paying for itself, plus a Google Business Profile and your own website building in the background. The directory brings work now; the website is what you still have in three years. Running both means you can leave when the numbers stop working.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Membership runs on a twelve-month contract — check the terms and renewal behaviour before signing.
- ▸Measure cost per won job, not cost per lead. The gap between them is where the money goes.
- ▸Shared leads reward speed above all else; if you can't respond within minutes, your conversion will lag.
- ▸Whatever you decide, claim and fill out your Google Business Profile — it costs nothing and often out-delivers paid directories for local work.
Common questions
How much does Checkatrade cost per month?
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Reported figures start around £60 a month for a basic listing, with £100–£150 common and higher quotes in competitive trades and areas. Leads you opt to receive are charged separately, commonly £5–£30+ each. Checkatrade prices individually, so get a quote for your trade and postcode rather than relying on a published range.
Is Checkatrade worth it for a one-man business?
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It depends almost entirely on your average job value. If a won job is worth several hundred pounds or more, one job can cover months of membership. If you're doing lots of small jobs, the combined membership and lead costs are hard to justify — and a sole trader is also less able to respond within minutes to shared leads.
Do Checkatrade leads go to other tradespeople too?
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Yes, leads are typically shared with competing trades in the area, which is why response speed matters so much. You're paying for the opportunity to quote, not for exclusivity.
Can I cancel Checkatrade?
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Membership runs on a twelve-month contract, so cancellation mid-term is governed by those terms. Read them before signing rather than after — this is the single most common complaint about any directory, not just this one.
What's the alternative to Checkatrade?
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A Google Business Profile plus your own website is the main one, and it costs a fraction as much. The trade-off is time: a directory gives you enquiries this month, whereas your own presence takes a few months to build but keeps working without a monthly fee. Most established trades end up running both for a while.