Is Rated People worth it for tradespeople?
Rated People is the only major UK trade platform that charges you twice: a subscription you commit to for a year upfront, and credits on top for each job you chase.
Quick answer
Rated People runs a subscription-plus-credits model rather than pure pay-per-lead. The common plan is reported at around 35 pounds plus VAT a month, billed as an annual lump sum that locks you into a 12 month term from day one, and it includes roughly 45 pounds plus VAT of lead credits each month. Individual leads are reported anywhere from about 2 pounds plus VAT on small jobs to around 65 pounds plus VAT on larger ones. The structure matters more than either number: you are committing to roughly 420 pounds plus VAT before you have won a single job, and then spending credits on top, so it suits a trade with steady demand and a reliable conversion rate rather than someone testing the water.
What you commit before a single job arrives
| Rated People | Pure pay-per-lead | Flat membership | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront commitment | About 420 + VAT, annual | Nothing | Annual fee |
| Contract term | 12 months from day one | None | Usually 12 months |
| Cost per lead on top | Yes, about 2 to 65 + VAT | Yes | No |
| Cost of a quiet month | Full subscription | Nothing | Full fee |
| Suits | Steady demand, known conversion | Testing the water | Strong brand, low volume |
Step-by-step
- 1
Recognise that you are paying twice, not once
People get caught here. Most UK trade platforms pick one model: Checkatrade charges membership, MyBuilder and Bark charge per lead. Rated People does both. The monthly fee comes with a credit allowance, and once that allowance is gone you buy more. Comparing its monthly figure against a pure lead platform's per-lead price is comparing two different halves of two different deals.
- 2
Treat the annual lump sum as the real decision
Being billed annually up front on a 12 month term means the question is not whether you can afford 35 a month, it is whether you are confident enough to put roughly 420 plus VAT down before seeing a single lead. That's a different risk from a platform you can walk away from in a quiet month, so be more careful here than with pay-as-you-go alternatives.
- 3
Work out how many jobs cover the commitment
Take your average job margin, not your average job value. If you clear 150 pounds on a typical job, the subscription alone needs three jobs a year to break even, and the credits you spend chasing work sit on top of that. Most trades clear that easily in a good area. In a competitive postcode with a weak conversion rate, it is much less certain.
- 4
Check how far your included credits actually go
Roughly 45 pounds plus VAT of credits a month sounds generous until you look at lead prices. At the small end of around 2 pounds that is plenty of chances; at the large end near 65 it is not even one lead. Since bigger jobs cost more credits, the allowance evaporates fastest exactly where you most want to compete.
- 5
Be deliberate about which jobs you spend credits on
A credit spent on a job outside your specialism or half an hour's drive away is gone whether or not you were ever going to win it. Tradespeople who do well on credit platforms are ruthless about relevance. The ones who struggle bid broadly when the diary looks thin, at precisely the point the money is tightest.
- 6
Diarise the renewal date the day you sign
A 12 month term that renews quietly is how a one-year trial becomes a three-year expense. Put the notice date in your calendar immediately, and review jobs actually won against total spend before it arrives, rather than after.
Tips & best practices
- Prices on this platform have risen noticeably, so check the current figure directly rather than relying on any published review, including this one.
- The annual upfront structure makes this a poor choice for testing whether platform leads work for you. Test somewhere you can leave.
- Track spend against jobs won from month one. The whole case rests on a conversion rate most trades have never actually measured.
Common questions
How much does Rated People cost?
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The commonly reported plan is around 35 pounds plus VAT a month, billed annually as a lump sum on a 12 month term, and including roughly 45 pounds plus VAT of lead credits each month. Leads themselves are reported from about 2 pounds plus VAT up to around 65 for larger jobs.
Is there a contract?
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Yes. The subscription is typically committed for 12 months from the outset and paid upfront, which is a meaningfully higher risk than pay-as-you-go platforms where a quiet month costs nothing.
Do the included credits cover a month of quoting?
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It depends entirely on job size. Small jobs cost a couple of pounds, so the allowance goes a long way; larger jobs can cost tens of pounds per lead, so it can be consumed by one or two enquiries.
Is Rated People better than MyBuilder?
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They are structurally different. MyBuilder has no subscription and charges when you are shortlisted, so a quiet month is free. Rated People charges a committed annual subscription and credits on top. Your expected volume decides which is cheaper.
Is it worth it for a new trade business?
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It is a harder starting point than pay-as-you-go platforms because of the upfront annual commitment. If you are still establishing whether platform leads convert for your trade and area, test on something you can exit first.