MyBuilder vs Rated People: which is better for tradespeople?
The two UK platforms work in genuinely different ways, and the difference matters more than the headline prices. Here's how each charges, who each suits, and the maths to run.
Quick answer
The models differ more than the prices. MyBuilder is free to join and charges only when a homeowner shortlists you to quote — so you're not paying to chase jobs you were never in the running for. Rated People runs a monthly subscription that includes an allowance of lead credits, which you spend on jobs you choose, and caps each lead at a small number of trades. MyBuilder suits irregular, selective bidding; Rated People suits steady volume that uses the monthly allowance up.
The two models side by side
| MyBuilder | Rated People | |
|---|---|---|
| Joining cost | Free | Monthly subscription |
| When you pay | When shortlisted to quote | Credits spent on chosen leads |
| Fixed monthly cost | None | Yes |
| Trades per lead | Homeowner shortlists a few | Capped at a small number |
| Quiet month costs you | Nothing | Full subscription |
| Best for | Selective, irregular bidding | Steady, high-volume bidding |
Step-by-step
- 1
Understand MyBuilder's shortlist model — it's the real differentiator
On MyBuilder you're free to join and you express interest in jobs at no cost. The fee lands when the homeowner shortlists you to quote. That's a meaningfully better structure than paying to unlock contact details, because a homeowner has already chosen you before any money moves. Fees scale with job size — small jobs are modest, large projects can run to several hundred pounds — so the exposure on a big job is real and worth checking before you bid.
- 2
Understand Rated People's subscription-plus-credits model
Rated People charges a monthly membership that comes with an allowance of lead credits, and you spend those credits on the specific jobs you want, buying more if you run out. Reported plans sit around £35 plus VAT a month with a comparable credit allowance included, and individual leads consume anywhere from a couple of pounds for a small job to considerably more for a large one. Rated People also caps how many trades receive a given lead at a small number, which is a genuine advantage over platforms that share widely.
- 3
Work out which model your work pattern fits
This is the whole decision. If you bid selectively — a few jobs a month, chosen carefully — a subscription is dead weight in the months you don't use it, and MyBuilder's pay-on-shortlist model costs you nothing to browse. If you bid steadily and would comfortably use the monthly credit allowance, the subscription effectively buys leads at a discount and Rated People is the cheaper per-lead route.
- 4
Check the fee before bidding on large jobs
The most common unpleasant surprise on MyBuilder is the fee on a big project, which scales with job value and can reach several hundred pounds. That may still be excellent value against the job — but it should be a decision, not a discovery. Look at the fee attached to each job before expressing interest.
- 5
Test one at a time, for a full month each
Running both simultaneously makes it impossible to attribute anything. Give each a month with the same tracking: fees paid, quotes given, jobs won, total value. Then compare cost per won job. Two months of clean data will tell you more than a year of impressions.
- 6
Treat neither as the pipeline
Both are useful for filling gaps and neither builds anything you keep. A Google Business Profile and your own website cost a fraction as much per enquiry and still exist if you stop paying. The realistic pattern for most established trades is a platform running while it pays for itself, with owned channels growing underneath it.
Tips & best practices
- ▸MyBuilder charges on shortlist, not on browsing — so the cost of looking is genuinely zero.
- ▸Check the fee on large MyBuilder jobs before bidding; it scales with project value.
- ▸Rated People's subscription only makes sense if you'll actually use the monthly credit allowance.
- ▸Rated People caps trades per lead at a small number — worth weighing against widely-shared alternatives.
- ▸Neither publishes a full price list. Get your own quote for your trade and postcode before committing.
Common questions
Is MyBuilder free to join?
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Yes. Joining and browsing jobs costs nothing, and you can express interest in work at no charge. The fee applies when a homeowner shortlists you to quote — so you only pay once someone has actually picked you.
How much does MyBuilder charge per lead?
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Fees scale with the size of the job. MyBuilder's own published framing is that fees start from a few pounds, with tradespeople reporting figures into the tens of pounds for typical domestic work and several hundred on large projects. Because it scales, check the fee shown on each job before bidding rather than assuming a flat rate.
How much does Rated People cost per month?
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Reported plans sit around £35 plus VAT a month, including a comparable allowance of lead credits to spend. Individual leads consume credits at anywhere from about £2 plus VAT for a small job up to substantially more for a large one. Rated People quotes by trade and area and doesn't publish a full price list, so get your own figures.
Which is cheaper, MyBuilder or Rated People?
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It depends entirely on how much you bid. If you bid steadily and use the monthly credit allowance, Rated People's subscription usually works out cheaper per lead. If you bid occasionally and selectively, MyBuilder is cheaper because there's no fixed monthly cost — a quiet month costs you nothing at all.
How many tradespeople get the same job?
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Rated People caps each lead at a small number of trades. On MyBuilder the homeowner shortlists the trades they want quotes from, so competition is limited by the homeowner's choice rather than by an open sale. Both are narrower than platforms that sell the same lead widely, which is the main structural argument for using them.