Checkatrade vs Rated People: Which Is Worth It for Tradespeople?

2026

You're weighing up Checkatrade and Rated People.

Both promise leads. Both cost money. And both ask you to compete against other trades for the same jobs.

So which one actually makes sense for your business?

Here's an honest breakdown.

How Each Platform Works

They operate on completely different models, which matters more than most comparisons let on.

Checkatrade

Checkatrade is a directory. Homeowners search for a tradesperson in their area, browse profiles, read reviews, and contact whoever they like.

Your job is to show up in search results and have enough reviews to look credible. You pay a subscription fee whether you get enquiries or not.

Rated People

Rated People is a job marketplace. Homeowners post a job. Up to three trades are shown the lead and can pay to unlock the contact details.

You're in control of when you buy — but you're paying upfront, before you've spoken to anyone.

What Each Platform Costs in 2026

Checkatrade

Checkatrade typically costs £60–£150+ per month depending on your trade and area.

Costs have increased significantly since Homeserve acquired the company. Multiple long-standing members have reported renewal hikes of 50–100%.

There's no lead cost on top, but you need a strong review profile to generate enquiries. A new listing with few reviews will struggle to compete.

Rated People

Rated People charges a base subscription of around £15/month, but that's not the real cost.

Each lead you buy costs £2–£65+ VAT, depending on trade, job size, and location. For bigger jobs — electrical, solar, loft conversions — leads sit at the higher end.

And here's the catch: you pay before you quote, and you don't get a refund if the customer ghosts you or goes with someone else.

A busy month of lead buying can easily cost £200–£400+ before you've booked a single job.

The Problem Both Platforms Share

This is the bit most comparisons skip over.

Whether you're on Checkatrade or Rated People, you don't own the lead.

On Rated People, up to three trades buy the same contact. You're competing from the first call.

On Checkatrade, you're listed alongside every other verified trade in your area. When a homeowner searches, they see your competitors too.

In both cases, the platform owns the relationship. You're renting access to demand — and the price goes up every year.

The first tradesperson to respond usually wins the job. 78% of customers hire whoever gets back to them first.

That's not a Checkatrade problem or a Rated People problem. It's a shared-lead problem — and both platforms have it.

Which Is Better for You?

The honest answer: it depends what you need.

Checkatrade suits you if:

• You're building a long-term local brand
• You can invest time collecting reviews from all customers (not just Checkatrade ones)
• You're established enough to absorb the monthly cost while you build your profile
• You want inbound enquiries without actively chasing leads

Rated People suits you if:

• You want to fill gaps in the diary without a long-term contract
• You're willing to move fast — first to buy the lead has an edge
• Your trade has relatively low lead costs (under £20)
• You're in a niche where competition is light

Neither is a good fit if:

• You're a sole trader who can't always respond during working hours
• Your lead costs are high and win rates are low
• You're already too busy to justify the spend

A common pattern: tradespeople use Rated People to get started, then move to Checkatrade once they've built a review base. Some run both.

For deeper dives on each platform, see our Checkatrade review and Rated People review.

What the Reviews from Tradespeople Actually Say

The feedback from both platforms is mixed, but the themes are consistent.

Checkatrade complaints:

• Significant price hikes at renewal (some members report doubling)
• High subscription cost for sole traders
• Takes months of reviews before enquiries pick up
• Competing against established profiles with hundreds of reviews

Rated People complaints:

• Paying for leads that never respond
• Credits rarely refunded even for clearly bad leads
• Lead quality feels lower than it used to be
• Up to three trades per lead means racing on price

The tradespeople who get results from either platform tend to be those who respond fast, have strong profiles, and consistently collect reviews.

A Third Option

Both Checkatrade and Rated People rely on you paying for access to other people's audiences.

But there's a different model: converting the people who are already visiting your website.

Most trade websites do get visitors from Google, social media, and word-of-mouth referrals. But a lot of those sites are bad at converting those visitors into enquiries.

Mostly, this is due to poor funnels and slow responses.

If your site doesn't capture those visitors instantly, they move on.

That's where Kantr comes in.

Kantr is an AI sales assistant that sits on your website, answers visitor questions 24/7, and captures qualified leads automatically — name, job type, location, timing.

You get notified the moment someone enquires, so you can follow up while they're still looking.

No shared leads. No subscription to someone else's directory. You own the enquiry from the start.

Setup takes under 10 minutes, plans start from £39/month, and there's a 90-day money-back guarantee if it doesn't increase your qualified enquiries.

The Bottom Line

Checkatrade is better for long-term reputation building, if you can afford the subscription and commit to collecting reviews consistently.

Rated People is better for flexibility and filling gaps in the diary, but lead costs add up fast and quality is inconsistent.

Both involve competing for shared demand — and both put someone else in control of the relationship.

If you want to understand why your website might not be converting visitors into enquiries, read our guide: How to Turn Your Tradesman Website Into a Lead Machine.

Or if you've already decided platform leads aren't working for you, see How to Stop Paying for Leads as a Tradesman.