Checkatrade costs a lot of money. That’s not a complaint — it’s just the starting point for an honest answer. At £199–£399 per month depending on your trade and location, you’re spending £2,400–£4,800 a year for visibility on a lead generation platform. Whether that’s worth it depends entirely on how many jobs you convert and what they’re worth.
This isn’t a comparison against having a website or using another platform — if that’s what you’re looking for, we’ve covered the Checkatrade vs your own website question separately. This is specifically about Checkatrade on its own terms: is the subscription fee justified for UK tradespeople in 2026?
Key Takeaways
- Checkatrade subscriptions typically cost £199–£399/month, or £2,400–£4,800 per year, depending on your trade and region
- You need to convert a certain number of paying jobs just to break even — for most tradespeople that’s 3–8 jobs per month at typical rates
- Lead quality and volume vary significantly by area; some members are fully booked, others struggle to justify the fee
- The platform works best for tradespeople in competitive urban markets where customers actively use Checkatrade to find vetted trades
- There’s no exit asset — cancel your membership and your reviews, profile, and visibility disappear
- The biggest risk is paying for 12+ months while the leads don’t materialise, which tradespeople on Reddit and trade forums report regularly
How Much Does Checkatrade Actually Cost?
Checkatrade uses a tiered subscription model. Prices aren’t publicly listed on their website — you go through a sales process to get a quote — but based on member reports and industry data, the typical ranges in 2026 are:
| Trade Category | Approximate Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber, Electrician, Gas Engineer | £250–£399/month | £3,000–£4,788 |
| Builder, Roofer, General Builder | £220–£350/month | £2,640–£4,200 |
| Painter & Decorator, Tiler | £199–£280/month | £2,388–£3,360 |
| Gardener, Handyman | £199–£250/month | £2,388–£3,000 |
Prices vary by region. London and the South East typically sit at the higher end. These figures are based on member-reported data from trade forums and Communities including r/DIYUK and are approximate — Checkatrade doesn’t publish pricing publicly.
There’s also an annual subscription option that can reduce the monthly cost. Checkatrade may offer introductory discounts for new members, but these typically end after the first year — members regularly report significant price increases at renewal.
Checkatrade also runs a Checkatrade Vetted scheme, which includes identity checks, qualifications verification, and insurance confirmation. This is included in the membership cost and forms the basis of the Checkatrade tick that customers recognise.
What Do You Get as a Checkatrade Member?
Your Checkatrade membership gives you:
A profile in their directory. When customers search for tradespeople on Checkatrade.com or via their app, your business appears. The higher your review score and the more complete your profile, the better your visibility within the platform.
The Checkatrade Vetted badge. Checkatrade verifies your ID, insurance, and relevant qualifications. This badge appears on your profile and can be used on your own marketing materials — it’s one of the more genuinely useful aspects of membership for building customer trust.
Review management. Checkatrade allows customers to leave verified reviews. These sit on your profile and can be a significant conversion tool for prospective customers comparing tradespeople.
Lead exposure. You appear in searches within their platform. You don’t pay per lead — your subscription covers unlimited exposure to customers browsing Checkatrade.
What you don’t get:
- Any Google presence. If a customer searches “plumber near me” on Google, Checkatrade might appear in the results — but the traffic and trust goes to Checkatrade, not to you. You’re invisible in that transaction.
- Ownership of your reviews. Cancel your membership and your 150 five-star reviews disappear from the platform. They’re not portable.
- Control over your presentation. Checkatrade controls the format, what’s displayed, and how you’re ranked against competitors on the platform.
How to Calculate Your Checkatrade ROI
This is the question that matters. If you’re paying £300/month, you need to generate at least £300/month in extra profit from Checkatrade jobs to break even. In practice, you need more to make the subscription worthwhile.
Break-even calculation:
Monthly subscription ÷ average job profit margin = jobs needed per month to break evenFor a plumber charging £250 for a standard boiler service with roughly 60% profit margin:
- Profit per job: £150
- Monthly subscription: £300
- Break-even: 2 jobs/month just to cover the fee
That sounds easy. But that’s just breaking even — you haven’t accounted for the time you spend on enquiries that don’t convert, or the jobs where customers use Checkatrade to get quotes but then don’t book.
A more realistic target is 4–6 Checkatrade jobs per month before the membership starts generating meaningful net profit for most tradespeople. Whether Checkatrade generates that volume depends entirely on your trade, your area, and how well your profile performs. According to Checkatrade’s own membership ROI guidance, the average member generates a significant return on their subscription — but this varies considerably by trade and area, and is based on members who stay active on the platform.
When Checkatrade Is Worth It
Checkatrade works reliably in certain situations:
You’re in a high-population urban or suburban area. More customers using the platform means more leads. Tradespeople in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and similar cities consistently report better results than those in rural areas.
Your trade is in high demand on the platform. Plumbers, electricians, and gas engineers typically see higher lead volumes than more specialist trades. Kitchen fitters and bathroom installers also report reasonable activity.
You’re new to the area or starting out. Building a reputation from scratch takes time. Checkatrade’s existing customer base gives you access to leads while your own online presence is still developing. The vetted badge also helps if you don’t yet have a track record of online reviews.
You have a strong profile and high review score. Checkatrade is effectively a marketplace where the highest-rated tradespeople get the most enquiries. If you’ve built up 80+ reviews with a 9.5+ average, you’ll see the return. A thin profile with 12 reviews won’t compete effectively.
When Checkatrade Isn’t Worth It
There are clear situations where the subscription won’t pay off:
Your area isn’t active enough. Some postcodes simply don’t have enough Checkatrade users to generate a meaningful volume of leads. If you’re outside a major population centre, you might get 5–6 enquiries per month — not enough to justify £250–£399.
The lead quality doesn’t match your minimum job value. Checkatrade attracts price-sensitive customers. If your typical job is £1,500+ (loft conversion, extension work, full rewire), Checkatrade leads may consistently want quotes for smaller or simpler work. Some builders report that Checkatrade generates lots of enquiries but few jobs above a certain value.
You’re already fully booked through other channels. Word of mouth, repeat customers, and Google already keep your diary full. Adding Checkatrade doesn’t increase capacity — it just costs money.
Your profile is thin. Without a substantial review base, you won’t rank well against established members. Starting on Checkatrade when you have few reviews puts you in a weak position from day one.
Checkatrade vs TrustATrader
TrustATrader is Checkatrade’s main UK competitor. The differences come down to cost structure and market position:
| Checkatrade | TrustATrader | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £199–£399/month | ~£30–£50/month |
| Customer base | Larger, better known nationally | Smaller, but regional strength varies |
| Verification | More thorough vetting process | Basic verification |
| Review volume | Higher, due to larger user base | Lower, but still meaningful |
| Brand recognition | TV advertising, wider reach | Less marketing spend |
TrustATrader is significantly cheaper, which means the break-even point is much lower. The trade-off is lower lead volume in most areas. For a tradesperson in a smaller town or with a lower job volume target, TrustATrader’s economics can work better.
The honest answer is that neither platform builds your long-term independence. Both require ongoing subscriptions, and both remove your presence when you cancel. For context on what other marketing options look like, the Rated People vs Checkatrade comparison goes through the pay-per-lead alternative in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth joining Checkatrade? It depends on your trade, location, and how many jobs you need per month to justify the fee. In active urban areas with high-demand trades, it can pay for itself. In quieter areas or for less common trades, the maths often don’t add up. Before signing up, ask your sales contact exactly how many active customers search your trade in your postcode area — they have this data.
How much does Checkatrade charge per month? Checkatrade doesn’t publish prices publicly. Based on member-reported figures, subscriptions typically range from £199–£399/month depending on your trade and region. London and the South East tend to sit at the higher end. You’ll need to go through their sales process for an exact quote, and watch out for price increases at annual renewal.
Do tradespeople pay to be on Checkatrade? Yes. Checkatrade operates on a subscription model — tradespeople pay a monthly fee to appear in the directory, with no per-lead charges. Customers use the platform for free. This means your subscription covers your access regardless of how many jobs you actually get from the platform.
What’s better, TrustATrader or Checkatrade? Checkatrade has a larger customer base and stronger national brand recognition but costs considerably more — £199–£399/month versus TrustATrader’s roughly £30–£50/month. TrustATrader can work well in areas where its regional strength is high and your job volume target is modest. Checkatrade generally wins on sheer lead volume in major urban markets, but whether the premium is justified depends entirely on your trade and location.
The Bigger Picture
Checkatrade is a rental arrangement. You pay every month to access their customer base. The moment you stop paying, everything you’ve built on the platform — reviews, visibility, enquiries — goes with it.
That’s not a reason never to use it. For building a customer base quickly, especially early in your business, Checkatrade can get you working when you’d otherwise be waiting for word-of-mouth to develop. The vetted badge is genuinely useful for customer trust.
But most tradespeople who stick with Checkatrade long-term are paying for leads that their own Google presence could generate for less. A professional website from a managed provider like Digital Tradies starts from £49/month — a fraction of the Checkatrade cost — and builds something you actually own. Your Google rankings, your reviews, your online presence all stay with you if you decide to change direction.
The question isn’t whether Checkatrade is bad. It’s whether £3,000–£4,800 per year is the right investment for where your business is right now. For some tradespeople, the answer is genuinely yes. For many others, especially those already established, the money works harder somewhere else.
