MyBuilder vs Rated People vs Checkatrade: Gas Engineers

Checkatrade has three tiers. Free is £0 a month and gives you a free profile to collect reviews. Approved is £30 a month. Growth has prices from £59 a month, set by your trade, the postcode areas you pick and the number of leads you want each year. Checkatrade's support page says Approved members do not appear in standard search results.

MyBuilder is free to join and you can respond to as many leads as you like. Its sign-up page says: "If you're shortlisted, we charge you a fee for the customer's contact details."

Rated People is now part of Checkatrade Group. Its help page says memberships are closed and its leads go to Checkatrade tradespeople.

For the full price comparison, including Bark, read what Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and Rated People cost in 2026.

Gas Safe registration is required for gas work under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and operating without it is illegal.

On any platform, keep your registration current, and make sure the categories you list match your actual assessed scope. State your Gas Safe number on the profile and in every quote.

Annual servicing and CP12 certificates appear on every platform, with an October to November peak. On MyBuilder several engineers can compete for the same homeowner.

Boiler replacement is the higher-value work. A well-reviewed Checkatrade profile with installation examples and manufacturer accreditations such as Worcester Bosch or Vaillant schemes stands out without a bidding dynamic.

Emergency gas callouts rarely convert through any platform. A homeowner with a gas emergency rings a number they already have or the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Do not budget for platform callout revenue.

Heat pumps and Boiler Upgrade Scheme enquiries are growing. If you hold MCS certification, say so on your profile, because grant eligibility drives conversion for homeowners already considering the switch. Landlord portfolios usually come through referral and long-term relationships, so platforms suit individual homeowner jobs better than portfolio contracts.

• Speed. On MyBuilder the engineer who rings the homeowner first has the advantage, and many homeowners book the first qualified Gas Safe engineer who actually speaks to them. Turn on mobile notifications.
• Review count and recency. On Checkatrade, reviews are what win the customer once they see your listing. Collect reviews after every job, including routine services and CP12s, not only installations.
• Manufacturer accreditations. Worcester Bosch and Vaillant installer schemes signal training and often carry extended guarantees. Show them on every profile.
• Complete, specific profiles. List each type of gas work, from servicing and CP12 to power flushing, heat pumps if MCS certified, and LPG if applicable. Add photos of finished installations and a genuine bio with your registration number and areas.
• Itemised quotes. Separate parts, labour and certification fees. Itemising signals expertise and prevents the "what am I paying for?" objection.

Lead quality is the common complaint on every platform, so judge each one on cost per job won and use platforms as one channel among several.

A platform creates a dependency: stop paying and the enquiries stop. A customer base of your own compounds. The most valuable habit for a gas engineer is an annual service reminder. Text or email every past customer in August and September to say their boiler service is due, and a database of past customers produces a predictable winter pipeline no platform can match.

Set up a Google Business Profile the week you start, because it is free and the most important digital asset for a local gas engineer. Ask for referrals straight after a successful job, when satisfaction is highest, and send every customer a direct Google review link within 24 hours of finishing. Google Local Services Ads capture someone searching now for a gas engineer, while platforms catch customers who are planning a boiler installation, and both complement a Business Profile. Creating a business and being listed on Tradehand is free, there is no fee per lead, and Tradehand takes 5% of each payment taken through it, card fees included. Paid plans are optional: Paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly.

In your first one to two years, MyBuilder gives controlled access to leads without a large upfront commitment, so you can test your area, build reviews and learn which jobs convert locally. Respond fast, and budget for leads that go nowhere. Once you have a strong review base, Checkatrade suits a gas engineer whose reviews can win the customers its paid tier puts in front of you. At every stage, build your Google Business Profile, annual service reminders and referrals in parallel from day one, so no platform is your only source of work.