MyBuilder vs Rated People vs Checkatrade: Plumbers

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.

MyBuilder posts range from a ready-to-book job with a clear description, such as a kitchen mixer tap supplied by the customer, to vague or speculative requests, because posting costs homeowners nothing. Selective quoting on well-matched jobs converts better than quoting everything. Quoting a small number of jobs you can win beats quoting many you cannot.

Checkatrade enquiries come from homeowners who searched for a plumber, compared profiles and chose to contact you. That is a different buying intent from a customer who posted a job and waits to hear from whoever quotes first, so Checkatrade enquiries tend to be better qualified, though fewer. Checkatrade says Approved members do not appear in standard search results, so being found depends on its paid tier. Emergency plumbing appears on both platforms, so say in your profile when you are available out of hours, and respond fast.

On MyBuilder, reviews improve credibility, but the quote itself decides a choice between the plumbers who responded: price clarity, speed and a professional message. On Checkatrade, reviews are what win the customer once they see your listing, so a profile with many strong reviews persuades better than one with a handful. Being seen in search is a separate matter: Checkatrade says Approved members do not appear in standard search results.

Ask every completed customer for a review, by text with a direct link, on the day you finish. On Checkatrade use the platform's own review request, because verified reviews carry more weight. Build Google Business Profile reviews at the same time, since many Checkatrade visitors cross-check Google before choosing. Start from your first completed job.

A plumber who also does gas work must hold Gas Safe registration, which is separate from any platform cost. Show your Gas Safe number, your CIPHE membership and any other certifications on every profile and in every quote. Customers comparing plumbers often do not know to check Gas Safe, so seeing it displayed builds trust and justifies your price against an uncredentialled competitor.

When several plumbers quote one job, customers notice price differences. Avoid a race to the bottom.

• Quote in full. A plumber who quotes a low figure and adds call-out fees and materials afterwards earns worse reviews than one who quotes a higher all-in price.
• Respond fast, but read the job first. Speed lifts conversion, but a misquoted job is expensive to fix.
• Specialise. Bathroom installation, boiler service and repair, underfloor heating or commercial work attract customers who want that expertise and care less about price.
• Show your credentials on the profile and in the quote.

A new plumber, or one with few reviews, should start with MyBuilder, which lets you generate work without a fixed commitment and pay only when shortlisted. Build reviews on MyBuilder and Google together. After twelve to eighteen months and a good review count, consider Checkatrade, because by then your reviews can help convert the customers its paid tier puts in front of you.

Treat platforms as a bridge, not a destination. A strong Checkatrade profile, an active Google Business Profile and word of mouth should, over two to three years, bring enough inbound enquiries that paid lead platforms are a supplement. 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.