Tradehand vs MyBuilder · updated August 2026
MyBuilder charges when you are shortlisted. Tradehand earns when you are paid.
MyBuilder is free to join and free to show interest in jobs, then charges a fee the moment a homeowner's contact details are shared with you, whether or not you win the work. Tradehand gets you found instead: on its marketplace and through a free website under your own name, with an office that answers, quotes, books and collects payment. Nothing owed until the invoice is paid.
The short answer
Choose MyBuilder if you want to browse posted jobs and pay per introduction, with a fee you see before you respond. Choose Tradehand if you would rather customers come to you, an office runs the admin under your name, and 5% is owed only on money collected.
Should you have to buy your customers at all?
MyBuilder charges at the introduction, before a word is exchanged about price. Tradehand earns at the end, when the invoice is paid. Where the charge sits decides who pays for the homeowners who go quiet.
UK office manager starter salary, before NI and pension. Paid whether or not the invoices land.
Source: Office manager salary, £25,000 starter (National Careers Service)
TradehandNo monthly fee, no lead fees, no card fees. 5% of invoice payments the office chases and collects.
MyBuilderFree to join and to express interest. A shortlist fee, starting from £7 and varying with the job, is charged when the customer's details are shared with you.
Sources: MyBuilder fees: charged only when a homeowner shortlists you, MyBuilder lead fees: from £7, shown before you respondSalary: National Careers Service. MyBuilder shows each job's fee before you respond and invoices weekly; being hired is not required for the fee to be payable. Tradehand earns only on money it collects.
Side by side
| Tradehand | MyBuilder | |
|---|---|---|
| What it isSource: MyBuilder job flow: homeowners can invite up to ten trades | TradehandUK marketplace to find and book trades, plus an AI office | MyBuilderJob board: homeowners post work, trades express interest |
| What triggers a chargeSource: MyBuilder terms: the fee is payable whether or not you win the job | Tradehand✓ A customer paying you: 5% of what the office collects | MyBuilderBeing shortlisted: the fee is due whether or not you are hired |
| If the customer goes quietSource: MyBuilder refunds: account credit only, at MyBuilder's discretion | Tradehand✓ You have paid nothing | MyBuilderRefunds are discretionary and paid as account credit, never cash |
| Who else quotes the jobSource: MyBuilder job flow: homeowners can invite up to ten trades | TradehandThey contact one trade; details stay with that trade | MyBuilderMany trades can show interest; homeowners can invite up to ten |
| Who answers and chases the job | Tradehand✓ Office under your name: answers, quotes, books, chases payment | MyBuilderYou contact each shortlist and do the follow-up yourself |
| Being foundSource: MyBuilder sponsored placements: optional paid visibility | TradehandMarketplace profile plus a free website under your own name | MyBuilderA MyBuilder profile; paid sponsored placement is optional |
| CommitmentSource: MyBuilder fees: charged only when a homeowner shortlists you | TradehandNo contract, leave whenever you like | MyBuilderNo membership fee or contract; fees invoiced weekly |
“Mybuilder is a race to the bottom.”
What happens when the customer comes to you
A homeowner finds your business on Tradehand while you are mid-job. Tradehand's office answers every enquiry that follows without you stopping work, and not one of them carried a shortlist fee.
On MyBuilder the fee lands when the details are shared, and the calls, the quote and the chasing are still yours to do. On Tradehand the office answers people already looking for you, sends the quote and books the visit under your name.
An honest recommendation
Choose MyBuilder if…
- ·You want to browse posted jobs and pick which introductions to pay for
- ·You value reviews that only come from customers who genuinely hired
- ·You are filling a new diary and accept paying for some silence
Choose Tradehand if…
- ✓You would rather customers find you than pay per introduction
- ✓You want missed calls answered, quotes sent and payment chased for you
- ✓You want nothing owed until money lands in your account
MyBuilder's model is fairer than blind lead-selling: joining is free, showing interest is free, each job's fee is shown before you respond and never changes afterwards, and its reviews come only from customers who hired through the site or proved the work happened. A strong MyBuilder profile is genuinely earned.
You can run both while you decide
MyBuilder has no membership fee, so there is nothing to cancel. Keep expressing interest in jobs while your Tradehand office switches on.
- Day 1Find or claim your listing
Search the Tradehand marketplace for your business, or sign up at tradehand.com/for-trades if you are new.
- Day 1Set up your office
A person connects your number, rates and diary so Tradehand can answer under your name.
- Week 1Run both in parallel
Keep taking MyBuilder shortlists you have paid for while Tradehand answers your own line and website.
- When readyReview your spend
Use tradehand.com/tools/marketplace-roi to see what each won job really costs in shortlist fees, then let the fees stop themselves once your own enquiries fill the diary.
Questions sole traders ask
Sources & References
- [1]MyBuilder fees: charged only when a homeowner shortlists you
- [2]MyBuilder lead fees: from £7, shown before you respond
- [3]MyBuilder terms: the fee is payable whether or not you win the job
- [4]MyBuilder refunds: account credit only, at MyBuilder's discretion
- [5]MyBuilder job flow: homeowners can invite up to ten trades
- [6]MyBuilder sponsored placements: optional paid visibility
- [7]Office manager salary, £25,000 starter (National Careers Service)
More comparisons
See the office answer your phone
Two minutes: watch Tradehand take an enquiry, send the quote and book the job under a trade's own name. Then compare that with what the last few shortlist fees won you.