Free Marketplace ROI Calculator
See what each job from Checkatrade, MyBuilder or Bark is really costing you (leads, subscription and all) and whether the spend actually pays off.
Lead platforms bundle their real cost inside monthly fees and pay-per-lead charges, so most tradespeople never work out what a won job actually costs them. Enter your platform, monthly spend and average job value, and this report estimates your true cost per job won on Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and the rest, and tells you plainly whether the money is working or leaking.
Your report
Fill in the details on the left and hit Get my report, and your personalised report appears here.
Win more of the jobs you quote.
Tradehand gives your trade business a whole office team without hiring anyone: it answers every enquiry, sends your quotes the same day and chases them until they land. There is no monthly fee. Tradehand takes 5% of an invoice, and only when the customer actually pays you, so a quiet month costs you nothing.
Get a free demoHow to use the Marketplace ROI Calculator
- 1Pick the platform you spend on: Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark, Rated People or TrustATrader. Each charges differently, so this frames the comparison.
- 2Enter your total monthly spend on it: membership plus any pay-per-lead or credit top-ups. Be honest and include everything, not just the headline subscription.
- 3Enter your average job value, the typical amount you invoice for one job won through the platform.
- 4Get your report. It estimates your true cost per job won and what share of each job's value the platform is quietly taking.
- 5Use the result to decide whether to keep the platform, negotiate, or shift spend toward channels that cost you less per job.
Typical UK benchmarks
| Typical Checkatrade membership cost per year | Checkatrade membership commonly runs into four figures a year plus lead costs (Checkatrade published pricing 2024) |
| Share of platform leads that don't convert | Many pay-per-lead enquiries never turn into paid work as leads are sold to several trades (MyBuilder / Rated People trade feedback) |
| Traders who feel platform ROI has worsened | A large share of tradespeople report declining value from lead platforms (Federation of Master Builders member surveys) |
| Cost of a single competitive pay-per-lead credit | Individual leads on pay-per-lead platforms often cost £10-£40 each (Bark / Rated People published lead pricing) |
Disclaimer
This tool gives an estimate for general guidance only, based on typical UK figures and the details you enter. It is not a formal quote, survey, or professional advice. Always confirm with a qualified tradesperson before relying on any figure, as regional prices, site conditions, and current standards vary.
You do the job, Tradehand handles everything around it.
Tradehand sends the quotes, chases the invoices, books the work and keeps your customers updated, for no monthly fee and 5% of an invoice only once the customer has paid. One office hire costs about £25,000 a year, whether the invoices land or not.
Source: Office manager salary, National Careers Service
Get a free demoFrequently asked questions
How do I work out what a platform job really costs me?
Add up everything you pay the platform in a month (membership plus every lead or credit), then divide by the number of jobs you actually won from it that month, not the number of leads. That true cost-per-job is almost always far higher than the per-lead price they advertise, because most leads never convert.
Are Checkatrade and MyBuilder worth it?
It depends entirely on your conversion and job value. On big-ticket work a platform can pay for itself many times over; on small jobs the lead cost can eat most of your margin. The answer is a number, not an opinion; the Marketplace ROI Calculator works out yours so you can decide with evidence rather than gut feel.
Why do so many platform leads go nowhere?
On pay-per-lead platforms the same enquiry is often sold to several tradespeople, so you're paying to compete on speed and price for a customer who may already have booked someone else. Slow replies lose almost every time. That's why your cost per won job is what matters, not the cost per lead.
What's a good cost per job from a platform?
As a rule of thumb, if the platform is taking more than about 5-10% of a job's value once you account for unconverted leads, it's expensive and worth scrutinising. Below that it's usually reasonable. This report puts your figure against your average job value so you can see which side of the line you're on.
Should I drop the platforms and rely on my own leads?
Not necessarily overnight, since platforms can fill gaps while you build your own pipeline. The smart move is to know your true cost per job, then gradually shift spend toward cheaper channels like Google reviews and repeat customers. Cut blind and you can starve your diary; cut with the numbers and you keep the work while spending less.
How does Tradehand improve my return on these leads?
Most platform leads are lost to slow replies. Tradehand gives you an office team that answers every enquiry the instant it lands, quotes fast and chases every quote, so you convert far more of the leads you've already paid for, and it looks after repeat customers so you rely less on buying leads at all. Get a free demo and we'll show you the difference on your own numbers.
