Winning work, 29 October 2026
Are Checkatrade and lead sites worth it for trades?
Checkatrade and other lead sites are worth it if the cost of each job they win you is comfortably below the profit on that job, and you answer leads fast enough to win them. Checkatrade starts at £30 a month for a listing, as of October 2026; plans with leads cost more and fixed plans run for 12 months. Work out your cost per won job before you sign.
How much does Checkatrade cost?
As of October 2026, Checkatrade lists three plans for tradespeople. Check their pricing page before you join, because offers and prices change.
| Plan | Price (as of October 2026) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | £0 | A profile to collect and show reviews |
| Approved | £30 a month | The Checkatrade tick, directory listing, review requests, job tools |
| Growth | From £59 a month | Approved plus fixed lead plans, direct bookings, £100 to £200 search credit |
Checkatrade's own guidance says the basic plan is "£30 + VAT per month" and that there's no joining fee. On Growth, you choose how many leads you want a year and pay a fixed monthly amount. Checkatrade's terms say lead numbers are an estimate, and a lead includes calls, messages, quote requests and clicks through to your website.
There's also a pay-as-you-go option where you set a monthly budget and pay per lead. The price per lead varies with job value, location and season. Charges can go above your budget, up to a cap of 120% of it, and Checkatrade may ask for a deposit of up to twice your monthly budget.
What's in the contract?
Read the terms before you sign, because the commitment is longer than the monthly price suggests. Fixed plan memberships run for 12 months, and the master terms set out how renewal and cancellation work.
None of this is unusual for directory advertising, but it's the part owners tell us they didn't read. If you're not sure the plan will pay, start on the cheapest plan or pay-as-you-go and track the results first.
How do you work out whether a lead site pays?
Divide what you spend by the jobs you win. That's your cost per won job. Compare it with the profit on an average job. If it's a big slice of the profit, the leads aren't paying.
A London boiler and air con installer buying 60 leads a month
The installer pays £1,200 to £1,800 a month across lead sources for about 60 leads.
| Spend a month (midpoint)(£1,200 + £1,800) ÷ 2 | £1,500 |
| Cost per lead£1,500 ÷ 60 | £25 |
| Jobs won at 1 in 4 (assumed)60 × 25% | 15 |
| Cost per won job£1,500 ÷ 15 | £100 |
| Jobs won at 1 in 10 (assumed)60 × 10% | 6 |
| Cost per won job£1,500 ÷ 6 | £250 |
On a boiler swap with a few hundred pounds of profit, £100 a won job can work. £250 eats most of it. The difference between the two is mainly how fast and how well you reply. The same installer also told us: "50 enquiries = 50 quotes, 50 supplier emails." Leads create quoting work, and that has a cost too.
Your numbers, not a promise. Change any figure to match your firm.
Why do lead sites fail for some trades?
Usually because the leads arrive when nobody can answer them. Leads on most platforms go to several firms, and the first to reply often wins. If you're on a roof until four, a lead that came in at ten is probably gone. See how fast you should reply to an enquiry.
The other reason is the share the platform takes. An emergency plumbing and drainage firm in Dundee, with seven engineers and about £500k turnover, had a lead partner taking 50% of each job on top of thousands spent on Google Ads and Checkatrade. On a £600 drain job, for example, 50% is £300 before labour, van or materials. Few trades have that margin.
Which lead sources should you compare?
Compare on cost per won job, not price or brand. Each type suits a different firm.
| Source | How you pay | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Monthly plan; fixed or pay-as-you-go leads | Domestic trades who want a vetted badge and steady leads |
| Google Local Services Ads | Pay per lead, not per click | Plumbers and electricians who can answer the phone fast |
| Google Business Profile | Free | Every local trade; reviews and maps |
| Referrals and repeat customers | Free or a referral thank-you | Firms with a good reputation in a small area |
| Social media, such as TikTok | Your time, or ad spend | Trades whose work films well |
Google's Local Services Ads charge per valid lead, and a missed call during business hours where the caller stays on more than 20 seconds counts as a lead. Google's help page says lead credits aren't available for advertisers in EMEA, so check how credits apply to a UK account before you count on refunds for poor leads.
A free Google Business Profile and asking every happy customer for a review costs nothing and is worth doing whatever else you buy. For agencies, see what £300 to £750 a month should get you.
How should you track leads to decide?
Keep a simple log for three months and decide from that. Most owners we speak to can't say which source won them which job.
- Log every enquiry.
Date, source, name, job type, value if quoted.
- Log reply time.
Minutes or hours from enquiry to your first reply.
- Log the outcome.
Quoted, won, lost, no reply.
- Add up each source monthly.
Spend ÷ jobs won = cost per won job.
- Drop the worst source at renewal.
Give notice in time: on Checkatrade, by phone no earlier than 35 days before the renewal date.
If you'd rather not keep a spreadsheet, cost per lead for trades covers simpler ways to track it.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
Nexley logs every enquiry from WhatsApp, email and lead sites in one place with its source, drafts a reply for you to approve within minutes, and keeps track of which quotes were won. That gives you cost per won job by source without a spreadsheet, and you decide what to renew.
Common questions
Is Checkatrade worth it for a new trade business?
It can help a new firm that has no reviews yet, because the tick and vetting give customers some reassurance. Start on the lowest plan, track every lead and only move to a 12-month fixed lead plan once you know your cost per won job.
Can I cancel Checkatrade early?
Under the master terms, stopping payment doesn't end the contract and you remain liable for fees for the rest of the term. There are limited rights to end it early, for example after a material change to the service or a fee increase. Read your confirmation email and terms, and ask a solicitor if you're in a dispute.
Do you have to pay VAT on Checkatrade?
Yes, VAT is added to membership fees. If you're VAT registered you can usually reclaim it as input tax.
What's a good cost per lead for trades?
There's no fixed figure. A cost per lead is good if cost per won job is a small share of the profit on the job. For a £300 repair that might be £20; for a £12,000 extension it can be much more.
Sources
- Checkatrade: Pricing
- Checkatrade: Master Service Terms
- Checkatrade: Product Terms, Fixed Plans
- Checkatrade: Product Terms, Pay As You Go
- Checkatrade: Does Checkatrade cost money?
- Google: How leads work, Local Services Help
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Winning work
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