Best Lead Generation Sites for UK Tradespeople Compared (2026)

The 2026 UK Trade Lead Platform Landscape

Five platforms dominate the UK trade lead market in 2026: Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People, Bark, and TrustATrader. Each has a different pricing model, lead quality, and ideal trade fit. Picking the right one (or the right combination) can save thousands of pounds and dramatically improve job flow.

Before choosing, work out your own numbers. What is the average profit per job? What is your current conversion rate from enquiry to booked work? How many spare hours per week do you have to chase leads? Those three numbers decide which platform actually pays.

Checkatrade

Pricing: £85 to £130 per month, 12 month contract, plus a one-off £100 setup fee. No per-lead cost.

Strengths: Strongest brand recognition in the UK, profiles rank well in Google for 'trade + town' searches, decent app for reviews and customer comms, and the trust badge genuinely converts on quotes.

Weaknesses: Leads are shared with up to four competing members, so conversion rates sit around 15 percent, the contract is rigid, and the membership fee runs whether you get leads or not.

Best for: Established tradespeople with good photography and 20 plus reviews who want passive credibility. Worst for new starters with no track record.

MyBuilder

Pricing: Free to join, then £3 to £35 per lead depending on job size, paid only when you choose to 'shortlist' for a job.

Strengths: Pay-as-you-go means no fixed cost, leads come with a fairly detailed job spec, and the customer typically shortlists only three tradespeople so competition is lower than Checkatrade.

Weaknesses: Lead prices for larger jobs (extensions, full bathrooms) can hit £35 each before any contact, and you risk paying for ghost leads that never reply.

Best for: Builders, kitchen and bathroom fitters, and any trade comfortable cherry picking specific jobs rather than catching everything.

Rated People

Pricing: Credit system, with each lead costing 1 to 8 credits. Credit packs work out to roughly £2 to £30 per lead.

Strengths: Wide trade coverage, simple interface, and a steady volume of small-to-mid size domestic jobs.

Weaknesses: Lead quality is more variable than MyBuilder, with a higher proportion of price-shoppers, and the review system is less prominent than Checkatrade.

Best for: Handymen, painters and decorators, gardeners, and trades that work on volume with shorter jobs.

Bark

Pricing: Credit packs starting at around £40, with each lead costing 2 to 25 credits depending on category and value. Average lead cost £8 to £60.

Strengths: Broadest service coverage of any platform (anything from plumbing to wedding DJs), fast lead delivery, and instant SMS alerts.

Weaknesses: Lead quality is the lowest of the five platforms, with a high proportion of tyre-kickers and incorrect contact details. Refund process exists but is slow.

Best for: Trades in genuinely niche services where other platforms have thin coverage. Avoid for mainstream trades in competitive cities.

TrustATrader

Pricing: £55 to £95 per month depending on area, 12 month contract.

Strengths: Lower monthly cost than Checkatrade, good vetting process that builds genuine trust, and profiles often rank well in regional searches.

Weaknesses: Smaller brand awareness than Checkatrade, particularly in southern England, and lower lead volume per month for most trades.

Best for: Established trades in the Midlands and Northern England where TrustATrader has strong regional traction.

When to Stop Paying for Leads Entirely

Lead platforms are a fast start, not a long term strategy. Once your own website and Google Business Profile generate 15 plus exclusive enquiries per month, the maths almost always tips against paid platforms. At that point each platform fee is funding a customer who would have found you anyway.

The tradespeople with the highest take-home margin in the UK typically run one paid platform as a top-up, invest in SEO for the bulk of lead flow, and use Google Ads for emergency work. Most successful firms phase out shared-lead platforms entirely by year three.

Our Recommendation by Trade Type

Emergency trades (plumbers, electricians, locksmiths): Skip directories. Run Google Ads from day one and build SEO. Speed of response is your edge.

Installation trades (boilers, bathrooms, kitchens, extensions): MyBuilder for cherry-picked larger jobs, plus SEO. Avoid Bark.

General builders and handymen: Rated People for volume, MyBuilder for selective bigger jobs, then build SEO in parallel.

Specialist or rural trades: Checkatrade or TrustATrader for credibility, plus a focused local SEO programme.