Is Checkatrade worth it? For some trades in some postcodes, yes. For most contractors I talk to, it's only worth it if you already know three numbers: what each lead costs you, how many of those leads you actually win, and what a job leaves you after materials and labour. If you don't know those three, you're not buying leads. You're buying hope.
Disclosure. Plan@Job is software for running contracting jobs, owned by Planajob Ltd. We don't sell leads and we don't charge a lead fee. Plan@Job earns from the software. We have no relationship with Checkatrade and earn nothing if you join or leave. How we compared: Checkatrade's public information and third-party reports, checked on 11 October 2026, plus my own years running a London maintenance company. Prices change by trade and postcode, so get your own quote before you decide anything.
What does Checkatrade actually cost in 2026?
Prices checked 11 October 2026. Checkatrade doesn't publish a full price list. Membership is quoted per trade and per area, normally after a sales call.
Third-party review sites print entry prices and per-lead figures, but they don't agree with each other and I couldn't confirm their numbers on Checkatrade's own pages. So I'm not putting them here as fact. You'll get a real figure for your trade and postcode in one phone call. Get it in writing.
On that call, ask these and write the answers down:
- What is the monthly fee for my trade in my postcodes?
- Is there a joining or vetting fee on top?
- Are there any per-lead or per-enquiry charges, or is it flat?
- How long is the contract and what's the notice period?
- Which plan actually gets me shown in search results, and how many areas does it cover?
- What happens to my fee if enquiries drop off in a quiet month?
If the salesperson gets vague on question 4 or 5, that's your answer about how the next twelve months will feel.
The break-even maths
This is the bit nobody does before signing. It's simple.
Break-even jobs per month = total monthly spend ÷ profit per job
Cost per won job = total monthly spend ÷ jobs won
Total spend means everything: the membership, any lead fees, and any extras you said yes to on the call. Profit per job means what's left after materials and whoever did the work, whether that's you or a subbie.
Illustrative example (made-up numbers, not Checkatrade's prices)
Say your total spend comes to £250 a month. You get 20 enquiries. You quote 12 of them. You win 4. Each job leaves you £150 after materials and labour.
That's £600 profit, minus £250 spend, so £350 in your pocket. Cost per won job is £62.50. Break-even is under 2 jobs a month. Looks fine.
Now drop the win rate. Same 20 enquiries, same 12 quotes, you win 1. That's £150 profit against £250 spend. You've paid £100 to be busy.
The cost nobody puts in the spreadsheet
Twelve quotes means twelve site visits or twelve long phone calls, then the follow-ups. Say each one eats an hour and a half between driving, measuring, pricing and chasing. That's 18 hours a month. In the bad month above, you worked two and a half days for free and paid for the privilege.
Win rate is the number that kills most memberships. Not the fee. If you're a price-matcher in a crowded trade, you'll lose most quotes to someone cheaper and the maths never closes. If you're good on the phone and you turn quotes round the same day, it can work well.
Where Checkatrade genuinely wins
Credit where it's due. There are things a directory does that your own website and your WhatsApp contacts won't.
- Homeowners know the name. For domestic work, a badge they recognise does part of the selling before you've said a word.
- If you've just moved into a new area with no reviews and no word of mouth, it's a fast way to get in front of people.
- Your reviews sit in one place that customers already check, which helps when someone is choosing between three quotes.
- For domestic urgent work where the customer wants someone today, being findable matters more than being cheapest.
If that's your business, domestic jobs for homeowners with a quick turnaround, Checkatrade can pay for itself. Run the maths for three months and let the numbers decide, not the sales call.
Where it doesn't add up
Commercial clients don't pick contractors from a directory. Housing associations, letting agents and main contractors buy on track record, on paperwork and on whether you picked up the phone last time something went wrong.
I built my maintenance company in London on housing associations and letting agents. That work came from relationships and repeat jobs, not from a listing. The rule I took from it: never let one source own your pipeline. If one platform switching off would empty your diary, you don't own a business. You own a subscription.
The other problem is shared enquiries. When the same homeowner gets three or four of you, it turns into a price race. It's not the price that wins long-term work. It's the service. But you don't get a chance to show the service if you've already lost on price at the quote.
If you want to compare real numbers with other people building contracting businesses, that's what Contractor Club is for.
Checkatrade vs Plan@Job, side by side
These are different tools, so be clear what you're comparing. Checkatrade helps homeowners find you. Plan@Job is software for running the work once you've got it, wherever it came from.
| Checkatrade | Plan@Job | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Directory and enquiry source aimed at homeowners | Project and operations software for contractors |
| How you pay | Membership quoted per trade and area. Ask about lead charges | No lead fee. Plan@Job earns from the software |
| Finds you new clients | Yes, that's the point of it | No. It doesn't sell leads or promise work |
| Trust badge homeowners recognise | Yes | No |
| After you win the job | Not its main job | Project stages, subbies, quote follow-ups, deposits prepared for your approval |
| Client sees your subbie and your stage costs | Not applicable | No. Those stay internal |
| Prices checked | 11 Oct 2026, quoted per trade and postcode | 11 Oct 2026, see the signup page |
Here's how the Plan@Job side works in practice. In Plan@Job you're the Operator, which just means the contracting business that manages the client, the delivery, your subbies and your own operatives.
You split a job into internal stages, each with its scope, dates, status and costs, and run each stage with a subbie or your own team. The client sees the overall agreed scope and price plus whatever evidence you choose to share. They don't see who your subbie is or what each stage cost you. That's your margin and it stays yours.
The AI staff take the follow-up grind off you. Sophie Bennett, the AI Enquiries Coordinator, checks your existing job briefs for missing information and asks for it, and hands back to you after two attempts. Daniel Reed, the AI Operations Manager, chases quotes and proposed dates and gives you a morning brief. Maya Collins, the AI Finance Coordinator, prepares deposit requests and overdue payment actions for you to approve.
What still needs you: who gets the job, what price goes out, first contact with a new client and every payment. Nothing gets awarded or sent on money without a person saying yes. That's how it should be.
What I'd do if I were you
- Get the Checkatrade quote in writing, including contract length and notice.
- Work out your profit per job honestly, after materials and labour.
- Run the break-even sum. If you need more than a handful of wins a month just to stand still, walk away.
- If you sign, track every enquiry for three months: quoted, won, lost, profit.
- Whatever brings the job in, run it in your own system so the client relationship and the history are yours, not the platform's.
Checkatrade is a lead source. It's not a business. Use it if the numbers close, drop it if they don't, and build the part that's yours either way.
If you're running jobs with subbies and want that part sorted, have a look at Plan@Job for contractors or open an operator account.
FAQ
Is Checkatrade worth it for a new tradesperson?
It can be, if you're doing domestic work and nobody knows you yet. The badge does some of the trust-building you haven't had time to earn. Just don't sign a long contract before you've run the break-even maths on your real profit per job.
Can I leave Checkatrade whenever I want?
Don't assume so. Contract length and notice periods are agreed when you sign, so ask for them in writing on the sales call. If you can't get a straight answer, don't sign that day.
Does Plan@Job send me leads like Checkatrade?
No. Plan@Job doesn't sell leads and doesn't charge a lead fee. It's the software you run your jobs, subbies and payments on, whether the client came from a directory, a referral or a main contractor you already work with.