Reference, updated August 2026
What Checkatrade actually costs
The published tiers and the reported bills are a long way apart, and both are worth knowing before you sign a twelve month term. This page separates what Checkatrade publishes from what members say they pay, and keeps the two clearly labelled.
How to read the numbers on this page. The headline tiers are Checkatrade's own published figures from their join pages, accessed August 2026. The higher numbers are what members report paying in public forums and trade communities between 2024 and 2026. Reported figures are not audited fact and we do not present them as such. Any real quote depends on your trade, your postcode and the lead volume you ask for, so treat every range here as a guide and get your own quote in writing.
Published tiers against reported bills
Published tiers accessed August 2026. Member reports are self reported and unverified by us.
The gap between the published starting figure and the reported bills is the most important thing on this page. A starting price is not a quote. Because the real number appears only inside the sign-up flow, you cannot compare it against anything until you have handed over your details.
Whatever you are quoted, ask for it in writing along with the estimated annual lead volume behind it. A monthly fee divided by an honest lead estimate is the only cost per lead figure worth looking at.
The parts that are not about price at all
Even at a price you are happy with, three structural things are worth understanding, because none of them change with the tier you buy.
Leads are shared
On directory and lead platforms generally, an enquiry is typically passed to several trades at once. That means you are quoting against other members of the same platform, on price, for a job you did not source. Some trades are comfortable with that. Others find it is the reason the work feels like a race to the bottom.
Your reviews live on their domain
Reviews you earn on a platform are held on that platform. They build the platform's search visibility rather than yours, and they usually cannot be exported into anything you own. Reviews collected onto your own Google Business Profile stay with your business instead.
Leaving means starting the proof from zero
The moment a membership ends, the profile and the visibility that came with it stop. If those were carrying your enquiries, there is nothing underneath them. That is the argument for owning something in parallel, even while a membership is working for you.
When a membership is genuinely the right call
- You are brand new, you have no reviews and no search presence, and you need work in weeks rather than months.
- You have a trade with high job values and a good closing rate, so a shared lead still pays.
- You cannot find the money for a one-off build right now. A monthly fee you can afford beats a build you cannot.
- You want a second channel alongside something you own, rather than instead of it.
We sell websites, so read that list as an honest attempt rather than an impartial one. What we will not do is tell you a membership is worthless, because for some trades in some months it clearly is not.
What the membership is worth also depends on the trade. Emergency electrical work converts fast enough to absorb a lead fee, which is covered in websites for electricians. Boiler and heating work, set out in websites for plumbers and heating engineers, is researched for weeks before anyone rings, and a shared lead rarely survives that.
What it costs
Every price is on the site. None of it is behind a call.
£595
Refresh. You have a site, we rebuild it properly.
£999
New Site. The whole thing, built from scratch.
£1,995
Local. The service and area pages that do the ranking.
From £45
A month for a plan, if you want one. Care £45, Growth £295, Growth+ £695.
Read next
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One, three and five year arithmetic, including when renting is the better call.
Alternatives to Checkatrade for UK trades
Directories, Google Business Profile, your own site and word of mouth, weighed honestly.
What a tradesman website actually costs
Rental, one-off, agency and DIY. Real ranges, and where our prices sit inside them.