The short answer
Checkatrade publishes membership from £30 a month plus VAT for Approved and from £59 a month plus VAT for Growth, on a 12 month fixed term. Members report paying about £80 to £500 a month in public forums between 2024 and 2026. Your real quote depends on your trade, your postcode and the lead volume you ask for.
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. Reports aren't audited fact and we don't present them as such. A real quote depends on your trade, your postcode and the lead volume you ask for.
Published tiers against reported bills
| What it is | The figure | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Free listing | £0 a month | Checkatrade published tier. Profile only, no leads. |
| Approved membership | From £30 a month plus VAT | Checkatrade published tier, 2026. |
| Growth membership | From £59 a month plus VAT | Checkatrade published starting figure. The real quote appears inside the sign-up flow once you enter your trade and postcode. |
| What members report paying | About £80 to £500 a month | Member reports in public forums and trade communities, 2024 to 2026. These are reports and aren't audited. The higher end skews to cities and busy trades. |
| Contract length | 12 month fixed term | Checkatrade published membership terms, 2026. |
| Joining fee | None, says Checkatrade | Checkatrade published statement, 2026. Some comparison sites claim a one-off vetting charge. We couldn't verify that from any official source. |
The gap between the starting figure and the reported bills is the most important thing on this page. The starting figure is not your quote. The real number only appears inside the sign-up flow, so you can't compare it with anything until you've handed over your details.
Whatever you're quoted, ask for it in writing with the estimated yearly lead volume behind it. The monthly fee divided by an honest lead estimate is the only cost per lead worth looking at.
The parts that aren't about price
Leads are shared
On lead platforms, an enquiry is usually passed to several trades at once. You're quoting on price against other members for a job you didn't find. Some trades are fine with that. Others find it drives their prices down.
Your reviews live on their site
Reviews you earn on a platform stay on that platform. They build its search visibility rather than yours and they usually can't be moved into anything you own. Reviews on your own Google Business Profile stay with your business.
Leaving means starting from zero
When a membership ends, the profile and the visibility that came with it stop. If they were bringing in your work, there's nothing underneath. So it makes sense to own a website alongside it, even while a membership is working.
When a membership is the right call
- You're brand new, with no reviews and no search presence and you need work in weeks rather than months.
- Your jobs are big enough and you win enough of them that a shared lead still pays.
- You can't find the money for a one-off build right now. A monthly fee may be easier to afford for now.
- You want a second source of work alongside a site you own.
We sell websites, so read that list knowing we're not impartial. We won't tell you a membership is worthless, because for some trades in some months it clearly isn't.
What it's worth depends on the trade too. Emergency electrical work turns into jobs fast enough to cover a lead fee, as covered in websites for electricians. Boiler work is researched for weeks before anyone rings, as set out in websites for plumbers and heating engineers and a shared lead rarely survives that.