Mybuilder vs Rated People vs Checkatrade for Plumbers: Which Is Worth It?

Before comparing them, it helps to understand the fundamentally different business models each platform runs:

Checkatrade operates on a subscription model. You pay a monthly or annual fee (rates vary by trade and region) and in return appear in their directory, receive leads through the platform, and get a profile page that shows verified reviews. Your reviews are checked — customers receive a verification call or text before a review goes live. Checkatrade vets tradespeople before listing them, requiring proof of insurance, qualifications, and identity.

Mybuilder operates on a pay-per-interest model. Joining is free, but when a homeowner posts a job you're interested in, you pay a credit fee to register your interest (express interest). If you win the job, no further fee. The cost per interest varies by job size and trade. There is no upfront subscription, so the risk feels lower — but costs can mount quickly if you express interest in many jobs without converting them.

Rated People also operates on a lead-purchase model, similar to Mybuilder. Homeowners post jobs, you buy leads to respond to them. The critical difference is that Rated People sells each lead to up to three tradespeople — meaning you are always competing with at least two other plumbers for the same job. Costs per lead vary by job type.

Understanding these models matters because they create very different risk/reward profiles. Checkatrade has fixed predictable cost but requires consistent review-gathering to justify the fee. Mybuilder and Rated People have variable costs tied directly to bidding activity.

Checkatrade is the most widely recognised consumer brand of the three, which means homeowners searching for plumbers there already have trust in the platform built in.

What works:

• Strong brand recognition, particularly with homeowners aged 40+ who prefer using vetted directories over searching Google
• Review verification adds credibility — a plumber with 150 verified reviews on Checkatrade is a powerful trust signal
• Good for planned work (bathroom renovations, boiler replacements) where customers are researching carefully rather than calling in a panic
• Profile appears in local search results — there is organic SEO value in having a well-maintained Checkatrade profile

What plumbers find frustrating:

• Monthly fees apply whether or not you receive work, creating pressure to generate enough leads to justify the cost
• Newer profiles get fewer leads — the platform strongly favours established plumbers with many reviews, making it harder to break in
• Quality of leads varies significantly by area — highly competitive urban areas mean more plumbers chasing the same work
• Some homeowners use Checkatrade purely for price comparison and have no intention of paying market rates

When Checkatrade makes sense: You're an established plumber with a good track record, you're committed to actively requesting reviews after every job, and you operate in an area where Checkatrade has genuine consumer traction (most of England and Wales, particularly south of Manchester).

Mybuilder's free-to-join model is attractive to newer plumbing businesses and self-employed plumbers testing lead generation platforms for the first time.

What works:

• No upfront subscription — you only pay when you choose to express interest in a specific job
• Variety of job sizes available, from small fixes to larger renovation projects
• Homeowners rate tradespeople after each job, so a good run of reviews builds a useful public profile
• Jobs post with enough detail to assess whether they're worth pursuing before spending credits

What plumbers find frustrating:

• Each job is typically sent to multiple plumbers simultaneously, meaning you're competing from the start
• Credit costs add up — expressing interest in 10 jobs at £3–£8 per interest without winning any is a real cost with no return
• Homeowners sometimes post jobs without clear intent to hire — they're gathering quotes or satisfying curiosity about prices
• Newer profiles with fewer reviews get ignored even when their pitch is strong

When Mybuilder makes sense: You're building your pipeline and want flexibility without subscription commitment, you have good conversion skills when you get in front of customers, and you're disciplined about only expressing interest in jobs where you have a genuine competitive advantage.

Rated People is the most explicitly competitive of the three platforms — each lead goes to up to three tradespeople, so you are always bidding against at least two others.

What works:

• Large volume of leads — Rated People has significant consumer awareness, particularly for smaller domestic jobs
• Good for plumbers who respond quickly and have strong phone/message skills to convert first contact
• Range of job types from emergency callouts to planned refurbishments
• Profile reviews carry weight if you accumulate them consistently

What plumbers find frustrating:

• The three-plumber model means you pay for a lead even when you lose — the platform collects fees regardless of who wins the job
• Price competition is intense — some plumbers undercut to win the lead, which can depress local market rates
• Lead quality varies considerably — some homeowners are serious, others are doing broad price research with no intention of booking soon
• Responsive plumbers win more than skilled ones — the fastest to respond often gets the job regardless of quality

When Rated People makes sense: You're fast at responding, confident converting first contacts into bookings, have competitive pricing, and want a consistent volume of smaller domestic jobs to keep your diary full.

Comparing costs across the three platforms requires looking at total spend against jobs actually won, not the headline pricing:

Checkatrade: Costs vary by region and package tier. Check Checkatrade's current trade pricing directly at checkatrade.com/for-tradespeople — rates are not publicly listed as they are negotiated. Budget for a monthly cost and calculate how many jobs per month you need to win to break even.

Mybuilder: Credits are purchased in bundles. Each job interest costs a variable number of credits depending on job size. Calculate your real cost-per-lead by tracking how many interests you buy versus how many jobs you win.

Rated People: Lead packs are purchased. The cost per lead varies by job type and location. Again, track your actual conversion rate to understand your true cost per customer acquired.

The critical calculation for all three:

1. How much does the platform cost per month (subscription + credit/lead spend)?
2. How many jobs did you win from the platform?
3. What was the average job value?
4. What is your gross profit margin on platform jobs (after time spent responding to leads, travelling, and doing the work)?

A plumber spending £150/month on Checkatrade and winning two bathroom renovation jobs worth £3,000 each is in a very different position to one spending the same amount and winning three small fixes worth £150 each. The numbers need to work for your specific trade mix and area.

Every plumber who relies primarily on lead platforms is renting their pipeline from someone else. When the platform changes its algorithm, raises its fees, or a competitor outbids you, your lead flow drops — and you have no owned customer relationship to fall back on.

Building your own customer base takes longer but produces a fundamentally more valuable and resilient business:

Google Business Profile — free, generates calls directly, and improves with every review you accumulate. A plumber with 80+ Google reviews in their local area will appear prominently for "plumber near me" searches without paying any platform.

Review accumulation — ask every single customer for a Google review immediately after the job. Send a link. Make it easy. Each review compounds — 100 reviews generates more calls than 50, not twice as many but significantly more due to the way Google's algorithm ranks trust.

Past customer reactivation — send an annual email or text to past customers before winter ("Time for your boiler service — want to book in?"). Customers who've used you before and were happy are the highest-converting leads you'll ever have.

Referral network — relationships with estate agents, letting agencies, kitchen fitters, builders, and electricians generate warm referrals that convert at far higher rates than cold platform leads.

The most successful plumbing businesses use lead platforms strategically to fill gaps — not as their primary pipeline. Treat platform spend as a bridge while you build your own base, not a permanent dependency.

There is no single right answer — the best platform depends on your trade mix, service area, and business stage. Here is a simplified decision framework:

Choose Checkatrade if: You do planned, higher-value work (bathrooms, boilers), you're committed to collecting reviews systematically, you want a directory presence that works while you're on the tools, and you have enough monthly revenue to absorb a subscription during slower periods.

Choose Mybuilder if: You want flexibility without upfront commitment, you're building your review profile from scratch, and you're disciplined enough to only pursue leads where you genuinely have a strong chance of winning.

Choose Rated People if: You respond fast to enquiries, you have competitive pricing for smaller domestic jobs, and you want volume to fill an empty diary while you build other marketing channels.

Consider none of them if: You already have more work than you can handle through Google reviews, referrals, and repeat business. That's the goal — but if you're there, invest in tools that help you deliver that work more efficiently rather than in platforms that grow your leads further.

Many plumbing businesses use one platform as a primary channel alongside Google Business Profile optimisation and direct marketing. Running all three simultaneously without a systematic approach to tracking which channel produces profitable work is a common and expensive mistake.