Checkatrade is the most popular lead-generation platform for UK tradespeople. Thousands of plumbers, electricians, and other trades are on it.
But Checkatrade is not a website. It is a marketplace. And like any marketplace, you compete heavily for every single lead.
Is Checkatrade better than a dedicated website? Or should you use both? Here is an honest comparison.
What Checkatrade Is and What You Pay
Checkatrade is a directory of vetted UK tradespeople. Customers find your profile and contact you for quotes.
Membership costs between £600 and £1,200 per year depending on your trade and your region. There are also per-call charges on some plans.
You get your profile on the platform. You get access to leads sent through Checkatrade. You get customer reviews on the Checkatrade site.
Millions of UK customers use Checkatrade to find tradespeople. This is Checkatrade’s strength.
How Checkatrade Leads Work
A customer needs work done. They go to Checkatrade. They post a job or search for plumbers in their area.
Your profile appears alongside dozens of other plumbers. The customer reads reviews, looks at pricing, and contacts the ones they like.
You are now competing directly with every other plumber in that search. Price, reviews, response speed. The customer might contact three plumbers and go with the cheapest or the fastest responder.
Checkatrade does not send you exclusive leads. It sends you public leads that every other plumber on the platform sees too.
The Problem With Renting Leads
This is the fundamental issue with Checkatrade and similar platforms.
You are renting leads. You do not own them. You do not own the customer relationship. You do not own the platform.
You pay your membership fee. The leads keep coming. You stop paying. The leads stop.
This is fine if Checkatrade generates enough leads to justify the cost. But you are forever dependent on their platform, their algorithm, their rules.
If Checkatrade changes their pricing, you have no choice but to accept it or leave.
If Checkatrade changes how they rank profiles and you drop in visibility, you lose leads immediately.
You are a tenant, not an owner.
What ProBizMate Does Differently
ProBizMate builds a website specifically designed to rank on Google for your local area.
Your website ranks organically. When a customer searches “plumber Manchester” or “electrician near me” in your area, your website appears in the results.
These leads are not competed for. They come directly to you because Google ranks you highest for that search in that location.
You own the website. You own the customer relationship. You own the leads.
There is no middleman. No platform taking a cut. No competing for leads with dozens of other tradespeople.
The Honest Comparison
Checkatrade has a timing advantage. It can generate leads immediately. Your profile goes live and you start getting contacted within days.
A ProBizMate website takes time to build ranking. 4-6 months to see real results. 12 months to really compete.
If you need leads now, Checkatrade wins in the short term.
But look at the long-term picture. After 12-18 months, a well-ranked website with good reviews will outperform Checkatrade economically.
Here is the math. Checkatrade costs £600-£1,200 per year. A ProBizMate website costs £299 per month or £2,988 per year.
That sounds expensive. But Checkatrade generates maybe 30-50 leads per year per plumber, depending on area. You convert maybe 5 of those to actual jobs (10% conversion). So 5 jobs for £600-£1,200.
A well-ranked website in a good area generates 40-80 leads per year. You convert maybe 10-15 to actual jobs (25-30% conversion, because you own the customer relationship).
That is 10-15 jobs from your website for £2,988 per year. Plus you own the asset. Plus customers find you directly, not through a marketplace.
This math breaks in your favor after 12-18 months.
Can You Use Both
Yes. Many UK tradespeople use both. They start with Checkatrade while their website is building ranking. After 6 months, their website is generating leads. After 12 months, they are generating 50% of their leads from Google and 50% from Checkatrade.
Some eventually drop Checkatrade entirely because the website generates enough work. Others keep Checkatrade as supplementary lead source alongside their main website.
This is a totally valid strategy. Start with Checkatrade, build your website, scale from your website.
The Economics After 12 Months
Year 1: Checkatrade costs £1,000. Website costs £3,000. Total investment £4,000.
Checkatrade generates 30 leads. You convert 5. Call that £500 revenue per job. That is £2,500 revenue.
Website generates 10 leads in year 1. You convert 2-3. That is £1,000-£1,500 revenue.
Checkatrade looks better in year 1. But here is year 2.
Year 2: Checkatrade costs £1,000. Website costs £3,000. Total investment £4,000.
Checkatrade generates 30 leads. Same as year 1. You convert 5. That is £2,500 revenue.
Website generates 50 leads in year 2. You convert 12-15. That is £6,000-£7,500 revenue.
Total revenue year 2: £8,500-£10,000 for the same £4,000 investment.
After year 1 break-even, the website is now generating 3x the revenue of Checkatrade for the same cost.
The Real Advantage of a Website
A website is an asset. You build it once and it generates leads for years.
When you leave Checkatrade, the leads stop immediately. You own nothing.
When you leave your website, it keeps ranking. If you pause your subscription, it is still there. If you sell your business, it has value.
A website with good Google ranking is a real business asset. Checkatrade profile is a rental.
Reputation and Reviews
On Checkatrade, your reputation is on their platform. Your reviews are on their site.
With a ProBizMate website, your Google reviews appear on Google, on your website, on Google Maps. These are portable. They follow you everywhere.
Google reviews are more trusted anyway. More people check Google than Checkatrade.
The Decision
If you have no leads right now, Checkatrade can help in the short term while your website is building.
But build a website simultaneously. Do not rely on Checkatrade long-term.
The best situation is a mix early on. Checkatrade while your website builds. Then eventually, your website becomes your primary lead source.
The Timeline
Month 1-6: Checkatrade generates leads. Website is building. Month 6-12: Both Checkatrade and website are generating leads. Month 12+: Website is generating the majority of your leads. Checkatrade becomes supplementary.
This is the path most successful UK tradespeople follow.
Checkatrade works. But it is expensive and you do not own the asset. A website you own and control outperforms Checkatrade in the long term.
Consider both. But build a website and make it your foundation.
Written by Maebh Collins
ACA qualified, Dundalk-based. I build websites and write SEO content for trade businesses across Ireland and the UK. If you have questions, get in touch.