Checkatrade vs MyBuilder: Which Actually Costs Less Per Won Job?

A low priced enquiry can be expensive if it rarely becomes paid work. Equally, a larger membership bill can be worthwhile if it regularly produces suitable jobs. The useful comparison is cost per won job, measured over a consistent period and alongside gross profit. This guide explains the charging models and gives you a calculator using your figures, rather than assumed provider prices.

How the charging models differ

Checkatrade offers different profile and membership options. Its paid plans and pricing vary with the package and coverage. The official pricing page and your written quotation are the right places to establish the amount you will pay, whether VAT is included and what enquiries or visibility are included. A membership payment is not the same thing as paying only when you win work.

MyBuilder says creating a profile and expressing interest are free. A fee becomes chargeable when a customer shortlists you and contact details are shared. Its support guidance says fees depend on the job details and are shown before you respond. Being shortlisted is not a guarantee of winning the job, so include paid opportunities that did not convert in your total spend.

Check the current Checkatrade pricing options and MyBuilder lead fee guidance before committing. Published offers are not a substitute for your own agreement.

Measure jobs won, not messages received

Record each enquiry, the source, whether you quoted, whether it became an accepted job and the associated acquisition charge. Pick one consistent definition of a won job, such as a confirmed booking or completed paid job. Do not count the same customer twice when they called and sent a message about the same work.

There can be a delay between paying for an opportunity and completing its job. Start with a monthly view, then review a longer period that covers your usual sales cycle. Separate emergency repairs from large installations: their values and conversion patterns are unlikely to be alike. Keep lost opportunities in the record rather than judging a platform only from successful examples.

Cost Per Won Job Calculator

For MyBuilder, use the number of chargeable shortlists, not every job you viewed or expressed interest in. If fees varied, divide the total fee spend by the number charged to obtain the average. For Checkatrade, include the membership and any other platform charges you want to compare. Use either VAT inclusive or VAT exclusive figures consistently, depending on how your business accounts for VAT.

A worked example, not provider pricing

Imagine a tradesperson spends £120 a month on a membership and wins four jobs: acquisition costs £30 per won job. Another channel produces ten chargeable opportunities averaging £12 each and three won jobs: the spend is also £120, but acquisition costs £40 per job. These figures are entirely illustrative, not current Checkatrade or MyBuilder prices.

If each completed job generates £100 gross profit before acquisition fees, the first set leaves £280 across the month and the second leaves £180. That still is not net profit. Vehicle costs, insurance, tools, administration and tax remain outside this simplified comparison. One larger, profitable job can also be more valuable than several small jobs with poor margins.

Memberships, shortlists and direct website enquiries

A website gives you a place to explain services, show real work and receive direct enquiries. It does not instantly create demand. Organic visibility takes time to develop, and maintaining the website and business profile costs money or your time. If you use paid advertising as well, include that spend before describing the enquiries as cheaper.

Why lead quality can outweigh the headline fee

Ask whether enquiries match your travel area, minimum job size, availability and expertise. A cheaper lead outside your service area can cost you time without producing useful work. A customer seeking several quotations may still be a good prospect, but your ability to respond clearly and promptly affects the result. Do not assume any marketplace enquiry is exclusive unless your agreement actually says so.

Track quoting time as well. Five long site visits for one low margin job can be a poor return even when acquisition fees look small. Compare how much information arrives with the enquiry: location, photos, urgency and job scope can help you decide whether a visit is worthwhile. On your own website, a carefully designed enquiry form can ask for those details upfront.

Returning customers and the true cost of acquisition

A first job can lead to repeat maintenance or recommendations, making the original acquisition cost more worthwhile. Keep repeat income identifiable, but do not assume every customer will return. If you compare channels using repeat gross profit, use the same time horizon and method for both. A returning customer is not necessarily a new platform acquisition merely because they found you there originally.

For mobile businesses, convenience can affect conversion as much as the source of the lead. A customer who can understand your service area and availability may be more ready to book. Our guide to mobile valeting bookings shows how a service website can collect practical details without requiring every visitor to message first.

Read about mobile valeting online booking journeys for an example of a direct enquiry and scheduling process.

Build direct enquiries alongside marketplace leads

• ✓Review at least one complete sales cycle, not a single good or bad week.
• ✓Record total charges, accepted jobs and actual direct job costs.
• ✓Check service areas and package inclusions against the work you want.
• ✓Improve response speed, quoting clarity and real portfolio evidence.
• ✓Keep existing channels while measuring whether direct enquiries develop.
• ✓Review renewal and cancellation deadlines before changing commitments.

Checkatrade’s cancellation guidance says most memberships have fixed terms and renewal arrangements. Read your own agreement and contact the provider through its stated process. Do not cancel a working source of enquiries simply because a replacement website is ready; judge the replacement channel from actual results.