Lead sites or your own enquiries? An honest comparison.
Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People and Bark have helped a lot of trades get going. They also come with trade-offs most people only notice a year in. Here’s a fair side-by-side.
Lead sites like Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People and Bark are quick to start and come with built-in trust, but you pay for membership or for each lead, many jobs are offered to several trades at once, and your reviews live on their platform. Northeave builds enquiries that come to you alone, through your own website, Google profile and ads, and everything stays yours. Many trades use both.
Side by side
| Lead sites (Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People, Bark) | Northeave | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Membership fee, pay per lead, or credits per lead, depending on the site | Website £500 one-off, or a monthly plan from £397. Ad spend paid to Meta directly |
| Who else gets the job | On pay-per-lead sites, the same job is often offered to several trades | Enquiries come to you only |
| Your reviews | Live on their platform | Live on your Google profile, which you own |
| If you stop paying | Your listing and leads stop | Your website, domain, reviews and data stay yours |
| Speed to start | Fast. Sign up and start getting leads | Website live in 1 to 2 weeks. Google rankings build over months |
| Built-in trust | Strong. Homeowners recognise the brands | Built from your own reviews and real work |
| Contract | Varies by site | Monthly rolling, no long contracts |
Lead site pricing and rules change often. Check each site’s current terms before you sign up.
Where lead sites make sense
If you've just started out, have no reviews yet and need work this month, a lead site can fill the diary while you build everything else. The recognisable badge also helps with homeowners who've never heard of you.
Where your own enquiries win
Once you're established, paying for shared leads gets expensive, and you're always one price rise away from losing your main source of work. Enquiries from your own Google profile and website don't go to three other firms, and the reviews you collect keep working for you for years.
Our view
You don't have to pick one. Plenty of trades keep a lead site running while their own presence builds, then cut back once their Google profile and website bring in enough on their own. The point is to own at least one source of work outright.
Questions trades ask
Is Checkatrade worth it for a new trade?
It can be while you have no reviews of your own, because homeowners recognise the brand. Many trades use it alongside building their own Google profile and website, then rely on it less once those bring in steady work.
Do MyBuilder and Rated People send the same job to several trades?
On pay-per-lead sites, a homeowner’s job is commonly shown to more than one tradesperson, who then compete for it. Check each site’s current rules for the exact number.
Can I move my lead site reviews to Google?
No, reviews stay on the platform where they were left. That’s why we set up automatic Google review requests after every job, so the reviews you earn from now on build your own profile.
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We'll look at where your work comes from now and whether I can help. If I can't, I'll tell you.