Last Updated on July 28, 2026
Every figure was checked on 28 July 2026 against Checkatrade’s own pages, its published terms, and member reports. Where Checkatrade does not publish a number, we say so and mark it member-reported. No affiliate links on this page.
Checkatrade advertises membership “from £59 a month”. Almost nobody pays that. Here is the full picture: what is published, what is not, and what a job actually costs you to win.
Checkatrade prices at a glance (July 2026)
| Item | Figure | Published? |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | £0, profile and reviews only | Yes |
| Approved plan | £30 a month, no appearance in standard search results, no leads | Yes |
| Growth (Fixed Plan) | “From £59 a month”, real price quoted per trade and postcode | Partially |
| Sponsored Listings | From £100 a month, pay per click, top two search slots | Yes |
| Joining fee | None | Yes |
| Per-lead fees | £5 to £15 small jobs, £20 to £40 large jobs | No, member-reported |
| Typical all-in spend | £100 to £300 a month for active members | No, member-reported |
| Lead sharing | 3 to 5 trades per lead | No, member-reported |
| Minimum term | 12 months, auto-renews, phone-only cancellation | Yes |
The bit the pricing page does not tell you
The £30 Approved plan comes with a catch stated in Checkatrade’s own support pages: Approved members do not appear in standard search results. Customers can only find you by searching your business name. If you want to be found, you need Growth, and Growth is priced per trade and per area after a sales call. Checkatrade does not publish a full price list.
The model has also shifted. Members who paid a flat £870 or so a year under the old unlimited-enquiries model report annual costs moving towards £1,500 after a 2025 restructure that aligned fees with lead value. Checkatrade has not published the mechanics, so the honest summary is this: membership plus paid visibility plus lead-value pricing, with the details quoted privately.
What a job actually costs to win
Take the typical reported figures: a £120 a month Growth membership, 15 leads a month at an average £18 lead value, each lead shared with 3 to 5 other trades, and a win rate of 1 in 5.
That is £270 a month for 3 won jobs. £90 per won job. Win 1 in 4 and it drops to £72. Have a bad month at 1 in 8 and it hits £180. Independent estimates put the realistic range at £80 to £200 per customer.
On a £2,000 bathroom refit, £90 acquisition is fine. On a £90 tap washer call-out, it wipes out the entire job. The membership fee is not the number that decides whether Checkatrade works for you. Cost per won job is.
The contract terms to read twice
From Checkatrade’s own cancellation page: most memberships run a fixed 12-month term. You cannot normally cancel partway through, and early leavers are normally asked to pay the remainder. The contract auto-renews every 12 months unless you cancel inside a window that opens about one month before renewal, and cancellation is phone-only. Cancelling your direct debit does not end the contract, and members report renewal price rises landing without warning.
What the vetting actually covers
Checkatrade’s “up to 12 checks” cover identity, address, qualifications where the trade requires them, county court judgments, company status, insolvency and reviews elsewhere. Two things are not on the published list: criminal record checks, and insurance is not named among the 12. Checks happen at joining; ongoing monitoring is mainly review-based.
How the alternatives compare
MyBuilder charges no monthly fee, just £2 to £35 per shortlisted lead. Bark sells credits at £1.80 plus VAT with leads shared with up to 5 pros, and credits now expire after 3 months. Rated People runs a subscription plus roughly £15 plus VAT per lead, capped at 3 trades per lead. TrustATrader members report £600 to £1,000 plus a year with leads not shared. And a Google Business Profile is free, you own the reviews, and there is no contract.
Common questions
How much does Checkatrade cost per month in 2026?
Published plans run £0 for a profile, £30 for Approved with no search visibility, and from £59 for Growth, but active members typically report £100 to £300 a month all-in. Checkatrade does not publish a full price list; your quote depends on trade and postcode.
Does Checkatrade charge per lead?
The base model is a 12-month membership, but members report lead-related fees of roughly £5 to £15 for small jobs and £20 to £40 for large ones, plus pay-per-click Sponsored Listings from £100 a month. None of these variable costs appear on the public pricing page.
How many tradespeople get the same Checkatrade lead?
Member accounts consistently report each enquiry going to 3 to 5 trades, and Checkatrade publishes no cap. With a realistic win rate of 1 in 4 or 5, you pay for several leads for every job you win.
What does a Checkatrade job actually cost to win?
On typical reported figures you pay about £90 per won job, and independent estimates put the range at £80 to £200 per customer. That is fine on a £2,000 bathroom and ruinous on a £90 call-out.
Can I cancel Checkatrade mid-contract?
No. Memberships run a fixed 12-month term, auto-renew, and can only be cancelled by phone inside a window that opens about one month before renewal. Missing the window means being charged for another year.
Three things to do before you sign
- Get the real number in writing. Your trade-and-postcode quote, the renewal price, and what happens to lead volume without Sponsored Listings.
- Judge it on cost per won job. Track leads received, leads that answer, and jobs won. If cost per won job clears £80 to £200 and your average job value is well above it, it can work.
- Diary the renewal window on day one. Missing the phone-only window is the single most common cost complaint from members.
Before you pay for leads, check your foundations
The free Whito AI Visibility Scorecard checks how findable and trusted your business looks to customers and AI search in about two minutes, and tells you the one thing to fix first.
