Alternatives to Checkatrade, MyBuilder and Rated People
Plenty of trades pay for Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People or Bark, and plenty say the same thing: the fees keep going up, the jobs are shared with other trades, and too many customers never pick up. Here are the alternatives that put the work directly in your hands.
Why trades look for alternatives
Lead sites work in a few different ways. Some charge a membership to be listed, some charge you each time you are shortlisted or contact a customer, and some sell credits. The complaints from trades are much the same across all of them:
- Shared jobs: you are up against other trades for the same work from the first minute
- Paying whether you win the job or not
- Costs that creep up as more trades sign up in your area
- Customers who never respond
- Nothing to show for it: when you stop paying, the work stops
1. Your Google Business Profile
The most direct alternative. People searching "near me" see the map before anything else, and a call from your listing is yours alone, with no fee per job. A complete, active profile with strong reviews is the base for everything else. See how to rank in the Google map pack.
2. Reviews
Reviews are what make people pick you once they find you. Ask every customer, reply to every review, and your reputation turns into a source of work on its own. See how to get more Google reviews, and if you are on Checkatrade, which reviews to ask for first.
3. Referrals and past customers
Your past customers know you, trust you and live next to people who will need the same work. Keep a list, stay in touch, and ask for referrals. It costs next to nothing.
4. Your website
A site with a clear page for each service and area turns searches and profile visits into calls, and helps your rankings. You own it outright.
5. Facebook groups and Nextdoor
Lots of people ask their local Facebook group or Nextdoor who to use. A good name in those groups brings warm referrals, and the people asking are ready to book.
6. AI search
More people now ask AI assistants who to call. They recommend businesses with clear, consistent, well reviewed information, which is the same groundwork as everything above. See how to get recommended by ChatGPT.
7. Google Local Services Ads
If you want paid leads, Google's Local Services Ads send each lead to you alone, and you pay per lead. See our comparison with local SEO.
How to make the switch
Keep using lead sites while you build your own sources, then cut back as more work comes in directly. The same test works for paid listings: see are TrustATrader and Yell worth paying for? Track where every job comes from, so you know your real cost per job from each one.
To see how much of the work in your area you could be getting straight from Google, get your free Maps audit.
Questions owners ask
Should I stop using lead sites completely?
Not necessarily. They can fill gaps while you build your own sources. The aim is to need them less over time, as more of your work comes to you directly.
Why are jobs from lead sites harder to win?
Because the customer has often asked several trades at once, so you are competing on speed and price from the first minute, and some never reply at all.
What is the best alternative?
For most trades, a strong position on Google Maps. It is where people already search, the calls come only to you, and there is no fee for each one.
Find out who is getting your calls
The free Maps audit shows where you rank across your service area, which competitors are taking the calls you are missing, and exactly what it would take to become the first call. The findings are yours to keep.
Get your free Maps audit