Best Lead Generation Sites for Tradesmen in the UK (2026)

Every lead generation site for tradesmen sells the same thing: job leads for tradesmen, meaning an introduction to someone who needs a job doing. What differs is how they charge for it, how many other trades get the same introduction, and who keeps the customer afterwards.

To find the best lead generation sites for tradesmen in the UK, I checked each of the main ones against its own pages in October 2026, so the details below are current as of then. Most won't publish a price list, and where they don't, I've said how they charge rather than repeat a number from a forum.

So you know where I stand: I don't sell leads. I build websites and do Local SEO for trades, which is the alternative to most of what's on this list, so weigh my opinion with that in mind. Where a platform does a good job, I'll say so.

The quick comparison

The full write-up of each one follows, then the questions I'd ask any of them before paying a penny.

The UK lead generation sites, one by one

Checkatrade

The biggest name, and the one most homeowners have heard of. Checkatrade Group now owns the Rated People brand too.

How it charges. The main product is a fixed plan: you choose roughly how many leads you'd like a year and pay a monthly fee for a 12-month membership. Its pricing page shows starting prices (Approved at £30 a month with no leads, Growth from £59 a month), but you only see your real price by starting its online sign-up for your trade and area. In October 2026 there was an introductory offer of free months on fixed plans (conditions apply). Its terms also cover a pay-as-you-go option, where the fee per lead varies with the job, the area and demand, and an Opportunities Board, rolling out through 2026, where you browse leads for free and pay credits to open the ones you want. A lead comes off the board once three trades have paid for it.

Who it suits. Trades whose customers trust the badge, and anyone doing jobs big enough to carry the fee comfortably.

Watch out for. The fixed plan terms describe the lead number as "only an estimate and is not binding". The customer found you through Checkatrade, so next time they'll likely go back to Checkatrade. I've done the full sums in Checkatrade cost and is Checkatrade worth it.

Rated People (now part of Checkatrade)

Rated People memberships ended in September 2026 and the site is now part of the Checkatrade Group. Its own help page says jobs posted there go to Checkatrade members, and to keep getting them you join Checkatrade, on a 12-month fixed lead plan or the pay-as-you-go Opportunities Board. Reviews you earned on Rated People stay where they are. The details are in Rated People cost.

It's a useful reminder of the main risk with any platform: the rules can change overnight, and a profile you built for years can stop bringing work in.

MyBuilder

How it charges. Free to join, and you can show interest in as many leads as you like. If the customer shortlists you, MyBuilder charges a fee for their contact details. The fee depends on the job and there's no published list, so look at what each lead costs before you show interest.

Who it suits. Builders, joiners, plasterers and fitters doing planned jobs, where the homeowner wants to compare a few trades and the fee is small next to the job.

Watch out for. Being shortlisted isn't being hired. You pay for the chance to quote, and on small jobs the fee can be a big slice of the profit. More in MyBuilder for tradesmen.

Bark

How it charges. You buy credits, and Bark's help centre puts the current price at £1.80 a credit, cheaper per credit in bigger packs. Each lead costs a number of credits that depends on the service and the size of the job, shown before you respond. Credits last three months. Bark says new professionals get their credits back if their first pack doesn't win them any work, so read those conditions before you buy.

Who it suits. Testing whether there's demand for a service, or filling a quiet week. It covers a huge range of services, not only trades.

Watch out for. Bark's own terms say up to five professionals can contact each customer, and you pay whether or not you win. Speed matters more here than almost anywhere. See is Bark worth it for tradesmen.

TrustATrader

How it charges. An annual membership, paid up front. Its trader terms set a 12-month term that you can't cancel early, with no automatic renewal (they contact you at the end of the year). The price isn't published, so you apply or ring them. There's no commission and no fee per lead.

Who it suits. Trades who want a vetted listing and a badge without paying per enquiry. The terms promise no more than ten members in your trade category in your area at any one time.

Watch out for. Ten others in your trade is still ten others. Ask what enquiry volume members like you typically get in your area before you pay a year up front. More in TrustATrader cost.

MyJobQuote

How it charges. Pay per lead, by card, with a free first month. Lead prices aren't published. Its homeowner help page says up to three trades can show interest and get in touch with each customer, and its trade help says it expects members to win around one job in three.

Who it suits. Pay-as-you-go top-ups with no long commitment.

Watch out for. One in three is an average across everyone. Track your own rate for a month before you scale up.

Google Local Services Ads

How it charges. These are the ads at the very top of some Google searches, with a "Google Verified" badge. You set a budget and, in Google's words, only pay when a customer gets in touch from your ad. Reviews shown come from your Google Business Profile, and Google checks your business before the badge goes on.

Who it suits. Trades in eligible categories who will answer every call, because an unanswered lead is still a lead you've paid for. Eligibility depends on your category and area, so check it on Google's own page first.

Watch out for. It sits on top of your Google reviews, so it works best when you already have plenty. See Google Local Services Ads in the UK, and Google Ads for tradesmen for the pay-per-click route.

Yell

Yell isn't a lead marketplace any more so much as a marketing supplier. In October 2026 its business site listed bundles from £299 a month, and a bigger package from £699 a month that adds advertising and what it calls a "Lead Guarantee". Read what that guarantee covers before you sign. My take is in is Yell worth it.

Free job apps and retailer job boards

There's a newer group of apps that send jobs free or nearly free. NeedHelp, for example, says it has no subscription and gets jobs both from customers and from retail partners such as B&Q, Screwfix and Topps Tiles, aimed at decorators, carpenters, tilers, flooring fitters and handymen. Worth a look if that's your work, but read how they make their money before you rely on them.

Planning-application lead tools

Planning applications are public, so you can see extensions, loft conversions and new builds coming months before the homeowner picks their trades. Several paid tools filter them by trade and postcode and help you send letters. It's slow and it's competitive (anyone can read the same applications), but the leads aren't sold three ways at once. Best suited to builders, roofers, electricians and plumbers who want bigger planned jobs.

Job leads for tradesmen: which sites suit which trade

Trade matters less than job size. The fee for a lead barely changes with the job, so the same platform can be brilliant for a bathroom fitter and ruinous for a handyman.

• Electrician leads. Small jobs (sockets, lights) struggle to carry a lead fee. Rewires, consumer units and EV chargers can. Letting agents are often a better source than any platform, because private landlords in England need an electrical inspection at least every five years.
• Plumbing leads. Emergency work is won on speed, planned work on reviews. I've done the sums in plumbing leads.
• Roofing leads. Bursts after storms, and a lot of "guaranteed" lead offers. See roofing leads: buy them or build your own.
• Builders. MyBuilder and planning applications suit big planned jobs better than pay-per-lead apps built for quick repairs.

The best job leads for tradesmen depend on your stage

There isn't one best site. There's a best site for where your business is right now, and it changes as you grow.

Just starting out. You have no reviews and nothing for Google to rank, so you need work and proof of work. Pay-as-you-go sites (MyBuilder, Bark, the Checkatrade Opportunities Board, MyJobQuote) let you buy your first jobs without a twelve-month contract. Turn every job into a Google review on your own profile, not only a review on theirs.

Steady but relying on one platform. This is where most trades I speak to are. The platform works, but the bill grows with the work and you'd be in trouble without it. Keep it, track your cost per job by job type, drop the categories that don't pay, and start building something you own alongside.

Busy and choosy. Once your own enquiries cover most of the diary, a platform becomes a dial rather than a lifeline. Turn it up in a quiet January, down in a busy summer, or off for the small jobs you'd rather not do anyway.

Whichever stage you're at, answer fast. On a shared lead the first trade to ring often wins, and a missed-call text back covers you when you're up a ladder.

Seven questions to ask any lead generation site before you pay

1. How many other trades get the same lead?

   One, three, five, or "it's a directory"? This decides whether you're winning on trust or racing on price.

2. What exactly am I paying for?

   A lead, a shortlist, a click, a listing or a year? Know the unit before you compare prices.

3. Can I see the price before I commit?

   Bark and MyBuilder show you per lead. Annual memberships quote you privately, so get it in writing.

4. What happens with a dead lead?

   Wrong number, out of area, duplicate. Ask who decides it's dead and how long you have to claim.

5. How long am I tied in?

   Twelve months with no early exit is a big decision. Pay as you go is a small one.

6. Who keeps the customer?

   If the customer thinks they found the platform, you'll pay again for their next job.

7. What does it cost per job won?

   Only you can answer this one. Track a month: spend divided by jobs won, by job type.

The alternative: leads for tradesmen nobody else can buy

Every site on this list rents you access to customers. The alternative is owning where your work comes from: a website that turns visits into calls, a Google Business Profile with real reviews, and Local SEO so people find you when they search your trade and town. Nobody else can buy those enquiries, and there's no fee for each one.

It's slower. In the first few months it costs money and returns little, and in some crowded areas it takes a long time. That's why most established trades keep a platform running while the owned side builds, then turn the platform down as their own enquiries arrive. I've set out the full rent-or-own sums in lead generation for tradesmen.

Where I fit

I build Job Winning Websites for £497 one-off and do Local SEO at £495 a month with no contract. If a platform is working for you, I'll tell you to keep it. If you want to know how much work you could be winning on Google without paying per lead, the free Search Opportunity Review is the place to start.