MyBuilder for Tradesmen: Fees, How It Works and Is It Worth It

MyBuilder fees for tradesmen are simpler than most lead sites, and that's most of its appeal. There's no membership, no contract and nothing to pay for showing interest in a job. You pay a shortlist fee only when a homeowner picks you.

Simple isn't the same as cheap, though, and it isn't the same as worth it. So here's how MyBuilder works for tradesmen, what you actually pay as of October 2026, what tradespeople say about it in reviews, and how to tell whether it'll pay for you.

I'm not a MyBuilder member and I don't earn anything from it. I build websites and do local SEO for trades, so I'd rather you had work that doesn't depend on any platform. But for some trades at some stages, MyBuilder is a sensible tool.

How does MyBuilder work for tradesmen?

1. Set up your profile and area

   You sign up for free, choose your trades and set the area you'll travel to. MyBuilder says its team screens new tradespeople before they get going.

2. Get job alerts

   Homeowners post jobs for free. MyBuilder matches them to trades in the area and sends you the ones that fit what you do.

3. Express interest for free

   If you like the look of a job, you send the homeowner an introduction message. That costs nothing, and you can see what the shortlist fee would be before you send it.

4. Get shortlisted

   The homeowner reads the profiles and feedback of everyone interested and shortlists the ones they like. This is the point where you pay.

5. Swap details and quote

   Once you're shortlisted, MyBuilder charges the fee and puts you in touch. From there it's down to you: ring, visit, quote, win or lose.

6. Collect feedback

   After the job, the homeowner can leave a review on your MyBuilder profile, which helps you get shortlisted next time.

MyBuilder fees: what you actually pay

As of October 2026, MyBuilder's sign-up page for tradespeople says:

• There's no joining fee and no membership fee.
• Sending an introduction message is free.
• A shortlist fee is charged only when you and the homeowner are ready to swap details.
• Shortlist fees "typically range from £2 to £35 depending on the size of the job".

The same page shows example leads: £4.90 to repair window handles, £13 to assemble a wardrobe, £21 for new porch and bay window blockwork, and £30 for a concrete stencil driveway. So the fee follows the likely value of the job. Small fiddly jobs cost a few pounds, bigger jobs cost more.

"Typically" is doing some work in that sentence. Some leads will fall outside that range, so check the fee on each one before you show interest rather than assuming it'll be under £35.

Does MyBuilder charge for leads?

Yes, but only at one point. Browsing jobs and expressing interest are free. You're charged when a homeowner shortlists you, which is when you get their contact details. So "how much does MyBuilder charge for leads" really means "how much is the shortlist fee", and that's shown on each lead.

What the shortlist fee doesn't buy you

It buys you the homeowner's details and a place on their shortlist. It doesn't buy you the job, and it doesn't stop them shortlisting other trades as well. A homeowner who shortlists three of you and then goes quiet has cost each of you a fee.

That's the trade-off with any pay-per-lead site. You pay for the chance, not the result.

Can you get a refund on a bad MyBuilder lead?

Sometimes, but don't count on it. In its replies to tradespeople's complaints on Trustpilot, MyBuilder points people to its support team for possible fee credits. That suggests it's handled case by case rather than automatically.

If a lead is plainly bad, say the number doesn't work or the details belong to someone else, raise it with support straight away and keep a note of when you rang and texted. The quicker and clearer you are, the better your chances.

MyBuilder reviews from tradesmen

MyBuilder scores 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 56,000 reviews, as of October 2026. Most of those are from homeowners, who use it for free and are generally happy.

The reviews written by tradespeople tell a different story. Reading the recent ones from late September and early October 2026, the same complaints come up again and again:

• Paying a shortlist fee for homeowners who never answer the phone or reply to a text.
• Leads that don't seem genuine or don't match the description.
• Slow or unsatisfying answers when asking for fees back.

MyBuilder's replies to those reviews say it charges tradespeople "a relatively small fee each time they are shortlisted by a customer" and point them to support.

Two things to keep in mind. Unhappy people write more reviews than happy ones, so a page of complaints isn't the whole picture. But the complaints line up exactly with how the model works, and that's worth taking seriously. If you join, go in expecting to pay for some homeowners who vanish.

What about MyBuilder fake reviews?

People search for this, so it's worth a line. MyBuilder says homeowners review the trade once the job is done. I can't audit any platform's reviews from the outside, and nobody else can either. The sensible approach is the same everywhere: read reviews in bulk, look at the recent ones, and look at how complaints get handled.

Is MyBuilder legit?

Yes. It's a real, long-running UK marketplace (its Trustpilot profile goes back to 2014), homeowners post real jobs on it, and plenty of trades get work from it. Whether it's good value for you is a separate question, and that comes down to your sums.

Is MyBuilder worth it? Run the sum

It's the same sum as every lead platform: what you paid in fees in a month, divided by the jobs you actually won. Then compare that with your profit per job.

Here's a made-up example in round numbers. Say you're a joiner in Doncaster. In a month you're shortlisted 12 times at an average fee of £14, so £168. You win 3 jobs. That's £56 per job won.

• If an average job leaves you £400 profit (hanging a set of internal doors, say), £56 to win it is fine.
• If it's £60 jobs (a sticking door, a couple of shelves), £56 eats nearly all of it.

Two things move that sum more than anything else: which jobs you choose to show interest in, and how fast you ring once you're shortlisted. Both are in your hands.

When pay-per-shortlist stops being the cheap option

MyBuilder feels cheap because each fee is small and nothing is taken in a quiet month. But small fees add up once you're busy.

Take that made-up joiner again. £168 a month in shortlist fees is just over £2,000 a year. That's not a disaster if it's winning three decent jobs a month. But it's a reminder that "no membership" doesn't automatically mean "cheaper than a membership". Once you're using a platform every week, a fixed monthly plan elsewhere can work out cheaper per job, and so can putting the same money into your own Google presence.

So the question to ask every quarter isn't "is MyBuilder cheap?" It's "what did each job I won cost me, and is there now a cheaper way to win the same jobs?" When the answer changes, change what you're doing.

Who MyBuilder suits, and who it doesn't

It suits you if:

• You're new and need work and feedback quickly, without a 12-month contract.
• Your availability comes and goes, so you want to switch leads on and off.
• Your jobs are worth a few hundred pounds or more, so a shortlist fee is small next to the profit.
• You want to test a new service or a new area before spending properly on it.

It's harder going if:

• Most of your work is small, low-margin jobs.
• You can't reply quickly during the working day.
• You're in a patch with lots of trades chasing the same jobs.

How to make MyBuilder pay

• Be choosy. You see the fee before you show interest, so only go for jobs you actually want, in your area, at a size that makes the fee worth it.
• Write a real introduction. Mention the job, a similar one you've done and when you could start. Copy-and-paste messages get skipped.
• Fill your profile. Homeowners shortlist on profiles and feedback, so add real job photos and a clear description of what you do.
• Ring fast. Once you're shortlisted, call that day. The first trade to have a proper conversation often wins.
• Ask for a Google review too. Your MyBuilder feedback stays on MyBuilder. A Google review stays with you.
• Keep score. Fees paid, jobs won, profit made. Five minutes at the end of each month tells you whether to carry on.

MyBuilder vs Checkatrade

The big difference is risk. MyBuilder costs nothing in a quiet month and you can walk away any time. Checkatrade's paid plans are a monthly fee on a 12-month term that renews unless you phone to cancel. Checkatrade has the bigger brand; MyBuilder costs you less to find out whether your area is worth it.

I've compared them properly, along with TrustATrader, in Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs TrustATrader, and the wider list is in Checkatrade alternatives. If you're weighing up other pay-per-lead sites, Bark works on credits instead of shortlists.

FAQs

How much does MyBuilder charge tradesmen?

There's no joining or membership fee. You pay a shortlist fee when a homeowner shortlists you, which MyBuilder says typically ranges from £2 to £35 depending on the size of the job, as of October 2026.

Is there a monthly fee on MyBuilder?

No. MyBuilder's sign-up page says there are no joining or membership fees. You only pay shortlist fees.

Do I pay if the customer doesn't reply?

Usually, yes. The fee is for being shortlisted and getting the homeowner's details, not for winning the job. If a lead is clearly bad, ask support about a fee credit.

What is the MyBuilder shortlist fee?

It's the charge for being shortlisted by a homeowner and swapping contact details. You see it on each lead before you show interest, and it goes up with the size of the job.

Is MyBuilder worth it for a new business?

It's one of the better places to start, because there's no membership or contract and you can choose each job. Use it to get work and feedback, and collect Google reviews from the same customers so you're building something of your own at the same time.

How do I stop using MyBuilder?

There's no contract, so you can simply stop expressing interest in jobs. Make sure any shortlist fees you owe are paid.

The bigger picture

MyBuilder is one of the better-designed lead platforms for a trade starting out, because the downside is small. Use it to fill the diary and earn feedback while you build the things that don't charge per lead: a Google Business Profile full of your own reviews, and a website that turns a search into a phone call.

When you're ready to see what your area could send you directly, my free Search Opportunity Review shows what people search for in your trade locally and who's winning those searches now. All the other routes, paid and owned, are on my lead generation for tradesmen page.