How much is Checkatrade per month? Every published charge, sourced and dated

One outside guide, from Trade2Base (June 2026), which sells job-tracking software to trades, estimates Checkatrade at £50 to £80 a month for a basic membership for a less in-demand trade in a low-competition area, before per-lead fees, which it puts at £5 to £30 a lead on some packages. For a high-demand trade in a competitive urban area, it estimates £120 to £200 a month or more. It cites no source. Checkatrade itself publishes no price for Approved membership, its Fixed Plan or its pay-as-you-go lead plans. It quotes each by trade, postcode area and number of leads.

Checkatrade sets the fee out in a Confirmation Email. The Trade2Base figures are estimates, not Checkatrade prices, and every row below says which is which. Sponsored Listings are a separate pay-per-click extra, paid clicks Checkatrade says bring more leads, starting from £100 a month. They come on top of joining: the first step Checkatrade’s page lists is to join and get vetted. What Checkatrade does publish is the frame around those fees: a profile it calls a Free Profile, which brings no leads; a £250 plus VAT application fee it may charge; memberships that renew automatically; and pay-as-you-go lead billing capped at 120% of your monthly budget.

We opened every source on this page on 9 and 10 October 2026, and each sourced figure carries its link and the date we opened it. Anything we could not trace to a source is left out.

One disclosure first. We sell websites and local SEO to UK trades, which is one alternative to buying leads, so we have an interest in the answer. Verithora and its founder hold no Checkatrade membership, affiliation or payment.

What to do this week

1. Make sure your free Google Business Profile is complete before you pay for leads anywhere.
2. If you already pay Checkatrade, divide last month’s bill by the jobs you won from it. That is your cost per won job.
3. Find your renewal date in your Confirmation Email and diary a reminder 35 days before it.

Why there is no Checkatrade price list

Checkatrade’s trade sign-up page shows no prices. Its “View our prices” box starts a four-step flow: about your business, select lead plan, your details, then review and confirm. The first step asks for your business name, business postcode, first name, surname, business email and business phone before any lead plan appears, and it says Checkatrade “will contact you by phone, SMS or email” (Join Checkatrade, checked 9 October 2026).

The same site explains how the price is built. You “Pick the specific postcode areas you want to work in”, “Select the number of leads you’d like to receive each year”, and “Get a regular flow of leads for a monthly cost” (Join Checkatrade, checked 9 October 2026). Its printed directory page says the same of ad space: “Prices vary depending on where you’re based and what type of work you do” (Checkatrade directory, checked 9 October 2026). Two trades in neighbouring towns can therefore be quoted different amounts for the same plan, so there is no single national price to quote.

Checkatrade prices: every figure we could source

So how much does Checkatrade cost? “Published” below means the figure appears on a Checkatrade page we opened. “Estimate” means a third party reports it and we could not find it on any Checkatrade page.

Figure	What it covers	Source	Seen	Status
£250 excluding VAT	Application Fee Checkatrade “may charge”, which “may include part or all of the Fees”	Master Service Terms, updated 4 Oct 2025	9 Oct 2026	Published
From £100 a month	Sponsored Listings: “Only pay for clicks”, “no long-term contract”	Sponsored Listings	9 Oct 2026	Published
120% of your monthly budget	The most a pay-as-you-go plan can charge in lead fees in one monthly billing period	Pay As You Go terms, updated 20 Feb 2026	9 Oct 2026	Published
Up to 2 times your monthly budget	Deposit Checkatrade may require when you start a pay-as-you-go plan	Pay As You Go terms, updated 20 Feb 2026	9 Oct 2026	Published
£50 to £80, or £120 to £200 or more, a month	Trade2Base’s estimate for a less in-demand trade in a low-competition area, then for a high-demand trade in a competitive urban area	Trade2Base, 8 Jun 2026	10 Oct 2026	Estimate
£5 to £30 per lead	Trade2Base’s estimate of per-lead fees that some packages add on top of the monthly subscription, depending on the job type, paid whether you win the job or not	Trade2Base, 8 Jun 2026	10 Oct 2026	Estimate
£600 to £2,400 a year, or £3,000 or more	Trade2Base’s estimate of annual spend before extras, and its figure for a competitive trade in a city	Trade2Base, 8 Jun 2026	10 Oct 2026	Estimate

One note on the table. Checkatrade’s own terms define the £250 Application Fee it may charge, so ask whether it applies to you. The same terms let Checkatrade charge that fee if you fail its vetting checks (clause 17), and, if it ends the agreement over vetting, either refund what you have paid less that fee (charging you any shortfall) where you supplied and kept up the information its checks need, or refund nothing where you did not (clauses 16, 18 and 19), and ask for the fee again to reactivate a suspended or ended account (clause 42) (Master Service Terms, updated 4 Oct 2025). Trade2Base says its figures reflect what tradespeople across the UK report, and it names no source.

Checkatrade membership prices and plans, in its own words

Checkatrade’s trade terms are one set of Master Service Terms plus separate product terms for each product. On 9 October 2026 the index at checkatrade.com/membership-terms listed 17 of them. These are the ones that decide what you pay for enquiries.

What a lead is. Checkatrade defines leads as “contacts that Checkatrade delivers to You in any format, including but not limited to phone calls, messages, “Request a Quote” contacts, and/or clicks from the Platform to Your website via Our provided hyperlink” (Fixed Plan terms, updated 19 December 2024; the Pay As You Go terms use the same definition). A click through to your own website counts as a lead.

Free Profile. “You will only be visible on the Platform when You are searched for by name and We will not provide You with leads. If You wish to receive leads You must purchase an Approved membership and additional lead generation Services.” (Free Profile terms, updated 4 October 2025.)

Approved. “Approved is a paid Checkatrade membership.” Its terms say “Your profile will only appear on the Platform when a user searches for your business by name” and “To appear more widely across the Platform, you will need to purchase additional services.” The fee is in your Confirmation Email, invoiced monthly in advance (Approved terms, updated 8 May 2026).

Fixed Plan. Leads in your chosen trade categories and postcode areas, invoiced monthly in advance and due on receipt. Checkatrade gives an estimate of how many leads to expect, but “This is only an estimate and is not binding”, and it may stop sending leads once you reach that estimate. Lead numbers depend on “how many reviews You get, Your Location(s), how up to date and appealing You make Your Profile”, plus seasonality and demand (Fixed Plan terms, updated 19 December 2024). The sign-up page states “Memberships are for 12 months” for Fixed Plan memberships (Join Checkatrade, checked 9 October 2026).

Pay As You Go. You pay for each lead delivered. The fee per lead “will vary depending on multiple factors including but not limited to the job value, channel, location, seasonality and supply/demand”, and the current range is shown inside the Members Area, not on the public site. Your monthly budget is “a target amount and not a fixed limit”, and the most you can be charged in a month is 120% of it. Checkatrade may ask for a deposit of up to double the budget. Lead fees are invoiced monthly in arrears (Pay As You Go terms, updated 20 February 2026).

Three add-ons, briefly. Fixed+ sits on top of pay-as-you-go: “You will pay the Fixed Fee each month regardless of how many Leads You receive”, and any shortfall is made up in free leads the next month, which “will not be refunded or paid as a cash credit” (Fixed+ terms, updated 3 February 2025). Sponsored Display adverts renew every 30 days if no term is set, and notice to stop takes effect 10 Business Days later (Sponsored Display terms, updated 18 July 2025). A printed directory box “is non-cancellable and non-refundable” unless agreed otherwise, and is invoiced in two equal instalments (Directory terms, updated 19 December 2024).

The contract terms that change the real cost

The monthly fee is only part of the cost. These clauses decide how long you pay it. All come from the Master Service Terms, last updated 4 October 2025 and read on 9 October 2026.

• The first 2 Business Days. The agreement begins on the date you create your profile. “You will have two (2) Business Days from the Commencement Date to cancel the Agreement without having to pay anything further.”
• Term and renewal. A paid agreement runs for the contract period in your Confirmation Email, then “will automatically renew for a further period equivalent to the Agreement Term”.
• Stopping the renewal. The business owner must phone Checkatrade “no earlier than 35 days before the Renewal Date”.
• Stopping the Direct Debit. Cancelling it “does not constitute a valid termination” and “You shall remain liable to pay the full Fees for Your remaining Agreement Term”.
• Price rises. Checkatrade “may increase the Fees on any Renewal Date” with at least 30 days’ notice, and “may vary the Fees at any time by giving reasonable notice”. To raise an issue with a variation, you must call no later than 14 days before the billing period it affects, or it is deemed accepted.
• Free months. “Any promotional offer or free period given to You is not a trial period.” A free first month is still part of the contract.

Add VAT to the application fee, Fixed+ and Sponsored Display, because Checkatrade states each of them excluding VAT. The Sponsored Listings page and Trade2Base do not say whether their figures include VAT, so ask Checkatrade for any quote both with and without VAT. The standard rate is 20% (GOV.UK VAT rates, checked 9 October 2026), so a fee of £100 excluding VAT is £120 charged. Whether you can claim that back depends on your own VAT registration, which becomes compulsory once taxable turnover over the last 12 months goes over £90,000 (GOV.UK, checked 9 October 2026).

A worked cost-per-job example

This is an example with invented figures, not data. It shows the sum, not what any trade pays.

Say you run a pay-as-you-go plan with a monthly budget of £150 excluding VAT. Under the terms above, a busy month can be billed at up to £180, and Checkatrade may ask for a deposit of up to £300 at the start. Suppose one month brings 12 leads that cost £150 in total.

Jobs won from 12 leads	Cost per won job, excluding VAT	Cost per won job, including 20% VAT
4 (1 in 3)	£37.50	£45.00
3 (1 in 4)	£50.00	£60.00
2 (1 in 6)	£75.00	£90.00
1 (1 in 12)	£150.00	£180.00

The sum is the month’s lead spend divided by the jobs you win from those leads. Now set it against gross profit, not the invoice total. If a typical job is £400 and leaves £160 after materials and labour, then at 1 in 4 each won job costs 37.5% of the gross profit, including VAT. At 1 in 12, it costs more than the job makes.

A Fixed Plan works the same way over the whole term. Here is the ledger for an invented fee, on a 12-month term.

• A. Monthly fee, excluding VAT (invented): £100
• B. VAT at 20%: £20
• C. Monthly charge, including VAT (A + B): £120
• D. Full 12-month commitment (C × 12): £1,440
• E. The same year if an offer gives the first 2 months free (C × 10): £1,200
• F. Average a month in that year (E ÷ 12): £100
• G. Jobs you won from the plan’s leads in the year: your own figure
• H. Cost per won job (E ÷ G): with 24 jobs, £50
• I. Year two if it renews at the same fee with no offer: £1,440, or more if the fee rises at renewal

Line D is the number to hold in mind when you sign, because any introductory offer only changes the first year.

Is Checkatrade worth it, by situation

There is no single answer to whether Checkatrade is worth it for tradesmen, or whether it is any good for your business, and we give no verdict on the company. The useful question is whether your cost per won job fits your margin, and that depends on your situation more than on the platform.

A new business. You have no reviews yet, and Checkatrade’s own terms name “how many reviews You get” as one of the things that sets your lead numbers. A new member therefore starts with less of one input the terms say drives leads. The risk is the term: you commit before you know your own win rate. Checkatrade offers what it calls a Free Profile, and its terms let you collect reviews there before deciding.

A full diary. If you are booked weeks ahead, extra enquiries have little value, and a Fixed Plan fee is invoiced each month whatever you can take on. What a busy trade may still want is a profile and its reviews. Approved and the Free Profile are both found only by a search for your business name, so their value is to customers who already know you and want to check you.

A seasonal trade. A Fixed Plan invoices the same amount every month in advance, while the terms list seasonality as a factor behind lead numbers. A pay-as-you-go budget is different: the terms let you amend it in the Members Area or the Trade App, so you can lower it in the quiet months. If you raise it again, Checkatrade may ask you to increase your deposit. Sponsored Listings are the other flexible route: Checkatrade’s page says you pay only for clicks, with “no long-term contract”, and can “update your budget and targeting anytime” (Sponsored Listings, checked 9 October 2026). The first step that page lists is to join Checkatrade and get vetted, and it does not say which membership that means or for what term, so ask what joining costs and how long it runs before you plan around it.

What owning the channel costs instead

The other route is to own the places customers find you, rather than rent a share of someone else’s.

• A Google Business Profile is free. Google’s own answer: “Yes, creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free” (Google Business Profile, checked 9 October 2026). If you work from home in a van, we wrote up how to set one up without showing your address.
• A website. Our website plans start at £49 a month, with £0 setup, no minimum contract and a 30-day money-back guarantee. What the monthly fee covers is on our services page, pay-monthly websites explains how the model works, and the trades page shows the version built for trade businesses.
• Local SEO on its own. If you keep the site you already have, local SEO on its own is £99 a month.
• Paid clicks. If you are weighing Google Ads instead, we worked that sum through in Google Ads, Business Profile or SEO.

Owning a channel has its own limit. A profile or a site does not promise any number of enquiries, while a lead plan is sold on delivering them, even though Checkatrade’s estimate is not binding. We have no published cost-per-job figure for our own route, so we do not claim it is cheaper per job.

Rented channels change. On Google, “As of 31 July 2024, the chat and call history features are no longer available” in Business Profile, and the records could be downloaded only until 30 August 2024 (Google Business Profile Help, checked 9 October 2026). Anybody relying on that feature lost a contact route with no say in the decision. Checkatrade’s terms likewise let it vary its fees with notice. A form and a tap-to-call number on your own site are the contact routes nobody else can switch off. They matter on either route, because Checkatrade counts a click through to your website as a lead.

Before you sign: seven things to get in writing

Ask for these in the Confirmation Email, or in writing, before the 2 Business Days run out.

1. The monthly fee excluding VAT, and the same figure including VAT.
2. Whether the £250 Application Fee applies, and whether it counts towards your fees.
3. The Agreement Term and the exact Renewal Date, so you can diary the 35-day window.
4. On a Fixed Plan, the lead estimate. On pay-as-you-go, the current fee-per-lead range and the deposit.
5. The trade categories and postcode areas the price covers.
6. How many other trades receive the same enquiry. Checkatrade publishes no figure.
7. Which offer, if any, has been applied, and its exact terms.

If you would rather put the money into channels you own, we build for trades across the UK, for example web design in Surrey. Send us your trade and postcode and we will say plainly which route we would start with.

Written and checked by Verithora, a one-founder web studio in East Dulwich, London SE22.