Quick answer
There is no longer a straight choice. Rated People closed all tradesperson memberships before it became part of Checkatrade, and its leads now go to Checkatrade members. You can open a Checkatrade Opportunities Board account for £0 and pay only to unlock leads, or take a fixed lead plan on a 12-month term, priced by trade and area.
If you searched “Checkatrade vs Rated People” expecting a fee table, this guide explains what changed, what your options are now, and how to decide between pay-per-lead and a fixed plan, plus the free channels that work alongside either. Everything below was read on the two companies’ own pages in October 2026.
What happened to Rated People
Rated People’s own help page for tradespeople answers the question directly: “Rated People closed all memberships before it became part of Checkatrade.” The same page says leads now go to Checkatrade members, and Rated People’s home page invites tradespeople to join Checkatrade to keep accessing Rated People leads.
In practical terms, Rated People still exists as a place where homeowners post jobs, but the trades who receive those jobs are Checkatrade members. If you were a Rated People member, your old membership has ended and the route back to those leads is through Checkatrade.
The help page does not say what happened to reviews and profile history from old Rated People memberships. If your reviews there mattered to your business, ask Checkatrade directly whether any of that history can be carried across, and keep your own record of the jobs and customers behind them.
Your two Checkatrade options now
According to Rated People’s help page, there are two ways in:
- Opportunities Board: “creating an account is free; you only pay when you choose to unlock a lead.” You browse jobs and pay for the ones you want.
- Fixed lead plan: matched leads arrive automatically throughout the year. Pricing depends on your trade and area, a member of the Checkatrade team talks you through it, and the plan runs on a 12-month term.
Checkatrade’s join page adds detail on the fixed plan. It says memberships are for 12 months, that leads come as a regular flow for a monthly cost, and that members choose how many leads they want each year. It also mentions a limited-time “2 months free” offer subject to eligibility and terms. Neither page listed lead prices or monthly fees at the time of writing, so you will need a quote for your trade and postcode.
The options side by side
| Opportunities Board | Fixed lead plan | Your own channels | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | £0 to create an account | Quoted by trade and area | £0 for a Google Business Profile; a website is a one-off cost |
| How you pay | Per lead you unlock | A monthly cost for a set flow of leads | Your time, plus any ads you choose to run |
| Commitment | None stated beyond each lead | 12-month term | None |
| Who chooses the jobs | You pick from the board | Leads are matched to you | The customer finds and chooses you |
| Vetting | Quick ID, address and documentation check to unlock leads | The same ID, address and documentation check | Your own reviews and credentials |
| Best for | Testing the platform, quiet patches | A predictable pipeline in a busy trade | Building something you own |
Pay-per-lead or a fixed plan: the arithmetic
The choice comes down to how reliably you convert leads and how steady your diary is. Work it out with your own numbers:
- Your average job value. For example, £1,200 for a bathroom refit labour element, or £150 for a callout.
- Your win rate. Out of every ten leads you quote, how many do you win? Count it from real records, not memory.
- The cost per lead or per month, from the quote Checkatrade gives you.
- Cost per job won = cost of leads ÷ jobs won. Compare that with the profit on an average job.
A worked example with made-up numbers shows how it plays out. Suppose ten leads cost you £150 in total and you win two of them. Each job won cost £75 in leads. If your average job leaves £400 profit, that works. If your average job is a £90 callout, it does not, however busy it makes you feel. Now suppose a fixed plan costs the same each month but sends twenty leads, and you win four: the cost per job won halves. The plan only beats pay-per-lead if the extra leads are ones you can actually win and fit in.
Pay-per-lead suits trades with high-value jobs and a good eye for which enquiries are worth chasing, because you only pay for the ones you choose. A fixed plan suits trades who need a steady volume and can handle whatever arrives, because the monthly cost is spread across more jobs. If you cannot yet answer step 2, start with the Opportunities Board, track every lead for three months, then decide.
Which route fits, by situation
| Your situation | Usually the better fit |
|---|---|
| New business, no reviews yet | Opportunities Board to build a track record, plus your own Google profile from day one |
| Established, diary full most months | Your own channels; platforms only to fill gaps |
| Established, quiet months every year | Opportunities Board in the quiet months |
| Growing, hiring, need predictable volume | Fixed lead plan, if the cost per job won stacks up |
| Mostly commercial or contract work | Neither is a strong fit; direct relationships matter more |
For the last group, our guide to winning commercial contracts as a trade covers what main contractors and facilities buyers look for.
Reviews and vetting: what the badge buys you
A large part of what any platform sells is trust: a vetted badge and a page of reviews that a homeowner believes. Checkatrade’s join page says members complete a quick ID, address and documentation check to unlock leads, and that it counts reviews as “verified” when they are confirmed by SMS, email or phone call. It also offers automatic review requests.
That trust has real value, especially for a new business. The trade-off is that the reviews live on someone else’s platform. If you ever leave, you may not be able to take them with you. That is the main argument for building reviews in places you control as well.
The channels you own
Whatever you decide about Checkatrade, three things are worth doing alongside it:
- A complete Google Business Profile. Google says you can manage how your business shows up on Maps and Search at no charge. Our free Google Business Profile checklist covers every field.
- Google reviews from every happy customer. Including the ones who came through a platform.
- A simple website. Somewhere that shows your work, your area and how to book, which a platform profile cannot fully replace. Our guide to how much a website costs in the UK sets out the options.
None of these replace a lead platform overnight. Over a year or two, though, they can bring in work you do not pay per lead for. Our guide to Google Business Profile optimisation explains how to get the most from the profile.
Questions to ask before signing a fixed plan
- What is the monthly cost for my trade and postcode, and how many leads does it include each year?
- How many other trades receive each lead?
- What happens if I receive fewer leads than expected, or leads outside my area?
- Can I pause in my busiest months?
- What happens to my profile and reviews if I do not renew after 12 months?
Get the answers in writing. The pages we read did not cover all of these, and the answers decide whether the plan is good value for you.
Looking the part on any platform
On a platform, you sit in a list next to competitors with the same badge. A clear, professional profile photo of your work, a recognisable name and a consistent look across your van, quotes and profile are what make a homeowner pick you from the list. Our guide to branding for trades businesses covers the basics, and it applies just as much to a Checkatrade profile as to a van.
How we can help
If you want more work from channels you own, our Google Business Profile setup and optimisation is £199 and covers categories, keywords, photos, a review strategy and tracking. For ongoing rankings, our SEO service is £249 a month. Every fixed price is on our pricing page.
Get the UK SEO DIY Audit Checklist (free)
A 32-point checklist UK SMEs can run against their own website in an afternoon. Surfaces the quick wins before paying for a paid audit.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rated People part of Checkatrade? +
Yes. Rated People's help page for tradespeople says it closed all memberships before it became part of Checkatrade, and that leads now go to Checkatrade members. Its home page invites tradespeople to join Checkatrade to keep accessing Rated People leads. This was the position at the time of writing, in October 2026.
Can I still join Rated People as a tradesperson? +
Not as a Rated People member. Memberships have closed, and the route to Rated People leads is through Checkatrade, either by opening a free Opportunities Board account and paying to unlock individual leads, or by taking a fixed lead plan on a 12-month term, priced according to your trade and area.
How much does Checkatrade cost? +
The pages we read in October 2026 did not list prices. Creating an Opportunities Board account is free and you pay only for leads you unlock. Fixed lead plans are priced by trade and area, with a Checkatrade team member talking you through the cost, and memberships run for 12 months.
Is pay-per-lead or a fixed plan better? +
Pay-per-lead suits trades with higher-value jobs who are selective about which enquiries to chase. A fixed plan suits trades who need steady volume and can handle what arrives. Work out your cost per job won from your own win rate before choosing, and if you do not know your win rate yet, start with pay-per-lead.
What should I do alongside Checkatrade? +
Build channels you own. Set up and complete a Google Business Profile, which Google says is free, ask every happy customer for a Google review, and have a simple website that shows your work and area. Over time these can bring in work you do not pay per lead for, and they stay yours if you leave a platform.
