Checkatrade and MyBuilder are the UK's two best-known home-services marketplaces, and they sit at opposite ends of the "how tradespeople pay" spectrum. Checkatrade runs a vetted-membership subscription model — tradespeople pay a fixed monthly fee regardless of whether they close work. MyBuilder runs a pay-per-bid model — tradespeople pay per verified introduction with variable fees per job size and category. Both are documented UK businesses with real tradesperson rosters and real homeowner adoption, and both face the same structural issue: revenue is earned before the homeowner has confirmed the match is right, which creates a consistent incentive to prioritize lead volume over match quality. This page walks through the honest trade-offs with careful anchoring of all pricing claims (as of 2026, subject to public disclosure) and surfaces the matched-trade alternative neither platform would ever cross-reference.
Quick verdict table
| Dimension | Checkatrade (as of 2026) | MyBuilder (as of 2026) | AskBaily |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Subscription directory (vetted membership) | Pay-per-verified-introduction bidding marketplace | 1 homeowner → 1 matched trade |
| Tradesperson cost | Reportedly ~£40-£100+/month ongoing subscription | Reportedly £15-£70 per verified introduction | $0 up-front; take-rate on closed jobs |
| Vetting at signup | 12-point verification per Checkatrade's public vetting description | Documented sign-up verification per MyBuilder site | Same rigor + live re-check at every match |
| Gas Safe / NICEIC / TrustMark verification | Displayed if tradesperson provides; not re-verified per match | Displayed if tradesperson provides; not re-verified per match | Live check at match-time |
| Homeowner-side model | Browse directory, contact directly | Post job, receive bids | AI scope → 1 intro |
| Typical homeowner contact volume | Homeowner-initiated — 1-3 contacts selected | 3-6 bids within days | 1 introduction |
| Best for boiler / electrical / regulated trade | Good if tradesperson is Gas Safe / NICEIC listed | Good if tradesperson is Gas Safe / NICEIC listed | Purpose-built with live regulator check |
| Best for extensions / renovation | Moderate | Good | Purpose-built |
| Subscription sunk cost bias (for tradesperson) | High — paying £40+/mo whether closing or not | Low — only pays per introduction | Zero — only pays on close |
| Party Wall Act / Building Regs awareness | Not platform-level | Not platform-level | Integrated into scope pass |
How Checkatrade works
Checkatrade, documented at https://www.checkatrade.com, is a UK-based subscription directory that positions itself on tradesperson vetting. Tradespeople pay a monthly subscription (reportedly ~£40-£100+ depending on tier, trade, and geography) to list in the directory. The platform's public materials describe a 12-point verification process at signup that includes identity check, references, insurance confirmation, and trade-specific credential verification (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, TrustMark, etc. where applicable). Once listed, the tradesperson appears in homeowner searches and receives inbound contact directly — Checkatrade does not operate a pay-per-lead fan-out on top of the subscription.
How MyBuilder works
MyBuilder, documented at https://www.mybuilder.com, operates a post-a-job bidding marketplace. A homeowner posts a scope; matched tradespeople review the job and decide whether to submit a quote. The tradesperson pays per verified introduction — fees reportedly range £15-£70 depending on job category and value — only when they actively submit a bid. Homeowners select from the bids they receive. Unlike Checkatrade's subscription model, MyBuilder's revenue is event-driven per-bid; unlike Angi's US shared-lead model, only tradespeople who actively choose to bid pay, not every tradesperson notified of the match.
Head-to-head: where Checkatrade wins
- One-time vetting signal — the 12-point verification at signup produces a stronger quality floor than marketplaces that accept any tradesperson willing to pay. A Checkatrade member has passed a baseline the platform can point to.
- No per-bid friction for tradespeople — once subscribed, the tradesperson can respond to every homeowner inquiry without weighing whether to pay for each one. Response times tend to be faster.
- Better for small-trade recurring work — cleaning, gardening, small electrical. The subscription model keeps tradespeople financially aligned with ongoing work volume.
- Directory browse works well for pre-scope discovery — homeowners who haven't landed on specifics can browse by trade and geography without the commitment of posting a detailed job.
Head-to-head: where MyBuilder wins
- Quote-driven shortlisting — the homeowner sees a handful of bids with prices and scope responses, which is materially more useful than browsing a directory of availability.
- Lower barrier for new-entrant tradespeople — MyBuilder's pay-per-bid model means a good tradesperson without the capital for £40+/mo in advance can still reach homeowners. Directory quality sometimes benefits from this wider funnel.
- Self-selecting bid pool — tradespeople choose which jobs to bid on. The ones who bid are the ones genuinely interested, not just the ones on a subscription that needs to justify itself.
- Better scope-fit filtering — because tradespeople read the job description before paying to bid, mismatched bids are rarer than on shared-lead platforms where leads fan out automatically.
The hidden cost neither reveals
Checkatrade's hidden cost is the subscription sunk-cost bias. A tradesperson paying £40-£100+/mo has ongoing financial pressure to justify the spend. That pressure can bias toward taking marginal-fit jobs at the quoted price rather than walking away, which sometimes shows up as rushed work on smaller projects. It also means the tradesperson's overhead includes platform spend that gets priced into quotes — not large on a single job, but consistent across the book of work.
MyBuilder's hidden cost is the per-bid tax that scales with job value. Tradespeople paying £50+ per verified introduction on larger renovation projects amortize that across their close rate. A tradesperson with a 30% close rate on £50 introductions absorbs ~£167 per closed job in platform spend before any work starts. That gets priced in. The magnitude is smaller than Angi's US fan-out but the mechanic is identical — lead cost becomes quote cost.
Both platforms also leave UK-specific regulatory work to the homeowner. Party Wall Act 1996 notice for structural alterations affecting neighboring properties. Building Regulations approval (Approved Inspector or Local Authority route). Planning permission for extensions beyond Permitted Development. Gas Safe ID confirmation at the moment of match (not just in the directory listing). NICEIC / NAPIT scope certification for electrical work specific to the property type. Neither Checkatrade nor MyBuilder automates this regulatory check at match-time; the homeowner is responsible for confirming the tradesperson's scope authorization is current.
When to pick Checkatrade anyway
Pre-scope discovery where the homeowner wants to browse vetted tradespeople by trade and geography without committing to a detailed job description. Also valid for recurring small-trade relationships (cleaning, gardening, one-off handyman) where subscription-based tradesperson continuity matches the homeowner's work cadence. The 12-point signup vetting is a real signal — homeowners who want it should use Checkatrade.
When to pick MyBuilder anyway
Quote-shape renovation jobs where the homeowner wants to compare 3-6 real bids with scope responses and pricing. Especially valid for extensions, larger renovations, and jobs where scope is specific enough that tradespeople can respond with meaningful quotes. MyBuilder's bid-driven UX is cleaner than Checkatrade's directory-first flow for this shape.
The third option neither mentions
AskBaily is staged for UK rollout (London-first) and runs the match-at-moment verification mechanic neither Checkatrade nor MyBuilder structurally offers. Baily conducts an AI scope interview — project type, scope boundaries, Party Wall Act implications, Building Regulations route, planning permission requirements where applicable — and matches to one tradesperson after live Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, TrustMark, and insurance verification at the moment of match. Not "verified at signup three years ago" — verified the day the match happens.
The tradesperson pays zero lead fees and zero subscription. AskBaily's revenue is an 8-15% tiered take-rate on the closed job price, paid on completion. Which means AskBaily is paid only when the homeowner actually gets the work finished — the structural alignment Checkatrade's subscription model and MyBuilder's per-bid model both lack.
FAQ
Is Checkatrade's vetting actually rigorous? The 12-point verification at signup is more rigorous than most UK marketplaces apply. It's not a live-at-match re-check — a tradesperson's Gas Safe or NICEIC registration can lapse between signup and the moment a homeowner contacts them, and Checkatrade does not re-verify on every inquiry. The homeowner should confirm credentials are current with the issuing body before hiring.
Does MyBuilder verify Gas Safe / NICEIC registration? MyBuilder displays credential information where the tradesperson has provided it and runs compliance checks per its documented terms. Live re-verification at every match is not part of the model; homeowners should confirm current registration directly with Gas Safe Register (https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk) or NICEIC (https://www.niceic.com) before hiring for regulated work.
Which costs the homeowner more — Checkatrade or MyBuilder? Neither charges homeowners. Both embed costs in tradesperson overhead that gets priced into quotes. Typical quote spreads between the two platforms are within a few percent for comparable work; the more meaningful differentiator is match quality and scope fit, not headline price.
Can I tell if a Checkatrade tradesperson is still paying their subscription? No. The directory listing does not distinguish active from lapsed subscriptions visibly. Most listed tradespeople are active, but the system does not surface real-time subscription status.
Why does AskBaily re-verify credentials at every match? Because trade credentials have expiry dates and a lapsed Gas Safe or NICEIC registration means the work is not legally or safely authorized. A signup-time check from three years ago doesn't reflect current status. Live regulator lookup at match-time is the only verification that protects the homeowner at the specific moment the introduction is made.
Does AskBaily handle Party Wall Act notices? The scope pass flags Party Wall Act implications for work affecting neighboring properties, confirms the matched tradesperson is familiar with the notice process, and can route to a Party Wall Surveyor if the project requires one. The homeowner isn't left to discover the requirement mid-project.
Is AskBaily live in the UK? London is staged for rollout through 2028. Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham follow. If AskBaily isn't yet live in the metro, we say so and refer out rather than fake coverage.