MyBuilder and Rated People are the UK's two best-known bid-driven home-services marketplaces, both charging tradespeople per-introduction fees and both presenting homeowners with a bid-shortlist rather than a directory browse. The superficial model is similar; the economic structure is quite different. MyBuilder charges per verified introduction only (reportedly £15-£70 per bid, scaling with job size). Rated People stacks tiered monthly subscriptions (reportedly £35 / £95 / £225 per tier, depending on placement) on top of per-lead credits (reportedly £4-£25 each). That double-stack meaningfully changes the tradesperson's economics and, downstream, the quotes homeowners receive. This page walks through the honest comparison with all pricing anchored to public disclosure and surfaces the matched-trade alternative that neither platform would ever cross-reference.
Quick verdict table
| Dimension | MyBuilder (as of 2026) | Rated People (as of 2026) | AskBaily |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | MyBuilder Ltd (independent) | Permira PE portfolio company | Independent |
| Model | Pay-per-verified-introduction bidding | Tiered subscription + per-lead credit stack | 1 homeowner → 1 matched trade |
| Tradesperson cost | Reportedly £15-£70 per verified introduction only | Reportedly £35/£95/£225 tier + £4-£25 per lead | $0 up-front; take-rate on closed jobs |
| Tradesperson double-dip | None — per-event only | Yes — monthly + per-lead | None |
| Homeowner experience | Post job, receive 3-6 bids over days | Post job, receive 3-5 bids within 24h | AI scope → 1 intro |
| Bidding discipline | Tradespeople choose which jobs to bid on | Tradespeople choose which jobs to bid on, but tier placement biases which jobs they see | Scope-gated — matches filter mismatches out |
| Gas Safe / NICEIC re-verification | Not per-match | Not per-match | Live at match-time |
| Fit for boiler / electrical regulated trade | Good if tradesperson Gas Safe / NICEIC listed | Good if tradesperson Gas Safe / NICEIC listed | Purpose-built with live regulator check |
| Fit for extensions / renovation | Good | Good | Purpose-built |
| PE-driven fee expansion risk | Low — independent ownership | Higher — PE capital structure implies fee creep over time | None — fixed take-rate model |
How MyBuilder works
MyBuilder (https://www.mybuilder.com), an independently owned UK marketplace, runs a pay-per-verified-introduction model. Homeowners post a job scope; matched tradespeople review the job and decide whether to submit a bid. Tradespeople pay per bid (reportedly £15-£70, depending on job category and value) only when they actively quote — no monthly subscription, no tier. Homeowners receive bids over a few days and select the tradesperson they prefer. The structural incentive is toward selective bidding: tradespeople pay only for jobs they genuinely want and have capacity for, which tends to produce thoughtful responses.
How Rated People works
Rated People (https://www.ratedpeople.com), owned by Permira PE, layers two revenue streams on tradespeople. The tiered monthly subscription (reportedly £35 for the entry tier, £95 for mid, £225 for premium) determines placement, category access, and volume limits. Per-lead credits (reportedly £4-£25 each, scaling with job value) pay for actual bid submissions on top of the subscription. A tradesperson at the entry tier bidding on 10 jobs per month at £10 per lead pays roughly £135/month total (£35 subscription + £100 credits). At the premium tier with 30 bids/month at £15/lead, the same tradesperson is spending ~£675/month on the platform. Homeowners see the output — bids in their inbox — without seeing the tier structure behind which tradespeople reached them.
Head-to-head: where MyBuilder wins
- Cleaner economic model for tradespeople — pay only when you bid. No sunk-cost pressure from an unused subscription. Tradespeople can pause and resume MyBuilder engagement with zero fixed cost.
- Lower quote-pricing floor — tradespeople with lower platform spend have lower overhead to amortize, which shows up as more competitive quoting on average.
- No placement bias in bid delivery — homeowners see the bids they receive without algorithmic tier-weighting; the tradespeople who respond are the ones who chose this job, not the ones whose subscription tier positioned them first.
- Selective tradesperson response is a quality signal — tradespeople who bid have read the scope and decided to pay to compete. Response volumes are lower but per-bid quality tends to be higher.
Head-to-head: where Rated People wins
- Faster response velocity — the tier + credit stack incentivizes fast bid submission (placement benefits compound). Homeowners tend to see bids within 24 hours, whereas MyBuilder can take 2-5 days.
- Deeper tradesperson roster in some categories — premium-tier tradespeople pay enough to justify dedicated platform workflow, which means certain specialist categories (large extensions, complex electrical) have denser Rated People representation.
- Tier visibility as a crude quality signal — tradespeople willing to pay £225/mo for premium placement have demonstrated they're committed to the platform, which correlates (imperfectly) with operational maturity.
- Better marketing engine — Rated People's homeowner-acquisition spend exceeds MyBuilder's; the platform surfaces more homeowner jobs for tradespeople, which backs into the broader roster.
The hidden cost neither reveals
MyBuilder's hidden cost is the per-bid tax amortized at closed-rate. A tradesperson paying £50 per verified introduction with a 30% close rate absorbs ~£167 per closed job in platform spend before work starts. That gets priced in.
Rated People's hidden cost is the double-stack. Entry-tier (£35/mo) + per-lead credits mean low-volume tradespeople still pay a monthly fixed cost on top of their per-event spend. Mid-tier (£95/mo) is necessary for meaningful category coverage in competitive metros. Premium-tier (£225/mo) is a material operating expense. Combined with £4-£25 per-lead credits, the total tradesperson spend on Rated People for an active operator is reportedly 2-4x the equivalent MyBuilder spend. That gap gets priced into quotes.
Rated People's PE ownership also matters structurally. Permira's capital requires return; the observed pattern across PE-owned marketplaces is fee expansion over the hold period. Tier creep, per-lead price increases, new ancillary fees. Not a certainty, but the structural incentive exists, and 2028-era Rated People economics are probably more extractive than 2026's. MyBuilder, independently owned, has less structural pressure on that trajectory.
Both platforms leave UK-specific regulatory work to the homeowner. Party Wall Act 1996 notices where extensions or basements affect neighbors. Building Regulations approval route selection (Approved Inspector vs Local Authority). Planning permission where Permitted Development doesn't cover. Gas Safe / NICEIC / NAPIT / TrustMark current-status verification at the moment the tradesperson shows up. None of this is platform-automated on either MyBuilder or Rated People; homeowners who skip the verification can and do discover expired credentials mid-project.
When to pick MyBuilder anyway
Scope-specific renovation where the homeowner wants bids from tradespeople who chose to compete. Extensions, larger interior renovations, specialist work where the bidding tradesperson reads the scope and responds thoughtfully. MyBuilder's per-event economics produce a self-selecting pool that tends to reward homeowners willing to wait 2-5 days for considered responses.
When to pick Rated People anyway
Time-sensitive projects where the homeowner wants bids within 24 hours and is willing to accept the platform-overhead premium baked into quotes. Large metro markets where Rated People's premium-tier density materially widens the tradesperson pool beyond what MyBuilder's independent funnel reaches.
The third option neither mentions
AskBaily is staged for UK rollout and replaces the bid-driven marketplace mechanic both MyBuilder and Rated People run with a scope-first matching mechanic. Baily conducts an AI scope interview covering project type, regulatory route (Party Wall, Building Regulations, planning), and budget realism, then matches to one tradesperson after live Gas Safe / NICEIC / NAPIT / TrustMark / HETAS verification at the moment of match. The tradesperson pays no subscription and no per-lead credits. AskBaily's revenue is an 8-15% tiered take-rate on the closed job price.
This matters for three reasons. First, the homeowner isn't fielding 3-6 bids of varying quality — the scope pass filters mismatches before they reach the inbox. Second, the credential verification is live, not signup-cached from years ago. Third, AskBaily's revenue alignment means the platform is paid only when the project actually closes — no structural incentive to extract from tradespeople whether the work happens or not.
FAQ
Which is cheaper for tradespeople — MyBuilder or Rated People? MyBuilder is typically cheaper for low-to-moderate volume tradespeople because it has no fixed monthly cost. Rated People's tiered subscription + per-lead credit stack produces 2-4x the total platform spend for an equivalent active operator. The gap shows up in average quote pricing: Rated People tradespeople generally quote modestly higher to recover platform overhead.
Is Rated People's PE ownership a problem for homeowners? Not directly, but structurally it creates pressure toward fee expansion over time. Homeowners using the platform in 2028 should expect the economics to be less favorable to tradespeople than in 2026, which typically translates to higher quote ranges.
Do MyBuilder and Rated People verify Gas Safe / NICEIC registration? Both display credential information where the tradesperson has provided it and run periodic compliance checks per their published terms. Neither verifies credentials at the moment of match. Homeowners should check Gas Safe Register (https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk) and the NICEIC contractor directory (https://www.niceic.com) directly before hiring for regulated work.
How many bids should I expect on each platform? MyBuilder typically produces 3-6 bids over 2-5 days. Rated People typically produces 3-5 bids within 24 hours. Both are lower-volume than shared-lead US marketplaces (Angi) but higher-volume than matched-pro services.
Can I use both platforms for the same job? You can, but tradespeople respond to both, so duplicate bids from the same tradesperson on different platforms are common. Most homeowners pick one to avoid sorting duplicates; the choice is usually MyBuilder for scope-specific patience or Rated People for time-sensitive response.
Does AskBaily handle Building Regulations approval routes? The scope pass identifies whether the project requires Building Regulations approval and which route (Approved Inspector vs Local Authority Building Control) fits the project shape best. The matched tradesperson is familiar with both routes and can advise on lead-times and cost implications. This is the kind of scoping work neither MyBuilder nor Rated People attempts.
Is AskBaily live in the UK? London is staged for launch through 2028. If the metro isn't active, we say so honestly rather than fake coverage.