Checkatrade Cost in 2026: Every Price on Record
Checkatrade cost in 2026: officially from £30/month, members report £80 to £500. Plan prices, contract terms and cost-per-lead maths, all sourced and dated.
The Checkatrade cost question has a short official answer and a longer real one. Officially: £30 a month (+VAT) for an Approved listing, lead-generating Growth plans “from £59 a month”, no joining fee, 12-month fixed contracts. In practice, the Growth price depends on your trade and postcode, is only revealed during sign-up, and members report actual bills anywhere from £80 to £500 a month.
This guide collects every figure on record, with sources and dates, so you can see the full range before a sales call anchors you to one number. Prices were verified on 22 July 2026 and are maintained in the UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker, updated quarterly.
Checkatrade Membership Cost by Plan
| Plan | Published price | What you get | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved | £30/month +VAT | Vetted badge and a profile homeowners can find | No lead stream. It is a reputation tier, not a marketing channel |
| Growth | ”from £59/month” +VAT | Directory placement plus an estimated annual lead volume | Real quote only appears after you enter trade and postcode; lead volume is an estimate, not a guarantee |
| Extras | varies | Search-boost credits (£100–£200 included on Growth), Checkatrade Pay | Members report credits needed for larger jobs; card fees run 1.29%–1.79% |
Source: join.checkatrade.com/pricing/, page updated 9 February 2026, accessed 22 July 2026. VAT is not mentioned on the pricing page; Checkatrade’s own blog confirms prices are +VAT.
Every Checkatrade Price on Record
Official prices, third-party estimates and members’ own bills, labelled and dated. Where sources disagree, both figures stay on the record.
| What | Figure | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved plan | £30/month | Official | Checkatrade pricing page, accessed 22 Jul 2026 |
| Growth plan | from £59/month | Official | Checkatrade pricing page, accessed 22 Jul 2026 |
| Joining fee | £0 | Official | Checkatrade blog, accessed 22 Jul 2026 |
| Typical monthly cost, active members | £60–£120+/month | Third-party estimate | Local Search North, 8 Apr 2026 |
| Typical annual cost | £1,200–£2,000+/year | Third-party estimate | Local Search North, 3 Apr 2026 |
| Individual member-reported bills | £80, £306 and £442/month | Member-reported | Reddit and Facebook trade groups, 2024–2026 |
| 2026 contractor listing cost | £500/month | Member-reported | r/DIYUK thread, 2026 |
| 2026 business trying to exit | £390/month | Member-reported | r/smallbusinessuk thread, 2026 |
Where the sources disagree: Checkatrade’s blog says there is no joining fee, while one April 2026 third-party comparison claims a £300 to £500 one-off vetting cost I could not verify against any official source. Both claims stay on the record with their labels. The live version of this table, covering all five big directories, is in the UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker.
What That Works Out At Per Lead
Divide the monthly fee by the estimated lead volume and the subscription turns into a per-lead price. Two real quotes from 2025 forum threads:
| Reported quote | Estimated leads | Cost per lead | Shared with |
|---|---|---|---|
| £150/month (electrician, r/ukelectricians, 2025) | 4/month | £37.50 | 3 other contractors (reported) |
| £129/month +VAT (Screwfix Community, 2025) | 7–8/month | ~£19 | 23 businesses in category (reported) |
A lead is not a job. Reported lead-to-job conversion on shared platforms runs 1 in 5 to 1 in 10, which puts the cost per won job at £95 to £375 on these two quotes. That is the number to compare against your gross profit per job, and it is why the break-even calculator on the tracker asks for your margin, not your turnover.
For comparison, a top-of-page Google Ads click for “plumber near me” runs £2.41 to £13.98 (Google Ads data, July 2026). A click is not a lead either, but a visitor to your own site is not shared with 3 to 23 competitors. The full ten-trade table is in the UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker.
Two Things the Sales Call Won’t Mention
The contract used to be monthly. In 2020 Checkatrade’s entry price was reported at £84/month on a rolling monthly contract (This is Money, 24 October 2020). The move to 12-month fixed terms shifted the risk from the platform to the member. Get the estimated annual lead volume in writing; the Fixed Plan terms make it an estimate, not a commitment.
The spend disappears when you stop. £1,500 a year on membership buys visibility that ends with the contract, and your review history stays on their domain. The same money spent on your own site and Google Business Profile compounds instead. My full Checkatrade review weighs when each option makes sense, and if you are mid-contract there is a cancellation guide too.
Want the same maths run on your own patch? Request a free teardown: a five-minute video on where you rank, who’s above you and what it’s costing you. You keep it whatever you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Checkatrade per month?
Officially £30/month (+VAT) for the Approved plan, which is a listing without a lead stream, and 'from £59/month' for lead-generating Growth plans. The actual Growth quote depends on your trade and postcode and only appears in the sign-up flow. Tradespeople report real bills of £80, £306, £390, £442 and £500 a month in threads from 2024 to 2026.
How much is Checkatrade per year?
Third-party analyses put typical annual spend at £1,200 to £2,000+. At the member-reported extremes, a £390/month bill is £4,680 a year and a £500/month bill is £6,000. Memberships are 12-month fixed contracts, so the annual number is the one to budget, not the monthly one.
Does Checkatrade have a joining fee?
Checkatrade says no: 'There is no joining fee. Checkatrade members only pay a monthly fee.' One April 2026 third-party comparison claims a £300 to £500 one-off vetting cost, which I could not verify against any official source. I show both claims and label the evidence.
Why won't Checkatrade tell me the price without my postcode?
Growth plan pricing is set by trade, postcode area and estimated lead volume, so the quote is generated inside the sign-up flow. The practical effect is that you cannot comparison-shop without handing over your details. Get the quote in writing, along with the estimated annual lead volume, before you sign anything.
What does a Checkatrade lead actually cost?
Divide the monthly fee by the estimated leads. A 2025 electrician's quote of £150/month for an estimated 4 leads is £37.50 per lead; a Screwfix member's £129 +VAT for 7 to 8 leads is roughly £19. Each lead is also shared with competing members, and reported lead-to-job conversion on shared platforms is 1 in 5 to 1 in 10, so the cost per won job can run into hundreds of pounds.
Is the Checkatrade lead volume guaranteed?
No. The Fixed Plan product terms describe the annual lead figure as an estimate that is not binding, and delivery can stop once the estimate is reached. Members report reduced visibility and upgrade prompts after using their allowance.
Want a Website That Actually Gets You Leads?
Get a free five-minute teardown video showing where you rank, who's beating you, and the first thing I'd fix.
Show Me Where I Rank