Free Business Directories UK: The Ones Worth a Tradesperson's Time
Free business directories for UK trades, tested on 10 real searches: which free listings Google shows, which to skip, and how to set them up in an hour.
The free business directories worth a UK tradesperson’s time are a short list: Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business, a Facebook business page, Yell’s free listing and your trade body’s register. That is about an hour’s work, and it covers most of the places homeowners actually look.
I know that because I checked. On 19 October 2026 I pulled page one of Google for ten real trade searches, one trade in each of ten towns, and counted which directories appeared. The free directory sites that fill most “best free UK directories” lists appeared on none of them.
This guide goes through what did appear, which free listings to set up first, and the ones you can ignore.
Where I stand. I run Local Ladder, which builds websites and local SEO for UK trades. I am not neutral about owning your marketing instead of renting it, and I say so where it matters. No directory has paid to appear here, and the paid platforms’ prices come from my UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker, re-verified on 30 September 2026.
What I Found When I Checked Ten Trade Searches
I searched ten trade and town pairs the way a homeowner would: “plumber leeds”, “electrician bristol”, “roofer manchester”, “builder cardiff”, “cleaner norwich”, “carpenter glasgow”, “painter and decorator brighton”, “locksmith nottingham”, “gardener exeter” and “window cleaner reading”. The results are live UK Google data from DataForSEO, desktop, 19 October 2026.
For each one I counted every directory on page one, including the row of directory links Google labels “Find results on”.
| Directory | Searches it appeared on (of 10) | Costs the trade |
|---|---|---|
| Google map pack (Google Business Profile) | 10 | Free |
| TrustATrader | 9 | £240–£750 a year, estimated |
| Checkatrade | 8 | £30 a month official; £80–£500 reported |
| MyBuilder | 8 | Free to join; fee from £7 when shortlisted |
| Yell | 6 | Free listing; paid upgrades |
| Facebook business pages | 5 | Free |
| MyJobQuote | 3 | Pay per lead |
| FreeIndex | 2 | Free |
| Nextdoor | 2 | Free |
| Federation of Master Builders | 2 | Membership |
| Gumtree | 2 | Free and paid ads |
| Bark | 1 | Credits, roughly £9–£36+ a lead |
| Bizify, The Business Listing, UK Business List, Cylex, Hotfrog | 0 | Free |
Directory prices are from the lead cost tracker and each platform’s own pages. Facebook recommendation threads from local groups also appeared on four of the ten searches.
The map pack was on every single search. It is the free listing that matters most, and it is the one most trades leave half finished. Most of the remaining directory space goes to the paid platforms, which have built a page for every trade in every town.
The generic free directory sites were absent. The only general directory that turned up at all was 192.com, once, for window cleaners in Reading, with a list of limited companies by registered office.
The Free Listings to Set Up This Week
These six take about an hour between them, cost nothing, and cover Google, the two other big map apps, and the directories that showed up in the test.
Google Business Profile
This is the free business listing that matters most. “Plumber near me” gets 90,500 UK searches a month and “electrician near me” 74,000 (Google Ads data, September 2026), and the three businesses in the map pack for those searches come from Google profiles.
The gardeners’ search in Exeter shows how low the bar can be. Two of the three businesses in the map pack were running their websites on free wixsite.com addresses. What they had was a finished Google profile with 16 and 21 reviews.
Finish every field, pick the right primary category, add photos from real jobs and ask every customer for a review. If Google will not verify you, my Google Business Profile verification guide covers the usual fixes.
Bing Places and Apple Business
Bing Places for Business is free and feeds Bing Maps and Microsoft’s search results. It offers an import from your Google profile, which saves retyping everything.
Apple Business, formerly Apple Business Connect, is Apple’s free tool for controlling how your business appears in Apple Maps. Apple Maps is the default on every iPhone, so this is where a homeowner lands when they tap an address.
Neither showed up in my Google test, because neither is a Google result. They are the same job as your Google profile on the other two map apps people use.
A Facebook business page
Facebook business pages appeared on page one for five of the ten searches. For “locksmith nottingham”, a local locksmith’s Facebook page was the second ordinary result, above Checkatrade’s listing.
A page is free, takes ten minutes, and gives the local Facebook groups something to tag when someone asks “can anyone recommend a cleaner?”. Those recommendation threads showed up on four of the ten searches too.
Yell’s free listing
Yell appeared on six of the ten searches, more than any other free directory. Its free listing is a business profile with reviews and photos, and Yell says it shares your details with Apple, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft.
The catch is on the sign-up form: “You will be contacted by Yell Limited in order to verify and help enhance your free business listing.” Expect a call offering paid upgrades. Take the free listing and say no to the rest unless you have a reason not to.
Your trade body’s register
NICEIC’s find-a-contractor page was the first ordinary result below the map pack for electricians in Bristol, above Checkatrade. The Federation of Master Builders took three page-one spots for builders in Cardiff and one for carpenters in Glasgow.
You already pay for that registration, so the listing is free at the point you use it. Check your entry has your current phone number, service area and website, because most entries are years out of date.
Worth an Hour: Nextdoor and FreeIndex
These two showed up twice each, which is twice more than the generic directories managed.
Nextdoor. A Nextdoor business page is free, and neighbours can recommend you on it. Nextdoor pages for a Leeds plumber and a Reading window cleaner both appeared on page one, and Nextdoor’s own recommendation threads carry weight on residential streets.
FreeIndex. FreeIndex is a free UK directory built around customer reviews. It took a slot in the “Find results on” row for plumbers in Leeds, with a single plumber’s profile carrying 79 reviews, and again for roofers in Manchester. It is only worth doing if you will send customers there to review you as well.
Free to List, Paid to Respond: MyBuilder and Bark
Some directories cost nothing to join and charge when work arrives. They are free listings in the sense that a quiet month costs nothing.
MyBuilder appeared on eight of the ten searches. Joining is free, and you pay a non-refundable fee, officially “from £7”, only when a homeowner shortlists you. My MyBuilder review covers what tradespeople report about the fees on bigger jobs.
Bark appeared once, for cleaners in Norwich. Leads arrive free, and you spend credits at £1.80 each to reveal a customer’s details, roughly £9 to £36 or more a lead. My Bark review has the refund rules.
The Paid Directories Taking the Space
TrustATrader and Checkatrade were the two names that turned up most often after Google itself. Neither is free in any useful sense.
Checkatrade’s pricing page does list a Free tier at £0 a month, below its £30 Approved plan, but neither comes with leads. The plans that send enquiries start “from £59” a month on a 12-month contract, and members report £80 to £500 a month. On three of the ten searches, the booking link inside a map pack business’s Google profile pointed to Checkatrade.
TrustATrader publishes no price. 2026 estimates run from £240 to £750 a year, paid in advance with no cancellation once your profile is live.
One more detail from the test. Rated People still held a slot for gardeners in Exeter, a month after it closed to tradespeople. Jobs posted there now go to Checkatrade members.
If you are weighing up the paid options, my guide to Checkatrade alternatives puts all of them side by side with sourced prices.
The Free Directory Lists You Can Skip
Search for free UK business directories and Google’s own AI summary recommends sites like Bizify, The Business Listing and UK Business List, with Yell and Cylex alongside. Some list posts run to fifty or more.
Across ten trade searches in ten towns, none of them appeared on page one. Homeowners looking for a roofer do not find one on a general directory, because Google does not show them one.
Those sites do have one use. A listing that carries your exact name, address and phone number gives Google one more place confirming your details are real, which local SEO people call a citation. But a few consistent listings on the big sites cover most of that, and one more general directory adds very little.
Two things to avoid:
- Paid bulk submission packages. “500 directory listings for £99” puts you on sites nobody visits, and you cannot update 500 listings when your number changes.
- Old listings with wrong details. A directory still showing the mobile you had in 2019 does more harm than no listing. Search your business name and old phone numbers once a year and fix what comes up.
Free Directories by Trade
The core six apply to everyone. On top of those, each trade has one or two free or already-paid-for listings worth checking.
Builders and carpenters
The Federation of Master Builders’ find-a-builder search took more page-one space for builders in Cardiff than any paid directory, and showed for carpenters in Glasgow too. If you are a member, finish your entry. For the rest of the builder side, see my page on websites for builders.
Electricians
Your NICEIC or NAPIT entry is the free listing to check first. NICEIC’s page was the first ordinary result for “electrician bristol”, so a stale entry there is a missed call. My page on websites for electricians covers the rest.
Plumbing and heating
If you do gas work, your Gas Safe Register entry is how homeowners check you are legal, and it comes with the registration. For “plumber leeds”, Checkatrade took two ordinary results and a slot in the directory row, so the map pack is where an independent plumber gets seen. The three in it had 77 to 258 reviews each. My guide to plumbing leads in the UK covers the paid side.
Cleaners
Cleaners have no trade body register that homeowners search, so the free channels carry more weight. Gumtree, Bark, a cleaner’s Facebook page and a local recommendation thread all showed up for “cleaner norwich”. A finished Facebook page and a Nextdoor page are the two free listings I would add first. My page on websites for cleaners covers the regular-booking side.
Roofers, window cleaners and locksmiths
TrustATrader appeared twice on each of these three searches, and Checkatrade on all of them, which is why the map pack is worth the effort. Grays Locksmiths had 1,700 reviews on its Google profile and sat at the top of the Nottingham map pack. For window cleaners, Nextdoor and Facebook pages both appeared in Reading, which fits a trade that works street by street.
How to Set Them Up So They Help
The setup matters more than the number of listings. Get these right once and copy them everywhere.
- Write your business name, address and phone number once, in a note on your phone, exactly as they appear on your Google profile. Paste that version into every directory. “Smith Plumbing Ltd” on one and “Smith Plumbing & Heating” on another is two businesses as far as a computer is concerned.
- Use the same categories. If your Google profile says “Plumber”, do not call yourself “Heating engineer” on Yell.
- Add the same three or four photos of real jobs to every listing. Your van with the signwriting on is a good one.
- Link every listing to your website, or to your Google profile if you do not have one yet.
- Keep a list of where you are listed, with the login for each. When your number or address changes, you will need it.
What a Free Listing Cannot Do
A directory listing puts you in a list next to your competitors. The homeowner compares, and often picks whoever has the most reviews on that site.
The map pack is the exception, and so is your own website. When a homeowner searching “roofer manchester” calls a business from the map, the enquiry goes to one roofer, and when they find your site, nobody else is on the page.
That is the part I build, so weigh my bias, and check the free listings first anyway. Every one of them costs nothing.
I audit trade businesses’ local visibility for free: a grid showing where you rank across your area, who is above you, and the three changes worth making first. No obligation, and you keep it either way. See where you rank and I’ll run yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free business directory in the UK?
For a tradesperson, Google Business Profile, by a distance. It feeds the map pack of three businesses that appeared on all 10 trade searches I checked on 19 October 2026, and the reviews on it are yours. After that, Yell's free listing (on page one for 6 of the 10 searches) and a Facebook business page (5 of 10) are the free listings Google showed most often.
Are free business directories worth it for tradespeople?
A handful are. Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business, Facebook, Yell and your trade body's register take about an hour between them and put you where homeowners actually look. The long tail of generic free directory sites is not worth an afternoon: none of them appeared on page one for any of the 10 trade searches I checked.
Is Yell free to list on?
Yes. Yell offers a free business profile, and its sign-up page says it shares your details with Apple, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft. The same page says Yell Limited will contact you to verify and 'help enhance' the free listing, so expect a sales call offering paid upgrades. You can take the free listing and decline the rest.
Is Checkatrade free?
Checkatrade's pricing page lists a Free tier at £0 a month, below its £30 Approved plan, but neither comes with a stream of leads. The plans that send enquiries start 'from £59' a month on a 12-month contract, and members report paying £80 to £500 a month. It was on page one for 8 of the 10 trade searches I checked.
How many directories should I list my business on?
Six to ten good ones beat a hundred poor ones. Google, Bing, Apple, Facebook, Yell, your trade body and one or two trade-specific sites cover where homeowners look. What matters more than the number is that your business name, address and phone number are written exactly the same on every one.
Do directory listings help SEO?
The big, consistent ones help Google trust that your name, address and phone number are real and current, which supports your map pack ranking. They are not a shortcut to page one. Bulk submission packages that put you on hundreds of minor directories add little, and an old listing with a wrong number can work against you.
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