Checkatrade alternatives with no contract

If you are a tradesperson weighing up Checkatrade, the price is only half the question. The other half is how long you are tied in. A platform that sends poor leads for a month is an annoyance. One that sends poor leads for twelve months, and keeps billing you, is a real cost to a small business.

This guide looks at the main alternatives to Checkatrade by the thing most trades ask about first: is there a contract? It uses the prices and terms each platform publishes, checked on 26 September 2026, and says where a price is only given on a sales call. We are YourHouseFix, so we are one of the options, and we say so where we appear.

What no contract really means

Platforms tie you in in three different ways, and only the first is called a contract.

• A fixed term. You agree to pay a monthly fee for a set period, usually 12 months. Leaving early can mean paying the rest of the term, and some memberships renew automatically unless you cancel in time.
• A notice period. The membership rolls month to month, but you must give notice, sometimes several months, before it stops.
• Credits that expire. There is no term, but you buy credits up front and spend them on leads. Unspent credits that expire are money you have paid for nothing.

A genuinely contract free platform is one where you can stop at the end of any month and lose nothing you have already paid for. Few platforms meet all three tests, so it is worth knowing which kind of tie each one uses.

There is usually no cooling off period for a business

Many trades assume they can cancel within 14 days. That right comes from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, and it protects consumers, which the regulations define as individuals acting wholly or mainly outside their trade or business. Signing your business up to a lead service is a business purchase, so you only get a cooling off period if the platform's own terms give you one. Read the term before you sign, not after the first invoice.

The alternatives at a glance

Here is how the main UK platforms compare on what you pay, how many firms see each job and what ties you in. Prices are as each platform publishes them, checked 26 September 2026; the Checkatrade term was checked on 2 November 2026.

For the full picture on any one platform, including what it does well, see our side by side platform comparisons.

Pay as you go platforms with no fixed term

MyBuilder

MyBuilder charges no membership fee and has no contract. Instead, you pay a shortlist fee of £2 to £35 each time a homeowner adds you to their shortlist, set by the likely size, value and location of the job. The fee is paid whether or not the homeowner goes ahead, so the real cost depends on how often a shortlist turns into work. Our MyBuilder comparison goes through the terms.

Bark

Bark sells credits at about £1.20 plus VAT each, and a lead costs 5 to 20 credits, taken when you unlock the customer's contact details. Up to five professionals can buy the same lead. There is no contract, but since 1 November 2025 unused credits expire after three months, so buying a large pack to get a better rate only pays if you use it in time. See our Bark comparison.

MyJobQuote

MyJobQuote sells credit packs: Standard at £39 plus VAT for 35 credits, Pro at £54 plus VAT for 50 and Advanced at £75 plus VAT for 75. A lead costs £2 to £50, typically £5 to £20, and up to three trades can quote on one job. There is no contract and a free trial month, but credits expire after six months. See our MyJobQuote comparison.

Platforms that still tie you in

Checkatrade

Checkatrade is the largest platform, and its audience is a genuine strength. Its join page states that memberships are for 12 months, and members describe the contract as renewing automatically unless cancelled in time. The Approved tier at £30 a month plus VAT gives you the vetted badge and a profile but no stream of leads; Growth is advertised from £59 a month, with the real price shown only after you enter your trade and postcodes. Our Checkatrade comparison covers what it costs a tradesperson in 2026 in detail.

TrustATrader

TrustATrader is a directory rather than a lead service. You pay a fixed membership of £20 to £55 a month, or £600 to £1,000 a year, depending on trade and area, with no per lead fee, and the number of members per trade in an area is capped. The price is given by phone and the contract is 12 months. See our TrustATrader comparison.

Which? Trusted Traders

Which? Trusted Traders is an endorsement scheme, not a source of leads. There is a £248 assessment fee including VAT, which is not refunded, and then £66 a month for up to 3 staff, £86 for 4 to 9 and £114 for 10 to 19. It is rolling rather than fixed, but you give three months' notice to leave. See our Which? Trusted Traders comparison.

Rated People has closed

Rated People is no longer an option. Rated People Limited entered creditors' voluntary liquidation on 16 September 2026, according to its Companies House filing history, and every tradesperson membership closed that day. Checkatrade Group bought the brand and website, but not member accounts, subscriptions or reviews, as its lawyers Lewis Silkin set out. If you were a member, our page on Rated People closing explains refunds and what to do about your reviews.

Where YourHouseFix fits

We built YourHouseFix for trades who want work without a term. You list your business free. A homeowner searches by trade and postcode, picks one business and sends a quote request, and that request goes only to the business they picked, so you are not racing four other firms on price.

• No contract. It is monthly rolling, and you can cancel at any time.
• Free during the Founding period. Every lead is free while we build up homeowner demand, with no card needed.
• Then you pay only for jobs you accept. When paid plans start, Founding Members pay £10 a month plus £10 per lead they accept, locked for life. Declining a lead costs nothing.

We are newer and smaller than Checkatrade, and we do not pretend otherwise. The honest pitch is that trying us costs you nothing and ties you to nothing.

How to work out what a platform really costs

A low headline price can still be the expensive option, and a high one can be good value. Three things make the difference.

VAT, if you are not registered

Most platforms quote prices plus VAT. If your business is VAT registered you can usually reclaim it, but many sole traders are not, because registration is only compulsory once taxable turnover goes over £90,000 a year. If you are not registered, a £30 a month plus VAT fee costs you £36 a month, and every credit costs 20 percent more than the headline.

How many firms see the job

A job sent to five firms is worth far less to each of them than a job sent to one. Fewer competitors means a better chance of winning and less pressure to cut your price.

Cost per job won

Add up a full year: twelve months of any fee, the leads or credits you expect to buy, VAT if you cannot reclaim it, less any introductory offer. Then divide by the number of jobs you realistically expect to win. That cost per job won is the one number that compares a subscription, a credit pack and a pay per lead model fairly.

Before you sign up to any platform

1. Find the term in writing on the platform's own terms or join page: how long, whether it renews automatically and the notice period.
2. Work out the full year cost, including VAT if you cannot reclaim it.
3. Ask how many firms see each job, and check what the platform's own pages say.
4. Check what happens to unspent credit, and whether a fake or unreachable lead is refunded.
5. Divide by the jobs you expect to win to get your cost per job won.
6. Keep a record. Save the terms on the day you join and put the renewal date in your diary. If you cancel, do it in writing and keep the confirmation.

Whichever platform you choose, homeowners will check you before they ring. Being on the right register, such as Gas Safe for gas work or a competent person scheme for electrics, matters more than any badge. Our homeowner guide on how to check a tradesperson is genuine shows exactly what they look for.

Try YourHouseFix with no contract

List your business free in a few minutes. Every lead is free during the Founding period, each job comes only to you, and there is nothing to sign. Read how it works on our page for tradespeople, or browse more guides.