The short answer
- Lead sites are a fast way to fill a gap and a harder way to build a business.
- None of the sites covered here charges only when you win the job. You pay for the introduction or the membership either way.
- The same enquiry often goes to several tradesmen, so speed and price decide who gets it.
- They’re worth it when your cost per job won is comfortably below what the job is worth. Work that out before you judge any of them.
How each site charges
Everything in this section is taken from each site’s own pages, checked on 30 September 2026. Prices and terms change, so confirm them before you join. Links are under Sources.
Tradesmen.ie (Ireland)
You pay an initial registration fee, then buy credits in advance and spend them on the leads you want. The minimum bid starts at three credits and rises with the value of the job. Up to four tradesmen can buy each lead. If more than four ask for it in the first fifteen minutes, it goes to the four highest bidders. There is a 14-day money-back guarantee, with conditions, covering the registration fee and the credits left on your account.
OnlineTradesmen.ie (Ireland)
A monthly membership, advertised from €43.33 to €99.99 a month, with no commission and no per-lead fees. It can be cancelled at any time, and a qualification or accreditation is required to join.
Checkatrade (UK)
Three levels: a free profile at £0 a month, Approved at £30 a month, and Growth, priced from £59 a month. Checkatrade describes its lead plans as a fixed monthly cost, based on your trade, the postcode areas you choose and the number of leads you want in a year. Members go through up to 12 checks.
MyBuilder (UK)
No joining or membership fee, and expressing interest in a job is free. You pay a lead fee when a homeowner shortlists you and their contact details are shared. The fee is shown before you respond and varies with the job. MyBuilder says it can start from £7. It is charged on being shortlisted, not on being hired.
Bark (UK)
You buy credits and spend them to contact customers. Each lead shows its credit cost before you respond, based on the type of service, the size of the job, the location and how ready the customer is to hire. Bark lists its standard credit price as £1.80, with packs working out cheaper. Credits bought since 1 November 2025 expire three months after purchase, and unused credits are not refunded.
Rated People (UK)
Now part of Checkatrade Group. Its sign-up page directs tradespeople to a Checkatrade fixed plan or a pay-as-you-go Opportunities Board.
| Site | Where | How you pay | When you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tradesmen.ie | Ireland | Registration fee, then credits | When you buy a lead |
| OnlineTradesmen.ie | Ireland | Membership | Every month |
| Checkatrade | UK | Membership | Every month |
| MyBuilder | UK | Lead fee | When a homeowner shortlists you |
| Bark | UK | Credits | When you contact a customer |
The part the price doesn’t tell you
A cheap lead isn’t cheap if three other tradesmen have it too. When the same homeowner is talking to several of you, two things decide who wins: who rang first and who quoted lowest. Neither has much to do with who does the best work.
That is why two tradesmen on the same site can have opposite experiences. The one who replies within minutes and has strong reviews does well. The one who rings back that evening is paying for a conversation that has already happened with someone else.
It also changes the sum. If you win one lead in ten, the real cost of a job is ten times the price of a lead. Tradesmen.ie’s own FAQ, in a worked example of how to decide a bid, uses a tradesman who converts 5% of leads into sales.
When a lead site is worth it
- You’re new, with few reviews and no ad budget yet.
- You have a gap in the diary to fill this month.
- You can reply to every lead within minutes.
- You’ve worked out your cost per job won and it stacks up.
And when it isn’t
- You’re too busy on site to ring back quickly.
- You’re competing on price with businesses that will always go lower.
- You want to choose the jobs you take, not pick from what’s posted.
- You want to build something that grows in value: a name, reviews and an audience of your own.
The alternative: generate your own
With your own Meta ads, the budget sits in your own ad account, the homeowner enquires with you by name, and nobody else gets their number. It takes longer to set up than joining a directory, and it needs a fast reply to work.
In one campaign we ran for a roofing contractor in Cork, €1,029 of Meta ad spend produced 35 enquiries, about €29 each, which turned into roughly €30,000 to €32,000 of work. That is one campaign and it guarantees nothing for yours, but it shows what the numbers can look like when the leads are yours alone. The full breakdown is in how much roofing leads cost in Ireland.
| Lead sites | Your own ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets the lead | Often several tradesmen | Only you |
| What you pay for | The introduction or the membership | The advertising |
| Choice of jobs | What customers post | What you choose to advertise |
| What you keep | A profile on their platform | Your own ad account and audience |
| Getting started | Join and start buying | Needs building first |
How we run them for roofers: Facebook ads for roofers and WhatsApp lead follow-up.
You don’t have to pick one
Nothing stops you using a lead site to fill gaps while your own ads build. The point is to know your cost per job from each, and to move the money to whichever wins.
Either way, the fix that pays back fastest is the same: reply in minutes, not hours. See speed to lead, or how our WhatsApp lead follow-up does it for you.
Sources
- Tradesmen.ie, Tradesmen Frequently Asked Questions, last updated 12 October 2025. tradesmen.ie/tradesmen_FAQs
- OnlineTradesmen.ie, membership page. onlinetradesmen.ie/Tradesmen.aspx
- Checkatrade, pricing. join.checkatrade.com/pricing
- MyBuilder support centre: What are the fees?, How are lead fees calculated? and What is shortlisting? support.mybuilder.com
- Bark help centre: What is a credit and how much does it cost? and Understanding lead pricing. help.bark.com
- Rated People, tradesperson sign-up page. ratedpeople.com
If something has changed since we checked, tell us at info@abulamarketing.com and we’ll correct it.