The cost of being seen
What workers pay each year, before they've earned a penny.
- Checkatrade subscription
- £1,800/year
- MyBuilder leads (modest usage)
- £600/year
- TrustATrader subscription
- £900/year
- Bark.com credits (moderate)
- £400/year
- Total spent before you've earned
- £3,700/year
- SubbieBook
- £0/year
And that's IF you only use one platform. Most trades pay 2-3 of these at once.
Side by side
Every worker platform, taken apart.
| Checkatrade | MyBuilder | Rated People | TrustATrader | Bark.com | SubbieBook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to join | £100-150/mo | Free | Free | £50-100/mo | Free | Free forever |
| Cost per message | Free* | £10-30 | £10-30 | Free* | £1-5/credit | Free |
| Annual cost (typical) | £1,200-1,800 | £500-2,000 | £500-2,000 | £600-1,200 | £400-1,500 | £0 |
| Pay even when slow? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Pay-to-be-seen? | Yes | Hidden | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Construction-specific? | No (all trades) | No (homeowners) | No (homeowners) | No (all trades) | No (everything) | Yes |
| Day rate / direct hire? | No (project-based) | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| CIS calculations + export? | No | No | No | No | No | Auto-calc + CSV/PDF |
| Founder badge? | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | First 100 get one |
- Cost to join
- £100-150/mo
- Cost per message
- Free*
- Annual cost (typical)
- £1,200-1,800
- Pay even when slow?
- Yes
- Pay-to-be-seen?
- Yes
- Construction-specific?
- No (all trades)
- Day rate / direct hire?
- No (project-based)
- CIS calculations + export?
- No
- Founder badge?
- Never
- Cost to join
- Free
- Cost per message
- £10-30
- Annual cost (typical)
- £500-2,000
- Pay even when slow?
- Yes
- Pay-to-be-seen?
- Hidden
- Construction-specific?
- No (homeowners)
- Day rate / direct hire?
- No
- CIS calculations + export?
- No
- Founder badge?
- Never
- Cost to join
- Free
- Cost per message
- £10-30
- Annual cost (typical)
- £500-2,000
- Pay even when slow?
- Yes
- Pay-to-be-seen?
- Yes
- Construction-specific?
- No (homeowners)
- Day rate / direct hire?
- No
- CIS calculations + export?
- No
- Founder badge?
- Never
- Cost to join
- £50-100/mo
- Cost per message
- Free*
- Annual cost (typical)
- £600-1,200
- Pay even when slow?
- Yes
- Pay-to-be-seen?
- Yes
- Construction-specific?
- No (all trades)
- Day rate / direct hire?
- No
- CIS calculations + export?
- No
- Founder badge?
- Never
- Cost to join
- Free
- Cost per message
- £1-5/credit
- Annual cost (typical)
- £400-1,500
- Pay even when slow?
- Yes
- Pay-to-be-seen?
- Yes
- Construction-specific?
- No (everything)
- Day rate / direct hire?
- No
- CIS calculations + export?
- No
- Founder badge?
- Never
- Cost to join
- Free forever
- Cost per message
- Free
- Annual cost (typical)
- £0
- Pay even when slow?
- No
- Pay-to-be-seen?
- No
- Construction-specific?
- Yes
- Day rate / direct hire?
- Yes
- CIS calculations + export?
- Auto-calc + CSV/PDF
- Founder badge?
- First 100 get one
*"Free" message cost on Checkatrade/TrustATrader only after you've paid the monthly fee.
Real workers, real numbers
What trades have spent — and saved.
Year 1 on Checkatrade: £1,500 in fees, won 8 jobs. "I was paying more to be on the platform than I earned from some months."
Spent £400 on MyBuilder leads in 3 months, won 2 jobs. "I was bidding against 4 other brickies for every job. Felt like a race to the bottom on price."
TrustATrader + MyBuilder = £100/month combined. "I was paying £1,200/year for the privilege of being on a platform with 50 other sparks."
So how can SubbieBook be free?
If we don't charge workers, how do we make money?
We charge builders a flat monthly subscription (£49-£199/month).
No commission on jobs. No per-booking fees. No lead fees. Just a flat sub for builders who want direct access to the construction workforce.
That means we're aligned with you — we want you booked, you keep your full day rate, the builder pays you direct.
The more workers we have, the more valuable the platform is to builders. So we want you on it. We're not going to charge you for that.
Why these platforms even exist
Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People — these platforms were designed for homeowners hiring trades, not builders hiring subcontractors.
A homeowner wants a one-off kitchen fitter. They want quotes from 3 trades and to pick the cheapest. The platforms monetise that by charging trades to be quote-eligible.
But construction is different. Builders need verified subbies on day rates for ongoing jobs. The "quote war" model doesn't work — and you shouldn't have to pay to compete in it.