Most trades who search "checkatrade vs trustatrader" have just had a sales call from one of them and need to decide before the joining offer runs out. This guide compares the two on the things that decide whether a listing pays for itself: how many homeowners see you, how many rivals sit next to you, what the contract locks you into, and what happens when a job goes wrong. Figures come from the platforms' own published pages or a named third-party review, and are linked where they appear.
What is the main difference between Checkatrade and TrustATrader?
Both are UK trade directories. Homeowners search by trade and postcode, read reviews, and contact a member. Both vet traders before listing them, and both offer homeowners a guarantee. The real difference is how they are built. Checkatrade, which says it has vetted tradespeople since 1998, competes on reach and brand recognition. TrustATrader competes on limited membership. According to Local Adder's review of TrustATrader, its trader terms allow no more than ten entries per trade category per geographic area at any one time.
That gives you a simple question to answer for your own area: would you rather be one of many on a busy page, or one of up to ten on a quieter one?
Which platform gets more homeowners looking at you?
Those traffic numbers are DataForSEO estimates published in Local Adder's TrustATrader review. Treat them as a rough guide to scale, not a lead forecast. Traffic across the whole country tells you nothing about how many people search for "electrician" in your postcode district on a given Tuesday.
A better test takes ten minutes. Open both sites in a private browser window, search your trade and your home postcode as a homeowner would, and count the results. Note how many members have more than 50 reviews and how recent their latest review is. If Checkatrade shows 30 established plumbers within five miles and TrustATrader shows four, the bigger platform may send you fewer enquiries, not more.
How do the vetting checks compare?
Checkatrade's trust page also says higher-risk trades need at least six months' trading history before joining, and that checks continue after sign-up. For TrustATrader, the trader terms quoted by Local Adder require valid public liability insurance, membership of any relevant trade bodies, and any qualifications required by law.
Neither process inspects the quality of your work on site. Vetting confirms you are a real, insured business. Your reviews and photos do the rest. For a sole trader, the practical difference is mostly paperwork. Have your insurance certificate, Companies House details or proof of address, and any Gas Safe or NICEIC registration ready before the sales call, and onboarding goes much faster on either platform.
What does each guarantee actually cover?
The Checkatrade Guarantee terms apply to substandard work undertaken or completed after 29 January 2026. They say the homeowner should first try to resolve the issue with the tradesperson, that Checkatrade may use an independent expert to judge the workmanship, and that the guarantee does not cover every problem or cost.
For a trader, either guarantee works in two ways. It is a reassurance line you can put in a quote ("this job is covered by the platform guarantee"). It also means the platform can get involved in your disputes. The trades who come out of complaints well are the ones with a written scope, dated before and after photos, and a message trail showing they offered to put things right. If your complaint handling currently lives in your head and a WhatsApp chat, the guide to handling customer complaints with AI covers a simple log you can set up in an afternoon.
What contract terms should you check before signing?
According to the clauses quoted by Local Adder, TrustATrader's fees are non-refundable once your listing is live, and when you leave you must remove its branding from paperwork, vehicles and your website. That last point costs real money if you have had a van wrapped with the logo.
Neither platform publishes a single fixed price for a visible listing. Local Adder reports that TrustATrader quotes after a callback, and Checkatrade's plans also vary by trade and area. So get these five answers in writing before you pay:
- The total cost for 12 months, including VAT and any lead or enquiry charges.
- How many members already cover your trade in your area.
- Whether the plan you are being sold actually appears in standard search results.
- How renewal works and how much notice cancellation needs.
- What happens to your reviews if you leave.
How do you work out whether a listing pays for itself?
Here is a worked example with round numbers rather than quoted prices. If a membership costs you £1,200 a year and an average boiler service makes you £60 profit, you need 20 directory jobs to break even, which is under two a month. If your average job is a £4,000 bathroom with £1,000 profit, two jobs a year covers it. The same listing can be a bargain for one trade and a waste of money for another.
Track this from the first day. Ask every new enquiry "where did you find us?" and log the answer next to the job value. After 90 days you will know whether the directory is earning its place, and you will not be relying on the platform's own dashboard to tell you.
How do reviews work on each platform?
Checkatrade describes a mix of data models, a rules engine, AI verification and human review behind its checks. For you, the useful detail is that reviews come from real customers, so volume depends on how consistently you ask. Send the review link by text within an hour of finishing, while the customer is still pleased, and follow up once after three days. Automated appointment reminders and follow-ups can handle the second nudge without you remembering.
Do not let the platform be the only place those reviews live. Pull your best ones onto your own site so they keep working if you ever leave. The guide on adding reviews to your website shows the simplest ways to do it.
Which one should you choose?
Some patterns hold across most UK trades:
- New business, few reviews, busy city: TrustATrader's cap often gives you a fairer start than a crowded Checkatrade page.
- Established business, strong reviews: Checkatrade's larger audience usually converts better because your review count stands out.
- High value jobs (kitchens, extensions, roofing): one or two wins cover either fee, so test the platform with the larger audience first.
- Low value, high volume work (servicing, small repairs): run the break-even numbers above carefully, because the fee has to be spread across many small jobs.
Whichever you pick, treat it as one channel rather than the whole plan. A strong Google Business Profile, a quick reply to every enquiry and steady review requests are what keep the diary full in the year you decide not to renew. A wider view of building and using reviews across every channel sits on the reviews hub.
Checkatrade vs TrustATrader UK — FAQ
Is Checkatrade or TrustATrader better for a new tradesperson?
For most new trades, Checkatrade gets more homeowners looking at your profile. According to estimates published by Local Adder, it gets about 2.4 million organic Google visits a month in the UK, compared with about 389,000 for TrustATrader. Those are third-party estimates, not audited figures. The catch is competition. On Checkatrade you may share a page with many rivals. On TrustATrader, its trader terms (as quoted by Local Adder) cap each trade category at no more than ten entries per area. A new business with few reviews can get lost on a busy Checkatrade page but stand out on a capped TrustATrader one. Ask both sales teams how many members already cover your trade and postcode before you sign.
How much does the Checkatrade Guarantee cover?
Checkatrade's published guarantee terms say the maximum payment per approved claim is £1,000. The guarantee is free for homeowners and paid at Checkatrade's discretion, and the current terms apply to substandard work undertaken or completed after 29 January 2026. The homeowner normally has to try to resolve the problem with the tradesperson first, and Checkatrade may bring in an independent expert to assess the workmanship. For trades, this matters because the guarantee is a selling point you can mention when quoting. It is also a reason to keep tidy job records, photos and written scopes, since those decide any dispute.
Can I cancel a TrustATrader membership early?
Usually not. Local Adder quotes TrustATrader's trader terms as saying the fee is annual and paid in advance, and that once your listing is live you cannot cancel before the 12 month period ends. Fees are non-refundable. The same terms say TrustATrader does not auto-renew and contacts members at the end of each year instead. That is friendlier than an automatic rollover, but it still means you are committed for the full year. Treat the joining decision as a 12 month spend and work out how many jobs you need to cover it before you agree. Terms can change, so ask for the current version in writing.
Do Checkatrade and TrustATrader filter out bad reviews?
Checkatrade says it filters out fake reviews, not negative ones. On its trust page it reports screening around 45,000 reviews a month using data models, a rules engine, AI checks and human review. Homeowner complaints about TrustATrader on review sites sometimes claim negative reviews were hard to post, but those are individual anecdotes rather than audited findings. Either way, assume homeowners read your lowest ratings first. A calm, specific public reply to a poor review usually does more for you than a perfect score with no detail.
Should I rely on a trade directory instead of Google reviews?
No. A directory profile is rented space. If you stop paying, the listing goes and the reviews stay on the platform. Your Google Business Profile and your own website are assets you keep. Many successful trades use a directory to fill early gaps in the diary while building Google reviews alongside it, then cut back directory spend once Google enquiries cover the work. Ask every directory customer for a Google review too, and show your best reviews on your own site.
