What Do Lead Companies Charge Contractors?
Per lead, per connection or by membership, from a few pounds to over a thousand a year. The headline price isn't the full cost of winning a job.
The short answer
Lead companies charge per lead, per connection or by membership, and the headline price isn't the full cost.
Published UK figures put lead costs at £6–£30 per connection on Bark, £15–£60 per lead on MyBuilder and Rated People, £600–£1,200 a year for Checkatrade membership, and £10–£70 per roofing lead. Once you account for the leads that don't become work, the true cost per job won on paid platforms is estimated at £150–£1,000. Prices vary by trade, area and job size, and they change, so check each platform's current terms.
Platform pricing as published by Trades Grow, One Base Media, Sleepless Tradesman and SwiftLead, 2026. Rates change, so check current pricing before relying on these figures.
Published pricing
What the main platforms charge
Headline UK figures as published. Pricing and terms change; check the platform's current terms.
Platform pricing as published by Trades Grow, One Base Media, Sleepless Tradesman and SwiftLead, 2026. Rates change, so check current pricing before relying on these figures. Google Ads figures as published by PositionWorks (2025 UK home services benchmarks, roofing) and Aimpro Digital (2026). Click prices vary by area, service and how well the account is run.
The pricing models
Three ways lead companies charge
The difference matters more than it looks. For a fuller comparison, see pay per lead vs subscription.
Pay per lead
You pay for each enquiry you take on. Prices generally rise with job value and competition. MyBuilder and Rated People are commonly described as working broadly this way, though the details differ between them.
Membership or subscription
A fixed fee, monthly or yearly, for a listing and access to enquiries. Checkatrade is the best-known example. The fee is due whether or not work arrives.
Pay per connection
You spend credits to contact customers who have posted a job. Bark works on a pay-per-connection basis.
The hidden part
What the headline price leaves out
The price per lead is what you pay to hear about a job. It isn't what it costs you to win one. Every lead you pay for and don't win adds to the cost of the ones you do.
It's commonly reported that some platforms pass the same enquiry to several trades, up to four in some cases. When that happens you're paying to join a comparison, and your chance of winning that job is shared from the start. Why are leads sold to multiple traders? explains the model.
Then there's your time: calling back, visiting, pricing, writing the quote and chasing it, all before you know whether you've won. It never appears on an invoice, but it's a real cost. Small charges add up too: a steady monthly spend on leads can come to a large yearly figure even when each lead seems cheap, so total a full year before judging. See the admin cost of winning work.
Before you sign up
What to check in any lead company's terms
How the price is set
Fixed fee, per lead, per credit, or varying by job type and area? Ask for an example for your trade.
How many others receive each lead
One contractor, or several? It changes what the lead is worth to you.
Contract length and notice
Can you stop when you want, or are you committed for a set term?
What happens with bad leads
If a lead is fake, out of area or unreachable, is there a way to dispute it, and how does it work?
What happens at renewal
Is the price fixed for the term, and what does it renew at?
What you get for the money
Just contact details, or a listing, reviews and profile tools as well?
Plenty of contractors use lead companies profitably, particularly in busy areas where they convert well. The point isn't that they're poor value; it's that the only way to know is to measure your own cost per job won. How much do construction leads cost? goes further.
A different arrangement
Where the charge to you is nothing
Mortaro doesn't charge contractors to join, per enquiry, or for quotes that don't convert. We generate the enquiries ourselves, appoint one contractor to each, handle the quotation and follow-up, and add our fee on top of your trade rate in the customer's quotation. You're paid your rate in full. See do you charge for leads? and the contractor network hub.
We won't promise volume. How much work there is depends on your area, your trade and your track record.
Straight answers
Lead pricing questions
Why do lead companies charge such different amounts?
They sell different things: a listing, individual leads, or credits to contact customers. Job value, trade and area change the price too. See why are my leads so expensive?
Do lead companies refund bad leads?
Some have a process for disputing leads, and the terms vary. Check the current policy before you commit, not after the first bad lead.
Is a membership cheaper than paying per lead?
It depends how many enquiries the membership brings and how many you win. A membership that produces steady, winnable work can beat paying per lead; one that produces little costs the same regardless.
For contractors
Tell us about your business
Your trade, the areas you cover and the size of work you take on. A person reads every enquiry, and if it looks like a fit we will send you the full application.