Paying twice to be in the room. Own the channel instead.
Rated People charges a recurring Membership Fee just to see job leads — then a further fee per Job Lead on top, depending on your plan. Up to three tradespeople compete for the same job, which is a genuine, sourced upside. But the two-layer cost means you are paying before you have paid for a single lead. Here is a fair comparison, and the alternative.
The best Rated People alternative is owning your own lead channels — a Google Business Profile, a website on your domain, and ad accounts in your name. Rated People charges a Membership Fee to access the service at all, then a further fee per Job Lead on top. Owning your channels replaces both charges with one fixed monthly cost and keeps every enquiry that arrives exclusively yours.
Reviewed and updated 3 August 2026 · by Craig W., Founder of Scalepoint
What you are actually buying
Rated People’s model has two layers where MyBuilder and Bark each have one. These are the mechanics, taken from Rated People’s own published Payment Terms and its “How our service works” page.
Charged monthly, quarterly or annually depending on the Membership Plan selected, simply to access the service — due before you have seen or paid for a single Job Lead. Some plans carry a Minimum Term you commit to.
A further, variable fee per Project you want to quote on, priced by job size, scope, location and demand. Certain plans include Lead Credit to offset it — credit that is non-transferable, non-refundable, and expires at the end of the Billing Period.
One fixed Google Ads management fee, with ad spend passed to Google at cost and every enquiry exclusively yours — no separate access fee stacked on top. £500/month minimum recommended spend.
Membership plus per-lead vs owning your leads
| Factor | Owning your leads | Membership + per-lead marketplace (e.g. Rated People) |
|---|---|---|
| What your money buys | Visibility to everyone searching | Access to the platform (Membership Fee), then a further fee per lead you want |
| Number of cost layers | One — a single fixed monthly fee | Two — Membership Fee plus Job Lead fee |
| If you don’t win the job | Costs you nothing extra | Both the Membership Fee and the Job Lead fee are already spent |
| Cost predictability | Fixed monthly fee, set by you | Job Lead price varies by job size, location and demand |
| Contract commitment | None — stop anytime | Some plans carry a Minimum Term you commit to |
| Unused credit | Rolls into ongoing visibility | Included Lead Credit expires at the end of the Billing Period, no rollover |
| Competition per lead | N/A — the enquiry is yours alone | Capped at up to 3 tradespeople per job, per Rated People’s own “how it works” page |
| What you own | Website, GBP, ad account, customer list | A profile on their platform |
Put in your Membership Fee as the membership field and your average Job Lead spend as the per-lead field. The calculator returns your true cost per won job — the only figure worth comparing, since Rated People’s model is not a single number.
Two fees stack before you have won anything
Most pay-per-lead marketplaces charge one fee at one moment. Rated People’s own Payment Terms describe two: a recurring Membership Fee to access the service, and a further, variable fee for each Project you want to quote on. The Membership Fee is due on its Billing Period regardless of how many leads you actually take — it is not offset by winning nothing that period.
Some Membership Plans include Lead Credit to spend against Job Leads instead of paying per lead separately — but that credit is personal, non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and included credit expires unspent at the end of the Billing Period rather than rolling over. Discretionary credit Rated People adds outside a plan expires in 30 days. None of it compounds into anything you keep once the membership lapses.
That is not an argument against ever using the platform — the response cap of up to 3 tradespeople per job is a real, sourced advantage over more open marketplaces. It is an argument for adding both fees together, not just the Job Lead price, before judging the cost. Run the combined number in the cost calculator, then compare against a channel where the enquiry is exclusively yours from the first click: Google Search Ads for trades from £495/month, spend at cost, or local SEO so the map-pack traffic compounds for free.
Where Rated People genuinely helps.
This is not a hit piece. Rated People has one real, sourced advantage over more open marketplaces, and for some trades at some moments the membership makes sense.
- A genuine response cap. Rated People’s own “How our service works” page states up to 3 tradespeople can quote on a job, with an average of 1–2 responding — real, sourced, and fewer competitors per lead than fully open marketplaces.
- Steady inbound volume. The Membership Fee buys ongoing access to a stream of suggested Projects matched to your trade and work area, rather than needing to hunt for individual jobs.
- TrustMark association. Rated People works with TrustMark, a government-endorsed quality scheme, and displays the badge on the profiles of tradespeople who are registered — a credibility signal some customers look for.
The problem is the two-layer cost: the Membership Fee is due on its Billing Period whether or not you win a single job that period, and the Job Lead fee is a further charge on top, calculated per job rather than published as one flat rate. Trades in construction and the building trades feel this hardest, because slow months still carry the Membership Fee regardless of how many leads came through.
How to move off membership-plus-per-lead in 90 days
Check your Renewal Date first — if your plan carries a Minimum Term, that date decides when leaving actually stops the Membership Fee. Build the owned channels alongside Rated People, then let the membership lapse at the right moment instead of paying for both longer than you need to.
- Work out your real cost per won job
Add your Rated People Membership Fee for the period to every Job Lead fee you paid in it, then divide by the jobs you actually booked. Because Rated People charges twice — access fee plus per-lead fee — this combined number is the only one worth comparing against another channel, not the Job Lead price alone.
- Claim and optimise your Google Business Profile
Your map-pack listing is the highest-leverage replacement for a marketplace profile. Complete every field, add real photos of finished jobs, and start asking happy customers for reviews so your reputation builds somewhere you own.
- Put a fast, simple site on your own domain
One or two pages that load quickly and convert, on a domain in your name. It gives Google and any ads somewhere to send people, and unlike a marketplace membership it cannot be re-priced or discontinued by someone else.
- Open a search ad account in your own name
Start with a modest local budget on high-intent searches. You set the spend, pay the platform directly at cost, and every enquiry that arrives is exclusively yours — no separate lead fee due once the customer picks you.
- Time your exit to the Renewal Date, not mid-term
If your Membership Plan carries a Minimum Term, check the Renewal Date in your account before stepping away — leaving mid-term does not stop the Membership Fee. Build your owned channels alongside the plan, then let it lapse at the right date instead of paying for both at once longer than you need to.
See what owning your leads would look like.
Tell us your trade and your area. We send back a free written audit within 3 business days — no call required, no lock-in.
Common questions about Rated People alternatives
What is the best alternative to Rated People?+
The strongest alternative is owning the channels that produce your leads — an optimised Google Business Profile, a website on your own domain, and ad accounts in your name. Rated People charges a recurring Membership Fee just to access job leads, then a further fee per Job Lead on top. Owning your channels replaces both charges with one fixed, predictable cost, and every enquiry that arrives is exclusively yours.
How does Rated People charge tradespeople?+
Per Rated People’s own published Payment Terms, Trade Businesses pay a recurring Membership Fee (billed monthly, quarterly or annually depending on the Membership Plan) simply to access the service. On top of that, Rated People may also charge a further fee for each Project a Trade Business wants to quote on — the price of that Job Lead varies by the job’s size, scope, location, demand and the Membership Plan selected. Some Membership Plans include Lead Credit that can be spent against Job Leads instead of paying per lead directly.
Does Rated People have a minimum contract term?+
It can. Rated People’s Payment Terms define a “Minimum Term Membership Plan” as a plan that commits you to paying the Membership Fee for a specified minimum period — the terms state some Membership Plans are subject to this Minimum Term, so it is not guaranteed to be month-to-month.
Do unused Rated People Lead Credits roll over?+
No. Per Rated People’s own Payment Terms, Lead Credits included within a Membership Plan expire at the end of the relevant Billing Period and cannot be rolled over into the next one, or on termination of the agreement, whichever comes sooner. Discretionary Lead Credits expire 30 days after being added to the account. Lead Credits are also non-transferable and not exchangeable or redeemable for cash, and unused credit is not refunded.
How many tradespeople compete for the same Rated People job?+
Rated People’s own “How our service works” page states up to 3 tradespeople can provide a quote on a job, with an average of 1–2 responding — a genuine, sourced difference from marketplaces that let far more tradespeople bid on the same lead.
Is Rated People worth it for tradespeople?+
It can be, particularly if the response cap of up to 3 quotes per job means less competition on each lead than a fully open marketplace. The trade-off is the two-layer cost: you are paying to be in the door (the Membership Fee) before you have paid for a single lead, and the Job Lead fee is still due on top, calculated per job rather than published as a flat rate. Whether it pays off depends on your win rate once you have paid both.
Can I use Rated People and build my own leads at the same time?+
Yes. Keep the Membership Plan running while your own Google Business Profile, website and ads build up, then reassess at your Renewal Date whether the Membership Fee plus Job Lead costs still beat your cost per won job from owned channels. If your plan carries a Minimum Term, check that date before deciding when to step away.
What happens to my Rated People reviews if I leave?+
They stay on Rated People. Reviews and ratings earned on any marketplace belong to that marketplace — the central risk of building your reputation somewhere you do not own. Reviews collected on your own Google Business Profile are tied to an asset that stays yours, keep working across Google Search and Maps, and follow you regardless of which marketing channels you run.
Keep reading
Your true cost per won job
The membership model compared
The pay-per-lead model compared
The Shortlist Fee model compared
The full model
The economics in detail
Own your area on Google
Exclusive, high-intent leads
Fees only, ad spend at cost
The mechanics described here — the Membership Fee, Minimum Term, Job Lead pricing, Lead Credit terms and their expiry — are taken directly from Rated People’s own published Payment Terms, checked on 3 August 2026. The up-to-3-tradespeople response cap is taken from Rated People’s own “How our service works” page, same date. Rated People does not publish a fixed Membership Fee or Job Lead price list on either page; independent 2026 trade-cost reporting puts Job Lead fees anywhere from roughly £2 to £65+VAT depending on job size, with monthly membership plans commonly cited in the £30–£50 range, but we have deliberately not treated that range as an official Rated People figure — model your own numbers with the cost calculator rather than relying on a third-party average. Scalepoint pricing is our current published rate. Terms on any marketplace change — if you spot something out of date here, tell us and we will correct it.