UK Tradesman Directory Market Report 2026: Are Checkatrade and MyBuilder in Decline?

Key Findings at a Glance

Source: Google Trends GB, June–September 2026. Monthly fee estimates: LocalAdder UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker, SwiftLead, 2026.

1. The Numbers: What Google Trends Shows

Between June and September 2026, Sleepless Tradesman analysed Google Trends search data for the Great Britain region across all major tradesman directory platforms. The findings are consistent: every paid directory is losing brand search volume, and several are losing it at significant scale.

Checkatrade: −10%

Checkatrade recorded a search interest index of 7 out of 100, down 10% on the prior period. Founded in 1998 and acquired by HomeServe in 2019, Checkatrade is the largest paid tradesman directory in the UK with over 44,000 member tradespeople (last confirmed figure, 2021). Revenue grew from £29.69 million in 2019 to £55.6 million in 2022 — but its parent company HomeServe posted a pre-tax loss of £31.7 million in its most recent reported period, a significant swing from a £87.9 million profit in the prior year.[Source: Wikipedia, CityAM]

MyBuilder: −50%

MyBuilder recorded a search index of 2 out of 100, down 50%. Acquired by Angi Inc. (formerly HomeAdvisor) in 2017, MyBuilder operates a pay-per-lead model starting officially from £7, though real-world reported monthly spend from UK tradespeople runs from £80 to over £500 per month — with no refund when a homeowner shortlists but does not respond.[Source: PR Newswire, LocalAdder UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker]

Check a Trade: −70%

Check a Trade recorded a search index of 2 out of 100, down 70% — a near-total collapse in brand visibility over the 90-day window.

TrustATrader: −90%

TrustATrader recorded a search index of 0 out of 100, down 90%. Once a prominent name in the UK trades directory sector, TrustATrader has lost almost all measurable Google search interest.

2. What Is Causing the Decline?

Rising costs, falling returns

Checkatrade's subscription model starts at £30 per month for a basic listing, rising to £59 per month for lead generation — and real-world bills routinely reach £100–£500 per month, all on a 12-month fixed contract. Tradespeople consistently report paying for leads that never convert, with no mechanism to receive a refund.[Source: LocalAdder, SwiftLead, LocalSearchNorth, 2026]

MyBuilder's lead fees, officially "from £7", reach £50 or more on larger jobs. A UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker published in 2026 found tradespeople reporting monthly spend of £300, £390, and £500 on shared leads — leads that are simultaneously sold to multiple competing tradespeople, with no guarantee of winning the work.[Source: EIN Presswire, LocalAdder, 2026]

Word of mouth still dominates

Independent research by Eureka Research confirms that word of mouth remains the single most important channel through which homeowners find tradespeople in the UK. Paid directories appear further down the list — and the data suggests their position is weakening further.[Source: Eureka Research, InsightDIY]

The homeowner side: demand is still there

Crucially, the underlying demand from homeowners has not disappeared. "Find a tradesman" recorded a Google Trends search index of 25 — only down 6% — and "find tradesman" recorded 31, down 10%. Approximately 4.8 million homeowners would use a free-to-access online trade listing if they needed a tradesperson, according to Eureka Research. Meanwhile, 42% of homeowners say that difficulty finding a trusted tradesperson is the main obstacle preventing them from carrying out home repairs.[Source: Eureka Research; HomeOwners Alliance]

The demand exists. It is the paid directory model — not the need to find tradespeople — that is losing relevance.

3. The Rising Searches: Where Attention Is Moving

The same Google Trends dataset that reveals directory decline also shows what tradespeople are increasingly searching for.

Source: Google Trends GB, June–September 2026, rising searches filter.

The standout figure is "tradesman insurance brokers" at +3,450% — a search that barely registered six months ago. This reflects a broader pattern: tradespeople are increasingly researching the costs and admin of running a business independently, rather than outsourcing lead generation to expensive platforms.

The rise of "trusted tradesman" (+20%) is also notable — homeowners are searching for ways to verify quality without relying on a paid badge from a directory they are losing confidence in.

4. The Broader Context: A Sector Under Pressure

The decline of paid tradesman directories sits against a broader UK trades sector that is growing in demand but shrinking in supply.

• 1.88 millionskilled tradespeople currently work in the UK (ONS-derived, Trusted Tradesman 2026)
• 225,000additional tradespeople needed by 2027 to meet existing demand
• £138 billionestimated annual contribution of UK trades to the economy
• 42%of homeowners say difficulty finding a trusted tradesperson is their main barrier to carrying out home repairs (HomeOwners Alliance)
• 4.8 millionhomeowners would use a free online trade listing if they needed a tradesperson (Eureka Research)

A sector where demand for tradespeople is outstripping supply, and where homeowners are struggling to find reliable help, should be a good environment for directories. The fact that the paid platforms are declining in this environment suggests the problem is the model, not the market.

5. Conclusions

1. The decline is simultaneous and cross-platform. Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Check a Trade, and TrustATrader all lost search interest in the same 90-day window. This is not one platform losing share to another — it is the entire category contracting.
2. Homeowner demand has not fallen. "Find a tradesman" and "find tradesman" remain at meaningful search volumes. The need to find tradespeople is unchanged. The trust in paid platforms to deliver that connection is what is eroding.
3. Tradespeople are looking for lower-cost alternatives. The 3,450% rise in "tradesman insurance brokers" and the growth in "tradesman insurance quotes" reflect a shift towards building a business independently — prioritising lower fixed costs over directory memberships.
4. Free-to-list models have an opening. Eureka Research estimates 4.8 million homeowners would use a free trade listing. A model that does not charge tradespeople per lead or per month removes the primary complaint driving the exodus from existing platforms.