Bark vs MyBuilder vs Rated People: trade lead fees, refunds and county coverage

What to take away

Bark credits cost £1.50 to £8. MyBuilder shortlist fees run £5 to £30. Rated People leads cost £8 to £60.
Ten leads at £15 each is £150. Two won jobs at £900 each is £1,800, leaving £1,650 before labour and materials.
Bark and Rated People accept invalid-lead reports for 7 days. MyBuilder refunds a shortlist fee after 48 hours of homeowner silence.
Fees and refund rules change, so confirm current rates before you buy. Job volume concentrates around London, Birmingham and Manchester, so count live jobs in your postcode.

How Bark, MyBuilder and Rated People charge

All three sell a chance to quote for a homeowner job. None guarantees the work. They differ in when money leaves your account.

Bark sells credits that you spend to open a customer request, as the Bark.com overview explains. Credits run from about £1.50 to £8, and one job can take one to four.

MyBuilder charges when you shortlist or express interest, per the MyBuilder listing. Shortlist fees typically fall between £5 and £30.

Rated People sells credits or packages. Leads commonly cost £8 to £60, and competition for a shared job pushes the price higher.

Before you compare platforms, set a fee ceiling with cost per lead benchmarks, which show what other trades pay by sector.

Fees, payment timing and refund triggers

Pay when

Bark: Before you contact the customer
MyBuilder: To shortlist or quote
Rated People: For credits or a package

Typical fee

Bark: Credits £1.50 to £8
MyBuilder: £5 to £30
Rated People: £8 to £60

Refund trigger

Bark: Invalid lead reported within 7 days
MyBuilder: No homeowner response within 48 hours
Rated People: Invalid lead reported within 7 days

Ranges here reflect published pricing checked in 2026. All three revise fees and refund terms from time to time, so treat the table as a starting point.

Payment Moment by Platform

Bark

Pay when: Before contact
Typical fee: £1.50-£8
Refund window: 7 days
Refund trigger: Invalid lead

MyBuilder

Pay when: Shortlist
Typical fee: £5-£30
Refund window: 48 hours
Refund trigger: No response

Rated People

Pay when: Credits
Typical fee: £8-£60
Refund window: 7 days
Refund trigger: Invalid lead

County coverage and where the jobs are

National coverage claims hide local gaps. County pages exist, but live job numbers in your trade decide whether coverage is worth anything.

Platform	Example counties with live listings
Bark	Greater London, West Midlands, Greater Manchester
MyBuilder	Kent, Lancashire and Surrey
Rated People	Essex, Hampshire and West Yorkshire

ONS data on UK business activity, size and location helps you compare local firm density. Construction firms concentrate in London and the South East.

Platforms rarely publish county-level job counts. Ask for the figure in writing, or measure demand yourself.

Example: counting live jobs in your patch

Create a free account on each platform using the same trade and postcode. On a normal weekday, count jobs posted in your categories.

A county page proves the platform will sell you leads there. It does not prove buyers exist at your price.

Repeat the count on a Saturday and again in a quiet week. Ten plumbers chasing one boiler repair will flatten your win rate, however cheap the lead looks.

A five-step test before you commit

Set your target job value and the most you will pay for one won job.
Open free accounts on all three with the same trade and postcode.
Record new job counts, fee per contact and how many trades share each lead.
Buy a small package on the closest fit, not the cheapest fee.
After ten leads, compare won jobs, refunds and quoting time. Keep or cancel.

Five-step checklist for comparing trade lead platforms as a sole trader (Bark vs MyBuilder vs Rated People: trade lead fees, refunds and county coverage) — A structured five-step test stops you judging a platform on headline price alone. Image: Prospect Network

A low win rate often traces back to slow replies, a wide travel radius or a thin quote. Use how to spot low-quality leads from UK lead marketplaces when requests look thin but the fee looked cheap.

Subscription alternatives to pay per lead

Pay per lead is not the only route into homeowner work. Directory memberships sell visibility instead of contacts, and the bill is fixed.

Checkatrade charges from around £100 per month for membership. TrustATrader sells annual listings from around £600 to £1,200, depending on trade and territory.

Which? Trusted Traders requires an assessment and an annual fee. Buy With Confidence is a Trading Standards approved scheme. Houzz Pro sells profile tools by monthly subscription.

Ask what happens if your postcode already carries competing members. Steady repeat demand often suits a fixed subscription.

If you run both models, which CRM platforms connect natively to UK lead marketplaces shows how to wire imports without daily CSV uploads.

Common questions

Does Bark charge per lead or per credit?

Bark uses credits to open a customer request. Check the credit price and any category multiplier before you top up.

Is MyBuilder cheaper than Rated People?

Neither is always cheaper. The answer turns on your trade, postcode and win rate. Judge each fee against jobs actually won.

Can I get a refund if a lead is fake?

Each platform defines an invalid lead differently, and the report windows are short. Read that definition before you buy.

Which platform covers my county best?

No single answer exists. Coverage pages are marketing, so search each platform with your trade and postcode and count live jobs yourself.