Tree surgery, Royal Wootton Bassett
Luke and Dan's
- on Google for “tree surgeon”of 17, checked 19 Sept
- 1st
- enquiries a month
- 35
- A new website
- Every enquiry answered fast and chased
Enquiries counted over the 60 days to 11 Sep 2026.
See their siteCheckatrade alternative
A Checkatrade alternative: customers from your own Google listing.
Checkatrade works for plenty of trades, and it may still suit you. But if you are paying every month and sharing jobs with other firms, it is worth seeing how it compares with getting customers from your own Google listing. Everything below about Checkatrade is from their own pricing page and terms, as they read on 30 September 2026.
“checkatrade alternative”“is checkatrade worth it”“cancel checkatrade”
SimplyScalenow
New enquiry. Sarah Hughes, driveway and patio clean, 14 Elm Road, SN3. Found you on Google. We've replied in your name and asked for photos and roughly how big the drive is.
Your tracker
- MonRender cleanDone
- WedRoof moss removalWon
- ThuDriveway and patioNew
See who Google shows for your trade in Swindon, right now.
Pick your trade to see Google's own list, live. The free check then shows where you sit, and why.
Google's live list for your trade in Swindon
Pick your trade to see the live list.
The full list, and where you sit on it, is on the free check.
See where you sitGoogle's own list for that search, biased to the town centre. The map on a phone can differ with where you stand.
How the two compare.
Side by side, on the things a trade asks about first.
| Checkatrade | SimplyScale | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A free profile, Approved at £30 a month, or Growth from £59 a month. Leads come through pay-as-you-go or a fixed plan, priced by trade, area and demand. | Nothing until you've won a real job through us. Then from £500 a month, and any month you win nothing through us is free. |
| Where the enquiries come from | The Approved plan shows your profile when someone searches your business by name. Leads need a pay-as-you-go or fixed plan. | Your own Google listing and website, through a tracked number that rings your phone. |
| Who else gets the job | Customers can send one job to several trades at once with Request a Quote. | The customer found you, so the enquiry comes to you alone. |
| Contract | Memberships run for 12 months and renew automatically. You cancel by phone, no earlier than 35 days before renewal. | No contract. 30 days' notice, by text or email. |
| Your reviews | The customer owns them, and your right to use them ends when you leave. Checkatrade may keep your listing and reviews up. | On your Google listing, which is always yours. |
| Replies and chasing | Up to you. | Every enquiry replied to in your name, and every quote chased to a yes or a no. |
Checkatrade's figures and wording are from join.checkatrade.com/pricing, their Master Service Terms (updated 4 October 2025), Approved plan terms (updated 8 May 2026) and support pages, read on 30 September 2026. Their prices, offers and terms change, so check your own agreement before you decide.
When Checkatrade makes sense.
If you are new, with few reviews and no website, their vetting and their name can help a stranger trust you, and some trades keep a profile alongside everything else. We would rather you decide with the facts than with a sales pitch. What your own Google listing gives you that a directory cannot is customers who found you, not a job shared round, and reviews that stay yours.
What we do instead.
The same customer, searching the same thing, but finding you.
- Your listing worked every week.The right category, your service area, real photos, and a review asked for after every job.
- A site that backs it up.Fast on a phone, your real work on it, your number one tap away.
- Every enquiry replied to.In your name, within a minute, and every quote chased to a yes or a no.
- Every job counted.So you can see what it brings in, next to what you pay anyone else.
Trades getting their customers from their own listing.
Building, Swindon
A.P. Berrystone
- on Google for “builders”of 20, checked 19 Sept
- 2nd
- enquiries a month
- 12
- A new website
- Forms that now bring in most enquiries
Enquiries counted over the 8 weeks to 8 Oct 2026.
See their site
Waste and rubbish removal, Swindon
Junk Busters
- on Google for “rubbish removal”of 14, checked 19 Sept
- 2nd
- enquiries a month
- 39
- A new website
- Every call counted
Enquiries counted over the 60 days to 11 Sep 2026.
See their site
Valeting and detailing, Swindon
SimplyShine
- on Google for “car valeting”of 20, checked 19 Sept
- 1st
- Our own valeting business
- Run on the same system we sell
Google ratings as they stood in September 2026. Positions are Google's own list on the date shown, live when the page can reach it.
Free until you've won £500 of work through us.
Then from £500 a month, and any month you win less than £500 through us is free. No setup fee, no contract.
- Today£0A minute of questions, then Tyler rings you.
- Week one£0Listing rebuilt, website live, our number on both.
- Every day after£0Every enquiry replied to and chased, every win tracked.
- Your first real jobfrom£500 a monthOnly once you have won one through us. No‑job months are free.
No real job in 90 days? You walk away owing nothing, and you keep the website.
What you get
- Your websiteBuilt or rebuilt, yours to keep after 90 days
- Your Google listingWorked on every week
- Every enquiryReplied to in your name
- Every quoteChased to a yes or a no
- Referral systemHappy customers asked to send a friend
- Reactivation textsPast customers brought back
- Your trackerEvery job won, and its value
- One page a monthWhat came in, what you won
See if your town is free
A minute of questions about your business, then your name and number. Tyler usually rings you the same day.
Or ring 07700 100226.
Questions
Something not here? Ring 07700 100226 and ask Tyler.
Can I keep Checkatrade while I try this?
Yes. Your tracker will show which one brings the jobs, and you can decide with the numbers in front of you.
What happens to my Checkatrade reviews if I leave?
Under their terms the customer owns the review, your right to use it ends when you leave, and Checkatrade may keep your listing and reviews up. Reviews on your Google listing are yours for good.
How do I cancel Checkatrade?
Their terms say by phone, no earlier than 35 days before your renewal date, and that cancelling the direct debit does not end the agreement. Check your own agreement first, because terms change.
You cost more than £30 a month.
The £30 plan shows your profile to people who search your name. We run your listing and your site, reply to every enquiry and chase every quote, and you pay nothing until you have won a real job through us. Any month you win nothing through us is free.
Guides worth reading
All the guides- Lead sitesIs Checkatrade worth it for tradesmen?What Checkatrade costs in 2026, the 12-month contract, how leads reach you, and who it suits, all from Checkatrade's own pricing page and terms.
- Lead sitesCheckatrade vs TrustATrader vs MyBuilder vs Rated PeopleHow each charges trades, the contracts, and who else chases the same job, from their own pages on 2 October 2026. Plus what happened to Rated People.
- Lead sitesIs MyBuilder worth it for tradesmen?How MyBuilder works for trades, what the shortlist fees cost, when you pay without winning, and the sum to do, from MyBuilder's own pages.
- Lead sitesIs Rated People worth it in 2026?Rated People closed its memberships and is now part of Checkatrade Group. What that means for trades, what joining costs now, and the alternatives.
- Lead sitesBark vs Checkatrade: which costs a trade less?Bark and Checkatrade side by side from their own pages and terms: how you pay, the contracts, who else gets the job, and the sum to compare them.
See who Google shows instead of you.
Pick your trade and town. The list Google shows, your reviews against theirs, and what we would fix first. No details asked until the end.
- No setup fee, no contract
- Everything we build is yours after 90 days
- Tyler usually rings you the same day