Is MyBuilder worth it for tradesmen?

MyBuilder is a lead site for trades who don’t want another monthly bill. There’s no membership. You see jobs posted in your area, say you’re interested, and pay only when a customer picks you.

That sounds like a fair deal, and for some trades it is. But “pay only when picked” isn’t the same as “pay only when you win”, and that gap is where the money goes. This guide sets out how MyBuilder works and what it costs, from its own help centre and its terms for tradespeople, read on 2 October 2026. Then it shows the sum that tells you whether it’s worth it for you.

How MyBuilder works for trades

MyBuilder’s sign-up page sets it out in three steps:

1. You get leads. You set up a free profile and MyBuilder sends you jobs that match your trade and area.
2. You express interest. “Respond to as many leads as you like.” It’s free. You send the customer a short introduction message.
3. The customer shortlists, and you pay. “Based on your profile, work history and reviews, customers decide who to share their details with.” If they shortlist you, you get their phone number and email, and MyBuilder charges you a fee.

From the customer’s side, MyBuilder tells them they’ll get “responses from interested tradespeople, usually within 24 hours”, then they browse profiles and choose who to share their details with. So you’re one of the trades who responded, and the customer is comparing you on your profile, photos and reviews before you’ve spoken.

MyBuilder describes itself as “Part of the Instapro Group and Angi family”.

What it costs

What	What MyBuilder says (checked 2 October 2026)
Joining or membership fee	“There are no joining fees, membership fees or any other costs.”
Responding to a lead	Free. “You can express interest in as many jobs as you want for free.”
Shortlist fee	Charged when the customer shares their contact details with you. It “can start from £7”.
VAT	The terms say the fee is displayed excluding VAT
How the fee is set	“Calculated based on the likely size, value and location of the Job”. The help centre adds criteria “such as surface area, quantity… and the material”.
When you see it	“Always stated before you respond to a customer”, and “never adjusted after you have responded”
Refunds	“Non-refundable”, except at MyBuilder’s discretion, and then only as account credit
Billing	The terms say you’re invoiced at least weekly, with each invoice due on its date
Contract	None. The terms say “You may stop using the MyBuilder Platform at any time.”

So £7 is a floor, not an average. MyBuilder doesn’t publish a typical fee, and bigger jobs cost more to be shortlisted for. You’ll see the fee on each lead before you respond, so write it down every time.

The bit trades miss: you pay to be picked, not to win

MyBuilder’s terms are clear: “It is not necessary for you to be awarded the Job for the Shortlist Fee to be payable.” Being shortlisted gets you the customer’s number. After that, they may get other quotes, change their mind, or never answer.

MyBuilder’s own help centre puts it like this: the platform “is designed in such a way that the income from the jobs that you may carry out will cover all your lead fees over time”, including the leads that don’t work out. That’s the right way to think about it. One fee means nothing; what matters is all your fees against all the jobs you won.

When you can get a credit back

MyBuilder’s credit rules, which apply to shortlists from 25 July 2026, say you may be eligible for a credit if:

• the customer’s contact details are wrong or not in service,
• the customer asked for the wrong type of work,
• you were shortlisted for the same job twice, or
• the “customer” is really looking for work rather than posting a job.

If the customer just never answers, all of these must apply: you contacted them within 48 hours of being shortlisted, you sent at least one message through MyBuilder, they didn’t reply by phone, email or message, and you ask for the credit between 7 and 20 days after being shortlisted. Approved credits go on your account against your next shortlist. They aren’t paid back as money.

The practical lesson: message every shortlist through MyBuilder the same day, even if you also ring. Without that message, you can’t claim a credit for a customer who goes silent.

Rules that affect how you work

• No swapping numbers early. The terms say you mustn’t exchange contact details outside the platform to avoid the fee, “including directing a Customer to your own website”. Breaking this gives MyBuilder the right to end your account.
• Quotes in plain English, including VAT. MyBuilder’s quality standards say quotes should “include VAT along with the payment method”, and “Don’t message the fee you’ve paid to MyBuilder when creating the quote.”
• Reviews only after real work. A customer can leave feedback once you’ve agreed to do some or all of the job and it has started or money has been paid.

Who MyBuilder suits

It can be worth it if:

• You want to choose your jobs one by one, with no monthly commitment.
• You’re new, or new to an area, and need work while you build reviews of your own.
• You have quiet spells and want to top up the diary, then stop when you’re busy. MyBuilder says “if you’re busy and don’t need to use MyBuilder for a while, you can simply stop showing interest in new leads.”
• Your introduction messages and profile are good, and you’re quick on the phone once shortlisted.

It’s often poor value if:

• You get shortlisted a lot but win few, because you’re dearer than the others or slow to ring.
• Your jobs are big enough that the shortlist fees are high and the customer gets several quotes.
• You already have a Google listing that brings in calls, where the customer rang you alone and you paid nothing for the contact.

Do the sum before you decide

MyBuilder works on a cost per shortlist. What you need is the cost per job won. Here’s how to get it, using made-up numbers to show the method.

1. Add up a month’s shortlist fees, plus VAT. Say you were shortlisted 12 times at an average of £14: £168, plus VAT.
2. Count the jobs you won from those shortlists. Say 3.
3. Divide. £168 ÷ 3 = £56 a job won, before VAT. That’s what each MyBuilder job really cost you.
4. Compare it with the profit on an average job, not the price. If your average job leaves £400 after materials and labour, £56 might be fine. If it leaves £120, it isn’t.
5. Do it again after three months. One month can be lucky or unlucky.

Your shortlist-to-win rate is the number that moves this. If you win 1 in 2 shortlists, MyBuilder can be cheap. If you win 1 in 8, the same fees cost four times as much per job. Two things raise it: ringing every shortlist fast, and a profile with real photos and plenty of reviews.

If you can’t do step 2 because you don’t know which jobs came from where, start there. Write down the source of every enquiry for a month. Our guide to following up a quote helps with the other half: shortlists that go quiet after you’ve quoted.

How it compares with the other lead sites

MyBuilder’s model is different from the others: no membership, pay per shortlist. Checkatrade is a monthly membership on a 12-month term, TrustATrader charges a membership with no lead fees, and Rated People has closed its memberships and now sends its leads to Checkatrade members. We’ve laid them side by side, from their own terms, in Checkatrade vs TrustATrader vs MyBuilder vs Rated People, and covered the other two in is Checkatrade worth it and is Rated People worth it. For Bark, see is Bark worth it for tradesmen.

The other way: customers who pick you before they ring

On MyBuilder, the customer picks you from the trades who responded. On Google, the customer picks you from the firms on the map, then rings you, and there’s no fee for the contact.

What we have seen

A.P. Berrystone, a Swindon building firm (a family firm: Adrian Berrystone is Tyler’s dad), got about 12 real enquiries a month in the 60 days to 11 September 2026, with 17 of his last 24 through his own website forms. He was 2nd of 20 on Google’s list for “builders” in Swindon on 19 September 2026. Read his case study.

Building work is bought on trust, and the customer who has read your reviews and looked at your website before getting in touch is already halfway sold. That’s the same thing MyBuilder sells you, except the profile is yours and so are the reviews.

None of this means you have to choose. You can keep a lead site going while your own listing builds up, and drop it when the numbers say so. If your Google listing isn’t bringing in calls yet, start with why your business isn’t showing on Google Maps.

How we do it, and why it works

We get trades customers who found them, not a job shared round:

• Found: your Google listing set up and worked every week, a review asked for after every job, and a website built to be called. The reviews sit on your own listing, so they stay yours.
• Answered: calls ring you, as they always have. A missed call from a mobile gets a text back in your name, every form and message gets a reply in your name, anyone who goes quiet is followed up, and every quote is chased to a yes or a no.
• Counted: after each enquiry, a text asks whether you won it and for how much. Once a month, one page: what came in, what you won, what it was worth. That’s the cost per job won sum above, done for you.

You pay nothing until you’ve won £500 of work through us. Then it’s from £500 a month, and any month the work you win through us comes to less than £500 is free. No contract, 30 days’ notice. You can keep MyBuilder running alongside and let the numbers decide.

The free check shows who Google lists for your trade in your town, where you sit, and whether your town is still free.