Checkatrade, Bark and MyBuilder compared with planning application leads
Checkatrade, Bark and MyBuilder pass on enquiries from customers who are looking for a tradesperson. Planning application alerts work differently: they list building projects that have been submitted to the council, and you decide which owners to contact. This page compares how each one charges and where its leads come from, so you can decide whether planning applications are worth adding.
Platform details are from each company’s own public pages as of 8 November 2026. Prices and terms change, so check the linked pages before you sign up. PlanningTrack is not affiliated with any of these companies.
How each one charges and finds work
| Service | How you pay | Where leads come from | First contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Monthly membership. The pricing page lists a free profile, an Approved plan at £30 a month and Growth plans from £59 a month. On a fixed plan you choose postcode areas and how many leads you want each year, for a fixed monthly cost. | Customers searching the Checkatrade directory in the postcode areas you choose. Members complete up to 12 checks before approval. | The customer books, calls or requests a quote. |
| Bark | Free to join. You buy credits and spend them to contact a customer. The credit cost of each lead depends on the service and the size of the job and is shown before you respond. The help centre lists £1.80 per credit, and credits bought from 1 November 2025 expire after 3 months. No commission. | Customers who answer questions about the service they need on Bark. | You pay credits to get the customer’s phone number and email, then contact them. |
| MyBuilder | Free profile. A shortlist fee is charged when a customer shares their contact details with you, calculated from the likely size, value and location of the job and shown before you express interest. The terms say MyBuilder does not guarantee that you will quote or win the job. | Jobs posted by homeowners, sent to trades whose skills and work area match. | You express interest; the customer decides who to shortlist. |
| PlanningTrack Area alerts | £29 a month for up to 3 areas, whatever the number of matching applications. Printed letters cost £1.95 each. | Planning applications published on council registers, matched to a postcode, radius and project type. | You write to the homeowner or developer. They have not asked for quotes. |
Sources: Checkatrade pricing, Bark credits, MyBuilder terms.
What is different about planning application leads
- No charge per lead. Area alerts is a fixed monthly subscription. A busy week of applications costs the same as a quiet one.
- The owner has not asked for quotes. A planning application shows that someone intends to build, not that they want to hear from you. Expect fewer replies than from a customer who posted a job, and write politely about the type of work.
- Leads are not exclusive. Planning registers are public, so other firms can see the same applications.
- Only work that needs planning permission appears. Repairs, most internal work and permitted development do not reach the register, while lead platforms also pass on enquiries for that kind of work.
- Projects appear before work can start. You can write while the owner is still waiting for a decision or collecting quotes.
Using both
You can keep a directory listing or lead platform for incoming enquiries and use planning applications to find larger projects in the areas you want to work. With Area alerts, each area is a postcode with a radius of 1 to 25 miles, filtered by project type, and up to 3 areas are included. Councils that do not publish coordinates for an application are not included in area alerts. Check coverage for your councils.
Trade pages list the proposal wording to look for: builders, roofing, loft conversions, landscaping and architects.
Get emailed about new planning applications in your area
Area alerts send a daily or weekly email with new applications and decisions near a postcode, filtered by project type. £29 a month, up to 3 areas. Records are limited to the councils we collect.
Set up an area alert