TradeKind vs Rated People: Which Is Better for Sussex Trades?

Your phone has stopped ringing.

Perhaps a large job has been delayed. A regular contractor has gone quiet. An employee has finished one project earlier than expected, or the diary simply has a gap that recommendations have not filled.

That is the problem Rated People is designed to address.

Homeowners post jobs. Relevant tradespeople see those opportunities and decide which ones they want to pursue. Depending on the membership plan, the business either uses account credit, pays for the lead or accesses qualifying jobs through a monthly Unlimited package.

TradeKind approaches the same market from the opposite direction.

Instead of beginning with a stream of individual leads, it begins with the Sussex trade business itself: its services, photographs, reviews, FAQs, working areas, website and local trade network. Homeowners can then find or request that business through a public profile.

So the most useful question is not simply:

**“Is TradeKind better than Rated People?”**

It is:

**“Do I need immediate opportunities to quote for, or do I need a stronger local presence through which homeowners can find my business?”**

## The clearest difference

Rated People is primarily a job-lead marketplace.

TradeKind is primarily a Sussex trade-profile network with job-posting and direct-request features built into it.

That means the value appears in different places.

With Rated People, the immediate value is the opportunity to contact a homeowner who has already described a job.

With TradeKind, the immediate value is the profile itself. The business receives a public Sussex-focused page that can be completed, shared and linked to its own website without paying a core membership fee.

One model is built around **selecting available work**.

The other is built around **making the individual business easier to understand and request locally**.

## Start with the problem inside your business

Different advertising products solve different problems.

### “I have a gap in the diary next week”

Rated People may be the more relevant option.

Homeowners are already posting jobs, and tradespeople can review opportunities matched to their trade and working area.

A business that responds quickly may be able to turn a suitable lead into a conversation, quotation and completed job.

TradeKind may also generate requests, but it is a newer platform and should not be relied upon as an instant replacement for an established lead marketplace.

### “People hear about us, but we have nowhere professional to send them”

TradeKind may be the better starting point.

An approved profile can show:

- Services
- Work photographs
- Reviews
- Frequently asked questions
- Sussex towns covered
- Team members
- Independent partner trades
- A business website link
- A private homeowner request button

The profile can be shared through Facebook, WhatsApp, email, quotations or the company website.

### “I want more jobs, but I need control over the cost”

Both options may help, but in different ways.

TradeKind’s current core profile has no setup fee, subscription or commission.

Rated People requires the business to understand its chosen plan, included credit, qualifying leads, additional lead prices and any minimum membership term.

Rated People may produce work sooner. TradeKind carries less financial risk.

### “We are already busy, but we want to build for the future”

TradeKind is likely to make more sense initially.

A fully booked trade may gain little from paying for more immediate opportunities. It may gain more from establishing an additional local profile that can be indexed, shared and developed while the business is busy.

## How Rated People works for tradespeople

Homeowners post jobs on Rated People for free.

The job is categorised and shown to relevant tradespeople according to factors including:

- The type of work
- The job location
- The business’s selected trade
- The business’s working area
- The homeowner’s stated budget and requirements

A tradesperson can review the available information before deciding whether to pursue the opportunity.

When the business purchases or accesses the lead, it receives the homeowner’s contact information and can get in touch by telephone, email, messaging or Rated People chat.

The homeowner also receives access to the tradesperson’s profile, ratings and work information.

Up to three tradespeople can normally purchase the same lead.

This gives the homeowner some choice while limiting the number of businesses paying to compete for the job.

However, purchasing or accessing a lead does not mean:

- The homeowner will answer
- The business will be invited to quote
- The quotation will be accepted
- The job will proceed
- The work will be profitable
- The homeowner will choose one of the three businesses

A lead is an opportunity to contact a potential customer. It is not a purchased job.

## How TradeKind works for Sussex tradespeople

TradeKind is limited to businesses operating across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

A trade signs up and builds a public profile containing information that helps homeowners understand the business before making contact.

Once approved, the profile can appear within relevant TradeKind trade, town and search pages.

Homeowners can then:

- Browse Sussex trade profiles
- Search by trade and town
- Post a job
- Request a particular business

The profile owner receives the request through TradeKind.

Private telephone numbers and email addresses do not need to be displayed publicly.

The current core profile includes:

- A logo
- A cover image
- Work-gallery photographs
- Services
- Frequently asked questions
- Areas covered
- Reviews and profile signals
- A business website link
- Team members
- Independent partner trades
- A Request This Trade button

There is currently no setup fee, subscription, commission or charge for receiving an ordinary homeowner request.

[Create your free Sussex trade profile](/for-trades).

## What does Rated People currently cost?

Rated People does not operate with only one universal price or plan.

Its current products include credit-based membership and Unlimited plans, with availability and pricing affected by factors such as the selected trade and coverage area.

On the Rated People signup page checked for this comparison, the plan displayed was:

**QPM Pro — £149 plus VAT, with £149 of lead credit**

At 20% VAT, the payment would be **£178.80 including VAT**.

The page stated that the included credit expires at the end of each month.

That does not mean every tradesperson will necessarily be offered the same plan or price. Rated People also advertises Unlimited packages and tailored products.

The exact offer should be checked during signup and confirmed before payment.

## How Rated People lead credit works

On a credit-based plan, part or all of the membership payment may be returned to the account as credit that can be used to purchase leads.

Lead prices are dynamic.

Rated People says the price can reflect:

- The likely size and complexity of the job
- The location
- Demand for that trade in the area
- The homeowner’s stage in the hiring process
- The potential value of the opportunity

The price is visible before the tradesperson buys the lead.

Once the job is live, its price generally remains fixed unless Rated People chooses to apply a discount.

The important word is **credit**.

Included credit is not the same as money remaining in the business bank account. It must be used through Rated People, and unused credit may expire according to the billing cycle.

Rated People states that:

- Monthly-plan credit normally lasts for the monthly billing period
- Quarterly-plan credit normally lasts for the quarterly period
- Annual-plan credit normally lasts for the annual period
- Unused included credit does not roll forward after it expires

A business should therefore avoid choosing a large credit allowance simply because it appears generous.

The useful question is whether it can spend that credit on genuinely suitable jobs before it expires.

## What is the Rated People Unlimited plan?

Rated People also advertises an Unlimited membership.

This is designed to make the monthly advertising cost more predictable for tradespeople who regularly pursue smaller and mid-sized jobs.

Under the current published description, the Unlimited package can include:

- Access to qualifying leads within the selected primary trade
- Jobs with stated budgets up to £4,000
- Opportunities within a radius of up to 50 miles
- No separate lead price for opportunities marked as Included
- The ability to pursue a high volume of qualifying work

Jobs above £4,000 are not normally included and may still be available to purchase separately.

The package is subject to:

- Availability by trade and location
- A fair-usage policy
- The precise terms offered to the individual business
- The geographic and trade settings attached to the account

Rated People does not publish one standard Unlimited price for every trade and location. Businesses are directed to obtain the available price for their circumstances.

“Unlimited” should also be understood accurately.

It means access to qualifying included leads under the plan. It does not mean unlimited guaranteed customers, quotations or completed jobs.

## TradeKind’s pricing is simpler

TradeKind’s current core trade offer is free.

That includes:

- Creating the profile
- Publishing the profile after approval
- Adding services
- Adding photographs
- Adding FAQs
- Selecting Sussex areas
- Displaying reviews
- Adding the business website
- Showing team and partner trades
- Receiving ordinary homeowner requests

There are no credits to spend and no lead balance to manage.

There is also no guarantee that the free profile will produce a particular number of enquiries.

The financial risk is lower, but the business must still contribute:

- Time
- Accurate information
- Strong photographs
- Useful service descriptions
- Genuine reviews
- Prompt responses
- Ongoing profile maintenance

Free does not remove the need to present the company properly.

## The cost of a lead is not its displayed price

Suppose a Rated People lead costs £25 plus VAT.

That is not necessarily the true cost of acquiring the customer.

The business may also spend:

- Time reading the job and making contact
- Time discussing it
- Time travelling to the property
- Time assessing and measuring
- Time preparing the written quotation
- Time following up
- Fuel and vehicle costs

If the job is not won, those costs still exist.

If one in five purchased leads becomes work, the acquisition cost of the successful customer must reflect all five leads—not only the one that converted.

A useful calculation is:

**Total membership and lead expenditure ÷ completed jobs won = direct acquisition cost per completed job**

That does not make paid leads a bad investment.

A £100 acquisition cost can be excellent for a profitable £8,000 project and disastrous for a £120 repair.

Context matters more than the headline lead price.

## Rated People’s biggest strength: existing homeowner intent

People post on Rated People because they need work completed.

That creates commercial intent.

The homeowner has normally:

- Identified a problem
- Chosen a relevant job category
- Described the required work
- Supplied a location
- Indicated that they want tradespeople to respond

This is more immediate than someone casually viewing a directory profile.

Rated People has an established national homeowner audience, extensive rating history and a large number of active tradespeople.

For a business that needs to fill capacity, that existing flow of opportunities may justify the cost.

TradeKind is newer and cannot honestly claim equivalent current demand.

Its Sussex focus may be more locally relevant, but a narrower network is not automatically a busier one.

## TradeKind’s biggest strength: the business is not charged for contact

A homeowner can request an approved TradeKind business without creating a lead fee for that trade.

This changes the risk calculation.

The business can receive:

- A well-matched request
- A vague request
- A small job
- A large job
- A homeowner who changes their mind
- A request outside its preferred work

None of those ordinary requests creates a charge under the current core model.

That does not mean every request is valuable.

It means the business is free to assess suitability without first recovering the cost of access.

For sole traders and small companies with irregular marketing budgets, that simplicity may matter.

## What happens when a Rated People homeowner does not respond?

Rated People’s normal policy is that individual lead purchases and membership payments are non-refundable.

However, subscription members may be able to request account credit when they were not given a genuine opportunity to quote.

The current credit-request policy includes conditions.

These can include:

- The business being on a subscription plan
- Pay-as-you-go members not being eligible
- The profile meeting minimum completion requirements
- Waiting at least 48 hours after buying the lead
- Making the request within the required period
- Attempting to contact the homeowner
- Remaining within the permitted claim allowance

A successful request normally returns account credit rather than a cash refund.

This distinction should be included when calculating the risk of buying leads.

## Which platform has the stronger review system?

Rated People has the more established review ecosystem.

Its profiles can show:

- Star ratings
- Written feedback
- Work photographs
- Business details
- Qualifications and certifications
- Previous customer experiences

Homeowners who hire through Rated People can rate the business after the work.

Rated People can also allow tradespeople to invite previous customers from work completed outside the platform to leave external ratings.

That can help a new member avoid beginning with an entirely empty profile.

TradeKind cannot yet match Rated People’s scale or review history.

Its review system gives Sussex businesses an additional place to begin or continue building local trust alongside:

- Google Business Profile
- The company website
- Existing directory profiles
- Social media
- Customer recommendations

Reviews on either platform should remain genuine, attributable and accurate.

## Does Rated People verify tradespeople?

Rated People requires tradespeople to create business accounts and uses identity-verification processes for active users.

Profiles may also display qualifications, certifications and badges where relevant.

However, Rated People acts as an introductory platform.

It does not guarantee:

- The quality of a tradesperson’s work
- The outcome of the homeowner’s agreement
- That every lead will be suitable
- That every job will proceed without dispute

TradeKind manually reviews profiles before they are published.

That helps keep the Sussex network useful, local and relevant, but TradeKind approval is not:

- A workmanship guarantee
- A professional accreditation
- An insurance policy
- Proof of every qualification
- Blanket verification of everything shown on the profile

Homeowners should complete the checks appropriate to the work regardless of which website introduced the business.

## Three common Sussex trade-business scenarios

### The new sole trader

A newly established decorator in Eastbourne has good photographs but few customers and an empty diary.

Rated People may provide access to immediate painting and decorating opportunities. The business must be ready to answer quickly, quote professionally and absorb the cost of unsuccessful leads.

TradeKind gives the decorator a free Sussex profile to share with potential customers and begin developing over time.

Using both could be reasonable: one for immediate opportunities and one for the business’s wider local presence.

### The established two-person company

A plumbing company in Worthing already receives recommendations but occasionally has spare capacity.

An expensive high-volume lead plan may be unnecessary.

The company could maintain a free TradeKind profile permanently and use Rated People selectively when the diary becomes quiet.

The key is avoiding a plan that pressures the business to chase leads simply to use expiring credit.

### The growing multi-trade business

A larger Brighton property-maintenance company wants enough work for several people.

Rated People’s existing job volume and ability to access multiple opportunities may be commercially useful.

TradeKind can still support the company’s local identity, website, team structure, services and partner network.

In this case, the platforms serve different functions rather than replacing one another.

## Rated People may suit you when…

Rated People may be the stronger option when:

- You actively need additional jobs
- You can respond to leads quickly
- You are comfortable paying for opportunities
- You understand how your credit expires
- Your average job value supports the acquisition cost
- You have time to quote
- You work across a reasonably wide area
- You can track each lead from purchase to profit
- You have strong photographs and reviews
- You are prepared to compete with other interested tradespeople

It is particularly relevant when empty diary space is costing the business money.

## TradeKind may suit you when…

TradeKind may be the stronger option when:

- You work in East Sussex, West Sussex or Brighton & Hove
- You want another profile without a subscription
- You want homeowners to request your business directly
- You want a public link to your own website
- You do not want to manage monthly lead credit
- You want to show exact services and Sussex coverage
- You want to display your team and partner trades
- You are already busy but want to improve local visibility
- You prefer to keep your phone number and email private
- You accept that the platform is newer and still developing its audience

Its current core profile has a low financial barrier, but it still requires effort to become useful.

## Questions to ask before paying Rated People

Before entering payment details, obtain clear answers to the following:

1. Which exact plan am I buying?
2. What is the price before VAT?
3. What will be taken from my account including VAT?
4. How often will I be billed?
5. Is there a minimum membership term?
6. How much lead credit is included?
7. When does that credit expire?
8. Does unused credit roll over?
9. Which trade categories are included?
10. What geographic radius is included?
11. Which leads are included without extra payment?
12. What happens with jobs valued above £4,000?
13. Can more than one trade category be included?
14. What notice is needed to cancel?
15. What happens if I cancel during a minimum term?
16. When can I request account credit for an unusable lead?
17. Are there optional extras?
18. What happens to my profile and ratings after cancellation?

Keep the written answers, plan summary and payment confirmation.

## Measure results like a business, not a hopeful bidder

Create a simple lead record containing:

- Date purchased or accessed
- Trade category
- Location
- Stated job value
- Lead cost
- VAT
- Whether included credit was used
- Whether the homeowner replied
- Whether a site visit occurred
- Whether a quotation was submitted
- Quoted value
- Whether the job was won
- Completed value
- Estimated gross profit
- Whether a rating was received
- Whether the customer later returned

After a reasonable period, calculate:

- Contact rate
- Site-visit rate
- Quotation rate
- Win rate
- Average cost per completed job
- Gross profit from Rated People work
- Return on total membership and lead spend

Do not judge the platform by how many notifications appear on the phone.

Judge it by the profitable work those notifications eventually create.

## Can TradeKind and Rated People work together?

Yes.

Rated People can provide access to homeowners who have already posted jobs.

TradeKind can provide a permanent Sussex profile that supports the company’s own name and website.

A business could use Rated People for:

- Filling short-term diary gaps
- Finding specific job opportunities
- Entering a new service area
- Building a Rated People review history
- Accessing an established national marketplace

The same business could use TradeKind for:

- A free Sussex-focused profile
- A website link
- Local service and coverage information
- Private direct requests
- Team and partner-trade visibility
- A shareable profile
- An additional long-term search presence

A sensible approach is:

1. [Create the free TradeKind profile](/for-trades).
2. Complete the profile properly.
3. Decide whether the business genuinely needs more immediate work.
4. Obtain the exact Rated People plan and price.
5. Set a maximum advertising budget.
6. Track every purchased or included opportunity.
7. Continue only when completed work justifies the total cost.

## The verdict

Rated People has the stronger immediate job-marketplace proposition.

Homeowners already post work there. Tradespeople can select opportunities, obtain contact details, quote and build ratings through an established national platform.

That access carries a cost.

Depending on the chosen plan, the business may pay a subscription, receive expiring lead credit, purchase individual leads or access qualifying opportunities through an Unlimited package.

TradeKind is the simpler, lower-risk starting point for a Sussex trade business.

The current core profile is free. It includes a business website link, detailed local profile, private homeowner requests and no setup fee, subscription or commission.

What TradeKind does not currently offer is Rated People’s existing volume of national homeowner job posts.

The most realistic conclusion is therefore:

**Use TradeKind to establish the free Sussex foundation. Use Rated People when the business has genuine capacity for more work and can prove that the subscription and lead costs produce profitable completed jobs.**

## Continue the TradeKind comparison series

- [TradeKind vs Checkatrade: Which Is Better for Sussex Tradespeople?](/blog/tradekind-vs-checkatrade)
- [TradeKind vs MyBuilder: Which Is Better for Finding Work in Sussex?](/blog/tradekind-vs-mybuilder)
- [TradeKind vs TrustATrader: Which Platform Suits Sussex Tradespeople?](/blog/tradekind-vs-trustatrader)
- [TradeKind vs Friday-Ad: Where Should Sussex Tradespeople Advertise?](/blog/tradekind-vs-friday-ad)
- [TradeKind vs Local Facebook Groups: Which Works Better for Sussex Tradespeople?](/blog/tradekind-vs-local-facebook-groups)
- [TradeKind vs Sussex Business Directories: What Does a Trade Listing Actually Give You?](/blog/tradekind-vs-sussex-business-directories)
- [TradeKind vs Local Print Advertising: Online Profile or Door-to-Door Reach?](/blog/tradekind-vs-local-print-advertising)
- [TradeKind vs Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People and TrustATrader Compared](/blog/tradekind-vs-trade-platforms)
- [Where to Advertise a Trade Business in Sussex: Free and Paid Options Compared](/blog/where-to-advertise-a-trade-business-in-sussex)

*Information checked against the official Rated People and TradeKind websites on 25 July 2026. Membership products, prices, lead rules, credit policies and terms can change. Confirm the current offer before paying. TradeKind is independent and is not affiliated with Rated People.*