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

A Sussex trade business should not have to pay simply to create a professional local presence, show its work or receive an ordinary homeowner request.

TradeKind gives approved tradespeople across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove a complete business profile, direct requests, access to Sussex job opportunities and regular local leaflet promotion. It is 100% free to use.

Rated People works differently. It is a paid UK marketplace where homeowners post jobs and tradespeople use a subscription, lead credit or an Unlimited plan to access suitable opportunities.

For most Sussex tradespeople, the sensible order is clear:

1. Create and complete the free TradeKind profile.
2. Use it as the main local home for the business.
3. Begin receiving direct requests and relevant Sussex job opportunities.
4. Consider Rated People only as an additional paid source of posted jobs.
5. Continue with any paid platform only when the completed work justifies the cost.

TradeKind should remain central whether the business wants more enquiries now, is planning future growth or wants to become easier for Sussex homeowners to find.

TradeKind vs Rated People in plain English

Question	TradeKind	Rated People
What is it?	A free Sussex trade network with detailed profiles, direct requests and local job opportunities	A paid UK marketplace for jobs posted by homeowners
Who is it for?	Trades operating across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove	Tradespeople across the UK using an eligible plan
What does it cost?	Completely free, with no costs at all	Subscription, credit or Unlimited-plan costs
How can work arrive?	A homeowner requests a specific business or posts a Sussex job	The trade pays for access to suitable homeowner job details
Does the trade pay per ordinary request?	No	Lead access is covered through the selected paid arrangement
How many trades can pursue a Rated People job?	Not applicable to direct TradeKind requests	Up to three tradespeople can access the same homeowner’s details
What can the profile show?	Services, areas, photographs, reviews, FAQs, website, Team and Partner trades	Business information, photographs and customer ratings
Offline promotion	Completely free regular leaflet campaigns across changing Sussex locations	Not a central part of the service
Best role for a Sussex trade	The main free local profile and route to new work	An optional additional paid source of posted jobs

Rated People’s prices, plans and eligibility can change. Check the exact terms offered to the business before entering a paid agreement.

How the same Sussex job reaches a tradesperson

Imagine a homeowner in Worthing wants three rooms decorated.

They know they need a painter and decorator, but they have not chosen a business yet.

Finding the decorator through TradeKind

The homeowner can visit TradeKind and search for painters and decorators covering Worthing.

They may find a profile showing:

• Interior decorating
• Wallpaper hanging
• Woodwork preparation
• Rental-property decorating
• Photographs of completed rooms
• Customer reviews
• Frequently asked questions
• Worthing, Lancing and Shoreham as covered areas
• A link to the decorator’s website

The homeowner can then send a private request directly to that business.

They can explain the rooms involved, preferred timing and any preparation already completed.

Alternatively, the homeowner can post the decorating job so relevant Sussex trades can consider it.

The decorator has not paid to unlock the request. The business can first decide whether the location, service and likely timing are suitable.

Finding the decorator through Rated People

On Rated People, the homeowner begins by posting the decorating job.

Relevant tradespeople using the platform can see the opportunity. Up to three can pay for or otherwise access the customer’s contact details through their plan.

Those businesses can then contact the homeowner, discuss the work and attempt to arrange a quotation.

Paying for access creates an opportunity to speak to the customer. It does not automatically mean the homeowner will reply, request a quotation or choose that business.

Both routes can introduce tradespeople to homeowners.

The important difference is that TradeKind gives the Sussex business a completely free profile, direct request route and local job access before it considers paying for an additional marketplace.

What TradeKind gives a Sussex trade business

TradeKind is designed around how homeowners actually compare local tradespeople.

A homeowner usually wants more than a business name and telephone number. They want to know whether the company provides the right service, covers the area and appears suitable for the job.

A complete TradeKind profile can help answer those questions.

Present individual services clearly

Broad labels can make a trade business difficult to understand.

A profile saying only “builder” does not tell a homeowner whether the company handles:

• Extensions
• Renovations
• Garage conversions
• Structural alterations
• Brickwork
• Property repairs
• Refurbishments

TradeKind allows those services to be shown separately.

The same applies to other Sussex trades.

A roofer can distinguish roof repairs, flat roofing, chimney work, guttering, storm damage and complete re-roofing.

An electrician can show fault finding, rewiring, lighting, consumer-unit work, EV chargers, alarms and landlord electrical services.

A painter and decorator can separate interior decorating, exterior painting, wallpaper hanging and commercial work.

This makes the profile more useful to homeowners and helps the business attract better-matched requests.

Show exactly where the business works

Local coverage matters.

A plumber based in Lancing may want work across Worthing, Shoreham and Steyning.

A roofer in Eastbourne might cover Hailsham, Polegate, Seaford and Bexhill-on-Sea.

A builder in Crawley may work across Horsham, Haywards Heath and nearby West Sussex towns.

TradeKind allows each business to select and display the Sussex areas it genuinely covers.

That can reduce unsuitable enquiries, unnecessary travel and confusion about whether the company serves a particular location.

Let the work speak for itself

Photographs are especially important for visual trades.

A decorator, roofer, landscaper, carpenter, tiler or builder can show real examples of completed work.

A homeowner can see the type of finish, property or project the business has experience with before making contact.

The TradeKind profile provides a permanent gallery that can be shared through recommendations, Facebook, WhatsApp, email, quotations and the company website.

Answer common questions before the first conversation

Frequently asked questions can help the homeowner understand how the business works.

A trade might explain:

• How quotations are arranged
• Whether smaller jobs are accepted
• Which materials are supplied
• What preparation is required
• Which areas are covered
• Whether work is completed by Team members
• Which independent Partner trades may be involved
• What information the customer should include in a request

This can make the first conversation more useful for both sides.

Receive direct requests without publishing private details

Homeowners can send a private request through TradeKind.

The trade’s private telephone number and email address do not need to be displayed publicly on the profile.

This gives the business a clear contact route while allowing it to decide when and how to respond.

TradeKind is completely free for Sussex tradespeople

TradeKind is 100% free to use.

There are:

• No setup fees
• No monthly subscriptions
• No annual membership charges
• No commission
• No lead fees
• No profile-upgrade charges
• No hidden costs

Tradespeople do not pay to:

• Create a profile
• Add services
• Select Sussex coverage areas
• Upload work photographs
• Add frequently asked questions
• Display reviews
• Link to the company website
• Receive ordinary homeowner requests
• Access Sussex job opportunities
• Use TradeKind’s Team and Partner-trade features

This makes TradeKind a strong free alternative to paid trade platforms for businesses operating across Sussex.

A new sole trader can build a professional local presence without adding another monthly expense.

An established family business can use TradeKind alongside its website, Google Business Profile and customer recommendations.

A growing company can show its wider Team and Partner-trade network while continuing to receive direct requests.

Free leaflet campaigns across changing Sussex locations

TradeKind also runs regular leaflet campaigns across Sussex.

Each campaign targets a varied selection of towns and areas, with the locations changing between campaigns.

This helps introduce TradeKind and its approved trades to homeowners across different parts of:

• East Sussex
• West Sussex
• Brighton and Hove

The leaflet promotion is completely free.

Tradespeople do not pay anything towards:

• Design
• Printing
• Distribution
• Campaign planning
• Delivery
• Enquiries generated through the campaign

A plumber in Shoreham, decorator in Worthing, electrician in Lewes or builder in Crawley can benefit from wider Sussex promotion without contributing towards the cost.

The leaflets help create awareness among homeowners.

The TradeKind profiles then provide the information needed when those homeowners are ready to find and request a local business.

Create your free Sussex trade profile.

How Rated People works for tradespeople

Rated People is built around jobs posted by homeowners.

The homeowner describes the work, selects the relevant trade and provides contact information.

Suitable opportunities are then shown to tradespeople using the platform.

A trade can assess the available job details and decide whether the opportunity appears relevant. Depending on the plan, it may use monthly credit, pay for the individual lead or access an included opportunity through Rated People Unlimited.

Once the lead is accessed, the trade receives the homeowner’s available contact details and can get in touch.

Rated People limits each posted job to a maximum of three tradespeople.

This avoids an unlimited number of businesses purchasing the same opportunity, although each trade may still be competing against two others for the work.

The homeowner remains free to:

• Reply to one or more tradespeople
• Request several quotations
• Choose one business
• Delay the project
• Change the work
• Decide not to proceed

Accessing the lead provides the chance to contact the customer. The completed job is not guaranteed.

What does Rated People cost?

Rated People does not have one universal price applying to every trade and location.

The available option may depend on:

• The trade category
• Working area
• Type of membership
• Number and value of leads wanted
• Eligibility for an Unlimited plan

Its main models include credit-based plans and Unlimited packages.

Rated People credit plans

A paid plan may include monthly lead credit.

The trade can use that credit to access suitable homeowner opportunities.

Lead prices are calculated using factors such as:

• Job size
• Complexity
• Location
• Local demand
• The stage the homeowner has reached
• The type of skill required

The price is shown before the tradesperson decides whether to purchase the lead.

Rated People currently advertises one QPM Pro example at £149 plus VAT, including £149 of monthly lead credit.

The published offer states that this credit expires at the end of each month. The exact plan presented to an individual business may differ, so the current agreement should always be checked before joining.

Rated People Unlimited

Rated People also offers Unlimited plans.

These use a fixed monthly fee to provide access to qualifying leads without paying separately for each included opportunity.

According to Rated People’s current published information, included jobs generally need to:

• Match the primary trade selected
• Fall within the plan’s working area
• Have a homeowner budget of up to £4,000

Jobs outside the plan’s criteria may require an additional payment.

Eligibility and pricing vary by trade and location, and fair-usage conditions apply.

Unlimited therefore means access to qualifying included leads rather than every job posted anywhere on Rated People.

Why free requests change the decision for a Sussex trade

A lead charge affects more than the cost of the final job.

It changes the calculation before the first conversation has even happened.

With TradeKind, a business can receive an ordinary homeowner request or view a relevant Sussex opportunity without first needing to recover a lead purchase.

That matters in several common situations.

Small repairs remain worth considering

A modest repair may be profitable when the trade does not begin by paying to access the customer.

A short plumbing repair, minor decorating job or local maintenance visit can be assessed on its own merits.

A change of plan has not created a lead cost

Homeowners sometimes postpone work, alter the project or decide not to proceed.

That is a normal part of running a trade business.

On TradeKind, the business has not paid an ordinary lead charge simply to discover that the customer’s plans changed.

The trade can judge the fit first

The business can consider:

• Service required
• Location
• Timing
• Likely job size
• Travel
• Current capacity
• Whether the work matches its experience

It can then decide whether to continue the conversation.

The profile remains useful without monthly spending

A TradeKind profile can continue helping the business through:

• Direct homeowner requests
• Sussex job posts
• Customer recommendations
• Social-media sharing
• Search visibility
• Website links
• Leaflet campaigns
• QR codes
• Local word of mouth

The business does not need to purchase monthly credit to keep the profile useful.

The profile matters before and after the enquiry

Finding an enquiry is only part of winning work.

A homeowner also needs reasons to trust that the business is relevant.

A complete TradeKind profile helps before contact by showing:

• Exact services
• Sussex areas covered
• Work photographs
• Customer reviews
• Frequently asked questions
• Business information
• Team members
• Independent Partner trades
• Company website

It can also help after somebody recommends the business.

Consider these two messages:

Call this decorator. Here is the number.

And:

We used this decorator. Here is the TradeKind profile showing their work, services and the areas they cover.

The second recommendation gives the homeowner much more useful information.

The profile can support the conversation even when the customer originally discovered the company somewhere else.

That makes TradeKind useful alongside:

• Google Business Profile
• The company website
• Facebook recommendations
• Local community groups
• WhatsApp
• Printed leaflets
• Van signage
• Site boards
• Other business listings

Reviews on TradeKind and Rated People

Both platforms allow tradespeople to build customer feedback around their business profiles.

Rated People customers can leave ratings connected to work arranged through the platform. Tradespeople can also invite previous customers to rate work completed outside Rated People.

TradeKind reviews appear alongside the wider business profile, including its services, photographs, frequently asked questions, Sussex coverage areas and website link.

Genuine reviews can help a homeowner understand:

• Whether the business communicated clearly
• What kind of work was completed
• How the customer experienced the service
• Whether the company appears suitable for a similar job

Reviews should be treated as one part of the decision.

Homeowners may also want to examine work examples, ask questions, obtain written quotations and check any qualifications or insurance relevant to the project.

Example: a plumber covering Worthing and Shoreham

A plumber creates a TradeKind profile showing:

• Leaks and repairs
• Bathroom plumbing
• Tap and toilet repairs
• Radiator work
• Pipework
• Areas across Worthing, Lancing and Shoreham

Homeowners can find the profile and request the business directly.

The plumber can also consider Sussex jobs posted through TradeKind.

If the company later decides it wants another source of posted opportunities, it may investigate a Rated People plan.

TradeKind remains the main local profile and free request route throughout.

Example: a painter and decorator in Brighton

A Brighton decorator uses TradeKind to display:

• Interior decorating
• Exterior painting
• Wallpaper hanging
• Rental-property decorating
• Before-and-after photographs
• Brighton, Hove and Portslade coverage

The same profile can be shared in Facebook replies, WhatsApp recommendations and quotations.

A homeowner who discovers the business through any of those channels can see the work and send a private request.

Rated People may be tested as an additional paid job marketplace, but the TradeKind profile remains the central place presenting the whole business.

Example: a builder covering Crawley and Horsham

A builder normally needs fewer but better-qualified enquiries.

The TradeKind profile can explain:

• Extensions
• Renovations
• Garage conversions
• Structural alterations
• Brickwork
• Property repairs
• Team members
• Independent Partner trades

This gives the homeowner more information before requesting a quotation for a larger project.

If the builder chooses to inspect additional posted jobs through Rated People, the decision can be based on the project type, location and likely commercial value.

The free TradeKind presence remains useful regardless of whether a separate paid platform is active.

Where Rated People can fit after TradeKind

A Sussex business does not need to reject every paid advertising platform.

The key is to build the free foundation first and treat each paid service as a separate commercial decision.

A sensible order is:

1. Create the TradeKind profile.
2. Add all important services.
3. Select realistic Sussex coverage areas.
4. Upload strong work photographs.
5. Add helpful FAQs and genuine reviews.
6. Link to the company website.
7. Begin receiving direct requests and Sussex job opportunities.
8. Decide whether another paid job marketplace is necessary.
9. Check the exact Rated People price, VAT, terms and included areas.
10. Measure how many paid opportunities become profitable completed work.

This keeps TradeKind central while allowing the business to test Rated People when the additional marketplace fits its wider strategy.

What should you check before paying Rated People?

Before entering a paid plan, get clear answers to these questions:

• What is the full price including VAT?
• Is there a minimum membership term?
• How much cancellation notice is required?
• Which trade and working areas are included?
• Does unused monthly lead credit expire?
• Which opportunities require an extra payment?
• What happens if the homeowner cannot be contacted?
• Which refund or account-credit rules apply?

Rated People’s published policy states that membership payments and individual lead purchases are generally non-refundable.

Its cancellation guidance also says that notice may be required and that charges can remain payable where a minimum term has not ended.

The exact agreement shown to the business should be read before payment.

How to measure whether Rated People is worthwhile

Do not judge a paid platform by the number of notifications or leads alone.

Track:

• Total subscription and lead spend
• Suitable opportunities
• Homeowners who responded
• Quotations provided
• Jobs won
• Revenue
• Gross profit

The simplest useful calculation is:

Total Rated People spend ÷ completed jobs = direct acquisition cost per completed job

Then ask whether the gross profit from those jobs justified:

• The platform cost
• Time spent responding
• Travel
• Site visits
• Quotation work
• Opportunities that did not proceed

A platform can be commercially worthwhile when it produces suitable, profitable work.

TradeKind does not create an equivalent membership or ordinary lead cost because it is completely free for Sussex tradespeople.

TradeKind vs Rated People: which should Sussex trades choose?

TradeKind is the best first choice for tradespeople across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

It provides:

• A complete Sussex trade profile
• Direct homeowner requests
• Sussex job opportunities
• Trade and town discovery
• Individual service information
• Work photographs
• Reviews
• Frequently asked questions
• Website links
• Team and Partner-trade information
• Completely free regular leaflet campaigns

There are no setup fees, subscriptions, commissions, lead charges, profile-upgrade fees or hidden costs.

Rated People provides an additional paid route to jobs posted by homeowners across the UK. Its credit and Unlimited plans may suit a business that has already established its free TradeKind presence and decides another paid marketplace is commercially worthwhile.

The two platforms do not need to replace one another.

TradeKind should remain the main Sussex-focused home for the business.

Rated People can be tested as an optional additional source of posted jobs.

Whether you are a plumber in Worthing, decorator in Brighton, electrician in Eastbourne, roofer in Hastings, builder in Crawley or landscaper in Horsham, begin with the platform that gives your business a complete local presence and routes to new work without charging you anything.

Create your free Sussex trade profile.

Compare TradeKind with other trade platforms

• TradeKind vs Checkatrade: Which Is Better for Sussex Tradespeople?
• TradeKind vs MyBuilder: Which Is Better for Finding Work in Sussex?
• TradeKind vs TrustATrader: Which Platform Suits Sussex Tradespeople?
• TradeKind vs Friday-Ad: Where Should Sussex Tradespeople Advertise?
• TradeKind vs Local Facebook Groups: Which Works Better for Sussex Tradespeople?
• TradeKind vs Sussex Business Directories: What Does a Trade Listing Actually Give You?
• TradeKind vs Local Print Advertising: Online Profile or Door-to-Door Reach?
• TradeKind vs Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People and TrustATrader Compared
• Where to Advertise a Trade Business in Sussex: Free and Paid Options Compared