Checkatrade vs Try Review Bloom — honest 2026 comparison of costs, ownership, lead quality and long-term value for UK tradespeople. Which builds a better business?
Checkatrade is a lead generation platform. Try Review Bloom is a reputation building service. They solve different problems — but for most established tradespeople, the long-term value of owning your Google reputation outweighs the short-term lead volume of a platform you're renting.
The comparison that matters isn't month one. It's month 12. After 12 months of Checkatrade at £300/month, you've spent £3,600 and have nothing if you cancel. After 12 months of Try Review Bloom at £297/month, you have 50–150 Google reviews, a top-3 Map Pack position, and a reputation that works indefinitely.
The right choice depends on your situation — but for established tradespeople with happy customers and thin Google presence, Try Review Bloom delivers better long-term ROI.
One builds something permanent. One you rent indefinitely.
| What matters | Try Review Bloom | Checkatrade |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | ✓ £297 — fixed | ✗ £199–£399 — rises at renewal |
| Annual cost | ✓ £3,564 | ✗ £2,388–£4,788 |
| Contract | ✓ None — cancel any time | ✗ 12 months — exit fees apply |
| Reviews ownership | ✓ Yours — on Google permanently | ✗ Theirs — vanish when you cancel |
| Lead source | ✓ Google Maps — 8bn searches/day | ✗ Checkatrade platform only |
| Shared leads | ✓ No — exclusive to you | ✗ Yes — 3–5 trades per enquiry |
| Google Maps impact | ✓ Direct improvement | ✗ None |
| AI overview visibility | ✓ Yes — reviews feed AI answers | ✗ No |
Automated review requests, AI replies, GBP management, and citation management — one system, £297/month, permanently yours.
Personalised SMS and email after every completed job. No chasing. No forgetting. Customers who had a great experience hear from you within hours.
Every Google review — positive or negative — gets a professional, personalised response automatically. Keeps your GBP active 24/7.
Weekly posts, photos, category optimisation, heatmap tracking, competitor benchmarking. Your Google profile working for you every week.
Your business listed consistently across 50+ directories. Google uses this to verify who you are and where you operate — directly improving Map Pack ranking.
£297/month. No contract. First reviews arrive within 24 hours. Every review lives on your Google profile permanently — regardless of which platforms you use.