Search for "Checkatrade Ireland" and you'll find one of the best-known names in UK home improvement. This guide compares Checkatrade with Service Connect for Irish homeowners and tradespeople, using Checkatrade's own pages as of September 2026. Service Connect publishes this blog, so we've linked every Checkatrade fact and kept to what those pages say.
Does Checkatrade work in Ireland?
Checkatrade is a trading name of Vetted Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. Its pricing page lists plans in pounds sterling, its search asks for the postcode of your project, and its guarantee terms pay out in pounds and follow English law, with disputes going to the courts of England and Wales. Its directory does show some listings under Irish place names, but we couldn't find a page on Checkatrade's own site describing a service for the Republic of Ireland. If you're in the Republic, check with Checkatrade before you rely on it.
Two different ways of working
Checkatrade is mainly a vetted directory: trades pay a membership to be listed, and you find them, get quotes and contact them. Service Connect is a marketplace app: you browse providers in your county or post a job, agree the price in chat, and pay by card in the app, with Stripe holding the money until the work is done.
| Service Connect | Checkatrade | |
|---|---|---|
| Based in | Dublin, Ireland | Registered in England and Wales |
| Area | All 26 counties | Postcode search; prices in pounds sterling |
| Cost to trades | No joining fee, no monthly fee, nothing taken from the quote | Free profile plan at £0; Approved £30 a month; Growth from £59 a month; 12-month memberships |
| Cost to the person booking | Buyer protection fee, shown before you confirm (€5.90 on a €100 job) | Has a homeowner service fee; the support page we checked doesn't list the amount |
| Checks on trades | Stripe verifies ID, address and bank details; insurance self-declared; qualifications uploaded, not inspected | Up to 12 checks, including ID, proof of address, qualifications, CCJ and financial checks; insurance optional |
| Payment | In the app; held by Stripe until the job is done | Trades can take payments through Checkatrade Pay |
| If something goes wrong | Payment held during a dispute; full refund if cancelled before work starts | Discretionary guarantee of up to £1,000 on eligible work |
What tradespeople pay
Checkatrade's pricing page lists three plans. Free, at £0 a month, gives you a business profile and reviews. Approved, at £30 a month, adds the Checkatrade tick, review requests and job management tools. Growth, from £59 a month, adds customer enquiries, direct bookings, £100 to £200 of search credit and Checkatrade Pay, whose fees it lists at 1.29% to 1.79%. Checkatrade says memberships are for 12 months and that more than 48,000 trades partner with it.
On Service Connect, providers pay nothing to join, list services or send quotes, and nothing is taken from their quote: the price you quote is the price you're paid. Promoting a listing is optional, from €1.99 as a one-off payment through your Apple ID, with no subscription.
Worked example: a year of listing
Assumptions: a trade on Checkatrade's Approved plan at the listed £30 a month for a full 12-month membership, with no promotions; a provider on Service Connect who doesn't buy a promoted listing. The Checkatrade trade pays £360 over the year before any job comes in. The Service Connect provider pays €0 over the year, and on each booking the customer pays the buyer protection fee, €5.90 on a €100 job, on top of the provider's price. Checkatrade's free plan also costs £0, but doesn't include the tick or enquiries.
What homeowners get
Checkatrade's vetting is more thorough than ours, and it's fair to say so. Its members go through up to 12 checks, including identification, proof of address, qualifications, CCJ checks and financial checks. It also offers a free, discretionary guarantee that may contribute up to £1,000 towards putting things right if eligible work doesn't meet standards. Its support centre also has a page on a service fee for homeowners, which it refunds, VAT included, if the trade gives you a full refund.
On Service Connect, every provider verifies their identity through Stripe with a government-issued ID, their address and their bank details before they can offer services. They declare whether they hold public liability insurance and can upload qualifications, but we don't inspect those documents or run background checks, so ask in chat before you book, especially for gas, electrical or childcare work. Reviews come only from people who completed a booking. What Service Connect adds is the payment side: your card is charged only when the provider accepts, Stripe holds the money until the job is done, and cancelling before work starts refunds everything, fee included. See buyer protection explained for the details.
Which should you use?
If your job is in the UK and you want a trade who has passed Checkatrade's checks, with a guarantee behind the booking, Checkatrade is built for that. If you're in the Republic of Ireland and want to book plumbers, electricians, gardeners or cleaners by county, see the fee before you confirm and have your payment held until the work is done, Service Connect is built for that. And if you're a tradesperson in Ireland who'd rather not commit to a monthly membership, Service Connect costs nothing to join. Service Connect is coming soon to the App Store on iPhone. To try it before launch, email support@serviceconnect.ie for early access. An Android app is in development.
Sources
Every competitor fact above comes from that company's own pages, checked on 27 September 2026. Fees and policies change, so check the live pages before you rely on a figure. Service Connect facts come from our Terms, Privacy Policy and homepage.
- Checkatrade: Pricing (Join Checkatrade)
- Checkatrade: The Checkatrade Guarantee terms
- Checkatrade: What is the Checkatrade Service Fee for Homeowners
Frequently asked questions
Is Checkatrade available in Ireland?
Checkatrade is registered in England and Wales, and its pricing, postcode search and guarantee terms are written for the UK. Its directory shows some listings under Irish place names, but we couldn't find a page on its own site describing a service for the Republic of Ireland, so check with Checkatrade directly.
How much does Checkatrade cost for tradespeople?
Checkatrade's pricing page lists a free profile plan at £0, the Approved plan at £30 a month and Growth plans from £59 a month, with 12-month memberships. On Service Connect, providers pay no joining fee and no monthly fee, and nothing is taken from their quote.
Does Service Connect vet tradespeople like Checkatrade does?
Not to the same extent. Stripe verifies every Service Connect provider's government-issued ID, address and bank details, and reviews come only from completed bookings, but Service Connect doesn't inspect qualifications or insurance documents or run background checks. Checkatrade lists up to 12 checks on its members.
Is there an Irish alternative to Checkatrade?
Service Connect is built for Ireland and covers all 26 counties, and is coming soon to the App Store. Tradesmen.ie is an Irish site that gets you up to four quotes from tradesmen.