MyBuilder vs Tradeflo: bidding on shared leads, or generating your own?
MyBuilder and Tradeflo both put work in front of you, but the model is very different. MyBuilder is a marketplace: homeowners post jobs and you pay to contact them, usually competing with other trades for the same lead. Tradeflo builds you your own website and AI lead system, so the enquiries come straight to you. Both have a place — here's the honest comparison so you can pick the right one for how you like to work.
What it is, in plain English
MyBuilder is a pay-per-lead marketplace. Homeowners post a job, and trades pay (typically per lead or to unlock contact details) to quote. You compete with other trades for each posted job.
Filling gaps in your diary quickly with live, ready-to-quote jobs in your area — pay only when you choose to chase one.
Genuinely great for: MyBuilder.
Where it shines
- Live jobs from homeowners who are actively ready to hire.
- You only pay when you decide a lead is worth pursuing.
- No website or marketing required — useful for filling quiet weeks fast.
- Built-in ratings help you stand out once you've done good work.
The honest trade-offs
- You're usually quoting against several other trades for the same job.
- Lead costs add up, and a lead isn't a guaranteed win.
- The relationship and reputation live on the platform, not on something you own.
- Margins get squeezed when several trades bid the same job down.
Where Tradeflo is the wrong choice
Tradeflo isn't the right call if you want pure pay-as-you-go with no commitment and no build. A marketplace lets you dip in and out lead by lead. Tradeflo is an owned system that rewards staying the course — it's not a tap you turn on for one quiet week.
How they actually compare
No marketing fluff — the honest differences, side by side.
| Dimension | MyBuilder | Tradeflo |
|---|---|---|
| Lead model | You bid/pay for shared leads, competing with other trades. | Enquiries come to you directly, with no competing bidders. |
| Who owns the customer relationship | The platform mediates and owns the audience. | You own the site, the domain, the content and every customer relationship outright. |
| How you're charged | Per lead / to unlock contact details. | Flat monthly subscription (Growth from €499/mo). No per-lead fee, no commission, no bidding. |
| Getting found on Google | You ride the marketplace's ranking, not your own. | 200+ programmatic pages with schema markup and llms.txt — visibility that compounds over months, not overnight. |
| Speed of response to enquiries | Speed-to-quote matters; you reply manually and fast or lose it. | Built-in AI chatbot replies in ~60 seconds, 24/7, and pings booking-ready jobs to your WhatsApp. |
| Reaching non-English speakers | English-first marketplace. | 8 languages out of the box — reaches the ~1-in-5 Irish customers who don't search in English. |
| Cost predictability | Varies with how many leads you chase. | Flat and predictable — you know your number each month. |
Lead model
MyBuilder
You bid/pay for shared leads, competing with other trades.
Tradeflo
Enquiries come to you directly, with no competing bidders.
Who owns the customer relationship
MyBuilder
The platform mediates and owns the audience.
Tradeflo
You own the site, the domain, the content and every customer relationship outright.
How you're charged
MyBuilder
Per lead / to unlock contact details.
Tradeflo
Flat monthly subscription (Growth from €499/mo). No per-lead fee, no commission, no bidding.
Getting found on Google
MyBuilder
You ride the marketplace's ranking, not your own.
Tradeflo
200+ programmatic pages with schema markup and llms.txt — visibility that compounds over months, not overnight.
Speed of response to enquiries
MyBuilder
Speed-to-quote matters; you reply manually and fast or lose it.
Tradeflo
Built-in AI chatbot replies in ~60 seconds, 24/7, and pings booking-ready jobs to your WhatsApp.
Reaching non-English speakers
MyBuilder
English-first marketplace.
Tradeflo
8 languages out of the box — reaches the ~1-in-5 Irish customers who don't search in English.
Cost predictability
MyBuilder
Varies with how many leads you chase.
Tradeflo
Flat and predictable — you know your number each month.
We try to keep this fair. Both tools are genuinely good at what they do, and plenty of trades use a directory or builder alongside Tradeflo. If anything here reads as unfair, tell us and we'll fix it.
Who each one is for
Choose it if MyBuilder…
- You want to fill quiet weeks fast with no commitment.
- You're happy to compete on quote and only pay per lead you chase.
- You don't want to build or run your own website.
Choose Tradeflo if…
- You're tired of bidding against other trades for the same job.
- You want enquiries that come only to you, under your own brand.
- You want predictable monthly costs instead of variable lead fees.
- You want a website asset that keeps working between busy spells.
So which should you pick?
If your diary has gaps to fill this week, a marketplace like MyBuilder is a sensible, low-commitment way to do it. If you're tired of paying to compete for shared leads and want enquiries that come only to you, Tradeflo builds that. Many trades use a marketplace to fill gaps while their owned system grows.
Questions trades ask us
Do I bid against other trades with Tradeflo like on MyBuilder?
No. With Tradeflo the enquiry comes straight to you through your own website and AI chatbot — there's no shared lead and no competing bidders on the same job.
Is Tradeflo pay-per-lead?
No. Tradeflo is a flat monthly subscription with no per-lead fees. You're not charged again when a new enquiry comes in.
Can I use MyBuilder and Tradeflo together?
Yes. A marketplace can fill quiet weeks on a pay-as-you-go basis while your Tradeflo site builds long-term, owned lead flow. They complement each other.
Which gives a better return?
If you chase a lot of marketplace leads and win only some, the per-lead cost can add up. An owned system has a fixed cost and improves over time. For low or one-off volume, a marketplace is cheaper; for steady demand, owning the asset usually wins.
How fast will Tradeflo bring in leads versus a marketplace?
A marketplace can show live jobs today. A Tradeflo site builds Google visibility that compounds over months — slower to start, but the enquiries are yours and don't carry a per-lead cost.
Compare Tradeflo with the others
Want to see what Tradeflo would do for your trade?
Get a free audit of your current online presence — no obligation, no hard sell. We'll show you exactly where the gaps are.