Builderscrack vs CheckMyBuilder: a factual comparison

Builderscrack helps homeowners find a tradie. Post a job, get bids, pick one. Useful when you don't yet know who you want to hire.

CheckMyBuilder helps homeowners vet a specific tradie. You give us the company name, we run checks against NZBN, Companies Office, NZ Gazette, LBP register, and court records, and return a single report. Useful when you've already shortlisted and want to verify before you commit money.

Many homeowners use both — Builderscrack to find candidates, CheckMyBuilder to verify them before signing.

Builderscrack: subscription fee + per-job tokens to bid + success fees on certain jobs. Effective cost per landed job sits in the 7-12% range plus the base subscription. The structure includes an initial 6-month lock-in that auto-rolls to 12-month renewals.

CheckMyBuilder Verified Tradie: flat $10/month for the first six months, then $39/month + GST ongoing. No per-lead fees. No success fee. No commission. The subscription is for the verified badge and the directory listing — homeowners contact you directly without the platform clipping the ticket.

Which is better depends on your business. Builderscrack works for tradies who want a steady flow of small jobs (under $20k) and are happy to pay per lead. CheckMyBuilder works for tradies who already get word-of-mouth work and want a trust signal that converts cold homeowner due diligence into bookings.

Builderscrack verifies a tradie has an email and phone number when they sign up. It doesn't verify LBP licence status, company registration, or director history at listing time.

CheckMyBuilder verifies LBP licence, NZBN, Companies Office status, and director history before issuing the verified badge. Verified tradies are re-checked monthly. If something changes (the company goes into liquidation, the LBP expires), the badge is revoked.

The result: any tradie with a CheckMyBuilder verified badge has been independently checked against the official record. Any tradie on Builderscrack may or may not have — you have to do the check yourself.

Builderscrack runs a customer-review system. Homeowners who hired through Builderscrack can leave reviews after the job. Reviews are visible on the tradie's profile.

CheckMyBuilder doesn't host reviews. We surface what the official record shows — court rulings, MBIE complaints, LBP disciplinary outcomes, Gazette notices. Verified factual signal beats unverified opinion.

Both approaches have trade-offs. Reviews capture customer experience that doesn't make it into official records. Official records capture serious patterns that reviews miss. Together they give a fuller picture than either alone.

Builderscrack provides an in-platform dispute mediation service. If a job goes wrong between a homeowner and a tradie they hired through the platform, Builderscrack will mediate. Limited binding power — they can't compel either party.

CheckMyBuilder doesn't mediate disputes between homeowners and the tradies in our directory. We're a verification platform, not a marketplace. Disputes go through the Disputes Tribunal (under $60k), BDT adjudication (any size, fast, binding), or the courts.

Practically: a Disputes Tribunal hearing costs $59-234 and you don't need a lawyer. It's far more effective for serious disputes than any in-platform mediation.

Small job, no preferred tradie: Builderscrack or NoCowboys can be useful for finding candidates. Verify the winning bidder via CheckMyBuilder before paying any deposit.

Medium-to-large job (over $20k): Word-of-mouth referral plus CheckMyBuilder verification. The lead-gen platforms add cost without adding trust at this size.

Tradie looking for leads: depends on your job mix. Small frequent jobs — Builderscrack may pay off despite the fees. Larger, less frequent jobs — flat subscription with CheckMyBuilder Verified Tradie plus your own marketing tends to win.