Lead generation · New Zealand · Head-to-head
NoCowboys vs Trade Me Services
Two New Zealand lead generation options, compared side by side for New Zealand trades.
Which should you choose?
NoCowboys and Trade Me Services are both Tier S: our check found each one's prices published on its own website, so you can compare their costs before talking to sales. The tier is not a quality ranking: weigh the pros, cons, pricing and New Zealand-specific notes below against your trade and region.
NoCowboys
Tier S · Published pricesNew Zealand ratings site for tradespeople and businesses, with a $999 a year business registration
NoCowboys is a New Zealand ratings and review site for tradespeople and other businesses, run by NoCowboys Limited in Auckland. Consumers search by business type and location, read ratings, contact businesses directly, and can post jobs on a free jobs board for businesses to quote on. NoCowboys says it shows 146,730 ratings (September 2026) and that it takes no commission on jobs.
Pros
- + Published price: $999 a year, with no commissions or pay-per-click
- + Registration includes a profile, replies to reviews, a free website build and domain, and an account manager
- + Rating checks include email verification, IP tracking and requests for proof of the job
- + Consumers contact businesses directly, and a free jobs board lets them request quotes
Cons
- − Anyone can add your business and rate it, registered or not
- − Fees are not refundable except at NoCowboys' discretion
- − The site does not say whether the $999 includes GST
- − NoCowboys says most consumers search and contact businesses directly rather than post jobs, so leads depend on your profile
New Zealand note
Covers all of New Zealand. Any consumer can add a business by name and phone number and rate it, so unregistered businesses also collect ratings; paid registration adds a full profile, review tools, a website build and priority over unregistered listings in many areas. NoCowboys says it checks ratings with email verification, IP tracking and requests for quotes or invoices from suspicious raters.
Trade Me Services
Tier S · Published pricesServices section of Trade Me, where providers pay $89 to list for 90 days and customers browse by category
Trade Me Services is the services section of Trade Me, the New Zealand online marketplace owned by private equity firm Apax Partners, which was reported in February 2026 to be seeking a buyer. Providers list a service under categories such as trades, domestic services, events and health, and customers browse the listings. On 30 September 2026 the Trades category showed 732 listings, including 280 in building and construction, 39 in electrical and gas, and 16 in plumbing.
Pros
- + Sits inside Trade Me, alongside its Marketplace, Motors and Property sections
- + Published fee: $89 for a 90-day listing
- + Trade categories cover building, electrical and gas, plumbing, roofing, painting and more
- + Low competition in some trades: 16 plumbing listings on 30 September 2026
Cons
- − General services directory: trades sit alongside domestic, events and health services
- − Fees are charged again every 90 days when a listing is extended or relisted
- − Featured placement costs $189 or $209 on top of the listing fee
- − The fees are on Trade Me's help pages, not the Services pages
New Zealand note
Trade Me's help centre lists a $89 fee for a 90-day Services listing, with optional Feature ($189) and Super Feature ($209) upgrades and no other promotional extras; extending or relisting charges the fees again. On 30 September 2026 the web listing page showed a system-upgrade notice asking providers to list through the app or desktop site.
More New Zealand options
See all New Zealand lead generation vendors and the rest of the New Zealand directory.