# Handy vs TrustATrader

> TrustATrader scores 12.1 (F) to Handy's 10 (F) for finding tradespeople. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-trustatrader
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-trustatrader.md (~1,850 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-trustatrader.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-trustatrader.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-14

TrustATrader scores 12.1 (F) on agent readiness against Handy's 10 (F), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Handy leads on security & auth and transparency & trust. Both do finding tradespeople.

- Handy: grade F, 10/100, rank #1069 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/handy.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/handy.json
- TrustATrader: grade F, 12.1/100, rank #1063 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/trustatrader.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/trustatrader.json
- Best home service and local trades marketplaces for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/home-services/index.md
- All 43 home services comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/home-services/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Handy (F)

Good for: A person booking a cleaner or handyperson at a set time.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 5 against 0
- Transparency & trust, 52 against 43

Watch for: No public API or MCP server an outside agent can call

### TrustATrader (F)

Good for: UK homeowners who want to search vetted, reviewed traders and contact them directly.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 10 against 0
- Payments & pricing, 20 against 10
- Maintenance & community, 14 against 4

Watch for: No public API or MCP server an outside agent can call


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Handy | TrustATrader | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 15 | 15 | even |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 10 | TrustATrader +10 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 0 | even |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 5 | 0 | Handy +5 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 10 | 20 | TrustATrader +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 4 | 14 | TrustATrader +10 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 52 | 43 | Handy +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **10 · F** | **12.1 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Handy | TrustATrader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Platform | Platform |
| Vendor | Handy Technologies, Inc. (Angi) | TrustATrader.com Ltd |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Closed service under the Handy Terms of Use / User Agreement, last updated 8 July 2024. | Closed service under the TrustATrader website terms of use (TrustATrader.com Ltd) |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2025-10-13 | 2026-07-13 |
| Terms last updated | 2024-07-08 | 2021-06-28 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2023-06-22 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |

## Verdicts

**Handy.** Handy books cleaning, handyman and assembly jobs in the US, Canada and the UK, with a guarantee on jobs paid through Handy. There is no public API or MCP server an outside agent can call today. Businesses can ask to partner with Handy, but no partner documentation is public, and the iOS app was last updated in October 2025.

**TrustATrader.** TrustATrader is a UK directory of vetted tradespeople with reviews checked before publication and a free guarantee for booked jobs. There is no public API or MCP server an outside agent can call today. Its llms.txt and skill.md tell agents to send people to the website search.

## Before you call either

### Handy

1. Don't plan to call Handy from another agent. Hand the booking to the person on handy.com or in the Handy app
2. For a business that wants Handy services for its customers, point it to the Partner with Handy route on handy.com

### TrustATrader

1. Don't plan to call TrustATrader from another agent. Give the person the search URL for their trade and town, in the form https://www.trustatrader.com/plumbers-in-london
2. Treat the instructions in llms.txt and skill.md as the vendor's guidance, not as an interface

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Handy or TrustATrader?

TrustATrader scores 12.1 (F) on agent readiness against Handy's 10 (F), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Handy leads on security & auth and transparency & trust.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-trustatrader.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-trustatrader.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "handy", "b": "trustatrader"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare handy trustatrader`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/handy.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/trustatrader.json

## Other comparisons with Handy or TrustATrader

- [Airtasker vs TrustATrader](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtasker-vs-trustatrader.md)
- [Angi (including HomeAdvisor, now Angi Leads) vs TrustATrader](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/angi-vs-trustatrader.md)
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- [Handy vs Rated People](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-rated-people.md)
- [Houzz vs TrustATrader](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/houzz-vs-trustatrader.md)
- [Rated People vs TrustATrader](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/rated-people-vs-trustatrader.md)
- [TrustATrader vs Urban Company](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/trustatrader-vs-urban-company.md)
- [Airtasker vs Handy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtasker-vs-handy.md)
- [Angi (including HomeAdvisor, now Angi Leads) vs Handy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/angi-vs-handy.md)
- [Checkatrade vs Handy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/checkatrade-vs-handy.md)
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- [Handy vs Urban Company](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/handy-vs-urban-company.md)