Membership · Top Rated — Canada's Vetted Growth Platform for Contractors
By Application Only · 2026 Intake Open

Canada's most
vetted contractors,
in one extraordinary place.

Top Rated isn't a directory — it's a curated growth ecosystem. Vetted membership. AI-powered profiles. Industry recognition. Brand strategy. All built to put serious work in front of serious homeowners.

10 Max
Members per category, per city
100%
Manually vetted & verified
~22%
Approval rate on applications
5★
Avg member rating across platforms
"

We don't sell listings.
We engineer a curated growth system — one that connects homeowners with a select group of contractors who've earned the right to be discovered.
Then we go all in — deploying every tool, strategy, and advantage we have to accelerate their growth.

— The Top Rated Promise
01 · The Vetting Process

Most applicants don't make it. That's the entire point.

Every contractor on Top Rated has been individually reviewed against eight non-negotiable criteria. No exceptions. No shortcuts. No paying your way in.

01
Verified Business Standing

Active business registration, no unresolved complaints with the Better Business Bureau or provincial consumer protection authorities.

02
Insurance & Licensing

Current liability insurance, WSIB coverage, trade certifications, and any required municipal permits — all confirmed before approval.

03
Public Reviews Verified

Minimum 4.5 star average across Google, Houzz, HomeStars, or industry-specific platforms. We read the reviews. Real ones, not bots.

04
Strong Online Presence

Active website, professional photography of completed work, and verifiable digital footprint that demonstrates a real business.

05
Track Record

Minimum 5 years operating in your trade. Established contractors only — we're not the place to launch a business.

06
Portfolio Quality

Documented body of work showing craft, attention to detail, and the standard of finish that justifies premium pricing.

07
Client References

Two recent clients we can speak with directly. We call them. We ask the hard questions. We listen for the truth.

08
Category Capacity

If your category in your city is full, you join the waitlist. We never dilute lead quality by adding more members than the market can support.

The Hard Truth

Roughly 1 in 5 applicants is approved.

If you make the cut, your profile carries a verified credibility that cannot be bought elsewhere. Homeowners who use Top Rated already know they're meeting a vetted professional — which means the leads you receive are pre-qualified, ready to spend, and looking for craftsmanship.

22%
Application Approval Rate · 2025
02 · Beyond a Listing

We are your
growth platform.

Vetting opens the door. What members actually pay for is everything we put behind their business once they're inside — a profile that sells, AI that captures leads around the clock, industry recognition that builds trust, and a strategy team focused on one thing: making the phone ring.

Pillar One

A Profile That Actually Sells

The most thoughtful contractor profile in the industry. Editorial-grade design, video tours, project galleries, verified reviews, and a contact flow engineered for conversion.

  • Hero project photography with custom branding
  • Per-project lightbox galleries with photo captions
  • Video tour upload (industry-leading differentiator)
  • Aggregated reviews from Google, Houzz, HomeStars
  • Sticky quote form on every page
  • Awards, credentials, and service area mapping
Pillar Three

Contractor Awards Recognition

All members are automatically eligible for The Contractor Awards — our annual program celebrating excellence across construction quality, customer service, marketing, and innovation. Winners get badges, PR, and bragging rights.

  • Automatic eligibility — no entry fee for members
  • 8+ award categories across the industry
  • Public award listings + winner press
  • "Award Winner" badge for your website
  • Media kit & shareable social assets
  • Annual ceremony recognition
Pillar Four

Lead Intelligence Dashboard

Real analytics on what's working. Profile views, lead sources, conversation rates, the projects driving the most inquiries — and recommendations to improve.

  • Weekly performance summaries
  • Lead source attribution
  • Conversion funnel insights per project page
  • Competitor benchmarking (anonymized)
  • Monthly optimization recommendations
  • Direct line to your strategist
Powered By
The Marketing
Depot
est. 2005 · Toronto
03 · Strategic Partner

We're more than a directory.
We're a marketing agency for contractors.

Top Rated is built and operated by The Marketing Depot — a contractor-focused digital agency with nearly two decades of experience helping trades grow. That means when you join, you're not signing up with a faceless listing platform. You're partnering with a team that lives, breathes, and builds for your industry. And we've built our own technology to prove it.

Built In-House for Contractors

Three Tools That Set Our Members Apart

We've developed proprietary AI products to help contractors capture more leads and convert them faster. Members get exclusive pricing on all three.

PERSONA
Your AI digital twin.

An interactive AI business card homeowners can talk to. They learn about you, your work, and your story before they ever pick up the phone.

Member Pricing Available
AI Concierge
Sales-driven chatbot.

A trained chatbot that lives on your website. Qualifies leads, answers questions about pricing and timelines, and books consultations 24/7.

Member Pricing Available
ORBIT CRM
Every lead, one dashboard.

A CRM built for contractors. Captures every inquiry from your profile, website, Persona, and Concierge — all in one unified view.

Member Pricing Available
04 · Industry Recognition

The Contractor Awards. Included with membership.

Our annual awards program celebrates excellence across the contracting industry. Every Top Rated member is automatically eligible — no entry fees, no extra paperwork. Winners receive press, badges, and the kind of independent recognition that turns good contractors into trusted brands.

  • Best Construction Quality
  • Best Project Award
  • Customer Reviews Excellence
  • Best Customer Service
  • Best Website Design
  • Best Marketing Strategy
  • Multi-Media Award
  • Social Engagement Award
The Contractor
Awards
2026
"Award winner" status earns trust no marketing dollar can buy.
Annual · By Top Rated
Member badges for your website.
When homeowners visit your site, your Top Rated status — and any awards you've won — display as embeddable badges. Independent third-party trust signals you can't fake.
Verified Pro Top Rated Member
Award
Best
Project
2026
Award
Customer
Service
2026
★★★★★
5-Star Rated Verified Reviews
05 · The Difference

Other directories sell your name. We sell your work.

A direct, honest comparison between traditional directories and what Top Rated members get.

Other Directories
Status Quo
  • Anyone can pay to be listed
  • Leads sold to multiple contractors at once
  • Generic templated profile, no design polish
  • Reviews live on platform, not your own brand
  • No tools beyond contact form
  • You're a number in a database
  • Pay-per-lead pricing that scales against you
  • Race-to-the-bottom price competition
Top Rated Membership
Curated
  • Application required, individually vetted
  • Every lead is exclusively yours — never resold
  • Editorial-grade profile, custom-built for your brand
  • Reviews aggregated AND amplified across the web
  • AI concierge, lead dashboard, brand support included
  • You're a partner in a curated network of pros
  • Flat monthly fee — unlimited leads, no surprises
  • Quality buyers seeking craftsmanship
05.5 · The Math

Run the numbers yourself.

Membership is $399/month. Whether that's a bargain or a cost depends entirely on your business. Plug in your numbers — we'll show you the break-even, the projected return, and what membership replaces in your current spend.

$75,000
22%
12
15%
$2,500
Break-even
1 job/yr
Covers $4,788 annual membership.
Projected return
66×
Return on your annual fee.
Net annual profit
$351,012
After membership cost.
What this replaces. You're currently spending $30,000/yr on marketing. Membership is $4,788/yr — and includes lead generation, AI chat, awards eligibility, and the strategy team. Most members consolidate or eliminate $18,000/yr in legacy spend within 90 days.
06 · Membership

One tier. All in. Built for serious contractors only.

We don't believe in starter tiers. Either you qualify and you get the full platform, or you don't. Period.

Verified Member

$399/month billed monthly · CAD

Everything in the platform. No add-ons, no upsells, no per-lead charges. Annual billing saves two months ($3,990/yr).

Everything Included
Verified Pro listing & badge
Editorial profile page
Unlimited project galleries
Video tour hosting
AI chat embedded on your profile
Aggregated review system
Service-area mapping
Lead intelligence dashboard
Contractor Awards eligibility
"Verified" badge for your site
Award badges (when won)
Member pricing on Persona, Concierge, ORBIT
Apply for Membership →
14-day money-back guarantee · Cancel anytime · No setup fees
07 · Begin Application

Apply now.
We'll be in touch within 48 hours.

If you meet the criteria, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your business, share a few links to your work, and our membership team will reach out within two business days to begin the verification process.

What Happens Next
1
Submit your application — takes about 4 minutes
2
Initial review within 48 hours — we check your basics
3
Verification call (15 min) — we discuss your business and check references
4
Approval & onboarding — your dedicated strategist gets you live within 7 days
Membership Application
Tell Us About
Your Business
All fields required. Your information is confidential.
Average response time: 14 hours. No payment required to apply.
08 · Common Questions

What contractors usually ask.

How is Top Rated different from Houzz, HomeStars, or Google?
Those are open marketplaces. Anyone with a credit card can list. Top Rated is curated — every member is individually verified, and we cap membership at 10 contractors per category, per city. Homeowners who arrive on Top Rated already know they're meeting a vetted professional, which is why our leads convert dramatically better than open platforms.
Why is membership $399/month?
You're not paying for a listing. You're paying for: a curated directory that brings serious buyers, a profile system more polished than 95% of contractor websites, an AI chat assistant embedded right on your profile, automatic eligibility for The Contractor Awards, badges for your own website, lead intelligence tools, and a category cap that prevents your leads from being diluted. Most members report breaking even within the first 60 days from a single project.
There's an AI chat on the profile? How does that work?
Yes — and it's the only directory in Canada that has it. Every member's profile gets a built-in AI chat assistant trained on your services and FAQ during onboarding. Homeowners can ask questions about your work, pricing range, and timelines around the clock. When a real prospect emerges, the AI hands off to you with full context. It's included in your membership at no extra cost.
What about Persona, AI Concierge, and ORBIT CRM?
Those are three separate products we've built specifically for contractors. Persona is an AI digital twin homeowners can talk to — like an interactive business card. AI Concierge is a sales-driven chatbot that lives on your own website (not just your Top Rated profile). ORBIT is a CRM that pulls every lead from every channel into one dashboard. They're optional add-ons available exclusively to members at preferred pricing — but they're not required to benefit from membership.
What if my category is full in my city?
You join the waitlist. We hold the line at 10 members per category per city — full stop. When a spot opens, waitlisted contractors are evaluated first. We typically have 2–4 openings per quarter in most active cities.
Can I cancel?
Yes. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime from your dashboard. Your listing remains active until the end of your billing period, and your spot in the directory is offered to the top contractor on the waitlist.
What if I get rejected?
We'll tell you exactly why and what would change our answer. Most rejections come down to one of three things: not enough years in business, missing insurance, or a review history that doesn't yet meet our threshold. Many rejected applicants reapply 6–12 months later and are accepted.