Two out of three UK energy switches go through a comparison site.1 You enter your postcode, see deals ranked by price, and pick the cheapest.
These sites do save people money. But they don't show every tariff. Suppliers pay them commission. And the same company owns several of them.
None of that makes them bad tools. It does mean you should know how they work before treating them as your only source.
How they make money
Every time you switch through a comparison site, the supplier pays that site a fee. You pay nothing. The supplier absorbs the cost and builds it into tariff prices.
That's a normal referral model. But it creates a key tension: a comparison site can only show tariffs from suppliers that pay it. If a supplier sells direct or skips a platform, that deal won't appear in your results.
What about result order? Ofgem's Confidence Code says approved sites must rank deals by price, not by how much commission they earn.
But sites can still place "sponsored" deals at the top of the page. The labels are small and easy to miss. Always scroll past the first result and check whether it's genuinely the cheapest.
They don't show every deal
Before 2018, Ofgem made comparison sites show every tariff on the market. Even deals the site couldn't switch you to. Ofgem dropped that rule in 2018.2
Now, sites only show tariffs from suppliers they work with. They link to Citizens Advice as a backup, but that link sits in small print.
So if a supplier only sells direct through its own website, you won't find that deal on any comparison site.
Which suppliers go direct-only? Some suppliers sell tariffs only through their own websites. This happens more when wholesale prices rise and suppliers want to limit new sign-ups.
During the 2021-22 crisis, many left comparison sites entirely. Most came back. But direct-only deals still exist, especially from smaller suppliers.
Parliament's Energy Committee said this would "undermine trust and competition" - because customers would think they could see every deal, when they couldn't.3
Who actually owns these sites
The market looks competitive, but the ownership picture is tight.
Uswitch and Confused.com are both owned by RVU, which is backed by Silver Lake, a US private equity firm.4 They look like rivals. They're sister companies.
MoneySupermarket trades on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE 250). It also owns MoneySavingExpert, which has its own comparison tool.5
BGL Group owns Compare the Market. Future plc owns Go.Compare.
Watch out: If you check your deal on Uswitch then cross-check on Confused.com, you're not getting a second opinion - they share the same parent company. For a real cross-check, use a site with different ownership, like MoneySupermarket or Go.Compare.
What the Ofgem Confidence Code means
Ofgem's Confidence Code6 sets rules for approved comparison sites. Approved sites must:
- Rank results by price, not by commission
- List which suppliers they have deals with
- Link to Citizens Advice's full-market tool
- Stay independent of any energy supplier
Not every site is approved. Approval is voluntary. Smaller platforms may skip it. If you use a comparison tool outside the major names, check whether it carries the code.
| Site | Owner | Confidence Code | Shows all tariffs? | Commission-free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uswitch | RVU / Silver Lake | ✓ Accredited | ✗ Partners only | ✗ No |
| MoneySupermarket | MONY Group plc (FTSE 250) | ✓ Accredited | ✗ Partners only | ✗ No |
| Compare the Market | BGL Group | ✓ Accredited | ✗ Partners only | ✗ No |
| Go.Compare | Future plc | ✓ Accredited | ✗ Partners only | ✗ No |
| Confused.com | RVU / Silver Lake (sister to Uswitch) | ⚠ Check | ✗ Partners only | ✗ No |
| Citizens Advice | Independent charity | ✓ Accredited | ✓ Whole of market | ✓ Yes - no commission |
Citizens Advice: the one most people miss
Citizens Advice runs the only comparison tool that must show every tariff on the market.7 It earns no commission. The design is basic and updates can lag behind the commercial sites. But it remains the only place you can see the full picture.
Use it alongside a commercial site and you'll cover the widest range of deals.
How to compare deals the smart way
Comparison sites are still useful. You just need to know their limits. Here's a better approach:
A smarter way to compare:
- Start with Citizens Advice. It shows every tariff, including ones the commercial sites skip. Note the cheapest deals.
- Cross-check on one commercial site. Use Uswitch or MoneySupermarket. See if the same cheap deals appear. If some are missing, they're likely direct-only.
- Go direct to the cheapest suppliers. If a deal appears on Citizens Advice but not on the commercial sites, visit that supplier's website.
- Skip past sponsored results. The first result may be a paid placement. Scroll down to the ranked list.
- Don't cross-check Uswitch with Confused.com. They share the same owner. Use MoneySupermarket or Go.Compare for a second opinion.
- Know your current rates first. Check your unit rate and standing charge on your last bill before comparing.
Want an EV tariff, solar export deal, or a green energy plan? Go straight to supplier websites. The major platforms often miss these.
The bottom line: Comparison sites help millions of people save money. They're worth using. But they don't show every deal, some of them share owners, and Ofgem dropped the rule that made them show the full market.
Use them - but check Citizens Advice too, and go direct to the cheapest suppliers. Those extra five minutes could save you hundreds.