BillDecoder vs comparison sites

The comparison sites aren't comparing.
They're selling.

Q: How do electricity comparison sites make money?

Electricity comparison sites earn a commission from energy retailers each time a customer switches through their platform. This is disclosed in their terms and conditions. The commission is paid by the retailer, not the customer, but it creates a structural incentive to recommend switching over other outcomes.

Q: Is Energy Made Easy independent?

Energy Made Easy is run by the Australian Energy Regulator and has no commercial incentive to recommend specific retailers. Its limitation is scope: it is a rate comparison tool, not a bill analysis tool. It won't find billing errors, missed rebates, solar issues, or tell you whether staying with your current retailer and negotiating is better than switching.

That's not a conspiracy theory. It's how they describe their own business model in their own terms and conditions.

Canstar states it "may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables." iSelect states it "is paid a commission by energy retailers each time one of our customers chooses to sign up." Compare the Market operates the same way.

The commission is paid by the retailer. You don't see it. And it only gets triggered when you switch — not when you stay, claim a rebate, fix your solar, or negotiate your tariff. The business model rewards one outcome. If your best outcome isn't that one, the model has no way to tell you.

That's not a moral failing. It's a structural one. And it's why BillDecoder exists.

Do comparison sites actually show you the cheapest plan?

Sometimes. If the cheapest plan for you happens to be with a retailer that participates in the comparison site's commercial arrangements, you'll see it. If it isn't — or if switching isn't actually your best outcome — the model has no mechanism to surface that.

The ACCC fined iSelect $8.5 million in 2020 after finding that during a two-year period, commercial arrangements with retailers restricted which plans could be shown to customers. The regulator found that up to 38% of customers may have found a cheaper plan elsewhere. Read the ACCC media release.

iSelect isn't uniquely bad. The commercial structure is the industry norm. iSelect got caught operating it in a way the ACCC considered misleading.

What does "independent" actually mean?

Every comparison site uses the word. None of them define it.

When BillDecoder says independent, it means one specific thing: the customer pays, not the retailer. BillDecoder charges $29. Retailers pay nothing — no commissions, no referral fees, no affiliate arrangements of any kind. The only financial incentive is to give you the right answer, whatever that turns out to be.

This is the same principle Choice Magazine has operated on for decades. Choice doesn't accept advertising from the companies it reviews. That's why its reviews can be trusted. BillDecoder applies the same logic to electricity bill analysis.

What does BillDecoder do that comparison sites don't?

Comparison sites look at one thing: which retailer has the lowest rate for your usage profile. Useful if switching is your best option.

BillDecoder reads your actual bill and looks at everything.

Switching: Whether a different plan or retailer would save you money, based on your real usage data. Not a generalised rate estimate — your bill, your numbers.
Billing errors: Overcharges, incorrect tariff classifications, supply charge anomalies. These don't appear on a comparison site because comparison sites don't read your bill.
Rebates you haven't claimed: Government concessions, hardship programs, and state rebates. None of these pay a commission to anyone, which is why they don't appear prominently on comparison sites.
Solar and feed-in tariff issues: Whether your solar export rate is appropriate, and what a battery would save you based on your real export volume.

The ACCC found in December 2025 that households on the same plan for three or more years pay $221 more per year than they need to. A NSW household could save $300 simply by asking their existing retailer to move them to the cheapest available plan — no switching required. A comparison site has no way to tell you that. There's no commission in staying.

See a real example analysis →

Why does BillDecoder cost $29 when comparison sites are free?

The comparison sites aren't free. You pay with the commission structure distorting the advice. The question isn't whether you pay — it's whether you pay in money or in compromised recommendations.

$29 buys an analysis that isn't being funded by the retailers it's analysing. That's the product. The independence isn't a feature bolted on. It's the business model.

Is BillDecoder right for everyone?

No. If switching retailer is definitely your best option and you're comfortable using a comparison site for that, you don't need BillDecoder. Comparison sites are fast and they do that specific job adequately.

BillDecoder is for households who suspect something is wrong with their bill but can't work out what. Who've tried switching and still feel like they're overpaying. Who want to know whether the advice they've been getting is actually on their side.

If that's you — upload your bill. The analysis takes a few minutes.

Upload your bill — free analysis →

Frequently asked questions

How do electricity comparison sites make money?

They earn a commission from energy retailers each time a customer switches through their platform. This is disclosed in their terms and conditions but rarely prominent. The commission is paid by the retailer, not the customer.

Is Energy Made Easy independent?

Energy Made Easy is run by the Australian Energy Regulator, so it has no commercial incentive to recommend specific retailers. Its limitation is scope: it's a rate comparison tool, not a bill analysis tool. It won't find billing errors, missed rebates, solar issues, or tell you whether staying and negotiating is better than switching.

Was iSelect fined for misleading customers?

Yes. The ACCC fined iSelect $8.5 million in 2020 after finding that commercial arrangements with retailers restricted which plans iSelect could recommend during a two-year period. The ACCC found up to 38% of affected customers may have found a cheaper plan elsewhere.

Does BillDecoder recommend switching?

When switching is the best outcome, yes. BillDecoder has no financial incentive either way — it doesn't earn a commission if you switch or if you stay. The recommendation follows the analysis.

What if my best outcome is claiming a rebate, not switching?

BillDecoder will tell you that. State government rebates, concession entitlements, and hardship programs are analysed as part of every bill. None of these involve switching — and none of them pay a commission to anyone — which is why they don't appear prominently on comparison sites.

By Steve Hadfield, founder of BillDecoder and creator of the BillDecoder Index — the only independent, bill-verified dataset on what Australians actually pay for electricity.

Last updated: 1 May 2026. Commission disclosure language verified against Canstar and iSelect published terms, April 2026. ACCC iSelect penalty sourced from ACCC media release, October 2020. ACCC electricity market findings sourced from ACCC December 2025 media release.

The comparison sites aren't comparing.They're selling.