Two different businesses
Compare the Market is a well-known commercial comparison service that covers energy alongside insurance, broadband and more. Services like it generally operate on a commission or referral model — they are free to you because participating retailers pay when you sign up — and they typically compare a panel of partnered retailers rather than every retailer in the market.
EnergySorted is a different kind of business. You pay a small yearly subscription (around $39), we take no retailer commissions, and we compare 16,000+ plans across every AER-listed retailer, not a panel. Neither model is wrong; they simply answer to different people. It is worth knowing which before you rely on either.
Panel vs whole-of-market
The panel question is the one most people miss. If a service compares only the retailers it has commercial arrangements with, the cheapest plan for your household may not be in the comparison at all — not because anyone hid it, but because that retailer is not on the panel. A convenient shortlist is useful, but it is a shortlist.
EnergySorted compares the whole AER-listed market, so a plan is never absent because a retailer chose not to partner. When you are hunting for the genuinely cheapest option for your usage, whole-of-market coverage is the difference between a good deal and the best available one.
Estimated quote vs real-usage costing
Commercial comparison services typically give you a one-off quote from a few details — a postcode, a rough usage band, whether you have solar. That is fast and convenient, but two plans that look similar on those inputs can cost very differently once your real peak/off-peak split, solar export and gas usage are applied.
EnergySorted asks you to upload a recent bill and costs every plan against your actual usage — peak, off-peak and shoulder, solar feed-in, and gas stepped rates. It then tracks your bills over time with a Bill Health Score and forecasts, and it covers electricity, gas and fuel together. Where a commercial service earns its fee at the point of switching, EnergySorted keeps working afterwards, backed by a savings guarantee.
When Compare the Market might suit you
If you value a big-brand, one-stop service that will walk you through the switch over the phone and bundle energy with your other household comparisons, Compare the Market can be a genuinely convenient choice — and being free at the point of use suits people who just want a quick, guided switch.
Choose EnergySorted when independence from retailer commissions matters to you, when you want whole-of-market coverage rather than a panel, and when you want the comparison costed on your real bill and monitored over time. You are paying a small subscription so that no retailer is paying us — that is the trade you are making, and for many households the accuracy and neutrality are worth it.