What iSelect is
iSelect is a long-established Australian comparison service covering energy alongside health insurance, broadband, home loans and more. Its appeal is convenience and guidance: you can compare online or have a consultant help you over the phone. Like most commercial comparison services, it generally operates on a commission or referral model and typically compares a panel of partnered retailers rather than the whole market.
That is a legitimate, widely used model. It is free to you because retailers pay when you sign up. The trade-off is simply that the panel and the commission shape what you see, so it helps to understand both before you rely on the result.
Independence and coverage
EnergySorted is funded the other way around: you pay a small yearly subscription (around $39) and we take no retailer commissions. Because no retailer pays to appear or rank, there is no commercial tug on the recommendation. And rather than a panel, EnergySorted compares every plan across every AER-listed retailer.
The practical upshot is that a plan is never missing from your comparison because a retailer chose not to partner, and no plan is nudged up your list because it pays more. For a household chasing the genuinely cheapest option, whole-of-market plus commission-free is a meaningfully different starting point from panel plus commission.
Guided quote vs real-usage costing
A consultant-guided quote is convenient, but it is still typically built from a few estimated inputs. Your true bill depends on details a quick quote rarely captures: your peak versus off-peak split, exactly how much solar you export, your gas step usage. Small differences there can outweigh a headline rate.
EnergySorted costs every plan against your actual usage read from an uploaded bill: peak, off-peak and shoulder, solar feed-in, and gas stepped rates. It then tracks your bills over time with a Bill Health Score, forecasts the next one, explains why a bill changed, and covers electricity, gas and fuel together, with a savings guarantee behind the recommendation. It is built to keep working, not to make a single call.
When iSelect might suit you
If you want a human to walk you through a switch, prefer comparing energy in the same place as your insurance and broadband, and are comfortable with a panel and a quick quote, iSelect can be a convenient and reassuring choice. The guided, no-cost experience is exactly what some people want.
Choose EnergySorted when you want independence from retailer commissions, whole-of-market coverage, a comparison costed on your real bill, and ongoing tracking so you do not drift back onto an overpriced plan. You are paying a small subscription so the retailer never pays us. That neutrality and accuracy is the trade you are choosing.