Octopus Energy Outfox Energy (August 2026)
Overview
Octopus Energy has stronger Which? customer service ratings and app quality, while Outfox Energy currently offers a cheaper fixed tariff and stronger Citizens Advice service metrics.
Octopus Energy scores higher for app quality and Which? ratings, supported by a large volume of positive customer feedback. Conversely, Outfox Energy ranks higher on Citizens Advice metrics and currently provides a lower-priced fixed tariff.
About Octopus Energy and Outfox Energy
Who are Octopus Energy?
Founded in 2015 and backed by the Octopus Group, Octopus Energy is the UK's largest domestic energy supplier. It has grown through its own growth and by taking on customers from other suppliers, such as Bulb and Shell Energy. Its key difference is its own technology platform, Kraken, which runs its billing and customer service and is used by other energy companies.
Who are Outfox Energy?
Outfox Energy is an independent British energy supplier based in Leicester. It was set up in 2017 as a family-run business under the name Outfox the Market, before changing its name in June 2025. It is one of the smaller suppliers in the market, acting as a low-cost alternative to the UK's biggest domestic suppliers. It focuses on simple tariffs and low prices, supported by a UK-based customer service team.
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Tariffs and pricing
Outfox Energy provides the lowest overall price in this comparison with its 24-month fixed tariff at £1,700 a year, though this includes a £200 exit fee. In contrast, Octopus Energy's lowest-priced option is a standard variable tariff at £1,792 a year, featuring no fixed term and zero exit fees.
Households looking to lock in a rate with Octopus Energy will find its cheapest 12-month fixed tariff priced at £1,841 a year, carrying a £100 exit fee. Meanwhile, Outfox Energy's standard variable tariff is priced at £1,805 a year.
Tariff options
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy offers a standard variable tariff and fixed deals with 12-month terms. It also has a wide range of smart and specialist tariffs for customers with electric vehicles, heat pumps, solar panels, and home batteries.
Outfox Energy
Outfox Energy offers a standard variable tariff and fixed deals with terms from 12 to 24 months. It also has a tracker tariff and a specialist option for electric vehicle owners.
Customer reviews
Both suppliers achieve a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot. However, Octopus Energy draws from a significantly larger sample size of over 837,000 reviews, compared to approximately 54,000 for Outfox Energy. Additionally, Octopus Energy maintains a higher proportion of five-star ratings at 90%, whereas Outfox Energy records 76%.
Trustpilot feedback for Octopus Energy frequently mentions helpful staff and professional conduct, though a portion of users note slower email response times. Outfox Energy customers similarly report positive service interactions and prompt problem resolution, alongside occasional mentions of longer wait times during phone calls.
According to the latest Which? survey, Octopus Energy receives an overall score of 74 out of 100, placing it slightly ahead of Outfox Energy at 71. Octopus Energy records a higher customer service rating of 4 out of 5, compared to Outfox Energy's 2 out of 5, and achieves 10 out of 10 for helping those who need it. Conversely, Outfox Energy secures higher ratings for its smart meters and complaints handling procedures.
App quality and features
Octopus Energy records strong scores for its mobile applications, achieving 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store and 4.4 on Google Play across hundreds of thousands of ratings. Data indicates these apps receive frequent updates, including multiple releases over the past three months.
Outfox Energy registers lower app scores, sitting at 2.0 on the App Store and 2.3 on Google Play. It is worth noting that these figures stem from sample sizes of fewer than 200 ratings per platform, limiting direct comparability with Octopus Energy. Furthermore, the Outfox Energy apps have not recorded an update in over five months.
Service and support
In the latest Citizens Advice rankings, Outfox Energy places 2nd with an overall score of 4.25 out of 5. Octopus Energy follows in 4th place, recording a score of 3.67.
Citizens Advice data shows both suppliers share an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 17 seconds. Outfox Energy responds to 100% of emails within two days and averages 49 seconds for social media replies. Octopus Energy answers 86.1% of emails within the same two-day window, though its average social media response time is currently unavailable.
Operating hours differ slightly, as Outfox Energy provides phone support on Saturday mornings, while Octopus Energy's phone lines remain closed over the weekend. Both suppliers maintain formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice.
Complaints and Performance
We have Q4 2025 complaints and resolution data for Octopus Energy only. Citizens Advice publishes a separate complaints-per-10,000-customers measure for both suppliers, but this is not directly comparable with Octopus Energy's Q4 2025 complaints data.[1]
Green energy comparison
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy offers a 100% zero-carbon electricity mix. Based on Citizens Advice data for January to March 2026, its electricity fuel mix is mostly renewable, with some nuclear power. The supplier also invests directly in renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar farms, through its Octopus Energy Generation arm. It does not currently offer a dedicated green tariff in comparison data.[1]
Outfox Energy
Based on Citizens Advice data for January to March 2026, Outfox Energy's electricity fuel mix is largely fossil fuels, with some renewables, nuclear, and other sources. The supplier backs its renewable electricity by buying Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates. It says its electric vehicle tariff helps support greener grids by encouraging off-peak charging, but it does not currently offer a dedicated green energy tariff.[2]
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Outfox Energy |
| Overall customer service | Outfox Energy |
| A well-rated mobile app | Octopus Energy |
| A greener fuel mix | Octopus Energy |
Octopus Energy leads on customer service ratings and app quality, though Outfox Energy currently offers a cheaper fixed tariff.
Based on the available data, the better fit depends on your priorities. Octopus Energy leads on app ratings and Which? customer service scores, alongside a substantial volume of positive Trustpilot feedback.
Alternatively, households prioritising a fixed deal might consider Outfox Energy. It currently provides a lower-priced fixed tariff than Octopus Energy and scores higher across Citizens Advice metrics, including email response rates and overall ranking.
- Strong app ratings across both major platforms
- 90% of Trustpilot reviews award five stars
- Standard variable tariff carries no exit fees
- Cheapest fixed tariff costs more than Outfox Energy's equivalent
- Lower percentage of emails answered within two days
- Lower-priced overall and fixed tariff options
- Ranks 2nd overall in Citizens Advice metrics
- 100% of emails responded to within two days
- App ratings are notably low, albeit on small sample sizes
- Standard variable tariff is priced higher than Octopus Energy
- Cheapest fixed tariff includes a £200 exit fee
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better overall?
Octopus Energy has the stronger overall Which? score and app ratings, while Outfox Energy offers the cheaper fixed tariff and ranks higher on Citizens Advice service metrics. The better fit depends on which of these matters most to you.
Does Octopus Energy or Outfox Energy have the cheaper fixed tariff?
Outfox Energy currently offers the cheaper fixed tariff at £1,700 a year for a 24-month term. Octopus Energy's cheapest fixed deal costs £1,841 a year for a 12-month term.
Do customers prefer Octopus Energy or Outfox Energy?
Both suppliers have strong Trustpilot scores of 4.8 out of 5, but Octopus Energy has a much larger volume of reviews and a higher share of five-star ratings. Octopus Energy also scores slightly higher in the overall Which? survey.
Which supplier has the better mobile app?
Octopus Energy has vastly superior app ratings, scoring 4.8 on the App Store and 4.4 on Google Play from hundreds of thousands of reviews. Outfox Energy's apps have very low scores based on small samples and have not been updated recently.
How long does it take to speak to someone on the phone?
According to Citizens Advice data, both Octopus Energy and Outfox Energy have an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 17 seconds.
Should I switch to Octopus Energy or Outfox Energy?
If you care most about app quality and strong independent customer service ratings, Octopus Energy is the better option. If you prefer to lock in a cheaper fixed rate and value fast email responses, Outfox Energy is worth looking at.
Are there exit fees if I leave my contract early?
Outfox Energy charges a £200 exit fee on its cheapest fixed tariff. Octopus Energy charges a £100 exit fee on its cheapest fixed tariff, but its standard variable tariff has no exit fees.
Which supplier replies to emails faster?
Outfox Energy performs better here, responding to 100% of emails within two days according to Citizens Advice. Octopus Energy replies to 86.1% of emails in the same timeframe.
How do the two suppliers perform in the Which? survey?
Octopus Energy scores 74 out of 100 overall, slightly ahead of Outfox Energy on 71. Octopus Energy leads on customer service, while Outfox Energy gets higher marks for smart meters and complaints handling.
Do Octopus Energy and Outfox Energy offer standard variable tariffs?
Yes, both suppliers offer standard variable tariffs. Octopus Energy's variable tariff is currently cheaper at £1,792 a year, compared to £1,805 a year for Outfox Energy.
What changed this month
This month, Octopus Energy's iOS sampled positive reviews rose from 0 to 1, Octopus Energy's iOS sampled negative reviews rose from 0 to 2, and Octopus Energy's cheapest tariff exit fee fell from £100 to £0. There were 26 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (36)
Octopus Energy
- Trustpilot reviews821,111 → 837,814
- iOS app ratings count245,000 → 249,000
- iOS app days since last update9 → 6
- iOS sampled reviews avg starsnow available (2)
- iOS sampled positive reviews0 → 1
- iOS sampled negative reviews0 → 2
- Play Store rating4.4341745 → 4.3956046
- Play Store ratings count46,873 → 47,091
- Play Store days since last update11 → 2
- Play Store positive ratings %86.7 → 85.5
- Play Store negative ratings %10 → 11
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.3 → 3.5
- Play Store net-positive %76.7 → 74.5
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,697.05 → £1,841.19
- Cheapest tariff£1,697.05 → £1,792.32
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£100 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 0 months
- Tariff count2 → 3
- Fixed tariffs available1 → 2
Outfox Energy
- Trustpilot reviews53,918 → 54,758
- iOS app days since last update137 → 160
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars1.8 → 2.33
- iOS sampled negative reviews4 → 2
- Play Store rating2.3267326 → 2.31
- Play Store ratings count185 → 189
- Play Store days since last update140 → 163
- Play Store positive ratings %28.6 → 28.8
- Play Store negative ratings %62.6 → 63.6
- Play Store neutral ratings %8.8 → 7.6
- Play Store net-positive %-34 → -34.8
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,542.79 → £1,699.69
- Cheapest tariff£1,542.79 → £1,699.69
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£150 → £200
- Cheapest tariff term15 months → 24 months
- Cheapest fixed tariff exit fee£150 → £200
- Cheapest fixed tariff term15 months → 24 months
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.