Octopus Energy Sainsbury’s Energy (July 2026)
Overview
Octopus Energy has cheaper tariffs, a higher Trustpilot rating and a higher Which? overall score; app data for Sainsbury’s Energy is unavailable.
Octopus Energy leads this comparison by offering cheaper fixed and variable tariffs alongside higher customer review scores. Sainsbury's Energy provides Nectar point rewards, but it costs more overall and lacks independent app data in this analysis.
About Octopus Energy and Sainsbury's Energy
Who are Octopus Energy?
Octopus Energy started in 2015 and is backed by the Octopus Group. Through its own growth and by taking on customers from other suppliers, it has grown quickly. Today, it is the UK's largest domestic energy supplier. Octopus Energy offers a wide range of smart tariffs and uses its own software platform, Kraken, to run its billing and customer service. As well as standard tariffs, it has specialist options for people with electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar panels.
Who are Sainsbury's Energy?
Sainsbury's Energy is a brand owned by the Sainsbury's supermarket chain. It does not generate its own energy. Since 2019, its energy supply and customer service have been run by E.ON Next, which is one of the UK's largest suppliers. Sainsbury's Energy focuses on a simple range of standard and fixed tariffs. Its link to the Nectar loyalty scheme is what sets it apart. Customers can earn extra Nectar points on their supermarket shopping and get bonus points when they sign up for certain tariffs.
- [1] En.wikipedia.org: started in 2015 and is backed by the Octopus Group
- [2] Kantar.com: grown quickly
- [3] Britishenergycompliance.co.uk: UK's largest domestic energy supplier
- [4] Octopus Energy
- [5] Moneyhelpdesk.com
- [6] Uswitch.com: one of the UK's largest suppliers
- [7] Freeenergysavings.co.uk: simple range of standard and fixed tariffs
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Tariffs and pricing
The cheapest tariff available from Octopus Energy is a fixed deal costing £1,697 a year, requiring a 12-month contract with a £100 exit fee. In contrast, the cheapest overall option from Sainsbury's Energy is a 24-month fixed deal priced at £1,744 a year, which carries a £200 exit fee.
For households seeking standard variable options with no fixed term, Octopus Energy costs £1,792 a year, while the Sainsbury's Energy equivalent is priced at £1,805 a year. Sainsbury's Energy also offers a 12-month fixed term for £1,744 a year with a £100 exit fee, although this remains more expensive than the Octopus Energy 12-month fixed deal.
Octopus Energy and Sainsbury's Energy: Tariff Options
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy offers standard variable and fixed-term tariffs, alongside a wide range of smart and specialist options. It has dynamic tariffs where electricity prices change based on wholesale costs, and options where the price of gas and electricity changes daily. It also provides an electric vehicle tariff that pairs with your car or charger, as well as an EV tariff offering a set window of cheap electricity every night. For heating, there is a three-rate tariff designed for homes with a heat pump.[1][2][3]
Sainsbury's Energy
Sainsbury's Energy offers a simple range of standard variable and fixed-term tariffs that reward customers with Nectar points. It also offers an EV tariff, although the options shown here focus on its standard variable and fixed-term plans.
Customer reviews
Octopus Energy holds a Trustpilot score of 4.8 based on a very high volume of reviews. Sainsbury's Energy scores 4.5 from a lower volume of feedback. A breakdown of these ratings shows that 90% of Octopus reviews are five-star, compared to 80% for Sainsbury's Energy.
A summary of Trustpilot feedback indicates that Octopus Energy customers frequently note staff efficiency, quick response times, and clear communication. Sainsbury's Energy reviewers highlight polite and knowledgeable staff who resolve queries quickly. Both suppliers receive occasional complaints regarding customer service and billing.
In the annual Which? survey, Octopus Energy achieves a score of 74, while Sainsbury's Energy scores 71. However, Sainsbury's Energy receives 8 out of 10 for smart meters, compared to 5 out of 10 for Octopus Energy.
App quality and features
Octopus Energy scores 4.8 on the App Store and 4.4 on the Google Play Store, with a very large number of Android installs. The iOS app has also received recent updates to bring improvements and fixes.
App rating data is not currently available for Sainsbury's Energy on either platform.
Customer service and support
Octopus Energy scores 3.67 out of 5 in the Citizens Advice ratings, ranking 4th overall. The supplier records an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 17 seconds and responds to 86% of emails within two days. It also has formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice.
Payment methods accepted by Octopus Energy include Direct Debit, Cash/Cheque, and Prepayment. Its phone lines operate Mon–Thu 9am–5pm and Fri 9am–4pm, but are closed on weekends.
Independent Citizens Advice data is not currently available for Sainsbury's Energy, preventing a direct comparison on these metrics.
Complaints and performance
In Q4 2025, Octopus Energy received 495 complaints per 100,000 customers. It resolved 45% of these by the end of the next working day and 79% within eight weeks. The main reasons customers complained were payment issues, general billing, and smart billing. To help fix these problems, Octopus has expanded its Octo Assist Fund with £15 million to support customers and set up an Operations Academy to train its staff. Sainsbury’s Energy’s displayed complaints figure covers Q3 2025, so the two figures should not be treated as a like-for-like comparison.
Green Energy Comparison
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy gives its customers 100% zero-carbon electricity. Based on Citizens Advice data, its electricity is a mostly renewable mix, with some nuclear power. The company also invests in building its own wind and solar farms and helps customers move to green technology like heat pumps and electric vehicles. It does not currently offer carbon-offset gas tariffs for new domestic customers.
Sainsbury's Energy
Because E.ON Next supplies the energy, the official fuel mix for Sainsbury's Energy reflects E.ON Next's overall generation, which is mostly natural gas and renewables. However, Sainsbury's Energy states on its website that the electricity it supplies to customers is backed by renewable energy certificates (REGOs). It does not offer specific green tariffs. Through its partner, it offers discounts on low-carbon home upgrades such as solar panels, home batteries, and electric vehicle chargers to help households use cleaner energy.
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Octopus Energy |
| Overall customer service | Octopus Energy |
Octopus Energy has cheaper tariffs, a higher Trustpilot rating and a higher Which? overall score; app data for Sainsbury’s Energy is unavailable.
Octopus Energy leads this comparison based on the available data. It provides cheaper fixed and variable tariffs, and scores higher across the independent customer service and review metrics recorded here.
Sainsbury's Energy may suit households looking to earn Nectar points, though it costs more than Octopus Energy across the tariffs compared. A comprehensive comparison is limited by the lack of available data for Sainsbury's Energy regarding mobile apps and Citizens Advice metrics.
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,792 / year
- 4.8 Trustpilot from 821,111+ reviews
- Top-4 Citizens Advice ranking
- iOS app rated 4.8 out of 5
- 86% of emails answered within 2 days
- Cheapest overall tariff carries a £100 exit fee
- 10% of Google Play ratings are negative
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,805 / year
- 4.5 Trustpilot from 3,115+ reviews
- Cheapest overall tariff carries a £200 exit fee
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better, Octopus Energy or Sainsbury's Energy?
Based on our data, Octopus Energy is the better option. It offers cheaper fixed and variable tariffs, achieves higher customer review scores, and provides highly rated mobile apps.
Does Octopus Energy or Sainsbury's Energy offer cheaper tariffs?
Octopus Energy currently offers cheaper tariffs. Its cheapest fixed deal and its standard variable tariff both cost less than the equivalent options from Sainsbury's Energy.
Which supplier has better customer reviews?
Octopus Energy performs better in customer reviews, holding a 4.8 Trustpilot rating from over 820,000 reviews. Sainsbury's Energy also scores a respectable 4.5, but from a much smaller number of reviews.
Does Sainsbury's Energy have a better app than Octopus Energy?
We do not currently have app rating data for Sainsbury's Energy. Octopus Energy, however, provides highly rated apps on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
How do call wait times compare between the two suppliers?
Octopus Energy has an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 17 seconds according to Citizens Advice. We do not have comparable call wait time data for Sainsbury's Energy.
Should I choose Octopus Energy or Sainsbury's Energy?
Octopus Energy is the stronger choice for most households, as it leads on price, reviews, and app quality. Sainsbury's Energy might only appeal if you want to earn Nectar points on your energy bills.
Do these suppliers offer fixed tariffs?
Yes, both suppliers offer fixed tariffs. Octopus Energy's cheapest fixed deal requires a 12-month contract, while Sainsbury's Energy offers 12-month and 24-month fixed options.
How do the suppliers perform in the Which? survey?
In the latest Which? survey, Octopus Energy scored 74, while Sainsbury's Energy scored 71. Both suppliers achieved a customer service rating of 4 out of 5.
Do both suppliers have vulnerability commitments?
Octopus Energy has formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice. We do not currently have data to confirm if Sainsbury's Energy has the same commitments in place.
Can I earn Nectar points with either supplier?
Yes, Sainsbury's Energy offers bonus Nectar points when you sign up for certain tariffs, which sets it apart from Octopus Energy.
What changed this month
This month, Sainsbury’s Energy's cheapest tariff term changed from a variable tariff to a 24-month fixed deal, Octopus Energy's cheapest tariff term changed from a variable tariff to a 12-month fixed deal, and Octopus Energy's cheapest tariff exit fee rose from £0 to £100. There were 25 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (30)
Octopus Energy
- Trustpilot reviews807,247 → 821,111
- iOS app ratings count244,000 → 245,000
- iOS app days since last update25 → 9
- Play Store rating4.4444447 → 4.4341745
- Play Store ratings count46,777 → 46,873
- Play Store days since last update25 → 11
- Play Store positive ratings %87 → 86.7
- Play Store negative ratings %9.8 → 10
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.2 → 3.3
- Play Store net-positive %77.2 → 76.7
- Citizens Advice rank3 → 4
- Citizens Advice score3.78 → 3.67
- Complaints per 10,000 customers21.8 → 21.3
- Avg call centre wait time72 → 77
- Emails responded within 2 days %90.4 → 86.1
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,566.25 → £1,792.32
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,691.36 → £1,697.05
- Cheapest tariff£1,566.25 → £1,697.05
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£0 → £100
- Cheapest tariff termvariable → 12 months
Sainsbury’s Energy
- Trustpilot rating4.3 → 4.5
- Trustpilot reviews3,107 → 3,115
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %52 → 36
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,584.14 → £1,804.81
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,690.97 → £1,743.58
- Cheapest tariff£1,584.14 → £1,743.58
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£0 → £200
- Cheapest tariff termvariable → 24 months
- Variable tariffs available1 → 2
- Longest fixed term12 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.