OVO Energy So Energy (September 2026)
Overview
There is no single best choice: compare price, service, app and green-energy evidence separately.
About OVO Energy and So Energy
Who are OVO Energy?
OVO Energy was set up in 2009 in Bristol. It bought SSE's retail energy business in 2020, which made it one of the UK's largest domestic suppliers. In May 2026, E.ON announced a planned deal to buy OVO's retail business, which would increase its scale. Until the deal is complete, OVO and E.ON run as separate companies.
Who are So Energy?
So Energy was set up in 2015 as a green energy supplier. In 2021, it joined forces with ESB Energy, which is part of the Irish state-owned ESB Group. It is a smaller supplier but has the backing of a large energy group.
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Tariffs and pricing
So Energy currently provides the cheapest tariff across all categories in this comparison. Its So Green Tracker 24m deal costs £1,508 a year, undercutting OVO Energy's Simpler Energy variable tariff (£1,611 a year) by £103 annually.
This lower price requires a trade-off: So Energy's tracker tariff binds customers to a 24-month term with a £190 total exit fee. In contrast, OVO Energy's variable option carries no fixed term or exit fees, which may suit households who prefer to avoid long-term commitments.
For households seeking price certainty, So Energy's So Kestrel 18m fixed deal is priced at £1,735 a year, compared to £1,742 a year for OVO Energy's 1 Year Fixed + Boiler Cover 27 August 2026. While So Energy's fixed option is marginally cheaper, it lasts for 18 months and includes a £190 exit fee. OVO Energy's fixed deal runs for a shorter 12-month period with a £100 exit fee.
OVO Energy and So Energy: Tariff Options
OVO Energy tariffs
OVO Energy offers standard variable and fixed-term tariffs, as well as specialist options for electric vehicle owners.
So Energy tariffs
So Energy offers a range of standard variable, tracker, and fixed-term tariffs, alongside specialist smart and electric vehicle options.
Customer reviews
OVO Energy leads in customer sentiment, holding a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot rating based on over 299,000 reviews. So Energy also maintains a strong presence, scoring 4.5 from more than 30,000 reviews. Both suppliers engage actively with their user base, replying to 99% of negative feedback.
Reviewers frequently commend OVO Energy staff for their patience and note prompt engineer arrivals, though some report communication delays and long wait times. Similarly, So Energy customers highlight polite interactions and a generally smooth experience, but negative feedback often points to extended telephone queues, delayed communications, and expensive pricing structures.
In the annual Which? survey, OVO Energy achieves an overall score of 61, narrowly ahead of So Energy at 60. A notable difference emerges in specific categories: OVO Energy scores 9 out of 10 for helping those who need it, whereas So Energy scores 4 out of 10 for contacting your supplier.
App ratings
So Energy holds higher app ratings across both major platforms, although these figures are drawn from significantly smaller sample sizes. On the App Store, So Energy scores 4.7 from 225 ratings, compared to OVO Energy's 4.6 from 18,000 ratings. Both suppliers have recently updated their iOS applications.
On Google Play, So Energy achieves a score of 4.6 from 138 ratings. Conversely, OVO Energy scores 2.8 from 10,825 ratings across more than a million installs, suggesting a potential weakness in the experience for Android users.
Customer service and support
OVO Energy performs better in the latest Citizens Advice rankings, achieving a score of 3.3 out of 5 to place 8th overall. So Energy trails with a score of 2.86, ranking 12th.
When contacting support by phone, So Energy is faster, recording an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 6 seconds against OVO Energy's 1 minute 33 seconds. However, OVO Energy is more responsive via email, replying to 98.5% of messages within two days compared to 91.3% for So Energy. Additionally, OVO Energy logs an average social media response time of 6 minutes 53 seconds, a metric So Energy does not provide.
Both suppliers maintain formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice. Regarding payment methods, OVO Energy offers broader options, accepting Direct Debit, cash, cheques, and prepayment, whereas So Energy exclusively accepts Direct Debit.
Complaints and performance
Both OVO Energy and So Energy have shared their complaints data for the second quarter of 2026. So Energy received fewer complaints, taking 1,474 for every 100,000 customers. OVO Energy received 1,775 complaints per 100,000 customers in the same period.
Green Energy Comparison
OVO Energy's green approach
Based on Citizens Advice data from January to March 2026, OVO Energy's electricity fuel mix is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable and nuclear energy. Customers can pay for a Greener electricity upgrade, which is matched by Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates. The company plants trees on behalf of its customers and says it has planted 5 million trees in the UK so far. It also offers a Smart Export Guarantee tariff for customers who generate their own electricity.[1]
So Energy's green approach
Based on Citizens Advice data from January to March 2026, So Energy's electricity fuel mix is mostly renewable, with some fossil fuels and nuclear energy. The supplier guarantees that all its fixed-rate tariffs are powered by 100% renewable electricity. It also pays customers for the solar energy they generate and send back to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee scheme.[2]
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | So Energy |
| Overall customer service | OVO Energy |
| A well-rated mobile app | So Energy |
| A greener fuel mix | So Energy |
There is no single best choice: compare price, service, app and green-energy evidence separately.
Use the decision table to match the available evidence to the factors that matter most to your household.
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,611 / year
- 4.7 Trustpilot from 299,269 reviews
- iOS app rated 4.6 out of 5
- 99% of emails answered within 2 days
- 52% of Google Play ratings are negative
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,508 / year
- 4.5 Trustpilot from 30,767 reviews
- iOS app rated 4.7 out of 5
- 91% of emails answered within 2 days
- Cheapest overall tariff carries a £190 exit fee
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, OVO Energy or So Energy?
On the stored annual-cost assumptions, OVO Energy is £1,611 and So Energy is £1,508. So Energy is lower by about £103 a year.
Can OVO Energy and So Energy complaint rates be compared directly?
Yes. Both figures cover Q2 2026: OVO Energy reports 1775 complaints per 100,000 customers and So Energy reports 1474.
Which supplier leads on customer service?
On the comparable customer-service measure used in the decision table, OVO Energy leads.
Which supplier has the better app evidence?
On the comparable app measure used in the decision table, So Energy leads.
Do tariff eligibility rules matter?
Yes. Specialist, time-of-use, EV, heat-pump and export tariffs can have equipment, meter or account requirements. Check the current supplier terms before applying.
Which supplier has the greener evidence?
On the comparable green-energy measure used in the decision table, So Energy leads. This row is based on published fuel-mix percentages.
Which is better overall, OVO Energy or So Energy?
There is no single overall winner in this repaired draft. Price, service, app and green-energy evidence are kept as separate choices in the decision table.
When was this comparison updated?
The structured source payload is for September 2026.
What changed this month
This month, OVO Energy's play store net-positive % fell from 1.3 to -9.2, So Energy's iOS sampled neutral reviews rose from 0 to 1, and So Energy's iOS app days since last update rose from 45 to 75. There were 23 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (31)
OVO Energy
- Trustpilot reviews293,863 → 299,269
- Trustpilot 5-star %77 → 78
- Trustpilot 4-star %10 → 9
- iOS app days since last update37 → 25
- Play Store rating3.0206423 → 2.8167422
- Play Store ratings count10,621 → 10,825
- Play Store days since last update37 → 26
- Play Store positive ratings %48.2 → 43.2
- Play Store negative ratings %46.9 → 52.4
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.9 → 4.4
- Play Store net-positive %1.3 → -9.2
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,804.82 → £1,610.88
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,923.42 → £1,742.03
- Cheapest tariff£1,804.82 → £1,610.88
So Energy
- Trustpilot reviews30,220 → 30,767
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %100 → 99
- iOS app ratings count197 → 225
- iOS app days since last update45 → 75
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars3.67 → 3.75
- iOS sampled neutral reviews0 → 1
- Play Store rating4.62 → 4.64
- Play Store ratings count127 → 138
- Play Store days since last update46 → 76
- Play Store positive ratings %92 → 91.9
- Play Store negative ratings %3.2 → 2.2
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.8 → 5.9
- Play Store net-positive %88.8 → 89.7
- Avg social media response time351 → no longer available
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,687.08 → £1,508.13
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,828.88 → £1,734.74
- Cheapest tariff£1,687.08 → £1,508.13
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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.