Octopus Tracker review (November 2026)
A single electricity and gas price per day, following wholesale costs.
Live tariff data
Octopus Tracker prices for your area
Electricity rates and standing charges differ by distribution region. Enter your postcode or choose your electricity region before local figures are shown.
The short answer
Who Octopus Tracker is most likely to work for
Tracker offers wholesale-linked pricing without Agile’s half-hourly decisions. One rate applies all day, which suits households that accept daily price changes but do not want to schedule appliances.
In its favour
- Often well below the Ofgem price cap
- No exit fees
- Zero-carbon electricity
- Covers gas as well as electricity
- One rate a day is far easier to live with than 48
Against it
- Rates can climb quickly in winter or a supply shock
- Leaving blocks you from rejoining for nine months
- Needs a fully working smart meter
- No green gas or offsetting on the gas side
Read the fuller verdict and trade-offs
It is not for the risk-averse. A hard winter cold snap pushes the daily rate up sharply, and you have to budget for that. The nine-month block on rejoining means the decision to leave is close to final for the year, so if you want certainty over your unit rate a fixed tariff is the safer choice.
- A daily rate means daily exposure. In a sustained price spike there is no fixed rate protecting you and no cheap window to move into.
- You take on price variability without a way to act on it. Some people find that harder than Agile, where you can at least respond by shifting usage.
- Signup availability has been restricted at points in the past, so it is not always open to new customers.
Tariff facts at a glance
- Current version
- Octopus Tracker
View product code
SILVER-26-04-01- Price changes
- Once a day
- The rate applies from midnight to midnight and is shown once published
- Today’s full-day rate vs cap
- Choose a location
- A full-day regional average is needed for today’s comparison
- Estimated annual cost
- Choose a location
- Shown after an electricity region is selected
Key tariff facts
- Variable-rate tariff
- Compatible smart meter required
- Electricity and gas are covered on this page
Regional comparison
How prices differ across Great Britain
Octopus Tracker unit rate and standing charge by region
The average price per unit on 6 November 2026, including VAT. The table also shows the daily standing charge.
Hover a region for its figure, or select one to load its prices.
Tap a region to load its prices.
View all regional prices
| Region | Per kWh | Standing charge per day |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 38.13p | 48.6p |
| North East England | 38.32p | 58.6p |
| West Midlands | 38.58p | 54.6p |
| Northern Scotland | 38.75p | 53.6p |
| Yorkshire | 38.95p | 58.8p |
| Southern England | 39.24p | 45.4p |
| South West England | 39.24p | 53.7p |
| South Wales | 39.39p | 52.2p |
| Southern Scotland | 39.39p | 59.8p |
| North West England | 39.47p | 42.8p |
| Eastern England | 39.60p | 49.7p |
| London | 39.70p | 40.4p |
| South East England | 39.95p | 50.2p |
| Merseyside and North Wales | 41.43p | 64.8p |
Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market and is not covered by these regions.
Household fit
Who Octopus Tracker might be good for
The right answer depends on your equipment, routine and tolerance for changing prices—not just how much electricity you use.
Likely to suit
- Households that want wholesale-linked pricing without watching every half hour
- Homes wanting the same approach applied to gas as well as electricity
- People who would rather use less than re-time their day
Less likely to suit
- Anyone who needs a rate they can predict months ahead for budgeting
- Households that could shift usage within a day — Agile rewards that, Tracker does not
- People uncomfortable with a price that can move every day
Before switching
Check the requirements and what will affect the result
What you need
- A smart meter sending readings, for both fuels if you take gas as well
- Availability has historically been limited at times, and Octopus has capped signups in some periods
- Available across Great Britain, priced by distribution region
What drives what you pay
- Wholesale gas and electricity prices, which move daily and can move sharply
- How much energy you use, since there is no timing advantage to exploit
- Standing charges on both fuels, which apply every day irrespective of usage
- The weather, more directly than on most tariffs — a cold snap raises both demand and wholesale prices at once
How it works
How Octopus Tracker sets its prices
Octopus sets one rate for each consumption day from wholesale costs. It normally appears from midnight on that day, rather than as a dependable evening-before price. The rate then holds until the next daily rollover, so electricity at 3am and 6pm costs the same.
Read the full pricing explanation
Both fuels are priced the same way. The gas rate and the electricity rate move independently, because their wholesale markets do.
Because the rate is fixed for the day, the tariff rewards using less rather than using at different times. That is the opposite of Agile, and the reason the two suit different households.
Alternatives
Other smart tariffs from Octopus and EDF to compare
These are other smart-tariff comparisons from the two suppliers, not a claim that every option suits the same household.
Agile Octopus
Agile moves every half hour, Tracker once a day.
More detail
Agile pays you for shifting usage; Tracker does not, because there is nothing to shift into. Choose Tracker if you want wholesale pricing without managing it, and Agile if you will genuinely change when you use electricity.
Flexible Octopus
Flexible follows the Ofgem cap and changes quarterly; Tracker follows wholesale and changes daily.
More detail
Tracker tends to be cheaper when wholesale prices sit below the cap and more expensive when they spike above it. The cap comparison above shows where today sits.
A fixed tariff
A fix buys certainty at a premium.
More detail
Tracker gives up that certainty for prices that follow the market down as well as up. If a predictable monthly figure matters more to you than the average outcome, a fix is the better choice.
How to switch
Moving to Octopus Tracker
- 1
You cannot join Tracker directly from another supplier. New customers sign up to Flexible Octopus first, then request the switch once they are on supply.
- 2
A working smart meter sending automatic readings is required. If you have an older meter, Octopus will fit a smart one free and you stay on Flexible until the engineer has been.
- 3
With a smart meter in place, you request Tracker from the online dashboard or the app. It takes a few days for billing to align, after which your daily rate updates each midnight.
- 4
There are no exit fees, but leaving blocks you from rejoining Tracker for nine months. That rules out the obvious tactic of taking it through summer and hiding on a fixed deal each winter.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a smart meter for Tracker?
Yes, and it has to be sending automatic readings. If you do not have one Octopus will fit it free, but you stay on Flexible Octopus until the installation is done.
Is Tracker protected by the Ofgem price cap?
No. As a smart tariff its daily rates sit outside the default tariff cap. Octopus applies its own hard ceiling instead — 100p per kWh for electricity and 30p per kWh for gas — which is far above anything the cap would allow.
Do I have to change when I use my appliances?
No. Unlike Agile, Tracker sets one rate from midnight to midnight, so there is no cheaper hour to aim for. The question is whether the day as a whole is cheap, not which part of it.
Is the gas on Tracker green?
No. The electricity is matched to zero-carbon generation, but the gas is standard natural gas. Octopus discontinued its gas-offsetting tariff in 2025 and no longer offers a green gas option.
Does Tracker cover gas as well as electricity?
Yes, and it is the main reason to choose it over Agile. Both fuels are priced daily from wholesale costs. Today’s gas rate is shown above alongside electricity.
How often does the Tracker price change?
Once a day. The rate normally appears from midnight for that consumption day and holds until the next daily rollover, so there is no cheaper time of day to aim for.
Is Tracker cheaper than the price cap?
Sometimes. It follows wholesale costs rather than the cap, so it can sit below the cap for long stretches and above it during a spike. The comparison above shows today’s position for your region.
Can I switch away if prices rise?
There are no exit fees, so you can leave at any time. But Octopus enforces a nine-month cooldown: once you leave Tracker you cannot rejoin it for nine months. That rules out taking it for the summer and moving to a fixed deal each winter.
