Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Moving house, or just feeling like you’re paying too much for power, usually means one thing: comparing energy plans. Here we review Econnex, a widely used free comparison platforms that promises to do that legwork for you, covering electricity, gas, internet and a few other household services.
Econnex operates in its own name, and provides the white label platform for many other channels. It is part of the Compare the Market group that includes ISelect, although the original founders still hold a stake. Their pitch is simple: enter your postcode and usage, and it returns estimated yearly costs for plans on its panel, with the option to switch online.
But “compares plans” and “finds you the cheapest plan” aren’t the same thing. In our 2026 Econnex review modelling, we checked Econnex’s quoted plans against the broader market across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia. In every completed sample, a cheaper plan was available elsewhere, in NSW electricity by as much as $462 a year.
That doesn’t mean Econnex is a bad service. It means the same rule applies here as with any comparison site: it’s worth checking the result against the broader market before you switch.
Econnex Review: Quick Verdict
What is Econnex?
A free online comparison platform for electricity, gas, internet, mobile, solar and a few other household services, covering a panel of participating Energy Companies who pay Econnex commissions for each converted customer.
Where is Econnex available?
NSW, ACT, SA, VIC and parts of QLD for electricity and gas, plus TAS and WA for gas.
Does Econnex compare every energy provider?
No. Like other comparison sites, Econnex works from a panel of contracted Energy Companies rather than the entire market, so the “cheapest” result it shows you is the cheapest on its panel, not necessarily the cheapest available anywhere.
Oversimplified assumptions
Econnex ignores differences in the usage of customers. These differences can matter big time! For example it recommends the OVO 3 hour free plan as the cheapest plan in Victoria, no ifs, no buts. If you have solar, it’s rarely a good choice as you already get free energy in the 3 hour free window, If you have a battery it can be a good plan, or you can move lots of usage into the window it can work well too. The comparison is not personalised, because really Econnex don’t care whether you save or not, as long as they get paid the commission.
Biggest saving we found
In our Victorian gas modelling, the broader market was up to $202 a year cheaper than the Econnex-quoted plan. In NSW electricity, the gap reached $462 a year.
Best for
People who want a free, no-call, dollar-figure comparison and understand that it does not take into account their individual usage pattern and are happy to use it as a starting point rather than a final answer.
Key downsides
- Based on the cases and areas that we analysed, Econnex does not offer the cheapest plan available anywhere in Australia.
- It’s comparisons are not tailored specifically to your situation.
- You can’t tell if the plan they recommend is cheaper than your current plan or by how much.
What Is Econnex?
Econnex is an online comparison and switching platform. Users enter their postcode, approximate usage and preferred tariff type, and the site returns estimated annual costs for electricity and gas plans from its panel of Energy Companies, alongside internet, mobile and a few other services. If a deal looks good, Econnex can start the switching process for you.
The service is free to use, and compared with some moving-and-connection services we’ve reviewed, it leans more heavily on showing actual dollar figures up front rather than routing everyone into a phone call. That’s a genuine point in its favour.
The open question, the one this review focuses on, is how those dollar figures stack up against the rest of the market.
How Does Econnex Work?
The process is simple:
- enter your postcode, connection date and approximate electricity/gas usage,
- choose a tariff type (single rate, time-of-use, etc.),
- Econnex returns a shortlist of plans with estimated yearly costs,
- Econnex makes its own simplifying assumptions about your usage, and these can be quite incorrect.
- if you choose to switch, Econnex handles the transfer.
The dollar-value format is easier to act on than a star rating. But because the results come from a panel rather than the full market, the plan at the top of your results list is unlikely to be the cheapest plan you could get for your address and usage and you won’t know how much, if anything, you are saving.
Review of Econnex Recommendations
To test this, we modelled estimated annual electricity and gas costs for sample households across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia, and compared the Econnex-quoted plan against the cheapest plan we could find across the broader market for the same distributor area, tariff type and usage.
In every completed sample, a cheaper plan is available. The size of the gap varied a lot by state and by fuel type. Victorian gas and NSW electricity showed the largest differences.
Summary of Overpayment Identified
| Category | Biggest Overpayment |
|---|---|
| VIC Electricity | $113/year |
| VIC Gas | $202/year |
| NSW Electricity | $462/year |
| NSW Gas | $122/year |
| QLD Electricity | $213/year |
| SA Electricity | $127/year |
| SA Gas | $35/year |
Econnex Electricity Review: Victoria, NSW, QLD and SA
Victoria
| Distributor | Town | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citipower | Camberwell | $1,392 | $1,303 | $90 |
| Powercor | Bendigo | $1,480 | $1,436 | $45 |
| Jemena | Heidelberg | $1,451 | $1,383 | $68 |
| Ausnet | Traralgon | $1,727 | $1,614 | $113 |
| United Energy | Moorabbin | $1,387 | $1,332 | $55 |
Every Victorian electricity example we checked had a cheaper broader-market option, ranging from $45 to $113 a year.
We have been kind to Econnex. If you have solar the overpayment would be increased by around $112 to $145 depending on your distribution area.
New South Wales
| Distributor | Town | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ausgrid | Mosman | $2,093 | $1,904 | $189 |
| Endeavour Energy | Mount Druitt | $2,134 | $1,958 | $176 |
| Essential Energy | Smithtown | $2,767 | $2,305 | $462 |
NSW showed the largest single gap in our entire sample: $462/year for an Essential Energy customer in Smithtown.
Queensland
| Tariff (Brisbane / Energex) | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime (single rate) | $2,056 | $1,912 | $145 |
| Time of Use | $2,038 | $1,825 | $213 |
South Australia
| Tariff (Adelaide / SAPN) | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime (single rate) | $2,719 | $2,592 | $127 |
| Time of Use | $2,184 | $2,169 | $15 |
Econnex Gas Review: Victoria, NSW and SA
Victoria
| Distributor | Town | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGL South / Multinet 1 | Camberwell | $2,217 | $2,144 | $73 |
| Ausnet Central 1 | Bendigo | $2,319 | $2,244 | $75 |
| Australian Gas Networks Central 2 | Heidelberg | $2,317 | $2,115 | $202 |
| Australian Gas Networks Central 1 | Traralgon | $2,317 | $2,115 | $202 |
| Multinet 2 | Moorabbin | $2,217 | $2,144 | $73 |
Victorian gas was where the gaps were largest in percentage terms, with Heidelberg and Traralgon customers potentially overpaying by more than $200 a year.
New South Wales
| Distributor | Town | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jemena Coastal | Hamilton South | $2,413 | $2,290 | $122 |
South Australia
| Distributor | Town | Econnex Yearly Cost | Best Plan Yearly Cost | Overpayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Gas Networks SA | Adelaide | $1,164 | $1,129 | $35 |
Why Econnex Plans Cost More
This isn’t really an Econnex-specific problem. It’s how every comparison panel works. When the Energy Companies pay for the service, you pay the price.
Econnex compares a panel of participating Energy Companies, not the entire retail market. Some Energy Companies don’t list their sharpest deals on every comparison platform, and the cheapest plan on the market at any given time can sit outside any one panel.
Add to that the ProductReview recognition and the “free, dollar-figure” pitch, and it’s easy to treat the top Econnex result as the final answer. Our modelling suggests it’s better treated as a starting point.
Is Econnex Worth Using?
Essentially, we say it’s not. The results are simple and quick, but of low quality, giving you a false sense of achievement.
This is especially true if you’re in NSW electricity or Victorian gas, where our modelling found the largest gaps. Please note that weakest areas were correct at time of writing, but can change over time.
The Energy Umpire Verdict
Spend your 5 minutes wisely. Instead of using Econnex for that 5 minutes, use it to get a truly accurate analysis of every provider and plan, tailored to your actual usage and devices (e.g. solar). Find out exactly how much you could save by switching. And even more importantly than the first switch, get updated ongoing on the savings you can make as prices change in the future. It’s a set and forget solution.
Econnex Review FAQ
Is Econnex free to use?
Yes. Econnex doesn’t charge users to compare or switch plans.
Does Econnex compare all energy providers in Australia?
No. Econnex compares a panel of participating Energy Companies, not the full market. The plan it shows as “best” is the best on its panel, not necessarily the cheapest plan available anywhere.
Is Econnex the cheapest way to find an energy plan?
No. In our 2026 modelling, broader-market plans were cheaper than the Econnex-quoted plan in every case, with gaps ranging from $15/year up to $462/year depending on State and fuel type.
Where does Econnex operate?
NSW, ACT, SA, VIC and parts of QLD for electricity and gas, and TAS and WA for gas.
Should I still use Econnex?
Essentially, we say don’t. The results are simple and quick, but of low quality, giving you a false sense of achievement.
Disclaimer
Energy prices change regularly based on Energy Company pricing, distributor areas, market conditions and individual usage patterns.
The comparisons in this review reflect sample modelling conducted at the time of research using estimated electricity and gas consumption for households in each distributor area reviewed, comparing Econnex’s quoted plans against the cheapest broader-market plan identified for the same area, tariff type and usage.
Customers should always check current pricing for their own address, tariff and usage profile before switching plans.
