Agile vs Tracker: which is cheaper?
Independent site. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Octopus Energy Ltd. This guide is based on Octopus's own public documentation and the live data shown, which we link below. Tariff terms change, so always check Octopus's current terms for your own situation. This is general information, not financial or energy-switching advice.
Neither Octopus tariff is cheaper for everyone. Agile and Tracker both follow the wholesale market, but in different ways, and which one costs you less depends mostly on whether you can move your electricity use to the cheap half hours.
The difference in one table
| Agile Octopus | Octopus Tracker | |
|---|---|---|
| How often the price changes | Every 30 minutes (48 prices a day) | Once a day |
| When the next prices appear | Between 4pm and 8pm, usually nearer 4pm (Octopus) | Between 12pm and 5pm (Octopus Tracker portal) |
| Price cap (unit rate, incl. VAT) | 100p per kWh | 100p per kWh |
| Can go below zero? | Yes, plunge pricing | Octopus does not describe negative Tracker rates |
| Needs you to shift usage? | Yes, that is where the saving comes from | No, the price is the same all day |
| Contract | See Octopus's current terms | 12-month fixed term, no exit fee, but a 9-month wait to rejoin if you leave early (Octopus) |
Today's prices side by side
This compares today's Agile prices with today's Tracker rate in each region. The Agile figures are a simple average of the 48 half-hourly prices (or 46 or 50 on a clock-change day), not what you would pay. A real bill weights each half hour by how much you used in it.
| Region | Agile: average of all slots | Agile: cheapest 4 hours | Agile: 4–7pm average | Tracker | Agile average minus Tracker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern England A | 3.02p | -4.31p | 30.56p | 13.78p | −10.76p |
| East Midlands B | 2.92p | -4.26p | 30.57p | 12.86p | −9.94p |
| London C | 2.67p | -4.26p | 28.57p | 13.67p | −11.00p |
| Merseyside & North Wales D | 3.25p | -4.35p | 31.56p | 15.04p | −11.79p |
| West Midlands E | 2.90p | -4.31p | 29.56p | 12.95p | −10.05p |
| North East England F | 2.90p | -4.31p | 29.56p | 13.22p | −10.32p |
| North West England G | 2.90p | -4.31p | 29.56p | 13.93p | −11.03p |
| Southern England H | 2.90p | -4.31p | 29.56p | 13.90p | −11.00p |
| South East England J | 3.12p | -4.35p | 30.56p | 14.20p | −11.08p |
| South Wales K | 3.12p | -4.35p | 30.56p | 13.94p | −10.82p |
| South West England L | 3.23p | -4.40p | 30.56p | 14.07p | −10.84p |
| Yorkshire M | 2.80p | -4.26p | 29.57p | 12.85p | −10.05p |
| South Scotland N | 3.02p | -4.31p | 30.56p | 13.45p | −10.43p |
| North Scotland P | 3.58p | -4.45p | 32.55p | 14.34p | −10.76p |
Live data as of 25 Oct, 02:27 GMT. Prices in pence per kWh including VAT where Octopus publishes it; standing charges are not included. Times are UK local time.
How to read it: if you used the same amount of power in every half hour, the Agile average column is roughly what you would pay per unit. If you could do most of your usage in the cheapest four hours, the "cheapest 4 hours" column shows what that would look like. If a lot of your usage falls at 4pm to 7pm, the last Agile column shows how expensive that can be. One day proves nothing, so look at it over a few weeks before deciding.
Who tends to do better on which?
- Agile suits people who can move big loads, such as an electric car or home battery, away from the peaks. Octopus itself says it is best suited to people who can shift a lot of usage, and that prices can spike to the 100p cap at any time.
- Tracker suits people who prefer a simpler tariff without watching the clock. Octopus says its rates are likely to double in colder months, and that if you cannot afford prices to go up you may be better off with a protected tariff.
Do not forget the standing charge
Both tariffs have a daily standing charge on top of the unit rate. Standing charges are set for each product version and change over time, so compare the current figures for your region on Octopus's site as well as the unit rates here.
Both tariffs need a smart meter and an Octopus Energy account. Read what Agile is and how Tracker works for more detail.
Compare in your region
More guides
- What is Octopus Agile and how does it work? – Half-hourly prices, the 4pm update, plunge pricing and who Agile actually suits.
- Octopus Tracker explained – One price a day, where it comes from, the formula, the cap and the 12-month term.
- Cheapest time to charge an electric car in the UK – Live cheapest 4-hour charging windows by region, and how to work out what a charge costs.
- Cheapest time to run a washing machine or dishwasher – Live cheapest windows while you're awake and at home, plus the fire-safety advice you should know.
- What are negative electricity prices and why do they happen? – Why wholesale prices drop below zero, and where it is happening in today's data.
Sources
- Octopus Energy: Agile Octopus
- Octopus Energy: Octopus Tracker
- Octopus Energy: Tracker FAQs (formula, term, cap)
- Octopus Energy public API: product data (tariff descriptions, price caps)
- Live prices: Octopus Energy public API, cached by this site and refreshed every 15 minutes.
Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Found something out of date? Octopus's tariff terms and prices change, so treat their own pages as the final word.