Whether you’re looking for home insurance, a local electrician or laser eye surgery, chances are you want to get the best deal possible. While you could trawl the internet, scouring for the cheapest offers, this can be a long and tedious process. Price comparison sites can do the hard work for you, finding great deals for you to choose from.

But how exactly do price comparison websites work?

How price comparison sites work

Price comparison sites work by asking you to enter details about the product or service you want, then scanning thousands of providers in minutes to return the cheapest deals. They’ll use the information you input – for instance, the service you require and your location – and run a search to gather details of providers that match your search.

Most comparison sites use three main methods of gathering information:

1. Direct feeds from merchants – businesses allow price comparison providers to use an Application Programming Interface (API) to take data directly from a website. This ensures the highest levels of price accuracy. It also creates a good partnership between the price comparison site and the business in question.
2. Third-party APIs – another way comparison sites gather data is to use third-party APIs. These third parties continuously scan retail sites to create a database of up-to-date prices.
3. Scraping or crawling – finally, some comparison sites will simply use automated bots to crawl provider websites. The bots will gather pricing data and send it back to the price comparison website’s servers for processing.

Depending on the site you use, you’ll be able to explore a variety of products and services – from airline tickets and healthcare providers to insurance policies.

You don’t have to pay anything in order to use a price comparison site. Most are funded by commission from providers, meaning they receive payment from them when customers click through to the provider’s website.

Alternatively, some sites make money by offering space on their website for businesses to advertise products or services. Either way, there’s no cost to customers!

Benefits of using a price comparison site

• They can save you time – price comparison websites scan thousands of deals in minutes, so you don’t have to.
• They’re free to use – there are no brokerage fees associated with price comparison sites.
• They present your options clearly – a good price comparison website should be easy to navigate and show you your options clearly and intuitively.
• You get a broad range of options – you can access far more providers and deals than you’d be able to by searching for the best prices yourself.
• Some price comparison sites also offer product reviews – so you can make an informed decision before buying.
• You may be able to benefit from bundles – sometimes you can save money using different providers for your telephone, broadband and TV services, all in one place.

Get the best deal with SpotDif

Comparison shopping is a great way to save money. And with price comparison sites, it’s easier than ever!

From air conditioning contractors to wildlife control, we’ll find the product or service you need at the best price possible. Whether you’re in the UK or United States, start your search now. Alternatively, browse our category list – you might just be surprised at how much money we can save you!