- Cheapest overall
- Usually neither. Both typically price 5% to 18% below the DMO depending on plan conditions; smaller retailers often go deeper.
- Best for bundling
- AGL (electricity, gas, solar, internet and EV plans). EnergyAustralia offers electricity and gas only.
- Ownership
- AGL is ASX-listed and Australian. EnergyAustralia is wholly owned by CLP Group of Hong Kong.
- Customer ratings
- AGL 1.8/5, EnergyAustralia 1.4/5 on Google. Both typical for retailers of their size.
The short answer
AGL and EnergyAustralia price so closely that for most households the choice comes down to plan conditions, bundling and preference rather than a clear dollar winner. EnergyAustralia's Total Plan discounts slightly harder on paper, 10% to 18% below the Default Market Offer, but requires direct debit and email billing. AGL's standard plans sit 5% to 15% below the DMO with fewer strings. Either way, both leave money on the table compared with the sharpest smaller retailers, which routinely price 15% to 25% below the reference price set by the Australian Energy Regulator.
Who they are
AGL, founded in 1837, is Australia's oldest energy company and its largest retailer, with roughly 4 million customer accounts across NSW, Victoria, SEQ Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. EnergyAustralia is the third member of the Big 3 and the only major Australian energy retailer that is entirely foreign-owned, by CLP Group of Hong Kong. Both retail electricity and gas across the same five states.
Plan structures compared
AGL offers two main structures: the Low Plan (lower usage rates, higher daily supply charge) and the Value Saver (the reverse). Lower-usage households, apartments and heavy solar self-consumers usually do better on the plan with the lower supply charge, because the fixed daily cost dominates a small bill.
EnergyAustralia splits its range by conditions instead. The Total Plan carries a guaranteed discount of 10% to 18% off the DMO but requires direct debit and email billing. The Basic Plan drops the conditions and the discount, typically 5% to 10% below reference. Solar Home adds a competitive feed-in tariff for solar households.
Worked example: NSW Ausgrid network, 4,000 kWh/year. The 2026-27 DMO 8 reference price is $1,744 per year (AER, effective 1 July 2026). EnergyAustralia's Total Plan at 15% off lands around $1,482; AGL's standard plans at 10% off land around $1,570. That is roughly a $90 gap in EnergyAustralia's favour, provided you meet the direct debit and email billing conditions and stay on top of the plan when the benefit period ends. The cheapest competitive retailers on the same network still undercut both.
Beyond price
Bundling. This is AGL's clearest win. AGL can put electricity, gas, solar, internet and EV charging in one account with one app. EnergyAustralia sells electricity and gas only.
Ownership. If Australian ownership matters to you, AGL is ASX-listed and locally owned, while EnergyAustralia's profits flow to CLP Group in Hong Kong. Neither structure affects your rates or reliability day to day; supply is handled by the same distribution networks either way.
Service. AGL rates 1.8/5 and EnergyAustralia 1.4/5 on Google Reviews. Both scores are complaint-driven and typical for the Big 3, with the same recurring themes: billing complexity, wait times, and plans quietly rolling onto more expensive rates at expiry.
See both at your address
Rates for AGL and EnergyAustralia vary by distribution network. The only comparison that matters is the one at your postcode.
Compare plans nowWhen each one wins
Choose AGL if you want multiple services with one provider, you are a low-usage household suited to the Low Plan structure, or Australian ownership matters to you.
Choose EnergyAustralia if you are happy to meet the Total Plan's direct debit and email billing conditions for the deeper guaranteed discount, or you want a straightforward no-conditions option in the Basic Plan.
Choose neither if price is your only criterion. With reference prices falling in most states from 1 July 2026 (NSW down 3.4% to 5%, SEQ down 7.2%, per the AER), smaller retailers are competing hard and typically beat both by $100 to $300 a year.
Our verdict: AGL or EnergyAustralia?
On paper EnergyAustralia's Total Plan edges the discount comparison; in practice AGL's broader ecosystem and marginally better service scores even things up. These are two very similar mid-priced majors, and switching between them rarely produces a saving worth the paperwork.
Our advice is the same as for every Big 3 pairing: compare both against every retailer at your address and let the estimated annual cost in dollars decide. The winner of AGL vs EnergyAustralia is usually a third retailer entirely.