Agile and Tracker are Octopus's two headline smart tariffs. Both offer rates below the standard cap. Both require a smart meter. Both save money. The question is which one saves more for your household — and whether the complexity of one versus the simplicity of the other matters to you.
How they work — the honest version
Agile: half-hourly wholesale tracking
Your electricity rate changes every 30 minutes based on the day-ahead wholesale market. Prices published at 4pm for the following day. Range: occasionally negative to 35p+/kWh. Average: typically 10–15% below the standard tariff. You benefit most by shifting consumption to cheap slots (overnight, windy/sunny midday periods) and avoiding the 4–7pm peak.
Tracker: daily wholesale tracking
One rate for the entire day, set based on the previous day's wholesale price plus Octopus's margin. Published by 11pm for the following day. Range: 8p–30p/kWh depending on wholesale conditions. Average: typically 5–10% below the standard tariff. Simpler than Agile — no need to time your consumption to specific half-hours.
When Agile wins
- You have a battery or solar: charge overnight at 4–7p/kWh, discharge during the 25–35p evening peak. The arbitrage on Agile is worth £200–£400/year for a household with a battery.
- You can shift loads: if you run dishwashers, washing machines, and EV chargers during cheap overnight and midday slots, Agile rewards the flexibility.
- Negative pricing events: on very windy or sunny days, Agile goes negative — you get paid to use electricity. Tracker never goes negative.
When Tracker wins
- You can't shift consumption: if your household runs appliances whenever it needs them and nobody's managing the timing, Tracker's single daily rate still beats the standard tariff without requiring any behaviour change.
- You want predictability: knowing your rate the night before and not worrying about half-hourly spikes is genuinely less stressful.
- You don't have a battery: without storage, Agile's cheap overnight rates are less useful because you can only use electricity when you consume it in real time.
The numbers
| Factor | Agile | Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing granularity | Half-hourly | Daily |
| Average saving vs standard | 10–15% | 5–10% |
| Can go negative? | Yes | No |
| Behaviour change needed? | Yes (for maximum savings) | Minimal |
| Best with battery/solar? | Significantly better | Marginally better |
| Peak price risk | High (35p+ possible) | Moderate (typically capped lower) |
| Complexity | Higher | Lower |
The honest verdict
If you have a battery, solar panels, or a Home Assistant setup, Agile is unambiguously better. If you just want cheaper bills without thinking about it, Tracker delivers 80% of the benefit with 20% of the complexity. Both beat the standard tariff. The important thing is to be on one of them.
