Bionic

What Bionic does

Bionic is a UK business-to-business comparison and switching platform serving small and medium enterprises across four core verticals: business energy (electricity and gas), business insurance, business connectivity (broadband, phone, VoIP), and business finance (loans, commercial mortgages, asset finance). Founded in 2007 under the name Make It Cheaper and rebranded to Bionic in 2017, the company has cumulatively served more than 200,000 British businesses. It is headquartered in London at 9 Appold Street (EC2A 2AP) with a secondary office in Chester inherited from the 2021 BusinessComparison acquisition, and operates under the legal entity Bionic Services Group Limited with DBAs including Bionic Financial Services, Think Business Finance, and Business Save.

The platform combines automated data retrieval — postcode-driven lookup that auto-populates business information — with screen-share consultations from expert advisors and a Digital Renewal service (publicly launched January 2025, formerly DIFY) that proactively manages contract end-dates for opted-in customers. Reported KPIs include 85% Digital Renewal opt-in among energy customers and 3,678 renewals processed in the January 2025 cycle, with average customer savings of £500/year (up to £1,600/year on energy). Proprietary platform features include the Letter of Authority (LOA) system that authorises Bionic to transact with suppliers on behalf of customers, a supplier-panel management layer for negotiating exclusive rates, and (per company claims) full-service switch handling including paperwork, billing queries, and meter readings.

Revenue is generated entirely through commissions paid by energy, insurance, connectivity, and finance suppliers on switched contracts; no customer-facing fees are charged. Distribution is hybrid: direct inside sales via multiple UK phone numbers, self-serve online quotes through energy.bionic.co.uk, and a white-label/referral channel through partnerships with major consumer and fintech platforms including Uswitch, Just Eat, Confused.com, Starling Bank, Money Supermarket, UK Power, and the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. Bionic has been backed by growth-equity firm ECI Partners since 2017, which has underwritten an active M&A strategy spanning at least four disclosed bolt-on acquisitions (Business Save International 2018, Smart Utility Management 2019, BusinessComparison 2021, Utility Bidder 2026). Geographic scope is UK-only.

Name

Bionic

Legal name

Business Essential Services Limited

Website

https://bionic.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Bionic is a UK tech-enabled comparison platform that helps small and medium enterprises compare, switch, and renew contracts across business energy, insurance, connectivity, and finance, earning supplier commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Commission from Suppliers: Bionic earns commission from energy, insurance, connectivity, and finance suppliers on their panel. The commission is included in the price the customer pays and covers the cost of comparison, switch management, customer service, and renewals. Bionic transparently discloses the exact commission earned on each contract.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bionic is a tech-enabled comparison and switching platform for UK small and medium enterprises, helping businesses compare, switch, and renew essential services across four categories: business energy (electricity and gas), business insurance, business connectivity (broadband, phone, VoIP, mobile), and business finance (loans, mortgages, asset finance). The platform combines smart data integration with human expert consultations and offers an automated Digital Renewal service that proactively manages contract renewals to prevent customers from rolling onto expensive out-of-contract rates.

Product overview

Bionic is a comparison platform for small business essentials, offering a unified service that helps SMEs compare, switch, and renew four core product categories: Business Energy (electricity and gas), Business Insurance (liability, property, and specialist coverages), Business Connectivity (broadband, phone, VoIP, and mobile), and Business Finance (loans, mortgages, and asset finance). The platform uses smart data technology combined with human expert assistance to streamline the comparison and switching process. The core offering consists of comparison and switching services across these four verticals, supported by a Digital Renewal Service that automates contract management, and The Backbone newsletter for ongoing customer engagement. Bionic formerly operated under the Make It Cheaper brand before rebranding in 2007, and has since expanded through acquisitions including BusinessComparison (2021) and Utility Bidder (2026).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Energy Comparison and switching service for commercial electricity and gas contracts, helping UK small and medium enterprises find and switch to better energy deals from a panel of trusted UK suppliers. Includes electricity, gas, and the automated Digital Renewal service.
• Business Insurance Comparison service helping UK SMEs find insurance policies including public liability, employers liability, product liability, professional indemnity, commercial combined, business equipment, business interruption, stock and contents, cyber, legal expenses, and property maintenance coverage from trusted providers. Offers industry-specific coverage for over 30 business types including barbers, salons, shops, takeaways, cafes, contractors, restaurants, pubs, and trades.
• Business Connectivity Comparison service for business broadband, landline telephone, business VoIP, and SIM-only mobile connectivity solutions from trusted UK providers, tailored to the needs of small and medium enterprises.
• Business Finance Comparison service for business loans, commercial mortgages, secured loans, asset finance, and recovery loans from a panel of lenders including high street banks, challenger banks, and alternative lenders serving UK SMEs.
• Digital Renewal Service Automated service that proactively searches for better energy rates and arranges contract renewals before current contracts expire, sending quotes via email with a 3-day decision window for opted-in customers. Claims to save customers up to £1,600 per year, with over 60% of customers saving an average of £500 per year.
• Utility Bidder Business energy comparison and switching service operating as an acquired brand under Bionic Group, specializing in business energy contracts for UK SMEs.
• BusinessComparison

Quantifiable outcome

• More than £10 million in savings expected for Digital Renewal customers in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Utility BiddercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026Bionic Group acquired Utility Bidder, expanding the group's capabilities and market position in the business energy comparison sector.
• Waste ManagedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 August 2024Bionic partnered with Waste Managed, the UK's leading waste management company, to help SME owners save time and money when sorting their essential services including waste management.
• BusinessComparisoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2021Bionic Group acquired BusinessComparison, cements Bionic's position as leading platform for SME business essentials. BusinessComparison specializes in helping UK SMEs compare energy, finance, banking, insurance, telecoms, and payment solutions. Based in Chester, founded 2015 by Philip Brennan under Digitonomy Ltd.
• UswitchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing strategic partnership where Uswitch offers Bionic's business comparison services to their SME customers. Uswitch is one of the UK's leading comparison platforms.
• Just EatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing strategic partnership where Just Eat offers Bionic's business comparison services to their restaurant and food business SME customers.
• Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing partnership with ICB, an organization representing certified bookkeepers, to provide business essentials services to their SME members.
• Confused.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership providing business insurance comparison services through Confused.com's platform.
• Starling BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Starling Bank to provide business essentials services to their SME banking customers.
• Money SupermarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership providing business finance comparison services through Money Supermarket's platform.
• UK PowerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership providing business energy comparison services through UK Power's platform.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Econnect Energy: UK business energy comparison and brokerage focused on SMEs and mid-market. Comparable to Bionic in target segment (UK businesses), core product (energy switching) and intermediary revenue model.
• Switch Gas and Electric: UK commercial energy broker specializing in business gas and electricity comparison and switching for SMEs. Direct overlap with Bionic's core energy vertical on target customer, supplier panel and revenue model.
• Crown Gas & Power: UK independent business utilities supplier and broker offering gas, electricity and water to SMEs. Comparable to Bionic on target SME customer base and intermediary role in the UK business energy market, though operating partly as supplier rather than pure broker.
• Love Energy Savings: UK business energy price comparison and switching broker serving SMEs with multi-supplier panel access. Directly comparable to Bionic's core energy vertical in target customer (UK SME), product (commercial gas/electricity switching), and revenue model (supplier commission).
• Uswitch for Business: Business energy and connectivity comparison arm of Uswitch (RVU / Red Ventures). Direct competitor in UK SME energy and broadband comparison and simultaneously a Bionic channel partner — making it a hybrid competitor/distributor comparable on product, customer and revenue model.
• Selectra: UK and pan-European utility and energy comparison platform serving both consumers and businesses. Direct overlap with Bionic's energy comparison offering and broader utility switching proposition, with a similar tech + advisor hybrid service model.

Broad incumbents

• Compare the Market (Business): Major UK comparison platform extending into business insurance and energy switching. Broader consumer-rooted brand with overlapping SME insurance and energy comparison offerings, comparable in target segment and supplier panel structure.
• MoneySupermarket Business: UK's largest comparison group with a dedicated business finance and energy comparison proposition. Operates an established multi-vertical comparison platform comparable in supplier-panel economics and SME target customer, though broader in scope and larger scale.
• GoCompare Business: UK comparison platform with a business insurance proposition targeting SMEs. Overlaps with Bionic's insurance comparison offering in customer, supplier-panel structure and commission revenue model, with broader consumer comparison presence.
• Confused.com Business: UK insurance-led comparison platform with a business insurance vertical. Directly comparable to Bionic's insurance comparison offering in customer (UK SMEs) and revenue model (insurer commission), with broader consumer brand reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bionic_business
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7LURAo-4nflgxPDumVWJ3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/bionicbusiness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bionicbusiness
• Instagraminstagram.com/bionicbusiness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bionic