Choose Wisely
Choose Wisely is a UK FCA-authorised price comparison website and credit broker that helps underserved consumers compare personal loans, credit cards, car finance, secured loans, prepaid cards, bank accounts, and business loans, earning commission from providers when customers are introduced.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBournemouth, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Choose Wisely does
Choose Wisely Limited is a UK-based price comparison website and FCA-authorised credit broker (Firm Reference Number 730574), founded in 2013 by Marc Biles and Tara Flynn and headquartered in Bournemouth. The platform allows UK consumers to compare personal loans, credit cards, car finance, secured loans, prepaid cards, bank accounts, and business loans, with a deliberate focus on underserved ("non-standard") consumers who struggle to access mainstream finance. Core technology includes the Eligibility Checker (a soft-search tool that matches users with suitable lenders without affecting their credit score, integrating with Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Infinian Data Solutions), the Simple Loan Search shortlisting service, the proprietary OptioScore customer-friendliness rating, a Budget Planner, and an educational content hub called WiseGuides. The site ranks as the UK's 7th largest price comparison website by estimated organic monthly visitors, operates a 40,000+ subscriber email newsletter, and processes approximately £56 billion in loan applications annually by the company's own commentary.
The service is free to consumers and monetises through commission arrangements with product providers, paid when users are introduced, apply, or are accepted (commission never affects consumer price or impartiality of comparisons). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and product-led via choosewisely.co.uk, supported by organic SEO, paid search, content marketing, and social. The company is bootstrapped with no external investment, employs approximately 30 people, and operates as a subsidiary of Ratio Limited, which provides shared operational, technology, and compliance support. Choose Wisely is registered with the ICO (Z3106681) and has formally embedded the FCA's Consumer Duty into its governance, training, and product policy framework.
Choose Wisely firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Choose Wisely
- Legal name
- Choose Wisely Limited
- Website
- https://choosewisely.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Choose Wisely is a UK FCA-authorised price comparison website and credit broker that helps underserved consumers compare personal loans, credit cards, car finance, secured loans, prepaid cards, bank accounts, and business loans, earning commission from providers when customers are introduced.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Choose Wisely industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Financial Product Comparison and Credit Brokerage
- NAICS
- Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- SIC
- Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lead Generation, Comparison & Marketplace Platforms (Financial Products) (FSAEAMAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Short-Term Credit Broking & Lead Generation (FSAKAMAN)
Keywords
Where Choose Wisely is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bournemouth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Choose Wisely business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Commission from Providers: When customers select or are introduced to a product provider through Choose Wisely, the company receives a commission from that provider. Commissions vary by provider and are received when customers click through, make applications, or take out products.
- Referral Fees: Commission arrangements include: (1) commission when users click from Choose Wisely to provider's website, (2) commission if application is made and accepted, (3) commission when product is taken out after introduction.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Consumer Access |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Choose Wisely product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Choose Wisely is an FCA-authorized UK credit broker that operates a free-to-use online price comparison platform for personal loans, credit cards, car finance, secured loans, prepaid cards, bank accounts, and business loans. The platform serves underserved UK consumers who struggle to access mainstream finance, using a soft-search Eligibility Checker that matches applicants with suitable specialist lenders without affecting their credit score. Revenue is generated through commissions from providers when customers are introduced.
Product overview
Choose Wisely is a UK-based price comparison website operating as a credit broker, not a lender. The platform provides comparison services across six core product categories: Personal Loans, Credit Cards, Car Finance, Secured Loans, Prepaid Cards, and Bank Accounts, plus Business Loans. The platform is built around several key tools including the Eligibility Checker (soft search to check acceptance without impacting credit score), Simple Loan Search (loan matching service), OptioScore (customer friendliness rating), Budget Planner, and WiseGuides educational content. The system integrates with credit reference agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, Infinian) to verify identity, prevent fraud, and assess eligibility. The company emphasizes financial inclusion for underserved consumers who may struggle to access mainstream finance, operating as a free service funded by commissions from providers when users are introduced to them.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Personal Loans Comparison Comparison service for unsecured personal loans allowing UK consumers to compare rates, terms, and eligibility from multiple lenders including bad credit, guarantor, and standard personal loan options.
- Credit Cards Comparison Comparison service for credit cards including credit builder cards, 0% introductory balance transfer cards, cashback cards, and bad credit credit cards, targeting both credit-builders and mainstream card applicants.
- Car Finance Comparison Comparison service for car finance products including car loans, hire purchase, and personal contract purchase options for UK consumers.
- Secured Loans Comparison Comparison service for secured loans where borrowers can secure funds against assets such as property, comparing terms across providers that accept this loan type.
- Prepaid Cards Comparison Comparison service for prepaid debit cards including options from providers like FairFX and Revolut, aimed at consumers who prefer prepaid over traditional credit or debit accounts.
- Bank Accounts Comparison Comparison service for UK bank accounts to help consumers find suitable current and savings accounts from across the market.
- Business Loans Comparison Comparison service for business loans including unsecured, peer-to-peer, bad credit, and secured business loan options targeted at UK small businesses seeking growth or working capital financing.
Quantifiable outcome
- £56 billion in loan applications processed annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Choose Wisely
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Choose Wisely technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature5 records
Choose Wisely partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.
- EquifaxcoreCredit reference agency partner used for identity verification, fraud prevention, credit and risk management, and affordability/vulnerability insight. Helps validate application information without affecting consumer credit scores.
- ExperiancoreCredit reference agency partner for identity verification, fraud prevention, credit assessment, and affordability checks. Used to improve accuracy of comparison services.
- Infinian Data Solutions LimitedcoreCredit and data analytics partner providing indicators for affordability and vulnerability assessment, helping ensure fair consumer outcomes under Consumer Duty requirements.
- TransUnion Information Group LimitedcoreCredit reference agency (formerly Callcredit) used for CIFAS checks, fraud prevention, identity verification, and National Hunter anti-fraud checks.
- Alphabet Inc (Google)supportingTechnology provider for analytics, advertising (Google AdWords, DoubleClick), and fonts (Hoefler & Co). Used for website performance measurement and marketing campaigns.
- Amazon Web Services IncsupportingCloud hosting provider for the choosewisely.co.uk website infrastructure, backup, and disaster recovery services.
- Cloudflare IncsupportingSecurity and performance partner providing DDoS protection, intrusion detection, and website security services.
- Content Square Limited (HotJar)supportingAnalytics and user behavior tracking service used to understand website usage patterns and improve user experience.
- Twilio IncsupportingCommunications platform provider for SMS, email, in-app messaging, and live chat functionality.
- Ratio LimitedcoreParent company providing shared operational and compliance support including finance, HR, technology, and compliance functions. Group entity that owns Choose Wisely Limited.
- Julia's HouseminorRegistered Charity Number 1067125. Choose Wisely actively supports and donates to this local community charity.
- TrustpilotsupportingConsumer review platform displaying customer ratings and reviews for Choose Wisely's service and featured providers.
- Provider Network (Lenders and Credit Providers)coreExtensive panel of specialist lenders including 118 118 Money, Acorn Community Bank, various credit unions, bad credit lenders, and secured/unsecured loan providers. Commission earned when customers are introduced.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Choose Wisely competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ClearScore: UK credit score, report, and product comparison platform powered by Equifax. A direct peer in credit-eligibility-led financial product comparison, with stronger brand recognition in credit-building than Choose Wisely.
- TotallyMoney: UK credit comparison and eligibility-checker platform with a focus on credit cards and personal loans. Highly comparable to Choose Wisely, including soft-search eligibility tooling and a credit-builder positioning for underserved consumers.
- Moneyfacts: UK financial data and comparison provider for savings, loans, mortgages, and credit cards. A direct peer in financial product comparison with a long-established position; differs from Choose Wisely in being more data/research-led than consumer-journey-led.
Broad incumbents
- GoCompare: UK financial and insurance comparison site operating a near-identical commission-referral model to Choose Wisely, but with a mainstream consumer focus and broader product range including credit cards and loans.
- Confused.com: UK price comparison site for insurance and financial products. Directly comparable aggregator model earning commission on credit card and loan referrals, though skewed toward insurance and mainstream consumers.
- MoneySupermarket: UK's largest price comparison platform covering loans, credit cards, insurance, and energy. Directly comparable business model (commission-based financial product comparison) but operates at much larger scale and broader category scope than Choose Wisely's underserved-consumer niche.
- Experian: Major UK credit reference agency that also runs consumer-facing product comparison and credit-score services. Functions as both a Choose Wisely integration partner and a broad incumbent competing for the same end-consumer comparison journey.
- Uswitch: UK price comparison platform for banking, energy, and broadband that also runs credit card and loan comparison tables. Closely aligned business model to Choose Wisely with a broader but less underserved-consumer focus.
- Compare the Market: Major UK price comparison site across financial products, insurance, and utilities. Uses the same commission-driven model as Choose Wisely but at a much larger scale and with a mass-market positioning rather than the underserved niche.
Regional players
- Zuto: UK car finance comparison and broker platform. Comparable in being a UK credit broker earning commission on lender introductions, but narrower in scope (auto finance only) and a partial overlap with Choose Wisely's car finance category.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Choose Wisely social profiles
Digital presenceChoose Wisely compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Choose Wisely financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Choose Wisely leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Choose Wisely funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Choose Wisely M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Choose Wisely
What does Choose Wisely do?
Choose Wisely is an FCA-authorized UK credit broker that operates a free-to-use online price comparison platform for personal loans, credit cards, car finance, secured loans, prepaid cards, bank accounts, and business loans. The platform serves underserved UK consumers who struggle to access mainstream finance, using a soft-search Eligibility Checker that matches applicants with suitable specialist lenders without affecting their credit score. Revenue is generated through commissions from providers when customers are introduced.
Is Choose Wisely a public or private company?
Choose Wisely is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Choose Wisely founded?
Choose Wisely was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Choose Wisely based?
Choose Wisely is headquartered in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Choose Wisely make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Commission from Providers are the primary driver. The others are referral Fees.
Who are Choose Wisely's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ClearScore, TotallyMoney and Moneyfacts. Broad incumbents are GoCompare, Confused.com, MoneySupermarket, Experian, Uswitch and Compare the Market. Zuto is listed as a regional player.
Does Choose Wisely have an API?
No public API is recorded for Choose Wisely.
What industry is Choose Wisely in?
Choose Wisely's product category is Financial Product Comparison and Credit Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAMAM, Lead Generation, Comparison & Marketplace Platforms (Financial Products), with a secondary code of FSAKAMAN, Short-Term Credit Broking & Lead Generation. Its NAICS code is 522310 and its SIC code is 6163.