ratesupermarket

What ratesupermarket does

Rates.ca (formerly ratesupermarket.ca) is a Canadian online rate-comparison marketplace founded in 1999 and operated by Rates.ca Group Ltd from Toronto, with a secondary office in Welland, Ontario. The platform aggregates real-time quotes from 50+ insurance carriers, multiple mortgage brokers and lenders, and major Canadian credit card issuers (CIBC, BMO, TD, Scotiabank, MBNA, American Express), enabling individual consumers to compare auto, home, travel, business and life insurance, mortgage rates, credit cards, and banking products in a single self-serve interface. Underlying technology consists of Direct APIs and industry-standard connectivity platforms (Applied Fortus, Ratebridge) that return insurer-priced quotes based on detailed customer profiles, supplemented by an eight-tool mortgage calculator suite and proprietary annual research reports (Best Auto Insurance Study, Home Insuramap, Dangerous Driving Report, Mortgage Report).

The company generates revenue entirely through affiliate referral fees from insurance providers for delivered leads and from credit card issuers for approved applications; the platform is free to consumers with no subscription, registration, or hidden fees. Distribution is product-led growth: consumers enter their information on rates.ca, receive personalized quotes in real time, and are referred to providers who pay referral commissions. Rates Insurance Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary, is a RIBO-licensed broker in Ontario with Take-All-Comers compliance, enabling 24/7 auto quote issuance. Marketing is driven by SEO, content marketing (news, guides, calculators, research reports), an email newsletter, social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and a Trustpilot profile with 6,751 verified reviews at a 4.6+ Google rating. The company has served over 1 million Canadians and is bootstrapped and privately held with 11–50 employees and no institutional funding disclosed.

Name

ratesupermarket

Legal name

Rates.ca Group Ltd

Website

https://ratesupermarket.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rates.ca is a Canadian online comparison marketplace that aggregates real-time quotes from 50+ insurers, mortgage lenders, and major credit card issuers, enabling individual Canadian consumers to compare and apply for insurance, mortgage, credit card, and banking products free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance and Financial Product Comparison

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

Mortgage Comparison, Marketplace & Rate-Shopping Platforms (FSALABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Credit Education, Monitoring & Consumer Credit Management Tools (FSAKAKAJ)

Keywords

• Insurance rate comparison
• Mortgage rate comparison
• Credit card comparison
• Financial product aggregator
• Online insurance marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Referral Fees: The platform generates revenue by charging insurance providers and financial institutions for referral leads. When a user completes a quote and selects a provider, the referral is sent to that provider who pays a referral fee.
2. Credit Card Application Commissions: Revenue is earned from credit card issuers when users apply for credit cards through the Rates.ca platform. Commissions are received for approved credit card applications originating from the site.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rates.ca is a Canadian online comparison platform that aggregates real-time quotes from 50+ insurance companies, mortgage brokers, financial institutions and credit card issuers, enabling individual consumers to compare auto, home, travel, business and life insurance, mortgage rates, credit cards, and banking products in one place. The service is free for consumers; revenue is generated via referral fees from insurance providers and financial institutions, plus commissions from credit card issuers for approved applications, with quote accuracy overseen by an in-house actuarial team.

Product overview

Rates.ca is a Canadian rate comparison platform that operates as a unified online marketplace connecting consumers with insurance providers, mortgage lenders, and credit card issuers. The core platform is organized around five main product categories: (1) Insurance Products encompassing auto, home, travel, business, and life insurance with regional variants for Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec; (2) Mortgage Rate comparison featuring real-time rates from 50+ broker and financial institution partners; (3) Credit Card comparison across 20+ categories; (4) Banking Products including chequing, savings, TFSAs, GICs, and RRSPs; and (5) Mortgage Calculators providing financial planning tools. The platform aggregates quotes via direct insurer APIs and industry-standard connectivity (Applied Fortus, Ratebridge), returning personalized rates to consumers. The company also publishes annual research reports including the Best Auto Insurance Study, Dangerous Driving Report, and Home Insuramap Report. The service is free for consumers, with revenue generated from referral fees from providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Car Insurance Quotes Online comparison platform for auto insurance quotes across multiple providers in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. Personalized quotes are generated based on detailed customer profiles and the insurers' own underwriting rules, delivered in real time. The Ontario service is Take All Comers (TAC) compliant and operates 24/7 through Rates Insurance Services Ltd, a licensed RIBO broker.
• Home Insurance Quotes Comparison platform for property insurance including homeowner, condo, tenant and contents coverage across Canada, comparing quotes from multiple insurers via Direct APIs and industry-standard connectivity.
• Travel Insurance Comparison platform for travel insurance products including coverage for visitors to Canada, international students, super visa applicants and snowbird travelers.
• Business Insurance Comparison platform for commercial insurance including commercial auto, commercial property, general liability, professional liability, contractor insurance, pet care insurance and small business coverage.
• Life Insurance Comparison platform for life insurance quotes from multiple providers.
• Mortgage Rates Comparison platform for mortgage rates from brokers and financial institutions across Canada, with filtering by province, mortgage type and term.
• Credit Cards Comparison platform for over 80 credit cards across 20+ categories including rewards, travel, cash back, low interest, balance transfer, secured, student, business, no-fee and no foreign transaction fee cards, with annual rankings and awards. Rates.ca earns commissions from issuers for approved applications originating from the site.
• Banking Products Comparison platform for bank accounts including chequing accounts, savings accounts, TFSAs, GICs and RRSPs.
• Mortgage Calculators Suite of mortgage-related calculators supporting consumer financial planning, including Land Transfer Tax, Home Closing Cost, Home Sale Proceeds, Mortgage Payment, Mortgage Renewal, Mortgage Affordability, Mortgage Stress Test and Mortgage Insurance calculators.
• Bundle Home & Car Insurance Combined home and auto insurance comparison offering designed to identify potential bundling discounts when both coverages are purchased together.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1+ million Canadians have found personalized rates through the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 50+ Insurance CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRates.ca partners with over 50 insurance companies to provide consumers with a wide selection of insurance quotes. The platform connects consumers to these providers through Direct APIs and industry-standard connectivity (Applied Fortus, Ratebridge) for real-time quote delivery.
• Mortgage Brokers and Financial InstitutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe platform publishes mortgage rates from a wide variety of brokers and financial institutions, allowing consumers to compare competing mortgage rates from multiple sources in one place.
• Credit Card IssuerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRates.ca receives commissions from credit card issuers for approved applications originating from the platform. Credit card partners include major Canadian banks and financial institutions such as CIBC, BMO, TD, Scotiabank, MBNA, and American Express.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Square One Insurance Services: Square One is a Canadian direct-to-consumer insurance provider offering online home, tenant, and travel insurance. It is an ecosystem participant — a carrier whose products may be quoted on the Rates.ca platform while also competing for direct consumer relationships.

Broad incumbents

• MoneySupermarket Group: MoneySupermarket is the UK's largest price comparison platform for insurance, financial services, and utilities. It is a broad incumbent analogous to Rates.ca in a different geography.
• Bankrate: Bankrate is a US financial comparison and content platform covering mortgages, credit cards, banking, and insurance. It operates a similar content-driven affiliate comparison model to Rates.ca.
• LendingTree: LendingTree is the largest US-based online lending marketplace connecting consumers with mortgage, personal loan, and insurance providers. It is a broad incumbent operating a similar lead-generation and comparison business model.
• NerdWallet: NerdWallet is a US personal finance comparison platform offering credit card, mortgage, insurance, and banking comparisons with heavy content and SEO emphasis. It mirrors Rates.ca's combined content-plus-comparison strategy at larger scale.

Direct peers

• InsuranceHotline.ca: InsuranceHotline.ca is a Canadian insurance price-comparison service focused primarily on auto and home insurance quotes. It is a direct competitor to Rates.ca's insurance vertical.
• LowestRates.ca: LowestRates.ca is a Canadian online rate comparison platform for insurance, mortgages, and loans. It directly competes with Rates.ca in the Canadian insurance and mortgage rate-shopping category.
• Kanetix: Kanetix is a leading Canadian online comparison marketplace for insurance, mortgages, and financial products. It is the closest direct competitor to Rates.ca, offering car, home, and travel insurance quoting as well as mortgage rate comparison across Canada.

Regional players

• SelectQuote: SelectQuote is a US-based insurance comparison and distribution platform focused on term life, senior, and auto/home insurance. It operates a comparable comparison-plus-brokerage model in a different geography.

Emerging players

• PolicyMe: PolicyMe is a Canadian digital life insurance platform offering direct online term life insurance quotes and applications. It is an emerging Canadian digital insurance player that overlaps with Rates.ca's life insurance vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RATESDOTCA
• Facebookfacebook.com/RATESDOTCA
• Instagraminstagram.com/ratesca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ratesupermarket-ca

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ratesupermarket