Frequently asked questions about how we compare

Yes. Our core comparison tool is completely free and always will be. You can run unlimited basic comparisons across all service categories — insurance, credit cards, broadband, energy and more — without creating an account or providing payment details. We also offer a paid Professional report tier (HK$199 per report) for users who want a deeper written analysis alongside the data tables. The Professional tier is entirely optional; the free tool already provides comprehensive side-by-side comparisons with full filtering and sorting capabilities.

We earn flat referral fees when a user clicks through to a provider's application page from our comparison results and subsequently signs up. These fees are identical regardless of which provider you choose — we receive the same amount whether you pick Provider A or Provider Z. This structure eliminates any financial incentive for us to push one product over another. We publish our referral-fee schedule annually in a transparency report available on request. We also generate revenue from Professional report sales and, for Enterprise clients, from custom comparison API subscriptions.

Update frequency depends on the category. High-volatility categories such as credit-card promotions and personal-loan rates are refreshed four times per day. More stable categories like insurance premiums and broadband plans are refreshed twice daily. Every data point displayed in our comparison tables carries a timestamp showing when it was last verified. If a provider changes a key term between refresh cycles — for example, ending a promotional discount early — our monitoring system flags it and triggers an immediate manual review by our editorial team.

At present, Comparewise focuses exclusively on providers that serve Hong Kong residents and businesses. This includes local companies as well as international providers with a Hong Kong presence — for example, multinational insurers with Hong Kong-registered subsidiaries or global telecoms that offer local SIM plans. We do not currently compare providers that operate only in other markets. However, we are exploring expansion into Macau and select Southeast Asian markets in the near future, and we will announce any new coverage areas on our blog and via email to registered users.

Absolutely. Our referral fees are flat — meaning we earn the same amount no matter which provider you choose. There is zero financial incentive for us to rank one provider above another. Rankings are determined by our proprietary scoring algorithm, which weights factors according to your stated preferences (price, coverage, contract flexibility, customer satisfaction, etc.). We also undergo an annual methodology audit conducted by an independent third party, and the summary findings are published in our transparency report. If we ever introduce a sponsored placement, it will be clearly labelled as "Promoted" and separated from organic rankings.

No. You can run comparisons and view full results without registering. However, creating a free account unlocks additional features: you can save comparisons for later, set price-alert notifications that email you when a provider drops its price, and access your comparison history across devices. Account creation requires only an email address and a password — we do not ask for phone numbers, identity documents or payment information during registration.

Our database currently includes over 120 providers across all categories, but we recognise that the Hong Kong market is dynamic and new entrants appear regularly. If you notice a provider missing from our results, please email us at [email protected] with the provider name and category. Our data team will investigate and, if the provider meets our inclusion criteria (licensed in Hong Kong, publicly available pricing, sufficient market presence), we will add them within two weeks. We also proactively scan regulatory registers and industry publications to identify new market entrants before users need to request them.

Community reviews are an important part of our comparison data, but only if they are authentic. We require reviewers to verify their identity via email and to provide proof of purchase or subscription (such as a redacted billing statement) before their review is published. We reject incentivised reviews — if a provider offers a reward for leaving a review, we flag and exclude those submissions. Published reviews are moderated for abusive language and factual accuracy. The aggregate review score for each provider is weighted by recency, so recent experiences carry more influence than reviews from several years ago.

When you use our comparison tool without an account, we collect only anonymised analytics data — pages visited, session duration, device type and approximate location (city level). If you submit the contact form, we store your name, email, subject and message. If you create an account, we additionally store your email address and an encrypted password. We never collect identity-document numbers, financial account details or health information. Full details are in our Privacy Policy, accessible from the footer of every page.

No. When you click through to a provider's application page, you leave our site and enter the provider's own application flow. We do not transmit your personal data to the provider. The only information the provider receives is that you arrived via a Comparewise referral link, which is used solely to attribute the referral fee. Any personal data you subsequently provide to the provider is governed by that provider's own privacy policy, not ours.

Yes. You can request full account deletion at any time by emailing [email protected]. We will remove your account, saved comparisons, price alerts and any associated personal data within 14 business days. Anonymised analytics data that has already been aggregated cannot be individually extracted, but it contains no personally identifiable information. We will send you a confirmation email once the deletion is complete.