How we decide something is genuinely cheaper

1. Identifying the product

We read the page you paste and extract the specific product identity: brand, model or range, size, colour where it matters, and pack count. Where a barcode or product identifier is published, we use it, because it's the most reliable way to know two listings are the same item.

2. Matching, conservatively

A candidate at another retailer only counts as a match if it agrees on the things that change the value: the same brand, the same model, the same size, and the same quantity. Where we can't be confident two listings are the same product, we discard the candidate rather than show you a flattering number.

• Different pack count is a different product.
• Different size or age range is a different product.
• An accessory for a product is not that product.

3. Verifying the price and the stock

A price is only useful if you can buy at it. We check the item is shown as available and that the price we read is the price on the page, not a strikethrough, a subscription-only rate or a member-exclusive figure. When a page can't be read reliably we say so instead of guessing.

4. Counting delivery

Where we know a retailer's standard delivery charge and free-delivery threshold, we compare on the total you'd pay rather than the item price alone. Where we don't know it, we say the comparison excludes delivery so you can check before you buy.

5. Deciding what counts as a saving

We only surface an alternative when it genuinely leaves you better off. We don't inflate a result by comparing against a recommended retail price, a historical high, or a price nobody is charging today — the comparison is always against the actual price on the page you gave us.

6. Freshness

Retail prices move constantly. Every result links straight through to the retailer's live page so you can confirm the price before you spend. If a price has changed by the time you click, the retailer's page is the truth, not ours.

7. Independence

Whether we earn a commission from a retailer plays no part in which result we show or how we rank it. We check retailers we don't earn anything from, and we'll show one as the winner. Full detail on how we make money.

Getting it wrong

We will sometimes be wrong: a mismatched product, a stale price, a shop we couldn't read. Tell us at hello@parentprice.com and we'll fix it. Corrections make the whole thing work better.