About Star Ratings
About Star Ratings
In addition to being a comparison site, Canstar also researches and rates products from over 775 brands, across more than 30 different finance categories. You can meet the Canstar Research team, and find out more about our current Star Ratings and Awards.
What are Canstar’s Star Ratings?
Our team of expert researchers compare thousands of products, recognising the top performers with 5-Star Ratings and Awards.
How do Canstar’s Star Ratings work?
We assess each product using a tailored methodology that evaluates relevant criteria – such as features, coverage, and in some cases price – awarding 5-Star Ratings to ones that score among the strongest
Does Canstar consider customer satisfaction?
In addition to our expert Star Ratings, we consider what customers want with financial products as part of our Customer Satisfaction Awards.
About Canstar’s Star Ratings
Canstar’s Star Ratings are developed to help you make more informed decisions when comparing products. Whether you’re looking at insurance, banking, superannuation, or other categories, our Star Ratings highlight products that perform strongly across criteria that matter most for each type of product.
Our ‘Star Ratings’ refers broadly to a range of product and brand ratings across different categories. While ratings may appear under different names – such as Value Rating, Cover Rating, or Customer Satisfaction Rating – these aren’t just different labels with each representing a distinct assessment tailored to specific aspects of product performance or consumer experience.
How we assess products
Our team of expert researchers evaluates thousands of products using a detailed set of criteria tailored to each category. These may include things like features, coverage, flexibility, and in some cases, price – depending on what’s relevant for that product type.
While saving money is important, it’s not the only consideration when deciding on a product. That’s why not all Star Ratings include price. Instead, they’re designed to provide additional context – highlighting other aspects of the product that you might want to consider when making a purchase decision. This could help you identify products that not only fit your budget, but also stand out for their quality and features. Products are assessed using a structured methodology, with results measured against others in the market.
The way we assess products depends on the category and type of rating applied. You may come across different types of Star Ratings on the Canstar website, each designed to reflect a specific aspect of a product or provider’s performance, these could include:
Product Ratings
- Value Ratings – Evaluate the overall value of a product by considering both its price and features of the product.
- Cover Ratings – Assess how comprehensive the cover is, particularly for insurance products.
- Features Ratings – Measure the strength of a product’s features, separately from its price.
Brand Ratings
- Customer Satisfaction Ratings – Near the thresholds of rating bands, the Research Committee carefully reviews products on the cusp to ensure genuine value is highlighted, accurately reflecting their merits.
- Value Ratings – Assess how well a provider services the broader market by evaluating the performance of their range of products across a region or category – especially in industries where individual products are tailored to specific needs.
Each rating type is developed using a tailored methodology that has been designed to support more meaningful product comparisons on canstar.com.au, complementing the other information provided.
Ratings Are Earned, Not Bought
Importantly, our ratings are earned – not bought. Providers cannot influence or pay for their rating results, which are awarded solely on merit against the stated criteria.
Who gets a 5-Star Rating?
We aim to highlight products that truly stand out. In some cases, this means awarding 5-Star Ratings to the top 10–15% of products. In other cases, products may receive a 5-Star Rating if they meet or exceed clearly defined performance benchmarks. These details are outlined in the methodology document published for each rating.
Our Research Committee reviews each set of results to ensure the outcomes are fair, meaningful, and useful for consumers. This process takes into account:
- Market size and diversity – to ensure standout products are recognised, even in markets with fewer unique offerings.
- Brand duplication – when the same product is offered under multiple brands, we aim to reflect choice without overrepresenting identical products.
- Borderline reviews – products near a rating threshold may be reviewed more closely to ensure ratings reflect real distinctions in performance.
Transparent and reliable
Every Star Rating is backed by a detailed methodology that explains how the results are calculated. These documents are available on our website and are reviewed regularly to reflect evolving market conditions, product trends, and consumer expectations.
It’s important to note that Canstar’s Star Ratings are not product recommendations. They are general advice based on clearly defined criteria, and do not take your personal circumstances into account. We encourage consumers to use Star Ratings as one of several tools when comparing products.
Helping you compare with confidence
Whether you’re choosing a financial product for the first time or reviewing your current options, Canstar’s Star Ratings aim to simplify the process – highlighting strong performers to help you feel more confident in your decisions.
What do the stars represent?
Star Ratings
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5-Star products | Our research found these products or providers deliver outstanding performance across the board in their category. Quite simply, they scored the best in the rating |
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4-Star products | These are strong performers that rate well across most areas we looked at. 4 Star products or providers have done very well in the rating. |
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3-Star product | These products or providers have still performed well in the rating. They offer satisfactory performance, though others may perform more strongly in some areas. |
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2-Star product | These are below-average performers according to the rating. While they may still deliver for some, there are likely stronger options available. |
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1-Star product | Our research found these products or providers were the lowest performers. They generally fall short in the areas that matter most for consumers and should be approached with caution. |
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New product | This new product is awaiting review by Canstar’s Research Team. |
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Not rated | This product did not meet the eligibility criteria for our last Ratings Review. |
Meet our researchers
Joshua Sale
Group Manager, Research, Ratings & Product Data
Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance), Griffith University. Graduate Certificate in Data Science with Distinction, RMIT. Master of Data Science, Strategy and Leadership with Distinction, RMIT
Joshua Sale is Canstar’s Group Manager for the Research and Product Data departments, overseeing the teams responsible for the collection and maintenance of product information data, the calculation of Canstar’s Star Ratings and Awards, and the timely delivery of media insights.
Under Joshua’s leadership, the data curated and analysed by his teams not only fuel Canstar’s comparison websites across Australia and New Zealand but also powers Canstar View, a crucial database for Australia’s major financial institutions. His role includes steering the team responsible for delivering more than 60 annual award releases across Australia and New Zealand, and ensuring Canstar’s reputation as a leader in financial product comparison and expert industry analysis is continually reinforced.
Since joining Canstar in 2016, Joshua has held a number of roles including Senior Research Analyst, Ratings Manager, and media spokesperson, making him adept at demystifying the complexities of financial markets and products for a broad audience. He has been featured in prominent media outlets like the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au, and Money magazine, offering balanced, informed views on a range of financial topics.
Joshua has a passion for educating and empowering consumers and peers alike. His goal is to enhance financial literacy and decision-making, using his extensive knowledge and the power of data to guide Australians in navigating their personal finance journeys.
Connect with Joshua Sale on Linkedin.
Keely Robinson
Ratings Manager
Bachelor of Business (Finance and Marketing) with Distinction, QUT
As the Ratings Manager in Canstar’s Research department, Keely leads a team responsible for developing ratings methodologies and delivering Canstar’s flagship Star Ratings and Awards. With a strong focus on making financial products understandable and comparable for Australian consumers, Keely and her team assist consumers in navigating the intricacies of financial products in the market.
Keely joined Canstar as a Graduate Research Analyst and has progressed into her current position, where she is responsible for the delivery of ratings across the wealth, insurance, banking, and utilities portfolios. Keely is dedicated to continuously enhancing Canstar’s methodologies to ensure our Star Ratings reflect the current market. She strives to simplify complex data, offer valuable insights, and empower consumers to make well-informed decisions regarding their personal finances. Keely also leads and contributes to strategic business initiatives to ensure continuous improvement of Canstar’s methodologies, ratings calculations and quality of underlying data.
Connect with Keely Robinson on LinkedIn.
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