In addition to being Australia’s biggest financial comparison site, Canstar also researches and rates products from over 780 brands, across more than 30 different finance categories. Our team of expert researchers compare thousands of products on a combination of price and features, and recognise the top performers with 5-Star Ratings and Awards. We also measure consumer sentiment through our Customer Satisfaction Awards, where we ask Australian consumers about their experience with finance products and services. The expert Star Ratings  complement Canstar’s Outstanding Value Awards and Customer Satisfaction Awards and are intended to help you make better informed financial decisions.

What are Star Ratings?

Canstar’s Star Ratings are unique, value-based ratings. We evaluate thousands of products from hundreds of financial institutions. Our expert researchers analyse each product we rate by comparing price and features, with the top 10% of products being recognised with a 5-Star Rating.

When calculating Star Ratings, Canstar takes into account a huge number of details in relation to each product’s price and features.

Our analysis factors in the price considerations Australians would generally encounter in their use of the product. For example on a home loan this includes interest, upfront and on-going fees. While on an insurance product it would include monthly and annual premiums along with excesses.

Canstar’s review of features focuses on recognising functionality, flexibility and accessibility. This review considers each product and providers offering along the general consumer use of the product. For example, from application, payment, using the product, customer service and support options, and account, loan or policy closure.

To determine value, Canstar gives a weighting to how relevant the price and feature performance is for a particular product or provider. How greatly Canstar considers price and features varies (as illustrated by the below diagram) and is guided by the different types of customers, known as customer profiles, for which the product or provider is rated.

We’re all individuals with different needs. A product may be rated 5-Stars for one type of customer but perhaps just 2- or 3- Stars for a different type of customer. This is why Canstar’s value-based ratings are designed around different users or profiles.

Credit cards are a great example. A platinum credit card with a high interest rate might have lots of features that make it 5-Star value for someone who spends a large amount each month and never carries a debt (and therefore never pays interest). For someone juggling a hefty debt though, that same card might be only 2-Star value.

When calculating Star Ratings, Canstar takes into account a huge number of details in relation to each product. For full details on how we calculate star ratings, click on the relevant “Methodology” at the bottom of this page.

• Star Ratings
• Indicative Star Ratings

	5-Star products	Five star products should be on your shopping list. As a consumer, this represents a high-value product. According to our ratings, these are the top 10% of products in their field.
	4-Star products	Four star products also still have a good mix of price and features and shouldn’t be struck off your shopping list, especially if the product and brand really appeal to you.
	Rising star	Rising star – If you see a star that looks like this, it means that we haven’t yet rated this product (perhaps it’s new to the market) but we think the product shows potential to score highly in the near future.
	3-Star product	Three stars means satisfactory value – and sometimes you may be satisfied with that – but our ratings suggest that you could be doing better.
	2-Star product	Two star products are unlikely to be great value for you.
	1-Star product	One star products are rated in the bottom 10% of the market and are highly unlikely to be of value.
	New product	This new product is awaiting review by Canstar’s Research Team.
	Not rated	This product did not meet the eligibility criteria for our last Ratings Review.

Products that have not been available for a minimum of five years are not eligible to receive a Star Rating, therefore an indicative Star Rating is supplied. Indicative Star Ratings are represented as hollow stars, and provide an indication of the products rating relative to its peers for the period for which it has been available.
Indicative Star Ratings are only applicable on Superannuation and Managed Funds.

	Indicative 5-Star	Five indicative star products should be on your shopping list. As a consumer, this represents a high-value product relative to its peers for the period for which it has been available. According to our ratings, these are the top 10% of products in their field.
	Indicative 4-Star	Four indicative star products have a good mix of price and features and shouldn’t be struck off your shopping list, especially if the product and brand really appeal to you.
	Indicative 3-Star	Three indicative stars means the product has satisfactory value relative to its peers for the period for which it has been available. Sometimes you may be satisfied with that – but our indicative ratings suggest that you could be doing better.
	Indicative 2-Star	Two indicative star products are unlikely to be great value for you based on comparison with peer products for the period in which this product has been available.
	Indicative 1-Star	One indicative star products are rated in the bottom 10% of the market and are highly unlikely to be of value for you based on comparison with peer products for the period in which this product has been available.

Canstar’s Outstanding Value Awards are based on a review of the value proposition of a particular finance provider within a certain finance category. The Awards provide insights into the value proposition (Price/Cost v Features/Functionality) of providers such as banks, insurers or superannuation funds in a range of areas, awarding the finance providers or products that have the highest overall value proposition against Canstar’s methodologies.

Canstar’s Customer Satisfaction Awards are based on how content customers are with a particular finance provider within a certain finance category. The Awards provide insights into how satisfied consumers are with their financial provider such as their bank, insurer or superannuation fund, awarding the finance provider that has the highest overall customer satisfaction.

Canstar’s Customer Satisfaction Awards are determined by consumers based on their feedback. We engage a respected professional market research company to ask Australians about their experiences with financial products or services, to determine their satisfaction.

View Star Ratings & Award Methodologies