Last updated: 29 March 2026

Choosing between Octopus Agile vs Tracker comes down to how much pricing volatility you're willing to accept and how actively you want to manage your energy usage. Both tariffs follow wholesale markets, but they work very differently. Tracker changes your unit rate once per day. Agile changes it every 30 minutes. And while Tracker covers both gas and electricity, Agile is electricity-only.

Quick comparison

• Tracker: daily rate, covers gas and electricity, moderate volatility.
• Agile: half-hourly rate, electricity only, high volatility but negative pricing possible.
• Both require a SMETS2 smart meter (or certain SMETS1 models).
• Both have no exit fees.
• Both include Price Cap Protect at 100p/kWh for electricity.

If you're exploring Octopus more broadly, keep switching and referral details centralised here: Octopus Energy referral guide.

What is the Octopus Tracker tariff?

The Octopus Tracker tariff adjusts your unit rate once per day based on wholesale market prices. Octopus publishes the next day's rate in advance, so you always know what you'll pay before you use any energy. The electricity pricing formula is based on the N2EX day-ahead auction, while gas follows the Marex Spectron day-ahead price.

Crucially, Tracker covers both gas and electricity. Your standing charge stays fixed within your region and is reviewed every three months in line with Ofgem price cap updates.

Tracker includes Price Cap Protect, which limits the maximum daily rate to 100p/kWh for electricity and 30p/kWh for gas. These limits are much higher than the standard Ofgem cap, so Tracker can exceed default tariff levels during market spikes. For a full deep dive, see our Octopus Tracker tariff explained guide.

How Tracker pricing moves (illustrative)

These examples are for illustration only, not live rates:

• Day 1 (stable wholesale conditions): ~21p/kWh
• Day 2 (cold snap, demand spike): ~27p/kWh
• Day 3 (mild weather, high wind generation): ~18p/kWh

The price shifts once per day. You don't need to time your usage within the day, which makes Tracker relatively hands-off compared to Agile.

What is the Octopus Agile tariff?

The Octopus Agile tariff is a half-hourly time-of-use tariff where your electricity price changes every 30 minutes based on wholesale market rates. Octopus publishes the next day's 48 half-hourly prices by 4pm each afternoon, so you can plan your usage around the cheapest slots.

There's an important distinction here: Agile is electricity-only. If you also use gas, you'll need a separate tariff for that, such as the standard Flexible Octopus or a Tracker gas tariff. This is one of the biggest practical differences when comparing Octopus Agile vs Tracker.

Agile also includes Price Cap Protect at 100p/kWh for electricity. However, the real standout feature is negative pricing. When renewable generation is high and demand is low, particularly on windy nights or sunny spring afternoons, wholesale prices can dip below zero. In those periods, Octopus effectively pays you to use electricity. Octopus calls this "plunge pricing", and it happens several times a year.

How Agile pricing moves in a single day (illustrative)

These examples are for illustration only, not live rates:

• 2:30am (low demand, high wind): ~7p/kWh
• 4:00pm-7:00pm (peak demand window): ~35p/kWh
• 9:30pm (demand easing): ~19p/kWh
• Occasional plunge pricing events: below 0p/kWh

Prices can fluctuate significantly within a single day, which creates real opportunity for households that can shift usage to the cheapest periods.

Octopus Agile vs Tracker: side-by-side comparison

Feature	Octopus Tracker	Octopus Agile
Price update frequency	Once per day	Every 30 minutes
Fuels covered	Gas and electricity	Electricity only
Volatility level	Moderate	High
Negative pricing possible?	No	Yes (plunge pricing)
Price Cap Protect	100p/kWh electricity, 30p/kWh gas	100p/kWh electricity
User involvement needed	Low (set and forget)	High (shift usage to cheap slots)
Exit fees	None (9-month rejoin rule if you leave early)	None
Smart meter required	SMETS2 or certain SMETS1	SMETS2 or certain SMETS1
Best suited to	Passive savers comfortable with daily fluctuation	Active users who time-shift usage, EV owners, battery/solar households
Rates published	Day-ahead	By 4pm daily (48 half-hourly slots)

How both compare to the Ofgem price cap

Standard variable tariffs are limited by the Ofgem price cap, which updates quarterly. From 1 April 2026, the cap drops to £1,641 per year for a typical dual-fuel household. For more detail, see our Ofgem price cap 2026 explainer.

Neither Tracker nor Agile is structured as a default capped tariff. Instead, they are market-linked smart tariffs with their own internal Price Cap Protect limits. As a result, both can fall below the Ofgem cap quickly when wholesale prices drop, but both can also exceed cap-equivalent pricing during volatile periods.

For context, the average Agile price so far in 2026 has been around 22p/kWh. That's below the Q1 2026 Ofgem cap rate of 27.7p/kWh. But during the March 2026 wholesale price surge linked to the Middle East conflict, both tariffs saw noticeably higher daily and half-hourly rates.

Risk profile: which is more volatile?

Agile is significantly more volatile. Because it reflects half-hourly wholesale pricing, you're directly exposed to evening demand spikes, grid balancing pressures and unexpected supply shocks. A single half-hour slot during peak demand can cost several times the daily average.

Tracker, on the other hand, smooths volatility into a single daily rate. You're still exposed to wholesale markets, but without the intraday swings. This makes Tracker more predictable day-to-day, even though it can still move sharply between days during volatile markets.

Who Agile makes sense for

Agile works best for households that can actively shift energy usage to cheaper periods. In particular, it suits EV owners who charge overnight, households with battery storage or solar panels, people working from home who can run appliances during off-peak hours, and tech-literate users who are comfortable monitoring half-hourly pricing via the Octopus app or third-party tools.

If you have solar panels, Agile pairs well with export tariffs like Outgoing Agile (variable export rates) or Outgoing Octopus Fixed (a flat 15p/kWh export rate). This combination lets you import electricity when it's cheapest and export when prices are highest, maximising the value of your generation.

Who Tracker makes sense for

Tracker suits households that want wholesale market exposure without the need for active management. It works well for customers comfortable with moderate daily fluctuation who don't want to micromanage their usage. Because Tracker covers gas as well as electricity, it's also simpler for dual-fuel customers who want both fuels on a single market-linked tariff.

However, keep in mind the 9-month rejoin rule. If you leave Tracker before your 12-month term ends, you can't rejoin for 9 months. This prevents cherry-picking cheap periods. The same restriction does not apply to Agile. You can read more about how Tracker exit terms work in our can you leave Octopus anytime guide.

What about other Octopus smart tariffs?

Agile and Tracker aren't the only smart tariff options from Octopus. If you have an electric vehicle, Intelligent Octopus Go offers a cheap overnight charging window (often around 7-9p/kWh) and automatically schedules charging to the cheapest periods. For heat pump users, Octopus Cosy provides three low-cost periods each day. These tariffs are simpler than Agile and carry less volatility, so they're worth considering if your energy usage is shaped by a specific device.

If you're weighing up whether Octopus suits you overall, see our is Octopus worth switching to page.

Bottom line

Octopus Agile vs Tracker is a trade-off between volatility and involvement. Tracker changes daily, covers gas and electricity, and requires minimal behaviour change. Agile changes every 30 minutes, covers electricity only, and rewards active management with deeper potential savings and the possibility of negative pricing. Both can beat the Ofgem price cap over time, but neither guarantees it.

For most households, the deciding factors are whether you need a gas tariff included (choose Tracker) and whether you're willing to shift usage to the cheapest half-hour slots (choose Agile). If you're not sure which direction to go, compare the latest supplier incentives on our best energy switching bonus UK page.

See the current Octopus Energy sign-up credit

FAQs

What's the main difference between Octopus Agile and Tracker?

Tracker changes your unit rate once per day and covers gas and electricity. Agile changes your electricity rate every 30 minutes and is electricity-only. Agile is more volatile but offers deeper potential savings, including negative pricing events.

Does Octopus Agile cover gas?

No. Agile is an electricity-only tariff. If you use gas, you'll need a separate tariff for it, such as Flexible Octopus or Tracker.

Can you get negative pricing on Tracker?

No. Negative pricing is unique to Agile. It happens when renewable generation is high and demand is low, typically on windy nights or sunny spring afternoons.

Do both tariffs have exit fees?

Neither has exit fees. However, Tracker has a 9-month rejoin restriction if you leave before your 12-month term ends. Agile has no such restriction.

Which tariff is less risky?

Tracker is less volatile because it smooths wholesale prices into a daily rate. Agile exposes you to half-hourly swings, including sharp evening peaks. If you can't shift usage to off-peak times, Tracker is generally the safer choice.

Do I need a smart meter for both?

Yes. Both tariffs require a SMETS2 smart meter (or certain SMETS1 models made by Secure). If you don't have one, Octopus will install one at no cost.

Are Agile and Tracker capped?

Both have internal Price Cap Protect limits. For electricity, the cap is 100p/kWh on both tariffs. Tracker also has a 30p/kWh gas cap. These are much higher than the standard Ofgem price cap, so both tariffs can exceed default variable tariff levels during spikes.

Which is better for EV charging?

Agile is typically better for EV charging because overnight prices are often very low (sometimes under 10p/kWh). However, if you want a simpler setup, Intelligent Octopus Go offers dedicated cheap overnight charging without the need to monitor half-hourly slots.

Can I switch between Agile and Tracker?

Yes. You can switch between Octopus tariffs without exit fees. Just be aware that if you leave Tracker mid-term, the 9-month rejoin rule applies specifically to Tracker.

Where can I check live Agile and Tracker prices?

Octopus publishes rates on its website and app. Third-party tools like Energy Stats UK and Octoprice show current and historical prices across all 14 UK regions for both tariffs.

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CoolCuration contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up via our links, at no extra cost to you. All information is for general guidance only and does not constitute financial or energy advice. Examples shown are illustrative and not current live rates. Market-linked tariffs can rise as well as fall. Always review official tariff terms before switching.