Source-backed pricing observations
Public comparison pages organise pricing observations where a source can be attached, dated and reviewed.
Methodology
Compare Costs uses shared principles around source-backed data, checked dates, correction routes and commercial independence.
Public source collection
Sources can include provider websites, PDFs, official listings, public price lists and other source documents. Each vertical decides the detailed hierarchy for its category.
Provider corrections
Providers can submit corrections or updated evidence. A correction is reviewed against source quality, scope and date before it changes public data.
Data freshness labels
Pages should show checked dates or snapshot dates where available. Older or stale observations should be labelled, deprioritised or excluded from statistics depending on the vertical method.
Missing data handling
Missing prices are not filled in with guesses. Pages may show that data is not yet available, or exclude a provider from price calculations until a source-backed observation exists.
Outlier handling
Outliers are reviewed for source errors, inclusion differences, units and comparability. They can be shown with caveats or excluded from medians where the method requires it.
Medians and ranges
Where enough comparable observations exist, public pages may show medians and ranges. Medians are preferred because local service prices can be skewed by high or low outliers.
Verify before relying
Prices can change and services may vary. Users should verify current prices, availability and suitability with the provider before relying on any comparison page.
Live detailed methods
Detailed methodology is published on the public comparison site: Compare Vet Pricing methodology. Corrections can also be submitted through the central Compare Costs corrections page.