The story of Global Compare Group began in 2015, when Gavin Male and Alex Grace met in New Zealand.
Both had recently moved to New Zealand from overseas and quickly encountered a problem that many newcomers, and plenty of existing Kiwis will recognise. Trying to choose essential household services such as broadband, power and financial products was surprisingly difficult. Neither knew the local providers or brands, and it was hard to work out which companies offered the best combination of price, product and service.
Having previously used comparison services in their home countries, Gavin and Alex were surprised by what they found in New Zealand. Existing comparison websites were often outdated, with inaccurate information and limited comparisons, making it difficult for consumers to make genuinely informed choices.
They believed there had to be a better way.
Their vision was to build an independent, useful and easy-to-use comparison service that would give New Zealanders better information when making important purchasing decisions.
The first Global Compare website, Broadband Compare, launched in June 2016.
Coinciding with the rollout of the ultrafast fibre broadband network, Gavin and Alex worked with New Zealand internet service providers to build detailed comparison tools that allowed consumers to compare broadband plans, prices, speeds and features in one place.
Launched at an industry event in Auckland’s viaduct and attended by then Minister for Communications and Broadcasting, Rt Hon, Amy Adams, the idea quickly gained traction.
Rather than simply providing a list of providers, Broadband Compare was designed to make a complicated market easier to understand and help consumers find a service that suited their needs.
Just a year after launching, Broadband Compare was recognised as a winner at the 2017 David Awards, celebrating outstanding small and home-based businesses in New Zealand.
The award was an early recognition that the business was solving a genuine consumer problem and building something different in the New Zealand comparison market.
Following later in the year, the inaugural Broadband Compare Awards were launched to offer broadband providers and associated businesses throughout the country an opportunity to be recognised as leading the way in the ever-changing broadband and telco sector. The awards were supported by Consumer NZ and there were 12 inaugural categories awarded.
The success of Broadband Compare provided the foundation for the wider Global Compare Group.
The business expanded its comparison offering into other essential household services, launching Power Compare, Mobile Compare and Money Compare.
The ambition was always broader than broadband: to make it easier for New Zealanders to compare the products and services that make up their everyday lives.
The company's growth was recognised internationally when Global Compare Group appeared in the Deloitte Fast 500 Asia Pacific in 2019, ranking 225th among the region's fastest-growing private companies.
The recognition reflected the rapid growth of the business and its expanding role in New Zealand's comparison market.
In January 2022, Global Compare Group acquired PriceMe, one of New Zealand's established online shopping comparison platforms.
The acquisition significantly expanded the Group's consumer offering, bringing together price comparison, shopping information and household services under the wider Global Compare Group.
PriceMe's focus on helping consumers compare products and prices complemented the Group's existing comparison businesses and created opportunities to help consumers save across an even broader range of purchases.
In July 2024, Global Compare Group took another significant step by launching Simply Broadband, its own retail broadband provider.
The launch represented a natural evolution of the Group's experience in the broadband market. After years of helping consumers compare internet providers, the Group entered the market itself with a simple proposition: provide reliable fibre broadband with straightforward pricing and genuinely helpful customer support.
Simply Broadband operates as a broadband provider within the wider Global Compare Group, while Broadband Compare continues to provide consumers with the ability to compare broadband options from multiple providers.
Today, Global Compare Group operates multiple online brands across comparison, broadband and online shopping to support households looking to reduce everyday costs across utilities and online purchases.
The Group's original purpose remains at the heart of the business: helping consumers make better-informed decisions and find products and services that offer the right combination of price, features and value.
From two newcomers frustrated by the difficulty of choosing a broadband provider in 2015, Global Compare Group has grown into a multi-brand consumer technology business, while continuing to focus on the simple idea that started it all:
Consumers should have access to clear, useful and trustworthy information before they make important purchasing decisions.
