Unbiased has been helping users find local financial advisers, mortgage brokers and accountants for more than thirty years, helping over 10 million customers to date. In this independent review, we explain how the service works, how much it costs and also the alternatives available.
What is Unbiased?
Unbiased* is a search engine dedicated to finding local financial advisers, mortgage brokers and accountants. It has a database of 27,000 qualified professionals and boasts having more than 10m users.
The website offers guides on pensions, mortgages, financial planning and small businesses as well as for life milestones including buying your first home, starting a family and retiring.
You can also use its mortgage or advice checklists to calculate what you could pay in various circumstances.
How does Unbiased work?
The first step is to select the type of service you require. You'll be given the following options:
- Financial Adviser
- Mortgage Broker
- Insurance Broker
- Accountant or Bookkeeper
Once you have selected your preferred service, you'll be given two options. The first and most popular option is a professional matchmaking-style service or alternatively, you can choose a simplified search based on location.
Search option 1 - 'Get matched now'
The first option is for those who already know the specific type of advice they require such as financial planning or if you want to start a pension or ISA. First you select the type of service you require and then add the total sum of your investments, savings, pensions and investment property. You'll then need to give a brief overview of your situation and your specific goals before entering your name, telephone number and postcode. You will be emailed a matched professional to contact based on your needs.
Search option 2 - 'Browse adviser directory'
Alternatively, you can search for a local adviser or mortgage broker based on postcode. Results can be displayed as a list or on a map and you can filter by the type of advice such as pensions & retirement, financial planning, investments, insurance & protection or savings. You can also choose to view results based on whether you'd like to meet remotely or face to face.
Once the results are displayed, you can click on each advisory firms profile to see the services they offer, its staff, and their qualifications. Some advisers may also have special offers such as a free initial consultation or pension healthcheck. Their profiles will also indicate if they have a minimum investment they work with and also provide social media and contact details.
You can message your preferred adviser through Unbiased or request a callback. Each firm is given a response rating out of 10 which indicates how good they are at responding to enquiries. This can be a valuable indicator when choosing an adviser to work with as it can be frustrating having to chase up enquiries or having to wait long periods for a reply.
One thing to mention is that Unbiased's search function automatically defaults to those that have paid a fee. In order to reveal the full list, you need to scroll down and untick a box labelled 'show advisers available for contact'.
Is Unbiased free?
Unbiased is free for its users. You can make as many searches as you like and submit enquiries at no cost. The only time you will have to pay fees is if you start working with an adviser but that will usually be agreed upon upfront.
How does Unbiased make money?
Unbiased is funded through the advisers who upload profiles to its database. Advisers can get a free subscription that just includes their basic details or they can pay to be able to accept and respond to enquiries and track analytics such as seeing how often they appear in searches. Advisers can also pay extra to have their firm appear more prominently in results for certain postcodes.
Can I trust Unbiased?
Unbiased has a track record dating back three decades, launching in 1989 as a hotline for consumers to find local advisers. It has built up a respectable and reliable brand used by millions of people. All advisers signing up to Unbiased must provide their Financial Conduct Authority number to show they are regulated. Unbiased also ensures you get the best professionals by ensuring that the advisers search the whole of market. It will not allow advisers who can only recommend from a panel of products.
Unbiased vs VouchedFor
VouchedFor* provides a similar service to Unbiased* but hasn’t been around for as long, having launched in 2012. It doesn’t offer a matchmaking service meaning users can only search by postcode.
More VouchedFor users tend to display their fees and you can see client ratings, which Unbiased doesn’t offer. VouchedFor has a Trustpilot rating of 4.6 compared to a score of 4.0 for Unbiased. It is currently offering new customers a free 30-60 minute consultation*. Read our VouchedFor review to find out more.
Unbiased pros and cons
Pros of using unbiased
User friendly - Search results are displayed either as a list or in map form so you can easily see how close an adviser is to you. There are also useful filters so you can choose by features such as product or fee type.
Lots of detail - You can learn a lot about the firm of your choice before even making contact. Each profile will feature headshots and details of staff members, their qualifications, type of advice and how they work (such as face-to-face or over the phone). You can even check their social media feeds.
Cons of using unbiased
Can’t see fees - Knowing how much you will be charged can be an important factor in choosing an adviser but not all display their fees, which can make it hard to decide.
Some advisers pay to be more prominent - It is important to click on each profile and read about the firm as Unbiased allows advisers to pay a fee to be displayed more prominently on the site.
Lack of customer reviews - Unlike its rival VouchedFor, Unbiased doesn’t make it mandatory to include customer reviews on profiles so not all include this, which can make it hard to choose an adviser if you don’t know about the experience of others.
Unbiased customer reviews
Unbiased has over 11,000 Trustpilot reviews and scores 4.0 out of 5.0. 61% of users rate it as excellent and 14% as great. However, 13% rate their experience as bad, citing poor search results and choice of adviser.
Conclusion
Unbiased has built a tried and tested method for millions of people to find advisers. Remember local isn’t always better as many advisers will be happy to travel or deal with you on the phone but the search engine is an effective and accessible way to find the best adviser for you in one place. If you are still unsure, check out our article '10 tips on how to find a good financial adviser'.
If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link, Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses or take advantage of any exclusive offers - Unbiased, Vouchedfor
