Edge and Optima Energy's OptiiParse both use AI to validate energy bills. But they're built for completely different users, solving different problems, at different scales.
This isn't a case of one being better than the other. It's a case of picking the right tool for your market.
What is Edge?
Edge is an AI-powered bill validation tool built for energy brokers and TPIs. It's designed to be fast, simple, and affordable. Upload a bill, get it validated in about 30 seconds, see errors flagged with the financial impact and a drafted supplier query.
The focus is on the charges brokers deal with every day: unit rates vs contract, standing charges, VAT, CCL, estimated reads, billing period errors. The things that show up on SME and mid-market bills and cost your clients money when nobody checks.
Pricing starts free for up to 10 clients, then £299/month for up to 100 clients. No enterprise sales process, no long procurement cycle. Sign up and start validating.
What is Optima Energy OptiiParse?
OptiiParse is an enterprise-grade AI parsing and validation engine. It runs 77 validation checks per bill and specialises in the complex, non-commodity charges that appear on large corporate energy invoices — DUoS (Distribution Use of System), TNUoS (Transmission Network Use of System), BSUoS (Balancing Services Use of System), and other pass-through charges.
These charges are calculated based on supply capacity, time-of-use profiles, and grid location. Getting them wrong can cost a large corporate tens of thousands of pounds. OptiiParse is built to catch those errors with precision.
Optima serves large energy consultancies and corporate energy teams. The sales cycle is enterprise-grade — demos, scoping, custom implementation. Pricing is bespoke.
How they compare
| Feature | Edge | Optima OptiiParse | |---|---|---| | Target market | Brokers and TPIs | Large corporates and consultancies | | Validation checks | Core charges (rates, VAT, CCL, standing charges) | 77 checks including DUoS, TNUoS, BSUoS | | Non-commodity charges | Basic coverage | Deep, specialist coverage | | Speed per bill | ~30 seconds | Varies by complexity | | Setup | Self-service, same day | Enterprise implementation | | Free tier | Yes (10 clients) | No | | Pricing | From £299/mo | Enterprise (custom pricing) | | Sales cycle | Sign up online | Enterprise sales process | | White-label | Yes | Depends on agreement | | Best for | SME and mid-market broker portfolios | Corporate portfolios with complex tariffs |
Where Edge wins
For broker portfolios. If your clients are SMEs and mid-market businesses, the errors that cost them money are unit rate mismatches, wrong VAT rates, CCL errors, and estimated reads. Edge catches all of these, quickly and affordably. You don't need 77 validation checks when 15 cover 95% of what your clients face.
For speed and simplicity. Edge is self-service. You sign up, upload a bill, and see results in 30 seconds. There's no implementation project, no scoping phase, no waiting weeks to get started. For a broker who wants to add validation to their service this quarter, that speed matters.
For cost. A broker managing 50 clients doesn't need enterprise pricing. Edge's free tier covers the first 10 clients, and the Professional plan at £299/month covers up to 100. That's a fraction of what enterprise validation costs, and it's predictable — no per-bill fees, no surprises.
For white-labelling. Edge can be presented under your brand. Your clients see your name on the validation, not ours. For brokers building a differentiated service, this keeps the value attribution where it belongs.
Where Optima wins
For non-commodity charges. This is where Optima genuinely excels. DUoS, TNUoS, and BSUoS charges are calculated using complex methodologies that depend on supply capacity, voltage level, time-of-use bands, and grid region. Errors in these charges can run into five or six figures for large corporate sites.
If your clients have half-hourly metered supplies with complex pass-through structures, Optima's depth on non-commodity validation is genuinely hard to match. They've built their system around exactly these kinds of charges.
For large corporate portfolios. A corporate energy team managing 500 sites with complex tariff structures needs a validation engine that handles every charge type across every billing format. OptiiParse is built for that level of complexity and volume.
For consultancies serving enterprise clients. If your business model is advising FTSE-listed companies on energy procurement and cost management, the depth of validation Optima provides matches the depth your clients expect.
The honest take
Edge and Optima serve different markets. Trying to use Optima for a portfolio of 80 SME clients would be like using a Formula 1 car for the school run — technically capable but wildly over-specified and over-priced. Trying to use Edge for a portfolio of corporate HH-metered sites with complex pass-through charges would mean missing the non-commodity errors where the biggest money sits.
If your clients are SMEs and mid-market businesses, Edge gives you everything you need at a price that makes sense.
If your clients are large corporates with complex tariffs, Optima's depth is worth the enterprise price tag.
If you serve both, you might use Edge for your SME book and refer enterprise clients to a specialist like Optima. There's no rule that says you need one tool for everything.
Try Edge for your broker portfolio
If your clients are the kind of businesses where unit rates, VAT, and CCL are the charges that get billed wrong, Edge is built for exactly that.
Try Edge free and validate your first 10 clients' bills at no cost. See what it catches. Or check our pricing to see which plan fits your portfolio size.