Signal 1: the default ranking
An honest comparator defaults to cheapest-first (or to a weighted relevance score that is clearly documented). If the top offer isn't the cheapest and no methodology is provided, you're facing a fake comparator or disguised ad placement. Reflex: click "Sort by price ascending" and check the featured offer drops. If it stays mysteriously on top, beware.
Signal 2: public methodology
Look for a "Methodology" page in the footer or nav. It must describe which offers are included, how they're sourced, how they're refreshed, and what weights apply for composite scores. No such page, or fluff sentences only? Deal-breaker. Polia publishes its criteria line by line for each comparator.
Signal 3: disclosed commissions
Every comparator earns commissions paid by providers on conversion. That's not a problem per se — it becomes one only if commissions are hidden or vary by provider (biasing the ranking). A real comparator publishes them: amount or percent, partners covered, and guarantees they're identical within a product category.
Signal 4: no mandatory email pop-up
A fake comparator often hides results behind an email-grab form, supposedly to "personalize". In reality your email is resold to brokers who'll cold-call you. A real comparator shows results immediately, with no intermediate form — and offers email/phone only to receive a PDF or trigger a concrete action, never as an information paywall.
Signal 5: full market coverage
A health-insurance comparator showing only 8 of the 35 active Swiss insurers isn't a comparator — it's a partner aggregator. The real test: the cheapest insurer in the market must appear, even if the comparator has no commercial deal with it. Polia maintains 100% LAMal market coverage and clearly flags insurers without a direct-subscription button (but still visible in the ranking).
