Compare broadband deals and providers

Choosing broadband shouldn’t need a glossary. We look at the deals, the small print and the price rises, then give you one clear pick for your situation and tell you who it doesn’t suit. When a term does trip you up, our broadband glossary explains it in a line or two.

Our broadband deals page puts the latest deals and special offers from UK providers in one place. Filter by provider, compare what each deal includes, and check which ones reach your home using our postcode checker.

Postcode checker, latest deals and our exclusive offers

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Three things to settle before you compare

Most bad broadband decisions come from skipping one of these.

First, work out the speed your home actually uses. A couple who stream and browse will not notice the difference between 150Mb and 900Mb, but they will notice the extra cost every month. Our speed guide turns household size into a number.

Second, check how long you can commit. Most big providers want 24 months. If you rent, study or expect to move, a 12 month or rolling deal may cost less overall, even at a higher monthly price.

Third, look past the first year. Nearly every major provider adds a fixed rise each April, so the price you sign up at is rarely the price you pay in year two. Our price rise guide shows every provider’s yearly increase.

Broadband deals for every kind of home

For most households, the best value is now in full fibre broadband. More than eight in ten UK homes can order it, and an entry level plan often costs no more than the slower part fibre service it replaces. If keeping the bill low matters more than speed, our cheap broadband deals put the lowest monthly prices side by side. People who claim Universal Credit, Pension Credit or certain other benefits can usually pay even less through a social tariff.

A bundle only saves money if you’ll use every part of it. Home phones now run over the broadband connection rather than a copper line, so a broadband and landline package is mainly worth it if you still make regular calls from home or rely on a telecare alarm. If you watch a lot of sport or box sets, you can weigh up Sky, BT, Virgin Media and the cheaper streaming options in our broadband and TV deals.

Some homes need a different kind of connection altogether. Where no cable reaches, or you’d rather skip an engineer visit, a 5G home broadband hub plugs in and works over the mobile network. Online players should care more about ping and upload speed than the headline download figure, and that’s how we rank the best broadband for gaming.

You’ll find every deal page in one place in our broadband deals hub.

Find the right guide for you

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Compare UK broadband providers

Each provider page explains who that company suits, who should look elsewhere and what the contract really costs:

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Most of the big names don’t own the cables they sell you. BT, Sky, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Vodafone mainly rent space on Openreach, the UK’s largest network, so in the same street their speeds are often very close. What sets them apart is price, the router, customer service and how much the bill rises each year. Virgin Media is different, because it runs its own cable and fibre network and can reach homes that Openreach full fibre hasn’t.

Alongside them, dozens of smaller networks, known as altnets, have built full fibre in towns, cities and villages across the country. Providers such as YouFibre, Zen, Gigaclear and Trooli often offer upload speeds that match the download speed, prices fixed for the whole contract, or coverage in rural areas the national firms have been slow to reach. Because their footprint is patchy, the only reliable way to know which ones serve you is a postcode check. Our list of UK broadband providers covers every network we track, along with how each one performs for customer service.

Switching is easier than it used to be

You no longer need to call your old provider to leave. Under Ofcom’s One Touch Switch rules, the company you’re joining arranges everything, including when the move happens and moving your phone number if you keep one. It works even when you change network, for example from Openreach to an altnet. Our step by step guide to switching broadband takes you through it.

The cheapest time to move is the day your contract ends, which is when most people stop getting a discounted price. If you’re still in contract, check the exit fee first. Some providers will pay part of it for you, and in certain cases you can leave early without paying, for example when your speed drops below the level you were promised and isn’t fixed within 30 days. If a switch is delayed or an engineer misses an appointment, most large providers have to pay automatic compensation without you asking.

What’s changing in UK broadband

  • The traditional copper phone network is being switched off by the end of January 2027, and landlines are moving to digital services carried over broadband. If you use a telecare alarm or rely on a home phone in a power cut, our guide to the landline switch off explains what to check.
  • Since January 2025, Ofcom has required providers to state yearly rises in pounds and pence rather than linking them to inflation. That makes it easier to work out what a contract will cost before you sign.
  • The market is consolidating. Vodafone and Three have merged, and BT has agreed to buy TalkTalk. We explain what the TalkTalk deal means for existing customers.
  • Full fibre keeps spreading into rural areas through government funded building, and the Universal Service Obligation gives homes without decent broadband the right to request a better connection.

Plain words, honest picks

We earn a commission when you buy through some of our links. It never decides our picks, and the price you pay is the same. Read how we pick and our affiliate disclosure for the details.

Every price we show is checked against the provider’s own offer and dated in the table, so you know how fresh it is. Exact prices sit in tables rather than in the text, so we can update them as soon as they change. Where a provider adds a yearly rise, charges a setup fee or ties its best price to a reward you have to claim, we say so next to the deal.

FAQs

How do I find the best broadband in my area?

Enter your postcode in our broadband checker. It shows the providers and speeds available at your address, which can differ from your neighbours’ a few doors away. Then match what’s available to the speed your household needs.

Which broadband provider is best in the UK?

There isn’t one winner for every home. Price, network and customer service vary a lot, so the best provider for a student house share is rarely the best for a family that streams in 4K or a pensioner who wants a reliable home phone. Our picks for the best broadband match a provider to each kind of household.

Do I need a landline to get broadband?

Not anymore for most homes. Full fibre, Virgin Media cable and 5G broadband all work without a traditional phone line, and many deals are now sold as broadband only.

How much broadband speed do I need?

A typical family is well served by around 150Mb. Larger households, heavy gamers and people who upload big files for work may want 500Mb or more. Read how to choose a speed based on how many people are online at once.

Why is my broadband slower than the advertised speed?

Wi-Fi is often the cause rather than the line itself. Run a broadband speed test on a device plugged into the router to see what reaches your home. If the wired result is fine but some rooms struggle, a mesh system or Wi-Fi booster usually fixes it.

What should I do with my broadband when I move house?

Tell your provider as early as you can, ideally a month before. You may be able to take your contract with you, but if the new address can’t get the same service, you might be able to leave without a fee. Our guide to broadband when moving home covers the options.

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