The Independent’s journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
Finding the best broadband deals for your household can be a complicated affair, which is why our expert team has catalogued all the best deals on offer, as well as several common questions and queries to help you on your journey. We considered a wide range of broadband providers, broadband types, contract lengths, speeds and prices to ensure you move ahead with a broadband deal that really works for you.
Finding the best broadband deal should not just come down to the price, you also must consider the broadband provider itself. Our expert team has catalogued all of the best broadband deals from a wide range of providers, considering different price points, speeds and contract lengths.
Depending on which broadband provider you’re looking at, you can choose between a wide variety of broadband packages. There are several types of broadband packages, with some companies offering bundles featuring more than one service.
Broadband-only deals only come with an internet connection, negating any additional features. Our top pick for a broadband-only deal comes from Plusnet; the Full Fibre 145 deal comes with speeds as high as 145Mbps for £30.99 per month and no upfront cost.
Broadband and phone deals come with a landline service. This package is mandatory for households that require copper landline wires for a broadband connection or those who wish to use a landline service. One of the best broadband and phone deals comes from Vodafone; the Fibre 2 deal with speeds up to 67Mbps with a line rental included for £26 a month.
Broadband and TV deals come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the potential to include additional TV channels or subscriptions to services such as Netflix or NOW TV. Sky Broadband offers some of the most expansive broadband and TV deals; its superfast 61Mbps service comes with a Standard Netflix subscription with additional Sky TV channels.
The cheapest type of broadband is typically ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line). This technology utilises the existing telephone line infrastructure and is generally more affordable since it’s based on older, more widespread technology.
ADSL’s lower price point reflects its slower internet speeds compared to its more contemporary counterparts, like fibre broadband. It’s a viable option for users with basic internet needs, such as browsing and emailing, who do not require high-speed connections for activities like streaming high-definition videos or online gaming. As market dynamics shift and technology advances, the cost spectrum can change, but currently, ADSL is the budget-friendly choice
If you’re working on a budget, check out the affordable deal below, which offers decent speeds for great value.
Those looking to play video games online will want to invest in a gaming broadband deal, ideally with an FTTP connection type. EE is one of the fastest broadband providers available throughout the country, offering speeds of up to 1,600Mbps. While ultrafast connections are generally more expensive, they are a necessity for gamers.
There are several different types of broadband, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. While you may not be eligible for every broadband solution, your postcode likely supports at least one connection.
Here is a selection of some of the most common types of broadband.
Speeds available | Advantages | Disadvantages | Coverage across the UK |
---|---|---|---|
Up to 1Gbps (ultrafast) | Fastest full fibre broadband solution in the UK | Not every postcode is eligible, especially in rural communities | 52% |
Speeds available | Advantages | Disadvantages | Coverage across the UK |
---|---|---|---|
32-133Mbps (Superfast) | Portable | Signal is not always consistent, can incur rolling charges and potentially low speeds | N/A |
Speeds available | Advantages | Disadvantages | Coverage across the UK |
---|---|---|---|
30-220Mbps (Superfast) | Offers broadband access to remote areas | Can be expensive with slower speeds than fibre optic | N/A |
Speeds available | Advantages | Disadvantages | Coverage across the UK |
---|---|---|---|
30-70Mbps (Superfast) | Partial fibre optic cables enable high speeds | Requires landline cables | 96% |
Speeds available | Advantages | Disadvantages | Coverage across the UK |
---|---|---|---|
30Mbps-100Mbps (Superfast) | Offers high speeds | Can suffer lower speeds during peak times and generally slower than FTTP | N/A |
Speeds available | Advantages | Disadvantages | Coverage across the UK |
---|---|---|---|
10-24Mbps (Standard) | High coverage across the UK | Lower speeds than fibre optic solutions and requires a landline | 99% |
There are multiple factors to consider when comparing broadband deals – and it doesn’t just come down to the price. Here is our guide to comparing broadband deals so you can find a package that works best for you.
Before you sign any contracts, you need to know what your speed requirements actually are. There’s no point paying for 500Mbps if you’d be equally content with a fraction of that number. Check out the table further down this page, which gives a detailed overview of what speeds will work for what households – including the number of users, and the kind of internet usage you’re usually doing.
It’s an obvious point, but if you just buy the first broadband package you see, or take whatever your existing provider is offering you, there’s a chance you’ll be missing out on a better deal elsewhere. Be sure to check deals from a few different broadband providers – Virgin Media, Plusnet, BT, TalkTalk, and so on – to get the lay of the land.
Not every provider can deliver an internet service, or a high-speed one, to every home, because they each use different aspects of the UK’s network. Urban residents usually have a good spread to choose from, but it’s worth using the postcode checkers on each provider’s website before making a final decision, as this will give you a solid answer about the best broadband in your area.
Picking the right broadband speed will depend on a few factors, namely how much you use the internet and what you are using it for. Your internet can only handle so much traffic at once; slower speeds will be suitable for only one or two residents, but you will need faster speeds for a busier household with multiple people.
And not all online activity is created equal; streaming video content, playing video games and video calls use a lot more data than answering emails or editing documents. Consider which activities you often engage in and pick a package that can handle your workload.
Generally, speeds between 20-30Mbps are suitable for streaming, 50Mbps is ideal for gaming and 100Mbps or above is more luxurious. For a comprehensive view of which broadband speeds you require, consult our table below.
Speed | General internet use* | HD streaming | 4K streaming | Online gaming | Working from home | For how many users |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Up to 10Mbps | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 1 |
10-30Mbps | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | 1-2 |
30-100Mbps | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 2-4 |
100-900Mbps | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 4-10 |
1GBps + | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 10+ |
Using a broadband speed test is the best way to check how fast your broadband speeds are. Knowing your current broadband speeds can offer insight into if you need an upgrade, whether in terms of speed or additional services.
Your current broadband provider may have a speed checker on its website; otherwise, use broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk.
Your need for fibre broadband will depend on your internet usage – a busy household with multiple people engaging in intensive tasks like gaming, streaming, or video calls will be more likely to require fibre broadband than someone living alone.
Fibre broadband – or, more accurately, fibre optic broadband – uses thin cables made of glass or plastic to send rays of light across large distances. This is much more efficient than traditional broadband cables, which transmit electrical signals through an insulated copper core.
Major broadband providers these days will offer fibre optic, due to its faster connections, increased reliability, and signal quality over large distances compared to traditional cable. So, get if you can: the fastest broadband deals use so-called ‘full fibre’ connections, whereas slower ‘fibre’ plans will use a mix of fibre optic and copper-wire cables.
Fibre optic broadband does not yet have the same scope as traditional broadband across the UK, meaning that not all homes will have access to it. If you want to check if you can use fibre optic broadband in your home, check through the Openreach website, or via your broadband provider’s portal when signing up.
Currently, 52 per cent of UK homes can make use of fibre optic broadband, according to 2023 estimates from Ofcom.
The best contract length will depend on how long you plan to stay at your current residence and how long you want to stay with one company.
Most contracts last up to 12, 18 or 24 months. Generally, long-term contracts are more cost-effective; for example, Community Fibre – a broadband service that operates mainly in London – offers 150Mbps for £27 for 12 months, with the price dropping to £25 for the 24-month contract.
If you cannot commit to a 12-month contract, some providers offer no-contract broadband deals. These packages are ideal for renters, however, they can sometimes come with a higher monthly price and expensive set-up fees. NOW Broadband offers no-contract broadband with no hikes to the monthly price, but a high £60 activation fee and £9.99 delivery charge.
Ultimately, if you are able, investing in a long-term broadband contract will be more cost-effective in the long run. However, if you need to terminate your contract early, you may be liable for cancellation fees. The cost of cancelling will depend on your provider, how much of the contract is left and any additional services you may be receiving, such as a phone or TV bundle. If you are renting and won’t be staying at your current address for 12 months, a no-contract broadband deal can avoid these cancellation charges but will result in a higher installation fee and potentially a higher monthly cost.
Switching broadband deals is a relatively simple task. You can switch broadband deals by following these three steps.
You can switch broadband providers at any time in your contract. However, if you’re still in contract with your current provider, you’ll most likely face a pricey cancellation fee. You should first make sure you’re no longer within the minimum terms of your current contract with your broadband provider. You can find out this information by either contracting the provider’s customer service or by checking your original confirmation email.
Use the postcode checker at the top of this page for instant access to all the best deals in your location.
Choose your broadband deal and pick a date for your service to go live. You might be required to arrange for an engineer to visit. Most providers will take care of the whole switch, as well as serve notice to your current provider and send you a brand new router via post. Your old provider will most likely send you instructions for returning your old router.
Broadband is your internet connection: the back-and-forth data stream enabled by your internet provider. Wifi is just one of the technologies that lets you connect your own devices to that broadband, like a wireless extension cable.
Most broadband providers will list two speed measurements in their deals: average speed and minimum guaranteed speed. The latter will most likely be a fair bit lower than the average speed and will be bespoke to your location; it’s a more accurate estimate of the speeds you can expect at your postcode during busier times of the day, when average speeds are usually lower because more people are using the network. In theory, you should at least get the minimum guaranteed speed. If your speeds are regularly below this promise, your broadband provider can try to fix the problem, but if they can’t, you might be entitled to compensation or an early exit from your contract to switch providers without paying any fees.
It’s advisable to run broadband speed tests every now and then, particularly if you think your internet speeds are lagging behind what your provider has promised.
If you live in an area without access to FTTP broadband and require copper lines for a connection, then you may need to pay for a line rental. Many providers are starting to phase out traditional landline services in place of digital landlines, with the move to digital home phones taking place by December 2025.
The move over to a digital landline will depend on your provider and other factors, such as your age, broadband accessibility and any other disclosed additional needs.
4G and 5G home broadband provides broadband speeds without the need for a landline or fibre optic/copper cables connecting to your home; it works in the same way as the cellular data that connects smartphones to the internet on the go.
Since 2019, 5G (5th Generation) has been the leading standard for mobile data connections, thanks to faster upload/download speeds, increased efficiency, and lower latency compared to previous iterations. It’s still common to find yourself with a 4G connection sometimes, though, as 5G coverage isn’t quite as widespread outside of urban areas.
While cheaper broadband options might raise concerns about reliability, the reality is that many budget-friendly broadband providers maintain good, consistent service levels. Advances in technology and regulatory oversight have paved the way for providers to offer reliable connectivity without a hefty price tag.
Contrary to what you would expect, the cheapest deals are usually found on broadband and landline packages since these types of broadband require copper phone lines to connect to the network. However, if your home has access to fibre broadband, you can find cheaper broadband-only deals.
Low-income households can benefit from a selection of social tariff broadband deals. These discounted plans are available to customers on certain government benefits, such as Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Universal Credit, among others. To find out more about social tariff broadband and if you qualify, consult our article.