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How to find cheap broadband deals
Do you need fibre?, top picks, how to switch & much more
Millions blindly overpay for broadband and line rent as costs rocket when promo deals end. So if you're out of contract, check now if you can save £100s/year by switching to our top picks below, or try our Broadband Unbundled tool to compare broadband, line and TV deals available in your area.
To benchmark, those out of contract typically pay BT £52/mth and Virgin Media £44/mth for fibre.
10 broadband need-to-knows
These are the golden rules to give you chapter and verse, but if you just want a quick comparison, try our Broadband Unbundled tool.
Top deals: Standard speed broadband with line rental
We've got our pick of the best deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area – and to compare more options – try Broadband Unbundled, our broadband, phone line and TV comparison tool.

Important. Most firms have yearly price rises written into their contracts. Where we know details of an upcoming rise, we've factored it into the equivalent cost, but those on 18-month or 24-month deals will likely see multiple rises, so over the contract it's likely to be slightly more than shown.

Standard speed broadband (10-29Mb) – what we'd go for
Right now, if you just want standard speeds, then there's this Shell Energy package via Broadband Genie. It's £5.57 upfront, then £18.99/month, but you'll automatically also get one month free as bill credit. Plus, you can claim a £75 Amazon voucher within four months. Factor in the bill credit and voucher, and it's equivalent to £14.08/month over the 18-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
10Mb |
£14.08/month | Cheapest standard broadband. Via this Broadband Genie Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £5.57 upfront, then £18.99/month. But you'll also be able to claim a £75 Amazon voucher within four months. Plus, you'll get one month free as bill credit added within three months. If you factor in the upfront cost and the rewards and it's equivalent to £14.08/month over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Sun 29 Jan. |
11Mb
|
£18.42/month | Cheap standard broadband. Via this Now Broadband* link, you'll pay £5 upfront, then £18/month. There's no vouchers to claim, so if you factor in the upfront cost, it's equivalent to £18.42/month over the 12-month contract. |
Note: Some firms increase prices in line with inflation annually, so prices could change mid-contract. (1) To compare, we use 'equivalent prices' – adding all fixed costs, deducting any promo cash/vouchers and averaging over the contract. |
Top deals: Fibre broadband with line rental
We've got our pick of the best fibre broadband deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area and compare further options, try Broadband Unbundled, our broadband, phone line and TV comparison tool.

Important. Most firms have yearly price rises written into their contracts. Where we know details of an upcoming rise, we've factored it into the equivalent cost, but those on 18-month or 24-month deals will likely see multiple rises, so over the contract it's likely to be slightly more than shown.

Fibre broadband (30-55Mb) – what we'd go for
Right now, if you want standard fibre, there's this Shell Energy deal via Broadband Genie. It's £5.57 upfront, then £21.99/month. You'll get one month free via a £21.99 bill credit, plus you'll be able to claim a £75 Amazon voucher within four months. Factor both in and it's equivalent to £16.92/month over the 18-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
38Mb |
£16.92/month | Cheapest fibre broadband. Via this Broadband Genie Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £5.57 upfront, then £21.99/month. But you'll get one month free via a £21.99 bill credit. Plus, you can claim (don't forget) a £75 Amazon voucher from Broadband Genie within four months. Factor both in and it's equivalent to £16.92/month over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Sun 12 Feb. |
Zen 31Mb |
£30.84/month | Not the cheapest, but scores 9.6/10 in our customer service poll. Go via this Zen link and it's £15 upfront, then £30/month, Factor in the upfront, and it's equivalent to £30.84/month over the 18-month contract. |
Note: Some firms increase prices in line with inflation annually, so prices could change mid-contract. (1) To compare, we use 'equivalent prices' – adding all fixed costs, deducting any promo cash/vouchers and averaging over the contract. |
Top deals: Fast fibre broadband
If you're happy to pay more, you can get fibre with speeds from 55Mb. If you've a large family with many devices, or you're into streaming 4K content – or just impatient – this could be for you.
We've got our pick of the top fast fibre deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area and compare other options, try Broadband Unbundled, our broadband, phone line and TV comparison tool.

Important. Most firms have yearly price rises written into their contracts. Where we know details of an upcoming rise, we've factored it into the equivalent cost, but those on 18-month or 24-month deals will likely see multiple rises, so over the contract it's likely to be slightly more than shown.

Fast fibre broadband (55Mb+) – what we'd go for
Our top pick at this speed is this Shell Energy deal via Broadband Genie. It's £5.57 upfront, then £23.99/month. You'll get one month free via a £23.99 bill credit, plus you'll be able to claim a £110 Amazon voucher within four months. Factor both in and it's equivalent to £16.86/month over the 18-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
67Mb |
£16.86/month | Cheapest fast fibre. Via this Broadband Genie Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £5.57 upfront, then £23.99/month, but you'll get one month free via a £23.99 bill credit, plus you can claim a £110 Amazon voucher within four months. If you'd have spent there anyway, factor it in and it's equivalent to £16.86/month over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Tue 31 Jan |
59Mb |
£18.89/month | Cheapest Sky deal we've seen. Via this Sky* link, you'll pay £25/month, but you'll be able to claim a £110 prepaid Mastercard, Sainsbury's, Tesco or M&S voucher within four months. If you'd have spent there anyway, factor it in and it's equivalent to £18.89/month over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Wed 1 Feb. |
132Mb |
£18.40/month MSE Blagged |
Cheapest Virgin Media deal. Via this blagged Virgin Media* link, you'll pay £23.95/month (but this will increase in April due to price rises). But you'll get an automatic £100 bill credit applied to your first bill. Factor in the bill credit and it's equivalent to £18.40/month over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Thu 2 Feb. |
67Mb |
£25.58/month | Not the cheapest, but some users prefer a big name. Via this Broadbandchoices BT* link, it's £16.99/month for the first six months, then £33.99/month for the remaining 18 months. It's broadband only, so there's no phone line. You can also claim a £100 prepaid Mastercard, which is almost as good as cash. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £25.58/month over the two-year contract. Ends 11.59pm Thu 2 Feb. |
Note: Some firms increase prices in line with inflation annually, so prices could change mid-contract. (1) To compare, we use 'equivalent prices' – adding all fixed costs, deducting any promo cash/vouchers and averaging over the contract. |
Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
It's often possible to grab extra cashback on top when you sign up for a broadband contract. To get it, you need to sign up via a specialist cashback website rather than directly with the provider. Cashback websites use affiliate links to generate revenue, so if they get paid when you sign up, you'll get paid.
Unfortunately, this cash is never guaranteed, as sometimes cashback sites don't track deals in progress, and they don't pay out on top of other offers that might be available (such as our Blagged deals). So if there are no cheaper deals about elsewhere, it's generally best to pick the right package first and view any cashback as an added extra. To find out more about how these sites can pay you, and how you can make the most of them, read our Top Cashback Sites guide.
How to complain about your broadband provider
The broadband industry doesn't have the best customer service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include installation dates not being met, limited service or slow speeds, incorrect billing and more.
It's always worth trying to call your provider to sort the issue first, but if not then you can use free complaints tool Resolver. The tool helps you manage your complaint, and if the company doesn't play ball, it also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Ombudsman (or CISAS if you're complaining about Virgin Mobile or Sky Mobile).
Broadband FAQs
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