
If you click a link with an * to go through to a provider, we may get paid. This usually only happens if you get a product from it. This is what funds our team of journalists, and keeps us free to use. Yet there are two crucial things you need to know about this.
- This never impacts our editorial recommendations – if it's in, it's in there because we independently rate it best.
- You'll always get as good a deal (or better) than if you went direct.
For a more detailed explanation see How MSE is financed.

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 Plusnet deal. It's £18.99/month, but you'll be able to claim a £75 prepaid Mastercard. Factor that in over the year's contract and it's equivalent to £12.74/month.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
10Mb Top pick |
£12.74/mth | Cheapest broadband. Via this Plusnet* link, you'll pay £18.99/mth, but you'll be able to claim a £75 prepaid Mastercard, which is almost as good as cash. Factor it in and it's equivalent to £12.74/mth over the 12-month contract. How to claim. Ends 11.59pm Wed 1 Jun. |
11Mb |
£13.83/mth MSE Blagged |
Cheap broadband. Via our Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £17.99/mth, but you get an automatic £50 bill credit within 90 days. Factor that in and it's £165.88 over the one-year contract, equivalent to £13.83/mth. Ends 11.59pm Sun 3 July. |
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 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.

Fast fibre broadband (30-55Mb) – what we'd go for
Currently, the cheapest available at this speed is this blagged Shell Energy deal. It's £21.99/month, but you'll get an automatic £65 bill credit within three months. Factor it in and it's equivalent to £16.58/month over the one-year contract. Right now, you can get its faster 63Mb fibre broadband for a few pence more. See the table below for more information.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
35Mb Top pick |
£16.58/mth MSE Blagged |
Cheapest fibre. Via our Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £21.99/mth, but you'll get an automatic £65 bill credit within three months. Factor that in and it's £198.88 in total, equivalent to £16.58/mth over the one-year contract. Ends 11.59pm Sun 3 July. |
50Mb |
£28.74/mth | Not the cheapest, but some users prefer a big name. Via this BT* link, it's £29.99/mth for broadband only (no line) and £29.99 for delivery and installation. You can also claim a £60 prepaid Mastercard, which can only be used online. When both are factored in, it's equivalent to £28.74/mth over the 24-month contract. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Thu 26 May. |
Zen 31Mb |
£35.49/mth | Not the cheapest, but scores 9.6/10 in our customer service poll. Go via this Zen link and it's £29.99 upfront, then £32.99/mth, Factor in the upfront, and it's equivalent to £35.49/mth 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: Superfast fibre broadband
If you're happy to pay more, you can get fibre with speeds from 55Mb. Let's make no bones about it, this is the luxury end of the market and isn't usually MoneySaving, but 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 superfast 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.

Superfast fibre broadband (55Mb+) – what we'd go for
Our top pick at this speed is our Shell Energy deal. It's £23.99/month, but you'll get a £85 bill credit within 90 days. Factor that in and it's £202.88 over the one-year contract, equivalent to £16.91/month.
If you want megafast speeds, we've not seen cheaper than this Virgin Media deal. It's £22.95/month for broadband & line but you get £100 bill credit automatically added to your account. Factor that in over the 18-month contract and it's equivalent to £17.40/month
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
63Mb Top pick |
£16.91/mth MSE Blagged |
Cheapest superfast fibre. Via our Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £23.99/mth, but you get an automatic £85 bill credit within three months. Factor that in and it's £202.88 over the one-year contract, equivalent to £16.91/mth. Ends 11.59pm Sun 3 July. |
108Mb Top pick |
£17.40/mth MSE Blagged |
We've not seen cheaper megafast fibre. Via this Virgin Media* link, you pay £22.95/mth for broadband & line but you get £100 bill credit automatically added to your account. Factor that in over the 18-month contract and it's equivalent to £17.40/mth. If you need an engineer to set it up (about 40% that switch will) it's an extra £30. Ends 11.59pm Wed 1 June. |
67Mb |
£30.66/mth | Not the cheapest, but some users prefer a big name. Via this BT* link, it's £33.99/mth for broadband only (no line) with £29.99 delivery and installation costs, but you can also claim a £110 prepaid Mastercard, which can only be used online. When factored in, it's equivalent to £30.66/mth over the 24-month contract. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Thu 26 May. |
67Mb |
£29.99/mth | Not the cheapest, but scores 9.7/10 in our customer service poll. Go via this Broadbandchoices Cuckoo* link and it's £29.99/mth 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. |
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

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
Clever ways to calculate your finances