Broadband providers

The number of UK broadband providers continues to grow, so if you go for one of the big names or prefer the idea of a smaller, budget provider, there is plenty to choose from.

Sky Logo

As well as broadband and phone services, Sky offers TV packages that can be adapted with a variety of extra channels, such as Sky Cinema and Sky Sports. It also now offers Sky Mobile.

BT Logo

Virgin Media provides the fastest widely available broadband in the UK – up to 1130Mbps – along with a range of TV packages to rival Sky. The Virgin Mobile service operates on the 4G EE network.

BT Logo

BT offers home broadband, phone and TV packages in the UK, along with a mobile service. Its fibre optic services reach speeds up to 900Mbps. BT TV uses BT broadband to deliver programmes.

TalkTalk Logo

TalkTalk supplies a range of well-priced fibre and standard broadband packages, available with a choice of TV and phone plans. TalkTalk TV is only available with TalkTalk broadband.

EE Logo

Largely known as a mobile provider, EE also offers standard and fibre broadband, and EE TV, which is only available with EE broadband. The EE network offers the fastest 4G mobile connection in the UK.

NOW Broadband Logo

NOW Broadband is the ideal partner for NOW TV. Owned and operated by Sky, it offers competitively priced fibre and standard broadband deals on a 12-month contract.

Plusnet Logo

Multi-award winning Plusnet provides fibre and standard broadband at fair, competitive prices. Plusnet boasts high-quality customer service and has a good customer satisfaction record.

Shell Energy broadband Logo

Shell Energy broadband is new to the broadband market, offering extremely well-priced, clear and straightforward broadband and fibre packages with no fuss or complicated extras.

Vodafone Logo

Vodafone is best known as a mobile network, offering phone and mobile broadband services. It now also offers home broadband, with fibre broadband speeds up to 910Mbps.

Hyperoptic Logo

Hyperoptic is part of a new wave of providers offering gigabit broadband. It does this using its own network and has a strong focus on apartment blocks in big cities.

Direct Save Logo

Direct Save Telecom might not be a household name, but it has been a broadband provider since 1999. It offers low-cost, no-frills broadband, framing itself as a budget provider.

Gigacear Logo

Gigaclear aims to bring some of the fastest broadband in the country to rural locations which have been let down by Openreach and Virgin Media in their network rollout plans.

italk broadband Logo

It may not be the biggest name in the broadband market but Hove-based iTalk Telecom has been around for more than a decade .

Onestream broadband Logo

Onestream broadband launched in the summer of 2018, and it’s part of the Hampshire-based broadband specialist Onecom.

YouFibre broadband Logo

YouFibre specialises exclusively in pure fibre connections for the home in select areas across the UK.

Community Fibre Logo

Community Fibre is a London-based broadband provider that offers high-speed, full fibre connections of up to 3Gbps.

Fibrus Logo

Fibrus Broadband provides ultrafast pure fibre broadband to homes in selected locations across Northern Ireland and Northern England.

BeFibre Logo

BeFibre is a relative newcomer to the UK broadband market, offering ultrafast and pure fibre connections.

Broadband provider speeds and networks

Although broadband speeds by type are similar across the most popular UK broadband providers, there are some small differences - and a huge leap between Virgin Media’s average speeds and the competition.

Before comparing broadband deals through different UK internet providers, you should use our broadband speed checker to find out what speed you’re currently receiving. If you’re happy with this, you can filter your results by similar speeds. If not, we’ll help you search for a deal that gives you a faster connection.

Broadband Provider Network Average download speed Average upload speed Top advertised speed
BT Openreach 95Mbps 29Mbps 900Mbps
BeFibre Own network - - 900Mbps
Community Fibre Own network 308Mbps 282Mbps 3Gbps
EE Openreach 48Mbps 16Mbps 900Mbps
Gigaclear Own network 153Mbps 174Mbps 900Mbps
Hyperoptic Own network 223Mbps 219Mbps 900Mbps
NOW Openreach - - 63Mbps
Onestream Openreach - - 67Mbps
Plusnet Openreach 37Mbps 10Mbps 900Mbps
Shell Energy broadband Openreach - - 920Mbps
Sky Openreach 69Mbps 22Mbps 900Mbps
TalkTalk Openreach 55Mbps 29Mbps 900Mbps
Trooli Own network 261Mbps 142Mbps 900Mbps
Virgin Media Own network 179Mbps 28Mbps 1.1Gbps
Vodafone Openreach 93Mbps 23Mbps 910Mbps
Wildanet Openreach 77Mbps 60Mbps 910Mbps
YouFibre Own network 323Mbps 305Mbps 10Gbps

If you’re not sure what internet speed you need, our Guide to broadband speed will help you work it out.

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How to choose a broadband provider

This page provides a basic overview of some of the UK’s biggest broadband providers: the services they provide, average speeds, special features, and how to compare deals from different providers.

As there are currently more than 150 providers in total, we’ve included only the biggest, most popular, and most affordable broadband companies who provide a range of services including standard broadband, fibre broadband, and mobile broadband.

Not all services are provided in areas of the UK. Our postcode checker can tell you what’s available where you live.

Compare broadband providers

Comparing providers

We help you compare great deals from the best broadband providers in the UK - both for stand alone broadband, and for broadband bundles that include TV, landline phone calls, or mobile phone service.

We’ll help you find the broadband deal that’s right for you, filtering with criteria that includes broadband type, broadband speed, size of household, additional services like TV and landline phone, provider, contract length, upfront charges, early-exit fees, and more.

It’s simple, really. All you have to do is enter your postcode and we’ll display a list of deals available in your area.

Compare deals in your area

Who's the best UK broadband provider?

Each broadband supplier has their own strengths and their own range of deals, bundles, and special offers.

It’s also important to decide what factors matter most to you (e.g. speed, price, contract length, etc) and look for a deal that combines these features in a way that’s right for you.

All of our broadband providers come with plenty of broadband customer reviews, which is a great way to find out what it’s genuinely like to sign up for one of their deals.

It’s important to remember that not all types of broadband or provider are available to all areas of the UK. Before deciding what provider or deal you’d like, it’s worth using our postcode checker to make sure what you want is available in your area.

See our best broadband provider guide for full details.

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