NOW Broadband review: Is it any good?

Dan Howdle | July 22nd, 2024

NOW Broadband is owned by Sky, but it's a very different animal with a very different offering. Let's dive in.

Key features

Here’s what you can expect to enjoy from becoming a NOW Broadband customer:

Download speed	61-100Mbps	Upload speed	9-19Mbps
Broadband	Fibre, Full Fibre	Home Phone	Yes
Prices from	£18 per month	Contract length	12 months, rolling 1-month

Our review of NOW Broadband

NOW TV is a household name, but the brand has now established itself as a major player in the UK broadband market. However, unlike many of its rivals it is yet to offer so-called 'gigabit' packages where speeds range up to 900Mbps or beyond. It does offer two Full Fibre package, but is opting at this stage to keep things cheap and cheerful with an average speed of up to 100Mbps. NOW Broadband's real selling points is that it's cheap and that it won't carry out any credit checks when you sign up – not offering high-tier packages is part and parcel of that.

Here’s everything you need to know about the provider – what’s on offer, whether it’s right for you, and what to expect in terms of equipment, installation, customer service and more.

See NOW deals Call NOW 0330 041 2479

NOW Broadband is a sensible choice for a good-value broadband deal on a 12-month contract.

You can also bundle your broadband with the NOW TV memberships that the provider is famous for, and the fact that the brand doesn’t do credit checks on new customers makes it a good choice for those with a less-than-perfect credit rating. Plusnet is the only other provider to eschew these checks.

All of NOW’s broadband packages come with unlimited usage, and there is also a flexible no-contract deal on offer that will suit some customers better, though there is an added activation charge if that's what you plump for.

All in all, NOW Broadband is a real contender for a solid broadband package, with deals that challenge fibre broadband offerings from big players like Sky and BT, albeit with fewer frills – some of the add-ons and extras such as an app, high security control, various other nice-to-haves aren't standard with NOW Broadband whereas you will usually see them included with more 'premium' deals from the biggest providers.

As with all broadband providers, there are some downsides to signing up. As mentioned, the service is considered to be no-frills, so don’t expect amazing incentives or free gifts either. The TV service will also never match up to what’s on offer from the likes of Sky, Virgin Media and BT, though it’s important to remember NOW’s offering is much, much cheaper broadly speaking.

Compare NOW Broadband Call NOW 0330 041 2479

Broadband speeds

NOW Broadband has dropped its ADSL broadband offering recently and offers only one tier of fibre in the form of the 61Mbps Superfast package, along with two Full Fibre packages, offering only Full Fibre 75 and Full Fibre 100 (75Mbps and 100Mbps respectively). The competition offers packages running all the way up to 1.6Gbps (1,600Mbps). NOW Broadband has moved all three of its packages onto 24-month contracts, despite previously offering one-month and 12-month options.

Super Fibre

NOW Broadband’s Super Fibre package is even faster, with a quick average download speed of 63Mbps. That’s fast enough to download an album in just six seconds on average.

The Super Fibre plan doesn’t cost much more than Fab Fibre, and has the same contract 12-month term as the other packages, so it’s worth an upgrade for busier households where members enjoy ongoing gaming or regularly stream 4K content.

Full Fibre 75

The primary reasons NOW Broadband isn't offering ultrafast speeds even with its Full Fibre packages is to keep costs down so you can be charged less. NOW Broadband's router would not be able to cope with speeds faster than 100Mbps. The problem with this, though, is obvious: The difference between all three of its current packages just isn't very much.

It's not a meaningful upgrade to go from 61Mbps to 75Mbps. There's nothing you can do with the latter that you can't do with the former.

Full Fibre 100

Similarly, Full Fibre 100 is only a bit faster again than Full Fibre 75. Where competitors stagger their packages between 61, 100, 500 and 1,000 or thereabouts, providing meaningful download speed differences NOW Broadband has found itself unable to do that.

Full Fibre 100 offers 100Mbps. But to be honest, there's not a lot you can do with that that you can't do with 61Mbps.

Not fast enough?

If you need faster broadband than this, you’ll need what’s commonly known as a ‘full fibre’ connection, which can be many times faster because it doesn't use the old copper phone network that makes up the last part of the connection between your house and the green street cabinet. Full fibre is 100% fibre optic and is completely future-proof, but it's not yet available to most UK homes.

Until recently, Virgin Media was the only real solution for ultrafast broadband with speeds over 1000Mbps (1Gbps) on offer. And you'll have a much better chance of being able to get it as things stand, with Virgin Media available in around three out of five homes.

If you’re struggling to decide which package to go for, read our guide on choosing the right broadband speed for your needs.

Upload speeds

Whereas download speeds refer to how quickly information can be copied from the internet to your device (such as a video game, album or movie), upload speeds dictate how fast you can copy or send things from your device to the internet, cloud storage, or other devices.

Most of us receive more data than we send, making upload speed much less important than download speed.

Super Fibre comes with an upload speed of 10Mbps while the Full Fibre packages come with upload speeds of around 19Mbps.

Compare NOW Broadband Call NOW 0330 041 2479

NOW Broadband customer reviews

We interviewed 6,000 household broadband decision makers. This is how NOW Broadband customers rated their NOW Broadband service:

View the full survey

Pricing

NOW Broadband tends to attract new customers using incentives like discounts on monthly price or added extras like free anytime calls.

From time to time the brand also offers bundled deals combining broadband with a NOW TV membership. You should bear in mind that these can’t be combined with Sky TV provision, though NOW TV membership options do include some Sky TV channels, depending on which you choose to go for.

Check your area

Packages

NOW Broadband offers broadband and phone bundles; broadband, TV and phone bundles; and broadband provision on its own.

If you are looking for a broadband and TV bundle however, it’s worth noting that NOW TV is not comparable to the TV packages of Virgin Media or Sky (though BT TV, now EE TV, does use NOW TV, so quite similar). It is purely a streaming service, but it does provide access to a fair few Freeview and Sky Entertainment channels, and you can add on Sky Sports and Sky Cinema.

Routers and installation

All new customers will receive a NOW Hub Two router that can easily be setup with self-installation at home. If you get stuck, there’s a great router installation guide on the brand’s website.

You’ll get the best speed and stability if you connect your Hub Two to your master phone socket as this is where your broadband signal is strongest.

NOW’s Hub Two is a dual-band router with two gigabit ethernet ports so you can enjoy optimum speeds on two wired devices. It has five internal antennae – fewer than the routers on offer from the likes of Virgin Media and BT – meaning the signal around your home may not be as good as it could be.

Installation

To get up and running with NOW Broadband, you’ll only need to pay a delivery charge for your router. However if you sign up for a no-contract deal there will be a hefty upfront charge.

If you already have an active phone line and socket at your address, the NOW Broadband can usually switch your phone line remotely. If you don’t have a phone line at your property, or if you’re switching over from a cable service, your new provider will send an engineer to install a line.

Most of the time it’ll be up to you to self-install. You will be sent your router in the post a few days before your phone line is due to switch on. Once your phone line is activated, you can set up your router and enjoy your new broadband connection.

Don’t be surprised to see your broadband speeds going up and down during the first 10 days. This is because engineers will be testing and tweaking your line to give you the best speeds along with making the line as stable as possible.

To find out more about what to expect, read our guide on broadband installation.

Customer service

For customers with broadband issues, NOW Broadband offers a range of step-by-step online guides to resolve common problems. If you need more help, you can contact their call centre for free on 0800 759 1213, or chat to NOW’s chatbot for standard issues or questions. Alternatively, you can contact the provider via social media, using Twitter or Facebook Messenger.

In addition, the provider also has an online community of customers who can answer queries and provide advice.

The brand also boasts hassle-free switching and doesn’t run credit checks on new customers, so if you decide to switch, you should be up and running pretty quickly.

Our verdict: Good

We've given NOW Broadband three and a half of five stars and rated it 'good' for its simplicity, low cost and lack of credit checks.

Though you won’t benefit from free gifts or vouchers, NOW offers a reliable basic broadband service, with a few other options you can add-on. The brand has multiple options for advice and support when you encounter problems.

All in all, NOW is a solid service provider and a serious contender for your next broadband deal, though its TV provision is more limited than Sky, and should really be considered as a budget/bare bones option.

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