YouFibre broadband review 2024: Is it any good?

Dan Howdle • October 9th, 2024

YouFibre is one of the newest names on the full fibre broadband block and also, possibly, the fastest broadband in the country with packages up to a totally beyond ludicrous 7Gbps! (7,000Mbps). So can it be trusted, and is it a breath of fresh air in the overcrowded broadband market or just another 'almost' contender? Let's find out.

Our review of YouFibre broadband

YouFibre specialises exclusively in pure fibre connections for the home in select areas across the UK, provided in association with its partner company and network operator, Netomnia. It offers speeds of up to 7Gbps (so fast it actually creates its own headaches for end users wanting to make the most out of that, but we'll get to that in a bit). So what does YouFibre have to offer when it comes to broadband packages?

YouFibre offers FTTP (fibre to the property) ultrafast broadband, with a choice of speeds, namely 150Mbps, 500Mbps, 900Mbps, 1800Mbps, and 7000Mbps. So, speeds from sensible all the way up to bonkers.

YouFibre customers can choose whether to commit to an 18-month contract or just sign up for a one-month rolling contract. However, you'll pay a lot more each month on a one-month contract, which covers the risk on the part of YouFibre that you'll pull out of the service at a whim.

To ensure you get the best possible signal and speed around your home, YouFibre offers customers the option to bolt on its mesh system. The YouMesh system will place repeaters throughout your home, and of for speeds between 150Mbps and 900Mbps. It costs an additional £7 per month at the time of writing. Very reasonable. Then there's the YouMesh Pro system for speeds between 1.8Gbps and 7Gbps. That'll provide the additional speed you need to make use of at least some of that horsepower in the further reaches of your home. It costs £7 per month for up to 900Mbps packages, or £14 per month for faster speeds, but to be honest if you're subscribing to broadband this fast, you're already going to be paying a lot for the privilege and are likely to be less price sensitive than the average user.

The main negative of YouFibre is the lack of widespread availability. At the time of writing, the service is available in select towns and cities across the UK.

At the time of writing these are: East Kilbride, Hamilton, Irvine, Falkirk and Coatbridge in Scotland; Durham, Stockton, Peterlee, Spennymoor, Darlington and Houghton in the North East; Liverpool, Carlisle, Dalton-in-Furness, Barrow, Bamber Bridge, Oldham, Lancaster and Horwich in the North West; Pontefract and Wakefield in Yorkshire; Grantham, Mansfield, Boston and Spalding in the East Midlands; King’s Lynn, Wisbech, Purfleet, St Neots, Doddington and Bedford in East Anglia; Barry and Bridgend in Wales; Trowbridge, Frome, Stroud and Cheltenham in the South West; and Gravesend, Guildford, Maidstone, Canterbury, Ashford and Oxford in the South East.

As YouFibre is purely a broadband provider there is no option for a TV service, which may disappoint some customers. However, with a fast and reliable fibre broadband service, customers can watch TV online or via apps, using a streaming stick such as a Roku or Amazon Firestick.

The fact that YouFibre is a relative newcomer to the broadband market, having started operations in 2019, means it lacks the brand familiarity of a company like BT, which some customers may find reassuring. However, looking at the latest reviews on Trustpilot, we would suggest that its newness is not a cause for concern.

Overview

Here’s a quick summary of what speeds are on offer from YouFibre broadband, along with other key details.

Download speeds	150Mbps–7Gbps
Upload speeds	150Mbps–7Gbps
Broadband	Full fibre
Home phone	Optional
Freebies to look for	Free broadband
Packages available	Broadband only, broadband and phone
Router	Eero Pro 6 (up to 900Mbps), Asus ROG AXE 16000 (1.8Gbps to 7Gbps)
Contract length	1 month, 18 months
Prices from	£22 per month

Broadband speeds

For the average home, a broadband speed of 50-100Mbps is plenty. This will enable you to keep several devices connected at once and stream video in HD (or UHD) if you wish. However, everyone’s home is different, and you may find that you need more or less bandwidth depending on how you use your internet connection. Also, the more devices you have (from doorbells and fridges to TVs and tablets) that require an internet connection, the more download speed you will need.

Upload speeds

For most people, upload speeds are not a priority, since it is download speed that dictates how easily you can stream music and video, and how quickly you can load webpages. This is why broadband providers tend not to openly advertise their upload speeds much of the time, focussing instead on promoting the download speed.

The majority of broadband providers offer accompanying upload speeds that are only a fraction as fast as the download speed. For example, a 65Mbps connection with BT will have an upload speed of around 20Mbps. This is where YouFibre is different, because all its upload speeds are the same as the download speeds. This is known as having symmetric speeds. So YouFibre 150 will have a 150Mbps download speed and a 150Mbps upload speed. The same applies to all YouFibre’s speeds.

Most people won’t be too bothered by this, but if you are a gamer, or you upload a lot of large files to the internet regularly, or you use video calling a lot, you will appreciate the difference. Zoom and FaceTime calls will be sharp and gameplay will be free from lag and delay.

If you aren’t sure which speed to choose, you can check our guide which will help you work out which broadband speed you need for your household.

Packages

Being a purely broadband-focussed business, YouFibre does not offer a TV service of any kind with its fibre deals, but customers can choose to add on a phone service. As there is no landline required for a YouFibre connection, instead customers can choose to pay for a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service, whereby audio calls are connected over your internet connection, just like WhatsApp.

At the time of writing, YouPhone costs £3 per month for unlimited weekend and evening calls to landlines, or (YouPhone Plus) £8 per month for unlimited anytime calls to UK landlines, or (YouPhone Pro) £12 per month for unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles, anytime. You can choose to keep your existing phone number if you wish.

YouFibre offers a good choice of broadband speeds that will suit any household, from a regular 150Mbps to the absurdly fast 7Gbps, although this top speed is only available on request. Here is a rundown of the different speeds offered by YouFibre and what they can support.

YouFibre 150

YouFibre’s entry-level package offrs 150Mbps. A number of other providers also offer a similar download speed, advertised as 145Mbps, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk and EE. A download speed of 150Mbps allows your online experience to be much faster and much smoother, and in medium households, allows the option to stream in UHD without slowing the connectivity of everyone else’s devices.

YouFibre 500

A 500Mbps speeds things up a lot, enabling several UHD streams to run at once (should you wish), as well as comfortably supporting numerous devices. A 30GB file will download in about eight minutes, compared to 26 minutes on a 150Mbps connection, to give you an idea of the increase in speed. The accompanying upload speed of 500Mbps will mean that video calling is smooth and gaming is glitch-free, and large files, such as high definition videos, will upload quickly without any waiting around at all.

YouFibre 1000

A 1000Mbps is equivalent to 1 Gigabit per second (1Gbps). Virgin Media was the first widely available broadband provider to offer its Gig1 broadband service, but now a number of other providers are catching up, offering an average of 900Mbps download speeds. However, they do not come with the symmetric upload speed of 1000Mbps, which is where YouFibre and other full fibre networks have the advantage. A 30GB file will download in just four minutes on a 1Gbps connection, and it offers sufficient bandwidth to stream in UHD on up to 20 devices.

YouFibre 2000

At 2Gbps up and down, we're well into the 'ludicrous speed' category of broadband – plaid, if you will, for those who get references to classic Mel Brookes comedies. There's nothing you can't do with 2Gbps, but also very little you 'can' do with it when it comes to making use of all that speed.

YouFibre 8000

YouFibre 7Gbps (not 8Gbps as suggested) is the top speed available. It is hard to imagine any domestic property that would require a 7Gbps download speed, not least because you'll need devices with ports that can accept a 10Gbps cable. 10Gbps ethernet adapters, even on powerful computers, are extremely rare. 7Gbps here for extremely niche cases and we don't recommend it to any household not familiar with everything that is going to be required in order to make use of that sort of speed.

Routers and installation

YouFibre includes the well-received eero 6 Pro router on packages up to 900Mbp. This wifi 6 router is comfortably capable of supporting up to 1000Mbps and being a triband router will easily keep over 75 devices connected, automatically using the best frequency at all times.

For packages of 2Gbps to 7Gbps you'll get the absolutely beastly ASUS ROG AXE 16000. A router worth £500 on its own and one of the only on the entire market capable of routing those crazy speeds. You won't be able to get those speeds over Wi-Fi though, and you also won't be able to get all of that speed to one device unless you have a computer with a 10Gbps ethernet port.

To ensure that your internet service reaches every corner of your home, customers can choose to purchase the YouMesh Whole Home Wifi system for an additional £7 per month. This guarantees wifi in every room in your home, with a minimum download speed of 10Mbps. If not, you can claim your money back. For the faster packages you can get the YouMesh Pro, at £14 per month. Same thing, but with faster Wi-Fi.

Installation

Installation usually takes place between three and 14 days once you have put your order in; this depends on the location and the availability of the installation team in your area. If you have limited times when you can be in for the engineer, you can request installation take place on a certain day and time.

Once at your property, the engineer will need to drill a small hole in your property’s wall for a cable that will connect an outer box to an inner box inside your home. The engineer will consult you on this before drilling, and will also advise on the best location for it. Once connected, the engineer will switch on your router and check the connection is live.

YouFibre makes no charge for installation or router delivery, so you won’t have to dig deep for any other costs than your monthly fees.

Customer service

According to the latest reviews on Trustpilot, YouFibre scores an impressive 4.8/5 stars with 91% of customers giving it five stars. This compares favourably against Virgin Media with just two stars and BT with just 1.6/5.

Customers can get in touch with YouFibre via Live Chat on the website, by sending a message using the online contact form, or by calling 0800 270 0000. Customer service is available Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm. You can also get in touch via social media, on Facebook or Twitter.

Our verdict: Excellent

YouFibre is one of a growing number of relatively small, full fibre broadband providers now operating in the UK. Although the coverage is limited, the feedback from customers is generally extremely good. The ultrafast, symmetric speeds are impressive, the customer service appears to be very good and the installation is organised and timely. The prices offer very good value for money and compare very favourably against Virgin Media and BT for similar speeds.

The lack of a TV service is unlikely to be much of a drawback for most people (especially not since anyone can add Sky Stream to any packages from any provider), and the inclusive Cisco OpenDNS Family Shield security software ensures you can have peace of mind against online attacks. The router is one of the best available for home broadband, and the option to add a mesh system for optimal coverage is a modestly-priced bonus.

In summary, we would say that if you are looking for a new broadband service, and you live in one of the areas covered by YouFibre, it is definitely worth a look. Plus, with the current offer of free broadband for up to six months, you will be hard pushed to find a better deal elsewhere.

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