Compare unlimited broadband deals
In this guide
- Best unlimited broadband deals in January 2021
- Cheapest unlimited broadband deals
- What is unlimited broadband?
- Do I need unlimited broadband?
- Which providers offer unlimited broadband?
- Frequently asked questions
When choosing a broadband deal the last thing you want is to hit a data limit. Limited packages in the UK are actually pretty rare these days. But they do still crop up from time to time and tend to be a little cheaper.
Most likely, then, you’ll end up with an unlimited broadband deal. But not all unlimited broadband is created equal. Concepts like traffic management, contention ratios and fair usage policies come into play in some cases and may affect your speeds and the amount of data you can download.
Best unlimited broadband deals in January 2021
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Virgin Media M100 Fibre Broadband (no phone line)
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TalkTalk Fibre 65
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BT Fibre 2
- 67Mb average speed
- Unlimited usage
- PAYG calls
£110 Reward Card
Cheapest unlimited broadband deals
The cheapest unlimited broadband in the UK at the moment is £17 per month. All providers now offer unlimited internet but some cheaper deals may slow down your speed at peak times. Cheap unlimited broadband providers include – Post Office, TalkTalk, Plusnet and NOW Broadband.
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Virgin Media M100 Fibre Broadband (no phone line)
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BT Fibre Essential
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TalkTalk Fibre 35 TV
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Plusnet Unlimited Broadband
- 10Mb average speed
- Unlimited usage
- PAYG calls
£50 Reward Card -
Sky Broadband Essential
What is unlimited broadband?
Unlimited broadband is where there are no limits on the amount of data you can download each month. There may, however, be some rules that mean you won’t get the best speeds all of the time, or that your connection may be stunted after you download a certain amount of data. Below is a list of the three types of broadband limitation.
- Limited broadband – This where you have a monthly limit on the amount of data you use on your broadband connection. You may be familiar with this if you have a smartphone with a data limit. Typically, your provider will warn you if you are reaching near your limit. This type of broadband deal is incredibly rare these days and it’s highly unlikely you’ll find one.
- Unlimited broadband – This is where there is no limit on the amount of data you can use each month. However, one or two providers (SSE, Post Office Broadband come to mind) have traffic management and/or fair usage policies that may limit your speed during peak hours, or curtail the amount of data you’re allowed to download at the maximum speed your line is capable of, should you download in excess
- Truly unlimited broadband – Most unlimited broadband deals are ‘truly unlimited’. This means that no matter what you’re doing with your broadband, at what time of day, and how much, your provider will always endeavour to provide you with the speed you’re paying for. Few broadband providers use the term ‘truly unlimited’ anymore, as it’s pretty much the norm. But if you see it, that’s what it means
Do I need unlimited broadband?
There really aren’t any limited broadband deals to speak of in the market right now, and though they may come back at some point – they do poke their heads in from time to time – chances are it’ll be impossible for you to find a deal that isn’t unlimited.
Should you get an unlimited broadband deal then? Yes. You will probably have to. Just in case there are some limited deals floating about when you read this or when you go to look, though, let’s take a quick look at who should consider unlimited broadband a must.
- Medium to large households – Frankly, if there’s more than one of you, you probably need unlimited broadband. You may even need it if you live solo, if you also happen to be someone who likes a lot of Netflix, gaming or other intensive online stuff
- Gamers – If you or anyone in your household is a gamer, you’re going to need unlimited broadband. Especially if you download your games. Soon, game streaming will even be a thing with services like Google Stadia launching later in 2019/2020. They will stream games live over the internet the same way Netflix does. Games use an ever-increasing amount of data
- Streamers of movies and TV – You might say ‘I don’t use the internet all that much, do I really need unlimited?’ Then you might go and binge a box set on Netflix, Now TV, Amazon or wherever. Congratulations, you just used your entire month’s allowance on your typical limited broadband deal. If you want to enjoy streaming without any hitch, have a look at our guide to streaming services.
- Home businesses – When you rely on a business broadband connection, the last thing you want is for it to come to a grinding halt because you've hit your limit. If you run a business from home that relies on internet connectivity, you will always need an unlimited deal
- Everyone – This is the point, really. There are almost no cases where we would recommend a limited deal over an unlimited one
Which providers offer unlimited broadband?
All the providers we show in our broadband comparison offer unlimited broadband deals. Irrespectively, there are some nuggets we'd like to share about each of them to give you a flavour of what they offer and how they differentiate themselves from one another.
- BT – The big daddy of British broadband, BT is perhaps the best-known household name in telecoms. It offers a range of broadband packages, all unlimited at the time of writing, from 10Mbps to 67Mbps, though it is at the more expensive end when there are no offers on
- EE Broadband – Is owned by BT, but has its own brand broadband packages at similar speeds to BT. All its packages are unlimited, and fairly priced year-round
- Shell Energy Broadband – Soon to be renamed ‘Shell Broadband’ of all things, First Utility has been bought outright by the oil giant (Shell). It offers few packages, but they tend to be very competitively priced. All are unlimited
- John Lewis Broadband – Firmly at the more expensive end of the scale John Lewis considers itself a 'prestige' broadband brand. Of course, you won't much extra in terms of speed or features for your extra pounds, but you will get to drop the name from time to time. All its packages are unlimited
- Plusnet – Also owned by BT and famed for the dozens of awards it seems to win each year for its customer service, Yorkshire-based Plusnet offers a host of unlimited broadband packages at reasonable prices
- Post Office Broadband – Aimed at the older generation, Post Office Broadband does its best to make things more easily understood to those of us who are less tech-aware. Its packages are unlimited, but it does operate a traffic management policy where it may restrict your speeds after you've used 100GB in a month
- Sky – Who hasn't heard of Sky? Famed for its satellite TV offering, Sky Broadband offers speeds similar to BT's, and they're also on the more expensive side of things. If you're getting Sky broadband, value arrives in the form of its broadband and TV bundles. All its packages are unlimited
- SSE – Similar speeds to BT, much lower prices generally. But then it's quite a bare-bones service compared to BT and some others, and its unlimited packages do have traffic management, where it will limit the speeds you can get for certain activities at certain times of the day
- TalkTalk – Of the big four providers, TalkTalk positions itself as the budget option. It offers only unlimited broadband packages at competitive prices
- Virgin Media – Offers the fastest widely available broadband in the UK. Not just a bit faster, but five times faster than its closest rival. All its broadband packages are unlimited with no restrictions, and you can bundle up some pretty incredible TV with it if you have the extra bucks
- Vodafone – Known mostly for its mobile network, Vodafone is making promising inroads with a broadband service that very capable and very good value for money. It won't break any speed records like Virgin Media, but all its packages are unlimited
Frequently asked questions
What’s a fair usage policy?
Although many broadband packages are 'unlimited', many carry a ‘fair usage policy’ (FUP). Depending on where you live, several other houses will all be plugged into the same cabinet that connects you to the internet. The number of houses you share this cabinet with is called your ‘contention ratio’.
Let’s say the contention ratio is 100:1. That means you and 99 other houses share the same internet cabinet. If each house is using the internet at the same time as you, your connection may slow down during busy times. Unlike a general 'traffic management' policy, the FUP targets specific users doing specific things, and prioritises others.
What’s traffic management?
Traffic management is a method broadband providers use to give everyone the best speed available during peak times. It’s like rationing. Everyone gets slightly slower speeds, instead of some people getting good speeds and others getting poor speeds or no internet at all. If you want to learn a bit more about fair usage policies and traffic management, have a look at our guide.
Can I get unlimited broadband with a phone line?
Yes. It’s more difficult to find an unlimited deal without a phone line than with one. If you decide to switch your landline provider when switching to an unlimited broadband and phone package, you should be able to keep your existing phone number.
Can I get unlimited broadband with a TV subscription?
Yes. In fact, there aren't any TV and broadband packages where the broadband isn't unlimited.
Is unlimited broadband faster than limited broadband?
Not necessarily. Both limited and unlimited broadband packages are available in a range of speeds.
Can I get unlimited broadband without a landline?
Yes. Virgin Media offer a broadband only service. Most internet service providers will require you to have an active phoneline.
What download speed will I get with unlimited broadband?
The download speeds you get will depend on which type of broadband connection you choose: ADSL, fibre or cable.
ADSL is the most common type of broadband connection and will offer you between approximately 10 and 30 Mbps on average.
Fibre has become more widespread and will offer you the fastest average speeds of anything between 10 Mbps and 1Gbps.
Cable is less common but gives you an average speed of 50 to 100 Mbps.
What other services can I get with unlimited broadband?
There are many different unlimited broadband packages available to choose from. You can get packages that combine broadband with TV or the phone, or with both. Some packages may also include freebies or cashback.
How can I get a good deal on unlimited broadband?
You can find good deals by typing your post code into the deal finder at the top of this page, filtering as necessary and then sorting by ‘Cheapest’ or ‘Fastest’.