Slow internet speeds can be annoying. It doesn’t matter what internet activities you do, slow internet can get pretty frustrating. With so many broadband providers, claiming to offer the best UK broadband service, it can get pretty confusing to choose the one that can keep up with your needs. Your internet speed needs are unique, and what kind of connection will be better for your home? What contract length you should look out for, and most important of all how do you figure out if a broadband provider is reliable? You can easily make mistakes and end up being stuck with the wrong broadband provider for a really long time.
In this guide, we’ll help you find the right broadband provider in the UK. Instead of you going door to door to find the right broadband provider for you, we’ve done the research for you. All you have to do is read out the guide and make sure that you don’t end up spending money on a service that you don’t even like.
We’ve compiled our list of the best UK broadband providers based on last year’s customer satisfaction level, customer service, service reliability, and value for money.
How to Choose the Best Broadband Provider?
There are some things that you need to keep in mind before you start searching for the best broadband providers in the UK. These tips can help you find the ideal provider:
1. Check Your Coverage
When you want to find the best broadband provider, where you live makes a lot of difference. The speed you get and the reliability of the service will depend on the quality of cables between you and the hub of your local internet provider. Fibre connections are the rarest to find, it all comes down to if the service provider has fibre lines near your home or not.
Most major internet service providers in the UK offer the feature of checking the coverage on their website. You can enter your postal code and find out which type of internet services are available near you.
2. Be Aware of Contracts
Some broadband companies have contracts that last 12 months, but ISPs often try to lock in new customers with longer contracts (18 months or 24 months). You may not mind if you have an incredible internet service provider, but if you want to switch to a better provider then you have no option but to wait till your contract ends.
However, according to Ofcom regulations means that you can get out of your contract if your provider doesn’t provide the promised level of speed. Fortunately, most providers now allow customers to back out of the contract in the first month itself.
3. Carefully Calculate the Total Cost of Signing Up
All internet service providers will bill you every month, but a good way to pick an internet service provider is to tally how much you would have to pay throughout the contract. As there are so many internet service providers in the market, you can get extremely competitive prices if you do your research right.
So, if you’re searching for a broadband provider in the UK, then you should keep an eye out for what you’re expected to pay. Some ISPs increase the price the first month after your contract ends. Some providers also increase their prices month after month, you can negotiate this if you can. All you have to do is tell them that you’re switching to another internet price.
4. Think About Speed
ISPs today have to advertise the speeds that they offer on their plans. These help consumers simply compare the internet service providers. But more speed doesn’t always mean more reliable service. You can find customer surveys available online which can show you which providers offer the fastest and most reliable services.
One thing that has changed over time in the internet industry, is that most providers now offer unlimited internet throughout all their plans. So users with extremely heavy internet usage can rest easy that they won’t have to pay extra money for more data.
Best UK Broadband Providers
1. Zen Internet: Best Customer Support Service
Zen Internet service ranks at the top of our list and it’s fair as they also won several awards in Best Broadband Awards category in 2021. It has the best customer satisfaction rating out of all the top internet service providers in the UK. Over 95% of Zen customers have reported a high satisfaction rating and their interaction with customer support was nothing but pleasant. Plus, customers are happy with the speed. However, in the value for money sections, Zen ranks a bit low. Most customers have said that they’d recommend Zen Internet to their friends and family.
Zen Internet has many broadband options, ranging from ADSL2+ to FTTP services, this means that you can get the best possible speed based on where you live. As Zen isn’t exactly a huge internet service provider in the UK, there’s not much data available on Ofcom’s customer satisfaction survey. Compared to its providers, Zen definitely takes the crown when it comes to customer support.
| Plans | Price | Upfront Costs | Average Speed | Data Cap | Contract Length |
| Unlimited Broadband | EUR 28/mo | EUR 20 | 10 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
| Unlimited Fibre 1 | EUR 33/mo | EUR 30 | 35 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
| Unlimited Fibre 2 | EUR 38/mo | EUR 30 | 66 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
| Ultrafast Fibre | Starting from £39 | EUR 30 | 300-900 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
2. Plusnet: Best for Speed, Reliability, and Affordability
Plusnet has quickly risen through the ranks in recent years. It offers one of the best speeds and reliability all at an affordable price. Over time, Plusnet has gotten some great awards for offering great speeds and reliability.
Plusnet doesn’t have the greatest speeds that you may find through EE and BT, but regardless it’s a great option for most users. The internet provider has shown decent performance in Ofcom’s most recent research and high scores for service and customer satisfaction. According to a survey, 82% of all Plusnet customers will recommend the provider to their friends and family.
| Plans | Price | Upfront Costs | Average Speed | Data Cap | Contract Length |
| Unlimited Broadband | EUR 22/mo | EUR 5 | 10 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
| Unlimited Fibre | EUR 25/mo | EUR 10 | 36 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
| Unlimited Fibre Extra | EUR 27/mo | EUR 10 | 66 MBPS | Unlimited | 12 months |
| Unlimited Broadband (18 months) | EUR 19/mo | Free | 10 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| Unlimited Fibre (18 months) | EUR 23/mo | Free | 36 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| Unlimited Fibre Extra (18 months) | EUR 24/mo | Free | 66 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
3. EE Broadband: Perfect Amalgamation of Price and Performance
EE won three awards in the 2021 Best Broadband Awards. All the users are highly satisfied with the speeds offered and they provide extreme value for money. EE Broadband is closely following Zen Internet for the number of satisfied customers. According to reports, over 85% of EE Broadband would suggest EE to their friends and family.
Compared to other broadband providers in UK, EE broadband is a bit more expensive. It offers a good range and superfast internet service. EE mobile users can get up to 20GB of extra data for their contract if they sign up for EE’s broadband services as well. Plusnet offers a cheaper service, and Zen has a higher customer satisfaction rating, but EE ranks perfectly in the middle.
| Plans | Price | Upfront Costs | Average Speed | Data Cap | Contract Length |
| Standard Broadband | EUR 22.50/mo | EUR 10 | 10 MBPS | Unlimited | 24 months |
| Fibre Broadband | EUR 24/mo | Free | 36 MBPS | Unlimited | 24 months |
| Fibre Plus Broadband | EUR 30/mo | Free | 67 MBPS | Unlimited | 24 months |
| Fibre Max 100 | EUR 35/mo | Free | 145 MBPS | Unlimited | 24 months |
| Fibre Max 300 | EUR 44.50/mo | Free | 300 MBPS | Unlimited | 24 months |
| Full Fibre Max 900 | EUR 55/mo | Free | 900 MBPS | Unlimited | 24 months |
4. Virgin Media Broadband: Great Internet Speeds
Virgin doesn’t have as many awards as other broadband providers in the UK on our list, but it still has some great things to offer to the customers. Mostly, Virgin offers great speeds to users.
You should keep in mind that in specific areas, Virgin has the fastest internet service, ranging from basic 54 MBPS to fibre connections that can offer 1 GBPS speeds. In terms of average speeds, Virgin Media Broadband can offer 220 MBPS speeds.
When it comes to value for money, Virgin doesn’t have the best reputation. The faster plans are already expensive and become more expensive when your contract is over. Virgin has one more problem, which is the customer service. If you call customer support, chances are you’d have to be on hold.
| Plans | Price | Upfront Costs | Average Speed | Data Cap | Contract Length |
| M50 | EUR 38/mo | Free | 54 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| M100 | EUR 44/mo | Free | 108 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| M200 | EUR 50/mo | Free | 213 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| M350 | EUR 56/mo | Free | 362 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| M500 | EUR 62/mo | Free | 516 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| Gig1 | EUR 62/mo | Free | 1,140 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
5. Sky Broadband: All-Round Internet Provider
Sky doesn’t have the best speeds or offers great value for money, but the plans aren’t as expensive as Zen, Virgin, or EE, and offer great customer service. Nearly 42% of the Sky customers said that they were satisfied with the services they were getting, including customer support. Sky also has a great reliability level in terms of internet service, Sky broadband now offers free anytime calls with some of its packages, which may make the experience great for some customers.
What’s even better, Sky offers great performance when it comes to ADSL2+ services and faster fibre plans. The Sky’s Ultrafast 145 MBPS service is the faster fibre option and it’s also affordable. Here’s the plan breakdown of Sky Broadband:
| Plans | Price | Upfront Costs | Average Speed | Data Cap | Contract Length |
| Sky Broadband Superfast | EUR 26/mo | EUR 19.95 | 59 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| Sky Broadband Ultrafast | EUR 35/mo | EUR 19.95 | 145 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |
| Sky Broadband Ultrafast Plus | EUR 45/mo | EUR 19.95 | 500 MBPS | Unlimited | 18 months |