Best broadband deals May 2025: compare our top picks

You don't have to pay through the roof for a decent internet connection. It's possible to find an inexpensive broadband deal by comparing providers today.

Fibre broadband is faster than traditional copper connections – and the good news is that most UK households can now get this type of internet.

Here are the best fibre broadband deals, whether you’re looking for the fastest speeds, the shortest contracts or the best free gifts.

Before taking out a deal, read the terms and conditions and find out about any mid-contract price rises. Some deals come with incentives which aren't around forever, so if you want to take advantage of rewards like gift cards and vouchers, check when you have to act by and read all the terms of the deal.

Best cheap broadband deal overall – NOW TV, Now Full Fibre 75

• Price: £24 a month
• Length: 24 months
• Set-up cost: £0

NOW TV is operated by Sky, so this contract should be widely available. This is a good deal for full fibre broadband, at a speed that’s fast enough for everyday use.

Best deal for cheap fast broadband – Hyperoptic, 500Mb Fibre Connection

• Price: £25 a month
• Length: 24 months
• Set-up cost: £0

If your area can get faster speeds, check out Hyperoptic. This provider isn’t available everywhere, only covering areas in London and larger cities at the moment. But if you can get it, its packages are competitive.

For fast speeds from a more well-known and widely available provider, consider Plusnet’s Full Fibre 500 package, which costs £31.99 a month for and comes with a £75 reward card. This offer is available until 7 May.

Best broadband deal with free gift – Vodafone, Full Fibre 150

• Price: £26 a month
• Length: 24 months
• Set-up cost: £0

Vodafone's offering a £125 gift card to spend at Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S and Amazon when you sign up for its Full Fibre 150 package. But be quick, because the deal ends on 5 May.

For a deal that's lasting a bit longer, Plusnet is a good alternative. Its Full Fibre 145 package will cost you £26.99 a month for 24 months, and you'll get a £50 reward card after you sign up. The deal is available until 7 May.

Best broadband deal with TV – Sky Stream, Essential TV, Netflix & Full Fibre 75 Broadband

• Price: £35 a month
• Length: 24 months
• Set-up cost: £0

Sky’s Essential TV package includes Sky Atlantic, Netflix and Discovery+. The monthly bill is the same for 75Mbps, 150Mbps or 300Mbps, which is great news for those who want and can get faster speeds.

Best 18-month broadband deal – Virgin Media, M125 Fibre Broadband

• Price: £23.99 a month
• Length: 18 months
• Set-up cost: £0

If you don’t want to get locked into a two-year contract, 18-month deals are available with some providers. Virgin Media is offering £55 bill credit with this package until 8 May. Keep in mind Virgin Media isn’t available in all parts of the country.

It’s worth comparing deals if you’re reaching the end of your contract. Switching suppliers can bag you:

• a cheaper deal
• faster internet
• a competitive bundled package (for example with TV and streaming services included)
• free gifts and incentives to move
• improved service

You’ll be shunted to a rolling contract when your existing one expires – and it's likely the provider will hike your monthly bill. Providers bank on customers not taking any action in this situation, so you should check whether you can get a better deal elsewhere.

Keep in mind your provider must tell you when you're reaching the end of your contract and what alternative deals they have available. Moving to one of these in good time means you’ll avoid hefty out-of-contract prices.

It’s now straightforward to switch broadband through one touch switching. Once you’ve found a new deal, give the new provider your details, including your address and current provider.

Your old provider should send you information to help you decide whether you want to continue with the switch. If you do, the providers will arrange for this to happen on your preferred switching date.

If something goes wrong you may be entitled to compensation. For example, you can’t be left without internet for more than one working day during the switch, under Ofcom’s rules.

Your internet speed is determined by the type of broadband connection you have. The slowest type of broadband is Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), which runs on copper phone lines.

Full fibre runs completely on fibre optic cables and is the fastest, but not every household can get full fibre currently.

Here’s where availability stands right now:

• Most UK households can get ADSL broadband. While it’s the slowest type of broadband, it’s widely available, so remote and rural locations can still get connected. ADSL speeds generally reach 21Mbps (megabits per second).
• Most UK households can get part-fibre broadband. This broadband can reach speeds of around 76Mbps. It’s known as fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband. Your home’s linked to a cabinet on your street by a copper cable, with the cabinet then connected to the broadband exchange by a fibre optic cable.
• 69 per cent of UK households can get full-fibre broadband. This is called fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband, because the fibre optic cable is connected directly to your home. Speeds can reach 1Gbps (gigabits per second). Telecoms regulator Ofcom wants full fibre rolled out to almost the whole country by 2027.

Use Ofcom’s postcode checker to find out what broadband is available in your area.

The best broadband for you won’t necessarily be the fastest. You might end up paying for speeds you don’t need – it depends on what internet you can get in your area, how many people are in your household, what you each use the internet for and how many people are using the internet at any one time.

Many households now use the internet for much more than browsing the internet and sending email. Network provider Openreach says households with no more than four people should find download speeds of around 50-76Mbps enough for basic internet use plus streaming, working from home and video calls.

If you throw gaming, 4K streaming or using virtual reality in the mix – or there are more than four people in the house – you may benefit from faster speeds. You can find full fibre broadband deals offering speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabits per second) from providers including BT, Vodafone and Virgin Media.

What is the average internet speed in the UK?

In 2024 the average internet speed in the UK was 223Mbps, according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report. This was up from 170Mbps in 2023.

If you’re coming to the end of your broadband contract or are out of contract already, it's often possible to get cheaper internet by negotiating with your current provider.

It may be worth haggling when you’re still under contract, but your options will be far more limited. Being able to switch without penalty puts you in a stronger position for haggling. When you’re under contract, you probably won’t be able to leave without paying exit fees. This can be expensive, because it usually involves paying for the remaining months of your contract.

Here are our tips on how to haggle broadband:

1. Check your mid-contract price hike

Broadband providers raise prices in March or April each year. If your provider tries to hike your monthly bill by more than you agreed to, you have a right to leave within 30 days without penalty, so review your contract to make sure it’s increasing by the right amount.

2. Compare broadband deals when your contract is ending

When haggling, it pays to be prepared. The best time to compare deals is a few weeks before your contract is due to expire. If you find cheaper internet than your provider’s offering and it's the speed you want, note the prices down, contact your provider and ask them to match what you’ve found.

Don’t take the first offer – your provider will have a dedicated team that can authorise better deals.

3. Be persistent

When you contact your provider at the end (or out) of your contract and say you want to switch because you’ve found a better deal elsewhere, you’ll usually be put through to its retentions department. This team’s job is to make sure customers stick with the provider.

The trick is to stay calm, civil and persistent. Don’t let the price you'll be happy with slip – it can harm your position. If you’re broadly happy with your provider, say your bill is your biggest sticking point. But if you don't have any success initially, hammer home any issues you’ve had. Are you getting the advertised speeds? Is the Wi-Fi connection strong enough? If not, these are all bargaining chips you can haggle with.

4. Consider extras – but only if you need them

Your provider may be more willing to throw in gifts, extras or add-ons rather than drastically reduce the price. Don’t be rushed into accepting these – they can sound tempting, but you may end up with something you didn’t really need.

In the same way, think about whether you really need everything you’re paying for currently. For example, reducing your speed could make your internet cheaper, and ask about deals without extras added.

5. Be willing to switch

Don’t rush to accept a deal. Tell your provider you need time to think about it, or you need to discuss the offer with someone else first – whether that’s your partner, housemate or children.

If you aren't happy with their offer, the final trick up your sleeve should be to go ahead with switching to a cheaper deal.

Luckily switching broadband provider is the simplest it’s ever been. In 2024 Ofcom introduced one touch switching. You just need to give the provider you want to switch to your details and they can kickstart the process.

Do you need a landline for broadband?

No, many providers allow you to take out a broadband-only deal. While your home may still be connected to the internet in part by a copper phone line, you don’t always need to take out a home phone service or pay for calls. In this situation, your monthly price will reflect the cost of renting the phone line for a broadband-only service.

Full fibre, cable, satellite and mobile broadband connections aren’t delivered through a copper phone line, so you won’t need a landline if you can get these types of internet.

What is the best broadband in my area?

The best broadband is subjective because it depends on your household’s needs. But you can find your best deal by entering your address into a comparison tool, which should give you an idea of the packages available in your area.

Ofcom’s latest statistics suggest that out of the major providers, customers are most satisfied with Plusnet for overall service and internet speeds.