What Is The Best Internet Service Without Being Ripped Off

Picking the best broadband provider isn't piece of cake – specially when at that place are so many packages available from and then many different providers. What kind of speeds do y'all demand, and what kind of connection can you get for your habitation? What length of contract should yous look out for, and how do you know whether a provider is reliable or not? Sign up and you could land the perfect broadband package, but information technology's all too like shooting fish in a barrel to go tied into an expensive mistake.

Nosotros're here to articulate up the confusion. Every year, we bear out a comprehensive review of internet packages offered by all the major Uk ISPs. We'll help you ensure you lot don't get locked into a lengthy broadband contract you aren't happy with, or don't pay over the odds for a slow service.

What's more, every yr we comport all-encompassing research to detect out what users recall of the biggest ISPs. As with final yr, we're looking at customer satisfaction, speed, client service, reliability and value for money – and handing out awards to the providers with the top scores in each category.

Beneath you lot'll detect our helpful how-to guide for choosing the best broadband provider for yous. And, below that, our peak picks of the best Great britain broadband providers in 2022.

READ NEXT: The all-time broadband deals this month

All-time broadband bargain of the month

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Best broadband deals in your expanse

How to choose the best broadband provider for you

Check your coverage

When information technology comes to getting the best broadband, location makes a big divergence. The speed and reliability of both fibre and ADSL connections will depend on the quality of the line betwixt you and the nearest streetside cabinet and the distance between your home and the local exchange. Faster fibre connections may or may not be available, depending on whether the necessary cabling has been installed in your expanse. This makes checking your coverage essential.

All major ISPs take a page on their website where yous can enter your postcode and check which services and speeds you tin await to receive. Do this earlier you start shopping in hostage or you may be disappointed.

Be aware of contract length

Some broadband contracts still last 12 months, merely ISPs are increasingly trying to push new customers towards 18-month or even ii-year deals. That might be fine if you're happy with the service, just if you want to spring ship to a faster or cheaper provider, you lot could exist looking at a long await.

However, Ofcom regulations hateful you can now back out of your contract if your provider fails to evangelize a promised minimum speed and most providers will permit yous to back out of your contract within the start month if you're not getting what yous pay for.

Work out the total cost of signing up

All ISPs will nib you on a monthly basis, but if y'all're comparison different packages it's smart to tally up how much you'll pay in full over the class of the contract, including any upfront setup fee.

If you're shopping around for a new Internet service provider, review prices right up until the minute where yous sign up. The market place is incredibly competitive and deals frequently come along that can dramatically reduce the cost of certain contracts or see you get a college speed for the aforementioned price as a lower-cost service.

Keep an eye on what happens after your initial contract term ends, too. Some ISPs hike the price up after the first year or 18 months, sometimes massively inflating the monthly charge. This is frequently negotiable, though, if you phone them up and say you're planning to move to a unlike provider. If they won't budge on the cost, find a more amenable alternative.

Speeds are crucial, but don't be fooled

ISPs are present obliged to advertise average download speeds for their internet packages. These requite you a good idea of which packages are faster than others but it doesn't tell you much most how consequent or reliable the service is.

To get a clearer view, we combine the results of our reader-voted Best Broadband Awards survey with Ofcom'southward annual broadband customer-satisfaction report, which brings together client surveys and user-recorded data such as average download and upload speeds and connectedness reliability.

This allows united states of america to see how the different providers stack up beyond the lath. Just call up that the speed data from the Ofcom survey refers to the connection speed between the ISP and your router – if your laptop or smartphone is connected over Wi-Fi, that could slow things downwards.

One flake of good news is that monthly data caps and traffic shaping are now more or less extinct, so you don't have to worry most burning through a monthly usage allowance or having your connection slowed down at peak times.

What else exercise I need to await out for?

Mostly speaking, ISPs offering phone services every bit a standard part of your broadband contract, although normally on an expensive pay-equally-yous-go basis, which oftentimes makes it cheaper to use your mobile phone. Signing up for weekend/evening or all-day calling packages commonly makes this cheaper, and some providers offering gratis calls to other numbers on the same network.

Some of the largest providers bundle in TV equally well and if you lot're interested in Virgin, Heaven, Vodafone or BT Television set services, ownership a single, all-in packet could save you coin. In that location are besides savings to be had from using the same provider for your mobile connection, too – worth bearing in mind if you're in the market for a new 4G or 5G contract.

A final point of differentiation between ISPs is the quality of the router that's provided with your service. Some, such as BT and TalkTalk, offer good-quality, loftier-speed hardware. Others provide more basic models; they'll do the job only you lot tin can expect better Wi-Fi speeds and more features if you use your own 3rd-political party router instead.

READ NEXT: Best wireless routers

The UK's best broadband providers 2022

1. Plusnet: The best all-round broadband provider

Plusnet pulled off a triple triumph in the 2022 Best Broadband Awards. Overall, it has more customers who are likely to recommend it than any other broadband provider, with 73% in total and fifteen% highly likely. It also records loftier levels of customer satisfaction beyond every category, coming away with our laurels for Best Client Service against stiff competition from EE, BT and Sky. Some 33% of users surveyed said they were very satisfied with Plusnet's customer service and a farther 40% were quite satisfied.

To height information technology all, Plusnet leads the table on satisfaction with value for money. 71% of users were either very satisfied or quite satisfied hither, with simply 8% dissatisfied. That's a third award going dwelling with Plusnet.

Plusnet isn't the acme pick when it comes to the highest speed fibre services, with nothing beyond the 66Mbits/sec boilerplate speed Unlimited Fibre Extra packages but, if you're in the market for a 36Mbits/sec to 66Mbits/sec package, then it's i of the best on value. Plusnet is too at present offering its own version of BT'due south fantabulous Smart Hub 2 router with its faster Fibre services, making information technology an even amend deal.

Our only business organisation is that Ofcom's figures show that, while Plusnet still scores loftier for overall satisfaction, the number of complaints is rise, while phone call waiting times are higher up the industry average. If Plusnet wants to hold onto its impressive pb, it needs to go this sorted out.

Read our Plusnet Broadband review

	Unlimited Broadband	Unlimited Fibre	Unlimited Fibre Extra	Unlimited Broadband (18 months)	Unlimited Fibre (18 months)	Unlimited Fibre Extra (18 months)
Toll per calendar month (inc line rental)	£23	£26	£28	£20	£23	£25
Upfront cost	Free	£10	£x	Free	Free	Gratis
Average speed	10Mbits/sec	36Mbits/sec	66Mbits/sec	10Mbits/sec	36Mbits/sec	66Mbits/sec
Usage assart	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Contract length	12 months	12 months	12 months	18 months	18 months	18 months

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2. BT: The most reliable broadband provider

If you lot're looking for reliable broadband, BT is a good place to start. A total 3rd of customers questioned about it in our survey were very satisfied with the reliability of their broadband, while a further 43% were quite satisfied. It's also one of the well-nigh highly rated when it comes to speed, and gained a highly commended award in that category as well. The results for customer service and value for coin weren't quite so glowing just 61% of BT customers stil said they would exist likely to recommend it to a friend.

BT's services run the gamut from basic ADSL through to 900Mbits/sec full fibre, and information technology was ane of the offset providers to offer a consummate Wi-Fi package, offer a mesh network selection to cover your whole home for an extra £10 a month. BT'south Smart Hub 2 router is one of the better options out in that location, with 4x4 MIMO Wi-Fi v connectivity for a stronger connection and increased functioning.

Ofcom's most recent figures rate BT at boilerplate or in a higher place average for customer satisfaction and back up, while call wait times are forty seconds beneath the average marking. Other services do even better on customer service or overall value but it's hard to go incorrect with BT.

Read our BT Broadband review

	Broadband Unlimited	BT Fibre Essential	BT Fibre i	BT Fibre two	BT Fibre 100	BT Ultrafast Fibre 300	BT Fibre 900
Price per month (inc line rental)	£xxx	£27	£28	£32	£30	£50	£sixty
Upfront price	£20	Costless	Free	Free	Free	Free	Free
Boilerplate speed	10Mbits/sec	36Mbits/sec	50Mbits/sec	67Mbits/sec	145Mbits/sec	500Mbits/sec	900Mbits/sec
Usage allowance	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Contract length	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months

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3. Virgin Media: The best broadband provider for speed

As the first major Internet service provider to evangelize services above an average 1Gbit/sec, Virgin Media has a existent advantage when it comes to speed and its customers seem to be reaping the benefits. Some 37% told u.s.a. that they were very satisfied with the speed of their connection, while a further 41% are quite satisfied.

If y'all're subsequently a speedy connection, it's clear Virgin Media is the front end runner, with services starting at an boilerplate 54Mbits/sec and climbing through 362Mbits/sec and 516Mbits/sec to the heady heights of 1.13Gbits/sec.

The scores aren't so hot for customer service, where only 37% would describe themselves as satisfied, or value for money, at just 34%. Only 55% of Virgin Media customers would recommend the Internet access provider to a friend.

And while Ofcom'south figures for customer satisfaction are average to above boilerplate, Virgin Media falls down for complaint treatment, complaints per 100,000 users and boilerplate call waiting times. Virgin wins our Best Speed award in one case once again simply it still needs to attempt harder to keep its customers happy.

Read our Virgin Media review

	M50 Broadband & Talk Weekends	M100 Broadband & Talk Weekends	M200 Broadband & Talk Weekends	M350 Broadband & Talk Weekends	M500 Broadband & Talk Weekends	Gig1
Price per month (inc line rental)	£38	£25	£31	£37	£43	£62
Upfront cost	£35	£35	£35	£35	£35	£35
Boilerplate speed	54Mbits/sec	108Mbits/sec	213Mbits/sec	362Mbits/sec	516Mbits/sec	ane,130Mbits/sec
Usage allowance	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Contract length	18 months	18 months	18 months	xviii months	xviii months	eighteen months

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4. Vodafone: The best broadband provider for value deals

With superfast fibre services for under £xx per calendar month and fifty-fifty faster 500Mbits/sec services for around £30, it'southward not easy to crush Vodafone on price. Perhaps that explains why information technology gained a highly commended node in the Best Value category of our Best Broadband Awards 2022, but losing out to Plusnet with 64% of users either very satisfied or quite satisfied with their deal on a bang for buck basis. 68% of users were likely to recommend Vodafone to a friend.

Vodafone is some other ISP pushing ultrafast services, with its top-of-the-line 900Mbits/sec option and a neat value 500Mbits/sec packet on top of the regular superfast options. It's also followed the lead of BT and Heaven in offering a premium set of "Pro" packages with whole domicile Wi-Fi and extra levels of support.

This is arguably for the best. Vodafone's scores for customer service are one of the everyman of any major Internet access provider in our survey, while Ofcom'southward most recent figures note that the ISP has twice as many Ofcom complaints per 100,000 users as the manufacture average. Information technology's a great value option but don't wait the best service or support.

Read our Vodafone Broadband review

	Superfast i	Superfast 2	Superfast 100	Pro Ultrafast 200	Pro Ultrafast 500	Pro Gigafast 900
Price per month (inc line rental	£22	£25	£28	£43	£48	£58
Upfront cost	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
Boilerplate speed	38Mbits/sec	67Mbits/sec	100Mbits/sec	200Mbits/sec	500Mbits/sec	910Mbits/sec
Usage allowance	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Contract length	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months

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5. EE: Excellent speeds and customer service

EE was highly commended in the Client Service category of our 2022 All-time Broadband Awards and, while information technology didn't come up away with any other wins, it performed consistently well throughout. Some 64% of customers were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service and support they received, while 63% said the same virtually their speeds. Rivals pull ahead on reliability or value for money, but EE is never too far behind. What'south more, EE does improve than most ISPs in Ofcom's most recent written report, with low telephone call waiting times, a college overall satisfaction score and fewer complaints per 100,000 subscribers.

EE has a bit of catching up to do on value and reliability, however, and information technology'southward disappointing that simply 54% of users say they would be likely to recommend it to a friend. The prices aren't peculiarly low, only the premium services go all the style upward to 900Mbits/sec total fibre and you generally get what you pay for. EE'south stablemate, BT, seems to have the edge on reliability and speed, but EE is a practiced alternative if y'all want strong operation backed up past great support.

Read our EE Broadband review

	Standard Broadband	Fibre	Fibre Plus Broadband	Total Fibre Max 100	Full Fibre Max 500	Total Fibre Max 900
Price per calendar month (inc line rental)	£21	£25	£27	£31	£xl	£49
Upfront price	Free	Free	Free	Gratis	Complimentary	Free
Average speed	10Mbits/sec	36Mbits/sec	67Mbits/sec	100Mbits/sec	500Mbits/sec	900Mbits/sec
Usage allowance	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Contract length	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months

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6. Heaven: Solid, reliable broadband

Sky didn't win any categories in this year's Best Broadband Awards, just information technology was highly commended in the Overall and Most Reliable categories and posted some very respectable scores for speed and customer support. Some 63% of users would be likely or very probable to recommend it to a friend.

Heaven offers a skillful range of speeds besides, even if information technology doesn't have the headline 900Mbits/sec or higher services provided by Vodafone, BT, EE and Virgin Media. Of course, rivals are a little cheaper on 500Mbits/sec and 100Mbits/sec to 200Mbits/sec packages and most now don't charge for the initial setup, where Sky is asking for £20. This might explain why Heaven's scores on value for coin are only middling rather than not bad.

However, Ofcom'due south figures for client service and satisfaction put Heaven on or above the average level, and it'southward getting fewer Ofcom complaints per 100,000 users than near every other big Isp, with EE the simply exception. While it isn't a big winner this time around, Heaven is heading in the right direction.

Read our Sky Broadband review

	Essential Plus	Superfast 35	Superfast	Ultrafast	Ultrafast Plus	Gigafast
Price per month (inc line rental)	£30	£25	£xxx.50	£32	£42	£55
Upfront cost	£19.95	£19.95	£nineteen.95	£19.95	£nineteen.95	£19.95
Average speed	11Mbits/sec	35Mbits/sec	59Mbits/sec	145Mbits/sec	500Mbits/sec	900Mbits/sec
Usage allowance	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Contract length	eighteen months	eighteen months	18 months	eighteen months	18 months	18 months

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