Cheapest Broadband Deals in the UK - Best Internet at Low Prices
Finding the cheapest broadband for your home can be a bit of a hassle. Some broadband companies will offer temporarily discounted prices to lure customers in, only to raise them once they can't back out of the contract. There are also activation fees and differences in internet speed that make all the difference. Below, you will find exactly what the cheapest broadband deals are in the UK - and what you get with them.
Cheapest Broadband In The UK
To find the cheapest broadband in the UK, the monthly price needs to be compared because that is the biggest part of the broadband bill over the contract period. Setup or activation fees also need to be accounted for. Since they are one time charges, they are not the main point of a broadband deal comparison unless they are significantly higher than the competition.
What Is The Cheapest Broadband?
The cheapest broadband deal that we could find in the UK is from a broadband provider called Direct Save Telecom. While the download speeds on the cheapest broadband deal from Direct Save Telecom are only suitable for light internet use, the monthly price is comparatively lower. The following broadband deal details are for an 12 month contract with Direct Save Telecom.
| Broadband Provider | Deal Name | Monthly Price | Additional Fees | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Save Telecom | Broadband | £18.95 / month | One time £9.95 activation | Sign Up with Selectra 01704 468 005 |
Prices and Details last updated on 30/06/2021. These prices and details are provided for illustrative purposes only.
This cheap broadband deal is great for smaller households who use the internet for light browsing primarily. This broadband deal is also best for homes that are in areas without fibre broadband connections, since it only needs a standard ADSL connection which is widely available throughout the UK.
If there are a lot of people connecting simultaneously to WiFi in your home or you depend on your broadband for remote work, then this isn't the best broadband deal for you. This is because you will need higher broadband speeds to meet your needs. The good news is that you don't have to pay a lot more for higher speeds.
Cheap Broadband Without Phone Line
Cheap broadband deals that don't require a phone line or include line rental are hard to come by. Currently, there is only one major broadband provider who offers this type of deal and that is Virgin Media. This is the cheapest broadband without phone line available from Virgin Media.
| Broadband Provider | Broadband Deal Name | Monthly Price | Additional Fees | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media | M100 | £28 / month during 18 month contract then £44 / month | One time £35 setup fee | Sign Up with Virgin Media |
Prices and Details last updated on 23/04/2021. These prices and details are provided for illustrative purposes only.
What jumps out from this supposedly cheap broadband without phone line deal is the huge jump from the contract price to the standard pricing once the contract ends. If you forget to cancel your broadband with Virgin Media, you could find your monthly broadband bill jump by £16 every month moving forward.
While Virgin Media does build out and maintain its own broadband connections, the £35 setup fee is noticeably higher than some of the competition and worth pointing out before committing to a broadband deal with them.
Best Broadband Deals
The best broadband deals that are available right now have the right balance between pricing and internet speed. Let's look closely the best broadband deals in the UK. The list below has been ordered by monthly price, so make sure you are checking the differences in average download speed as well as an additional fees.
| Provider | Deal | Monthly Price | Upfront Fees | Average Speed | Sign Up Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Save | Superfast Fibre Exclusive | £22.95 p/m | One time £1 activation | 35 Mbps | Sign Up with Selectra 01704 468 005 |
| Direct Save | Superfast Fibre Plus Exclusive | £25.95 p/m | One time £1 activation | 80 Mbps | Sign Up with Selectra 01704 468 005 |
| TalkTalk | Unlimited Fibre 35 | £22 p/m | One time £4.95 P&P charge | 38 Mbps | Contact TalkTalk |
| Plusnet | Unlimited Fibre | £22.99 p/m | No set up cost | 36 Mbps | Contact Plusnet |
| Sky | Unlimited Fibre | £26 p/m | No set up cost | 56 Mbps | Contact Sky |
| Vodafone | Superfast 1 | £22.99 p/m | No set up cost | 35 Mbps | Contact Vodafone |
| EE | Unlimited Fibre | £23 p/m | No set up cost | 36 Mbps | Contact EE |
Prices and Details last updated on 30/12/2021. These prices and details are provided for illustrative purposes only.
The Direct Save deals are both 12 month contracts. The rest are for 18 month contracts except for the Superfast 1 from Vodafone Broadband which is for 24 months. The best broadband deal is the Direct Save Superfast Plus Exclusive Broadband one since it provides for the fastest speeds with the lowest price.
The only broadband provider that comes close speedwise at this price range is Sky with their Broadband Only deal. However, even though it is only 5p more than Direct Save, you pay significantly for the loss in speed.
The other broadband deals, from Plusnet or TalkTalk, at this price range offer even slower internet speeds. While their pricing is somewhat competitive, you end up paying essentially the same or a bit more but for a worse connection - which doesn't make sense.
Comparing between the best broadband deals above it's clear that Direct Save offers the best value for money for now.
Best Broadband Deals In My Area
The best broadband deal in your area will depend on the type of broadband connection that is available. The good news is that most of the cheapest broadband deals shown on this page will be available to you.
While some areas in the UK can get faster broadband speeds than those listed above, it's worth noting that those are more expensive. This guide is about cheapest broadband deals in the UK.
The cheapest broadband highlighted above meets the needs of the average British household for an affordable price - providing the best value for money. However, if you are someone who isn't concerned by the cost of home bills and are happy to pay extra, other more premium options are available depending on where you live.
In fact, you can overpay for an internet connection which boasts impressive numbers but not reap the impressive speeds that are promised. This is because internet speed is more than just about the megabytes per second number on your deal. If routers, extenders and connected devices cannot fully harness the increased broadband speeds then you're just wasting your money.
If you are unsure about what type of broadband and what internet speeds you can get it's worth talking to a broadband expert find out the available options.
What Is The Cheapest Broadband And Phone Package?
Broadband deals with phone package cost more than those that are broadband only. The broadband deals above are all about giving you decent internet connections for the lowest possible price. The good news is that most of the providers listed here will have broadband deals with a phone package but they aren't listed here because they aren't the cheapest broadband deals. The same goes for all TV and broadband deals. Since they don't offer the cheapest broadband, they are not included in this comparison.