Cheap broadband deals

Is a cheap broadband deal always the best deal?

A cheap broadband deal could save you a lot of money per year, but it will only be the best deal if it's a service that still gives you what you need.

Many of the cheapest broadband deals available are strong fibre broadband deals with good speeds and reliability. And very often, simply signing up to a different provider as a new customer will lower your monthly price.

It’s important to be aware that the cheapest broadband deals tend to exclude many premium add-ons—such as pay-TV or mobile phone services—but the quality of your service shouldn't budge.

Plus, while most won’t offer the fastest internet speeds available, they usually provide plenty of bandwidth for the average household. So with a low-cost deal, you should still be able to stream, game and scroll to your heart's content if you're a casual internet user.

The best way to find cheap broadband on Uswitch is to enter your postcode and address into our checker and sort the results above by cost (low to high).

Can I trust a cheap broadband deal?

Put simply, yes, you can. Not only can you trust cheap broadband (and the providers that offer it), but cheap deals are usually just as trustworthy as most of the higher-priced ones on the market. This is because they often use the same network as each other anyway, so the connection quality will be just as good. 

However, with a cheap broadband deal, you will likely miss out on the extra perks you often get with a more comprehensive option. For example, more expensive deals often allow you to add a TV package or Wi-Fi boosters to your home to secure your internet coverage.   

If you need more information about what to expect from a broadband provider, then you can read our reviews of all the well-known providers on our broadband provider reviews page. 

Along with the main broadband providers, you can also opt for an alternative provider, known as an ‘altnet’. A huge amount of altnets have been popping up all over the country in recent years, providing a more reliable local full fibre broadband connection at a very competitive price compared to the bigger brands. 

Many cheap providers, including altnets, have some of the best customer ratings for customer service and reliability. So you can know that many of these brands have your interests at heart, not just in their pricing. 

Examples of altnets include: 

• Hyperoptic 

• Community Fibre

• Gigaclear

• Trooli

• YouFibre

You can learn more about saving money through an altnet by reading our ‘altnet broadband providers explained: is there a cheaper way to get full fibre?’ guide.

Pros and cons of cheap broadband

There are many obvious benefits to choosing a cheap broadband package, especially while the cost of living remains so high. But, as with most products, you get what you pay for and must choose a service that matches your needs.

Can I get a low-income broadband deal?

If you receive Universal Credit or another type of financial support, you'll likely qualify for a social tariff - the cheapest type of broadband deal on the market.

Broadband social tariffs are offered by multiple well-known providers. They give you the same service as a normal broadband connection but for a heavily discounted price. They often cost between £12-20 per month, depending on the provider and speed you choose.

If you're on one of these tariffs, you'll also avoid yearly mid-contract price increases, so it's absolutely a worthwhile option if you're looking to reduce your bills.

All this means checking whether your provider could move you onto a cheaper social tariff is essential. Depending on which one you opt for, it could help to cut your monthly broadband bill by £10-15.

Which are the cheapest internet providers?

A few of the major broadband providers in the UK offer relatively cheap Wi-Fi deals if you describe 'cheap' as any package under £25 a month.

Despite this, there will still be particular providers that offer more affordable broadband deals than others. And they don’t necessarily offer poorer service or lower-quality packages, either.

Providers that offer low-cost broadband plans include:

Plusnet

Plusnet often features some of the lowest-price internet deals on the market and is well-known for offering excellent customer service.

The provider is part of BT Group, which includes other telecoms brands, BT and EE. All three companies have annual price increases in their contract terms, which is worth considering before signing up. However, most cheap broadband providers also include some form of annual price hike, so this shouldn't necessarily be a reason to avoid Plusnet alone.

Plusnet's value was highlighted in our review of the provider:

"Plusnet’s monthly price is definitely worth the service I receive from it. Since I’m not looking for a jam-packed service with lots of additional features, Plusnet is very well priced for the needs I have."

- Ben Gallizzi, Uswitch senior content editor, from his Plusnet broadband review

TalkTalk

Another popular low-cost broadband provider is TalkTalk.

Just like Plusnet, TalkTalk keeps its monthly prices low and focuses on delivering good service, with technical and financial support where needed.

It also offers broadband, TV and home phone bundles for a single monthly fee. So, if you watch a lot of television and still use your landline, a 'triple-play' provider like TalkTalk will likely keep your bills down by providing all three services at once.

Vodafone

Mobile network Vodafone is fairly new to the broadband market, but it has entered it with full force thanks to its fairly low-cost broadband deals and attractive broadband speeds.

Vodafone often sells its superfast 67Mbps broadband deal for the same price as other providers' slowest deals — and sometimes even throws in gift cards worth tens of pounds for signing up.

NOW Broadband

Sky-owned TV and broadband provider NOW focuses on great value-for-money offers.

While its Wi-Fi services and TV bundles aren't as premium as Sky's, NOW makes up for it with some very low monthly prices. Plus, you can still access exclusive Sky content with its affordable TV add-ons.

Hyperoptic

Hyperoptic is a full fibre-only provider that mainly supplies broadband to flats and newly built houses. It's not a widely available provider, but it makes up for that by offering ultrafast and gigabit broadband speeds for surprisingly low prices.

With Hyperoptic, you'll get access to 150Mbps, 500Mbps and even 1Gb fibre internet at prices that the major broadband providers don't even sink to for their slowest deals. It also doesn't include any mid-contract price increases for the entirety of your initial term.

So, if you can access Hyperoptic's network, you'll be able to get incredibly fast speeds for a very low monthly rate.

Gigaclear

Gigaclear is another full fibre provider that offers fast speeds for relatively low prices. It has less coverage across the UK than the bigger broadband providers, but if you can use its services, you'll have access to ultrafast speeds for under £20.

Community Fibre

Community Fibre is a full fibre provider based in London. And like its peers Hyperoptic and Gigaclear, it focuses on regional coverage, extremely fast speeds, and lower prices than most major broadband providers.