Cheap broadband deals

Cheap broadband deals will still give you a strong, robust broadband connection, regardless of their lower monthly price.

They do tend to leave out many of the premium add-ons and features that some more expensive deals come with, but the quality of your service shouldn't budge at all.

And while they might not offer the fastest internet speeds available, they still usually provide plenty of bandwidth for the average household. You should still be able to stream, game and scroll to your heart's content if you're a casual internet user.

Of course, you shouldn't just choose a cheap deal just because of its low price, because you'll need to make sure the speed is fast enough for your needs. But comparing low-cost offers are a great way to find great value in the broadband service you choose.

The best way to find cheap broadband on Uswitch is by putting in your postcode and address, then sorting the results above by cost (low to high).

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 you need to make sure you choose a service that meets your needs.

There are lots of things you should look out for in a broadband deal if you're looking to reduce your monthly bills.

Cheap deals don't necessarily mean ones with the lowest monthly price. They could be made cheaper by some high-value gift vouchers, or by combining multiple services into a single monthly bill. Here’s how to find a cheap broadband deal that suits you.

The fastest cheap broadband deals available can offer 100-200Mbps speeds for under £20 per month.

For example, providers like Hyperoptic, Gigaclear and Community Fibre offer ultrafast packages of 150Mbps from a monthly price of around £18. This is far cheaper for a full fibre deal compared to the likes of Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone who charge £28-30 per month for similar speeds.

The cheapest broadband deals with the fastest internet speeds are usually on offer from smaller providers, rather than the well-known big brands. This is because they run their own broadband networks, so can choose their prices a lot more freely than providers who rely on Openreach.

However, these smaller providers unfortunately have a lot less coverage across the UK than the larger providers do. So they’re a fantastic option if they’re available to your home, but have to make sure you can actually access them before you can sign up.

30-day (or no contract) broadband deals tend to be more expensive per month, because of the better flexibility they offer. You’ll find much cheaper monthly prices with contracts that last for 18 or 24 months compared to 30 days.

However, if you only need a broadband connection for a few months (for example, you’re moving out soon), then a 30-day broadband deal will work out a lot cheaper. They’ll help you avoid paying expensive exit fees that you’d no doubt be charged if you cancelled a much longer contract really early.

Uswitch has a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on around 22,000 customer reviews as of May 2023.

Shell Energy Broadband's Superfast Fibre broadband deal is one of the cheapest packages you could find for a 38Mbps average broadband speed.

Its monthly price is considerably low when you also consider its 18-month contract, compared to many other providers which charge more for a 24-month term. Plus, Shell Energy Broadband is more widely-available than some other smaller providers, whose deals can be cheaper and faster, but their availability across the country is a lot more limited.

This current deal also comes with a great-vaue gift card, so after you factor in the small setup fee, that's around three months' worth of cashback to spend on something you need online.

Many of the major broadband providers in the UK have relatively cheap Wi-Fi deals on offer. In most cases, this is for their copper ADSL or part-fibre broadband deals, which provide you with basic internet access for prices as low as £18 or £19 per month.

Providers that offer low-cost broadband plans include the following.

Plusnet often features some of the lowest-price internet deals on the market, and it's 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 baked into their terms and conditions, which is worth keeping in mind before you sign up.

However, most broadband providers with low monthly costs also include some form of annual price hike, so this shouldn't necessarily be a reason to avoid Plusnet alone.

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's one of the 'big four' broadband providers in terms of the number of customers, alongside BT, Sky and Virgin Media.

TalkTalk 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.

Mobile network Vodafone is fairly new to the broadband market, but it has entered it with full force thanks to its very cheap broadband deals and comprehensive telecoms packages.

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 dozens of pounds for signing up. That is a lot of money saved compared to other providers on the market, some of whom sell deals at a similar speed for several pounds per month more than Vodafone.

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 get access to exclusive Sky content with its affordable TV add-ons.

Hyperoptic is a full fibre-only provider that mainly supplies broadband to flats and new build houses. It's not a very 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 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're able to use its services, you'll have access to ultrafast speeds for under £20.

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 of the major broadband providers.

The cheapest broadband deal on offer from BT is BT Fibre Essential, which provides superfast 36Mbps average internet speeds.

At just below £30 per month, there are many cheaper options available from other providers for the same (and faster) speeds as this, so you won't find BT on our cheap broadband page as a result.

However, the provider is considered to offer a more comprehensive service than many other brands, so it tends to charge more because it usually gives customers a more premium experience.

Compare our BT broadband deals on Uswitch.

Not only can you trust a cheap broadband provider, but these providers are some of the most trustworthy on the market.

Famously good-value providers like Plusnet and NOW Broadband, and smaller full fibre providers like Hyperoptic, have some of the best customer ratings around for customer service and reliability. So you can know that many of these brands have your interests at heart throughout, and not just in their pricing.

While it’s relatively true that a cheaper service won’t normally be as premium as a more expensive one, there are much better ways to weigh up the value that each brand offers. For example, our broadband reviews give a detailed look into each of the biggest providers in the UK, and highlight what type of customer each one would be best for.

If you receive Universal Credit or another type of financial support from the government, you'll likely qualify for social tariffs - the cheapest broadband deals on the market.

Broadband social tariffs are on offer from multiple well-known providers. They give you the exact same service as a normal broadband connection, but for a heavily discounted price. They're often between £12-20 per month, depending on the provider or speed you choose.

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

This depends on the provider, and whether they are running a promotion or not. Some cheap broadband providers rarely charge setup fees in general, whereas others will offer free setup as part of a limited-time offer.

On our Uswitch tables, we clearly display the setup fee that every broadband deal comes with. So you’ll know straight away whether a deal that you like comes with an upfront cost or not.

However, it’s also worth looking out for an installation cost when you’re signing up to a new provider. Most providers won’t need to send an engineer around to install your connection because many providers use the same network, but if you need a new broadband line installed, you may be charged an additional fee for your broadband to be activated.

There are a lot of things you can do to enjoy the full potential of your internet, for the price you want it.

Our broadband guides have lots of useful information for both choosing the right deal, and for getting what you need from your current service.