Last updated: 22 September 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
The monthly price on the advert is the cheapest month you will ever pay
Most cheap broadband deals are priced for the first six months of a two-year contract. After that, almost every provider adds a fixed rise each spring, and some add a setup fee on day one. So I priced ten providers over the whole 24 months, fees and rises included, and ranked them on what you actually pay on average each month.
On that measure, a £25.99 plan from EE costs £31.24 a month. Meanwhile, Vodafone's £24 plan beats Virgin Media's £23.99 one, because Vodafone's yearly rise is 50p smaller.
Section 01 / The finding
What cheap broadband deals really cost over a contract
Every standard deal I checked rises during the contract, and on a two-year deal it rises twice.
Ofcom banned inflation-linked price rises in new contracts from 17 January 2025. Since then, providers have to state any rise in pounds and pence when you sign up, according to Ofcom's own announcement. That makes each rise predictable before you sign. BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic all add £4 a month each spring.
On a 24-month contract that starts in October, the first rise lands in month 7 and the second in month 19. So a £4 rise costs you £96 over the contract. Vodafone's £3.50 rise costs £84, Community Fibre's £3 costs £72 and Onestream's £2.75 costs £66. As a result, the plan with the lowest advertised price is not always the cheapest one to own.
How I priced each contract
Every price was checked on the provider's own website on 22 September 2026, as a new customer taking broadband only. I compared plans at around 150Mb, because a 150Mb plan against a 500Mb one is not a fair fight. Then I added the monthly price for 24 months, any activation fee, and both spring rises, and divided by 24. I left out reward cards and switching credit, and I give those separately, because you only get them if you claim.
Coverage. Community Fibre only serves London, and Hyperoptic only wires up individual buildings. Prices at Hyperoptic, Onestream and Virgin Media also change by address. Run the postcode checker on each site before you get attached to a deal, because a price only applies where that network reaches.
The advertised price against what the same plan really costs each month across 24 months. Tap or click the chart to open it full size.
| Provider and plan | Advertised | Upfront | Spring rise | Real monthly average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Fibre 150Mb (London) | £15.00 | £0 | +£3 | £18.00 |
| Hyperoptic 150Mb | £19.00 | £0 | +£4 | £23.00 |
| Onestream Full Fibre 150 | £20.95 | £0 activation | +£2.75 | £23.70 |
| Vodafone Full Fibre 150 | £24.00 | £0 | +£3.50 | £27.50 |
| Virgin Media M125 (132Mb) | £23.99 | £0 | +£4 | £27.99 |
| TalkTalk Full Fibre 150 (152Mb) | £24.00 | £0 | +£4 | £28.00 |
| Plusnet Full Fibre 145 | £24.99 | £9.99 | +£4 | £29.41 |
| EE 150Mb Core | £25.99 | £30 | +£4 | £31.24 |
| BT Full Fibre 300 (no 150 plan) | £29.99 | £30 | +£4 | £35.24 |
All contracts are 24 months, broadband only, new customers, starting 1 October 2026. Sky is not in the table because it does not publish a fixed rise.
Section 02 / The picks
The cheapest broadband over 24 months, ranked
Ten cheap broadband deals at around 150Mb, ranked on the real monthly average, lowest first.
Community Fibre 150Mb
Community Fibre had the lowest real cost of anything I priced. The 150Mb plan is £15 a month on a 24-month contract, with no setup fee and the router included. It rises by £3 every April, to £18 and then £21. Averaged over the contract, that comes to £18.00 a month, which is £5 less than the next cheapest.
The limit is that it only serves London. The £15 price is also part of a sale that Community Fibre says runs until 14 October 2026. At the end of the contract your price goes up £4, then £3 every April after that. Separately, an existing customer can refer you for a £100 gift card each, paid 90 days after installation.
For anyone in London who wants the lowest bill and does not need a landline
£15 a month, averaging £18.00 over 24 months
Hyperoptic 150Mb
Hyperoptic quoted me £19 a month for 150Mb at a London address, with £0 activation and free installation. It adds £4 every April, so the real average is £23.00.
The odd result is that the 500Mb plan was cheaper at the same address, at £17 a month and £21.00 on average. Check the faster tier too, before you settle on the slower one. The limit is coverage: Hyperoptic wires individual buildings in 64 towns and cities, and prices vary by location.
For renters and owners in a building Hyperoptic already serves
£19 a month, averaging £23.00 over 24 months
Onestream Full Fibre 150
Onestream has the smallest spring rise of the ten. Its terms fix it at £2.75 a month every 1 April for broadband ordered since January 2025. At the York address I tried, Full Fibre 150 was £20.95 a month with free activation, which works out at £23.70 on average. Upload speed matches download at 150Mb, which helps if you send big files or spend the day on video calls.
Onestream's price guide lists a £125 router charge and £9.95 delivery as standard charges, and the deal page does not say whether either applies. Look at the basket total before you pay. If you do sign up, my Onestream referral code takes £20 off your bills once you are connected, which brings the average down to £22.87.
For anyone outside London who wants a low, predictable bill
£20.95 a month, averaging £23.70 over 24 months
Vodafone Full Fibre 150
Vodafone was the cheapest of the big providers once the rises are counted. Full Fibre 150 is £24 a month with no upfront cost, and it rises by £3.50 every 1 April. That makes £27.50 on average, which is 49p a month less than Virgin Media's £23.99 plan. Existing Vodafone mobile customers can also log in and save up to £2 a month.
What Vodafone does not publish is the price after month 24. Its terms only say the price goes up when your discount ends. Put a reminder in your calendar for month 23 and compare it again then.
For Vodafone mobile customers and anyone who wants a household name
£24 a month, averaging £27.50 over 24 months
Virgin Media M125
Virgin Media's M125 averages 132Mb and costs £23.99 a month, with a fixed £4 rise every April. That gives a real average of £27.99. Virgin runs its own cable network, so it is an option in streets where full fibre has not arrived yet.
After month 24, Virgin's published standard price for M125 is £62 a month, more than double the deal price, and the £4 April rises apply to that too. Virgin also says discounted prices may be offered in selected areas, so yours could be lower.
For homes that can get Virgin but not full fibre
£23.99 a month, averaging £27.99 over 24 months
TalkTalk Full Fibre 150
TalkTalk's Full Fibre 150 averages 152Mb and costs £24 a month with no setup fee. It rises by a flat £4 each April, so the real average is £28.00. The full fibre plans are data only, so you do not pay for a phone line you will not use.
TalkTalk does not publish an out-of-contract price, and its help pages list an equipment delivery fee without giving the amount. Check both in the basket before you order.
For anyone who wants a simple data-only line
£24 a month, averaging £28.00 over 24 months
Plusnet Full Fibre 145
Plusnet's Full Fibre 145 is £24.99 a month, plus a £9.99 activation fee. It rises by £4 on 31 March each year, so the real average is £29.41. However, it comes with a £50 prepaid Mastercard, which Plusnet emails you about a couple of weeks after activation. If you claim it, the average drops to £27.32.
Plusnet publishes its standard prices. For Full Fibre 145 it is £35.99 a month, so the jump at month 25 is real but smaller than Virgin's.
For anyone who will actually claim the reward card
£24.99 a month plus £9.99, averaging £29.41 over 24 months
EE 150Mb Core
EE's 150Mb Core plan is £25.99 a month, but it carries a £30 activation fee. Add the £4 rise on 31 March each year and the real average is £31.24, joint widest gap between advertised and real cost in this list, level with BT's Full Fibre 300. On the other hand, it includes EE's WiFi 7 Smart Hub 7 Plus router, and the 500Mb plan only charges £10 to activate.
The case for EE is the mobile discount. EE says adding an unlimited-data SIM can save up to £20 a month, and I have not counted that here. If you are already on EE, price the bundle rather than the broadband alone.
For households already paying EE for their phones
£25.99 a month plus £30, averaging £31.24 over 24 months
BT Full Fibre 300
BT does not sell a 150Mb plan on its deals page, so the nearest is Full Fibre 300 at £29.99 a month. That plan carries a £30 activation fee, and the price rises by £4 on 31 March each year. The real average is £35.24.
BT's Full Fibre 500 costs the same £29.99 a month but only £10 to activate, so it averages £34.41. In other words, the faster plan is the cheaper one to own. After the contract, BT says the price goes up by no more than £5.
For anyone set on BT, who should take the 500 rather than the 300
£29.99 a month plus £30, averaging £35.24 over 24 months
Sky Full Fibre 500
Sky is the one provider I cannot rank on the same basis. Its Full Fibre 500 is £27 a month for 24 months with no upfront fee. However, Sky does not publish a fixed yearly rise. Instead, its terms say prices can change during the minimum term, with at least a month's notice.
If Sky does raise the price in a way that is not purely to your benefit, its terms let you leave without an early termination charge. That makes £27 the lowest you would pay each month, and any rise would come on top. At the end of the contract, Sky adds £5 to whatever you were paying.
For homes that already have Sky TV and want one bill
£27 a month, with no fixed rise published
Section 03 / Faster plans
Cheap broadband deals at 500Mb and above
At Hyperoptic and BT, the faster plan costs less to own than the slower one.
If more than three people are online at once, a 500Mb plan starts to make sense. Hyperoptic's 500Mb was £2 a month cheaper than its 150Mb at the address I checked, and BT's 500 costs less than its 300. Community Fibre does not sell a 500Mb plan on 24 months, but its 1Gb plan is £21 a month and averages £24.00.
| Provider and plan | Advertised | Upfront | Real monthly average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperoptic 500Mb | £17.00 | £0 | £21.00 |
| Community Fibre 1Gb (London) | £21.00 | £0 | £24.00 |
| Onestream Full Fibre 500 | £23.95 | £0 activation | £26.70 |
| Sky Full Fibre 500 | £27.00 | £0 | £27.00 before any rise |
| Vodafone Full Fibre 500 | £27.00 | £0 | £30.50 |
| Virgin Media M500 | £27.99 | £0 | £31.99 |
| TalkTalk Full Fibre 500 | £30.00 | £0 | £34.00 |
| Plusnet Full Fibre 500 | £29.99 | £9.99 | £34.41 |
| BT Full Fibre 500 | £29.99 | £10 | £34.41 |
| EE 500Mb Core | £29.99 | £10 | £34.41 |
24-month contracts, broadband only, starting 1 October 2026. Plusnet's 500 comes with a £60 reward card, which brings its average to £31.91 if you claim it.
The cheapest broadband if you claim Universal Credit
If anyone in your home claims Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support, you can switch to a social tariff. Ofcom's social tariff list names 32 providers charging £10 to £25 a month. Ofcom also says the price will not go up mid-contract and that it costs nothing to leave, which is more than any standard deal above can offer.
- Hyperoptic Fair Fibre: 150Mb for £13 a month, rolling monthly with free activation, in the buildings it serves. Eligibility also covers Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance and Housing Benefit.
- Virgin Media Essential: 15Mb for £12.50, or 54Mb for £20, on a rolling 30-day contract with free setup.
- BT Home Essentials: 36Mb for £22 or 67Mb for £25, on 12 months with no setup fee and no exit fee.
- Vodafone Essentials: up to 80Mb from £20 a month for 12 months. If you do nothing at the end, it goes to £25.
- Sky Broadband Basics: £20 for Superfast 35 or £24 for Full Fibre 75, on 24 months with no rise during the contract.
You apply to the provider directly. Sky takes applications by phone, Virgin Media by live chat and Hyperoptic on 0333 332 1138. Separately, in London, Community Fibre's Essential 35 costs £12.50 a month for anyone, with no benefits check. It has no mid-contract rise, then goes to £16.50 from month 13.
Section 05 / Price rises
Will my broadband price go up mid-contract?
Yes, on every standard deal here, by an amount you can see before you sign.
Since 17 January 2025, the rise has to be written into your contract in pounds and pence. Contracts signed before that date can still carry a rise linked to inflation plus a percentage. Ofcom's page on your rights when prices go up explains both. It also says that if a provider raises the price in a way the contract did not set out, you get 30 days to leave without an exit fee.
| Provider | Rise during the contract | When |
|---|---|---|
| Onestream | +£2.75 a month | Every 1 April |
| Community Fibre | +£3 a month | Every April |
| Vodafone | +£3.50 a month | Every 1 April |
| Hyperoptic, TalkTalk, Virgin Media | +£4 a month | Every April |
| BT, EE, Plusnet | +£4 a month | Every 31 March |
| Sky | No fixed figure | Any time, with a month's notice |
None of the standard cheap broadband deals I checked is fixed for the whole term. The only fixed prices were the social tariffs and Community Fibre's Essential 35. Therefore, if a flat bill matters more to you than speed, those are where to look.
Section 06 / Month 24
What happens when your broadband contract ends
You roll onto a higher price unless you act, and the jump at Virgin Media is more than double.
In its pricing report published in February 2026, customers out of contract on standalone broadband paid £7.20 a month more than those in contract. That is 25% more. Ofcom also found that 28% of fixed broadband customers were out of contract at the end of June 2025.
Here is what the providers say happens at month 25:
- Virgin Media: M125 goes to a standard £62 a month, and M500 to £80.
- Plusnet: Full Fibre 145 goes to £35.99, and Full Fibre 500 to £44.99.
- Sky: your last monthly price plus £5.
- BT and EE: an increase of no more than £5.
- Community Fibre: plus £4, then plus £3 every April.
- Vodafone, TalkTalk, Hyperoptic and Onestream do not publish a figure.
The four plans whose providers publish a standard price. Tap or click the chart to open it full size.
Set a reminder for month 23
Your provider has to write to you 10 to 40 days before the contract ends, under Ofcom's rules, with the new price and its best deals. Even so, set your own calendar reminder for month 23, the day you sign up. That gives you a month to compare before the price changes.
Switching is also simpler now. Under One Touch Switch you only contact the new provider, and it handles the old one. Ofcom's switching guide adds that you are due compensation if you are left without service for more than one working day.
Broadband is one of seven bills in my guide to cutting household bills in the UK, alongside energy, food and insurance. If your energy deal is also up for renewal, the same whole-contract maths applies to energy switching bonuses. And if you are sorting phones in the same sitting, my breakdown of giffgaff plans and my SMARTY page cover the cheaper SIM-only options.
Section 07 / Speed
What broadband speed do you actually need?
Less than most deal pages suggest, unless three or more people stream or upload at once.
Netflix's own help pages say 4K streaming needs 15Mbps and Full HD needs 5Mbps. On paper, then, a 150Mb line carries ten 4K streams at the same time. For a couple or a small family, 150Mb covers streaming, gaming and working from home with room to spare.
Upload speed matters too. Video calls and cloud backups send data out, and part-fibre lines are much slower going up than coming down. Onestream's 40Mb part-fibre plan, for example, uploads at 10Mb, while its full fibre plans upload as fast as they download. Meanwhile, if your Wi-Fi is the weak point rather than the line, a better router or a mesh system will help more than a faster plan. I covered that in my TP-Link Roam 7 review.
Section 08 / Limits
What I do not know from here
Prices here are national or address-quoted, and your street may differ.
BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet and Vodafone quote national prices, and the part-fibre plans only show a price after a postcode check. Hyperoptic, Onestream and Community Fibre quoted prices for the addresses I used, in London and York. Virgin Media says it offers discounts in selected locations. Retention deals, the ones you get by phoning to leave, are not public at all, so I cannot price them.
Promotions on cheap broadband deals also move every week. For example, Sky's £23 Full Fibre 150 price ended on 23 September. Before you sign, compare the monthly price, the upfront charge and the rise on the provider's own checkout page against the tables above.
Finally, you do not need a landline for most of these deals. The full fibre plans from Community Fibre, Hyperoptic, Onestream, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Virgin Media are data only. That fits with the government's guidance that most customers move to digital landlines by January 2027. If anyone in your home relies on a telecare alarm, however, tell the provider before you switch. Onestream, for one, warns at checkout that telecare devices will not work with its broadband.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest broadband in the UK right now?
Of the cheap broadband deals I priced on 22 September 2026 at around 150Mb, Community Fibre's 150Mb plan had the lowest real cost at £18.00 a month over 24 months, but it is London only. Outside London, Hyperoptic averaged £23.00 where it is available and Onestream £23.70. Among the biggest providers, Vodafone was cheapest at £27.50.
Will my broadband price go up mid-contract?
Almost certainly. Every standard deal I checked adds a fixed amount each spring, from £2.75 at Onestream to £4 at BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic. Sky does not publish a figure but can change prices with a month's notice.
Do I qualify for a social tariff?
You qualify if someone in your household claims Universal Credit, and most providers also accept Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support. Some, including Hyperoptic, also accept Personal Independence Payment. Ofcom lists 32 providers charging £10 to £25 a month.
Is full fibre worth paying more for?
Often it does not cost more. Most of the cheap broadband deals in this guide are full fibre, and they upload far faster than part-fibre lines. Where full fibre is available at your address, it is usually the better buy at the same price.
What speed do I actually need?
Netflix recommends 15Mbps for a 4K stream and 5Mbps for Full HD. A 150Mb plan comfortably covers most households, and 500Mb only starts to earn its price when three or more people stream, game or upload at once.
What happens when my broadband contract ends?
You move onto the provider's standard price. That ranges from £5 more at BT, EE and Sky to £62 a month for Virgin Media's M125. Your provider must write to you 10 to 40 days before the end, but a calendar reminder for month 23 gives you more time.
Can I get cheap broadband without a landline?
Yes. The full fibre plans from Community Fibre, Hyperoptic, Onestream, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Virgin Media are data only, and Vodafone sells broadband without a landline by default.
More from CoolCuration
- Should you fix your energy tariff? - the same whole-contract maths, applied to fixed energy deals and their exit fees.
- Snoop - the free app that watches your bills and flags when a better deal comes up.
- Best free budgeting apps UK - where to track the broadband bill once you have cut it.
- TP-Link Wi-Fi 7 travel router - a pocket router for hotels and holiday lets with patchy Wi-Fi.
- Gifts for a new home - for friends who have just moved and are setting up broadband from scratch.
Disclaimer. Broadband prices, promotions and terms change often, so check the provider's own checkout before you sign. The totals here assume a contract starting on 1 October 2026 and exclude reward cards and switching credit unless stated. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
What's trending
Recent posts
- Best Cheap Broadband Deals UK: What You Actually Pay After the Intro Price
Ten cheap broadband deals, priced over the whole 24 months instead of the first six. EE's £25.99 plan really costs £31.24 a month. The cheapest averages £18. #broadband #moneysaving #householdbills #ukdeals #costofliving - Is Monzo Max Worth It? I Priced the Three PoliciesLast updated: 21 September 2026. I checked every Monzo figure and every comparison price on this page that day. By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost… Read more: Is Monzo Max Worth It? I Priced the Three Policies
- iPhone 18 Pro Review: Camera, Battery and Siri AIMy iPhone 18 Pro review: a real variable aperture, new cooling and more battery for £100 more, and why Siri AI scores lowest. Cool Factor 4/5.
No Comments.