The types of broadband deals and speeds available to you will depend on your location.
But how do you know you're getting the right deal for your household?
Use our broadband postcode checker to find the best broadband in your area and compare deals to make sure you're on the right tariff.
Not every broadband company reaches the whole of the UK, and some broadband providers might have weak connections where you are.
Others, however, will bring their fastest speeds right to your property.
By comparing providers, you can see who offers the best local speeds, deals, and bundles.
To find broadband deals in your area, use our broadband postcode checker above.
For fast results, simply:
Type in your postcode. A dropdown menu will appear where you select your address.
Select your current address in the dropdown menu. Providing us with your full address allows us to give you more accurate results for the deals available at your property.
As the most competitive broadband deals are often aimed at new customers, we'll need to know who you're currently with so we can show you alternative options.
Our postcode checker then filters the deals table, so you'll only see tariffs your home can accommodate.
There are several reasons for comparing broadband deals in your area.
For instance, you might want to:
Whether you’re part of a big family, living in shared accommodation, or in a student house, you might need faster broadband.
Competitively priced broadband bundles are almost always offered to new customers. By shopping around, you can find out if switching providers can get you a better deal.
Broadband can be expensive, so check if there are deals in your area that offer you the essentials only, like broadband only tariffs.
Broadband speeds can vary between postcodes - and even between different homes on the same street.
Factors that might affect broadband speed include:
For activities like online gaming and streaming, ultrafast and gigabit-capable broadband are both good choices, especially if people in your household do these kinds of things at the same time.
However, you’ll need to check your eligibility first, as some properties and areas do not support ultrafast or gigabit-capable broadband just yet.
To see if you can get ultrafast or gigabit-capable broadband deals where you’re based, use our postcode checker.
Despite no broadband provider covering the whole of the UK, you should be able to find an ISP that can connect you to the internet.
Offering broadband across almost the entire country, BT utilises its Openreach network to support various cabled connections, including standard and fibre.
Similar Openreach-backed networks include:
At the same time, Virgin Media is making improvements to its own independent network with gigabit-capable services. Its Gig1 broadband actually offers average download speeds beyond this - up to 1,130Mbps.
Some providers, like Hyperoptic, only service certain areas, while others specialise in remote or more localised communities.
For example, KCOM covers Hull and the North East, whereas Trooli offers full-fibre broadband in rural South East England.
Absolutely. The distance between your home and the nearest telephone exchange can result in slower broadband speeds, as the signal has further to travel.
Fibre is generally considered to be the fastest type of broadband available right now, capable of delivering smoother downloads and higher connectivity.
But full-fibre is typically much faster than part-fibre, as part-fibre still uses old copper telephone lines to provide internet access.
If the broadband speeds in your area are not good, consider cableless alternatives like satellite or mobile broadband.
As a rule, the more rural and remote your home is, the slower your internet speeds.
Although it’s still worth seeing if there’s plans to bring high-speed broadband to your area in the future.
Many providers have also begun to offer rural broadband deals with decent speeds for those living in harder-to-reach communities.
Use our broadband speed test for an idea of how fast your current home internet is performing.
According to Ofcom's 2023 UK home broadband performance report , 75% of UK households now have access to gigabit-capable broadband.[1]
This includes over half (52%) of UK homes where full-fibre broadband is available.
Different households require different broadband speeds, so if you do not need a fast connection for things like uploads and streaming, purchasing slower broadband could save you money.
For example, ADSL broadband has average speeds of around 11Mbps, enough for casual web browsing.
But you might not receive the advertised speeds on your broadband deal.
Watch out for the use of ‘up to’ whenever broadband speed is mentioned.
If you do not need top speeds, choosing a standard (ADSL) broadband connection could save you money.
ADSL packages are sometimes cheaper than fibre connections, as they’re slightly slower.
But they're only really suitable if you live alone, or with another person and you both use the internet sparingly. Otherwise, you might start to experience lag and other problems with slow internet speeds.
As fibre internet has now become the norm throughout the UK, you might also find that switching to an ADSL connection is not as cost-effective or hassle-free as getting a cheap fibre deal.
Use our postcode checker to compare the best broadband in your area and get a clearer picture of how much you can save.
You can use our fibre broadband checker to see if it's available in your area.
Fibre broadband availability depends on your postcode, and there’s more than one type to consider:
According to Ofcom’s Summer 2023 Connected Nations Update , the UK’s full-fibre coverage has passed the halfway threshold for the first time - up to 52% from 48%.
At the same time, Ofcom’s report states that 97% of all UK households can now access some form of fibre broadband.[2]
This means you’re more likely to find a fibre broadband deal where you live than any other type of connection.
However, for those in more rural areas who cannot get fibre internet, cableless alternatives like mobile or satellite broadband are worth considering.
The cost of broadband in the UK varies depending on:
Currently, most superfast fibre broadband deals tend to cost roughly the same as standard ADSL tariffs.
However, fibre broadband prices do start to rise with faster speeds and various extras, including:
For the best broadband in your area, compare providers of different sizes like:
[1] As of May 2023
[2] Data accessed from Ofcom’s 2023 Connected Nation Update
