Fast broadband.
How much do you actually need?
The fastest broadband deals in the UK, what the speed numbers really mean, why your broadband might feel slow even on a fast plan, and how to find the fastest option at your address.
The fastest broadband available at your address depends on what infrastructure has been built there. Full fibre gigabit connections of 900Mb to 1Gb are available in many areas from multiple providers. For most households, 150 to 300Mb full fibre is more than fast enough for everything you do today and for the foreseeable future. Gigabit is future-proofing rather than a current necessity. If your broadband feels slow despite a fast plan, the issue is almost always WiFi, not your broadband connection.
Find the fastest broadband at your address
The maximum speed available varies street by street. Check your postcode to see the fastest options where you live and compare pricing across providers.
Check my postcodeWhat the speed numbers actually mean
Download speed is measured in megabits per second (Mb). Here is what each tier looks like in terms of what you can do with it and who it genuinely suits.
The highlighted tiers are what we would recommend for most households. 67Mb superfast is enough for most families. 150Mb full fibre is the sweet spot for busy households or home workers, especially because of the much faster upload speed that full fibre brings.
Speed requirements by household size and use
Recommended minimum speed by scenario
Why your broadband feels slow even on a fast plan
This is one of the most common frustrations people have. You are paying for fast broadband but it does not feel fast. In the vast majority of cases, the issue is not your broadband plan. Here are the four most common causes.
WiFi, not broadband
WiFi introduces significant overhead and is affected by interference, distance, walls, and other devices. A wired ethernet connection to the same router will almost always test faster. If speeds improve dramatically on ethernet, the issue is your WiFi.
Router placement
Routers placed in cupboards, behind TVs, or on the floor deliver significantly worse WiFi coverage. The router needs line of sight and central positioning to distribute signal effectively throughout a home.
Peak time congestion
Some providers experience congestion in the evening when many customers are using the network simultaneously. Speeds of 50Mb during the day can drop to 20Mb at 7pm. Run speed tests at different times to see if this is affecting you.
Old internal wiring
On FTTC superfast connections, old or degraded internal telephone wiring between your master socket and router can reduce speeds. Plugging the router directly into the master socket often improves performance on older properties.
Is gigabit broadband actually worth paying for?
Gigabit broadband is heavily marketed in the UK right now as providers compete to win customers in newly-built full fibre areas. The honest answer on whether you need it is more nuanced than the marketing suggests.
The broadband speed most people need vs what they are sold
The UK broadband industry has created a perception that faster is always better and that most households need gigabit speeds. The reality is that a 150Mb full fibre connection is genuinely more than most households need for everything they do today. The thing that matters more than headline download speed is upload speed and latency, neither of which are headline-marketed but both of which significantly affect day-to-day experience for home workers and gamers. A 150Mb full fibre connection with 75Mb upload and 10ms latency will feel faster in everyday use than a 500Mb FTTC connection with 20Mb upload and 40ms latency, even though the headline download number is three times lower.
The practical question to ask is not "what is the fastest broadband available?" but "what is the fastest broadband available at my address that costs a reasonable amount?" Speed and price both matter. Our comparison tool shows you the fastest options available at your postcode alongside their prices, so you can make the decision based on actual numbers rather than general guidance.
Questions people ask
Ofcom defines superfast as 30Mb or above. In practice, 35 to 80Mb is considered fast for typical use, 100 to 300Mb is ultrafast and suits busy households, and 900Mb to 1Gb is gigabit which is more future-proofing than a current necessity for most homes. The fastest available depends on the infrastructure at your address.
For one or two people, 35 to 67Mb is genuinely sufficient for streaming, video calls, and browsing. For a busy household of four, 100 to 150Mb full fibre provides comfortable headroom. Gigabit speeds are more about future-proofing than solving a current problem for most households.
For most households, no, not unless the price difference versus a 300Mb plan is small. The practical difference in day-to-day use for streaming and browsing is minimal. Worth it if the price premium is under £5 per month, if you regularly download very large files, or if you run servers from home.
Almost always WiFi rather than the broadband connection itself. Try plugging directly into the router with an ethernet cable and running a speed test. If speeds improve dramatically, the issue is your WiFi network not your broadband plan. Router placement, old WiFi standards, and interference from other devices are the most common causes.
Gigabit full fibre of 900Mb to 1Gb or more is available from several providers in covered areas including BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone, and various alternative network providers. Some providers offer speeds above 1Gb in specific areas. Availability depends entirely on whether gigabit infrastructure has been built at your address.
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