The cheapest and best broadband deals

Customers of the UK's biggest broadband providers are the least satisfied.

TalkTalk and Sky received the worst scores, a survey by Which? found, with a quarter of TalkTalk customers saying they had suffered very low broadband speeds in the last 12 months.

Two-thirds of Sky customers said they were likely to switch broadband providers, despite the network performing well in Ofcom's latest complaints report.

BT, Virgin Media and Vodaphone were also criticised by customers, for poor customer service and price rises.

The broadband providers with the most satisfied customers were mainly smaller firms, with Zen Internet topping the list.

To help you find a better deal, here are some of the best broadband-only and broadband bundle deals in the UK today that we've found using broadbandchoices.co.uk.

How fast is your broadband?

There have been some huge changes in the way broadband companies are allowed to advertise.

Instead of 'up to' speeds, companies now have to quote 'average' speeds, which at least 50% of users actually get in peak times, defined at 8pm to 10pm.

The Advertising Standards Agency will enforce the new rules, which have been much needed for some time.

Previously, customers forking out extra for super-fast broadband that promises speeds of up to 200Mbps, get an average of just 52Mbps.

If your broadband provider doesn't provide the speeds its offering you can complain to Ofcom and potentially leave the deal penalty-free, from March onwards.

From April, BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet will offer automatic compensation for slow repairs.

Without a landline

Even if you don't use a home phone, you will still need to pay for a BT landline for most broadband deals. And if you don’t have an existing phone line, you’ll need to get it installed.

The only alternative at the moment is to go for wireless broadband Relish Broadband (only in London or Swindon) or fibre optic broadband from Virgin Media, which doesn’t rely on BT’s network.

However, Virgin’s network doesn’t cover the whole of the UK so you might not be able to receive it where you live.

Here are the cheapest broadband-only deals going now. Most of these are available to new customers only so have a peek at the terms and conditions before signing up.

Cheapest landline-free deal: Relish Broadband Unlimited

Relish Broadband deal costs £22 a month with no setup fee and is available at broadbandchoices.co.uk.

Key features include:

• 12-month contract;
• Average 20Mbps speed;
• Unlimited downloads;
• Free activation, hardware and next-day delivery.

The total first-year cost of this deal comes to £264.

Broadband bundles

If you do have a BT landline, then you have a far wider choice of broadband providers.

Here we've looked at the cheapest broadband-only deal, cheapest internet-TV-calls package and cheapest fibre broadband deal.

Bear in mind that not all deals with be available in your area.

Cheapest broadband deal: Post Office - Unlimited Broadband

Post Office's Unlimited Broadband costs £17 a month for 12 months with free setup. You can find it at broadbandchoices.co.uk

Key features include:

• 12-month contract;
• Average 11Mbps speed;
• Unlimited downloads;
• Weekend calls;
• Free hardware and activation;

The total first-year cost of this deal comes to £204.

Cheapest home phone, broadband and TV deal: NOW Brilliant Broadband

NOW's deal costs just £1 a month more than broadband-only deals, at £18, and you get anytime calls. You also get a six-month Entertainment Pass thrown in - just remember to cancel this if you don't use it as it costs £7.99/month thereafter.

• 12-month contract;
• Average 11Mbps speed;
• Unlimited downloads;
• Anytime calls;
• Free hardware and activation;
• Six-month free Entertainment Pass then £7.99/month

The total first-year cost of this deal comes to £216 (or £263.94 if you opt to keep the Entertainment Pass).

Cheapest fibre deal: NOW Fab Fibre

At £25 a month, NOW's fibre deal gives you extra speed and includes the anytime calls and six-month Entertainment Pass.

• 12-month contract;
• Average 36Mbps speed;
• Unlimited downloads;
• Anytime calls;
• Free hardware and activation;
• Six-month free Entertainment Pass then £7.99/month

The total first-year cost of this deal comes to £300 (or £347.94 if you opt to keep the Entertainment Pass).

Compare deals in your area with broadbandchoices.co.uk

Use cashback websites to save even more

Remember to head over to cashback websites like Quidco or TopCashback to see if you can save. These sites often have huge cash incentives for signing up to broadband deals.

This article is regularly updated. This article contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission on any sales of products or services we write about. This article was written completely independently.