Relish, Fuel Broadband, Plusnet: can you get a cheaper broadband deal with firms you might not have heard of?

If you are on the hunt for a cheaper broadband deal, it might pay to look beyond the major players.

BT, Virgin Media, Talk Talk and Sky are the UK’s biggest providers, but you may be able to get a cheaper deal from some less well-known brands.

Here’s a rundown of the firms to look out for and what they have to offer.

John Lewis launched John Lewis Broadband to replace Waitrose Broadband and Greenbee Phone and Broadband back in April 2012.

The 'never knowingly undersold' retailer uses Plusnet to offer a service 'you can really trust' and claims it offers the same excellent customer service it exercises elsewhere in its business.

John Lewis Broadband has simple 12-month contracts with the choice of three types of broadband: standard, unlimited and fibre. They can can come with evening and weekend, anytime and anytime international call packages. All bundles include a free wireless router, free activation and PC security.

Here's a selection of its deals.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
John Lewis Broadband Standard + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening  and weekend	20GB	17Mb	12 months	£13.50 a month for six months then £24.50 a month thereafter	£228
John Lewis Broadband Unlimited + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening  and weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£13.50 a month for six months then £31.50 a month thereafter	£270
John Lewis Broadband Standard + Anytime Calls	Anytime	20GB	17Mb	12 months	£18.50 a month for six months then £29.50 a month thereafter	£288
John Lewis Broadband Unlimited + Anytime Calls	Anytime	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£18.50 a month for six months then £36.50 a month thereafter	£330
John Lewis Broadband Fibre + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening  and weekend	Unlimited	38Mb	12 months	£13.50 a month for three months then £38.50 a month thereafter	£387
John Lewis Broadband Fibre + Anytime Calls	Anytime	Unlimited	38Mb	12 months	£18.50 a month for three months then £43.50 a month thereafter	£447

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

The Post Office isn't just about stamps and posting letters. It also offers a range of services including broadband and home phone packages that it claims are simple and offer good value.

You can pick from two broadband deals: one offers 10GB of data usage, while the other allows unlimited use. However, there isn't a fibre option just yet.

Bundles include free UK weekend calls, free activation, a free wireless router and free security software. You can add anytime calls for an extra £7 a month and/or international saver package for an extra £4 a month.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
Post Office Broadband Essential	Weekend	10GB	17Mb	12 months	£21	£252
Post Office Broadband Premium	Weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	18 months	£20*	£240
Post Office Broadband Essential	Anytime	10GB	17Mb	12 months	£27	£324
Post Office Broadband Premium	Anytime	Unlimited	17Mb	18 months	£20*	£324

*Special offer price available until 3rd April 2016

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

'Big Six' energy firm SSE has more to offer households than just power. The firm has been providing broadband and phone deals via its SSE Telecoms business since 2006.

You don’t have to be an SSE gas or electricity customer to apply, and bundles include a free wireless router, free subscription to an Internet Security Suite and the option of weekend or anytime calls.

Here’s what you can get.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
SSE Everyday Broadband + Talk Weekend	Weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	18 months	£21.49	£257.88
SSE Everyday Broadband + Talk Anytime	Anytime	Unlimited	17Mb	18 months	£29	£348
SSE Superfast Fibre Broadband + Talk Weekend	Weekend	Unlimited	38Mb	18 months	£33.49	£401.88
SSE Superfast Fibre Broadband + Talk Anytime	Anytime	Unlimited	38Mb	18 months	£41	£492

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

Relish launched in June 2014 offering ‘fibre fast’ broadband without the need for a fixed landline.

The service works via a plug-in router that uses 4G signal from a dedicated network. Because there is no landline, there is no ‘landline tax’ to pay in the form of line rental, and you won’t need an engineer either.

As well as being affordable, Relish is also more flexible with the option of one-month contracts as well as 12-month deals. The catch is the service is only available in London at the moment, but Relish says it will be expanding in the future.

Here are the details of its two main offerings.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
Relish Home Unlimited	None	Unlimited	50Mb	One month	£20	£290*
Relish Home Unlimited	None	Unlimited	50Mb	12 months	£20	£240

*£50 upfront router cost

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

Plusnet is an award-winning broadband provider that started out in 1997 with a belief that everyone deserves to pay a fair price and get great service.

It has three types of deals: unlimited broadband, unlimited fibre and unlimited fibre extra. These can then be combined with pay as you go, evening & weekend, anytime and/or anytime international calls packages.

All bundles come with a free wireless router (plus £6.99 p&p) worth £40, UK-based customer support and free Plusnet Safeguard which gives you online parental control.

Here’s some of its main deals.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
Plusnet Unlimited Broadband	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£16.99	£160.87*
Plusnet Unlimited Broadband + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening & weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£19.99	£196.87*
Plusnet Unlimited Broadband + Anytime Calls	Anytime	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£22.99	£232.87*
Plusnet Unlimited Fibre  + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening & weekend	Unlimited	38Mb	18 months	£19.99 first six months then £34.98 thereafter	£336.81**
Plusnet Unlimited Fibre  + Anytime Calls	Anytime	Unlimited	38Mb	18 months	£22.99 first six months then £37.98 thereafter	£372.81**
Plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening & weekend	Unlimited	76Mb	18 months	£29.99 first six months then £37.98 thereafter	£426.81**
Plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra + Anytime Calls	Anytime	Unlimited	76Mb	18 months	£32.99 first six months then £42.98 thereafter	£444.81**

*Includes £50 cashback offer and £6.99 p&p for router

**Includes £6.99 p&p for router

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

Fuel Broadband (previously called Primus Saver) rebranded back in October 2014 to represent its belief that "broadband is the fuel of everyday life".

It offers truly unlimited broadband with speeds of up to 17Mb, UK-based customer service and free technical support. Calls are offered on a pay as you go basis, but you can upgrade to anytime calls for a little bit more each month.

Fuel Broadband doesn’t offer fibre broadband just yet, but it promises superfast 76Mb speeds will be coming soon.

At the moment all of Fuel’s broadband deals come with a free Amazon fire TV Stick and voice remote, which gives you access to apps like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and YouTube on your TV.

Here’s what you can get.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
Fuel Broadband Unlimited	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£17.30	£215.55*
Fuel Broadband Unlimited + Anytime	Anytime	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£20.30	£251.55*

*Includes £7.95 upfront cost

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

Direct Save Telecom aims to offer a dependable and reliable service at the best possible price for homes and businesses.

It boasts UK-based customer support and has recently launched a 24/7 service. You can pick from unlimited broadband, fibre, superfast fibre and no contract deals.

Bundles come with a free wireless router (plus £8.95 p&p) and free membership of a discount scheme offering savings of up to 25% on high street brands.

Here’s what’s on offer.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
Direct Save Telecom 95p Unlimited Fast Broadband	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£18.70	£258.30*
Direct Save Telecom £1.95 Unlimited Broadband and Free UK Calls	Evening and weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	24 months	£19.70	£270.30*
Direct Save Telecom Fibre Broadband and Weekend Calls	Weekend	Unlimited	38Mb	18 months	£17.75 a month for three months then £32.50 thereafter	£379.65*
Direct Save Telecom Superfast Fibre Broadband and Weekend Calls	Weekend	Unlimited	76Mb	18 months	£37.50	£486.30*

*Includes £24.95 set up fee and £8.95 p&p.

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

Pop Telecom claims it is one of the fastest growing telecommunication companies in the UK and prides itself on offering market-leading deals for homes and businesses.

If offers everyday broadband and fibre broadband as well as tailored solutions with deals for over 60s, students, gamers and landlords.

Bundles come with a free wireless router and customers get UK customer services and technical support.

Here are some of the offers available.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Total first year cost
Pop Telecom Simply Broadband	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	24 months	£17.99 first year then £26.99 thereafter	£215.88
Pop Telecom Unlimited Broadband + Evening and Weekend Calls	Evening and weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	24 months	£21.99	£263.88
Pop Telecom Unlimited Broadband + Anytime Calls	Anytime	Unlimited	17Mb	24 months	£22.99	£275.88
Pop Telecom Superfast Fibre Broadband	Pay as you go	100GB	38Mb	24 months	£23.99 for nine months then £33.99 thereafter	£317.88
Pop Telecom Superfast Fibre Broadband + Anytime Calls	Anytime	100GB	38Mb	24 months	£29.99 for nine months then £39.99 thereafter	£389.88

Compare deals with broadbandchoices.co.uk

To get a cheaper broadband deal you will need to shop around and compare offers.

We’ve picked out the cheapest below to show you how the smaller providers stack up to the big names.

To compare more deals head to broadbandchoices.co.uk.

Deal	Calls	Usage	Speed (up to)	Contract	Monthly cost	Upfront cost	Total first year cost
Plusnet Unlimited Broadband	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17bps	12 months	£16.99	£6.99	£160.87*
Plusnet Unlimited Broadband + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening & weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£19.99	£6.99	£196.87*
Fuel Broadband Unlimited	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£17.30	£7.95	£215.55
Pop Telecom Simply Broadband	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	24 months	£17.99 first year then £26.99 thereafter	£215.88	Pop Telecom Simply Broadband
Sky Broadband Unlimited	Pay as you go	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£17.40	£6.95	£215.75**
Talk Talk Simply Broadband	Six months anytime, pay as you go thereafter. ENDS TODAY	Unlimited	17Mb	18 months	£17.70	£6.75	£219.75***
EE Unlimited Broadband and Weekend Calls	Weekend	Unlimited	17Mb	12 months	£18.50	£6	£228
John Lewis Broadband Standard + Evening & Weekend Calls	Evening  and weekend	20GB	17Mb	12 months	£13.50 a month for six months then £24.50 a month thereafter	-	£228

*£50 cashback deal

**Apply with broadbandchoices.co.uk and get a £75 M&S voucher

***Apply with broadbandchoices.co.uk and get a £75 Love2shop voucher