What genuinely cheap broadband looks like in 2025
The budget end of the UK residential broadband market currently starts around 20-25 pounds per month for a basic full fibre or SoGEA connection. The good news is that 25 pounds per month now buys something that would have been considered mid-market a few years ago.
The introductory price problem
Many cheap broadband deals are cheap for 12 or 18 months and then jump substantially. A deal at 19.99 pounds per month for the first year and then 42 pounds per month thereafter is not actually a 19.99 pound deal. Always check what the price becomes after the introductory period ends.
Check the minimum guaranteed speed
Since 2019, providers are required to state a minimum guaranteed download speed at the point of sale. This is the floor you have a legal right to receive. Make sure the guaranteed minimum on a budget package is acceptable for your needs before signing up.
Social tariffs: the actually cheapest option
If you or someone in your household receives Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or certain other means-tested benefits, you may qualify for social tariff broadband, genuinely subsidised packages as cheap as 15 pounds per month. These exist from BT, Sky, Virgin Media, and others but are not prominently advertised, so you have to specifically ask.
