If you’re in the market for a new broadband deal, there’s a good chance you’ve considered packages from BT or Sky broadband. They’re two of the UK’s most popular internet service providers, with each offering a wide range of deals with frequent special offers.
But which is best? On this page, we’re going to examine both providers in a head-to-head competition.
Sky vs BT broadband packages
Sky and BT are two of the most popular internet service providers in the UK. But how do they compare on key features such as speed, usage limits and contract length? Let’s find out.
Cheapest broadband packages
| Sky Broadband Full Fibre 150 | BT Full Fibre 150 | |
| Download speed (average) | 150Mb | 150Mb |
| Upload speed | 31Mb | 30Mb |
| Data usage limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Traffic management | No | No |
| Contract length | 24 months | 24 months |
| Set-up cost | £0 | £30 |
| Monthly price (initial contract term) | £23 | £23.99 |
Winner: Sky
It's a photo finish and not much between them for sure, but at the time of writing, Sky had a lower effective monthly cost, with nothing to pay upfront.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£24 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £30
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£23.99 per month
£27.99 from 31st March 2027
£31.99 from 31st March 2028
Fastest fibre packages
| Sky Broadband Full Fibre Gigafast | BT Full Fibre 900 | |
| Download speed (average) | 1000Mb | 900Mb |
| Upload speed | 92Mb | 110Mb |
| Data usage limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Traffic Management | No | No |
| Contract length | 24 months | 24 months |
| Monthly price (initial contract term) | £29 | £31.99 |
Winner: Sky
As both providers operate on the Openreach network, BT and Sky have similar full fibre, ultrafast packages, with real average download speeds of around 900Mb. However, Sky does insist you could expect 1Gb performance, while BT does promise a slightly better upload rate with its Full Fibre 900 option.
Another point in BT's favour is that you’re able to use your own Wi-Fi router if you prefer, something that isn’t supported by Sky. That's worth keeping in mind if you intend to upgrade your router.
However, Sky Gigafast offers better value for money. Taking sign-up rewards into account, you can regularly get Sky Gigafast for an effective monthly cost of less than £30.
Sky has recently launched two packages that are even faster - Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ (2500Mb average download speed) and Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ (5000Mb average download speed), but these deals will only be available to customers in CityFibre areas.
- ‘How to buy your own Wi-Fi broadband router’
- Sky Broadband rewards and gift offers
- 'What is CityFibre?'
- Speed: 1Gb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£29 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 900Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £10
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£31.99 per month
£35.99 from 31st March 2027
£39.99 from 31st March 2028
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What is Openreach?
Openreach is the company that maintains the former British Telecom Network used for the majority of broadband and phone services. If a repair or installation is required, it’s Openreach who will send an engineer, not your provider.
More than 650 service providers using the Openreach network. That’s the majority of the UK’s broadband providers. This includes Sky, TalkTalk and BT. The exception to this is Virgin Media - it uses its own, separate cable network.
Price and affordability
Monthly price
Winner: Sky
Compare full fibre deals, Sky regularly offers faster speeds for a lower monthly cost.
Setup cost
Winner: Sky
Unfortunately, BT has recently introduced a £30 set-up cost on all of its packages. This significantly raises the effective monthly cost over Sky's offers.
Get broadband with no set-up costs
Broadband rewards and new customer deals
Winner: Tie
New customers signing up to both Sky and BT Broadband can often snap up a gift voucher when they sign up for a new broadband service.
BT Reward Cards are pre-paid Mastercards. These are flexible rewards that can be spend almost anywhere.
Sky Gift also offers pre-paid Mastercards, or gift cards for stores such as M&S, John Lewis and Sainsburys.
At the time of writing, BT had the highest reward deal. But both offer regular deals for new customers.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£24 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 67Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£24 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 75Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£24 per month
Price may rise during contract
Availability and coverage
Winner: BT
BT has the edge here, with availability across most of the country. If you can get broadband using a telephone line, then you can get BT Broadband.
Sky does also use the Openreach infrastructure, but has its own LLU network. That covers more than 24 million premises, so there’s a good chance you can get Sky. But if you’re outside their network area, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
When it comes to full fibre broadband, you’ll find that both providers have the same availability as they share the Openreach full fibre network.
Check to see what’s on offer in your location now by entering your address:
Customer service
Winner: Sky
Every quarter, Ofcom releases data on broadband complaints, and this gives us a good gauge on customer service.
In early 2026, Sky was one of the least complained about providers. Meanwhile, BT had more complaints than the industry standard.
In our 2025 Broadband Awards, BT and Sky scored an equal customer satisfaction level of 72%.
Additional services
Winner: Sky
Both providers offer other services which you can take alongside home broadband. Sky wins this category for us thanks to its excellent TV service, and a better choice of channels. But it’s a very close match, and BT has a lot to offer too.
TV Deals
If you’re interested in adding a TV package, only Virgin Media can really match up to Sky TV. But EE TV (the new name for BT TV) is a compelling alternative. You can still get heaps of premium channels, including Sky Atlantic, Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
Unless you sign up for Sky Glass or Sky Stream, you’ll have to get a satellite dish installed. There’s no need for this with EE, it’s just a shame its TV deals aren’t a little cheaper.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£32 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 300Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£41 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 75Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£52 per month
Price may rise during contract
Mobile bundles
Both providers have mobile phone deals. Sky uses the O2 network, while BT uses EE’s. This gives BT an edge in coverage and speed, as EE has the most comprehensive 4G and 5G coverage across the UK. At the time of writing, BT broadband customers had access to dedicated EE deals, including 50% mobile phone contracts.
But Sky Mobile is flexible and cheap. Deals start from £5 per month, you can roll over unused data for up to three years, and you’re able to mix up the phone plans by customising allowances to suit your needs.
Extras and freebies
Winner: BT
Both Sky and BT offer some useful extras, though BT has a more generous package.
BT broadband deals include:
- BT Wi-Fi (a public hotspot network with thousands of free access points).
- BT Virus Protect (antivirus for desktop and mobile powered by Norton).
- BT Parental Controls (also works on BT Wi-Fi).
Sky broadband deals include:
- The Cloud Wi-Fi (a public hotspot network with thousands of free access points).
- Sky Broadband Shield (parental controls and online security).
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Is BT or Sky broadband better?
It depends on what matters most to you. BT offers faster upload speeds and better extras, while Sky tends to be cheaper and has better customer service. Sky also has a better choice of entertainment options.
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Who has the fastest broadband – Sky or BT?
Both providers offer full fibre packages with average download speeds of up to 900Mb. However, if you're in a CityFibre area, Sky now offers Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ with average download speeds of 5000Mb!
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Which is cheaper, BT or Sky broadband?
Sky is generally cheaper, especially when you factor in reward cards and introductory prices. Sky’s entry-level Full Fibre packages tend to offer better value than BT’s equivalent deals.
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Can I get Sky and BT broadband in my area?
Most homes in the UK can get both BT and Sky broadband, as they share the Openreach network. However, BT has slightly wider availability for standard packages.
Sky Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ and Sky Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ are only available to customers in a CityFibre network area.
Sky or BT Broadband? The results
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Cheapest broadband package | Sky |
| Fastest broadband package | Sky |
| Price and affordability | Sky |
| Set-up costs and routers | Tie |
| Broadband rewards and new customer deals | Tie |
| Availability and coverage | BT |
| Customer service | Sky |
| Additional services | Sky |
| Extras and freebies | BT |
Winner: Sky
It's very close, and these two giants of the broadband world are pretty evenly matched. Both offer good value fibre optic packages with very similar broadband speeds, and handy extra features with additional TV and mobile services.
BT offers customers more freebies and extras, and an excellent mobile service. But you currently have to pay £30 upfront. Sky continues to edge it on customer service with a stronger record on support and an unbeatable TV service.
Find out what others think about Sky and BT with our customer reviews.