How to find the best internet providers in Manchester
Looking for the best broadband deals in Manchester? Whether you live in Chorlton, Collyhurst, Rusholme, or Moss Side, there's plenty of fast, full fibre options to choose from.
As well as packages from popular names like BT, Sky and Virgin Media, there are plenty of alternative broadband providers (altnets) as well, including Hyperoptic, YouFibre, 4th Utility and Rise Fibre. In fact, over 70% of homes in the Manchester area can sign up to full fibre deal with an altnet.
But coverage still varies from street to street. It's always worth checking what's available at your address before you start to think about switching.
Using Broadband Genie's postcode checker is one of the easiest ways to do this.
Simply enter your postcode to start the ball rolling:
Types of broadband services available in Manchester
ADSL
This is a basic broadband connection delivered over a telephone line, with maximum download speeds around 11Mb.
It's highly unlikely that this will be your only option. According to the Office of National Statistics, less than 2% of properties in the city can only get speeds below 30Mbps.
But if it is, we recommend ignoring these and exploring mobile broadband instead.
Part-fibre and full fibre broadband
Over 91% of homes in Manchester have been upgraded to full fibre broadband. Although around 30% of homes may find they still can't get faster deals from the more popular providers on the Openreach network, like BT, Sky and Vodafone. We'll explore some of the smaller alternatives available further down the page.
Full fibre deals offer you faster and more reliable speeds. They can also be great value for money. You can even find many full fibre deals with lower monthly prices than slower, part-fibre alternatives.
By January 2027, the UK is set to turn off this old copper telephone wire network, so these deals will soon become obsolete.
If you're still seeing part-fibre deals with speeds below about 65Mbps, but you also have full fibre options, choose full fibre. It's the best way to future-proof your home, and can actually work out as better value.
Why you should consider an alternative broadband provider
Don't be put off by signing up to a smaller provider - they often come with many benefits.
We call these smaller providers 'altnets' or 'alternative network providers'. This is because they build their own infrastructure to challenge larger providers. They supply their services independently.
Altnets are more likely to offer benefits such as:
- Fixed price promises (no mid-contract price rises)
- UK-based customer service
- Upload speeds as fast as downloads
Read more: 'What are altnets? Why you should shop local for amazing deals'
Cable broadband
Virgin Media isn't available to everyone in Manchester. At the time of writing, around 63% of premises could sign up to a Virgin broadband deal.
Virgin Media is a favourite for those who want to mix fast broadband speeds into a bundle with TV or phone.
If you can't get Virgin Media, but you're keen to explore getting a bundled broadband and TV deal, alternative options include:
Read more: 'Alternatives to Virgin Media broadband and TV'
Explore broadband & TV packages
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£32 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 362Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£56.99 per month
£60.99 from 1st April 2027
£64.99 from 1st April 2028
- Speed: 900Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £10
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£36.99 per month
£42.99 from 31st March 2027
£48.99 from 31st March 2028
Mobile broadband
Manchester is well catered for by all UK mobile broadband networks. You should be able to receive a strong 4G or 5G signal from EE, O2, Vodafone and Three mobile networks as far out of the city in all directions as far as Salford, Collyhurst, Trafford Park and Hulme. Although, Vodafone has a slightly weaker offering away from the city centre.
It's worth considering Three's 4G or 5G home broadband deals. Unlike other home broadband packages, these won't require any fixed line and could be an excellent option if you live in rented accommodation and don't want to (or can't) get permission for broadband installation from your landlord.
Before buying any mobile deal, you should confirm coverage for yourself. Click the logos below to access the official network signal check tools:
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Get help to find the best broadband provider in Manchester
| Provider | Price From (p/mo) | Contract Length | Set-up Fee | Top speed | Broadband Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Utility | £32 | 24-months | £0 | 900Mbps | Full Fibre |
| BT | £24 | 24-months | £30 | 900Mbps | Part-Fibre, Full Fibre |
| EE | £26 | 24-months | £30 | 1Gbps | Part-Fibre, Full Fibre |
| Fibrely | £23 | 24-months | - | 1Gbps | Full Fibre |
| Hyperoptic | £10 | 24-months, 12-months, 1-month | £0 | 900Mbps | Full Fibre |
| Plusnet | £21 | 24-months | £20 | 900Mbps | Part-Fibre, Full Fibre |
| Rebel | £34 | 24-months, 12-months, 1-month | - | 1Gbps | Part-Fibre, Full Fibre |
| Rise Fibre | £28 | 24-months | - | 900Mbps | Full Fibre |
| Sky | £23 | 24-months | £0 | 1Gbps | Part-Fibre, Full Fibre |
| The One Broadband | £33 | 18-months | £10 | 900Mbps | Full Fibre |
| Three | £15 | 24-months, 12-months, 1-month | £0 | 150Mbps | Mobile - 4G / 5G |
| Virgin Media | £18 | 24-months | £0 | 1.1Gbps | Cable |
| Vodafone | £16 | 24-months | £0 | 1.1Gbps | Part-Fibre, Full Fibre, Mobile - 5G |
| YouFibre | £20 | 24-months | £0 | 6.8Gbps | Full Fibre |
Your choice of broadband provider will depend on your location. That's why it's best to use our postcode checker to view your options.
It's not unusual for houses on the same street to have access to different providers and packages.
As well as the bigger brands, we highly recommend considering some of the smaller broadband providers and altnets available in the Manchester area. These include:
4th Utility
- Prices start from £32 per month (up to £22 off for 6-month offer currently available)
- Full fibre speeds from 150Mbps to 900Mbps
If you're currently receiving benefits such as:
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Pension Credit
It's worth noting that 4th Utility has a very affordable Social Tariff plan available, for a low cost of £13.99 per month.
It's fairly slow by today's standards, but could be very beneficial if you want to get connected for basic browsing, email, and will be good enough for streaming in smaller homes.
- Speed: 900Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£22 per month
£44 from 20th March 2027
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£16 per month
£32 from 20th March 2027
Fibrely
- Prices start from £22.99 per month (£10 off for 6-month offer currently available)
- Full fibre speeds from 115Mbps to 1Gbps
Package from this provider will be fast enough for average families to very busy household with speeds up to 1Gbps.
You can get connected in as little as 5 days, and all deals come with a 14-day happiness guarantee.
Its 'Broadband Assurance' add-on allows you to change your package to a fixed price guarantee, so your monthly bills won't rise during your contract period.
- Speed: 115Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£14.99 per month
£24.99 from 20th March 2027
£28.99 from 1st April 2027
£32.99 from 1st April 2028
- Speed: 550Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£20.99 per month
£30.99 from 20th March 2027
£34.99 from 1st April 2027
£38.99 from 1st April 2028
Hyperoptic
- Prices start from £10 per month
- Full fibre speeds up to 900Mbps
Flexible rolling monthly contracts are available from Hyperoptic. This is perfect if you're only planning to stay in your home temporarily, but need fast broadband.
Its 150Mb Superfast is the lowest deal we've ever seen for those speeds.
It offers fast, full fibre broadband speeds up to 900Mbps with symmetrical upload and download speeds.
You can add flexible call plans onto your broadband service from an extra £3 per month.
Hyperoptic offers a social tariff. This is a discounted package starting from £12 per month to customers on Universal Credit and other benefits.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£10 per month
£14 from 1st April 2027
£17 from 1st April 2028
- Speed: 900Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£17 per month
£21 from 1st April 2027
£24 from 1st April 2028
Rebel Internet
- Prices start from £34 per month
- Full fibre speeds from 115Mbps to 1Gbps
It's one of the pricier options in Manchester, but all of Rebel's broadband deals come with a fixed price promise. This means, unlike many other providers, your monthly bill won't go up every Spring.
If you're looking for a more reliable option with peace of mind over cost - this could be a great option.
Various contract lengths are on offer, including shorter 12-month and 1-month deals.
With all deals, you also get a high-spec, unique looking router, as well as UK-based tech support.
- Speed: 1000Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
Rewards:
£50 per month
Fixed price promise
- Speed: 115Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
Rewards:
£36 per month
Fixed price promise
Rise Fibre
- Prices start from £27.99 per month (£10 off for 6-month offer currently available)
- Full fibre speeds from 150Mbps to 900Mbps
Rise Fibre offers broadband speeds fast enough for even the busiest of homes, with speeds up to 900Mbps.
This provider has one of the best Trustpilot scores we've seen, with a 4.6 'Excellent' rating.
Good customer service regularly crops up as being one of Rise Fibre's appeal.
- Speed: 900Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£27.99 per month
£37.99 from 20th January 2027
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£19.99 per month
£29.99 from 20th January 2027
Three
If you're in an apartment, you need to get online quickly, you want a back-up broadband service, or you just need a temporary solution, Three 5G or 4G Unlimited Home Broadband could be a good option for you.
You don't need an engineer visit for Three. There's currently no set-up fee and monthly costs start from a very low £15 per month.
But you will need good mobile network reception. Thankfully, all Three deals come with a 30-day guarantee. If you find you're struggling with speed, you can cancel penalty-free.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£15 per month
£18.50 from 1st April 2027
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 1 months
£29 per month
Price may rise during contract
The One Broadband
This is one of the very few full fibre broadband providers that offers an 18-month contract.
All packages include a Wi-Fi 6 router with a dedicated app to manage Wi-Fi access for everyone at home. If you have kids, this could prove handy, with a quick pause feature to disable connections.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £10
- Contract: 18 months
£33.50 per month
£36.50 from 1st April 2027
- Speed: 900Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £10
- Contract: 18 months
£39.50 per month
£42.50 from 1st April 2027
YouFibre
If you're looking for the fastest broadband option in Manchester, it's worth checking if you can get YouFibre.
Its fastest package - YouFibre 8000 (prices from £50 per month) offers average broadband speeds of 6.8Gbps (speedy enough for all large, busy and data-intensive homes), and all deals are symmetrical. That means your upload speed is as fast as your download.
Only the very busiest of homes will need speeds this fast, but slightly slower speeds come at very affordable prices, with monthly costs from £20.
All YouFibre packages come with a fixed price promise, so there are no price hikes during your contract - unlike some larger providers.
- Speed: 1Gb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£25 per month
Fixed price promise
- Speed: 6.8Gb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£50 per month
Fixed price promise
Best broadband options for students in Manchester
If you're studying at The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, or the University of Salford, but you're not staying in halls, you'll need to kit yourself up with a decent broadband solution.
Speed and reliability will be important, especially if you're sharing the bill with other housemates. A shorter contract is also preferable, so you're not having to fork out for bills out of term time or get stuck with an expensive early cancellation fee.
Virgin Media offers dedicated student broadband deals. These come with fast download speeds that suit multiple people streaming, browsing and gaming at once.
The main perk is that they come with a 12-month contract. Normally, Virgin Media deals and many others, only now offer longer 24-month deals.
To sign up, you'll need to provide a valid .ac.uk email address during checkout.
Don't forget to check the availability, though. As we've explored already - you might unfortunately end up living in an area that can't get Virgin. If that happens, it's worth checking out more options for short-term broadband. Rebel Internet could be a good alternative.
- Speed: 516Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
£28.99 per month
£32.99 from 1st April 2027
- Speed: 132Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
£25.99 per month
£29.99 from 1st April 2027
- Speed: 1.1Gb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
£29.99 per month
£33.99 from 1st April 2027
Best broadband options for home workers
You should have plenty of options if you work from home. We highly recommend looking for a full fibre broadband deal if you can get it. That extra speed and reliability will prove valuable for video calls.
If you're really concerned about losing connection, don't forget, you can get a Three 4G or 5G Hub Home Broadband package on top of another broadband deal.
Genie Tip: If you want to add this without cancelling another broadband contract, make sure you choose 'Get Three Home Broadband without switching' during checkout.
Vodafone has similar 5G Home Broadband products.
By default, signing up to a Vodafone 5G product won't cancel any existing broadband contracts you may have. So, this means you have the option to double up, or you'll need to manually cancel any deals from your current provider.
Read more: 'What broadband speed do I need to work from home?'
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 1 months
£30 per month
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£15 per month
£18.50 from 1st April 2027
£22 from 1st April 2028
Broadband that can keep up with families
If you live in a busy family home, you likely have many online devices and TVs. Bundling broadband with TV can work out cheaper than paying for services separately, especially if you have multiple subscriptions.
But your options will depend on availability at your home.
We recommend looking for a package with download speeds of at least 100Mb for busier homes.
Virgin Media offers broadband with a flexible, rolling monthly TV box from under £30 per month.
Meanwhile, Sky, EE and BT all offer TV packages that include a standard Netflix subscription.
Get more help understanding the package speed you need for your family home in our ultimate guide to broadband speeds.
Best broadband for renters
Shorter or rolling contracts matter more than speed here.
Providers like Three and Rebel Internet offer rolling monthly deals and shorter 12-month contracts that avoid a lengthy tie-in if you have a shorter tenancy agreement.
As a bonus, Three's 4G and 5G Home Broadband deals avoid you needing to get landlord approval before installing new cabling or an engineer visit.
Moving to a full fibre broadband deal will likely involve some installation work, so you should speak to your landlord for approval before you sign up.
You can find more tips on what's involved with our guide: 'how easy is it to install full fibre broadband?'
By January 2027, there likely won't be any other option, as the old BT copper landline network that part-fibre broadband deals run on will be switched off. This is worth explaining to any reluctant landlords.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
£24 per month
£27.50 from 1st April 2027
- Speed: 1000Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 12 months
Rewards:
£50 per month
Fixed price promise
The future of broadband in Manchester
In August 2025, Openreach announced it had invested £300m so far in installing a full fibre network in Greater Manchester. At the time, less than 35% of homes in the area had made the switch.
Build work is currently planned or has already rolled out to areas including Cheetham, Middleton, Didsbury, Trafford, Ardwick, Droylsden, Rusholme, Moss Side and Sale.
Alongside Openreach's rollout, the Netomia network (used by YouFibre) has been expanding throughout Manchester, adding to the city's growing list of alternative providers.
With the national copper (PSTN) network being switched off by January 2027, anyone still on an older ADSL or part-fibre connection in Manchester will eventually need to move to a full fibre service, regardless of which provider they choose.
FAQs
-
How fast is broadband in Manchester?
- As of Q2 2026, the average broadband download speed in Manchester is 278.3Mbps (source: thinkbroadband)
- Meanwhile, the average broadband upload speed in Manchester is 125.4Mbps
- Over 93% of Manchester premises has access to broadband with gigabit speeds (1Gb+).
- Over 95% of Manchester properties have access to broadband with ultrafast speeds (100Mbps)
-
Who are the best Wi-Fi providers in Manchester?
For most of Manchester, Openreach providers like BT, Vodafone and Sky offer the widest full-fibre coverage at competitive prices. Virgin Media also has wide coverage.
We recommend checking out YouFibre if our postcode checker shows you can get it. It's by far one of the fastest broadband providers in the country. It also offers symmetrical speeds and fixed prices with no mid-contract price hikes.
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How do broadband providers in Manchester compare on price and speed?
Full fibre broadband in Manchester starts from under £20 per month for entry-level packages. If you opt for Virgin Media's Max Volt package with TV and SIM, you could pay over £80 per month.
For the fastest speeds, you may need to look to either Virgin Media, or opt for an alternative broadband provider like YouFibre. Both offer speeds over 1Gbps, which is fast enough for the busiest of homes.
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What's the cheapest broadband deal in Manchester right now?
Special offer deals from the likes of 4th Utility, Fibrely, and Rise start from under £20 per month. Although it's available to a handful of homes, Hyperoptic offers 150Mbps speeds in Manchester from £10 per month!
Broadband and TV deals start from under £30 per month. If you don't need TV or phone, a broadband-only full fibre deal is your best bet for a bargain.
Compare deals for your postcode with Broadband Genie's deals checker.
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Is full fibre broadband available everywhere in Manchester?
Not everywhere yet, although coverage is extensive and strongest in and around the city centre, with big build-out across Greater Manchester more widely. Some postcodes still rely on superfast (part-fibre) connections for now, but expect this to change in the next few months.
Enter your postcode above to see exactly what's available at your address.
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How do I switch providers without losing internet access?
For most broadband switches, there will be a period of time in the day when you may lose internet access. However, this should be very minimal and less than an hour.
Using your mobile has a Wi-Fi hotspot and using your mobile data can be a quick fix until your internet connection is back up and running.
The new One-Touch Switch service has improved switching times. Your new provider will set up your service and should let your current provider know when this has been done and to initiate the switchover.
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Are there any special broadband offers in Manchester right now?
Yes. There are always great broadband offers available for Manchester homes. Big names such as Sky, BT, Virgin Media and Vodafone regularly offer shopping vouchers or Bill Credits for new customers.
Find the latest deals on our Broadband with Free Gifts page.
Where we get our information
We strive to keep our local broadband information as up-to-date as possible. This means using trustworthy sources with regular checks. The information on this page comes from the following:
Local broadband speed information: labs.thinkbroadband.com/local
Mobile broadband coverage (1): nperf.com
Mobile broadband coverage (2): checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage
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