Many households switch away from BT because they want:
- cheaper monthly broadband
- faster full fibre speeds
- better Wi-Fi performance
- simpler contracts with fewer price rises
On this page, we highlight the best broadband providers offering strong alternatives to BT.
Best alternatives to BT Broadband
BT is a premium provider, offering fast broadband and optional EE TV services. Extras available include phone bundles with inclusive calls or PAYG and quality Wi-Fi routers.
BT's main competitors are Sky and Virgin Media:
Sky Broadband
Sky uses the same Openreach network as BT, so you’ll usually get similar fibre broadband speeds.
Packages are often cheaper, and the Sky Wi-Fi routers perform well.
Why is Sky a top BT alternative?
- Similar fibre broadband speeds
- Often lower monthly prices
- Good range of Sky TV bundles
- Simple switching process as it shares the same fibre network as BT.
- Speed: 67Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£23 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 500Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£26 per month
Price may rise during contract
Virgin Media
Virgin Media runs its own cable network. Download speeds are usually much faster than BT. This can be handy if you want high-performance speeds for gaming or streaming.
Prices are reasonable, especially for its entry-level deals. You can get a broadband deal from around £20 per month.
Why Virgin Media is so popular:
- Fast broadband speeds up to 2Gbps
- May offer faster speeds than achievable on a BT network
- Choose broadband only or opt for TV packages
- Large channel choice and flexible add-ons.
- Speed: 1.1Gb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£24.99 per month
£28.99 from 1st April 2027
£32.99 from 1st April 2028
- Speed: 264Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£18.99 per month
£22.99 from 1st April 2027
£26.99 from 1st April 2028
Cheap alternatives to BT broadband
BT deals aren’t always the cheapest, and annual price rises can mount up and make your monthly bill high.
If BT is getting too expensive, switching broadband providers can be an easy way to save money. Plenty of other internet providers offer similar speeds for much less.
Other budget alternatives that use the same network (Openreach) include:
Switching to one of these can save you extra installation.
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£23 per month
£26.50 from 1st April 2027
£30 from 1st April 2028
- Speed: 500Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£27 per month
£30.50 from 1st April 2027
£34 from 1st April 2028
BT alternatives that come with extras, cashback, rewards, or other benefits
Popular alternatives with great perks include:
- Plusnet - for award-winning service. We crowned it ‘Best Broadband Provider’ in Broadband Genie’s 2025 Awards
- Vodafone - for low-cost broadband and high-value gift cards
- Sky - for the ability to leave for free if monthly contract price rises
- Three - for 5G home broadband without a fixed line - or drilling!
- Virgin Media - for fast broadband up to 2Gbps.
Full Fibre altnets: smaller providers worth checking out
Altnets are smaller alternative internet service providers.
They focus on offering full fibre broadband (FTTP). They often offer faster broadband connections with much faster upload speeds.
These smaller internet service providers are more likely to offer fixed price promises. That means no mid-contract price rises.
Monthly costs tend to be lower, despite the faster speeds.
The only catch is that availability tends to be more localised. You can easily look for altnets in your area using Broadband Genie’s postcode checker.
You're more likely to get faster broadband in rural areas with an altnet provider.
Altnets are also good for:
Get more help with our guide: ‘What are altnets? Why you should shop local for amazing deals’
Found out if there’s a full fibre altnet in your area using our availability guide:
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What’s the difference between full fibre (FTTP) and part-fibre (FTTC)?
Full Fibre broadband is also known as ‘Fibre To The Premises’, ‘Fibre To The Home’. This is often shortened to FTTP or FTTH. They’re all the same thing!
Instead of using copper wire for part of the data journey, only fibre-optic cabling is used.
It’s amazing the difference in speed this small data journey can have. With full-fibre broadband, you can expect to receive speeds of 1Gbps+.
The downside? Full-fibre is only available to a small percentage of homes in the UK. It's taking a good while to get everyone up to speed.
Alternatives to EE TV (formerly BT TV)
Several broadband providers offer cheaper TV experiences than BT (EE) TV. There are also more flexible options.
Sky TV
Sky offers the best channel line-ups, 4K boxes and excellent sports coverage.
There’s a huge choice available to suit all budgets.
Sign up for a bundled TV and broadband package with Sky Glass - a sleek and fancy 4K TV. Or opt for Sky Stream, with a compact plug and play compact box.
- Speed: 300Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£35 per month
Price may rise during contract
Compare Sky TV + Broadband Deals
Virgin Media TV
Get access to hundreds of channels with a Virgin Media broadband TV bundle.
The Virgin TV 360 box allows you to pause, rewind and record live TV. You can add on premium channels such as Sky Sports and Sky Cinema.
Or you can opt for Virgin Media Flex. This come with a rolling monthly contract which you can cancel with 30 days’ notice.
- Speed: 1.1Gb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£78.99 per month
£85.49 from 1st April 2027
£91.99 from 1st April 2028
- Speed: 362Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£32.99 per month
£36.99 from 1st April 2027
£40.99 from 1st April 2028
Compare Virgin TV + Broadband Deals
TalkTalk TV
Uses a similar TV hub to EE TV. It broadcasts Freeview channels as well as streaming apps. These include ITVX, Amazon, Disney+, NOW and Prime Video.
Good for:
- simple TV setup
- low cost (+£5 plus subscriptions)
- easy add-ons.
NOW TV
Contract-free streaming passes for Sky channels. Works on smart TVs, mobiles and tablets.
Best for:
- entertainment bundles
- Sky Sports without long contracts
- flexible one-month contracts available.
Expert summary: top 3 BT alternatives
Looking for a good replacement for BT? Here are some alternative providers.
- Sky Broadband
Offers similar speeds and coverage to BT on Openreach. Packages are often cheaper, and there is a great choice of TV bundles.
- Virgin Media
Fastest speeds available for many homes in the UK. Great for gaming, streaming, and large households.
- Plusnet
Affordable fibre broadband. Good if you want a simple broadband service with no unnecessary extras.
Why switch with us?
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We’re well rated for trust, clarity, and broadband switching support.
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