BT vs. EE vs. Virgin Media Broadband: Which Provider Should I Switch To?

BT Broadband Review

BT is the largest and most well-known broadband provider in the UK, with around ten million customers nationwide. It has a huge reputation amongst customers, and the services it offers are premium and packed full of high-quality features.

BT is the world’s oldest telecoms company, tracing its roots back to the Electric Telegraph Company in 1846,and it also owns other UK telecom providers like Plusnet and EE. It even owns Openreach - the most well-established broadband network in the country that powers many of the biggest providers in the UK. With its long history and links to the old General Post Office, BT is for many of us the default choice when it comes to broadband.

BT is usually a little more expensive than most other providers. But it offers some of the highest-quality services in return, including exclusive TV access to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League through its popular add-on, TNT Sports.Users often praise its wide availability across the country thanks to its ownership of the Openreach network, but may find certain packages not fast enough for heavy internet usage depending on their location and chosen plan. 

In a nutshell, BT offers quality broadband. There's a good spread of options, service is decent, and the included routers have top-notch tech. Though it costs a bit more than some of its rivals, it gives you value for your money.

BT Broadband Packages and Pricing

BT offers a wide range of packages, with various combinations of TV and premium channels alongside its broadband service.The broadband pricing starts from just £33.99 a month, ensuring a premium service with speeds to match.Need top speeds? Full Fibre starts from £38.99 a month.All BT's broadband deals now come with no phone line as standard, but customers that still use a landline can choose to bolt on either 700 minutes or unlimited minutes per month, for an extra fee. All customers get access to BT’s free Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. All BT contracts are currently set at 24 months or 12 months.

Current broadband deals:

• Superfast Fibre 2 for just £28.99 a month.No upfront cost.24-month contract. Monthly price increases to £31.99 from 31 March 2025, then £34.99 from 31 March 2026.

>>Click here to view more details

BT Broadband Pros and Cons

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EE Broadband Review

It can be hard to keep up with the jockeying in Britain’s mobile networks, but EE (formerly Everything Everywhere) inherited the broadband service formerly run by Orange and is now owned by BT Group. EE has a good reputation for offering decent speeds and good bundle deals.

It was the first major provider to offer speeds of up to 1.6gbps, designed for large families who have lots of devices streaming content simultaneously. Its bundles are particularly generous for people with EE mobile contracts.Impressively, if you're an existing broadband customer and add an EE phone contract or SIM, EE will cut your bill by £20 per month. You’ll also get a boost to your mobile data, which can be up to a rather attractive 20GB extra per month.You’re also able (mobile customer or not) to add an Apple TV subscription to your package. It’s not got the sheer range of TV channels that Sky or Virgin Media offer, but it’s still a good and cost-effective way to get a bit more telly in your life.However,some users might find their pricing to be a downside, especially after the initial contract period ends; with many noting that their biggest complaint is the price increase once the contract expires, despite generally being satisfied with the service itself. 

I recommend EE broadband for households that need reliable broadband at good prices, but can survive without a chunky TV package. 

EE Broadband Packages and Pricing

EE offers several broadband packages, with speeds up to 1600Mbps (1.6Gbps) available depending on where you live. There are often affordable options available – especially if you're also an EE mobile customer.Discover EE's ultra reliable and superfast fibre broadband from just £25.99 a month.

Add broadband to your account and save £20 a month on new, unlimited phones and SIMs. Prices from £10 for 10Mbps speed.

EE’s broadband packages sit broadly in line with those from big names such as BT. All are on 24 month contracts.12-month contracts are available, if you prefer, but can cost around £5 more per month than their 24-month equivalent.In terms of full fibre deals, EE broadband offers the same speeds as its rivals and at cheaper price points too. Obviously you’ll need to have FTTP in your area to take advantage, though.

Current broadband deals:

• Switch to EE, and they will pay up to £300 to cover any leaving fees.Getting broadband packages for just £25.99 a month for 24 months contract.£28.99 from March 2025. £31.99 from March 2026.

>>Click here to view more details

EE Broadband Pros and Cons

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Virgin Media Broadband Review

Virgin Media is the second-biggest home broadband provider in the UK, but that doesn't necessarily make it one of the best. Its extensive fibre network plus TV, phone and mobile services make it an appealing choice.It operates on its own cable network for both its broadband and TV services rather than relying on Openreach for its connections (like many other providers do). This gives it some benefits in terms of internet speed because it uses much faster cables than the older, copper-based network that Openreach relies on.However, it’s not as widely available across the country, and its connection lacks the consistency that Openreach has built up over the decades.

Virgin Media Broadband is generally praised for its fast internet speeds, often considered the best in the market, but is frequently criticized for its customer service and reliability issues, with many users reporting inconsistent connection quality and struggles when contacting support for problems; while the speed is excellent, the overall value and customer experience can be significantly impacted by these downsides. 

Virgin Media Broadband Packages and Pricing

While it's becoming more common to find broadband deals that don't include a phone line, Virgin Media was one of the first big providers to offer this. However, with Virgin Media you have the option of combining broadband with a wide range of phone bundles, and these usually offer better value than standalone broadband packages. You can further customise your deal by adding a TV component.

• Fastest speed available 1,130mbps (Gig1 Fibre Broadband package from £40.99 per month).

• Most affordable speed 132mbps (M125 Fibre package, £25.99 per month – discount available for low-income families).

• Standard contract length 18 months, no set-up fee.

• TV packages include Sky Sports UHD, TNT Sports, Sky Cinema HD, Apple TV+ and Paramount+.

Current broadband deals:

• Realiable M125 Fibre Broadband from £25.99/mo.

• Up grade M250 for extra £2/mo.

• The M350 bundle from £34.99/mo.

>>Click here to view more details

Virgin Media Broadband Pros and Cons

BT vs. EE vs. Virgin Media Broadband: Comparison Side by Side

1. Broadband Availability and Coverage

BT - Coverage is one area where BT holds a major advantage over Virgin Media. As we mentioned earlier, BT uses the Openreach network for its connections. Although this means that it can't offer the fastest speeds, it does mean that it can provide consistent connections to almost anywhere in the UK. 

EE - EE currently supplies two types of broadband - part-fibre and full fibre - both via the nationwide Openreach network.Its part-fibre deals (Fibre Broadband and Fibre Plus) are available to over 98% of UK homes, so you’re highly likely to be able to get those. But its full fibre offers are less widely available because they rely on Openreach’s growing FTTP network - which currently only covers around one-third of UK properties.

Virgin Media - By contrast, Virgin Media uses its own network. This offers the provider a number of advantages. For example, the company can provide faster speeds as it can use much faster cables than the older, copper-based network that Openreach relies on.However, as a direct result of this, Virgin Media's broadband coverage is lacking. Although it's building up its network quickly, the company can still only provide broadband to around 60% of UK properties. As such, Virgin Media's broadband offering may simply be unavailable in your area. 

2. Broadband Speed

BT - BT provides its Stay Fast Guarantee to all its broadband customers, providing reassurance of a minimum speed, regardless of which package you choose.BT offers standard ADSL speeds (average speed 10Mbps) to those who can't access fibre, although it no longer advertises standard deals on its website. Instead, it focuses on fibre-optic connections with average speeds between 36Mbps and 150Mbps, depending on the package you take. 

Around two thirds of homes can also access ultrafast BT broadband via fibre-optic technology called 'G.fast' or 'fibre to the premises' (FTTP). BT's full fibre offerings have average speeds of 300Mbps, 500Mbps and 900Mbps, depending on the package.

EE - EE only offers fibre and full fibre packages to new broadband customers. Its fibre packages have average speeds of 35Mbps, 48Mbps or 66Mbps.Around two thirds of households can receive ultrafast broadband, which is capable of average speeds of either 149Mbps, 308Mbps, 500Mbps, 900Mbps or 1600Mbps (1.6Gbps) depending on the package selected.

When it comes to choice, EE offers a greater range of packages than BT with the inclusion of its 1.6Gbps speed – a speed BT and Virgin Media cannot currently reach. The major downside to Openreach's multi-gigabit 1.6Gbps option however, is that uploads are asymmetrical and only go as fast as 115Mbps, which is similar to the top speed of 110Mbps on the 1Gbps plan.

Virgin Media - Virgin Media is famous for its fast internet speeds. For years, it has offered ultrafast broadband to more properties than any other provider in the UK.Virgin Media has a range of broadband deals set at many different internet speeds. Here’s a quick list of all the speeds it provides on its network:

• Virgin Media M125: 132Mbps download

• Virgin Media M250: 264Mbps download

• Virgin Media M350: 362Mbps download

• Virgin Media M500: 516Mbps download

• Virgin Media Gig1: 1130Mbps (1.13Gbps) download

3. Customer Service

When it comes to customer service, neither BT nor Virgin Media scores particularly highly.However, BT's customer service is rated more highly than Virgin Media's. While Virgin Media's customers have very few complaints with regards to speed (perhaps unsurprisingly), customers complain that the troubleshooting section of the company's website is poor and customer service agents are hard to get in touch with. 

Overall, EE have a better score record than Virgin Media or BT does for customer service.EE consistently had the second fewest complaints of all major broadband providers, surpassed only by Sky.

4. TV Bundles

BT - BT offers a great selection of internet and TV bundles, including a range of packages that include its TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) channels. On top of this, you can also access Sky Cinema through BT's 'Big Entertainment' package. If you like, you even have the ability to add every Sky Sports channel with the company's 'Big Sport' package. 

EE - The starting point for EE TV packages (offered with both BT and EE broadband) is that you have to have BT broadband or EE Broadband in order to get it – it is not available as a standalone service. All EE TV packages come with either the EE TV Box Pro which you can use to pause, rewind and record programmes, or a streaming-only box in the form of an Apple TV 4K that's locked to EE TV. EE TV and BT or EE broadband contracts all run for 24 months.

Virgin Media - Virgin Media also offers a great selection of broadband and TV deals. This includes options that feature Sky channels, including Sky Sports. Again though, these bundles are on the more expensive side and if you'd like Sky channels then you'll likely be better selecting a Sky TV and broadband bundle, which will likely be cheaper than BT.

BT vs. EE vs. Virgin Media Broadband: Key Features Comparison

Conclusion: Which Broadband Should You Choose?

In conclusion, I would say, if you want ultrafast speeds and you can only get Virgin Media, then go for it.Virgin Media offer competitive pricing on ultrafast and gigabit broadband speeds, while customers can also save money by bundling TV and mobile.Availability for gigabit broadband is greater with Virgin Media than BT and EE, with over 17.8 million premises passed, compared to 16 million on the Openreach network.

But for those who can get both BT and Virgin Media, I would say, choose BT at this present time.It is above average in every category. However, if you want the best router in the country, or Full Fibre speeds exceeding 1Gbps, EE Broadband has that space pretty much to itself.

Crucially, when it comes to choosing among BT, EE and Virgin Media offers, the major deciding factor is availability. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Virgin Media broadband better than BT?

Virgin Media has the upper hand when it comes to ultrafast access. Its network is available to just over half of homes, with speeds up to 1.1Gb in most areas.

Which is better, Virgin Media or EE broadband?

EE also offers fast broadband speeds, but pricing is higher and the EE TV service is arguably not as comprehensive as Virgin's. Overall, Virgin Media is cheaper than EE with equally fast speeds and so far, at least, greater availability for gigabit broadband.

Which broadband is better, BT or EE?

Either provider is a good choice, and we'd certainly understand choosing BT – it is above average in every category. However, if you want the best router in the country, or Full Fibre speeds exceeding 1Gbps, EE Broadband has that space pretty much to itself.

Why is EE broadband so expensive?

EE's high costs are a result of having to run their own network, marketing their brand and having a lack of incentives to lower them.

Do Virgin and BT use the same cables?

No. BT's and Virgin Media's broadband is an entirely different infrastructure. BT's broadband service uses the Openreach network.

Why is Virgin broadband so much faster?

It operates on its own cable network for both its broadband and TV services rather than relying on Openreach for its connections (like many other providers do). This gives it some benefits in terms of internet speed because it uses much faster cables than the older, copper-based network that Openreach relies on.

Are there any upfront costs or one-off payments with EE Broadband?

Most EE packages don’t include any upfront costs. Some of their packages include a one-off cost or a broadband activation fee this is normally added to your first monthly bill.

Why EE is rated one of the best broadband providers in the UK?

In 2023 EE Broadband scored some of the highest ratings of any of the broadband providers in the UK. Check out the results from OFCOM and USwitch.

Plusnet vs. Sky vs. BT vs. TalkTalk Broadband: Full Comparison & Verdict 2025

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