NOW Broadband review 2025

Our rating: Four and a half out of five

• Extremely affordable

• Great speeds for everyday use

• Rolling one month contracts

• No need for credit checks

• Excellent TV passes for the best in sport and entertainment

• No set top box so you’ll need a smart TV or equivalent device

• Lacks ultrafast speeds on offer from Sky, BT and Virgin

Is NOW Broadband any good?

Owned by Sky but with a broadband and TV service that comes in much cheaper, NOW Broadband is a household name in its own right.

For prices that are broadly in line with ‘value broadband’ specialists TalkTalk and Plusnet, NOW Broadband packages get you decent speeds, with a choice of a standard ADSL service or faster fibre.

One of NOW Broadband service’s main selling points is its flexibility. As well as 12-month contracts, it offers one-month rolling contracts – something rarely offered by other providers. So, if you’re looking for a broadband for a short-term let, or you’re unsure how long you’ll be at your current address, it’s one of the few truly flexible options.

You can also add flexible NOW TV passes and get the pick of Sky Cinema, Sports and entertainment content on demand. And better still, cancel at any time with 30 days’ notice. This means that if you time it right, it’s very good value for money, especially when compared to expensive TV packages from the likes of Sky and Virgin Media.

Just as notable is that NOW Broadband doesn’t run credit checks, making it ideal for anyone with an impaired credit rating.

The less good things about NOW Broadband? Well, unlike BT, Sky, TalkTalk, EE and more, it doesn’t often sweeten its deals with promotional giveaways and vouchers as an incentive to sign up.

But perhaps that’s to be expected given that NOW Broadband is positioned as a no-frills service.

Average NOW Broadband speeds

Brilliant Broadband

NOW’s Brilliant Broadband is a basic service offering an average download speed of 11Mbps. As such it’s an ADSL connection, meaning it doesn’t use fibre to offer faster speeds.

Fab Broadband

With speeds of 36Mbps, Fab Broadband is an entry-level fibre optic service that will suit small households and light users.

Super Broadband

Topping out at 63Mbps, Super Broadband is NOW’s fastest service. It doesn’t require a full fibre connection, using Openreach’s network to reach your home. The speed is more than enough for those doing light streaming or working from home.

NOW Broadband packages review

Like Plusnet, NOW Broadband’s packages are simple and easy to understand. You have three options: one ADSL package or two different fibre broadband plans, all of which come with line rental included (you can choose to pay extra to add a calls plan).

At the time of writing, there’s nothing to pay for installation, but a small £5 charge applies to deliver the router.

NOW Broadband’s speeds are in line with the most popular and most widely-available broadband packages from other household-name providers. Much faster speeds are available elsewhere – but you’ll need to spend considerably more if you’re looking for a plan above 100Mbps.

Sign up for NOW Broadband’s cheapest Brilliant Broadband and you can expect average speeds of 11Mbps. However, you may prefer spending a little bit more to get a fibre optic broadband package - either Fab Fibre or Super Fibre. That way, you’ll be able to enjoy faster speeds and a more stable connection.

Standard contract lengths on all NOW Broadband packages are 12 months, which means the minimum commitment is much shorter than the likes of BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.

Unlike all but a smattering of providers, NOW Broadband also offers a no-contract broadband option. This carries a £65 upfront charge for activation, but allows you to cancel any time you like, with just 30 days’ notice. That’s pretty handy if you require broadband for a short-term let and don’t want to have to rely on mobile broadband, which isn’t as reliable as a fixed-line service.

NOW Broadband fibre review

NOW Broadband offers a choice of two fibre packages: Fab Fibre, with speeds of 36Mbps, and Super Fibre, with average speeds of 63Mbps.

As you may have noticed, though, Super Fibre is much, much faster and is only a few pounds per month extra. So unless you’re on a really tight budget, it’s worth considering the faster service.

How do the fibre speeds compare with the competition?  Well, you can get much faster from the likes of Virgin Media, or if you pay the premium price for an ultrafast broadband package from BT or Sky.

But Fab Fibre and Super Fibre get you a service that’s in line with comparably priced packages from rival household-name providers. And they’re very widely available too.

NOW Broadband review: Performance and customer satisfaction

As NOW Broadband is owned by Sky and uses BT’s Openreach network to deliver its services, you can expect it to perform comparably well to other providers using the Openreach network.

Depending on the plan you pick, NOW’s average download speeds can be between 11-63Mbps. The speed and strength of your connection can also vary, depending on where you live. Use our broadband speed test to check what speed you’re getting.

As for customer satisfaction with its services, NOW Broadband is not included in Ofcom’s annual broadband customer satisfaction reports. There’s still some info which can be used to infer the quality of customer service provided – read more on its customer service below.

NOW Broadband coverage

Because NOW Broadband uses Openreach and does not offer a full fibre service, it can be found across almost the entire UK.

Some rural areas that lack Openreach access may find it harder to get, but that really is the only exception.

Data limits, fair usage and traffic management

Now Broadband is not subject to any data limits, fair usage or traffic management, meaning its packages are all truly unlimited. You can read more about its specific policy on its website.

Router

All Now Broadband deals come with a Now Hub 2. This is a rebranded Sky Q Hub, with impressive specs considering the affordability of the service.

This means smart channel selection, five antennae, two gigabit Ethernet ports, ac standard Wi-Fi and dual band tech.

It also works with Sky’s Broadband Buddy app, so you can control screen time for younger users.

NOW Broadband TV review

NOW Broadband’s TV offering is based on NOW TV Passes, which are flexible add-ons that you can add and subtract simply and easily.

More importantly, though, they’re a cost-effective and flexible way of getting the best Sky sports, movies, entertainment and kids content without any sort of major commitment. Memberships include:

• NOW Sports Membership – Gets you access to 11 Sky Sports channels to watch live, plus on-demand. Available as a month or day pass

• NOW Entertainment Membership – Includes access to a wide range of Sky entertainment channels, such as Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy and Sky Documentaries. Home to HBO and award-winning Sky Original shows

• NOW Cinema Membership – Offers full range of Sky Cinema channels to watch live, as well as extensive trove of movies on demand

• NOW Hayu – Specialises in reality TV shows, with 8,000 episodes available to watch online

These all work like a streaming subscription, which you can watch on a smart TV or other devices. You can also choose to ‘Boost’ your plan: for an extra monthly fee, you can watch in Full HD, ad-free and with Surround Sound, on up to three devices at the same time.

As you don’t get a set-top box, you won’t be able to record your favourite shows, or fast-forward and rewind live TV. You also won’t get the pause-and-pick-up function that’s a key selling point of Sky’s Q and Virgin Media’s TV 360 boxes.

NOW Broadband calls review

All NOW Broadband packages come with line rental included, as well as ‘pay as you use’ calls. So, if you don’t use your home phone, you won’t have to pay anything extra.

If you do want to add a calls plan, you have two options:

Evening & weekend calls – Unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles between 7pm-7am on weekdays, and all day on weekends

Anytime calls – Unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles, 24/7. Calls can only last up to an hour though – if your call will go on longer, you should hang up and redial

Landline customers also get these features free of charge:

• 141 number withhold: Allows you to hide your number

• 1471 last number recall: Shows you the number of most recent caller

• 1475 last caller deletion: Lets you delete the last caller from your 1471 list

• Caller display: Lets you see the number or name of whoever’s calling you

Optional extras available for an additional monthly charge include: anonymous caller reject, voicemail and last caller barring.

Like NOW’s broadband services, call plans are on a 12-month minimum term contract.

NOW Broadband cost

NOW Broadband is one of the most keenly priced providers on the market, with packages that come in at least few pounds less per month than if you were to opt for a comparably fast service from a rival provider.

At the time of writing (May 2023), its ADSL-based Brilliant Broadband costs £20 per month on a 12-month deal. Interestingly, its fastest Super Fibre plan costs £23, while the Fab Fibre plan is £24 a month.

Do bear in mind, though, that these prices are sometimes only for the initial few months – they may rise by a few pounds during your contract.

As for one-off upfront fees, that depends on whether you’ve signed up to a 12-month or one-month contract. The 12-month contracts come with no activation fees at all, though a £5 delivery fee for your equipment may apply. On the other hand, the monthly rolling contracts come with a pricey one-off set-up fee of £60.

NOW Broadband extras

Unlike some of the bigger-name providers, such as BT, Virgin Media and Sky, NOW Broadband does not usually offer incentives to sign up. So don’t expect to get free gifts or vouchers.

However, on the plus side NOW Broadband’s monthly prices are generally significantly lower than those providers.

NOW Broadband customer service

Now Broadband does not get a rating in Ofcom’s latest customer satisfaction report as it ranks as one of the smaller providers out there.

However, with average call waiting times just 31 seconds, it ranks better in this regard than any other internet supplier.

That said, online customer reviews suggest that the overall experience is below par, with complaints ranging from poor experiences on calls to being charged despite cancelling a contract.

You can get in touch with its customer support on 03303 323 050, but if you have a specific issue then make sure you check out NOW Broadband guide to point you in the right direction.

What are the pros and cons of NOW Broadband?

Still not sure if NOW Broadband is right for you? Read our at-a-glance list of pros and cons to help make up your mind…

Pros

• Very keenly priced with decent speeds

• TV memberships offer the best of Sky TV content and are very flexible

• No need to pass a credit check

• 12 month contracts means it’s a shorter-term commitment than most rival providers

Cons

• Unlikely to get any free gifts or vouchers

• Limited choice of packages and speeds

• Faster broadband is available from other providers

• TV service has excellent content, but can’t compete with the likes of Sky Q and Virgin Media’s TV 360

NOW Broadband review: Conclusion

Overall, NOW offers a straightforward and easy-to-understand broadband service. It doesn’t have the widest range of packages to choose from, with average download speeds ranging between 11Mbps and 63Mbps. However, these speeds are widely available across the country – you’ll most likely have access to any of its three packages.

They’re some of the most flexible plans on the market, too. Contracts are no longer than 12 months, which is a shorter-term commitment than most other providers. What’s more, you can even get rolling one-month contracts, so you’re not tied to a contract at all.

There’s also the option to add a NOW TV Membership to your plan. These memberships get you the best of Sky TV on a budget, and you’re free to cancel or switch whenever you like.

All in all, NOW’s broadband and TV services are decent value for money.

Our latest NOW Broadband deals

How does NOW Broadband compare with other providers?

NOW Broadband vs Sky

Sky TV is substantially pricier than NOW Broadband. But for that extra outlay, you get a genuinely state-of-the-art set-top box, with all the latest features. Plus, you get the lion’s share of excellent channels, as well as full HD viewing.

As for broadband, Sky offers a wider range of speeds – including much faster full fibre services, if you’re prepared to pay more.

NOW Broadband vs Virgin Media

Thanks to the TV 360 box, Virgin Media’s TV service is one the best around. But in NOW Broadband’s favour, it’s much, much cheaper and very flexible.

Virgin Media wins out for broadband speeds too. But it’s less widely available than NOW Broadband and is more expensive too.

NOW Broadband vs BT

BT’s and NOW Broadband’s most widely available packages offer very similar speeds. But NOW Broadband is quite a bit cheaper.

You can, of course, get much faster broadband from BT with its top-end service, but expect to pay a premium price.

BT’s TV offering is more full featured than NOW Broadband, too. Although they’re both very flexible and allow you to and remove channels on a rolling-contract basis.

More NOW Broadband comparisons

• NOW Broadband vs Plusnet broadband

• Sky vs NOW Broadband

Not sold on NOW Broadband? Read more reviews at our broadband provider reviews hub