Plusnet broadband review 2025

Our rating: Four out of five

Plusnet is a brilliant alternative to the bigger names in broadband. Here’s what you need to know:

• Great, affordable prices

• Excellent, highly rated customer services

• Decent speeds for everyday use

• Good offers for new customers

• Speeds aren’t as fast as ultrafast alternatives from Virgin, Sky and BT

Is Plusnet broadband any good?

It’s not the fastest. Not by a long way. But Plusnet broadband has got a lot going for it.

It’s very affordable, for one thing. Not only does it undercut its big-name rivals, you get good speeds for your outlay too.

Customer service is excellent and has been for years, which suggests it won’t drop in quality any time soon.

And unlike a lot of providers, Plusnet still offers 12-month contracts - though these aren't available online.

So you won’t have to commit anything like as long as you do on BT and Sky, which tie you in for minimum terms of 24 months and 18 months respectively.

Plusnet broadband packages review

Plusnet makes a virtue of the simplicity of its broadband packages and focuses on doing the basics right.  

Is that the right approach? Well, it seems so.

That’s evidenced by its consistently highly rated customer service, in an industry where customer support is too often an afterthought and is more often sacrificed in the rush to win new subscribers.

With its cheapest fibre package starting at around £25 per month, Plusnet is well priced too.

Only the likes of NOW and TalkTalk offer broadband at comparable prices.

We also admire that Plusnet continues to offer 12-month contracts, at a time when many other big-name providers, such as BT and Virgin Media, have moved to 24-month and 18-month minimum terms respectively.

But that’s not to say that Plusnet broadband will necessarily be right for you. While speeds are excellent, they aren't quite the fastest around.

Its fastest package is Full Fibre 900, offering speeds of 900Mbps - which in all fairness is very fast indeed. But to put that in some perspective, Virgin Media offers broadband packages with average speeds of up of 1130Mbps, which is widely available, and other gigabit providers are beginning to offer 1Gbps nationwide too.

Of course, they’re substantially more expensive. But if you’re in a large student household of heavy internet users or just a big family home, it’s well worth the extra expense to ensure you get a really good internet experience.

Plusnet also doesn't have anything these days in the way of live TV channels. If you’re in the market for a full-featured set top box, or premium sports packages, or just more movie channels, you’re better off taking a look at the likes of Virgin Media, Sky or BT.

Average Plusnet broadband speeds

Unlimited Broadband

With average speeds of 10Mbps, this is a basic ADSL package aimed at very light internet users who browse the web and use social media.

Fibre

The average speeds of 66Mbps mean this is good for first time fibre customers who want speeds that can stream the occasional movie while someone else in the home is busy on their laptop.

Full Fibre

Plusnet now also offers full-fibre or FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) packages, with speeds of 74Mbps, 145Mbps, 300Mbps, 500Mbps, or 900Mbps. Perfect for larger households or heavy streamers.

Plusnet broadband packages review

Plusnet’s packages are pretty simple and for the most part simply give you broadband - which you can choose to pair with a landline if you want to.

You can however customise your bundle with call packages. For instance, by adding ‘Evening & Weekend Calls' or ‘Unlimited UK and Mobile Calls’ for an extra monthly charge.

However, there’s nothing like the range of packages and pick-and-mix add-ons that you get with Sky, Virgin Media, BT and EE.

Plusnet fibre review

Plusnet’s fibre products offer speeds broadly in line with comparably priced products from the likes of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, or Vodafone.

That’s not surprising given that they rely on the same Openreach infrastructure to deliver broadband to your home.

It makes it very competitive, but nonetheless there are more powerful fibre optic packages out there - in particular, gigabit full fibre broadband from providers like Virgin and Hyperoptic.

Plusnet coverage

Plusnet uses Openreach’s network, which means it is widely available in most of the UK. Unlike Virgin or other independent providers, it doesn’t have a rapid network of its own.

That means speeds are slower but that you should be able to get Plusnet unless you live in a very rural area.

Data limits, fair usage and traffic management

Plusnet is truly unlimited, meaning you can use the internet as much as you like, with no pesky data caps or traffic management to hinder you either.

Router

Plusnet Hub 2

All Plusnet customers get the Plusnet Hub 2.

This router features four gigabit Ethernet ports, dual band smarts and a smart wireless feature to ensure you always get the best connection.

Plusnet calls review

Plusnet’s broadband comes on its own as a broadband-only offering. You can add line rental and a home phone service if you want to - but it comes at a fairly expensive extra monthly cost.

That’s in contrast to the likes of Virgin Media, which bundles weekend calls with its phone and broadband packages. Whether you’ll use them or not.

For an additional monthly charge, Plusnet customers can also add:

• Evening & Weekend UK & Mobile calls

• Unlimited UK & Mobile calls

• Anytime International 300

Plusnet landline customers also get Caller Display, 1571 Voicemail and Plusnet Call Protect as standard and for no additional charge.

But advanced voicemail in the form of Voicemail Extra costs £3 extra per month.

Plusnet broadband pricing

Plusnet is, by any measure, one of the best value broadband providers. Its standard broadband and fibre packages come in well under most rival suppliers’ packages of comparable speed.

Which means it’s a really good bet if you’re on a tight budget. Or if you just want to make sure you don’t overpay for your broadband.

At the time of writing you can get Unlimited Broadband (ADSL) for £25.99 a month for 24 months. Meanwhile, its top tier 900Mbps Full Fibre package comes in at a very competitive £41.99 a month.

These deals are much cheaper than comparable BT and Sky deals.

Any extras with Plusnet broadband?

Plusnet frequently sweetens its packages with vouchers and reward cards, as part of time-limited promotions.

You can also cut your bill by recommending Plusnet to your friends, through its customer referral scheme.

For every person you sign up, Plusnet will trim your bill by £1.25 per month.

Customer service with Plusnet broadband

Customer service has been Plusnet’s strong suit for years. And it remains better regarded than other large providers, with consistently excellent ratings on customer review sites.

Its latest Ofcom rating places it at the top for overall satisfaction, with a score of 89% (the average across the board being 82%). That said, customers were more likely to make a complaint compared to the industry average.

Its customer service is also available seven days a week, unlike many of the major broadband providers.

What are the pros and cons of Plusnet broadband?

Not sure Plusnet broadband is right for you? Take a whistle-stop look at everything that’s good and not so good about Plusnet below...

Pros

• Among the cheapest broadband providers around

• Choice of ADSL broadband, standard fibre or full fibre

• Customer service is consistently highly rated than other household-name providers

• Decent broadband speeds and easy-to-understand packages

• Broadband-only, with the option to add a landline too

• Choice of 12-month or 24-month contracts

• You can trim your bills with money-saving recommend-a-friend scheme

• Widely available across the UK

• Free security software and Safeguard parental controls

Cons

• No longer offers money-saving broadband and TV packages

• Faster broadband is widely available, albeit at a price

• Adding line rental to your plan can be expensive

• 12-month plans aren't available online

How does Plusnet compare with other providers?

Here we take a look at each of Plusnet’s rivals, to give you some idea of how Plusnet broadband measures up.

Plusnet vs Sky

Sky doesn’t score as highly for customer service as Plusnet. And although both providers offer comparable speeds, Sky is substantially more expensive.

The great thing about Sky, though, is its Sky Q service and its extensive range of channels. Which makes Plusnet’s TV add-on look very limited indeed.

Plusnet vs Virgin Media

Plusnet loses out to Virgin Media when it comes to speeds. Due in no small part to the fact that Virgin Media’s cable network is a lot more efficient than the copper wire technology that Plusnet relies on.

Conversely, Virgin Media is less widely available than Plusnet. And unless you’re in an area where its network has reached, you won’t be able to get Virgin Media at all.

As you might expect, though, Plusnet broadband comes in a lot cheaper.

Virgin Media also has a pay-TV offering that’s among the best around. Whereas Plusnet’s TV offering is very limited, with no set top box and no content of its own.

Plusnet vs TalkTalk

TalkTalk staked out a place as a value broadband provider a long time ago. But in fact Plusnet works out a few pounds cheaper per month for broadband products with comparable speeds.

TalkTalk still has a TV offering where Plusnet doesn't, though.

Plusnet vs BT

Plusnet broadband is cheaper than its parent company BT and for the most part sells broadband with nigh-on identical speeds. Although if you’re in the market for an ultrafast service, you’ll need to choose BT.

When it comes to TV, there’s no comparison and it’s a big win for BT and its YouView-based service. Especially as it also offers you TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport).

More Plusnet broadband comparisons

• NOW Broadband vs Plusnet broadband

• Vodafone vs Plusnet broadband

• BT vs Plusnet broadband