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Go Compare Logo
Switching

Go Compare Alternative: Why People Look Elsewhere for Broadband

Go Compare runs a real broadband comparison, but it is an insurance site at heart, partner-panel not whole-of-market and not Ofcom-accredited for broadband. Why people look elsewhere, the alternatives and when Go Compare is still the right call.

By Ade
Virgin Media logo vs BT logo
Reviews

BT vs Virgin Media: the best UK broadband provider in 2026

Two names half the country defaults to when the contract runs out. One owns its cable network, the other reaches almost every front door. Here is how BT and Virgin Media actually stack up, and which one fits where you live.

By Ade
Virgin Media Banner
Reviews

Virgin Media O2 review: the fastest broadband, with trade-offs

Virgin Media O2 offers the fastest widely available broadband in the UK with gigabit across almost all of its network. This review weighs those speeds against post-contract price jumps, upload limits and cancellation friction.

By Ade
Wireless router with antennas
Reviews

BT review: reliable broadband at a premium price

BT broadband is reliable, available almost everywhere and backed by useful extras like Complete Wi-Fi. It also charges a premium for Openreach lines other providers sell cheaper. Our review covers speeds, prices, complaints and who BT actually suits.

By Ade
Hand signing a contract.
Guides

What's actually in your broadband contract

A plain-English walk through every broadband contract clause that matters: minimum term, intro price, the new pounds-and-pence rise rule, setup fees, exit charges, cooling-off rights and the speed guarantee that can get you out free.

By Ade
Modern home wifi router
Reviews

Vodafone review: cheap, fast and surprisingly good

Vodafone is usually the cheapest big-brand full fibre with excellent kit and an Expert Reviews award. The catch is its Ofcom complaints record. Here is the honest verdict on whether it suits you.

By Ade
Contract document on wooden table
News

What Ofcom is doing this quarter

Ofcom's spring changes explained: complaints can go to the ombudsman after six weeks, automatic compensation now pays £10.34 a day and the five-year Openreach rulebook is set. What each change means for your broadband bill.

By Ade
Glowing fibre optic strands
News

Where altnets are rolling out next

Altnets now cover 19.7 million UK premises and 2026 is the year of infill, mergers and subsidised rural builds. Here is where CityFibre, Netomnia and Hyperoptic are building next and why a postcode check beats any map.

By Ade
Two executives shaking hands
News

Mergers, buyouts and CEO churn

UK broadband consolidation accelerated in 2026 with a £2bn Netomnia deal, reported sales of Hyperoptic and Community Fibre and a wave of altnet CEO departures. Here is what each move means for your contract.

By Ade
Wifi router on wooden desk
News

New tariffs this month

Vodafone's 5G home broadband launch opens fixed wireless internet to 3.7 million more UK homes. Every notable new tariff from the last 30 days, what's genuinely new and what's a repackage with a fresh price tag.

By Ade
Couple reviewing bills with calculator
News

Mid-contract price rises this year

Most UK broadband customers will pay £2 to £4 a month more from April 2026, with older contracts facing inflation-linked rises of up to 7.7%. Here's every provider's increase, who escapes it and what to do about it.

By Ade
Frustrated woman checking her phone
News

Major outages this month

No major UK broadband outage is running right now. Here's how to tell whether the fault is yours or your provider's, what's actually broken in 2026 so far and the automatic compensation you're owed.

By Ade
Frustrated woman at slow laptop
Guides

When your speed is slower than advertised

If your broadband is slower than advertised, a wired speed test against your minimum guaranteed speed tells you whether it is a wifi problem you can fix or a fault your provider has 30 days to put right.

By Ade
Modern apartment block exterior
Reviews

Hyperoptic review: the FTTP specialist

Hyperoptic offers symmetric full-fibre speeds from 150Mb to 1Gb with cheap gigabit, strong customer scores and the UK's most generous social tariff. Coverage is the catch: the network mostly serves flats and new builds.

By Ade
Changing channels with TV remote
Reviews

Sky review: the bundle question

Sky is solid broadband on its own and excellent broadband with TV. We weigh the bundle maths, the announced price rises with their 30-day exit, the CityFibre multi-gig tiers and Sky's strong complaints record.

By Ade
Packed moving boxes empty room
Guides

Setting up new broadband at a new address

Moving home means a new broadband order rather than a switch. Here is how to check what the new address can get, when to order and how to be online from day one.

By Ade
Wireless router on wooden desk
Reviews

Plusnet review: the no-frills option

Plusnet is BT's budget brand: the same Openreach full fibre at a lower price with the joint-fewest broadband complaints in Ofcom's latest figures. Here is what you get, what you give up and who it suits.

By Ade
Reading a bill at home
Pricing & regulation

Mid-contract price rises and what you can do

The pounds-and-pence rule for contracts from 17 January 2025, what it changed, what it left alone and when a mid-contract price rise lets you walk away without a fee.

By Ade
Hand pointing remote at TV
Pricing & regulation

Bundle pricing and the cancel-one-cancel-all trap

Broadband, TV and phone in one bundle can each carry their own minimum term. How cancelling one affects the others, and how to unwind a bundle without an exit-fee surprise.

By Ade
Green street telecom cabinet
Switching

Same-network vs cross-network switch

Switching providers is simple on the same network and a different shape across networks. Openreach takeovers vs Virgin, CityFibre and Hyperoptic installs, and what One Touch Switch covers.

By Ade
Frustrated man at laptop
Switching

If your switch went wrong

A switch that failed or started late earns you money: £6.46 a day for a delayed start, £10.34 a day for lost service. The complaint wording and how to escalate to the ombudsman.

By Ade
Broadband speed test result
Pricing & regulation

Advertised vs minimum guaranteed speed

What advertised average speeds actually promise, the minimum guaranteed speed your provider must hit, and the 30-day window that lets you leave penalty-free if it does not.

By Ade
Person signing a contract
Pricing & regulation

When you can leave without a fee

Every legal way out of a broadband contract without a fee: the 14-day cooling-off period, a price rise or material change, speed below the guarantee and being out of contract.

By Ade
Paper bill on a desk
Switching

Refunds, credits and final-bill shocks

What your final broadband bill should show after switching: refunds for unused days, the router-return rules, and the charges worth challenging.

By Ade
Router on wooden table
Switching

What happens on switch day

What actually happens on broadband switch day under One Touch Switch: the handover window, what can go wrong, who pays if it does, and what to keep to hand.

By Ade
Pen resting on contract paperwork
Switching

Switching when you're still in contract

Yes, you can switch broadband mid-contract. How the exit fee is worked out, the four ways it disappears, and how to actually make the move before your term ends.

By Ade
Person signing up on laptop
Switching

How to switch when your contract is up

Switching broadband under One Touch Switch: you contact only the new provider, give no notice to the old one, and lose no service. The full step-by-step, costs and protections.

By Ade
Man checking phone on sofa.
Troubleshooting

When the wifi isn't working

Wifi not working splits into two completely different problems. Work out which one you have first, then follow the path that actually fixes it.

By Ade
Frustrated man at laptop.
Troubleshooting

When you've got no internet at all

No internet at all? Run these five checks in order, from the router to the line to a real ISP outage, and you find the one thing that has actually broken.

By Ade
Ethernet cables in router.
Troubleshooting

When the broadband itself keeps disconnecting

If the whole line drops and not just one phone, the fault is your connection, not your wifi. Here is how to tell a re-sync from a router crash from a line fault, and what to say to your ISP.

By Ade
Frustrated woman at a laptop
Troubleshooting

Why is my broadband slow? How to find the cause

Slow broadband has a handful of usual causes, and they leave different fingerprints. How to tell whether it is your wifi, peak-time throttling, something that changed today or the line itself, and the complaint wording that gets money back.

By Ade
Wireless router on wooden table
Troubleshooting

How to speed up your broadband

Most slow broadband is a Wi-Fi problem, not a line problem. Work through the fixes in order, from the 60-second wired test to the point where the only real fix is a faster line.

By Ade
Person on sofa at night.
Troubleshooting

When the wifi keeps disconnecting

Wifi that drops every few minutes, on one device, or in one room is three different problems. The pattern of the drops tells you which, and where to start.

By Ade
Man on the phone to his provider with a laptop open at the table
Social tariffs

If your provider rejected you

Refused a broadband social tariff? The common reasons, the fix for each, a copy-paste complaint template, and the free appeal route if it comes to that.

By Ade
Woman applying by phone and laptop
Social tariffs

How to apply for a broadband social tariff

How to apply for a broadband social tariff in three steps. What to have ready, the no-fee mid-contract switch, and the two providers that ask for more.

By Ade
Man reviewing letter at kitchen table
Social tariffs

If you're on JSA, ESA or Income Support

Income-based JSA, income-related ESA and Income Support qualify for a broadband social tariff. Why the contribution-based versions get refused, and what to do.

By Ade
Older man using a laptop
Social tariffs

If you're on Pension Credit

On Pension Credit, Guarantee Credit qualifies you for almost every social tariff. Savings Credit alone is the catch, and where to try if that is all you get.

By Ade
Fibre cable dug into street
Guides

Can I get full fibre at my address?

Full fibre availability changes street by street. How to check your exact address, who is building it and what to do if you cannot get it yet.

By Ade
Living room in a new home
Switching

Broadband when moving house

Moving house resets your broadband. Whether to take your deal with you or switch, what can go wrong, and how to make the move pay.

By Ade
Comparing deals on laptop and phone
Guides

Which broadband comparison site is actually best in 2026?

Most broadband comparison sites, us included, are paid by the providers you switch to. An honest verdict on the UK sites, who is Ofcom-accredited, why most rank by commission not value and how to use any of them without getting fleeced.

By Ade
Fibre optic light strands
Guides

Do I need ultrafast broadband?

Ultrafast means 300 Mbps and up, and most homes never use it. Who genuinely needs it, who is paying for speed they cannot feel.

By Ade
Man on home-office video call
Guides

Best broadband for working from home

Working from home is won on upload speed, reliability and a backup, not on the headline download number. Here is what home-working broadband actually needs.

By Ade
Hands holding a game controller
Guides

Best broadband for gaming: what actually matters

Gaming broadband is won on ping, not speed. What gamers actually need, why full fibre wins, why you do not need gigabit, and the setup that matters more than the package.

By Ade
Pile of British pound coins
Pricing & regulation

How much should broadband cost?

The average UK broadband bill is about £35 a month, but plenty pay far less for the same speed. What broadband should cost, tier by tier.

By Ade
White router on black table
Guides

Best broadband router: do you actually need one?

Most UK ISP routers are good enough now. When the free hub is fine, when it is genuinely the problem, what to actually buy if it is not, and why the router is rarely the real reason your broadband feels slow.

By Ade
Hands holding a game controller
Guides

What is a good ping, and how to lower yours

Ping is the number that decides whether your connection feels sharp, and it is mostly not the download speed you pay for. What a good ping is, why yours is high, and how to lower it.

By Ade
Surprised person reading a bill
Pricing & regulation

Why has my broadband bill gone up?

A bigger broadband bill is almost always one of two things: an annual rise, or your contract ending. Here is which, and what to do about it.

By Ade
Fibre optic strands lit blue
Guides

FTTP, FTTC, cable and 5G: broadband types explained

The word fibre on a broadband advert means almost nothing. What FTTP, FTTC, cable and 5G actually are, the speeds and upload each really gives you, and which to pick at your address.

By Ade
Family on devices at home
Guides

What broadband speed do I actually need?

Most UK homes need far less speed than they are sold. The honest per-activity numbers for streaming, gaming and working from home, why 100 Mbps is plenty for most, and how to work out your own number.

By Ade