Best & Worst Broadband Providers 2022

Discover the best and worst broadband providers in the UK – we asked thousands of customers about their experiences, so we can tell you which providers you should use and which to avoid

YF

Yvette Fletcher

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In this article

• Best broadband providers: all the major suppliers rated
• Smaller providers top our table
• Which? Recommended Providers
• Which? broadband survey results

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For many of us, our broadband connection is more than just an extra that's nice to have – it's a necessity we use every day. 

Yet the relationship with our broadband provider can be a love-hate affair. Unreliable connections, slow speeds and dismal customer service can leave you tearing your hair out in frustration.

As a Which? member, you can use the results of our in-depth research below to discover the broadband companies you can rely on – and those you can't.

To help you find the best internet service provider (ISP), we regularly ask real broadband users about their experiences. That way, we can reveal what the broadband companies' customers really think of them.

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Best broadband providers: all the major suppliers rated

We can reveal the broadband providers that get it right: those that give you a fast, consistent connection and fix things quickly if they go wrong.

In the table below, we show the latest results from our regular broadband customer satisfaction survey. Scroll across to see the full star ratings as well as the customer score.

Broadband satisfaction survey results

RECOMMENDED PROVIDER Zen	74%	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	n/a	★★★★☆
Vodafone	65%	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Hyperoptic	63%	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	n/a
Now Broadband	63%	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★☆☆☆
Plusnet	63%	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
BT	62%	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆
EE Broadband	62%	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆

Table notes: Based on an online survey of 3,903 members of the public conducted in January 2022. Ratings and scores are for broadband or broadband and phone packages. Which? Recommended Providers are labelled 'Recommended Provider'. Customer score is based on satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. Customers also rated aspects of service; these are presented as star ratings. We need at least 50 responses to award a rating; n/a indicates that we didn't receive enough to give a rating in that category. Individual sample sizes are as follows: Zen Internet 54, Vodafone 205, Hyperoptic 54, Now Broadband 85, Plusnet 254, BT 974, EE Broadband 344, Shell Energy Broadband 76, TalkTalk 481, Utility Warehouse 54, Sky 475, SSE 57, Virgin Media 553, John Lewis Broadband 51.

Zen Internet earned an impressive customer score, putting it at the top of our table for the seventh year running. Vodafone came second, with Hyperoptic, Now Broadband and Plusnet all sharing third place.

As well as getting a strong customer score, we require Which? Recommended Providers to be committed to two schemes from Ofcom: its codes of practice and its automatic compensation scheme. These are designed to ensure a fairer broadband market – the codes require providers to give customers clear indications of the speeds they can expect, including a minimum speed that's guaranteed. Automatic compensation ensures that those who experience poor service get money back when things go wrong, without having to chase it.

Zen Internet was among the earliest to sign up for the automatic compensation scheme and committed to Ofcom's codes of practice in July 2021, so we're happy to name it a Which? Recommended Provider.

Smaller providers top our table

Zen Internet– one of the smaller providers – proves it's possible to offer a great broadband experience. It achieved four out of five stars in most aspects covered in our survey – Zen customers were the most satisfied by some margin, and it was the only provider to receive above-average ratings for its broadband speed and connection reliability. Despite not offering the cheapest tariffs, an impressive proportion of Zen’s customers said it's good value - more than three quarters gave it positive ratings for this.

Meanwhile, the UK's biggest providers earned scores ranging from pedestrian to pathetic. Four providers supply the majority of customers in the UK, yet three of them sit in the bottom half of our league table. Virgin Media  did terribly, taking penultimate place in our rankings – only John Lewis Broadband did worse. But the customer scores that Sky and TalkTalk received were only slightly higher.

BT Broadband managed to do a little better than its big-name rivals, coming in joint-sixth place alongside its subsidiary, EE Broadband. 

Compare all 14 providers in more detail using our broadband provider reviews. 

Which? Recommended Providers

Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs) are the cream of the crop. We only give the accolade to broadband companies that get a customer score of 70% or more, and have committed to Ofcom schemes designed to ensure fairness in the telecoms market.

That's not all. We know price is important, so we give the award only to those companies that we feel charge a reasonable price for their services. If they charge too much, they're not eligible to be WRPs, whatever score they get in the survey. 

This year only one broadband provider has met all of our requirements – Zen Internet. It earned four-star ratings in every category we rated it in, had the most satisfied customers, and has committed to Ofcom's codes of practice and automatic compensation scheme. 

Which? broadband survey results

We survey thousands of broadband, home phone and TV customers each year, so we can help you to choose the best service. In January 2022, we surveyed nearly 4,000 broadband customers and asked them about their experiences. We report on all providers that have at least 50 respondents.

If you want a broadband package that also includes a pay-TV service, read our TV and broadband package reviews.

Are you getting the broadband speed you're paying for? Our broadband speed test can help you find out.