The best Plusnet broadband deals unlock big speed increases at low prices (Image: PLUSNET • EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS )
Looking for the best Plusnet broadband deals? The company, known for its chirpy Yorkshire-based mascot and low prices, now offers download speeds up to 500Mbps. Plusnet is owned by BT and runs on Openreach’s nationwide network of broadband, so if you’re able to sign-up for the best BT broadband deals – you’ll be able to switch to Plusnet without issue.
For a limited time, Plusnet has slashed the £20 one-off activation fee, so you’ll pay nothing for postage and activation of your new broadband package. You’ll even save on activation if you’re switching from a broadband company that doesn’t use Openreach infrastructure (like Virgin Media) and require an engineer to set-up everything to work with Plusnet.
Monthly prices for Plusnet start from £20 per month, which is one of the best broadband deals in the UK. For those who want faster downloads, there are some brilliant bargains to be found too. Scroll down for more information on the latest promotions and deals from Plusnet, as well as answers to some of the most commonly-asked questions around home broadband, Wi-Fi speeds, and more. Our in-depth guide to Plusnet broadband deals follows below, or click on a specific heading to jump to the relevant section.
Haven’t got the time to read our complete guide? Not a problem, here’s our top pick of every Plusnet deal available today.
The latest round of Plusnet broadband deals comes hot on the heels of a broadband speed increase for millions of people nationwide. Following a trial earlier this year, Plusnet has now upgraded broadband speeds for millions of customers nationwide, offering download speeds of up to 500Mbps for the first time.
Plusnet first introduced these upgraded broadband speeds back in May 2022, but only for customers who called the support centre to enquire about full-fibre. It seems this soft launch was a success as Plusnet has now unleashed the improved speeds on its website. Full fibre plans arrive with a 24-month minimum term, unlimited download usage, free activation, and a new Wi-Fi router, dubbed the Plusnet Hub Two.
As you might expect given the fact that BT owns the company, Plusnet Hub Two shares many of the same features as the BT Smart Hub 2, so expect better handling of dozens of smart home gadgets. For those with video doorbells, smart speakers, Wi-Fi connected thermostats and more… this should provide a big boost for connectivity.
Unfortunately, Plusnet isn’t offering speeds up to 900Mbps quite yet (despite the Openreach full-fibre networks used by the company topping out at these download speeds) but we’d expect that to be introduced to the online store in the coming weeks and months. We’ll update this article as soon as the gigabit-capable speeds are here. Broadband suppliers such as TalkTalk, BT and EE all offer access to these ludicrously speedy downloads via the same network.
BT-owned Openreach recently confirmed that six million households can now access its gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband. The company plans to reach 25 million premises by December 2026 as part of its plan to upgrade broadband connections nationwide. As it stands, the average home broadband speed in the UK sits at 70Mbps.
If you want to upgrade your speeds with Plusnet, you can check whether you have full-fibre connection running to your home here.
Best Plusnet broadband deals
As well as increasing the maximum download speeds available for pay monthly customers, Plusnet has also dramatically simplified its broadband offering.
Plusnet customers can sign-up for download speeds of 74Mbps (20Mbps upload speed), 145Mbps (30Mbps upload) or 500Mbps (75Mbps upload). For a limited time, none of these plans come with the usual £20 upfront fee. Plusnet includes a guaranteed download speed of 40Mbps, 80Mbps, 275Mbps, respectively with its new full-fibre broadband plans.
If your connection consistently misses this threshold, you’ll be able to leave your 24-month contract earlier without incurring a termination fee. While 24-months is a longer contract than you’ll get with the likes of Sky and Virgin Media, the speed guarantee should provide reassurance that you’ll get a certain level of performance …or you’ll be able to start shopping for new broadband deals.
What broadband speed do you need?
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to this question. It really all depends on what you do with your broadband at home. The average home broadband speed in the UK is around 70Mbps. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, Netflix recommends a minimum of 3Mbps for 720p streaming, 5Mbps for 1080p, and at least 15Mbps for 4K Ultra HD. So the average speed in the UK is absolutely fine if you’re only looking to watch an episode (or two) of Stranger Things in the evening after work.
What Speed Does Netflix Recommend To Stream?
- For Standard Definition: 1Mbps
- For 1080p High Definition: 5Mbps
- For 4K Ultra HD Definition: 15Mbps
However, it’s important to think of your broadband connection as a motorway. The more traffic running through your Wi-Fi router …the more congested, and slower, things will get. While it’s true that you’ll be able to binge a Netflix in the highest quality available with 15Mbps – you also need to account everything else happening in your home at that time. If you’ve got a video doorbell, that will be sipping away at your bandwidth each time you check it, if your phone is backing up photos to the cloud, if your laptop is downloading a software update or refreshing emails in the background, if you’ve got children playing online multiplayer games on consoles upstairs, if you have a smart speaker that’s streaming radio or music, every WhatsApp message that pings onto your phone …it all adds up. And it all counts towards your bandwidth.
It’s also worth that opting for a faster download speed means you’ll have a bigger buffer if speeds take a hit during peak times.
Broadband providers, including Plusnet, increase the average upload speed when you plump for a pricier package with faster download speeds too. For people who collaborate on documents with work colleagues, upload videos to YouTube, stream on platforms like Twitch, or share large files when working from home… all of these rely on a solid upload speed. Faster download speeds won’t improve the progress bar on any of these activities – so it’s worth taking a good look at the sort of things you use your home Wi-Fi to do before deciding on the best package.
How does Plusnet compare to other broadband providers?
If you want to pit the latest full-fibre broadband prices from Plusnet against the competition, we’ve included some of the latest broadband price cuts below. Plusnet Full Fibre 145 is pretty competitive compared with other broadband firms on the market, comfortably beating BT broadband and also just undercutting Sky broadband too.
However, it’s worth noting that its Full Fibre 74 – while still cheaper than some rivals – isn’t the cheapest plan available for those speeds. As we’ve highlighted in our best UK broadband deals guide, that crown is still firmly with Vodafone.