BT Broadband and Virgin Media are two of the most popular broadband providers in the UK, but which is the best?
BT and Virgin Media are two of the UK’s biggest and most popular internet service providers. Although they both sit at the premium end of the broadband market, they’re both incredibly popular choices with customers who are looking for fast speeds and reliable connections.
Both BT and Virgin Media are also popular providers for a reason. After all, they offer a fantastic range of broadband speeds, top broadband deals, added extras, dependable service and even incentives.
Plus, while Sky has traditionally been the top choice for anyone searching for a broadband and TV bundle, both BT and Virgin Media are starting to muscle in on their territory. Now, both providers offer a great range of broadband and TV bundles, including bundles that include Sky TV channels.
Many people searching for a new broadband deal will struggle to separate BT and Virgin Media. Thankfully, this is exactly where we can help. We’ve done the hard work for you and we’ve put together this guide that directly compares the two providers. We’ve also delivered our definitive verdict on which is better.
BT and Virgin Media both offer a great range of broadband speeds, including ultrafast Full Fibre options which offer lightning-fast connections. However, while BT offers a range of speeds to suit all needs (including an entry-level ADSL option), Virgin Media instead focuses on speeds, and even its slowest option is a fibre connection.
By way of direct comparison, BT provides all of the following broadband speeds:
By contrast, Virgin Media has the following speeds available:
As you can see, although BT provides the greatest range of speeds, Virgin Media provides the fastest speeds available. This is partly due to the fact that BT relies on the Openreach network, while Virgin uses its own network and specialises in Full Fibre deals.
So, if you’re looking for a cheap ADSL connection or only need a basic fibre package, BT is your only choice between the providers. However, if you’re looking for rapid internet and you have high streaming demands, Virgin Media may be the better choice.
But, one more thing we should note before we move on is the different contract lengths offered by both providers. While BT tends to offer 24-month contracts, Virgin Media specialises in 18-month contracts. So, if you want to be tied down for as little time as possible, Virgin Media is the best choice here.
