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Comparison of the Best Student Broadband Suppliers

Get the best deal on your broadband

We’ve compiled a list of Broadband packages available to you, along with whom we believe offers the best deal. Before signing up to any, be sure to check read through all of the details on their websites, making sure you don’t miss any of the small print!










Supplier Monthly cost Speed Contract Info & reviews Website
Glide

£24.99
+ £14.99 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

Glide specialise in student bills and are the only company offering flexible contracts from just six months, perfect for student properties.

Glide offers truly unlimited broadband and doesn’t slow you down during peak times. Their fibre broadband gives you up to 78Mb download and 19Mb upload while their cheaper standard broadband gives you up to 20Mb download and 1Mb upload.

What’s simple about Glide is that each tenant contributes equally to the cost of your home’s bills which is perfect for students living together. This means you only pay for your share of the bills so no more arguments or chasing housemates for that overdue payment.

If you want premium broadband specifically built for students, then Glide is the simplest choice. To take advantage of Glide, get in touch with them for a quote.

Reviews

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Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 4.1/5
Plusnet

£3.50
+ £10.99 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

Low cost offers and the ability to pay the line rental cost in one go makes PlusNet an attractive proposition for students.

Rated by Which as one of the top broadband providers, the prices are cheap and therefore attractive for students. Their unlimited Broadband and calls package includes up to 16Mb speed, and free weekend calls to UK landlines, 0845 and 0870 numbers; and free anytime calls to Plusnet phone customers.

All of this costs just £3.50 a month for the first 12 months; and a monthly line rental of £14.50; or a one-off payment of £131.88 (equivalent to £10.99 per month). With prices as low as this, PlusNet is an attractive offer to students – however, be aware that one member of the household will need to take responsibility for the contract and then chase the other members of the household for payment.

Reviews
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Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 3.0/5
TalkTalk

£3.50
+ £15.90 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

TalkTalk offers low costs, with TV included for a small extra charge, and the ability to combine this with Sky TV.

Talk Talk’s prices are impressively low, great if you and your housemates are looking for the cheapest deal possible! For just £3.50 a month (plus a £15.90 monthly line rental) you’ll get unlimited broadband, plus a free connection and router.

If you’d like to include TV in your package, it’ll cost just £6 a month for the first 6 months (then £8.50 thereafter – one of the cheaper options available) along with your line rental. Included in this are free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines, a free YouView box worth £149 (offering 70 channels), 7 day catch-up on your TV, 30 minutes pause and rewind on live TV and the ability to get Sky entertainment, sports and movies. Note, there is a charge of £50 for a new phone lines or for reactivating a line.

Reviews
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Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 2.9/5
Primus logo

£4
+ £14.50 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

Regular offers available from Primus, which offer low cost broadband options. The offers do change on a regular basis so you will need to check to see what is available.

A good example of a current offer is unlimited broadband for £4.00 per month with a line rental of £14.50. As part of this offer, you will receive a £15 credit on your first bill and free evening and weekend calls. It is worth noting that while they may connect a new phone line for free they will charge £59 if the property you move into does not have a phone line already.

Reviews
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Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 3.9/5
BT broadband logo

£16
+ £15.99 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

The UK’s most popular broadband provider, but not particularly student friendly, with 18 month contracts and early cancellation fees.

BT is the UK’s most popular broadband provider, and offers basic broadband packages from £7.50 for the first six months (rising to £10 after), with a line rental of £15.99 per month. Be aware though that you will only get a monthly usage of 10GB and if you use more than this excess charges will be applied.

The unlimited Broadband package is therefore the better option – the same line rental costs apply, with broadband costing £8 for the first six months and then £16 thereafter; plus you get a free £50 Sainsbury’s voucher. However, we think that you should only really consider this is you plan to stay in the same property for two years, as the minimum contract is 18 months and cancellation charges apply if you end the contract before that time.

Reviews
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Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 4.1/5
Sky broadband logo

£5
+ £15.40 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

Average prices, with Sky TV always an attractive offer, plus the potential to get a free £25 M&S voucher!

Sky Broadband Unlimited offers a 12 month contract, with a £5 per month cost for the first year (rising to £10 a month thereafter), plus £15.40 line rental, with a pretty standard speed of 17Mb. If you and your housemates would like Sky TV included too, then the first 12 months costs £7.50 a month; and if you’re signing up without a TV, you’ll receive a free £25 M&S voucher, which basically equals free food!

Reviews
VN:F [1.9.16_1159]
Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 3.7/5
EE broadband logo

£2
+ £11 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

The broadband cost is low, but the line rental costs can be confusing, with the potential for being charged unwanted extra costs when signing up

EE’s packages can seem complicated at a glance; but reading through them, are actually quite simple. Unlimited broadband costs just £2 for current EE customers for the first 12 months, then £6 thereafter; or for non EE customers it’s £12 for the first 12 months, then £16.

This package includes weekend landline calls; which cost £11 a month; but as the majority of you will already have a phone contract, you will not need to request this additional extra. With up to 17Mb the speed may be slightly slower, but the prices are cheap – just make sure you know what you’re asking for if you decide to sign up with EE so you aren’t charged for any unwanted additional extras.

Reviews
VN:F [1.9.16_1159]
Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 3.1/5
Virgin broadband logo

£7.50
+ £15.99 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

The 50Mb is fast, but the costs are high with better deals to be had elsewhere.

Virgin’s Broadband and Phone package starts at £7.50 per month for the first six months, rising to £15.50 thereafter; plus an additional monthly £15.99 for a Virgin phone line. With this deal you’ll get up to 50Mb, unlimited weekend calls to UK landlines, 0870 numbers and Virgin numbers, plus a free installation worth £49.95. However, you’ll need to bear in mind that this contract is for 18 months so unless you’ll be staying in the same property the year after, you’ll have to cancel the contract and pay a fee.

For a higher cost, you can get just broadband for £20 a month for the first three months, which then rises to £25 thereafter. However, you won’t need to get a landline, and the contract is only for 12 months, which is more suitable for student properties.

Reviews
VN:F [1.9.16_1159]
Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 3.2/5
Direct Save broadband logo

£11.95
+ £9.95 line rental

76Mbps

12 months

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Information

The prices are high with the different packages offering only subtle changes making it confusing to choose between.

Our verdict is it’s the worst deal of the bunch DirectSave offer a couple of packages depending on how much you’re willing to pay. Their basic broadband package is £11.95 per month, with a usage of 20Gb which is not ideal if living with a few people as it’s likely you’ll run over; although the speed is reasonable at 20Gb. You will also need to purchase a line rental, costing £9.95 each month; with free weekend calls included costing £21.90 per month; or £27.40 per month if you choose free anytime calls.

For unlimited broadband, you’re better off getting the Family package, with broadband costing £16.95 each month; taking the total monthly cost to between £26.90 – £32.40. Whilst these charges won’t be high if divided between a few of you; it’s expensive for what it is with better rates offered, making this the least value for money.

Reviews
VN:F [1.9.16_1159]
Accuracy of bills
Clarity of bills
Ease of splitting bills with housemates
Ease of set up
Value for money
Connection speed
Connection Reliability
Ease of contacting
Customer service
Technical support
Rating: 2.7/5
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