Best and worst broadband providers 2023

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Last updated: 13 April 2023

Thousands of customers complain about their broadband provider every year, with issues ranging from connection problems to unexpected price hikes. However, some providers perform better than others in terms of the volume of complaints they receive, and knowing which companies are the worst culprits can help you make an informed decision about your next provider.

Ofcom’s annual customer service report looks at how the major broadband providers in the UK perform each year on factors such as customer satisfaction and complaints handling. The market regulator gives an independent report into what levels of customer service phone and broadband customers can expect.

Read on to find out who are the country’s best and worst broadband providers in 2023.

How are broadband providers ranked?

Every year, industry regulator Ofcom collects a survey of overall broadband customer satisfaction, including satisfaction with customer service, satisfaction with complaints handling, and average call waiting times.

Remember that the ranking only provides a snapshot into the happiness of customers for each provider. It does not necessarily relate directly to how good their broadband service is, but it can indicate when a provider is having more issues than normal.

You must also remember that the complaints per 100,000 customers only shows you the number of customers who were so unhappy that they escalated their complaint to the regulator (direct complaints to the provider are not included). In reality, there may actually be far more unhappy customers than this data suggests.

These rankings do not mean you should necessarily switch broadband provider either. You may find that you have had no problems with your broadband service, but your provider is ranked unfavourably by Ofcom. As long as you’re happy then there is probably no need to switch!

Who are the best broadband providers?

Here we will look at all the providers included in Ofcom’s annual customer service report released in 2021 and how they were ranked:

1: BT

In terms of overall customer satisfaction with the service, BT was voted the best broadband provider for 2023 with a score of 88%. One of the reasons for this high level of customer satisfaction could be the fact that it had the highest number of complaints that were completely resolved at 53%, while it also had the highest proportion of customers satisfied with their provider’s complaints handling at 55%.

BT offers a wide range of broadband packages to suit all kinds of households, and they offer a reliable service too, but their deals are usually more expensive than its rivals. They do, however, offer one of the best ranges of TV packages that you can pick and choose from, including exclusive offers on BT Sport.

It is also one of the most widely-available broadband providers in the country, with their full fibre packages currently available to 91% of UK postcodes.

Here are some of BT’s broadband packages right now:

67Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £35.99 / month

67Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£65 / month for 3 months

Then £100.99 / month

500Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £44.99 / month

2: EE

EE came in at a close second in Ofcom’s latest rankings, with 85% of their customers overall satisfied with their service. Just 20 EE customers per 100,000 felt they had a reason to complain to Ofcom about the provider, the lowest proportion of any provider in the survey.

EE is definitely not one of the cheapest broadband providers around, but it offers a decent range of packages at varying speeds, and the vast majority of customers have been left satisfied with their connection and its performance.

As well as their highly-rated customer service, EE often rewards customers for their loyalty, offering discounts on broadband and up to 20GB of free data to EE Mobile customers.

3: Sky

Sky also fared relatively well in Ofcom’s latest report, just about beating the UK-wide average of 83% overall customer satisfaction with a score of 84%. A higher-than-average proportion of its customers were also satisfied with the overall service they offer, while 54% of customers that complained were satisfied with how it was handled - more than any other provider bar BT. Finally, Sky also had the second lowest number of Ofcom complaints at just 21 per 100,000 subscribers.

As well as their favourable customer reviews, Sky has long been known to offer some of the best selections of TV bundles on the market. The Sky Q router and set-top box is also hard to be beaten in terms of ISP-provided equipment, and they also now throw in a Netflix subscription on a number of their packages.

Here are some of Sky’s broadband packages right now:

36Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£28.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

145Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£29.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

4: Plusnet

Plusnet came in at a fourth place in Ofcom’s latest rankings, with 79% of their customers overall satisfied with their service. Around 7% of Plusnet customers who called the provider had their complaints resolved before speaking with an advisor, the second highest proportion in the survey.

Plusnet prides itself on offering simple, affordable broadband. While this means that you won’t get any packages offering 100Mbps or more, if you’re happy with settling for up to 67Mbps with a fibre connection, you’ll struggle to find it for a fairer price than with Plusnet.

What makes Plusnet’s deals even better value for money is the fact that they all come with a Plusnet Reward card which can be spent online and in most high street stores, while they also don’t charge any set-up fees.

Here are some of Plusnet’s broadband packages right now:

10Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£25.99 / month

£0 upfront fees

=5: TalkTalk

With an overall customer satisfaction score of 78%, TalkTalk was rated the fifth best broadband provider in Ofcom’s 2022 annual report. While customers weren’t particularly satisfied with the reliability of service that TalkTalk offer, with just 75% saying they were pleased with it, its average call waiting times were just 62 seconds - the joint-second lowest in the survey and less than half the UK average of 136 seconds. However, at 75 in every 100,000 subscribers, TalkTalk received the second-highest number of official Ofcom complaints after Virgin Media.

So, while TalkTalk had a fairly low rating for overall customer satisfaction, some other measurements of their service paint a different picture. TalkTalk offers simple, no-frills broadband at low costs, and they also rarely charge any set-up fees or hike price mid-contract.

Here are some of TalkTalk’s broadband packages right now:

11Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£26.95 / month

£9.95 upfront fees

38Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£28.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

=5: Virgin Media

Virgin Media is one of the most recognised broadband providers in the UK, and the majority of its customers are satisfied with their service with an overall satisfaction rate of 78%. However, this was also the joint-second lowest overall score in the survey, along with TalkTalk. One area Virgin Media performed particularly badly in was the number of Ofcom complaints it received - at 78 per 100,000 users, this was the highest of any provider surveyed. It also had the lowest number of complaints resolved at just 39%.

Virgin Media is the most widely available provider of ultrafast speeds in the UK, although you should expect to pay a premium for their services. The company also uses their own lines to deliver fibre optic connections to your home, meaning there’s no need to pay for line rental as is usually the norm.

They also offer a good selection of TV bundles for you to pick and choose from, while the router you’ll receive as standard with most packages is one of the most up-to-date on the market.

Here are some of Virgin Media’s broadband packages right now:

132Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£26.50 / month

£0 upfront fees

264Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£31.99 / month

£0 upfront fees

516Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£38.50 / month

£0 upfront fees

7. Vodafone

With an overall customers satisfaction score of just 77%, Ofcom has ranked Vodafone as the worst broadband provider in 2023. However, with just an 11% difference between Vodafone and the highest rated ISP, BT, the difference between the best and worst is somewhat marginal. You should also remember that Ofcom’s survey only includes the biggest broadband providers with significant market share - so many smaller, independent and local providers aren’t included in this list.

If you don’t consider Ofcom’s report of Vodafone all that bad, then you could find some enticing and affordable deals from the provider. In fact, some of its superfast broadband only packages are some of the most competitive on the market, with a full fibre, 100Mbps connection currently costing just £25 per month. Vodafone also offers a number of perks and freebies if you upgrade to one of their ‘Pro’ packages.

Here are some of Vodafon'e broadband packages that are available right now:

67Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£25.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

100Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£28.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

500Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£40.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

Who are the worst broadband providers in 2023?

Overall, it’s hard to categorically say which broadband provider can be considered the worst, as there are so many different factors at play, and customers will have different priorities depending on their needs. While Vodafone had the lowest overall customer satisfaction score, the difference between the top-ranking provider was almost negligible. In fact, what may the ideal broadband provider for one customer may be the worst for another, depending on their specific needs and budget.

For a more in-depth analysis of Ofcom’s latest customer satisfaction survey, you can read their report here.

Broadband customer service table

Category								UK Average
Satisfaction with overall service	88%	85%	79%	84%	78%	78%	77%	83%
Satisfaction with reliability of service	86%	87%	80%	83%	75%	76%	82%	82%
Complaints completely resolved	53%	47%	42%	49%	42%	39%	41%	46%
Overall satisfaction with complaint handling	55%	49%	43%	54%	43%	45%	45%	50%
Ofcom complaints per 100,000 subscribers	42	20	56	21	75	78	64	49
Average call waiting time (mm:ss)	1:46	0:53	2:07	2:17	1:02	3:45	1:18	2:16

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Author: Danny Lord

Danny is our Editor-in-Chief, and has been writing news and guides for comparison sites for the last five years.