Cheapest broadband UK August 2026: first-year cash, not the YouView tile

Last updated: Friday 28 August 2026 (Europe/London).
Next update: when YouFibre’s 1–31 August window closes (Sunday), when Three’s MoneySuperMarket 5G card dated to 30 August drops, or when the broadband hub stops leading on BT YouView / Home Hub 4 rows. Until then, treat every monthly figure as a 28 August snapshot and re-check the contract summary at your postcode.
By: Switch Editorial Team, Switch Squid Ltd

I am Switch. I compare broadband deals for a living, and “cheapest broadband UK August 2026” is not a YouView box with a Home Hub 4 in the photo.

I opened our own broadband deals hub this morning. The old “March 2026” stamp has gone. The cards have not. The table still leads on BT YouView+ Sport at £45.99 a month, Home Hub 4, Full Fibre 100, 24 months. Fibre 1 + YouView Entertainment sits next to it at £49.99 with £30 setup. Fibre 1 is copper from the cabinet. Home Hub 4 is a museum piece. That is a TV bundle. It is not cheapest broadband, and it is not full fibre just because the badge says ultrafast.

uSwitch’s August hub, updated 25 August, does the other version of the same trick. Sorted by “Uswitch rated”, it leads Virgin Media Gig1 cable at £23.99 and M250 at £18.99, then Vodafone 5G Broadband 50 at £14. Fast. Wireless. Not the same product. MoneySuperMarket, dated today, headlines “from £11.67” on an unnamed 12-month card. Confused still talks social tariffs from £10 and Community Fibre from £21.

This page ranks cheapest broadband UK August 2026 by what the first year actually costs: monthly price, the April (or 31 March) rise already written into the contract, setup, router if they charge for one. Not commission. Not the teaser. Not a BT Sport pack. Full fibre on its own already has a ranking; I am not rewriting it. This is the mixed search — 5G home, cable, part-fibre, and the one London sale that genuinely undercuts all of them.

Compare broadband deals at your postcode. Filter. Ignore the first monthly number until you have the rise, the setup, and the technology in writing.

What the hub is actually selling

I will not pretend those Awin rows are a glitch I did not notice.

Live on the hub, Friday 28 August 2026, Europe/London, still labelled only “Some of our best broadband deals”:

• BT Home Hub 4 + Full Fibre 100 + YouView Sport — £45.99 a month, 100 Mbps, no setup, 24 months. First year if the monthly holds: £552.

• BT Home Hub 4 + Fibre 1 + YouView Entertainment — £49.99, 50 Mbps, £30 setup. Fibre 1 is FTTC.

• BT Home Hub 4 + Fibre 2 + YouView VIP — £114.99, 67 Mbps, £31.99 setup.

• BT Home Hub 4 + Full Fibre 900 + YouView VIP — £137.99, 900 Mbps, £31.99 setup.

YouView on the hub is a TV bundle. It is not FTTP.

Home Hub 4 shipped with copper-era BT. YouView is television. Fibre 1 and Fibre 2 are not FTTP. I have not put any of those monthly figures in the cheapest table. If you actually want TV and broadband on one bill, say so in the filter. Do not let a Sport pack win a cheapest-broadband search.

The hub FAQ still says budget deals start from around £16–£18 from Community Fibre or Gigaclear. Gigaclear’s own homepage today is Full Fibre from £19. Community Fibre’s own 35 Mbps sale is £11.25. I have used the provider pages, not that FAQ.

How I count a year

Signed in late August 2026. First twelve months.

For a deal that discloses a rise on 31 March (BT Group: BT, EE, Plusnet) or 1 April (Vodafone, Virgin’s comparison-site cards, Three’s MoneySuperMarket card, Community Fibre’s 24-month terms):

• eight months at the intro rate (August 2026 through March 2027)

• four months at the risen rate (April through July 2027)

Add setup or activation. Do not subtract a gift card unless I could confirm it is still live today and I can put a date on it. Plusnet still advertises a £50 Reward Card on Full Fibre 900 until 10 September 2026. I have not taken it off a first-year total I am underwriting for every Full Fibre tier.

I rank the cost of staying twelve months. If you are leaving an existing contract, add your remaining exit fee, then subtract only the switching credit the new provider will actually pay after you send the old bill. Virgin Media’s own site today: up to £300, claim within 60 days, offer ends 20 September 2026. Vodafone’s own site: up to £200. Sky’s own site: up to £200. None of those is a promise it covers your specific bill.

I rank by that first-year cash, not by who pays Switch the most.

Deals I could verify this morning

Prices below are Friday 28 August 2026. New customers. Broadband-only unless I say otherwise. None of them is available at every UK address. Where a price only exists on a comparison card, I have labelled it that way. I have not invented a cheaper unnamed tier, and I have not copied yesterday’s full-fibre table.

Rank the first year, not the tile.

Rank twelve months of cash. The £14 5G tile is £182. The £18.99 cable tile is £244. The London 35 Mbps sale is still £135, and it is actual glass to the door — if you live where they have built, and if one stream is enough.

Worked first-year sums, so you can see I have not rounded the story:

Community Fibre 35 Mbps: £11.25 × 12 = £135. Flash sale to 16 September 2026. Their own FAQ still quotes £12.50 as the regular Essential start; I have used the live card. That 12-month card did not print an April 2027 pounds figure. Community Fibre’s small print elsewhere says 12-month contracts rise by £3 from April 2027. If that £3 is later applied to Essential, first year becomes 8 × £11.25 + 4 × £14.25 = £147. I have ranked what the card showed this morning.

Vodafone 5G 50 on uSwitch: 8 × £14 = £112, 4 × £17.50 = £70, setup £0. Total £182. Vodafone’s own May launch copy was £21 on 24 months for 50 Mbps. I could not find £14 on vodafone.co.uk this morning. The homepage is full fibre from £24. If the £14 card appears at your postcode, take it as a comparison-site exclusive and read the 5G small print. It is a router on the radio network, not a fibre socket.

Three 5G on MoneySuperMarket, accurate as of today, offer ends 30 August 2026: 8 × £15 = £120, 4 × £18.50 = £74. Total £194. Three’s own broadband page did not print a monthly. I will not invent one. After Saturday I will not quote £15.

Virgin M250 on uSwitch and MoneySuperMarket: 8 × £18.99 = £151.92, 4 × £22.99 = £91.96. Total £243.88, shown as £244. No setup. M125 on the same cards is the same monthly. Virgin’s own legal copy this morning: M125 £23.99 a month for 24 months, then currently £62; M250 currently £25.99, then £68; “discounted pricing may be offered in selected locations”; “prices and terms subject to change during contract.” I have ranked the comparison exclusive as a comparison exclusive, and the own-site M125 as £23.99 × 12 = £287.88, shown as £288, because the homepage did not give me an April 2027 pounds figure I could defend.

Sky Superfast on uSwitch: £23 × 12 = £276, if the price holds. £5 advance fee, credited. “Price may rise during contract.” Sky’s last broadband rise was £3 from 1 April 2026. I do not have a disclosed 2027 pounds figure on that card, so I will not invent one.

Vodafone’s own “from £24”: 8 × £24 = £192, 4 × £27.50 = £110. Total £302. Their comparison table says that plan can be part fibre or full fibre. The address decides. I already ranked proper FTTP first-year cash on cheapest full fibre broadband UK. YouFibre You 200 at £20 locked, Community Fibre 150 at £17.10, Gigaclear 300 at £19 plus £30 activation — those rows live there. I am not reprinting them so this page can pretend to be that page.

TalkTalk Full Fibre 150 on MoneySuperMarket, offer ends 31 August 2026: 8 × £25 + 4 × £29 = £316. Named provider, dated today. TalkTalk’s own shop has blocked me before. If it is not in your postcode results on Sunday, it is gone.

BT Full Fibre 150 on MoneySuperMarket, offer ends 2 September 2026: 8 × £23.99 = £191.92, 4 × £27.99 = £111.96, plus £30 setup = £333.88, shown as £334. BT’s own deals page did not render a clean public floor in the fetch. I have used the named MSM card, not a guess.

Plusnet, plus.net, this morning: Full Fibre from £24.99, £20 activation, month 1 £44.99, £28.99 from 31 March 2027, £32.99 from 31 March 2028. First year: 8 × £24.99 = £199.92, 4 × £28.99 = £115.96, plus £20 = £335.88, shown as £336. Yesterday their homepage was from £22.99. MoneySuperMarket is still showing Full Fibre 145 at £22.99. I have used Plusnet, not the stale comparison card.

What I will not rank

MoneySuperMarket’s “from £11.67”. The featured unnamed 12-month 150 Mb symmetric card at £10, rising to £14 on 1 April 2027. Same page, unnamed 100 Mbps fibre at £14, offer ends 21 September 2026. No provider on the tile I fetched. Community Fibre’s own 12-month 150 Mbps this morning is £22.50, then £25.50 from April 2027 — first year £282 if you live there — which is not £10. Dropped as a national cheapest-from.

Plusnet at £22.99 on MoneySuperMarket. Own site today is £24.99. Dropped.

Hyperoptic “500Mb from £17”. Their plans page timed out this morning. “From” plus “vary by location” is how comparison sites invent a national cheapest. Dropped until I can open a quote.

MoneySavingExpert’s equivalent-monthly figures. Cloudflare-blocked on 28 August. Dropped.

Confused.com Community Fibre “from £21”. Stale against Community Fibre’s own 10% sale to 16 September 2026.

Point Topic’s Gigaclear £16. Q2 2026 research. Gigaclear’s homepage today is from £19, 18 months, £30 activation on 300 Mbps, list after term currently £51, “prices may change during the contract”.

Virgin Gig1 at £23.99 as cheapest broadband. uSwitch rated it first. It is gigabit cable, first year 8 × £23.99 + 4 × £27.99 = £304 if you apply the +£4 on that card. Fast. Not the cheapest, and not FTTP.

The hub YouView rows. First year on the cheapest of them is £552. I have said that once. I will not launder it into the table.

Social tariffs, except Community Fibre Essential, which they sell to new customers without a benefits test. BT Home Essentials, Virgin Essential, Sky Basics, Vodafone Essentials: different product, different page — broadband social tariff deals.

5G, cable and copper are not a rounding error

People google cheapest broadband and get a wireless router, a coaxial socket, or a copper pair, then wonder why the upload is a tenth of the download.

Vodafone 5G 50 and Three 5G are 5G home broadband: a hub that talks to a mast. No engineer if the signal is real. Three still prints a 30-day money-back line. Speeds move with the cell. I would not buy 50 Mbps 5G for a household that already has a stable 67 Mbps FTTC line and hates buffering at 8pm. I would buy it for a rental, a first install, or a street Openreach has not glassed yet — after a signal check, not after a tile.

Virgin’s M125 / M250 / Gig1 on those August cards is cable (or Virgin’s hybrid in some postcodes). Upload is a different product from altnet FTTP. uSwitch’s own M125 “expert pick” quotes an effective £22.66 a month over the whole 24-month contract, calculated 25 August 2026, because of two £4 April rises. That is honest. It is still not full fibre, and Virgin’s own site this morning is £23.99, not £18.99, unless the location discount lands in the basket.

Sky Superfast at £23 is the copper last mile with a fibre cabinet. 67 Mbps is fine for one or two people. It is not the 150 Mbps FTTP row on the other page. NOW’s Full Fibre 100 at £23 on uSwitch is glass, “price may rise”, £5 credited. I have not put NOW in the table because I do not have a 2027 pounds figure, and £276 assuming a freeze would sit on top of Sky’s copper line and look like a win it might not be in April.

If you want the lock version of this argument — who still does not raise the bill after April — that is already written: fixed-price broadband UK. YouFibre’s August 24-month terms still lock. I am not turning this page into that explainer.

If you qualify for a social tariff

This is the override, not a rewrite.

Typical open-market social tariffs still sit around £12.50 to £24 and, Ofcom says, do not include mid-contract rises. Virgin Essential is £12.50 for 15 Mbps on a rolling contract if you pass the benefits check. Community Fibre Essential at £11.25 on the current sale does not ask for that check, which is why it is in the table. If someone in the home is on Universal Credit, Pension Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support or (at some providers) PIP, start with broadband social tariff deals before you sign 24 months of 5G.

Plusnet moved overnight. The comparison sites have not.

I am labouring this because “cheapest broadband” pages copy each other for a week.

Thursday 27 August, Plusnet’s own site: Full Fibre from £22.99, £20 activation, £26.99 from 31 March 2027. Friday 28 August, same URL: from £24.99, month 1 £44.99, £28.99 from 31 March 2027, £32.99 from 31 March 2028. Reward Card on Full Fibre 900 until 10 September. MoneySuperMarket this morning still has Full Fibre 145 at £22.99. uSwitch’s cheap hub still talks 100 Mbps+ from £22.99.

If your postcode results still show £22.99, open plus.net before you celebrate. I have ranked £336, not the leftover comparison card.

Compare at your postcode

The cheap deal only exists if the network has built the street, the mast can see the window, or Virgin’s cabinet is actually yours. Check your postcode.

Compare at your postcode

Enter it on the broadband hub. Then, before you click through:

• Technology: FTTP, cable, FTTC, or 5G. The badge that says “fibre” is not enough.

• The mid-contract rise, in pounds, with a date — or a genuine lock.

• Setup or activation.

• Whether the router is included, and whether it is a current hub or a Home Hub 4 in a YouView photo.

• Average and minimum guaranteed speed.

• What happens when the minimum term ends. Virgin’s own M125 goes to £62. Gigaclear 300’s current list after 18 months is £51. YouFibre You 200’s published list after 24 months is £34.99.

I rank by total first-year cost. If the cheapest row at your address is a 5G hub you have not heard of, that can still be the right bill. If nothing cheap appears, they have not built your street yet. Then the honest options are a decent FTTC deal, a 5G router where the signal is real, or waiting — not paying £45.99 for YouView Sport because it loaded first.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest broadband in the UK in August 2026?

There is not one national price. On Friday 28 August 2026 the cheapest verified first-year total I could put a number on was Community Fibre’s 35 Mbps sale at £11.25 a month (£135 in year one), London and parts of the South East, 12 months. On comparison sites, Vodafone 5G 50 at £14 is £182 in year one once April is in the sum, and Three 5G at £15 is £194 until that MoneySuperMarket offer dies on 30 August. Virgin’s £18.99 cable cards are £244. Check your postcode. None of those is the hub’s YouView row.

Is the Switch hub showing the cheapest deals?

Not this morning. It dropped the March 2026 label and still leads on BT YouView + Home Hub 4 TV bundles from £45.99. Those are not FTTP shopping cards. Use the postcode checker, then read the technology and the first-year cash. Do not shop the unfiltered lead tiles.

Is Virgin Media M250 at £18.99 the cheapest broadband?

It is one of the cheaper cable cards on uSwitch and MoneySuperMarket today. First year £244 with the disclosed £4 April rise. Virgin’s own site lists M125 at £23.99 for 24 months, then £62. It is not full fibre. uSwitch’s own effective price on M125 is £22.66 a month over 24 months, calculated 25 August 2026.

Is Vodafone 5G at £14 cheaper than full fibre?

On the uSwitch card, year one is £182. Community Fibre 35 is £135 where it exists. YouFibre You 200 at £20 locked is £240 where Netomnia has built — that ranking is on the full fibre page. 5G is a different product. Confirm signal. Do not treat £14 as Vodafone’s homepage; that page is fibre from £24.

Should I pick the lowest monthly price?

No. Rank twelve months of cash. Plusnet’s £24.99 is £336 in year one with activation and the 31 March rise. Vodafone’s £14 5G is £182. Sky’s £23 is £276 only if it does not rise. The tile is not the bill.

Do I need to be on benefits for the £12.50 deals?

For most social tariffs, yes. Community Fibre Essential at £11.25 on the current sale does not ask. Virgin Essential at £12.50 does. Details: broadband social tariff deals.

Will the price go up in April 2027?

On the Vodafone, Virgin comparison-site, Three MSM, Plusnet, BT and Community Fibre 24-month cards I used today: yes, by the pounds figure in the contract. On Sky and NOW: “may rise”, no pounds on the card, so I have not invented a first-year-with-rise figure. On YouFibre’s 1–31 August 24-month offer: not during the minimum term. On Virgin’s own M125 legal copy: prices may change during the contract, and the out-of-contract list is currently £62.

Is a 35 Mbps full fibre deal worth it?

As a bill cut where Community Fibre has built, sometimes. As a household connection, only if one or two people browse and stream in standard or HD. It will not like two 4K streams and a video call. Their own cards still flag it for light use. If you need 150 Mbps of actual FTTP, use the full fibre first-year ranking, not this mixed table.

Sources

1. SwitchSquid broadband hub, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.switchsquid.com/broadband/ (month stamp dropped; lead cards still BT YouView + Home Hub 4 Awin rows from £45.99; FAQ “from around £16–£18”; FTTP copy “from around £24”, coverage “nearly 74%”)

2. Community Fibre homepage, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://communityfibre.co.uk/ (10% off to 16.09.26; 35 Mbps £11.25; 12-month 150 Mbps £22.50 then £25.50 from April 2027; 24-month 150 Mbps £17.10 then £20.10 from April 2027; £0 setup; Essential regular £12.50)

3. Community Fibre Essential 35 Mbps page — https://communityfibre.co.uk/35-mbps (no benefits check; 12 months; £4 after term)

4. Vodafone broadband, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband (from £24 on 24 months; £27.50 on 1 April 2027; £31 on 1 April 2028; up to £200 leaving-fee credit; plan can be part or full fibre)

5. Plusnet broadband, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.plus.net/broadband/ (Full Fibre from £24.99; £20 activation; month 1 £44.99; £28.99 from 31 March 2027; £32.99 from 31 March 2028; £50 Reward Card on Full Fibre 900 until 10 September 2026)

6. Virgin Media broadband, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband (M125 £23.99 for 24 months then currently £62; M250 currently £25.99 then £68; M500 currently £27.99 then £80; Gig1 currently £29.99 then £86; switching credit up to £300 ends 20/09/2026; discounted pricing in selected locations; prices may change during contract)

7. Gigaclear homepage, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.gigaclear.com/ (300 Mbps £19, £30 activation; 600 Mbps £24, £0 activation; 18 months; list after term 300 Mbps £51; prices may change during the contract)

8. YouFibre offer terms, 1–31 August 2026 — https://www.youfibre.com/legal/offer-terms-and-conditions/ (You 200 £20, You 1000 £25; install and Wi-Fi 7 included; prices fixed for 24 months; post-term list You 200 £34.99)

9. YouFibre homepage, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.youfibre.com/ (“Fixed Price 1000 Mbps Full Fibre for just £25/month”; prices available until 31/08/26)

10. uSwitch broadband hub, updated 25 August 2026, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/ (and https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/compare/cheap_broadband/ serving the same August page: Virgin Gig1 £23.99, M250 £18.99, Vodafone 5G 50 £14, Sky Superfast £23, Virgin M500 £21.99, Vodafone Fibre 2 £25; M125 expert pick £18.99, effective £22.66 over 24 months calculated 25 August 2026; +£4 Virgin, +£3.50 Vodafone; savings £395)

11. MoneySuperMarket broadband hub, “Accurate as of Friday, 28 August 2026” — https://www.moneysupermarket.com/broadband/ (from £11.67 unnamed 12-month 150 Mb at £10; Three 5G £15 ends 30/08/2026; unnamed 100 Mbps £14 ends 21/09/2026; Plusnet Full Fibre 145 still £22.99; Virgin M125 £18.99; TalkTalk Full Fibre 150 £25 ends 31/08/2026; Vodafone 5G 150 £14 ends 31/08/2026; BT Fibre 150 £23.99, £30 setup, ends 02/09/2026)

12. Confused.com cheap broadband deals, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.confused.com/broadband/cheap-broadband-deals (social tariffs from £10; no August ranking)

13. Sky broadband, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.sky.com/broadband (up to £200 towards leaving fees; no public monthly floor on the fetch)

14. Three broadband, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.three.co.uk/broadband (no monthly printed; 30-day money-back; no setup on Pay Monthly home hubs)

15. BT broadband deals, fetched 28 August 2026 — https://www.bt.com/broadband/deals (page did not render a clean public price table in the fetch)

16. Ofcom Connected Nations update: Spring 2026 — https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026 (full fibre 82% of UK homes)