Last updated: 6 November 2026
Is giffgaff broadband any good? It is full fibre with matching upload and download speeds of 200, 500 or 900Mbps, from £25 a month on a 24-month plan with no mid-contract price rises, as listed on 6 November 2026. It runs on nexfibre and Virgin Media’s upgraded full fibre, which giffgaff said reached about 4.2 million homes in September 2026, so it is only an option if your address is covered. Where you can get it, the price stays the same for the whole plan and uploads match downloads, but it has no landline, no TV and a short track record. This SwitchSquid review covers giffgaff’s plans and prices, where it is available, the downsides, and how it compares with BT and Virgin Media at the same address. We cannot link you to giffgaff broadband, so the offers in the boxes below are from rivals; if you buy through them, we may earn a commission, and it does not change the price you pay.
Sources: giffgaff broadband, giffgaff help: does giffgaff do broadband?, ISPreview, 10 September 2026, BT’s and Virgin Media’s offer pages, all as listed on 6 November 2026.
BT Full Fibre 150 for £25.99 a month, £0 activation
- £25.99 a month on a 24-month contract, rising to £29.99 in March 2027 and £33.99 in March 2028, as listed on BT’s offer page on 6 November 2026
- No code needed: £0 activation, plus up to £300 towards your old provider’s leaving fees, paid as bill credit
- Main limitation: BT lists £29.99 from March 2027 and £33.99 from March 2028, while giffgaff’s 200Mbps plan stays at £25, though BT reaches far more homes
giffgaff broadband plans and prices
giffgaff keeps its range short. There are three speeds, each on a 24-month contract or a monthly rolling plan, and every plan has the same upload speed as download speed. There are no setup fees and no data caps.
Plan | Speed (download and upload) | 24-month price | Price rises during the contract | Monthly rolling price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
200Mbps | 200Mbps both ways | £25 a month | None, says giffgaff | £29 a month |
500Mbps | 500Mbps both ways | £28 a month | None, says giffgaff | £32 a month |
900Mbps | 900Mbps both ways | £32 a month | None, says giffgaff | £35 a month |
The headline is the price promise. giffgaff says the prices on its broadband page are the prices you pay for the whole of your plan, with “no mid-term rises”. BT and Virgin Media, by contrast, both add set rises every year (BT each March, Virgin Media £4 a month each April), so on giffgaff’s word a £25 plan stays at £25 a month for all 24 months.
The rolling plans cost £29, £32 and £35 a month, with no long-term contract. giffgaff also lets you change speed and price month to month, even on the 24-month plan, which is unusual.
Where can you get giffgaff broadband?
This is the big catch. giffgaff does not use Openreach, the network behind BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Plusnet. It uses two networks linked to Virgin Media O2:
nexfibre: a full fibre network covering about 2.6 million premises, according to ISPreview.
Virgin Media’s Fibre Up upgrades: streets where Virgin Media has upgraded its older cable network to full fibre. ISPreview reported on 3 November 2026 that Virgin Media O2 will stop investing in further fibre upgrades beyond its existing commitments, so check your own address rather than waiting for an upgrade.
Together, giffgaff said in September 2026 that it could serve about 4.2 million homes. That is a big number, but it is still a minority of UK homes, and many Virgin Media cable streets are not yet included. The only reliable test is giffgaff’s postcode checker. If your street can get Virgin Media but not giffgaff, it is probably still on Virgin’s older cable network.
ISPreview also reported in September 2026 that automatic switching from Virgin Media to giffgaff should become possible. If you are moving from Virgin Media to giffgaff, check the switching process with both firms before ordering.
What you get: router, set-up and switching
Router: an Amazon eero WiFi router, managed through the eero app, where you can see devices and set parental controls.
Installation: by Virgin Media engineers, with no setup fee.
Switching: giffgaff says it talks to your old provider for you, so there is no gap in service and no paying twice for overlapping plans.
Usage: unlimited, with no data caps.
Extras: none. There is no landline, no TV and no bundle, which keeps the price simple but rules it out if you need a home phone.
giffgaff sells its broadband and SIM plans separately. Its broadband page does not list a discount for having a giffgaff SIM, so judge the broadband on its own price. Our giffgaff mobile review covers the SIM side.
The downsides of giffgaff broadband
Limited availability: about 4.2 million homes, against far wider Openreach full fibre coverage.
Short track record: giffgaff broadband is new, so there is little long-term evidence on faults and repair times yet.
No landline or TV: if you rely on a home phone or want a TV bundle, look elsewhere.
Early exit charges: giffgaff’s help pages say early termination charges may apply if you leave a 24-month plan early.
Online-first support: help is through guides, the community and chat, which suits some people more than others.
None of these is a reason to avoid giffgaff if it reaches your home. They are reasons to compare it with the providers that can definitely connect you.
giffgaff broadband vs BT and Virgin Media
Here is how giffgaff compares with the two providers most likely to be available at the same address. Virgin Media’s figures are its broadband-only “from” prices on its deals page; the price at your address can differ.
Provider and plan | Average speed | Monthly price | Price rises | Term | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
giffgaff 200Mbps | 200Mbps down and up | £25 | None mid-contract | 24 months | Fixed price, fast uploads |
giffgaff 900Mbps | 900Mbps down and up | £32 | None mid-contract | 24 months | Heavy users and creators |
BT Full Fibre 150 | 150Mbps | £25.99 | £29.99 from March 2027, £33.99 from March 2028 | 24 months | Widest full fibre coverage |
Virgin Media M125 | 132Mbps down, 20Mbps up | From £23.99 | £4 a month more each April; standard price currently £36.79 after 24 months | 24 months | Where giffgaff cannot reach |
Virgin Media Gig1 | 1,130Mbps down, 104Mbps up | From £26.99 | £4 a month more each April; standard price currently £40.24 after 24 months | 24 months | Fastest downloads |
On these numbers, giffgaff’s 200Mbps plan starts at £25 a month and stays there for 24 months, while BT Full Fibre 150 starts at £25.99 a month on 24 months then £29.99 from March 2027 and £33.99 from March 2028. giffgaff is also faster. BT’s advantage is reach: Openreach full fibre is available far more widely, and BT offers up to £300 towards leaving fees as bill credit. Virgin Media’s Gig1 is faster for downloads, but its upload speed is far lower than giffgaff’s symmetric plans.
Virgin Media Gig1: 1,130Mbps average downloads
- Gig1 from £26.99 a month on 24 months, rising by £4 a month each April, with a standard price of £40.24 after that, with 1,130Mbps average downloads and 104Mbps uploads, as listed by Virgin Media on 6 November 2026
- No code needed: Virgin promises downloads of at least 30Mbps in every room on Gig1, or £100 credit back, with exclusions and further terms
- Main limitation: Virgin Media adds £4 a month each April and the standard price is currently £40.24 after 24 months, and uploads are far slower than giffgaff’s symmetric plans
Is giffgaff broadband good for working from home and gaming?
Yes, if you can get it. Upload speed is where giffgaff stands out. A 200Mbps giffgaff line uploads at 200Mbps, against Virgin Media M125’s 20Mbps average, which makes video calls, cloud backups and sending large files much smoother. Full fibre also tends to give lower, steadier latency than cable or copper, which helps online games.
Choose the speed by how many people stream, game and upload at the same time. The 500Mbps plan is aimed at busier homes, and 900Mbps at people who move large files every day. Our guide to full fibre latency for gaming explains what matters for games.
Other full fibre providers to check
If giffgaff cannot reach you, look at other full fibre networks. Hey Broadband and Community Fibre build their own networks in some areas, and our Hey Broadband review and Community Fibre guide cover them. For the wider market, see the cheapest full fibre broadband and our Black Friday broadband deals. You can also ask Squid AI to check which providers serve your postcode.
Fit summary
Choose giffgaff if: your postcode is covered, you want a price that never rises mid-contract, and you value fast uploads.
Choose BT if: giffgaff is not available, you want the widest full fibre coverage, or you need help with leaving fees.
Choose Virgin Media if: you want the fastest downloads or a TV bundle, and can accept lower upload speeds.
Choose a rolling plan if: you might move within two years and are happy to pay giffgaff’s rolling prices of £29 to £35 a month.
Important conditions
giffgaff prices and speeds are as listed on giffgaff’s broadband page on 6 November 2026. Availability depends on your address.
BT prices are as listed on BT’s offer page on 6 November 2026; BT’s price rises from March 2027 and March 2028 are as BT lists them.
Virgin Media prices are its “from” prices as listed on its deals page on 6 November 2026; the price at your address can differ.
Early termination charges may apply if you leave a 24-month plan early with any provider.
Final decision card
giffgaff broadband is full fibre with symmetric speeds from £25 a month and a firm promise of no mid-contract price rises, which makes the cost easy to predict where it is available. The catch is reach: about 4.2 million homes, on nexfibre and Virgin Media’s upgraded full fibre. Check your postcode with giffgaff first. If you are not covered, BT Full Fibre 150 at £25.99 or Virgin Media M125 from £23.99 are the closest alternatives.
Check Virgin Media M125 at your address
- M125 from £23.99 a month on 24 months, rising by £4 a month each April, with a standard price of £36.79 after that, with 132Mbps average downloads and 20Mbps uploads, as listed by Virgin Media on 6 November 2026
- No code needed: Virgin lists no setup fee on its broadband-only packages
- Main limitation: Virgin Media adds £4 a month each April and the standard price is currently £36.79 after 24 months, and uploads average 20Mbps rather than giffgaff’s matching speeds
FAQ
Is giffgaff broadband any good?
For most homes that can get it, yes. It is full fibre with equal upload and download speeds, no setup fee and no mid-contract price rises. The main drawbacks are limited availability and no landline or TV.
What network does giffgaff broadband use?
giffgaff broadband uses nexfibre’s full fibre network and parts of Virgin Media’s network that have been upgraded to full fibre. It does not use Openreach, so availability is different from BT, Sky or Plusnet.
How much is giffgaff broadband?
As listed on 6 November 2026, giffgaff charged £25 a month for 200Mbps, £28 for 500Mbps and £32 for 900Mbps on 24-month plans. Monthly rolling plans cost £29, £32 and £35.
Does giffgaff broadband go up in price?
Not on the 24-month plans. giffgaff says the prices on its broadband page are the prices you pay for the whole of your plan, with no mid-term rises.
Is giffgaff broadband better than Virgin Media?
It depends on what you need. giffgaff’s plans have much faster uploads and a fixed price, while Virgin Media offers faster top download speeds, TV bundles and wider coverage. Compare both at your postcode.
Can I get giffgaff broadband with a landline?
No. giffgaff broadband is internet only, with no landline or TV. If you need a home phone, you could use a mobile or an internet calling service, or choose a provider that offers a landline.
Do I need a giffgaff SIM to get giffgaff broadband?
No. giffgaff sells broadband separately from its SIM plans, and its broadband page does not list a discount for SIM customers. You can take either one on its own.
