Cheapest business broadband in the UK

Last updated: 28 December 2024   By Julia Kukiewicz

Business broadband is cheaper than it used to be with prices now rivalling that of budget home broadband deals.

Business broadband doesn't have to be expensive, with many mainstream providers offering low-cost connections to small and medium sized enterprises.

Vodafone offer an entry-level full fibre broadband plan from just £18.40 per month, including line rental, while TalkTalk offer a 150Mb plan from just £27.95 per month.

While cheap broadband often means no-frills, companies looking at business broadband can still expect to find static IP addresses, unlimited calling plans, and business-level support.

business meeting online

Cheapest business broadband deals

Business broadband is offered by specialist providers as well as more well-known home broadband providers. It's possible to get either part or full fibre connections, with full fibre now covering over 70% of premises in the UK.

Here are the top four cheapest full fibre business broadband deals available in the UK today:

Package Broadband Monthly price Upfront price Contract term
80Mb Full fibre 80Mb average £17.95
for 12 mths,
then £37.95
£9.99 24 months
offer Offer: Save over 40% for 12 months
Business Full Fibre 2 73Mb average £20 Free 24 months
offer Offer: Save 20% (Ends 30/01/2025)
Full Fibre 150 152Mb average £27.95 £24.95 24 months
offer Offer: Money off TalkTalk Business broadband for 24 months
Voom 200 200Mb average £14.50
for 6 mths,
then £29
Free 24 months
offer Offer: 6 months half price + Fixed price guarantee + Free installation (Ends 03/02/2025)

Business broadband prices are usually exclusive of VAT, and terms generally include annual price rises as we see in the residential marketplace.

Some business broadband providers include a phone line and line rental at no extra cost, which includes Vodafone Business and Sky Business, while others charge an additional fee.

UK call plans are also often reasonably priced, so, for businesses who make a lot of calls, an inclusive anytime call plan is an affordable option.

Businesses also often get the choice of 24- or 36-month contracts with many providers, with the longer commitment usually costing less.


How to find cheap business broadband

There are a range of providers offering broadband to small and medium sized businesses, or SMEs, which means there is competition in the market and its possible to compare deals on price.

Cheap broadband for businesses is available from providers including:

  • TalkTalk Business
  • BT Business
  • Sky Business
  • Vodafone Business
  • Virgin Media Business
  • Hyperoptic
  • XLN for small business

While its possible for some small businesses to use a residential broadband package if they wanted to, business broadband offers more relevant services, such as static IP addresses, and business-level support that can ensure any downtime is minimised.

In comparison, while it can be cheaper, residential broadband doesn't have the same level of support, or services, that business broadband provides.

Dedicated business broadband is also charged excluding VAT, which will help to reduce costs for any business registered for VAT.

It's also worth pointing out many business broadband packages aren't as expensive as you may first assume, and many are priced around a similar level to residential packages in any case.


Who offers budget business broadband?

Business broadband is offered by providers dedicated to serving only small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), like XLN, as well as more familiar household names that supply business broadband plans alongside residential packages, like Vodafone, TalkTalk, Sky and BT.

However, it's worth remembering, business broadband is usually run by completely different support teams, as well as potentially different business divisions, so don't let the reputation of a residential provider sway your opinion of their business service, as it can be a surprising contrast.

Let's have a quick look at some of the bigger names in business broadband.

BT Business

BT offer business broadband as well as home broadband.

Although they are one of the pricier home broadband options, their business broadband includes enhanced options like Hybrid Connect, where broadband switches to 4G to maintain a connection - ideal for keeping connected at all times.

It's also possible to access up to 5 WiFi boosters with Complete WiFi, as well as options to access dedicated IT support teams, next-day fault fixes and expert setup options.

To keep prices low, their standard plans, called Essential, include the following services:

  • BT Smart Hub 3 WiFi 6 enabled router for full fibre connections
  • Minimum speed guarantee
  • Access to over 5 million WiFi hotspots across the UK
  • Guest WiFi service, plus WiFi content controls
  • Web Protect offers protection from malicious web sites
  • Standard Care with repairs within 2 working days
  • Options to add a digital phone line and Cloud Voice Express app

Of course, businesses can upgrade to either the Enhanced or Pro plans, as well as add options on an individual basis to the Essential plan, like a static IP address, to keep costs low.

Read our full guide to BT's business broadband.

TalkTalk Business

TalkTalk Business offers both superfast part fibre to 98% of premises across the UK, as well as full fibre broadband via the Openreach network to over 16 million premises.

It's possible then, for businesses to access broadband speeds as fast as 950Mbps on average at peak times with TalkTalk's Full Fibre 900 plan.

TalkTalk don't offer different service levels for businesses, instead, their straightforward, low-prices, include the following services at no extra cost:

  • 24/7 business-level support available 365 days a year
  • Free static IP address available on request
  • Free new line installation if needed
  • TalkTalk's Business WiFi Hub 2
  • TalkTalk Business WorkSafe to provide network level content control and protection from viruses and malicious sites

It's also possible to take any of TalkTalk's Business broadband deals with a digital phone line and anytime UK call plan.

Overall, while TalkTalk Business broadband is simple, businesses benefit from their excellent customer support at no extra cost.

Learn more in our full guide to business broadband from TalkTalk.

Vodafone Business

Business broadband from Vodafone is somewhat similar to their residential offerings, however, businesses also get a static IP address, guest WiFi, and business-level support.

Vodafone Business full fibre broadband is available across both the Openreach and CityFibre networks, covering up to as many as 19.8 million premises across the UK.

Vodafone offer two package choices; their standard plans or their Pro II plans.

Standard plans are cheapest, and those who take the 36-month contract length options can also save a little extra. These plans all come with:

  • Digital phone line
  • Intelligent WiFi Hub, which supports WiFi 5
  • Dedicated setup support for the first 45 days
  • Business support line
  • Guest WiFi
  • Static IP address on request

However, companies can also opt for slightly dearer Pro II packages, which come with a more advanced WiFi 6E router, up to three WiFi 6E boosters, and an automatic 4G back-up device.

There's more information about Vodafone Business broadband here.

Sky Business

Sky offer a business broadband service which offers a choice of download speed from 76Mb, to up to 900Mb with their full fibre connection.

Full fibre customers get anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles included as standard, and companies can even opt for two digital phone lines as well.

Virgin Media Business

Virgin Media bring their fast broadband to the business community, although it's worth noting the availability suffers from the same issues as their home broadband.

Speeds of 200Mb to 400Mb for similar prices others charge for superfast broadband is a definite selling point, but customers will need to upgrade their packages for extras like static IPs and inclusive calls.

XLN for Small Businesses

XLN are a specific business broadband provider, focusing primarily on small businesses.

Despite this, prices can be higher compared to bigger name providers, and XLN include less services as standard, with options like a phone line, static IP, guest WiFi and enhanced care all costing extra.

XLN does have a very good reputation for their business-level customer support however, and they do include the following in all of their plans:

  • UK-based 24/7 support
  • Business-grade wireless router
  • Fault resolution time of 3 working days
  • Minimum speed guarantee

They have a wide range of additional services however, including:

  • 4G mobile broadband back-up
  • Cloud Voice VoIP phone line with inclusive UK calls
  • Guest WiFi
  • Faster fault resolution times, with options for fixes within just 6 hours
  • Business Assurance to cover the cost of fixing faults found to be with the business equipment

Overall, XLN are more expensive, but they're also an award-winning business broadband provider, boasting a Trustpilot TrustScore of 4.4 from almost 24,400 reviews.


What does cheap business broadband include?

As we've seen, even cheap business broadband can include additional services at no extra cost that our company may need.

Knowing what to look for, often means knowing what could be available, so here's a list of the services that are sometimes included in cheap business broadband deals, and therefore what to look out for:

  • Business-grade router, including more up to date WiFi 6 enabled models
  • Digital phone line with optional calling plan
  • Static IP address
  • Guest WiFi, with ability to control content
  • Business-level support available 24/7
  • Network-level security services to protect devices from viruses and malicious websites

The actual services on offer will vary between business broadband providers, with some charging for the above, while others include them for free. However, even the cheapest deals will have some of these features included in a standard package.

Of course, there are other things to look for too even when trying to save money on business broadband.

Broadband speed could be vital for a company that's online a lot, or where the connection is shared amongst multiple employees, or even customers.

Then, there are additional features we might want to consider paying for, for example, faster fault fixes could ensure businesses get back online sooner, while 4G mobile broadband back-up systems can keep staff productive during any downtime.

Broadband speeds

Choosing the right broadband speed is important for businesses, and companies shouldn't pick a cheap broadband deal without the download speeds they need.

If multiple office workers will be sharing a connection they will need faster download speeds than if the broadband line is purely for taking card payments.

Inadequate broadband could slow users down and result in reduced productivity, so spending more for a decent broadband speed is more cost effective in the long term.

In addition, even 500Mb full fibre broadband plans are available from just over £30 per month, which should be affordable for most companies.

Business support

The major difference between home broadband and business broadband is the level of support on offer, with providers usually basing call centres in the UK.

Businesses may benefit from 24/7 guaranteed support or set timelines for resolving issues. There are also some business broadband providers who will offer 4G backup to protect businesses from downtime.

Cheap business broadband shouldn't suffer from a lack of decent support, so look for a provider who is clear about the parameters of their support services.

Security

Businesses may want more online security in place to protect important files or sensitive information, like customer details. As a result, business broadband providers often highlight the systems they have in place to protect users from malware, phishing and viruses.

Even cheap business broadband should come with a certain level of protection for companies, and it's certainly worth looking into as it could be cheaper than buying standalone anti-virus licences.

Broadband provider protection is often in place at the network level as well, which is more secure and cheaper than having to protect each individual device.

Static IP address

Broadband services allow users to connect via an IP address, which can be either static - remaining the same at all times, or dynamic - where an IP can be reassigned and change.

Businesses running in-house services, such as websites and hosting, or that have IP-level security to access these services remotely, will benefit from a static IP address.

Some business providers, including cheap ones, offer additional IP addresses, which can be used for hosting services.

Phone lines

Whether the broadband connection is via a phone line with superfast part fibre, or via a full fibre line, companies can usually choose to add a digital phone line and optional call plans.

For businesses who make outbound calls regularly, a call plan is likely to save money over paying for calls on a per minute basis.

Business broadband phone lines often come with additional features too, such as conference calling, caller display and call waiting to ensure customers can always get in touch.


Summary: how to save money on business broadband

Broadband is a necessity for most businesses, but it can be difficult to see which deals are cheap and which packages need to be laden with extras to get the bare broadband essentials for your business.

Ask the following questions before signing up to cheap business broadband:

  • What features are included (and which will I have to pay extra for)?
  • What are the prices excluding VAT?
  • Is a static IP included or is this a paid extra?
  • Will I have to buy security features on top of the monthly cost?
  • What kind of support do I get for my money?

Compare business broadband here to see more on the packages and prices currently available.

The right business broadband can be the difference between business booming and customers finding you to be a frustration. However, even the cheapest deals around focus on service to help ensure connectivity is reliable.

Comments

Nerav Mehta
27 October 2022

bOnline charge £49 per line when leaving AFTER the initial contract. So if they increase their prices after the contract ends to something extortionate, you then have to spend £49 to go else where.

Which broadband deals are available in your area?

independent comparison

We are independent of all of the products and services we compare.

fair comparison

We order our comparison tables by price or feature and never by referral revenue.

charity donations and climate positive

We donate at least 5% of our profits to charity, and we have a climate positive workforce.

Get insider tips and the latest offers in our newsletter