Hyperoptic broadband vs BT broadband

BT broadband offers a wide range of full fibre packages along with extras like BT TV, Complete Wi-Fi and services such as BT Halo.

Hyperoptic focuses on straightforward full-fibre broadband, with symmetric speeds and Wi-Fi 6 routers included as standard.

If you can get both, Hyperoptic keeps things simpler - and often slightly cheaper - while BT offers more bundled services and extras.

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At a glance: BT vs Hyperoptic

Top picks: BT and Hyperoptic broadband deals

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Price

Winner: Hyperoptic is cheaper at the mid and gigabit tiers, and better value overall once router spec and WiFi add-ons are factored in.

BT's cheapest full fibre deal starts at £24.99 per month for 50Mb average speeds - the lower entry point between the two. But with the UK average broadband speed now at 223Mbps, 50Mb is below what most households are actually using, and the 150Mb tier is where the more realistic comparison sits.

At that level, Hyperoptic charges £26 per month and BT charges £26.99 - a £1 monthly difference, but Hyperoptic adds a £19 upfront setup fee on 24-month contracts while BT includes free setup. Spread across 24 months, BT works out fractionally cheaper in total: £647.76 versus £643 with Hyperoptic once setup is included. For most people, the difference is negligible.

With monthly costs so close, what you get for the money starts to matter more. Hyperoptic provides a WiFi 6 router as standard, while BT provides its WiFi 5 Smart Hub 2 - and WiFi 5 is the key distinction here. WiFi 6 handles more connected devices simultaneously and delivers more reliable performance in busy households - a real consideration for homes with lots of phones, tablets and smart home devices.

If whole-home coverage is needed on top, Hyperoptic's booster add-on costs £7 per month versus £10 per month for BT's Complete WiFi.

The gap is clearer at the gigabit tier. Hyperoptic's Hyperfast 900Mb plan costs £29 per month; BT's Full Fibre 900 is £31.99 - a saving of £72 over a 24-month contract, minus the £19 Hyperoptic setup fee, leaving a net saving of £53.

For customers after the fastest speeds available, Hyperoptic is the cheaper deal by a meaningful margin.

Both providers now apply an annual price rise of £4 per month - BT from March 2027, Hyperoptic from April 2027. Hyperoptic dropped its longstanding no mid-contract price rise promise in 2025, meaning the long-term cost trajectory is now the same for either provider.

Adding a home phone landline is cheaper with Hyperoptic across the board. A phone line with free evening and weekend calls costs £4 per month, with anytime UK landline calls available for a further £3 - £7 per month in total. BT charges £5 per month for a line with no inclusive calls, rising to £18 per month for anytime calls to both landlines and mobiles.

Hyperoptic's anytime plan covers UK landlines only. Mobile calls can be added for £3 per month, but that only discounts calls to mobiles by 50% rather than including them outright.

Overall, Hyperoptic is cheaper or equal at every tier above entry level, and consistently better value once router quality and WiFi add-ons are considered. The only reasons to favour BT on price are its lower starting point at 50Mb speeds, and its better value for households that make regular calls to mobiles.

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Broadband packages

Winner: It's a tie. Hyperoptic offers more contract flexibility; BT offers a wider range of speed tiers and more optional extras.

Both providers cover the main speed tiers on 24-month contracts - from superfast through to gigabit - and both allow customers to add a home phone landline and WiFi coverage booster. Where they differ is in the breadth of what's available and how long customers are tied in.

On 24-month plans, BT offers more speed options: 74Mb, 150Mb, 300Mb, 500Mb and 900Mb. Hyperoptic's range is more streamlined at 150Mb, 500Mb and 900Mb.

The router hardware differs significantly between the two. Hyperoptic moved to a WiFi 6 Zyxel Hyperhub in 2024, while BT still provides its WiFi 5 Smart Hub 2 - and WiFi 5 is the key distinction here. For homes with a lot of connected devices, WiFi 6 handles more simultaneous connections more efficiently and supports newer devices that expect the faster standard.

If coverage beyond the router is needed, both providers offer a paid booster add-on. Hyperoptic's Total WiFi adds one booster disc for £7 per month. BT's Complete WiFi costs £10 per month and includes up to three mesh discs with a signal strength guarantee - useful for larger homes, though it's worth noting those discs are also WiFi 5.

Both providers offer an optional home phone landline. With Hyperoptic, adding a line with free evening and weekend calls costs £4 per month; anytime UK landline calls are a further £3. With BT, a line with no inclusive calls costs £5 per month, rising to £18 per month for anytime calls to both landlines and mobiles. Phone is covered in more detail in the call plans section below.

BT also offers a range of optional extras that Hyperoptic doesn't. Parental controls are available to all BT customers at router level, and free anti-virus software - BT Virus Protect - is included for all customers, covering PCs, Macs and Android devices. 4G broadband back-up is available via Hybrid Connect, and the BT Halo plan bundles in access to home tech experts. BT customers can also add an EE TV package with access to Sky Entertainment, Sports and Cinema content - an option Hyperoptic has no equivalent for.

Where Hyperoptic has the clear advantage is contract flexibility. In addition to 24-month plans, Hyperoptic offers 12-month and 30-day rolling contracts on its main packages - useful for renters or anyone not ready to commit to two years. BT locks all customers into 24 months regardless of plan.

It's also worth noting that BT offers part fibre plans at 36Mb, 50Mb and 67Mb alongside its full fibre range. Hyperoptic is full fibre only, and tends to focus on city centre buildings and developments that Openreach hasn't always prioritised. Full fibre BT may not be available at the same address - it's worth checking what's available in your area before assuming like-for-like availability.

On balance, this is a tie. Households who value simplicity and contract flexibility will lean towards Hyperoptic; those who want more speed tier choice, premium add-ons or a TV bundle will find BT the more complete package.

Read more in our dedicated reviews of BT broadband and Hyperoptic broadband.

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Broadband speed

Winner: Hyperoptic offers symmetrical upload speeds on all its main plans, while BT's uploads are a fraction of its download speeds across the board.

Both providers offer gigabit broadband, but the headline download speed is only half the picture. The real difference is in uploads - and on that measure, Hyperoptic is in a different class.

BT resells access to Openreach's network, which currently uses GPON technology that doesn't support symmetrical speeds. Even on BT's fastest Full Fibre 900 plan, average upload speeds are just 110Mbps - barely a tenth of the 900Mbps download.

Hyperoptic runs its own independent full fibre network, and all plans from Superfast upwards deliver matching upload and download speeds.

BT's average broadband speeds are:

Hyperoptic's average broadband speeds are:

Hyperoptic's entry-level Fast 50Mb plan does not offer symmetrical speeds - uploads are just 5.7Mbps on a 56Mbps download - and it's often priced the same as the Superfast 150Mb plan, which does. Most customers are better served going straight to Superfast.

The upload gap matters most for households where someone works from home regularly, video calls frequently, uploads large files, or runs cloud backups. For streaming and browsing, download speed is what counts - but for anything that sends data out, Hyperoptic's symmetrical speeds are a tangible advantage.

Openreach has plans to upgrade its network architecture in the future, but that's a long way off. For anyone signing up today on a 24-month contract, asymmetric speeds are what BT customers get.

Minimum broadband speeds

Both providers offer a minimum guaranteed download speed. BT is formally signed up to Ofcom's voluntary code on broadband speeds; Hyperoptic isn't, but makes the same commitment regardless. With either provider, if speeds fall below the guaranteed minimum for three consecutive days and the issue isn't resolved within 30 days, customers can exit their contract without penalty.

The minimum speeds themselves tell a clear story:

Hyperoptic guarantees speeds almost exactly matching the advertised average - a notably high floor that gives customers real confidence they'll get what they signed up for.

BT's minimums are set lower relative to the headline speeds, which is standard for Openreach-based providers but means more room for performance to fall short before exit rights kick in.

Hyperoptic wins on speed - both for symmetrical uploads on all main plans and for higher minimum guaranteed download speeds.

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Router

Winner: Hyperoptic includes a WiFi 6 router as standard. BT customers still receive the WiFi 5 Smart Hub 2, unchanged since 2018.

BT has provided the same router to every broadband customer since 2018. The Smart Hub 2 is a dual-band WiFi 5 device with seven internal antennae and four Gigabit Ethernet ports - capable enough, but now seven years old with no hardware refresh in sight.

Hyperoptic moved to the Zyxel Hyperhub in 2024. It supports WiFi 6 (802.11ax), WPA3 security encryption, mesh networking, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports. The step up from WiFi 5 to WiFi 6 means better performance in homes with many connected devices - phones, laptops, smart TVs, and smart home kit all competing for bandwidth simultaneously.

Here's how the two routers compare on spec:

The table above makes the gap clear. The Smart Hub 2 isn't a bad router, but it predates the WiFi 6 standard and there's no upgrade path for existing or new BT customers. Hyperoptic's Hyperhub is a more current device that reflects where home networking has moved over the past few years.

For whole-home coverage, both providers offer a paid mesh add-on. Hyperoptic's Total WiFi adds one booster disc for £7 per month. BT's Complete WiFi costs £10 per month but includes up to three discs - better suited to larger or more complex properties. It's worth noting that BT's mesh discs are also WiFi 5, so the network standard remains consistent throughout.

Hyperoptic wins on router hardware. The Hyperhub is a newer, more capable device - and for customers who need to extend coverage, Hyperoptic's booster is cheaper, though BT's multi-disc option covers more ground.

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Call plans

Winner: Hyperoptic's home phone packages are cheaper than BT's for most users, though BT has the edge for households that make regular calls to mobiles.

Both providers offer an optional home phone landline, but the pricing structures work differently and it's worth understanding what's included at each level.

With Hyperoptic, the base phone line costs £4 per month and already includes free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines. Additional call plans can then be added on top of that:

For customers who only need occasional daytime landline calls, or who mainly call mobiles via a separate mobile plan, Hyperoptic's £4 base line is hard to beat. Anytime UK landline calls cost just £3 extra per month - £7 in total. Out of allowance, Hyperoptic charges a 10p connection fee, 7p per minute to UK landlines and 17p per minute to UK mobiles.

The gap is mobile calls: Hyperoptic's dedicated mobile add-on only discounts calls to UK mobiles by 50% rather than including them outright, and there's no way to get fully inclusive mobile calls with Hyperoptic.

BT's structure is simpler but more expensive. A line with no inclusive calls costs £5 per month, with out-of-allowance calls charged at a 29p connection fee, 18.9p per minute to UK landlines and 22.7p per minute to UK mobiles. Customers who want inclusive calls to both UK landlines and mobiles at any time pay £18 per month for the Unlimited Minutes plan. There's nothing in between.

For a full breakdown of home phone costs across providers, see our cheapest home phone and landline calls guide.

For light users or those who mainly call UK landlines, Hyperoptic is considerably cheaper. For households that make regular calls to mobiles and want them included outright, BT's £18 Unlimited Minutes plan is the only option between the two that delivers that.

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TV

Winner: BT offers a full pay TV service with premium content and a dedicated set-top box. Hyperoptic offers no TV add-on at all.

TV is a straightforward win for BT. Hyperoptic has no TV offering - no streaming partnership, no set-top box, no bundling option - despite other independent full fibre providers partnering with services like Netgem TV or Apple TV. Customers who want broadband and TV on a single bill have only one option here.

BT's TV service, now branded as EE TV, is built around NOW Memberships but adds capabilities that standalone NOW subscriptions don't include. Content is delivered through the BT TV Box Pro, which supports pause, rewind and recording of live TV - features that matter for households who want traditional TV functionality rather than pure streaming.

Packages cover the main content bases: Sky Entertainment with Sky Atlantic, TNT Sports with Discovery+ Entertainment included free, Sky Cinema, and Netflix. BT is currently one of the cheapest ways to watch TNT Sports, with the Sport TV plan available from £18 per month on top of a broadband deal. On-demand apps including Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and BBC iPlayer are also supported.

BT TV will also include HBO Max from launch in March 2026, with customers on NOW Entertainment plans automatically upgraded to the NOW Entertainment & HBO Max plan at no extra cost. That brings HBO originals and Warner Bros. films - including Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon - into the package.

EE TV requires a 24-month contract alongside a BT broadband deal, which is a meaningful commitment. The flexibility offset is that TV packages can be swapped on a monthly basis - so a customer can take Sports one month and switch to Cinema the next without penalty. That makes it easier to manage costs around specific events or seasons rather than paying for content year-round.

For customers who want broadband and TV together, BT is the only option between the two providers. Those happy to manage TV separately - through a smart TV, streaming stick or separate subscription - won't find Hyperoptic's lack of a TV service a problem in practice.

Read more in our full review of BT TV packages.

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Customer service

Winner: BT performs well on independent complaints data and customer satisfaction. Hyperoptic isn't included in Ofcom's reporting but has a strong reputation based on customer reviews and industry awards.

Ofcom publishes quarterly complaints data for broadband providers with at least 1.5% market share. Hyperoptic falls below that threshold and isn't included, which makes a direct like-for-like comparison difficult. What we can do is look at BT's independently verified track record, and Hyperoptic's reputation through other available signals.

BT recorded 9 complaints per 100,000 customers in Ofcom's Q3 2025 data - just above the industry average of 8, but well below higher-complaint providers like EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone, which each recorded 10. BT's complaint levels have been consistently below or near the industry average over recent years, placing it in the more reliable half of the market.

Where BT stands out is complaint handling quality rather than complaint volume alone. Ofcom's Comparing Customer Service report found BT tied with Sky and EE for the highest customer satisfaction with complaint handling at 55%. BT also leads all major providers for complaints resolved on first contact, at 44% - above both the industry average and Sky. For customers who do run into a problem, BT's track record suggests it gets resolved relatively quickly.

BT also operates UK-based call centres for customer support, which contributes to its strong first-contact resolution figures.

Hyperoptic holds a Trustpilot score of 4.5 out of 5 from over 42,000 reviews, with 85% of customers rating them five stars. That's a strong signal for a provider of its size. Hyperoptic has also won customer service awards from the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) and the Connected Britain Awards, which are judged independently on criteria including complaints handling and customer satisfaction.

The limitation is that neither Trustpilot scores nor industry awards carry the same weight as Ofcom's regulated, methodology-driven data. They reflect genuine customer sentiment but can't be benchmarked against the wider market in the same way.

BT wins this round on the strength of its independently verified complaints record and complaint handling performance. Hyperoptic's reputation is good, but the absence of Ofcom data means it can't be verified to the same standard.

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Verdict: Hyperoptic or BT for the best broadband?

Overall winner: Hyperoptic wins on price and technical performance, but BT is the more complete package for households that want premium extras, TV or inclusive mobile calls.

Hyperoptic is the stronger choice on the fundamentals. Prices are lower at the mid and gigabit tiers, the included WiFi 6 router is a generation ahead of BT's Smart Hub 2, and symmetrical upload speeds on all main plans are a genuine advantage that BT's Openreach-based network structurally can't match. For remote workers, regular video callers or anyone who uploads large files, that upload performance is a practical daily difference.

The price gap is narrower than it used to be. Hyperoptic dropped its no mid-contract price rise promise in 2025, and both providers now apply annual rises of £4 per month. At the 150Mb tier the monthly cost is almost identical - the case for Hyperoptic at that level rests more on router quality, cheaper phone add-ons and cheaper WiFi boosters than on headline price alone.

BT broadband earns its place for households with more complex needs. Parental controls at router level, free anti-virus software via BT Virus Protect, 4G back-up through Hybrid Connect, and home tech support via BT Halo are all features Hyperoptic doesn't offer. Families in particular are better served by BT's broader feature set.

The option to bundle a TV plan is another area where BT has no competition from Hyperoptic. EE TV covers Sky Entertainment, TNT Sports, Sky Cinema and Netflix, includes Discovery+ Entertainment free, and will add HBO Max from March 2026 - all delivered through the BT TV Box Pro with live recording and pause functionality. For households that want broadband and TV in one place, BT is the only option.

For customers who make regular calls to mobiles, BT also has the edge on phone. Hyperoptic's anytime plan covers UK landlines only, while BT's Unlimited Minutes plan covers both landlines and mobiles for £18 per month.

Choose Hyperoptic if:

• You want the cheapest gigabit broadband available at your address
• You work from home and need fast, symmetrical upload speeds
• You want a more flexible contract - 12-month or 30-day rolling options are available
• You want a newer WiFi 6 router included as standard
• You want cheaper phone and WiFi booster add-ons

Choose BT if:

• You want broadband and TV bundled together
• You have children and want router-level parental controls
• You make regular calls to UK mobiles and want them included
• You want 4G back-up or home tech support via BT Halo
• You need broadband at an address where Hyperoptic isn't available

Ultimately, customers in buildings where Hyperoptic is available and who mainly need fast, reliable broadband at a fair price will be well served by it. Families, TV watchers, and households that want a single provider for broadband, phone and TV will find BT the more complete package.

If you're still weighing up your options, we also compare Hyperoptic vs Sky broadband, Hyperoptic vs Virgin Media, and EE vs BT broadband. Or use our free broadband comparison tool to see all available deals at your address.