Vodafone vs TalkTalk broadband

TalkTalk sell part and full fibre broadband wherever Openreach or CityFibre networks have rolled out to.

Vodafone also sell broadband in the same areas, yet, pricing is much cheaper, and speeds are faster for those in CityFibre enabled areas.

Overall, Vodafone broadband is better than TalkTalk broadband on price, speed, and they offer more choices to customise the service too.

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At a glance

Best deals

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Price

Winner: Vodafone broadband is cheaper than TalkTalk broadband across all broadband speed tiers.

New and switching customers can get broadband for as little as £24 per month with Vodafone, compared to a £28 starting price with TalkTalk.

Vodafone's cheapest deals include both part and full fibre superfast plans with average download speeds of 65Mb and 73Mb respectively.

For an equivalent package with TalkTalk, customers would have to pay an extra £4 per month, however, they also offer a faster Full Fibre 150 plan with average download speeds of 152Mb for the same price. Yet, this too would be cheaper with Vodafone, with their Full Fibre 150 package costing just £26 per month.

There are also other factors which make Vodafone even cheaper than TalkTalk.

Vodafone Together is the provider's discount scheme for customers who have both their broadband and pay monthly mobile services, saving customers from £2 to £4 per month off the listed prices.

Vodafone's broadband packages also come bundled with a home phone line as standard, anytime call plans from just £8 per month, and some of the cheapest calling costs in the UK. In comparison, TalkTalk now only provide a home phone line with their part fibre deals and full fibre customers can no longer access this service at all.

Minimum term contracts are longer with Vodafone at 24 months, compared to 18 months with TalkTalk. Although, both providers now implement similar annual price rises of a flat £3 per month on broadband subscriptions, effective in April of each year.

Looking at faster broadband speeds, Vodafone are again cheaper than TalkTalk for standard packages, with their Full Fibre 500 plan coming in £3 per month cheaper, and their gigabit broadband plan coming in £9 per month cheaper.

Both providers supply customers with a WiFi 6 enabled router, while TalkTalk includes their WiFi guarantee for free with their Full Fibre 900 plan, which costs £8 extra for other customers and on all Vodafone plans.

Overall, Vodafone beat TalkTalk broadband on price, with cheaper standard prices as well as more bundled extras, including a home phone line with cheaper calling costs.

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Broadband packages

Winner: Vodafone have more package choices on a purely broadband level, although as we'll see, TalkTalk offer better broadband and TV bundles.

Vodafone offer a range of different broadband packages, each with additional or upgraded equipment.

All standard Vodafone plans come with a WiFi 6 enabled Power Hub and a home phone line, but customers can upgrade this to:

• Super WiFi: adding one to three WiFi boosters to achieve whole home WiFi coverage;
• Pro II: upgrading the router to the WiFi 6E Ultra Hub, WiFi 6E boosters, and an automatic 4G mobile broadband back-up device;
• Xtra: can be taken with any of the above, including standard plans, adds an Apple TV 4K box, Apple TV+ subscription, and unlimited anytime calls.

While TalkTalk offer a dedicated TV service, which we look at in more detail in our TV section, other customisations of the broadband packages are limited to taking their Total Home WiFi service on full fibre plans, which bundles an additional eero WiFi device to boost coverage around the home.

TalkTalk TV and home WiFi add-ons are also limited to Openreach network areas, while all of Vodafone's customisations can be taken in both Openreach and CityFibre enabled areas.

Looking at their standard plans side-by-side, the entry-level full fibre plans compare like this:

As mentioned, all of the Vodafone deals come with a home phone line included, while this isn't a service offered by TalkTalk on full fibre plans.

Adding Super WiFi to Vodafone broadband costs an extra £8 per month; Pro II costs between £10 and £13 per month; and Xtra adds £10 per month.

TalkTalk TV costs £5 per month, although as we'll see, there are some pre-made bundles which offer better savings, and TalkTalk Total Home WiFi costs an extra £8 per month.

Some of these additions, particularly the whole home WiFi guarantees and upgraded router, are especially suited to their faster broadband plans to help ensure users get the most benefit from the increased line speeds.

So, here are the ultrafast and gigabit broadband deals from Vodafone and TalkTalk side-by-side:

As we've seen, Vodafone is cheaper than TalkTalk, and add-ons are more varied although they're priced similarly.

TalkTalk Full Fibre 500 comes with an upgraded router as standard, bundling the WiFi 6 enabled tri-band Amazon eero Pro 6.

TalkTalk Full Fibre 900 includes two of the eero Pro 6 devices in the listed prices, which puts it much closer in price to Vodafone Full Fibre 910 + Super WiFi, so we've included that package in the above table for a better comparison.

Overall, Vodafone beat TalkTalk in terms of broadband package choices, however, TalkTalk's faster full fibre plans which include upgraded routers are on a par, albeit these don't include a home phone line like Vodafone does.

Read more in our full reviews of Vodafone broadband and TalkTalk broadband.

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Broadband speed

Winner: Vodafone offer multi-gigabit broadband speeds, as well as symmetrical uploads in CityFibre areas, which aren't offered by TalkTalk yet.

While Vodafone and TalkTalk both resell broadband from the same underlying networks - Openreach and CityFibre - Vodafone offers faster speed choices than TalkTalk does.

For those who want the fastest possible broadband speeds, Vodafone offer a 1.6Gbps full fibre plan in Openreach areas, and a 1.8 - 2.2Gb plan in CityFibre areas.

In addition, all Vodafone plans in CityFibre areas offer symmetrical upload and download speeds, while TalkTalk has chosen to resell asymmetrical products in these areas in line with their Openreach packages.

Here's how TalkTalk and Vodafone look for average download speeds in Openreach network areas:

For those living in CityFibre network areas, they'll be able to choose from these broadband speed choices instead:

The biggest difference between Vodafone and TalkTalk is that Vodafone offer a multi-gigabit package in both network areas, and faster upload speeds on all packages in CityFibre areas, perhaps making them an obvious choice at least for those connected by CityFibre.

Minimum download speeds

As well as advertised averages, we can also look at a provider's estimated download speeds for our particular property, and their minimum guaranteed download speed.

Minimum guaranteed download speeds have been introduced to provide customers with a service guarantee - if a line speed drops below the minimum guaranteed for at least 3 consecutive days, and a provider is unable to resolve the issue within 30 days, the customer is free to leave their contract early.

We tested a location with Openreach FTTP availability, and were given these estimated speeds and minimum speeds for Vodafone and TalkTalk broadband:

While Vodafone offer a faster broadband speed tier in both network areas, TalkTalk offer faster average download speeds on equivalent plans, and also noticeably faster minimum guaranteed download speeds.

Advertised average download speeds must be received by at least 50% of a provider's customer base during the peak hours of 8pm to 10pm in the evening when the network is busiest. So, we know they're a reliable gauge of how fast our broadband will be.

While minimum guaranteed download speeds, are just that, an absolute minimum before you can cancel your contract, they may not be indicative of real-world performance. However, it certainly suggests TalkTalk are more confident in their network speeds.

Overall, for those who want the fastest multi-gigabit broadband, or who want symmetrical uploads in CityFibre areas, Vodafone is the obvious choice. However, TalkTalk's faster average download speeds and much faster minimum guaranteed download speeds could suggest improved network performance.

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Router

Winner: Vodafone allow customers to upgrade to a WiFi 6E router, although TalkTalk still offer more than adequate WiFi 6 eero devices not to be sniffed at.

Vodafone win this category for offering all customers the option to upgrade to their WiFi 6E Ultra Hub and boosters with their Pro II broadband plans.

However, TalkTalk full fibre broadband also comes with an Amazon eero 6 and tri-band Pro 6 devices on their faster plans, so, customers aren't exactly missing out here, and in fact, as we'll look at, this could be more beneficial to most users.

All Vodafone broadband packages come with the new Power Hub as standard. The Power Hub supports dual-band wireless up to the WiFi 6 protocol, or 802.11ax. It offers strong wireless signal with 6 internal antennae and supports up to 100 devices over wireless as well as hosting four 1Gb Ethernet LAN ports for wired connections.

Vodafone Pro II costs around £10 to £13 more per month and can be taken with any of their broadband packages. This includes the Ultra Hub, which supports WiFi 6E and provides an additional 6GHz channel for extra bandwidth on an uncontented frequency.

It's worth pointing out however, that to benefit from the WiFi 6E technology, connecting devices must also support this protocol. That means, for most households, TalkTalk's Amazon eero Pro 6, with tri-band channels, could offer more benefit, as the additional third WiFi channel uses the 5GHz frequency, which is more likely to be supported by existing devices.

Here's how Vodafone's two router options look side-by-side:

And, here is TalkTalk's two eero devices side-by-side:

Perhaps the main difference here is that all Vodafone customers can upgrade to the WiFi 6E device, while only TalkTalk customers on their Full Fibre 500 and Full Fibre 900 plans will get the improved eero Pro 6 device.

Ultimately, even the standard eero 6 and Power Hub routers will be more than adequate for most homes, and users can still access additional devices to boost wireless speeds around the home if coverage is an issue.

So, while we'd say Vodafone win this round, it's a really close call because TalkTalk's devices are really just as good, if not better in some cases.

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TV bundles

Winner: TalkTalk offer a dedicated TV service that can be bundled with their broadband deals, while Vodafone only offer an Apple TV+ subscription.

All TalkTalk broadband plans, at least those in Openreach network areas, can be bundled with TalkTalk TV for £5 extra per month.

In its simplest form, TalkTalk TV is an android-powered TV hub, which offers access to Freeview as well as over 10,000 apps through the Google Play Store, including Netflix, NOW, Prime Video, Discovery+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Disney+, and likely any others you can think of.

Where it does stand out is in the exclusive discounts available through their partnership with NOW, with discounted pricing on pre-made bundles with NOW Memberships and NOW Boost included at no extra cost on all plans.

Meanwhile, TV isn't Vodafone's speciality, but they do offer their Xtra add-on with an Apple TV 4K box, Apple TV+ subscription, and unlimited anytime calls for £14 per month, which can be bundled with any of their broadband plans - including in CityFibre network areas.

Here's how they look side-by-side:

The biggest difference is the content. Vodafone offer a free subscription to Apple TV+, while TalkTalk's bundles include NOW Entertainment and Netflix, or NOW Sports Memberships - so give users access to premium Sky content, as well as the option to add additional on-demand apps if they want them, including Apple TV+.

Overall, we'd pick TalkTalk over Vodafone for TV, their exclusive discounts with NOW give customers low-cost access to premium content from Sky, including Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and exclusive channels like Sky Atlantic.

Read more in our review of TalkTalk TV.

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Customer service

Winner: It's a draw. Vodafone and TalkTalk both generate higher than average complaints, so neither have the best reputation for customer service unfortunately.

In the latest quarterly complaints figures from Ofcom, Q1 2024, TalkTalk received just 11 complaints per 100,000 customers, which was in line with the industry average of 11. In comparison, Vodafone received 16 complaints, with only Virgin Media and NOW Broadband receiving more.

Over the course of 2023, TalkTalk also had less complaints than Vodafone in total, with 66 complaints per 100,000 customers, compared to 70 received by Vodafone. However, both providers received more than the industry average of 51 complaints per 100,000 for 2023.

Looking at further research conducted by Ofcom, most recently published in May 2023, Vodafone outperforms TalkTalk for customer satisfaction and satisfaction with complaints handling:

While TalkTalk are quicker to answer the phone, they have more customers with a reason to complain and resolve fewer complaints on first contact than Vodafone does, despite having lengthier call wait times.

Overall, we'd call a draw for who's best for customer service, while TalkTalk have fewer complaints than Vodafone, Vodafone have more satisfied customers.

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Verdict: TalkTalk or Vodafone for the best broadband?

Overall winner: Vodafone offer more broadband choices than TalkTalk, they also have cheaper pricing, include a phone line as standard, and have more satisfied customers.

Vodafone and TalkTalk aren't an easy comparison to make, because both providers are offering a premium broadband service in their own right, and each have different strengths.

TalkTalk is certainly the better choice for those who want to bundle TV, with exclusive discounts on Sky TV content through their partnership with NOW. They also offer advanced router technology for full fibre customers, especially those on their fastest Full Fibre 500 and Full Fibre 900 plans.

However, Vodafone should be an easy choice for anyone with a Vodafone pay monthly mobile contract due to the Vodafone Together pricing discounts. They also offer cheaper pricing overall, as well as options to upgrade to the latest WiFi 6E router devices, and faster broadband speeds in CityFibre network areas.

So, we think Vodafone broadband is better than TalkTalk for:

• Cheaper pricing on budget and entry-level broadband plans
• Including a home phone line as standard, with cheaper call plans and calling rates
• Options to upgrade to a WiFi 6E router and boosters, with resilient automatic 4G back-up device
• Faster broadband speed tiers, and symmetrical uploads in CityFibre network areas

Yet, TalkTalk broadband will be the better choice over Vodafone for:

• TV and broadband bundles with exclusive discounts on Sky content through NOW Memberships and NOW Boost included at no extra cost
• Gigabit broadband customers who can benefit from two eero Pro 6 devices at no extra cost with TalkTalk Full Fibre 900
• Faster minimum guaranteed download speeds for those who want the most reassurance of a fast broadband connection

Overall, Vodafone broadband beats TalkTalk broadband with cheaper pricing and a home phone line as standard. Vodafone also offers faster broadband in some areas, with more customisation options to suit all households. That said, TalkTalk also have a great TV bundle offering and customers get WiFi 6 enabled eero devices.