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Compare TalkTalk broadband deals and packages.
TalkTalk has been a disruptive broadband provider since its inception and offers many broadband deals that can be good alternatives to the leading options.
Not only can you get broadband with TalkTalk, but there’s also the option to add TV and landline services, giving you a lot of choices in how to use TalkTalk to suit you best.
With all the choices, it can be tough to know which TalkTalk Broadband deals are best for you in 2024 and if TalkTalk is even the best provider for your needs.
The truth is, TalkTalk Broadband can be a great option for countless people in the UK, but to see if they’re the right provider for your needs, you can use Switch My Broadband to compare all the major UK providers to find the right deal that best suits you in 2024. If you want to know more about TalkTalk Broadband, here’s a detailed guide on all that you need to know.
TalkTalk is one of the leading broadband providers in the UK. In addition to offering incredible and well-priced broadband deals, TalkTalk also offers TV products and landline services, making it a well-rounded telecommunications company.
TalkTalk was founded in 2003 and has grown to become a large broadband provider with the capabilities of serving 96% of the population. This is because, much like many other providers, TalkTalk Broadband uses the Openreach network, allowing them to provide broadband to a wide array of people.
TalkTalk markets itself as a more budget option, but when comparing their price points, they actually end up being a mid-range option within the market.
They currently have over 4 million customers, making them a huge brand within the UK, with over half of their customers subscribed to their fibre broadband options.
As suggested by their name, TalkTalk was primarily a telephone company that allowed customers to switch to their service without needing to replace their landline equipment or dial a prefix to make calls.
TalkTalk has a unique selling point where you can make free, unlimited calls to other TalkTalk customers. This was something that was launched in 2004 and still remains one of its key features that makes it an interesting option for many people searching for broadband deals that bundle in a landline.
TalkTalk started to offer broadband in 2006, making many innovations within the industry between then and now. One such innovation was being the first broadband provider to offer a content filtering system in 2011 at no extra cost, which helped to keep countless customers safe online.
In 2013, TalkTalk launched its TV deals, which give you access to many Freeview channels and streaming services in one place.
TalkTalk has developed a reputation as an excellent option for your broadband, not to mention plenty of other telecommunication services. If you’re considering a broadband and landline deal especially, TalkTalk Broadband could be your best option.
TalkTalk Broadband offers many different services that can be packaged with their broadband or even bought on their own, so it can be a bit tough to figure out the best way to get their broadband deals.
With TalkTalk, you can get broadband only, broadband and landline, and broadband and TV deals. You can bundle these services with your broadband to obtain discounts and perks that can increase the value of your package.
TalkTalk can offer many fibre broadband speeds, ranging from 35Mbps up to 900Mbps, depending on if you can get that speed in your area. This means that TalkTalk can be a great alternative to the more budget broadband options while also rivalling the premium fibre providers.
When getting broadband from TalkTalk, the first thing that you need to do is enter your address to see what packages you’re able to get in your area. Your address will dictate the top speeds that you can get from TalkTalk Broadband, and if you live in a rural area, you may not be able to get the best TalkTalk broadband deals.
TalkTalk has packages that start at Fibre 35 and Fibre 65 and go as high as Fibre 150, Fibre 500, and even Fibre 900. These numbers illustrate the average broadband speed you can get with TalkTalk, demonstrating that this is a provider that can handle increasingly fast speeds.
All of TalkTalk’s broadband options are 18-month contracts, meaning that you have to commit to them for a fair amount of time.
Once you continue with your order from TalkTalk, you will also have to option to add some extra features. The main one is their Total Home Wi-Fi scheme, which is designed to eliminate blank spots from your home so that your entire house is covered with a stable and reliable connection. This costs an additional £6 a month and gives you another eero Wi-Fi router.
You can add Supersafe online security for an additional £4 a month. This is great for families with children as it allows you to protect your privacy, restrict content, and set passwords, giving you complete security and control.
When selecting your broadband package, you can select if you want it to include a landline. When you do this, the cost of your package may alter, and you may not be offered as many packages. This is because some of TalkTalk’s full fibre packages are not eligible for a landline.
This inability to add a landline to quicker broadband packages is a major disadvantage for TalkTalk Broadband and may be a factor that means other packages are better elsewhere.
What can make TalkTalk a good landline option is that you don’t have to pay extra when calling other TalkTalk customers. This is irrespective of your plan, meaning that if you only have evening and weekend calls included, you can still call other TalkTalk customers free of charge with no limits.
TalkTalk has two main call plans: Unlimited UK Calls and International Max Calls.
Unlimited UK Calls gives unlimited calls to UK mobiles and landlines and has no limits. You can also make calls at any time. This will cost an additional £8 a month for a 24-month contract, although you can pay more to get a rolling contract.
International Max Calls cost £7 for six months and give you 1000 minutes for mobile and landlines in different countries. This package increases to £14 a month after this six-month period, making it a pretty pricey option.
Once you’ve selected your broadband plan, you’ll have the option to add TalkTalk TV to your plan to make it a single bundle. Bundling this service can give you a discount on both products and make your bills and contracts much easier to manage.
You’ll be prompted to add TV when checking out when ordering broadband online.
TalkTalk TV gives you a Wi-Fi-enabled TV Box that gives you access to over 70 Freeview channels. You can also pause and rewind live TV and watch in 4K. It can also act as a hub to store all your subscription services in one place.
This isn’t the most comprehensive TV option, as you don’t get access to exclusive or premium channels. However, for an extra £4 a month, this is a well-priced and decent service which can enhance your experience with TalkTalk.
Reviews and comments are fantastic tools to understand how good a broadband provider is.
By checking out current and past reviews left by customers of TalkTalk Broadband, you can find out things about the company that can help you decide if it’s a service you should choose. By seeing what people have to say, you can find out what’s good about the business and discover any issues that could mean that you have a poor experience with TalkTalk.
For many, reviews can make you decide for or against a specific provider.
Here’s an in-depth look at how TalkTalk ranked on the leading review website Trustpilot. This website aggregates thousands of reviews and creates an average score out of 5 so that you can get a good, reliable idea of how a business is performing. Trustpilot has measures in place to ensure that most reviews are from genuine people, making their scores one of the most reliable on the internet.
If you want to find out how TalkTalk Broadband compares with the other broadband providers we review on Switch My Broadband, you can use our switching guide to see how it sizes up with the others.
TalkTalk has a Trustpilot review score of 2.7 out of 5. Although this can still be considered a poor score compared to other businesses outside the broadband industry, this score is one of the highest within the telecommunications sector.
In fact, the majority of broadband providers struggle to get a score of 2 stars. This means that TalkTalk significantly outranks most other broadband providers and is easily among the best in the industry regarding customer perception and reviews.
TalkTalk has been reviewed by over 60,000 people, making it one of the most reviewed providers we compare on Switch My Broadband. This makes the score even more impressive, as the large sample size means that this score is accurate and a good reflection of the quality of the business.
Some people may still be put-off by a score that’s under three stars, especially as Trustpilot itself still considers this to be a poor score. The reality is that when comparing the reviews of broadband providers, you need to make sure that you only compare them with other broadband providers to get a true reflection of quality.
Broadband providers rank poorly on review websites because they’re an essential service. Customers are less likely to be lenient with their reviews when things go wrong. That’s why you’ll find that most essential services businesses, such as water suppliers and energy companies, also have poor scores. This doesn’t mean that all broadband providers are bad; it just means that they’re judged harshly and need to be compared in relation to other broadband providers. When you do this, you’ll find that TalkTalk blows many other brands out of the water.
When looking more in-depth at the proportion of scores, you’ll see that 34% of reviewers have given TalkTalk a 5-star review. Plus, another 11% gave them 4-stars. This means that just under half of all reviews are positive, which is significantly better than other providers and indicates just how good TalkTalk is.
On the other hand, 44% of reviewers still gave TalkTalk a 1-star review, the largest proportion of reviews. However, compared to other broadband providers, this is a lot lower than others, indicating that it’s still one of the best at keeping current customers happy and satisfied with their performance.
When looking at what is being said in the 1-star reviews, you’ll be able to see what issues most customers are dealing with. When you dig into the common issues, you’ll find that many people have had to wait a long time to contact someone from customer service. This means that if you encounter issues with TalkTalk, it could be a while until they’re resolved, which isn’t great if you value a fast turnaround time.
When you look at more complaints, you’ll also see that many people have complained that the customer service team isn’t accommodating. Many past customers stated that operatives seem to lack the basic knowledge to help them out. Others also mention that you have to pay to contact their customer service number, meaning that being on that line for a long time can have you build up a significant bill, which isn’t great.
When looking even deeper at the common complaints, not many bring up issues with the service itself. Instead, the leading complaint is that their customer service team is tough to contact, leaving many people feeling lost and neglected when they have an issue. Most departments aren’t open on Sunday, which can be a big negative if you’re looking for round-the-clock support.
TalkTalk Broadband has a lot of positive reviews, meaning that there’s a large sample size of praise. When looking at what’s been said, many like to bring up how swift and easy the switching process is to TalkTalk, with many highlighting the speed that things get set up and put into place. This can be a major benefit for those that don’t want to wait around for their broadband to be installed and want a hassle-free experience.
Other positive comments also state that TalkTalk is very good at offering deals and alternative options to current customers. Instead of letting customers cancel their contracts, they instead often work to find solutions that suit everyone. For example, one reviewer wanted to cancel their contract to save money. For them, the customer service team understood and helped them build a cheaper plan, which meant they could keep this vital service for less.
Many other reviews also say that the service is excellent and doesn’t experience any slowdowns or drops in quality, which is great for new customers looking for a reliable internet connection.
TalkTalk Broadband Awards
In addition to customer reviews, another great indicator of a broadband provider’s quality is the awards they’ve received. This is because awards are hotly contested and handed out by organisations with many criteria a business needs to hit to be considered the best in its category.
In the Choose Awards, TalkTalk didn’t pick up any winner medals in any categories, although they were runners-up in both the Digital Inclusion and Most Ethical Awards. This means that TalkTalk is a conscious brand that strives to help the community and do the right things, which can be a big factor when choosing a broadband provider, as you want to be with the one that’s making a positive impact.
With TalkTalk, you can get multiple different broadband packages, all of which have key differences that make each unique. In addition to the sheer amount of choice in terms of packages, you can also customise each one with additional features and add-ons.
This choice is great for customers, as it can allow you to choose the best deal that suits you, but it does make it a bit tougher to compare and decide which are the best TalkTalk Broadband packages for you.
To makes things a little simpler, here’s a look at all the available broadband-only packages that TalkTalk offer. This makes it easier to see which packages have the best value and which are the best cheap TalkTalk broadband deals.
When comparing packages for yourself, be aware that some prices may differ. This is because some packages cost different things based on your location and infrastructure in your area. For example, your broadband may be more expensive if you live in a rural area.
Plus, all the deals reviewed may not be available to you. Rural areas may not be able to get full fibre. That’s why it’s important to check online to see what packages best suit your situation.
All of the details for the packages below were for a property located in Essex. This area was chosen because it’s rural and close to a major city, which reflects a large portion of the population. It’s also a location where all of TalkTalk’s packages were available.
Price: £24 a month
Average Speed: 36-37Mbps
The slowest broadband package you can get from TalkTalk for most households is their Fibre 35 package. This gives you an average download speed of around 35Mbps, hence the name, which is fast enough to provide a good connection for a single person who wants to stream and game online. This speed can also be good enough for a couple of people, providing they’re low internet users.
This package has upload speeds of around 8-9Mbps. This means uploading media like images and videos can take up to a few minutes.
TalkTalk states that this package is ideal for between 1-5 digital devices, meaning that it’s great for a small home that doesn’t have much broadband-enabled equipment. The plan is also unlimited, meaning that you won’t be restricted in terms of how much you can download, and you won’t have any extra charges added to your account.
With this package, there’s the option to add additional extras, such as Wi-Fi boosters, to ensure that every inch of your home has broadband and security software to prevent malware.
This package currently costs around £24 a month, making it one of the cheap TalkTalk broadband deals available. That said, it is possible to get broadband-only deals that offer a comparable speed for cheaper. Plus, for a little bit more a month, you can get vastly superior packages from TalkTalk itself.
Price: £25 a month
Average Speed: 66-73Mbps
Fibre 65 is one of the best TalkTalk broadband packages and is also one of the most popular due to how it gives you reasonable speeds for a good price.
Around 70Mbps is a fantastic fibre broadband speed that can easily handle the demands of a small household, even if people are streaming or gaming on multiple devices simultaneously. This makes it a top-quality option for most people, although you may experience buffering if you’re trying to stream in the highest image quality available.
What’s great about this broadband package is that it has a minimum guaranteed speed of 60Mbps. This is pretty close to the top speed you can get with this package, meaning that you’re unlikely to experience significant dips in quality, even during peak times.
An upload speed of 18Mbps is also very good and much better than what you can get with Fibre 35, meaning that you can upload media quickly.
The price point for this package is also very good and can be a little cheaper than what’s available by other providers. All these factors mean that Fibre 65 is one of the best TalkTalk broadband packages and is one you should consider.
Price: £32 a month
Average Speed: 122-152Mbps
TalkTalk’s Fibre 150 is the first of their more expensive and ultrafast broadband options. Delivering a speed of around 150Mbps, this can easily handle a large household full of heavy internet users, giving you the capabilities to stream and game in 4K.
With upload speeds of just under 30Mbps, videos and images should load in a flash, allowing you to share content easily and quickly.
Like all the previous packages, you can add extras such as Wi-Fi boosters to ensure ultimate coverage, and you can also add some pretty robust security features.
This type of broadband is fantastic for households with well over 75 devices, which is far more than you’re ever going to have in one network for most. Although this capability may seem like overkill now, this speed helps to futureproof your broadband as we enter the age of smart devices.
Unlike the previous packages, instead of the standard Wi-Fi Hub, you instead get the Amazon eero 6 mesh router, which is great for ultrafast speeds. This router is pretty expensive but is included for free in this package.
If you have the requirements for a fast and reliable internet connection, this is easily one of the best TalkTalk broadband packages you can get. It no longer represents a cheap option, costing around £32 a month, but that’s still good value for what you get.
Price: £39 a month
Average Speed: 418-520Mbps
The next fastest broadband package you can get from TalkTalk gives you a massive jump in speed, as their Fibre 500 plan is more than double the speeds in their previous option. Despite this, the plan is only £7 more a month, meaning that it’s a pretty well-priced package, especially for the insane, ultrafast speeds you can get.
For most households, a speed around 500Mbps will be far too much, and you’re unlikely to have the usage that gets anywhere near this. Instead, this broadband speed is better suited to small businesses, or people working from home who rely on broadband that can swiftly share large files and Livestream video and audio.
The upload speeds of this package are incredible, meaning that images and videos load fast, even if they’re high quality.
The minimum guaranteed speed of this plan is only 250Mbps, which is much less than the advertised average speed but is still fast enough that you will hardly notice a drop in quality unless many people are using your broadband.
Costing just under £40 a month, this can be considered expensive, even with the speeds you can get. For most, other TalkTalk packages are best suited, but this can still be a good choice if you need this type of speed.
Price: £49 a month
Average Speed: 760-950Mbps
The Fibre 900 plan is the fastest that TalkTalk currently offers, making it a decent alternative against some of the other superfast broadband options like Virgin Media and Sky.
A speed of over 750Mbps will allow you to do anything you want within your home without any issues and can handle simultaneous gaming and streaming from well over 75 devices.
This package is designed for properties and businesses with multiple users, which is why you get two Amazon eero pro 6 mesh routers. This allows you to ensure a reliable connection no matter where you are on the property.
This package costs just under £50 a month, which, although expensive, costs a bit less than packages offering this speed by other competitors. This is not a package that the average person should consider, as you’ll be wasting your money. However, for people with many internet users, this is the best TalkTalk broadband package you can get in terms of hard numbers and performance.
If you’re looking to switch broadband providers, TalkTalk is a great option with plenty of benefits that make it one of the leading choices in the UK.
The biggest highlight of TalkTalk is that it’s a very well-priced broadband option. It’s not the cheapest you can get; however, you can still obtain fantastic speeds for a fraction of the price that is offered by other providers when getting the cheap TalkTalk broadband deals.
For a so-called budget provider, you can get some seriously fast speeds. This make sit stand out against the likes of Now and Plusnet, the other budget options, as you can’t get the types of speeds with those providers that you can get with TalkTalk. In fact, the best TalkTalk broadband packages can be more than 10x as quick as the top speeds available from the budget options.
As a result of starting as a telephone company offering landline products, TalkTalk has one of the industry’s most robust and useful landline packages. This landline package gives you all the usual perks and options you expect, such as international calls and unlimited minutes to UK numbers. However, it also has the added benefit of allowing you to call other TalkTalk customers for free. This gives it a significant advantage against some of the other providers.
This landline package can also easily be bundled with a few of their broadband packages, although do note that you can’t get landline included with their full fibre options.
Finally, TalkTalk also has a good, affordable TV package that gives you access to many channels and streaming services. You can also pause and rewind live TV and also have access to many Freeview options. It may not be the most comprehensive option, but it’s a great budget option for those who don’t want to pay a lot for Sky or Virgin Media. You can learn more about Broadband and TV deals here on Switch My Broadband.
TalkTalk is one of the best, most reliable, and most affordable broadband providers, so there’s not much about it that makes it one that you should avoid. With that said, there are a couple of negative aspects of the brand where other providers have the edge, which may make you reconsider your choice.
Depending on your situation and what you deem essential qualities, there are a couple of reasons why TalkTalk Broadband should be avoided.
The first major reason is that TalkTalk does have one of the worst customer service teams. This reputation has been with the business for a long time, and when looking at the current customer reviews and complaints, it still seems to be an issue.
Many find their customer service team to be hard to contact and unhelpful when you manage to talk to an operative. This means that although TalkTalk has a reliable service, if there is an issue, you could have to jump through many hoops to resolve it. If a responsive and good customer service experience is something that you value, then this is a big reason why you may want to avoid TalkTalk.
Another negative against TalkTalk is that although it offers a decent TV option, it’s not that comprehensive and great compared to Sky or Virgin. You don’t get as many channels with TalkTalk, and there are also a lot fewer extra features. If you’re looking for a broadband and TV deal that gives you a massive amount of content, TalkTalk is not the best option for you, and you could be left disappointed if you’re expecting something similar to Sky or BT.
Another big thing against TalkTalk is its inability to provide a landline for fibre broadband customers. This is a major disadvantage, as it means you’ll have to handicap your broadband experience to a landline. Many other broadband providers offer a phoneline when getting a fibre broadband package, meaning that it may not be the best option for those looking to get the best out of both these services.
TalkTalk is considered a budget broadband provider, meaning that its prices are typically less than most of its competitors. The specific prices TalkTalk’ll quote you will differ depending on the package that you choose to get.
For example, TalkTalk’s cheapest fibre broadband option costs less than £25 a month, which is an affordable price, especially for that speed. However, if you’re looking to get their fastest full future fibre plan, you’ll have to pay around £50 a month. Although that’s still incredible value for a broadband speed of around 900Mbps, it’s still pretty expensive.
Furthermore, the cost of the TalkTalk broadband deals you choose will also depend on additional factors. If you add extras to your package, such as a phone line that you can use to make calls, security features or Wi-Fi boosts, you’ll have to pay more for your overall package.
In addition, the price of a broadband package can differ depending on where you live. For example, the cost of TalkTalk’s mid-range package may cost more in some rural locations than it does in a built-up city. This is why it’s important to compare the different options in your area to find the best deal for you.
You will be charged an installation fee when you get TalkTalk if you need an engineer to visit and install some equipment. If you already have a phone line, you shouldn’t have to pay anything extra.
However, if you don’t have an active phone line installed on your property or need an upgraded one to ensure that TalkTalk Broadband works, then you’ll have to pay an engineering fee. This can cost as much as £60, which is very expensive and is one of the highest engineer fees out of the providers reviewed on Switch My Broadband.
When getting TalkTalk, you should factor in this installation fee to ensure that it’s still value for money for you.
You will also need an engineer to install a new fibre optic cable line if you’re getting Fibre 150 or higher. Plus, if you’re getting TalkTalk TV, you may also be charged for the cost of your TV Box, depending on the package that you’ve chosen.
TalkTalk claims to be available for around 96% of the UK population, meaning it’s highly likely that you’ll be able to get TalkTalk in your area.
This is because TalkTalk typically uses the Openreach broadband network, which was rolled out by BT and is accessible for most homes in the UK.
With all that considered, depending on how rural your location is, you may not be able to get all of the packages that TalkTalk offer. For example, a rural area in the Cotswolds may only be able to get TalkTalk’s slowest packages, whereas a suburb of London may be able to get all of their packages.
You can run a speed test on Switch My Broadband to see what speeds you expect in your area. This will let you know the maximum speeds you can obtain in your home and which deals you should go for.
For most people, TalkTalk is withdrawing their standard broadband packages in favour of fibre optic deals. This means that if your home can get any type of fibre deal, you’ll be recommended these deals instead of the standard ADSL.
TalkTalk isn’t the only company to slowly stop its rollout of standard broadband, as many others are now focusing on fibre broadband. Most homes can now get some form of fibre broadband, making the slow speeds available from standard broadband obsolete.
Plus, most people’s internet habits have developed beyond the capabilities of standard broadband. As ADSL broadband can only get speeds of around 11Mbps, you’ll be limited to website browsing and emails. Streaming will likely cause slowdowns and buffering, meaning that standard broadband is not suited for most.
If your home can only get standard broadband, then you’ll still be able to get it from TalkTalk. Plus, if you’re sure that standard broadband is right for you, you may be able to request it when on a call with customer service.