Comparing BT with Sky Broadband – Which is better?
When comparing the UK’s main broadband providers, two names usually top the list: BT and Sky. If you have to choose between these services, which one is the right choice for you and what features do you need to compare?
The most important factors to consider when comparing BT and Sky broadband are speed, reliability, value for money and customer service.
You should also compare the length of the contract and whether there are any upfront costs associated with the package.
As well as contract lengths and upfront costs for BT and Sky, you should also compare the free extras, benefits and freebies offered by the two providers such as vouchers, cashback, reward cards etc.
Speed
Both BT and Sky offer a wide range of speeds at various prices from ADSL to full fibre broadband.
Both BT Fibre 2 and Sky Broadband Superfast are the cheapest and most popular plans, with speeds of over 50Mbps, perfect for most activities such as HD streaming, fast downloads and connecting up to 5 devices in a typical UK household.
Below is the list of Sky and BT broadband plans available in different speed ranges:
| BT | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| 10Mbps – 76Mbps | BT unlimited – 10Mbps BT Fibre Essential – 36Mbps BT Fibre 1 – 50Mbps BT Fibre 2 – 67Mbps |
Sky Essential Plus – 11Mbps Sky Superfast 35 – 36Mbps Sky Superfast – 59Mbps |
| 100Mbps – 500Mbps | BT Fibre 100 – 145Mbps BT Fibre 500 – 500Mbps |
Sky Ultrfast – 145Mbps Sky Ultrafast Plus – 500Mbps |
| 1Gbps | BT Fibre 900 – 900Mbps | Sky Gigafast – 900Mbps |
For those who need ultrafast speeds (100Mbps+), both providers offer a variety of plans, and you can choose add-ons such as Complete WiFi and Sky Broadband Boost for reliable speeds and better WiFi.
Both ISPs offer truly unlimited broadband with no fair usage policies and no traffic throttling, so your internet will never slow down during peak hours.
Cost and value for money
BT is generally more expensive than Sky for broadband, but offers more choice, better routers (Smart hub and Smart Hub 2) and high reliability.
However, certain offers from both providers may include discounts for promotional periods, which must be taken into account when choosing the right plan for you. This can help you save money and get your money’s worth.
| BT | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level fibre (30Mbps – 76Mbps) |
£28 – £33 |
£23 – £25 |
| Faster Fibre (100Mbps – 200Mbps) |
£34.99 | £30 |
| Ultrafast (300Mbps – 500Mbps) |
£44.99 | £40 |
| Gigabit (up to 1Gbps) |
£54.99 | £52 |
| TV + broadband (30Mbps – 500Mbps) |
£40 – £76 | £30 – £60 |
Sky offers better TV packages with a lot of content, but usually expensive to set up, while BT is not that expensive.
It can be difficult to find which provider offers the cheapest full fibre plan since both have similar price ranges. Overall, both BT and Sky are more expensive options, and if you’re looking for cheaper broadband plans, you can consider Vodafone, Plusnet and TalkTalk.
Customer Service
In terms of customer satisfaction, both Sky and BT received excellent ratings in the last Ofcom survey for 2022.
BT had an overall customer satisfaction rating of 88%, while Sky scored 84%. Around 54% of customers of these suppliers were satisfied with their complaint handling. However, BT Broadband had twice as many complaints as against Sky (42 vs 21 per 100,000 customers).
BT’s average call waiting time was better – 1.46 minutes compared to Sky’s 2.17 minutes.
Compare the benefits
It’s often impossible to make an informed decision without examining what free extras and internet security options your broadband plan offers. Plus, discounts and incentives like discounts, cash back, and rewards cards that come with offers can help you lower your overall costs, resulting in significant savings.
| BT | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Free public WiFi | yes | yes |
| Parental controls | yes | yes |
| Virus protection | BT Virus Protect | Sky Broadband Shield |
| Cloud storage | up to 1000GB |
Conclusion
It’s always a good idea to make sure to explore all the features we’ve compared above before signing up with any provider.
In our opinion, both BT and Sky are excellent options for broadband. If you want more broadband features then BT comes first as it has an edge over Sky with its reliable service, great routers and speeds.
However, Sky has a wider range of TV packages and is the market leader in the pay TV. If you’re looking for more than just broadband and want premium TV service and great content, Sky is definitely the better choice, although you’ll pay more for its TV and broadband packages.
