Plusnet broadband review 2024: Is it any good?

Dan Howdle • July 4th, 2024

Yorkshire-based Plusnet is constantly nipping at the heels of its better known rivals, with decent broadband speeds, great customer service and – most importantly – budget-friendly provision.

Results of our broadband survey

We interviewed 6,000 household broadband decision makers. This is how Plusnet broadband customers rated their service:

View the full survey

Our review of Plusnet broadband

Plusnet was bought by BT in 2007, but it operates as a separate business, so its broadband deals are often quite different from those of its parent company.

This page will tell you everything you need to know about Plusnet broadband, including what deals are on offer, what to expect in terms of equipment, installation, customer service and special offers, and whether the provider is right for you.

Plusnet offers many benefits, including consistently great customer service, competitive average download and upload speeds and quick installation that’s also free of charge. The brand doesn’t charge any additional upfront fees for getting your broadband up and running. However, they do insist on payment of the first month's fee when ordering, which is slightly unusual.

Plusnet has relatively recently caught up with other major providers and now offers FTTP ('Fibre to the Property') packages whose download and upload speeds are now in line with the competition, with a downloads up to 910Mbps. That's comparable to any provider other than Virgin Media and EE Broadband that offer 1130Mbps and 1600Mbps respectively. However, you'll need to be aware that Full Fibre (required for speeds over 74Mbps) is only available to around one in three households. Plusnet uses the Openreach FTTP network for its Full Fibre offering, and while the rollout is accelerating, there are still considerably more places you can't get it than those where you can. Use our Plusnet postcode checker to be sure.

Plusnet is known for its affordability, and can be a great option if you’re on a budget and don’t necessarily need an ultrafast connection. However, you should be aware of Plusnet's comparatively long contracts, since currently they tie you in for two whole years.

As with all broadband providers, there are some negative aspects with Plusnet. The brand is pretty ‘no-frills’ and the standard ADSL broadband deal comes with a fairly basic router (although you won't be offered ADSL unless you can't get anything else). However you will occasionally see a Reward Card, cashback or an Amazon gift card on offer, but it is rare. Plus, so long as you opt for fibre broadband of some description – either basic fibre or full fibre – you will get a better unit.

In short, if you don’t mind dispensing with the bells and whistles and don't need a landline, you don't mind the long contracts, and you're reassured by what should be outstanding customer service from Plusnet, it may well be the provider for you.

Key features

Here’s a quick look at what you can expect to find in a Plusnet broadband deal. Note, that where you see 'FF' denotes 'full fibre', which is not yet widely available.

Download speeds	10Mbps, 66Mbps, 74Mbps (Full Fibre), 145Mbps (FF), 300Mbps (FF), 500Mbps (FF), 910Mbps (FF)
Upload speeds	1Mbps, 9.5Mbps, 18Mbps, 20Mbps, 30Mbps, 50Mbps, 75Mbps, 110Mbps
Broadband	ADSL, Fibre, FTTP
Home Phone	Yes
Freebies to look for	Reward cards, free activation, cashback
Packages available	Broadband, Broadband and phone (ADSL only)
Router	Hub Two
Contract lengths	Universally 24 months
Prices from	£24.99 per month

Broadband speeds

Plusnet offers broadband with a choice of eight speeds:

Unlimited Broadband: Plusnet’s standard ADSL broadband offers average download speeds of 10Mbps. This option is not adequate for most households these days and is only available to customers who can get nothing else.

Fibre Broadband: The brand’s entry-level fibre offer has average download speeds of 66Mbps. The package is ideal for multitasking across multiple devices in an average sized household, where people stream content or play games online regularly. If you can't get Full Fibre, this will be the fastest speed you'll be able to get (unless you can get Virgin Media or some other smaller, local network). Happily, it's fast enough for most households for now, but it is starting to be somewhat limiting for households full of gamers, streamers and downloaders.

Full Fibre: A recent addition to Plusnet's range of packages, these are connections where the cabling is 100% fibre, from the exchange all the way to your home. This means they can offer faster speeds. Current speed offerings for Plusnet Full Fibre are 74Mbps, 145Mbps, 300Mbps, 500Mbps and 910Mbps. If you live somewhere within an Openreach FTTP connected area, you can have your choice of those speeds.

Not sure which package to pick? Our guide to deciding what broadband speed you need has all the answers.

Upload speeds

Upload speeds indicate how fast you can copy or send data from your devices to the internet, cloud storage, or other devices. For most of us, upload speed is less important than download speed, as we stream more data than we send.

Those of us who work from home may take more of an interest in upload speeds, perhaps if you regularly store or share large documents online or participate in video meetings.

Here's a quick overview of the upload speeds you'll get with each package:

Package	Download speed	Upload speed
Unlimited Broadband	10Mbps	1Mbps
Fibre Broadband	66Mbps	9.5Mbps
Full Fibre 74	74Mbps	20Mbps
Full Fibre 145	145Mbps	30Mbps
Full Fibre 300	300Mbps	50Mbps
Full Fibre 500	500Mbps	75Mbps
Full Fibre 900	910Mbps	110Mbps

Landline calling packages

As of January 2024, only the basic ADSL broadband package includes a landline phone connection with pay-as-you-go (PAYG) calls included. And landlines are simply not available with their fibre and full fibre packages, so if a landline is important to you, Plusnet may not be the way to go.

If you do choose the basic broadband package, then Plusnet’s 1571 Voicemail service is included as standard on all paid call plans and Voicemail Extra can also be added to your package for an additional monthly charge. Plusnet Call Protect is also included, which blocks nuisance calls on your landline and sends them straight into your junk voicemail.

Routers and installation

All Plusnet broadband customers are sent a router that can be self-installed quickly and easily. The Hub One still comes with ADSL and standard fibre packages (66Mbps or less). Anything faster and you'll get the Hub Two.

Here are the specs for Plusnet's routers:

Plusnet Hub One

• ADSL and fibre broadband only – Supplied with Plusnet’s Unlimited and Fibre broadband packages
• Next generation wifi – Hub One uses the latest wireless standard (802.11ac) to deliver the fastest wifi speeds possible. Devices using older wifi standards such as 802.11n are also able to connect
• ADSL2+ & VDSL2 modem – The ADSL2+ allows for connections over the Openreach telephone network, while the VDSL2 means the modem is ready for fibre broadband. The modem features auto switching to the relevant mode
• Smart channel selection – The Hub One automatically connects your devices to the fastest wifi channel and frequency available
• Dual band – Like many modern routers, the Hub One router uses both the 2.4GHz and faster 5GHz bands
• Four gigabit ethernet ports – The Hub One has four gigabit ethernet ports, so you can use a wired connection for up to four devices
• USB port – The useful addition of a USB Port allows users to connect shared hard drives, shared printers and even a 5G dongle if they want a back-up internet connection
• Smart power management – The Hub One will power down when not in use, saving you a penny or two (literally)

Plusnet Hub Two

• Full Fibre only – Supplied with Plusnet’s Full Fibre broadband packages
• Next generation wifi – Hub Two offers dual band wifi creating two discrete networks in your home. A 2.4Ghz and a 5Ghz network. The former uses the 802.11b, g, and n protocols, the latter the fastest 802.11ac format
• Smart channel selection – The Hub Two automatically connects your devices to the fastest wifi channel and frequency available
• Four gigabit ethernet ports – The Hub Two has three gigabit ethernet ports, so you can use a wired connection for up to three devices directly, or daisy chain devices from any or all of these ports to your heart’s content
• USB port – The useful addition of a USB Port allows users to connect shared hard drives, shared printers and even a 5G dongle if they want a back-up internet connection
• Smart power management – The Hub Two will power down when not in use

You can also always choose to use your own router, though Plusnet advises against this and won’t be able to help you with any technical issues if you’re using a model it hasn't supplied.

Installation

Plusnet customers usually aren't expected to pay an activation fee to get their broadband up and running, although they do require the first monthly payment upfront. Activation usually takes between 5-10 working days if you’re setting it up from scratch, and a minimum of 10 working days if you’re switching from another broadband provider.

In some cases, an engineer may need to install a new phone line at your property if you don’t already have one, or if you’re switching over from a cable service. Your broadband and phone should go live within five working days of the engineer’s appointment. Otherwise you will be sent a router close to your agreed activation date that can be easily self-installed.

Plusnet warns that you will probably see your broadband speed vary over the first 10 days as their system runs tests to find the best speed for your service. You may also experience sudden disconnections during this period. This is unfortunately to be expected and isn't unique to Plusnet.

To find out more about what to expect, read our guide on broadband installation.

Customer service

Plusnet always does exceptionally well in customer service surveys, and has won an array of awards for supporting its customers when things go wrong.

The brand’s UK-based contact centre is open via Live Chat or over the phone on 0800 432 0200, between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am and 7pm on Saturdays and 9am and 6pm on Sundays, 365 days a year. You can contact Plusnet support using Twitter as well.

It's free to call Plusnet's customer services, but with answers to many common questions listed on the website, you might discover you don't need to make the call at all.

The brand also came second (behind EE) for customer service in Ofcom’s latest report – 81% of their customers were satisfied with the services they get from Plusnet, though overall satisfaction with complaints handling came in below average.

Our verdict: Very good

With affordable deals at competitive speeds, and great reputation for customer service, Plusnet is a broadband provider with many attractive qualities. And now you can even get reasonably priced full fibre from Plusnet, should you live in an Openreach FTTP connected area.

Though it’s not a great choice for TV lovers and doesn’t offer an exciting range of freebies like some brands, the Yorkshire-based provider is a solid choice for no-nonsense broadband provision that’s reliable and usually quite budget friendly. Add to that it's excellent customer service record and Plusnet is win if you're just after a fire-and-forget, value-for-money option.

We still say, though that 24 months might be too long a contract compared to many competitors, plus insisting on the first month's payment upfront is also slightly unusual, so Plusnet does lose a few Brownie points because of those issues.

Compare Plusnet broadband