Broadband is a high-speed internet connection that allows you to access the internet.

Before broadband you could only access the internet via dial-up which was often slow and intermittent. Broadband offers a faster and more reliable connection to work from home, stream the latest boxset or game online without worry.

There’s no one-size fits-all deal, so the best broadband deal for you is really the one that best meets you and your household’s needs.

Do you need to be able to make regular video calls, stream TV or play online games? Will multiple people be doing any or all of those things? What’s your monthly budget?

As well as those, 3 key things to think about when choosing a broadband package are:

1. Where you live

You first need to make sure the providers and deals are an option where you live, as not everything is available in every location.

For example, if you’re living in a more rural area, you may not have the option of fibre optic broadband, so your high-speed broadband choices will be limited.

With our service we make it easy to only find the deals available to you based on where you live. Use your postcode to get started.

2. Which services you need

The connection speed and broadband usage allowance you need will depend on your household. If you’re regularly using streaming TV services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, playing online games or have multiple devices in the home connected at the same time, you’ll need a higher broadband speed and allowance.

Look out for the minimum average broadband speed the provider offers. This gives you an idea of how fast web pages load, files download and the time streaming takes to buffer. If your household is a heavy broadband user, you should be looking for a faster speed.

Many broadband deals offer unlimited usage so there’s no need to worry about how much you’re using it. If your monthly use is a little lighter, you could save yourself some money by picking a deal with a monthly allowance. Just be sure to check the allowance will cover all your broadband needs.

3. The cost of broadband

With so many different broadband deals to choose from, it’s no surprise that monthly costs can vary wildly. Although you’ll be billed monthly, we’ll also show you the total first year cost alongside any setup costs.

Setup costs can include things like equipment, delivery of the equipment and service activation. Depending on the provider and the type of broadband, you may need an existing or new phone line installed to be able to use the broadband. The prices we show also include any line rental that comes with the deal.

With this clear breakdown of costs you should be able to quickly work out what’s within your budget. A business broadband connection can be very different from a home service. As a business your broadband usage is likely to be much higher – so fast, reliable internet access is a necessity.

• Standard broadband is called ADSL, or ADSL2+ to give it its correct name. With ADSL2+ you'll typically get speeds of up to 16Mbps but, depending on how far away you are from the exchange, you could get a much slower connection than that.

• With fibre optic broadband, depending on which provider you choose, you could get a connection as fast as 362Mbps. The faster the connection, the quicker things load, like emails, YouTube videos and streaming services like Netflix.

However, a faster connection typically leads to a more expensive tariff, which is why it's a good idea to compare broadband providers and make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Using our broadband comparison service, you can compare a range of broadband-only deals to find the best price and package for your needs.

Most UK households pay for some form of broadband, TV or phone service. Combining these bills into a single payment is known as a bundle. This is a handy, single, monthly fee for your broadband, TV and phone calls that can be cheaper than paying for all three separately. Perfect if you’re looking to save yourself some cash every year.

For more information on consolidating your bills into a handy bundle check out our broadband, TV and phone options.