Best Sky vs Virgin Media broadband plans as bills set to rise in April

In a matter of weeks, many UK residents will feel the pinch as household bills rise in line with inflation. This annual occurrence every April impacts energy bills and costs for mobile, TV, and broadband services.

Major providers such as and are among those set to increase their prices, meaning many of us will soon be paying more for our TV and home internet contracts. Sky has confirmed an average increase of 6.2% on its broadband packages, while Virgin’s will rise by 7.5%.

Earlier this year, several providers introduced a new fixed annual price increase for customers who recently signed a new contract, with these prices set to rise by £3 – . Given these impending increases, now is the ideal time to ensure you’re getting the best deal – or to shop around for a better one.

Jake Hackney, fromhas compared the latest broadband plans from Sky and Virgin Media to help customers make an informed decision.

Virgin Media

now start at £23.99 per month for the M125 Fibre Broadband plan, which offers an average download speed of 132Mbps. Virgin suggests this plan is suitable for busy households with five to nine devices and can comfortably support multiple devices streaming or gaming simultaneously.

However, the price difference to upgrade to faster speeds isn’t significant, with . Alternatively, customers might consider paying an additional £1 to upgrade to the £29.99 M350 Fibre Broadband plan, which increases the speed to 362Mbps.

Gig1 Fibre Broadband, which costs £36.99 per month. But how does this compare to Sky?

Sky

are somewhat similar, with a price difference of less than £1 on many plans. Sky’s basic broadband plan is the 150Mbps Full Fibre 150 package

This is £3.01 more expensive than Virgin’s M125 plan but provides only marginally faster speeds. Better options are available with Sky’s higher plans like 99p cheaper than Virgin’s M350 plan, but the difference remains minimal.

However, there’s a considerable price gap between the providers’ top broadband plans, with Sky’s being £6.01 more expensive than Virgin’s 1,130Mbps Gig1 Fibre Broadband.

So which one should you go for?

Which one should you go for?

In essence, there’s not much difference in terms of price for most plans, with many comparable contracts separated by mere pennies until you reach the higher options. However, while some of Sky’s are slightly cheaper than Virgin’s, they also offer slightly slower speeds.

One key distinction is that shorter than Sky’s, lasting for 18 months as opposed to Sky’s 24. This allows you the flexibility to renegotiate and switch to a different plan – or even leave entirely – sooner, potentially saving you money in the long run.

It’s also important to remember that broadband speeds can vary depending on your location, so it’s always a good idea to input your postcode into each provider’s coverage checker to see what’s available. To get the best bang for your buck, consider bundling your broadband with TV and broadband subscriptions.

Earlier this month, Sky reintroduced a popular offer broadband package, which also includes TV and a complimentary Netflix subscription. Sky announced that its ‘lowest ever price is back’, slashing the broadband to £35 per month, equating to a £5 monthly saving or £120 over the duration of the contract.

In addition to 150Mbps broadband, this deal also provides access to over 100 channels such as Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Sports News, along with major free-to-air channels like BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and many others. Over at Virgin, the comparable Bigger Combo bundle is marginally cheaper at £34.99 and comes with 362Mbps fibre broadband and over 200 TV channels.

However, it’s worth noting that Sky Atlantic isn’t accessible with Virgin, so if you’re keen on catching the latest HBO shows like The Last of Us or The White Lotus, you might want to opt for Sky. Virgin has also recently introduced a new offer where customers get a free iPad upon signing up for its Mega Volt bundle.

this is Virgin’s priciest plan, but it offers substantial value for money. In addition to a complimentary 64GB iPad (9th Gen, 2021), the package includes Virgin Gig1 Fibre Broadband, over 230 TV channels encompassing Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, as well as Netflix and a 250GB O2 SIM card.