Vodafone broadband vs NOW broadband

Vodafone and NOW Broadband both target the budget end of the market, running on Openreach with 24-month contracts and included line rental.

Vodafone goes further, with gigabit and multi-gigabit speeds via Openreach and CityFibre, and a WiFi 6 router included as standard.

Entry-level prices are close, but Vodafone's wider speed range, better hardware, and cheaper call plans shift the value comparison once you look past the headline figure.

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At a glance: NOW Broadband vs Vodafone

Top picks: Vodafone and NOW broadband deals

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Price

Winner: Vodafone is cheaper per month at entry level and delivers more speed for the same money in the mid-tier, making it better value than its headline price suggests.

For two providers that appear almost identical at first glance, the price comparison rewards closer inspection.

Both Vodafone and NOW Broadband offer entry-level full fibre plans in the low-to-mid £20s, with line rental included and no meaningful upfront cost - NOW's £5 setup fee is refunded on the first bill.

The table below shows the cheapest plans from each provider side by side:

Vodafone comes in £0.50 per month cheaper than NOW at this tier, and delivers a marginally slower average speed - 73Mbps against 75Mbps - a difference that is imperceptible in everyday use. More meaningfully, Vodafone includes a WiFi 6 router as standard while NOW's equivalent plan ships with an older WiFi 5 model. On paper NOW is competitive, but Vodafone is putting more hardware into the package for less money.

The gap becomes harder to ignore one step up. NOW's Full Fibre 100 costs £25 per month for 100Mbps, while Vodafone's Full Fibre 150 - 50% faster - sits at £22.50:

For customers who need a little more than the basic tier, Vodafone is simultaneously faster and cheaper than NOW's equivalent. That is a difficult combination to argue against.

Home phone adds another layer. Both providers include line rental with pay-as-you-go calls as standard. But Vodafone's anytime calls package costs £8 per month - against £17 with NOW. For households that still make regular calls, that £9 monthly difference adds up to over £200 across a 24-month contract.

Annual price rises are worth factoring in upfront. Vodafone customers on current contracts will see bills rise by £3.50 per month each April from 2027, written into the contract. NOW confirmed a £3 per month rise for April 2026, but future increases are not contractually fixed - meaning customers can exit penalty-free within 30 days of any price rise notification, even mid-contract. Vodafone's rises are contractual, so no equivalent exit right applies.

Customers with a Vodafone pay monthly mobile plan can save a further £2 per month on broadband, or £4 per month on a Pro 3 plan, through Vodafone Together. For existing Vodafone mobile customers, that brings the entry-level price down to £20.50 per month - below anything NOW currently offers.

Overall, Vodafone offers better value at every price point - cheaper entry-level pricing, more speed per pound in the mid-tier, and lower call plan costs. NOW's only real pricing advantage is the flexibility to exit mid-contract when prices rise.

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Broadband packages

Winner: Vodafone offer more package choice than NOW at every level - faster full fibre speeds, a premium Pro 3 tier, and gigabit options that NOW simply doesn't have.

Both providers cover the same entry-level ground: full fibre and part-fibre plans on Openreach, with 24-month contracts and line rental included. The key differences are:

• Vodafone's full fibre range extends to 500Mbps as standard, with gigabit and multi-gigabit plans beyond - NOW tops out at 300Mbps
• Vodafone include a WiFi 6 router across all plans; NOW's standard router is WiFi 5
• Vodafone offer Super WiFi, Pro 3, and Xtra add-ons; NOW's only upgrade is WiFi Max
• Vodafone Together gives pay monthly mobile customers £2-£4 off per month; NOW has no equivalent

Here is how their full fibre packages compare up to 500Mbps:

At 75Mb and 150Mb, Vodafone is cheaper at both tiers and includes a WiFi 6 router where NOW ships a WiFi 5 model. That hardware difference matters for households with newer devices - WiFi 6 handles multiple connections more efficiently and delivers faster speeds to compatible kit. The bigger gap opens further up. NOW's top full fibre plan is 300Mbps at £30 per month; Vodafone's Full Fibre 500 delivers 500Mbps for £25 - more speed for less money.

Vodafone's range continues well beyond 500Mbps - through 910Mbps and 1.6Gbps on Openreach, and up to 2.2Gbps symmetrical on CityFibre. For customers in a gigabit-ready area, NOW is simply not in the conversation.

For the full breakdown of Vodafone's faster plans, visit our Vodafone broadband hub.

For addresses not yet on full fibre, here is how the providers' part-fibre superfast plans compare:

At part-fibre level there is little to separate them on speed or price, and the same router and call plan differences apply. If part-fibre is your only option, Vodafone is still the stronger package.

Both providers include a home phone line with pay-as-you-go calls as standard. Vodafone's anytime calls package costs £8 per month; NOW's equivalent costs £17. That £9 monthly gap adds up to over £200 across a 24-month contract - a significant difference for any household that still uses their landline regularly.

On add-ons, NOW customers can upgrade to Sky's WiFi Max for £6 per month, which swaps the standard WiFi 5 router for a WiFi 6 Sky Max Hub, adds mesh boosters, and includes a whole-home speed guarantee. It is a worthwhile upgrade, but it costs extra to reach the router standard Vodafone includes for free.

Vodafone's Super WiFi adds boosters and a whole-home guarantee to the WiFi 6 Power Hub for £7 per month. Step up to Pro 3 at £8 per month and you get a WiFi 7 router, boosters, and a 4G backup device that automatically keeps the connection running if the main line goes down. For home workers or larger households, that failover capability is a meaningful upgrade. NOW has nothing comparable.

For TV, Vodafone's Xtra add-on costs £8 per month and includes a 4K Apple TV box and Apple TV+ subscription. It is a polished streaming service, but a narrow one - limited original content with no live TV or sports.

NOW customers can add Sky Essential TV via Sky Stream at checkout, at the standard new customer price with no bundle discount applied. The content library is considerably broader than Apple TV+ - live channels, Sky Atlantic, and on-demand - but there's no pricing advantage over taking it separately from Sky directly.

Overall, NOW's lineup covers what most households need day-to-day. But Vodafone's wider speed range, better standard hardware, more capable add-on tiers, and significantly cheaper call plans make it the stronger package at almost every level.

Read more in our full reviews of Vodafone broadband and NOW Broadband.

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Broadband speed

Winner: Vodafone offer speeds up to 2.2Gbps symmetrical on CityFibre and 1.6Gbps on Openreach; NOW Broadband's top speed is 300Mbps.

Both providers run on Openreach's full fibre and part-fibre networks, which means availability is broadly similar for most UK addresses. The difference is what each provider does with that infrastructure.

NOW Broadband's lineup runs to four tiers - part-fibre through to 300Mbps full fibre. Customers who need faster speeds will often be offered packages from parent company Sky at the point of sign-up, where availability allows.

Vodafone also runs on CityFibre's full fibre network, which has now completed its upgrade to XGS-PON technology across its entire footprint. That means symmetrical 2.2Gbps speeds are available wherever Vodafone uses CityFibre - equal upload and download, which is particularly valuable for home workers, content creators, or anyone regularly moving large files.

Here are Vodafone's advertised average speeds on the Openreach network:

For customers in CityFibre areas, all Vodafone plans deliver symmetrical upload and download speeds:

The symmetrical uploads on CityFibre are worth highlighting. On Openreach, Vodafone's Full Fibre 910 delivers 910Mbps down but only 105Mbps up - a significant asymmetry. On CityFibre, upload and download are equal at every tier up to 2.2Gbps. For most home users that distinction rarely matters, but for anyone who uploads as much as they download, it is a meaningful difference.

Here are NOW Broadband's advertised average speeds:

NOW's plans cover the essentials - 75Mbps and 100Mbps full fibre comfortably handles streaming, video calls, and multiple connected devices, and the 300Mbps tier suits heavier households. For most people, that range is sufficient.

These advertised average speeds must be received by at least 50% of each provider's customer base during the peak hours of 8pm to 10pm, when the network is at its busiest.

Minimum guaranteed speeds

Both providers give customers a minimum guaranteed download speed at sign-up. If speeds fall below that floor for more than three consecutive days and the provider cannot resolve the issue within 30 days, customers can exit their contract penalty-free.

We tested one Openreach full fibre and one part-fibre location for both providers and received the following minimum speed guarantees:

NOW Broadband's minimum guarantees are proportionally higher than Vodafone's on comparable plans. NOW's Full Fibre 100 promises a 90Mbps minimum, while Vodafone's Full Fibre 150 - a faster and cheaper plan - guarantees only 75Mbps. In practice, most customers will comfortably exceed the minimum, but it is worth knowing where each provider sets the floor.

For a full breakdown of minimum speed guarantees on Vodafone's faster plans, see our full review of Vodafone broadband.

Overall, for everyday household use the speed difference between the two providers is largely academic. Where Vodafone pulls clear is for customers who want or need more - heavier households, home workers, or those in CityFibre areas where symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds are available. NOW's 300Mbps ceiling is sufficient for most, but it is a ceiling nonetheless.

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Router

Winner: Vodafone include a WiFi 6 router as standard across all plans and offer a WiFi 7 upgrade with Pro 3; NOW's standard router is WiFi 5, with WiFi 6 only available as a paid add-on.

Vodafone's Power Hub comes with every broadband plan at no extra cost - a dual-band WiFi 6 router with WPA3 security and intelligent mesh.

Customers who want more can add Super WiFi for £7 per month, which brings mesh boosters and a whole-home speed guarantee of 10Mbps. Step up to Pro 3 at £8 per month and the router upgrades to the Ultra Hub 7 - a dual-band WiFi 7 device with WPA3 security, a 2.5Gb ethernet port, and 4G backup included.

NOW Broadband's standard router is the Sky Broadband Hub - a dual-band WiFi 5 device with WPA2 security. It handles everyday browsing and streaming without issue, but it is a generation behind what Vodafone provides as standard.

Here is how the standard routers compare:

Both providers' standard routers are dual-band with four ethernet ports, but that is where the similarity ends. Vodafone's Power Hub supports WiFi 6, WPA3 security, and intelligent mesh; NOW's Sky Broadband Hub is WiFi 5 with WPA2 and no mesh support. For households with newer devices, that gap is worth factoring in.

Customers who want better hardware from NOW can add WiFi Max for £6 per month, which upgrades to the Sky Max Hub - a dual-band WiFi 6 router with WPA3 security - along with mesh boosters and a whole-home speed guarantee of 10Mbps on plans up to 100Mbps, or 25Mbps on the 300Mbps plan. It is a meaningful improvement, but it costs extra to reach the router standard Vodafone provides for free.

Here is how the upgraded routers compare:

The Sky Max Hub and Vodafone Ultra Hub 7 are not equivalent. The Ultra Hub 7 supports WiFi 7 against the Sky Max Hub's WiFi 6, and adds a 2.5Gb ethernet port and 4G backup. The Sky Max Hub is the best router NOW customers can access; Vodafone's upgrade goes considerably further.

Overall, Vodafone leads at every tier. Their standard hardware outclasses NOW's from the outset, and Pro 3's WiFi 7 router with 4G backup has no equivalent on the NOW side.

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TV

Winner: Vodafone edges it for TV if customers benefit from the included anytime calls in the Xtra bundle - otherwise it is a tie, as both providers offer TV options that are available independently of their broadband.

TV is not a core part of either provider's broadband proposition, and the options reflect that. Both can access Sky TV via Sky Stream, but at the same standard price - the bundling advantage that makes Sky TV genuinely good value only applies when taken with Sky broadband directly.

Here is how the providers' TV bundles compare:

Vodafone's Xtra add-on costs £8 per month and bundles a 4K Apple TV box, a 3-month Apple TV+ subscription, and anytime calls.

The Apple TV 4K box supports a wide range of streaming apps - Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and more - making it a flexible addition for households that already subscribe to other services. Unlike Sky Stream, it does not support Freeview, so there is no access to live TV via an aerial.

When NOW relaunched as powered by Sky in 2024, it dropped the discounted NOW TV memberships that previously made it an attractive TV option. NOW customers can add Sky Essential TV via Sky Stream at checkout for £15 per month, and Vodafone customers can do the same independently - both at the standard new customer price with no discount applied.

The Sky content library is considerably broader - Sky Atlantic, Discovery+, and live channels included - but in both cases you are paying full price for broadband and TV separately. For the best Sky TV bundle pricing, customers are better served by Sky broadband directly.

Overall, neither provider has a meaningful TV advantage over the other. Customers who want Sky TV are better off going to Sky directly; those set on Vodafone or NOW should treat TV as a separate decision - unless the anytime calls in Vodafone's Xtra bundle are useful, in which case it represents the better-packaged deal.

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Customer service

Winner: NOW customers are served by Sky, which has one of the strongest complaints records in the market - Vodafone's has consistently run above the industry average.

Since the 'powered by Sky' rebrand in June 2024, all new NOW customers are handled directly by Sky's customer service teams. NOW no longer appears separately in Ofcom's complaints data - its broadband base has fallen below the reporting threshold.

Sky is consistently among the least complained-about major broadband providers in Ofcom's quarterly reports. Vodafone's record runs in the opposite direction - complaints have sat above the industry average for most of the past two years, with a notable spike in Q2 2023 that Ofcom linked to faults, service, and provisioning issues.

In Q3 2025, Sky recorded 6 complaints per 100,000 customers against Vodafone's 10, with the industry average at 8. Over the full year 2024, Sky averaged 21 complaints per 100,000 - Vodafone averaged 50.

Ofcom's 2025 Comparing Customer Service report adds more context beyond raw complaint volumes:

The satisfaction scores are closer than the complaints gap suggests. Vodafone customers rate their overall service and broadband speed slightly higher than Sky customers, and Vodafone answers calls faster - 25 seconds against Sky's 46. On complaints handling satisfaction, both providers are level.

The gap opens up on complaint volume. Sky's 2024 figure of 21 per 100,000 is less than half Vodafone's 50, and that pattern holds into 2025. For customers who hit a problem, the likelihood of needing to escalate is meaningfully higher with Vodafone.

Before the rebrand, NOW's own record was poor - it became the most complained-about provider in Q1 2024, a position it held into Q2 2024. New customers are insulated from that history now, but it's worth knowing it exists.

On day-to-day satisfaction, the two providers are broadly comparable - and Vodafone edges ahead on a few measures. But on the metric that matters most when things go wrong, Sky has the stronger record by a significant margin.

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Verdict: Vodafone or NOW Broadband?

Overall winner: Vodafone - wider speed range, better hardware as standard, and cheaper call plans. NOW wins on customer service, and remains competitive on entry-level price.

Vodafone is the more complete package. Full fibre speeds up to 1.6Gbps on Openreach and multi-gigabit on CityFibre, a WiFi 6 router included as standard, and a strong upgrade path via Pro 3 - 4G backup, WiFi 7, and whole-home coverage - give it clear headroom that NOW can't match.

On price, it's also cheaper at entry level: £22.50 per month for both the 73Mbps and 150Mbps plans against NOW's £23 for 75Mbps.

Where NOW competes is at the budget end, and it does so more effectively than its headline specs suggest. The WiFi Max add-on closes the hardware gap, the entry-level price is close, and - since moving to Sky's customer service teams in mid-2024 - it now has one of the stronger complaints records in the market.

That's a meaningful turnaround from early 2024, and a genuine advantage over Vodafone, whose complaints have run consistently above the industry average.

The call plan gap is harder for NOW to close. Anytime calls cost £8 per month with Vodafone against NOW's £17 - for households that use a landline regularly, that difference alone could tip the decision. Vodafone's Together discount for existing mobile customers widens the gap further.

For households that need speeds above 300Mbps, 4G backup, or the cheapest call plans, Vodafone is the clear choice. For those who want reliable budget broadband with solid customer service behind it, NOW is a stronger option than it's been for some time.

Choose Vodafone if:

• You want speeds above 300Mbps
• You need 4G backup or a resilient connection for home working
• You make regular calls and want the cheapest anytime plan
• You're an existing Vodafone mobile customer eligible for a Together discount

Choose NOW if:

• You want a low entry-level price without sacrificing reliability
• 300Mbps is sufficient for your household
• You want Sky's customer service backing without paying Sky prices

Read more in our full reviews of Vodafone broadband and NOW Broadband.