Zen Internet

Zen Internet offer a premium broadband service over the Openreach network, which means they're available to around 97% of homes across the UK.

Zen focus on excelling in customer service, as well as ethical initiatives such as pledging to be carbon neutral throughout their operations.

Broadband packages come with a static IP address, a free Fritz!Box wireless router, UK based customer support and a price promise not to increase prices during a customer's contract period.

They offer a range of broadband speeds from 10Mb with basic copper broadband, through to 31Mb and 67Mb superfast fibre, and then full fibre packages with speeds from 100Mb to 900Mb.

Zen Internet are well known for picking up a range of industry awards, including winning PC Pro's Best Broadband ISP for 18 consecutive years, and Which? Recommended Broadband Provider for 2022.

They also won Choose Broadband awards in 2022 in the categories of Most Ethical Provider and Community Contribution.

While Zen Internet are too small to be included in Ofcom's market research into broadband customer satisfaction, they have an Excellent rating at Trustpilot, where customers have rated them 4.3 out of 5 based on over 6,300 reviews.

Zen have a UK-based call centre for support and have signed up to the Voluntary Code of Practice to ensure customers are fairly compensated if their broadband issues aren't resolved in a reasonable amount of time.

Uniquely, Zen Internet are also B-Corp certified, which means they run their business for the benefit of stakeholders like customers rather than purely for profit.

Read more about Zen Internet in our review of their broadband.

Zen Internet offer a range of broadband packages with different download speeds depending on the technology available where a customer lives.

Most people will be able to choose from at least 10Mb, 31Mb or 67Mb speeds:

People living within an Openreach full fibre (or FTTP) enabled area will be able to choose broadband speeds from 100Mb, 300Mb, 500Mb or 900Mb.

As we've mentioned, Zen aren't included in Ofcom's research on broadband speeds, however we know that at least 50% of customers must receive the advertised speeds at peak times of 8pm to 10pm.

Customers who can get full fibre broadband are likely to experience better real-world speeds and a more reliable connection because the fibre line comes right into their homes rather than stopping at the nearest street cabinet, and then using the old copper phone line network.

Zen customers who take a broadband deal with a minimum term of more than 12 months will be provided with a Fritz!Box wireless router.

The Fritz!Box 7530 for ADSL and FTTC connections is a quality router with a built-in VDSL modem, so customers won't need any other equipment to get setup. It supports dual-bands over the 5GHz and 2.4GHz channels, 4 gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB port for printers and a DECT base station for up to six handsets. It also supports mesh, which means the WiFi network can be extended seamlessly around a home.

It's a router that's often suggested as an upgrade for people struggling with poor WiFi connectivity with the usual free routers provided with broadband. The only reason it was excluded from our top picks for broadband router upgrades is due to availability in the UK being low as the router comes from Germany.

For a free router provided with broadband, Zen have chosen a market leading example.

With the copper phone line network being phased out, Zen Internet are already moving customers towards a Digital Voice product.

Customers who take Zen's superfast fibre and up packages have the choice between broadband-only and broadband and phone. The optional phone line plan, Digital Voice, costs £7 per month and includes 1,000 minutes to UK landlines and mobiles.

Calls made outside of this allowance cost 20p per minute for UK landlines and mobiles, with a 20p setup charge.

Customers who take Zen's basic 10Mb package, will get the landline included in the monthly price, but there are no inclusive calls, so calling is on a pay as you go basis.

Zen Internet is probably best known for their excellent customer service record. However, it's worth bearing in mind that this is reflected in their prices which are higher than most other broadband providers.

Zen don't have enough customers to feature in Ofcom's research into customer satisfaction, however Zen frequently win industry awards, including from Which? and PC Pro for recommended services.

Zen Internet's Trustpilot rating is 4.3 out of 5 and is based on over 6,300 reviews. 74% of reviewees rated Zen as Excellent, 11% rated them as Great, and only 8% rated them as Bad. Most of the reviews focus on praising Zen's customer support team.

For customers switching to Zen Internet from another Openreach provider, including BT, Plusnet, EE, TalkTalk, Sky and Vodafone, the switching process is provider led - meaning the Zen will handle the switch and contact your existing provider to close down your account.

People who switch from another network such as Virgin Media, will need to do a bit more work themselves including liaising with Virgin Media to end their existing broadband contract.

It's important to make sure you're outside of any minimum term on your existing broadband contact to avoid being charged any early termination fees.

Both new and switching customers can use the table above to compare Zen's broadband deals and latest prices before clicking the 'Get Deal' button to be taken to Zen's website where they can sign up directly.

Read more about switching broadband providers here.