Broadband providers with the best customer service

Our top pick for broadband customer service is Plusnet, with honourable mentions going to Sky and Community Fibre.

Plusnet has the lowest complaint levels of any major provider and leads the way on overall customer satisfaction, including satisfaction with broadband specifically.

Sky remains a strong runner-up, with consistently low complaint levels stretching back several years and high marks for customer satisfaction, particularly when it comes to how they handle complaints.

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Top broadband providers for customer service

Our top broadband providers for customer service are Plusnet, Sky, and Community Fibre. We explore why we've chosen these three in more detail throughout this guide.

Here are the latest deals for new customers on their most popular packages:

Plusnet and Sky are available to over 98% of UK homes with either full fibre or part fibre connections, while Community Fibre operates in London and the South East.

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Best provider for customer service

Of our top three providers, we've chosen Plusnet as the best broadband provider for customer service, with the fewest broadband complaints of any major provider and the strongest customer satisfaction scores in Ofcom's latest figures.

Plusnet has generated the fewest broadband complaints, with four complaints per 100,000 customers in Ofcom's latest Q1 2026 figures. This extends a run that began in Q1 2025, though the title briefly changed hands: Virgin Media became the UK's least complained-about broadband provider, recording just 5 complaints per 100,000 customers in Ofcom's Q4 2025 figures - below the industry average of 7 - matching Plusnet and ahead of Sky. That run ended in Q1 2026, when Virgin Media recorded six broadband complaints per 100,000 customers, up from five in the previous quarter, meaning Plusnet regained sole ownership of the least complained-about spot.

Sky, meanwhile, held the title of least complained-about broadband provider from late 2021 through to early 2025, and also maintained consistently low complaint levels across their landline, pay TV and Sky Mobile services. Sky also earned our Best Customer Service award in the 2022 and 2023 Choose Broadband Awards, and remains a strong runner-up even as Plusnet has taken the lead on the current complaint figures.

Here's how Plusnet and Sky rank in Ofcom's broadband complaint figures:

Broadband complaints fell to their lowest level on record during the first quarter of 2026, with the regulator recording an industry average of six complaints per 100,000 broadband customers between January and March, down from seven in the previous quarter.

Complaint levels have now fallen by 85% since peaking at 40 complaints per 100,000 customers in 2011. TalkTalk remained the UK's most complained-about broadband provider during the first quarter of 2026, recording 10 complaints per 100,000 customers, unchanged from the previous quarter and well above the industry average.

Virgin Media has seen the largest shift in the figures. After peaking at 32 complaints per 100,000 customers in Q3 2023 following an Ofcom investigation into its complaints handling, a UK-based support team and an AI-assisted agent tool helped it fall below the industry average by Q3 2025.

It briefly became the least complained-about major provider, tied with Plusnet, in Q4 2025 before ticking back up to 6 in Q1 2026.

NOW Broadband, meanwhile, no longer appears in the broadband complaints table at all. Since mid-2024 its customers have moved onto Sky's systems, dropping it below Ofcom's reporting threshold.

Elsewhere, EE topped all three complaint categories - broadband, landline, pay TV - in Q2 2025 but has since improved to match the industry average on broadband, while Vodafone cut its complaint rate from 11 to 8 in the latest quarter.

As we cover in more detail throughout this guide, customer service can be measured through multiple metrics in addition to looking at complaint figures, however.

The table below covers the main metrics for customer service, so you can see how some providers perform better in certain categories. For example, while Sky and Plusnet are closely matched on broadband complaints, Sky also maintains low complaint levels across landline - an area where Plusnet's complaints sit above the industry average, though it's worth noting Plusnet no longer sells landline to new customers.

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Broadband customer satisfaction

Overall satisfaction levels are highest among customers of Plusnet broadband than any other provider, according to Ofcom's latest Comparing Customer Service report published in May 2025.

Ofcom quizzed a number of broadband customers across seven major providers to determine satisfaction levels for the service overall; the speed of the service; how any complaints were handled; and also, how many customers had a reason to complain (whether they went ahead with their complaint or not).

Here's how each of the seven main providers ranked:

There are few noteworthy points here:

• Average satisfaction with overall broadband service was unchanged compared to the previous wave of research, holding at 84%
• Satisfaction with the way complaints were handled increased significantly, up from 51% to 58% compared to the previous wave
• The average number of complaints made to Ofcom fell to 41 per 100,000 customers, down from 51 the previous year

It's worth noting, though, that the proportion of customers who say they've had a reason to complain about their broadband has actually risen, from 20% to 23% since the last wave of research - even as the number of complaints escalated to Ofcom has fallen. This suggests more providers are resolving issues before they turn into formal complaints, rather than dissatisfaction easing overall.

When we look at the scores for individual providers, there are some key statistics worth highlighting:

• Plusnet customers are the most satisfied with their service overall, and are also less likely than average to have a reason to complain
• Sky has the fewest complaints made to Ofcom of any major provider, and also has high levels of satisfaction for complaints handling
• Plusnet and BT customers are least likely to have a reason to complain, while EE and Plusnet customers report the highest satisfaction with how their complaints were handled

At the other end of the scale, it's worth being aware some providers, particularly more budget providers, are achieving poorer scores for customer satisfaction:

• TalkTalk customers are the least satisfied with the speed of their broadband service, and report the lowest overall satisfaction of any major provider
• Virgin Media customers are less satisfied than average with the reliability of their service, more likely to have a reason to complain, and report the lowest satisfaction with complaints handling of any major provider
• NOW Broadband generated the most complaints made to Ofcom of any provider in 2024, at 65 per 100,000 customers

It's perhaps unsurprising the providers scoring below average for customer satisfaction also tend to have higher complaint levels than the industry average as well.

Broadband provider most likely to be recommended

In Ofcom's Comparing Customer Service report they also ask their panel of customers whether they would be likely to recommend their broadband provider to a friend.

In the latest figures, covering the 2024 period, Ofcom found BT, EE, Plusnet and Vodafone customers were more likely than average to recommend their provider, while Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media customers were less likely to do so. Interestingly, BT and Vodafone have improved their relative position since 2022, while Sky and Virgin Media have worsened.

This marks a shift from 2022, when Sky customers were more likely than average to recommend their provider and BT customers were less likely, while Vodafone and Virgin Media customers sat around average. Sky's move into the "less likely" group is a notable change given its consistently strong complaints performance elsewhere in this report.

Vodafone's improved position could be down to its budget pricing, along with the fact it scored well for satisfaction with the speed of service - both plausible reasons a customer would be more willing to recommend them despite the provider's complaint levels.

Overall satisfaction levels

Satisfaction with the overall service offered by broadband providers rose to 84% in Ofcom's latest 2024 figures, from 82% in 2022 - though Ofcom itself describes the change as not statistically significant.

Ofcom moved this research to a biennial cycle after its 2023 report, so the gap between the 2022 and 2024 figures reflects two years rather than one.

The pandemic's lasting effect on satisfaction

2021 marked more of a return to business as usual for providers following the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 and a heightened reliance on home broadband.

Ofcom also released guidance in July 2020 on how providers should more fairly treat vulnerable customers or those with changing circumstances.

While increased use tied into increasing customer frustrations in some cases, research from the Consumer Action Monitor (CAM) found telecoms customers were more likely to tolerate service problems during Covid-19, with 24% saying they chose not to complain because they were more willing to be lenient during the challenging period.

Customer satisfaction trends in 2021 and 2022 showed improvements across the sector and a suggestion that service levels could be returning to those seen before lockdowns and remote working came into practice. Ofcom's most recent figures, covering 2024, suggest that recovery has broadly held: overall broadband satisfaction climbed to 84%, and satisfaction with complaints handling rose significantly too, up from 51% to 58% since 2022.

Here are the figures for broadband customer satisfaction against other sectors:

Satisfaction with broadband services has improved, yet its leapfrogging over the energy sector in 2022 was more connected to the difficulties experienced by customers with electricity and gas suppliers that year. By 2024, however, both electricity (80%) and gas (79%) satisfaction had recovered strongly, though broadband remains ahead of both.

Even so, broadband satisfaction is moving in the right direction while satisfaction with landline providers has slipped back, falling from 77% in 2022 to 73% in 2024 - the lowest of any sector Ofcom compares.

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Broadband provider complaints

Plusnet recorded the fewest broadband complaints across 2025, ending Sky's run at the top of the table - Sky had recorded the fewest complaints in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Vodafone and TalkTalk continued to record the highest complaint levels of the major providers in 2025.

Every major provider reduced their complaint levels compared with the previous year, continuing the broader downward trend across the sector.

Note: NOW Broadband no longer appears in Ofcom's broadband complaints table. Since mid-2024, new NOW customers have been signed up under NOW powered by Sky, with broadband handled through Sky's systems rather than NOW's own platform, and its remaining standalone customer base has fallen below Ofcom's reporting threshold.

Every major provider reduced their complaint levels between 2024 and 2025, with the exception of Sky, which saw a small increase.

There are a few key takeaways from the complaint figures of 2025:

• Plusnet has overtaken Sky for the lowest complaint levels of any major provider
• Virgin Media recorded the single biggest improvement of any provider, cutting its complaint rate by nearly half following a sustained customer service overhaul
• EE also improved sharply, more than halving its complaint rate compared with 2024
• Sky was the only provider to see complaints rise, though it remains well below the industry average

Overall, complaint levels are a good way of keeping an eye on how various broadband providers are performing throughout the year, with quarterly complaint figures revealing any problems they may be dealing with.

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Broadband complaint handling

Complaint levels are only one side of the coin, as we can also look at customer satisfaction as to how well their complaint was handled by their provider.

In the most recent Comparing Customer Service report, covering 2024, Ofcom found the following satisfaction levels among the major providers:

EE, Plusnet and Sky customers were more likely than the sector average to be satisfied with the service they received during their complaints-handling experience, while TalkTalk and Virgin Media customers were less likely to be satisfied. BT and Vodafone customers were in line with the industry average.

We can also look at the number of complaints that were completely resolved on first contact to see how quickly each provider is responding to and dealing with complaints:

EE, Sky and Vodafone customers were more likely than the sector average to have their complaint resolved when they first made contact, while TalkTalk and Virgin Media customers were less likely to. BT and Plusnet customers were in line with the industry average.

TalkTalk and Virgin Media were least likely to resolve complaints on the first contact, and were also the two providers with the lowest satisfaction for complaints handling overall - suggesting these two measures move together for the providers that struggle most.

Read more on how to complain about your broadband provider, or find out more about broadband connection problems.

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Contacting customer services

The primary way customers are contacting their broadband customer service help teams is by telephone, with 86% of customers using the phone in 2024, down 2 percentage points on the previous year.

6% of customers contact customer services by webchat, while email and other channels (including SMS and messaging platforms) each account for 4% - both up 1 percentage point since 2023.

Ofcom also publish customer service data on how quickly each provider answers a call, which can give us an indication as to how easy it is for customers to get the help they need.

Vodafone customers had the shortest average call waiting time in 2024 at 25 seconds, while KCOM had the longest, at 7 minutes 9 seconds. BT had the largest increase in waiting times of any provider, up by 2 minutes 34 seconds since 2023, while NOW Broadband had the largest decrease, down by 2 minutes 36 seconds.

Abandoned call data, that is when a customer hangs up before speaking to a customer service agent, isn't available for all providers. However, what we do know is:

• BT had the highest call abandonment rate of any provider at 14%, alongside one of the longest average call waiting times
• NOW Broadband, Sky and Vodafone had the lowest abandonment rates, all at just 2%
• The average call abandonment rate across broadband and landline providers was 7% in 2024, up 3 percentage points on 2023
• TalkTalk and Virgin Media were unable to provide comparable abandonment rate data, so no figure is available for these providers

Unlike in previous years, call waiting times and abandonment rates have moved further from pre-pandemic levels rather than back towards them: the average call wait time in 2019 was 2 minutes 10 seconds with a 5.4% abandonment rate, meaning waiting times in 2024 (2 minutes 1 second) are marginally better, but abandonment rates (7%) are now notably worse.

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Best small broadband provider for customer service

Ofcom only report on broadband providers who have a market share of at least 1.5%, which means smaller providers like Hyperoptic, Fibrus, Community Fibre, and Zen Internet aren't included in their complaints or customer services data.

While Ofcom say their reports cover at least 91% of customers in the broadband industry, smaller independent full fibre broadband providers are becoming more common and so are worthy of consideration.

There are a few things we can look at however, including the provider's own support forums, independent review sites like Trustpilot, and any industry awards the provider may have won.

Checking the provider's own forums can show several things:

• Common issues coming up again and again
• How rapidly the moderators and tech support are responding
• How helpful the responses are or whether they're using templates that don't address the problems

Bear in mind that most people will only venture on to forums when they're struggling with an issue, so many comments will be negative - this shouldn't be taken as an overall picture of how they perform as a broadband provider.

Equally customer reviews are generally left when customers are either delighted by the service they've received or want to publicly register their irritation.

Remember these points when reading customer reviews:

• The average customer experience isn't always reflected in reviews
• Variations in sample size can skew the results
• Some providers actively seek out reviews, both positive and negative
• Fake reviews are always going to be a problem despite efforts to cull them

With those caveats in mind, let's take a closer look at the Trustpilot rankings for small and large broadband providers.

Trustpilot reviews

One of the best broadband providers according to customer reviews added to Trustpilot is London based Community Fibre, with a 4.7 Trustscore from over 92,000 reviews.

Most reviewers are happy with the performance of the engineers during installation as well as fault repair.

Community Fibre also aim to support a wide range of native languages at their London-based call centre.

Here are the Trustscores of some of the smaller broadband providers in the UK:

It's worth noting however, that the Trustscore ratings of some of the bigger broadband companies are poor. This likely reflects the phenomenon highlighted above - unhappy customers find a way to vent their frustrations via review sites.

Many of the above broadband providers also offer mobile and/or TV services, and we can't see specifically how poor their scores are for broadband alone.

So, while reviews are a good way of getting a handle on how smaller broadband providers are performing, they're less reliable for larger providers.

Customer service awards

Awards given out by various associations and organisations are another way to spot high-performing customer service providers. These awards can be dominated by smaller broadband companies.

For example, at the 2025 Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) Awards, Community Fibre won Best Consumer ISP (over 100k customers), with EE highly commended in the same category. Lightning Fibre took Best Consumer ISP (under 100k customers). The award has also been won by Community Fibre and Hyperoptic in previous years, including 2021 and 2020.

Judging criteria for ISPA's consumer ISP categories included the training of customer service agents, handling of complaints, speed of answering queries and resolving issues, and 'promoting a culture of customer satisfaction'.

In 2018, Hyperoptic also won an INCA (the Independent Networks Cooperative Association) award for Outstanding Contribution - 'an organisation who has done the most to advance independent networks in the last year'.

Zen Internet won the Best Broadband ISP category in PC Pro's Excellence Awards 2025, an honour they've now secured for 22 consecutive years. Zen scored 90% or higher across all five of PC Pro's scoring metrics - Customer Support, Reliability, Value for Money, Speed and Recommended - for an overall score of 94%. Zen also picked up PC Pro's inaugural Digital Voice award the same year.

Awards are normally judged by experts in the field, so they're a good alternative to reviews and forums to find out how smaller providers are doing.

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Broadband customer service: What to look for

While the reports, surveys and reviews above provide a good indication as to how each broadband provider performs for customer service, there are some other points worth considering before deciding on a new broadband provider.

Key indicators

The best and worst broadband providers have been determined based on the independent data that's available to us.

However, over the years we've noticed there are some key indicators, aside from reputation, which suggest that customer service from a broadband provider will be good or exceptional:

• Small ISPs over large brands: there are exceptions either way, but this is a good rule of thumb. It does come with corresponding risk, as small companies might be more likely to go under than big ones - but we rarely see that happening in telecoms these days.
• Free support numbers are a good sign: see below for more on this.
• UK based customer service centres often perform better than overseas ones.
• Service starts at sales: broadband mis-selling can still happen and tends to lead to complaints, so if sales are suspicious the chance of poor service increases.

Note too that taking out an unsuitable broadband contract - for example, one that's restrictive on home moves when moving house is on the agenda - is one of the major causes of broadband customer service complaints.

Technical support teams

Another way to tell which broadband providers take customer service and technical support seriously is to have a look at the methods they use to communicate with their customers.

For example, most broadband providers have readily available information on their websites about different ways that customers can contact them, whether to make a complaint or for another reason.

As we mentioned in the research section, many providers also have helpful online forums where customers and experts can chat about broadband issues, share guides and check local services.

While it's now illegal for businesses to use revenue-generating numbers (like 0845 and 0870) for dedicated complaints lines, they can still use them for technical services.

Look for 0800 and 0300 numbers, which will count as free or inclusive under most call plans. Our guide to broadband customer support centres has more information on what different providers offer.

Final caveat

At Choose, we use the sources listed above, as well as independent surveys, and the feedback we receive from site users, when we evaluate broadband provider performance.

However, just like everyone else looking for a new broadband provider we are, to some extent, shooting in the dark. Some of it just comes down to luck.

There are many happy Virgin Media customers to be found; plenty of unhappy Sky users; and we're sure, with a bit of digging, there's someone out there with unkind things to say about award winning companies Zen Internet and Community Fibre.

Moreover, generally well-regarded providers like the ones topping Trustpilot's list don't even get counted by Ofcom's reports, or by most comparison services.

There are no guarantees and, what's more, provider reputations often become self-fulfilling prophecies. Calling with the expectation of poor service can lead people to subsequently view their encounter more negatively than they would have otherwise done.

We can use past performance as a guide but it's up to us to choose the right broadband provider based on a whole range of different factors, including price, speed, and services included like bundled TV plans or whole home WiFi guarantees.

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Summary: Best broadband for customer service goes to...

Our top pick for broadband customer service is Plusnet, thanks to the fewest broadband complaints of any major provider and the highest customer satisfaction scores in Ofcom's most recent figures.

Plusnet customers report higher overall satisfaction than any other major provider, and Plusnet has recorded the lowest broadband complaint rate to Ofcom of any provider since the start of 2025, taking over from Sky's long-standing lead.

Sky remains a very close second, with a consistently strong complaints record stretching back to 2021 and high satisfaction across landline, pay TV and mobile as well as broadband.

However, by breaking down the customer service metrics into different categories, we can pick from a number of high performing providers:

Overall, Plusnet comes out on top in several key categories, making them our best bet for strong customer service, with Sky a close runner-up thanks to its consistent track record across broadband, landline, pay TV and mobile.

Vodafone also deserves recognition here - while its complaint levels sit above the industry average overall, it now leads on call waiting times and first-contact resolution, both practical measures of what happens once you actually need help.

Community Fibre also deserves an honourable mention, boasting an Excellent Trustpilot rating from more than 92,000 reviewers.

Worst broadband provider for customer service

Sometimes knowing who to pick means knowing who to avoid, and here we can look at which broadband providers are performing the worst for customer service.

TalkTalk and Vodafone have consistently gathered higher than average complaints, while EE has struggled in specific categories despite broader improvements. Virgin Media, by contrast, has moved from being one of the most complained-about providers to one of the better performers - a genuine turnaround rather than a one-off good quarter.

TalkTalk has been the UK's most complained-about broadband provider for three consecutive quarters, recording 10 complaints per 100,000 customers in Ofcom's latest Q1 2026 figures - unchanged from the previous quarter and well above the industry average of six. TalkTalk customers are also less satisfied than average with the speed of their service and with how complaints are handled.

Vodafone's complaints peaked in the Q2 2023 report, and the provider has remained towards the higher end of the complaints table since. It improved sharply in Q1 2026, though, cutting its complaint rate from 11 to 8 per 100,000 customers - one of the biggest improvements of any provider that quarter.

EE recorded the highest number of complaints across broadband, landline and pay-TV services in Ofcom's Q2 2025 report - the first time since late 2023 that a single provider topped all three categories. EE has since improved on broadband specifically, matching the industry average in Q1 2026, but it remains the most complained-about provider for pay TV.

Virgin Media's picture looks very different to how it did as recently as 2024. After complaints spiked in late 2023 due to an investigation by Ofcom into its complaints handling and contract cancellation requests, the provider fell below the industry average for the first time since 2019 in Q3 2025, then briefly became the joint-least complained-about major broadband provider in Q4 2025. Its complaints ticked back up slightly in Q1 2026, but Virgin Media is now a mid-table performer rather than a laggard. That said, Ofcom fined Virgin Media £28 million in 2026 for making it unnecessarily difficult for customers to cancel their services between 2022 and 2024, a reminder that the improvement is recent rather than long-established.

Overall, the notable differences in customer service and complaint handling could prompt new customers to choose one provider over another, meaning some providers need to make improvements to keep their customers happy.

Ready to switch?

For those who do want to leave their provider and take their chances with a new provider, take a look at this guide on how to switch broadband providers, and use our broadband comparison service to find the best deals.