Vodafone Broadband Review

Vodafone's standard broadband packages offer budget-friendly low prices, while still competing with other providers on speed.

Customers willing to spend a bit more can get Vodafone's Pro II deals, which bundle the latest WiFi 6E router with a whole home WiFi guarantee.

It's also possible to bundle a TV service with the Xtra add-on, which includes an Apple TV 4K box and a subscription to Apple TV+.

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At a glance

Latest offers

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Vodafone broadband customer reviews

Our independent survey of broadband customers found Vodafone was rated 4 out of 5 overall, with good ratings in all categories.

Vodafone was rated above average (4 out of 5) for Speed, Reliability, Customer Satisfaction, Value for Money, Customer Service and likelihood for customers to recommend the provider to a friend.

Very few of our survey respondents voted Vodafone Poor or Bad in any category, with the majority of Vodafone's customers rating them Average, Good, or Excellent.

Here are the results of our survey of Vodafone's performance:

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Our review of Vodafone broadband

Verdict: Is Vodafone broadband any good?

Vodafone broadband is an interesting proposition. On the one hand they offer some of the market's cheapest broadband prices, on the other they offer the latest technology and most advanced features.

While that sounds like a good thing, it could be frustrating where add-ons include more services than a customer might need, leaving little middle ground between basic and premium packages.

We like that the Xtra add-on can be taken with either a standard package or a Pro II package, but the combination of Apple TV+ with anytime calls pushes up the price, yet not all customers will want the extra free calls.

This is especially true where Vodafone offers discounts to pay monthly mobile or SIM only customers who most likely have unlimited minutes on their mobile plan.

However, this is potentially nit-picking an otherwise ultra-low-cost service that brings cheap broadband prices to those who want a straightforward package, or, for those willing to pay a little more for the best wireless router experience and most reliable connection.

See the latest offers for new customers on Vodafone broadband deals.

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Vodafone broadband packages

Summary: Vodafone offer low-cost broadband packages with the option to upgrade to a more premium plan.

Vodafone offer a wide array of broadband packages that can be customised with premium add-ons, including a WiFi 6E router, a whole home WiFi guarantee, and an Apple 4K TV plan.

The four package tiers available include:

• Standard: basic broadband and home phone with pay as you go calls
• Pro II: an upgraded WiFi 6E router, WiFi 6E booster and whole home WiFi guarantee, automatic 4G broadband back-up, and access to dedicated WiFi tech support
• Xtra: an Apple TV 4K box, 24-months of Apple TV+, and anytime calls
• Pro II with Xtra: all of the above

The standard plans are ideal for those on a budget, as Vodafone's monthly prices start as some of the cheapest in the UK.

The minimum term contract on Vodafone broadband is 24-months, so customers need to sign up for a fairly long period, although this is currently the same as with BT and Plusnet.

Packages come with line rental and a home phone service included, although calls on standard plans are on a pay as you go basis. It's possible to add a call plan, with options available for both off-peak and anytime calls.

Vodafone implement annual price rises based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 3.9% across all their packages in April, so it's important for customers to also budget for this as they will be locked in to these price increases.

In terms of availability, Vodafone utilise both the Openreach and CityFibre wholesale networks, for full fibre connections this means over 15.1 million properties have been passed, with the majority (97%) of the rest of the UK able to sign up to Vodafone's part-fibre plans instead.

Our Vodafone broadband deals page allows you to enter your postcode to see the packages and prices available in your area.

Pro II Broadband

Vodafone's Pro II broadband packages offer a premium level of service similar to BT's Halo 3+ add-on.

Customers on Pro II get:

• An upgraded WiFi 6E router
• A WiFi 6E booster and WiFi guarantee
• An automatic 4G broadband back-up on Vodafone's mobile network
• Access to dedicated WiFi engineers.

Pro II is available on each of the below Vodafone broadband packages:

Prices for the Pro II broadband plan increase by around £10 - £13 per month, which is more expensive than simpler whole home WiFi guarantees, but cheaper than BT Halo 3+.

Vodafone Pro was introduced back in March 2021, but has since seen upgrades to the service, including a rename to Pro II.

The main advantage of Pro II is that customers will get the latest router, which supports WiFi 6E - that's basically WiFi 6 protocol support with an additional wireless channel on the 6GHz frequency.

Customers will also get a whole home WiFi guarantee, with up to three WiFi 6E boosters, as well as dedicated engineers that will actively monitor and fix wireless network issues.

The 4G broadband back-up device also works in a very similar fashion to BT's Hybrid Connect, where a mobile broadband router will automatically switch on and replace the fixed-line broadband connection to the main router if it detects the fixed-line service has gone down at any time.

For most users this could be overkill, but for those reliant on their Internet service, especially with more people now working from home, it may well be worth the extra monthly cost.

It's also worth pointing out that customers who take Vodafone's standard broadband plans without Pro II don't have another option to add a whole home WiFi guarantee.

Xtra Broadband

Vodafone Xtra Broadband can be added to either standard plans or Pro II broadband plans, and costs an extra £14 per month.

Xtra Broadband includes the following benefits:

• Apple TV 4K box (which becomes property of the customer)
• 24-months' worth of an Apple TV+ subscription
• Anytime calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles

Looking at the price of these services separately, an Apple TV+ subscription costs £8.99 per month, and anytime calls on Vodafone home phone cost £8 per month, so £16.99 in total, not including the TV box.

There are some cost benefits here then but customers will need to want both the TV and home phone services to really save money with the Xtra plan.

Vodafone Essential Broadband

Vodafone Essential Broadband is the provider's social broadband tariff and is available to households in receipt of certain means-tested benefits.

There is currently only one tariff available, which is Fibre 2 Essentials offering average download speeds up to 73Mbps for £20 a month.

Eligible benefits include any one of the following:

• Universal Credit
• Jobseekers Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Employment Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Reduced Earnings Allowance
• Personal Independent Payments
• Disability Allowance

Both new and existing Vodafone broadband customers can move to the plan, however those on Xtra or Pro II plans will lose the additional benefits and could be subject to early termination charges.

Vodafone previously also offered a social tariff based on their Fibre 1 plan, priced at just £12 per month for average download speeds of 38Mbps. However, this now looks to be withdrawn or not currently available. When it was available, it was the cheapest social tariff in the market, although Vodafone, like BT, said the pricing was unsustainable.

Read more about social broadband tariffs in our main guide.

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Home phone plans

Summary: All Vodafone broadband packages come with a home phone line, and customers can choose to add inclusive call plans.

All Vodafone broadband packages come with line rental included and the ability to make and receive calls.

It's also possible to choose one of three inclusive call plans:

Customers who take the Xtra broadband plan for £14 per month get anytime calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles included with the Apple TV plan.

Out of allowance calls are charged at 11.5 pence per minute to UK landlines and 13 pence per minute to UK mobiles, alongside a 19 pence connection fee.

It's worth noting that these calling charges from Vodafone are among the UK's cheapest, so even without a calling plan added customers get low cost calls for occasional use.

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How does Vodafone broadband compare?

Summary: Vodafone offer some of the cheapest prices on their standard plans, and also include line rental with a home phone service on all packages too.

Vodafone's standard broadband plans offer low prices for a simple broadband and phone service, and they compare well against rival providers.

The Full Fibre 100 plan is an entry-level fibre to the home connection, and is currently cheaper than equivalent deals from TalkTalk, Sky and BT.

Here's how it looks side-by-side with similar plans from other leading providers:

As you can see, few deals are cheaper than Vodafone, with even budget providers including Plusnet and Shell Energy Broadband charging more per month. In addition, neither of these plans include a home phone line, so that's worth considering if it's a service a household is looking for.

TalkTalk also don't offer a home phone service, and while Sky does, BT charges an extra £5 per month for one.

In terms of availability, Vodafone also compare well as they work with both Openreach and CityFibre and so are available to more homes in comparison to Openreach-only providers like Sky, Plusnet, and BT.

For households still living in part-fibre areas, Vodafone's superfast Fibre 2 package is also competitively priced, with only one rival deal coming in cheaper:

Vodafone Fibre 2 is slightly more expensive than NOW Super Fibre but is cheaper than Shell Energy Broadband Superfast Fibre Plus, Sky Superfast, and deals from Plusnet, TalkTalk, BT. It's also cheaper than Virgin Media's cheapest M125 Fibre Broadband.

While cheaper, the router included with NOW Super Fibre isn't as good as the one provided by Vodafone, even with their standard plans.

In addition, Vodafone pay monthly mobile customers can save an extra £3 per month on the listed prices of Vodafone broadband with Vodafone Together.

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How fast is Vodafone broadband?

Summary: Vodafone offer broadband speeds up to 910Mbps, they also offer symmetrical uploads in CityFibre enabled areas.

Vodafone offer customers a wide choice of broadband speed, from superfast plans at 35Mbps, to gigabit-capable deals delivering 910Mbps at peak times.

Speeds will vary depending on the location though and whether customers live within Openreach part or full fibre, or CityFibre enabled areas.

At least 50% of Vodafone broadband customers will receive the below speeds or faster at peak times on each of the packages:

However, households living within CityFibre enabled areas who sign up for Vodafone full fibre broadband will get faster uploads with symmetrical speeds in line with the download speed.

While the CityFibre area upload speeds are faster, those living in Openreach full fibre enabled areas will see similar speeds to rival providers like BT, Sky, and Plusnet.

In independent research, Ofcom found 82% of Vodafone's fixed-line broadband customers were satisfied with the speed of their service, in comparison to an industry average of 80%.

We also found Vodafone broadband customers rated the provider 4 out of 5 for the speed of their broadband speed in our independent survey.

Minimum broadband speeds

All customer signing up to Vodafone broadband will be given a speed estimate based on their individual property location, as well as a guaranteed minimum download speed.

If the service received drops below this minimum speed, and Vodafone can't resolve the issue within 30 days' notice, the customer will be free to leave their broadband contract early and without penalty.

We tested a postcode in Brighton, in the South of England, and were given the following speed estimates and minimum guarantee for each package:

It's worth noting, a CityFibre enabled postcode was given very similar minimum guaranteed download speeds, so the difference between Openreach and CityFibre plans is minimal in this area.

This guarantee is similar to Ofcom's code of conduct on broadband speeds, although Vodafone aren't listed as a signatory.

WiFi guarantee

Customers who take one of Vodafone's Pro II broadband deals will get a WiFi guarantee bundled with their package.

It's not a service that's available on its own with standard plans, so customers do have to subscribe to a Pro II package to get it.

The Super WiFi guarantee provides customers with a WiFi 6E booster, and promises minimum download speeds over wireless of at least 10Mbps in every room.

If customers don't achieve this minimum, Vodafone will provide two more WiFi boosters, and if that still doesn't work then the customer is free to leave their broadband contract without penalty.

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Vodafone Together

Summary: Exclusive discounts on Vodafone home broadband for Vodafone pay monthly mobile customers.

Customers who bundle Vodafone home broadband with a Vodafone pay monthly mobile or SIM only deal can save money on their services.

Vodafone Together customers get £3 off each month of their broadband subscription, as well as 30% discount on any additional SIM plan, with no limit to the number of SIM plans that can be bundled.

Vodafone say customers can save up to £380 a year, although this is based on bundling home broadband with four SIM or mobile plans. So, it's certainly worthwhile making the most of if households already use Vodafone for their mobile service.

Customers can also benefit from monthly VeryMe rewards and one year's subscription to McAfee Total Protection anti-virus and parental control software.

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Vodafone WiFi Hub

Summary: Vodafone provide a branded WiFi Hub to all customers, or the option to upgrade to the very latest WiFi 6E Ultra Hub.

All Vodafone broadband packages come with the Intelligent WiFi Hub as standard, which offers dual-band wireless up to the WiFi 5 (802.11ac) protocol.

It should offer a strong wireless signal with 7 internal antennae, as well as four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports for wired connections.

What's different about Vodafone's routers is that they work in conjunction with the Vodafone Broadband app, an award-winning mobile app to control the wireless network.

Some of the features of the app include:

• At a glance view of all the devices connected to the router over wireless
• Device Boost: using beamforming technology, a user can choose a connected device to receive a stronger WiFi signal
• Family Time: allows users to set router-level online and offline times
• The ability to set up a private guest network that's easy to shut off when not in use
• The ability to block any unrecognised or suspicious devices connecting to the network

The Vodafone Broadband app won a Red Dot Award in 2019, with the judges praising its minimalist design and the ability to make big decisions by taking micro-actions which removes some of the complexity of network management.

All customers have access to the app, so even those on the most basic Vodafone broadband plan will be able to benefit from it.

Ultra Hub

The Ultra Hub is an upgraded router provided only to customers on Pro II broadband plans.

It offers the very latest WiFi technology, supporting WiFi 6E, which is the latest WiFi 6 protocol (802.11ax) as well as an extra wireless band on the 6GHz frequency.

Most routers offer either dual-band or tri-band wireless using the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels, so the 6GHz channel is a new frequency that's recently been opened up for wireless networking use.

While WiFi 6 and 6E require devices to also support the latest protocols, they can deliver speeds between 600Mbps and 9608Mbps, so customers can really benefit from the broadband speeds they're paying for.

The Ultra Hub can support more than 150 devices connecting at the same time, and works seamlessly with the provided WiFi 6E booster to ensure coverage around a home.

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Customer service

Summary: Vodafone have above average numbers of complaints, although overall satisfaction among customers is good.

Vodafone first entered Ofcom's quarterly complaint reports in the third quarter of 2018, when they received 27 complaints per 100,000 customers, which was well above the average of 15.

This high complaint trend continued into 2019 and 2020, peaking in the final quarter of 2020 at 31 complaints per 100,000 customers.

However, since then, complaints have been declining, with around average complaint levels in 2021 and 2022, although recent quarters have climbed back up slightly, as the chart below shows.

However, despite these complaint figures, other research carried out by Ofcom has revealed Vodafone broadband customers are mostly satisfied with their overall service, as well as the speed of their service.

While they didn't have fewer than average numbers of customers with a reason to complain, they did perform better in Ofcom's latest Comparing Customer Service report than both Virgin Media and TalkTalk in terms of complaint handling.

In our independent survey of broadband customers, we also found Vodafone was rated 4 out of 5 for customer service, although as many as 30% rated them 3 out of 5.

Overall, Vodafone have some ground to cover in terms of customer service, but they're showing improvements and levels of satisfaction among existing customers is reassuring.

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Summary: Is Vodafone broadband worth it?

Vodafone offer an interesting mix of cheap broadband and premium add-ons, which enables them to please both ends of the market.

However, that does mean Vodafone misses out somewhat in terms of middle ground, with customers unable to take a WiFi guarantee without taking a Pro II package, but this may well include services they don't want.

It's a similar story with the Xtra add-on too, bundling both Apple TV+ and anytime calls pushes the price of this extra up, but not all customers will want both services.

That said, there is value for money in both Vodafone's standard broadband plans and their premium add-ons, for example Pro II costs considerably less than the similar BT Halo 3+, but offers the same advanced features as well as a better router.

Discounts on Vodafone Together also mean customers can reduce prices even more, making Vodafone some of the cheapest broadband deals around.

Overall, Vodafone broadband will appeal to two distinct types of customer; either those looking to save the most money, or those more heavily reliant on their broadband connection, with a unique WiFi app, automatic 4G back-up, and the very latest router technology on offer.

Check availability for Vodafone broadband in your area.