Broadband usage: Are you paying for speeds you don’t need?

Most of us now consider broadband an essential part of our homes. We rely on it to keep us informed, entertained and connected with our friends, and for many of us, it’s needed to keep us working too. For the majority, slow and unreliable internet isn’t good enough, leaving us to search for leading ultrafast broadband packages.

But how many of us actually need lightning-quick broadband speeds? Are we making the most of the speeds we pay for, or would a slower, cheaper package work just as well? To find out, we asked the nation about their internet usage and the speeds they pay for, allowing us to uncover how many are overpaying for broadband.

How much are users paying for broadband?

Based on our research, most Brits spend between £25 and £29 per month on their broadband – a fifth said this was the price they paid for their package. Around 16% spend slightly less than this, at £20 to £24 per month. A similar percentage (15%) said their prices were in the highest range, paying £40 or more each month. In contrast, just 1% said their broadband price is in the lowest bracket of less than £10.^[1]

Older users are the most likely to pay the highest prices for their broadband, as 18% of those aged 40-54 said they spend over £39 per month on their broadband, as well as a further 17% of those aged over 54. Just 7% of under-25s pay these prices. Younger Brits are more likely to pay less for their broadband, with 5% of this age group spending under £10 per month, compared to only 1.5% of over 54s.

How many are overpaying?

According to our survey, the majority of Brits opt to pay for top-end broadband speeds. Around a third (34%) pay for broadband of over 150 megabits per second (Mbps), but just a fifth (21%) of internet users really need it.^[1][2]

Similarly, more than a quarter (27%) pay for speeds of 51 to 100Mbps, but roughly only 12% of internet users actually need speeds in this range. Only 3% of the country settles for speeds of 15Mbps or less, yet this would be enough for 13% of users.

We’ve estimated that a third (34%) of all users pay too much for their home internet. Based on approximately 27.7 million UK households using broadband, this is equivalent to over 9.5 million households overpaying for their usage needs. In financial terms, this means Brits pay £53 million more than they need to for their broadband every month – equal to a staggering £637 million annually. ^[3]

Web users who need speeds of just 15Mbps tend to overpay the most. Around 44% of these consumers pay for faster speeds than they need, with most of this group paying for speeds of 51 to 100Mbps. Around one in 10 even pay for some of the highest speeds available. These users pay on average £113 more a year than they need to.

What broadband speeds do I need?

Our research shows most internet users (46%) only require speeds of up to 50Mbps, but the right speed for you will depend on a few factors.

Two key things to consider are the activities you tend to use your broadband for and the number of people using it. Certain tasks (like gaming and streaming 4K videos) require greater speeds to run smoothly, and this speed will be diluted if multiple devices are using the internet at once.

This means if you live alone and only use your broadband for simple purposes, like email, online shopping and general browsing, you should be able to manage with relatively low speeds. But if your household is a family of four where multiple users are streaming at once, you might need faster speeds.

We’ve broken down the speeds required for different types of users:^[4]

• Basic internet usage - 10 to 15Mbps: Ideal for small households with one or two people who have basic web browsing needs
• Remote workers and streamers - 15 to 50Mbps: Ideal for small households that regularly use the internet for HD streaming and working from home
• Gamers in small households - 50 to 100Mbps: Ideal for online gamers looking for a lag-free 4K video streaming experience
• Prolific web users in larger households - 100Mbps+: Ideal for large homes with multiple users, like a family of four or student accommodation

Once you’ve pinned down the speed you need, you can compare broadband deals to make sure you’re getting the best package for your needs. Remember to consider any other benefits included in the price, too, like TV packages and welcome gifts, to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money.

About the data

^[1] Based on a YouGov survey of 2,000 UK adults run on 1 October 2024.

^[2] To estimate the number of Brits overpaying for their broadband, we first identified the speeds needed by different groups of internet users using the above survey. These groups were identified by asking respondents what they use their broadband for and the number of people in their household, then comparing their responses to the speeds required to meet these needs. These speeds were based on figures from Which .

We then asked each group what internet speeds they were actually paying for to identify how many respondents were overpaying for their broadband. This number was applied to the overall number of broadband users in the survey to estimate the percentage of broadband users overpaying.

This percentage was then applied to the estimated number of UK households using broadband to estimate the number of households overpaying. The estimated number of UK households using broadband was calculated by applying the percentage of UK broadband users (according to our survey) to 2023 ONS figures on the number of households in the UK.

^[3] To estimate the amount overpaid on broadband, we first calculated the average broadband price per month split by the following speeds:

• 0 to 15Mbps
• 16 to 50Mbps
• 51 to 100Mbps
• 101 to 149Mbps
• 150Mbps+

This was based on 210 broadband deals on Go.Compare. This was then applied to our YouGov survey results to find out how much each group of internet users was overpaying for their broadband. We then applied the average amount users overpay on their broadband to the total number of households overpaying for broadband to estimate the total amount overpaid on broadband across the country each month. This was then multiplied by 12 to give the yearly figure.

^[4] Broadband speeds required for different users are based on figures from Which and Giganet as well as existing Go.Compare estimates.