Plusnet’s an awful lot like BT: it’s owned by the same company, it offers broadband, and it’s even got a name that ends with a T.
So what's the difference between Plusnet and BT broadband? Is one better than the other? And which one should you get for your home? Read on, and we'll pick the two providers apart to give you our ultimate verdict.
See our full BT review and our full Plusnet review for more too.
At a glance
Plusnet | BT | |
Average download speed | 10Mb, 36Mb, and 66Mb | 10Mb, 36Mb, 50Mb, and 67Mb |
Upload speed | Up to 1Mb, up to 1.9Mb, up to 19.5Mb | Up to 1Mb, up to 9.5Mb, up to 19Mb |
Usage limits | Unlimited downloads | Unlimited downloads |
Traffic management | No | No |
Router | Plusnet Hub Zero, Plusnet Hub One | BT Home Hub 4, BT Smart Hub |
TV | Up to 120+ channels | Up to 140+ channels |
Home phone | PAYG (included as standard), evening and weekend calls, unlimited calls | Weekend calls (included as standard), evening and weekend calls, unlimited anytime calls |
Cost
Generally speaking, Plusnet is almost always cheaper than BT - it's billed as an affordable, straightforward provider. Of course, both frequently have special offers on, so it's worth comparing deals to see what looks best at any given time.
Here are some of Plusnet's current deals:
- 66Mb average* speed
- No TV channels
- £0.00 Setup costs
- 24 month contract
- £25.99 per month
- 500Mb average* speed
- No TV channels
- £0.00 Setup costs
- 24 month contract
- £33.99 per month
*Average speeds are based on the download speeds of at least 50% of customers at peak time(8pm to 10pm). Speed can be affected by a range of technical and environmental factors. The speed you receive where you live may be lower than that listed above. You can check the estimated speed to your property prior to purchasing.
And in comparison, here are some of BT's best:
- 67Mb average* speed
- No TV channels
- £0.00 Setup costs
- 24 month contract
- £29.99 per month
- £27.91 Avg. monthly cost
- 145Mb average* speed
- No TV channels
- £31.99 Setup costs
- 24 month contract
- £38.99 per month
- £38.24 Avg. monthly cost
*Average speeds are based on the download speeds of at least 50% of customers at peak time(8pm to 10pm). Speed can be affected by a range of technical and environmental factors. The speed you receive where you live may be lower than that listed above. You can check the estimated speed to your property prior to purchasing.
Verdict
Plusnet is usually best, but do check just in case.
Broadband and fibre broadband
With Plusnet, you can get standard (ADSL) broadband with average download speeds of 10Mb; fibre broadband with average speeds of 36Mb; and faster fibre with average 66Mb download speed. All have unlimited downloads.
BT's broadband offerings are very similar with one key difference: the entry-level fibre package has average download speeds of 50Mb with faster uploads.
Router
You'll get a router to use with broadband from each provider too, of course. With Plusnet, that's either the Hub Zero or the Hub One. The Zero is a little outdated, but will do just fine for ADSL broadband. The One, on the other hand, is a surprisingly good piece of tech for such low-cost broadband - it's dual-band and can handle incredibly fast speeds.
BT comes with the Home Hub 4 or the Smart Hub… both of which are a bit of a step up from Plusnet's hardware. The Smart Hub is seriously impressive, as included-with-the-broadband routers go, rocking tech that improves your Wi-Fi and cuts through interference. And you can turn off the flashing lights if they annoy you.
Verdict
For fibre, BT wins, thanks to faster speeds and a better router. For ADSL though (speeds up to 17Mb), there's very little difference.
Home phone
Plusnet and BT both include line rental in your package - and if you've got a talkative household, you can upgrade it to cover your calls.
Standard line rental from Plusnet is pay-as-you-talk, with the option to bump it up to include evening and weekend, anytime international, or unlimited calls (to UK landlines and mobiles). You don't even have to have a Plusnet landline, actually - its broadband can be paired with line rental from any other Openreach provider, such as BT or Sky.
With BT, you get weekend calls thrown in as standard, and you can upgrade that to cover weekend calls as well, or go for unlimited anytime calls. That doesn't include calls to mobiles, but you can buy an extra add-on of mobile minutes. There are add-ons galore, in fact, covering everything from international calls to big packs of calling features.
Verdict
BT has a far wider range of options for your home phone, but Plusnet is more flexible. This one depends on how much you use your landline phone.
TV
Sign up for BT broadband, and you can get BT TV too. You get a YouView box - or a YouView+ box that can record up to 300 hours, or a YouView+ Ultra HD box that lets you watch 4K shows - with up to 140+ channels, depending which package you choose. 30-day bolt-ons are available with extra channels too, including HD ones, Sky Cinema, and kids' TV.
You can technically add TV to Plusnet, too - again, with either a YouView or YouView+ box. You'll get basic Freeview (70-ish channels) plus some bonus entertainment channels, including Comedy Central, Eurosport, and Gold. Like BT, you can add on more channels packs if you like, though there's less choice. Unfortunately, it's only available to some, and you can't get it through comparison sites at present.
Verdict
BT is the clear winner here - there are more options, more channels, and the chance to watch in 4K.
What else?
Sport
Armchair sportsperson? BT has more to offer you. It's cheap and easy to add BT Sport, and BT TV's Max package is the only way to watch it in 4K Ultra HD. You can also add Sky Sports, but only Sky Sports 1 and 2 - no other channels are included.
BT Sport's available on Plusnet too, primarily through the BT Sport app, which is available with all packages for an additional monthly fee. If do get Plusnet TV, you can watch that way too, though not in 4K. You can't get Sky Sports on Plusnet at all, unfortunately.
Customer service
Plusnet is renowned for its top quality, Sheffield-based customer service - so if you have a problem or a technical issue, you can call up and know you'll get advice from a real person with a lovely Northern accent.
For what it's worth, BT is making strides in its level of customer service too, generally scoring above average for the industry in Ofcom reports. Can't guarantee a charming accent when you phone them, though.
Wi-Fi hotspots
A BT broadband subscription lets you access the provider's public Wi-Fi hotspots, of which there are over 5 million across the country. That's a nice bonus, as it means you can get online via Wi-Fi juuuust about anywhere, especially in a big town or city. It isn't currently available with Plusnet.
Final verdict
If cost is your main concern, this is easy: go for Plusnet. For a low price, you can get decent quality broadband, with good hardware no less, and excellent customer service - always a plus.
However, there's a reason why BT is a bit more expensive - and that's because you get just that bit more. At a basic level, its standard fibre optic package has faster speeds; it offers the cheapest way of getting BT Sport on TV; and there are tons of other extras like home phone features and use of Wi-Fi hotspots.
So, it comes down to what you need from your connection. For the technologically minded - and the sports fans - BT broadband is fantastic. But for those of us who just want top-notch broadband without spending a bomb, Plusnet won't disappoint.
Check out our other broadband showdowns:
