Plusnet broadband vs Sky broadband: Which is best?
Dan Howdle • April 4th, 2025
Plusnet and Sky both offer decent broadband services but come from vastly different starting points. One is proud of its Yorkshire roots and support for the local community around Leeds and Sheffield, even though it was bought by BT long ago this remains the canse, while the other is a massive global brand and has been since time immemorial.
However, when it comes to speed, the two are pretty equally matched thanks to the ongoing rollout of Full Fibre by Openreach. But what about the finer details of customer service and contract length? This is where a few differences appear. We take a look at them here.
| Feature | Winner |
|---|---|
| Broadband speeds | Plusnet |
| Broadband packages | Sky |
| Customer service | Sky |
| Router and tech | Sky |
| Extras | Draw |
| Overall winner | Sky |
Broadband speeds
Sky and Plusnet both offer Standard Fibre and Full Fibre broadband. Plusnet offers one Standard Fibre speed averaging 66Mbps, and Sky does the same, now only offering a 61Mbps Standard Fibre speed. When it comes to Full Fibre, Plusnet offers a very wide range with options for 74Mbps, 145Mbps, 300Mbps, 500Mbps and 910Mbps. Sky has a slightly smaller range, advertising 75Mbps, 145Mbps, 500Mbps and 900Mbps, but often has additional options only visible on their website.
When it comes to slow ADSL, neither provider continues to offer it, even to the handful of UK homes that can get nothing else. If you can only get ADSL at your address, bad luck, but you will have to look to TalkTalk or BT.
Note that Full Fibre is not yet available everywhere. You can use our broadband comparison tool to find out exactly what is available at your address by keying in your postcode then selecting your address.
Winner: Plusnet broadband
Both providers offer Full Fibre to those who can get it. But if Openreach has not yet installed Full Fibre in your area, Plusnet has the edge over Sky since if offers the faster Standard Fibre speed of 66Mbps against Sky’s 61Mbps, and there's nothing else to choose between them.
Broadband packages
Plusnet offers five core packages. You can get Unlimited Fibre (36Mbps) or Unlimited Fibre Extra (66Mbps), and there is a choice of four Full Fibre packages: 145, 300, 500 and 900. All plans come on a 24-month contract. There is also the option for customers (in a Full Fibre area) to take Full Fibre 74Mbps. No Plusnet broadband packages come with a phone line as standard, so you'll need to add one on at extra cost if you need it.
Sky provides five core broadband packages, all now on 24-month contracts. Sky Broadband Superfast is Sky’s only Standard Fibre package and averages 61Mbps. It then offers four Full Fibre packages of 75Mbps, 145Mbps, 500Mbps and 900Mbps. All Sky packages now come with a phone line and pay-as-you-go calls as standard, with the option to bolt on other calls packages if required.
Winner: Sky broadband
Previously we've had Sky as our winner here, on account of their once-shorter 18-month contracts. That's no longer the case unfortunately, since both now insist on a 24-months commitment. However, the fact that Sky still offer a home phone as standard means we think it still has the edge.
Customer service
Plusnet may have a trophy cabinet bursting with awards for customer service over the years, but according to Ofcom’s latest customer satisfaction report, it doesn’t quite come out on top – but hits a respectable second place.
Sky on the other hand actually comes top, with just five complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 customers compared to Plusnet's eight. Let's be honest, there's not much in it, but in this category whose narrow slivers are all we have.
Plusnet customers can get in touch with customer services over the phone on 0800 432 0200 8am-8pm seven days a week, or by sending a message to the provider on Twitter/X. Alternatively, Plusnet has a community forum where you can ask other customers for help and advice.
Sky customers can get in touch by calling 0333 7591 018, but Sky does everything possible to discourage this, by offering a wealth of helpful information on its website, covering everything from speed issues to making a complaint. Customers can also get in touch directly on Twitter/X @SkyHelpTeam.
Winner: Sky broadband
Although Plusnet does better with customer accessibility, Sky comes out very well in Ofcom’s report into customer satisfaction, so for this section, Sky wins.
Router and tech
Plusnet’s customers will be sent the Plusnet Hub Two. This dual band router comes with four Ethernet ports and seven wireless antennas for optimal coverage.
Sky broadband customers now receive the latest dual-band Sky Broadband Hub, which has four Ethernet ports, eight antennas for optimum Wi-Fi coverage and allows up to 64 devices to be connected wirelessly at the same time. Customers that have an issue with their Wi-Fi reach can subscribe to Sky Wi-Fi Max and claim Sky Wi-Fi boosters to improve the signal around their home, and an upgraded Wi-Fi 6 router in the form of the Sky Max Hub.
Winner: Sky broadband
Although both the Sky Broadband Hub and the Plusnet Hub Two are both good routers with smart scan technology, the Sky router has eight aerials over the Hub Two’s seven, helping to provide a better Wi-Fi signal. Sky also offers an upgraded router – the Sky Max Hub – which is standard on its Full Fibre 900 package, or can be upgraded to on any package for an additional monthly fee, but since you have to pay extra for it, it can't really be compared directly to Plusnet's standard offering.
Extras
All Plusnet packages come with built-in parental controls through Plusnet SafeGuard, which lets you block access to certain websites and mark others as safe. There’s no software to install – it all works at network level.
You'll also get access to Plusnet Protect, which is now powered by Norton rather than McAfee. It offers antivirus protection for PCs, Macs, mobile phones and tablets. It’s free for the first 24 months and helps keep your devices safe from viruses, malware and phishing threats.
Plusnet also rewards you for spreading the word. Its refer-a-friend scheme lets you earn money off your monthly bill for each person you sign up. There’s no limit to how many people you can refer – so if you’ve got a big network of friends or family, the savings can add up.
Sky customers get a decent range of extras too. There’s Sky Broadband Shield, which lets you filter websites and set privacy levels for different age groups in your household. You can also use the watershed feature to restrict certain types of content at specific times of the day – handy if you want to limit what younger kids can access after bedtime.
Sky also includes a 12-month free trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite, which can be installed on multiple devices to help protect against viruses and malware. Plus, the Sky WiFi app gives you free and unlimited access to thousands of Cloud WiFi hotspots across the UK.
Conclusion
Both providers include parental controls and security software as part of the package. Plusnet’s refer-a-friend scheme is a nice bonus if you’re likely to use it, while Sky’s longer McAfee trial and free public WiFi access may suit those often on the go. Overall, it’s a fairly even match – so we’ll call it a draw.
Overall
Both providers offer a similar array of speeds, including Full Fibre speeds where available, with Plusnet’s prices generally cheaper than those of Sky. Although Plusnet has a good customer service reputation, in fact it is Sky who performed better in Ofcom’s most recent survey. Both providers now require a long 24-month contract as standard, and they're almost perfectly matched when it comes to security software and routers, but Sky wins by offering its Wi-Fi boosters and the option to upgrade to a better Wi-Fi 6 router in the form of the Sky Max Hub.
Winner: Sky broadband
Ultimately, if you’re after a broadband and TV package, then Sky wins by a mile as this isn’t an option with Plusnet. But if you just want a good broadband package that doesn’t cost the earth, then we would put them almost level-pegging. We suspect the option of TV will be a deciding factor here, though it should be noted that you can get Plusnet broadband and add Sky TV separately if you so desire.
