Looking for a good broadband deal to buy in Edinburgh?
In this article, we’ve looked at five of the best broadband providers you can buy from in Edinburgh in 2026.
Plus, we’ve also explained some key things to consider when buying, so that you can find the right broadband deal for your specific needs.
Best broadband deals in Edinburgh
Below, we’ve taken a look at five of the best broadband deals on the market in Edinburgh in 2026.
1. Three 5G Hub
The Three 5G Hub offers the cheapest way of getting fast broadband in Edinburgh at the moment.
Rather than plugging into a broadband port, this router takes a SIM card, which is included when you buy, and then connects to the Three 5G network to establish an internet connection.
This means that the 5G Hub is very easy to get started with, and no technician visit is needed. Once you get set up, the router creates a WiFi hotspot you can use to very easily get online on multiple devices at once.
Three has good 5G coverage throughout Edinburgh, and the Hub offers really fast download speeds of 200-300 Mbps or more from our testing.
The 5G Hub even has a 30-day return policy, allowing you to test the speeds before you commit to the length of the 24 month contract, and you can choose a rolling monthly plan as well if you’d prefer.
There is also a 5G Outdoor Hub, which offers even faster speeds, but requires installing an external antenna on your house before you can get online.
Three might recommend this option when you put in your postcode on their broadband coverage checker, depending on the signal strength in your area.
Pros
- Fast download speeds.
- Very low monthly cost.
- Comes with a 30-day return policy.
- Extremely easy to set up.
Cons
- N/A – one of the best ways to get online in Edinburgh if you have good Three 5G signal.
2. EE Full Fibre 500
If you want fast fibre broadband, EE is a great choice in Edinburgh, and their Full Fibre 500 plan offers great value for money.
The main thing that sets EE apart from other providers is their WiFi routers. On this tariff, you get their Smart Hub 7 Plus router, which comes with WiFi 7, and offers really good performance from our testing, even at long range.
EE also has good UK-based customer service, and their prices are normally quite reasonable, though they’re not always the cheapest provider on the market.
You also get some useful EE Mobile benefits as an EE Broadband customer, such as the ability to buy discounted EE SIM plans, or upgrade existing SIMs to unlimited data. Using these deals can be a great way to save money on your household bills, if you don’t mind switching your phone plans to EE.
Plus, EE also offers really fast download speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps in most parts of Edinburgh, making them one of the fastest widely available broadband providers in the city.
Pros
- Great WiFi performance.
- Fast download speeds.
- Good customer service.
- EE Mobile benefits are quite useful to have.
Cons
- Not always the cheapest option on the market.
3. Vodafone Pro 3 Broadband
Vodafone is sort of similar to EE, in that their service is available throughout Edinburgh, and they offer really good WiFi routers.
On Vodafone’s Pro 3 plans, you get a WiFi 7 router and an extra signal booster, ensuring you get good WiFi signal throughout the house, even if you have a larger property.
These Pro 3 tariffs are quite expensive because they come with other extras, such as a 4G broadband backup device. However, there is also a cheaper, more basic plan, which still comes with a WiFi 6 router, and offers very competitive monthly costs.
No matter which type of tariff you choose, you can normally get a speed of up to 1.6 Gbps with Vodafone, or up to 2.2 Gbps, with symmetrical download and upload speeds, if you live in a CityFibre area.
Most Vodafone addresses in Edinburgh use the Openreach network, but CityFibre is quite widely available as well, especially in the city centre, and currently covers about 70,000 addresses in Edinburgh.
Use the Vodafone postcode checker to see what speeds you can get with this provider at your address.
The only real downside to Vodafone Broadband is their customer service isn’t quite as good as the likes of EE.
Despite this though, Vodafone is generally really good value for money compared to other similar broadband providers. On top of their low monthly costs, they also offer extra discounts for existing Vodafone pay monthly mobile customers, potentially allowing you to get ultrafast fibre broadband for a very low price.
Pros
- Very fast download and upload speeds.
- Offers the option of a WiFi 7 router.
- Great value for money.
Cons
- Customer service could be a bit better.
4. Virgin Media Gig1
Virgin Media has really good coverage in Edinburgh, so it’s definitely worth comparing their deals to Openreach providers like EE, to see which offers the best value for money when you’re buying.
Often, you might find that Virgin Media offers the cheapest prices on broadband-only deals, depending on the speed that you need. Their Gig1 plan in particular is faster than most comparable Openreach 900 Mbps plans, but often comes with a lower monthly cost.
Plus, Virgin is a really good choice if you want a broadband and phone or broadband and TV deal, thanks to the range of different cable channels they have on offer.
They’re now shipping their Hub 5 WiFi 6 router as standard on most plans, and their new symmetrical 2,000 Mbps service is available in certain parts of Edinburgh.
Similar to Vodafone though, Virgin Media is currently let down slightly by their customer service. They can sometimes be a bit hard to get in contact with.
Pros
- Normally one of the cheapest providers on the market.
- Great choice for broadband and TV.
- Fast download speeds.
Cons
- Customer service could be better.
5. Hyperoptic Ultrafast
Hyperoptic is a unique full fibre broadband provider that we’re fortunate to have access to at many addresses in the Edinburgh city centre.
They offer ultrafast speeds of up to 900 Mbps with symmetrical downloads and uploads, and have quite reasonable monthly costs – though there are sometimes upfront fees on their plans.
The unique thing about Hyperoptic though is they offer the choice of a 24 month, 12 month, and rolling monthly contract, rather than requiring that you lock in for two years like most other providers do.
Also, as a smaller company than the likes of Vodafone or Virgin Media, Hyperoptic takes care of individual customers a lot more closely. They’re easy to reach over the phone, and helpful if you ever need assistance.
It is worth knowing though, Hyperoptic is fairly basic. They don’t have much in the way of inclusive benefits or add-ons you can buy like EE Broadband does for example, except for a mesh WiFi add-on.
Pros
- Fast, symmetrical speeds.
- Great customer service.
- Flexible contract lengths.
Cons
- Fairly basic plans.
What you need to know
In this section, we’ve explained some good things to consider when shopping for a new broadband provider in Edinburgh.
Which broadband providers and networks are available in Edinburgh?
Fortunately, over the past five to ten years, there has been quite a lot of investment in broadband infrastructure in Edinburgh, especially the creation of new fibre networks to rival the established providers.
Therefore, depending on where exactly you live, you should have quite a few different networks available to choose from.
- Openreach full fibre broadband is available throughout the city, giving you access to providers such as EE, Sky, Plusnet, Vodafone, and more.
- Virgin Media has really good coverage in Edinburgh, especially in the city centre.
- CityFibre is available in the city centre, especially on the east and west sides. This service can be purchased through Sky and Vodafone.
- Hyperoptic also has good coverage in the city centre, but is not as widespread as CityFibre or Virgin Media.
- YouFibre is available outside the city centre, with patches of coverage to the east and west of Edinburgh.
- GoFibre is available, but only in small pockets around Newtongrange, Gorebridge, and Prestonpans.
- Three 5G Broadband is available throughout most of the city.
Which is the fastest broadband provider in Edinburgh?
YouFibre is the fastest broadband provider in Edinburgh. They currently offer a plan with a symmetrical download and upload speed of 7 Gbps – that’s 7,000 Mbps – which is more than most devices can actually take advantage of.
However, YouFibre’s coverage is quite limited, especially if you live in central Edinburgh, as we explained above.
The fastest widely available broadband network in Edinburgh is CityFibre. They offer symmetrical speeds of up to 2.2 Gbps (with Vodafone) or 5 Gbps (with Sky) at most addresses with coverage in Edinburgh.
Which is the cheapest broadband provider in Edinburgh?
The cheapest broadband provider in Edinburgh is Three.
Using the Three 5G Hub, you can normally get online for less than £20 per month, with download speeds of at least 200-300 Mbps from our testing.
If you don’t want to use wireless internet, the cheapest fibre broadband provider in Edinburgh is usually Vodafone, especially if they are using the CityFibre network to service your address.
They normally offer superfast broadband beginning at £20-£25 per month, depending on whether you’re using Openreach or CityFibre, though their download speeds on these deals aren’t as good as what Three offers, even though Three is cheaper.
How to save money on broadband
Other than choosing one of the cheaper networks on the market we just mentioned, here are some other ways to save money on broadband when switching to a different provider:
- Make sure to research all of the available providers at your address. If you live in Edinburgh, it’s worth putting in your postcode on the websites of all the providers we mentioned earlier in the article, if you think they might be available where you live. This way, you’ll get an idea of all of the different plans you can choose from, and find the best deal when you’re looking to buy.
- Only pay for the bandwidth you actually need. Ultrafast broadband can be very expensive, so it can be worth thinking about how much bandwidth it’s actually worth paying for. You can use our internet speed needs calculator to get an idea of how much speed you really need.
- Use 5G broadband if available at your address. The Three 5G Hub is currently the cheapest way to get online in Edinburgh by quite a significant margin, and still offers fast download speeds from our testing.
- Avoid extras such as TV subscriptions, WiFi extenders, and home phone calling bundles, if you can. Paid add-ons are the quickest way to increase your broadband bill. If possible, it’s best to purchase these services separately, such as buying a mesh WiFi kit for a one-off cost, rather than attaching it to your broadband plan.
How to change broadband providers
Fortunately, changing broadband providers in the UK is a lot easier than it used to be.
Here’s what the process involves:
- Place your order with your new provider. In almost all cases, they will contact your current company to cancel your plan on your behalf, even if you’re switching between different networks, like from Virgin Media to BT.
- Schedule a technician visit, if necessary (you can usually do this when buying your new plan). This is normally required when using a new broadband network or technology type at your address for the first time.
- The technician will come and install the last few metres of broadband from the street to your house, and set up your router. If a technician visit isn’t necessary, you’ll receive your router in the mail, and install it yourself once the switchover date arrives. At this point, you’re ready to get online.
Fibre vs 5G broadband
If you’re considering using Three Home Broadband, you might be wondering how these types of mobile broadband services differ from fibre broadband.
- Price: 5G broadband is usually a fair bit cheaper than fibre, depending on the fibre providers available at your address, and assuming you can get Three 5G (other mobile networks are not as cheap as Three).
- Speeds: 5G tends to offer download speeds of around 200-500 Mbps from our testing, while fibre can go up to 900 Mbps most of the time, or a lot higher with certain providers.
- Latency is the biggest strength of fibre broadband – normally you’ll get about 10ms, compared to 30-40ms with 5G.
- Flexibility: 5G broadband is more flexible because it can often be bought on a rolling monthly contract, which isn’t the case with fibre broadband. Also, 5G routers can be used in different locations, such as when travelling, allowing you to get online anywhere with mobile signal.
- Ease of use: 5G internet is much easier to set up, with no engineer visit required.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to save as much money as possible on broadband, we tend to recommend the Three 5G Hub for those living in Edinburgh.
But if you want fast fibre broadband with a good WiFi router, EE Broadband is a really good choice.
If you’re still not sure which broadband provider to choose, leave us a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
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About the author
Tom is the founder of Broadband Savvy. He has more than five years’ experience writing broadband tutorials, reviewing routers and internet service providers, and explaining broadband-related concepts. Tom is experienced as a writer, and also produces videos for the Broadband Savvy YouTube channel.
He currently specialises in writing content for Broadband Savvy designed to help people understand broadband jargon and terminology, increase their download and upload speeds, and improve their Wi-Fi connectivity. Tom also occasionally contributes to buyer’s guides and review articles on Broadband Savvy, utilising his knowledge of the broadband market in the UK.
When he’s not writing about broadband, you’ll find him walking his dog (Rex) or playing agar.io.