Which is better, Hyperoptic or Community Fibre?

Neither is a universal winner. Outside London, Community Fibre does not build, so only Hyperoptic can be in play, and only if your building is already wired. Inside London, Community Fibre is usually the better-value starting point where both are available: Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month is open to anyone, and 5 Gig is faster than Hyperoptic’s 1 Gb cap. Choose Hyperoptic for rolling monthly 1 Gb, a shorter term, or Fair Fibre from £13 if you qualify.

Is Community Fibre cheaper than Hyperoptic?

In London, usually yes on a like-for-like 24-month 150 Mbps path. Using prices checked on 6 September 2026, a £19 intro with Community Fibre’s £3 April rise totals £522 over 24 months, against Hyperoptic’s £544 with a £4 April rise. Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 is cheaper still. Hyperoptic’s 500 Mb promo from £17 can undercut its own 150 Mb plan, so confirm live checkout prices at your building.

Which is faster, Hyperoptic or Community Fibre?

Community Fibre is faster at the top of the range because it sells 5 Gig and Hyperoptic’s residential cap is 1 Gb, with 900 Mb typical at peak on one wired device. At 150 Mbps and 1 Gb both currently advertise symmetrical full fibre. Older claims that Community Fibre 150 Mbps has only 15 Mbps upload do not match the current published tiers. Real-world Wi-Fi will usually cap a 5 Gig line well below the headline.

Do Hyperoptic and Community Fibre use the same network?

No. Both run their own full-fibre networks, independent of Openreach and of each other. That is why availability is building-specific even inside a served postcode. A switch between them is a new physical connection if the gaining network is not already in the property, even though both take part in Ofcom’s One Touch Switch process for the losing service.

Do Hyperoptic and Community Fibre have social tariffs?

Yes, with different rules. Community Fibre Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month is open to all new customers with no benefits check, on a 12-month term and no mid-contract rise. Hyperoptic Fair Fibre starts at £13 a month for 150 Mb, monthly rolling, for people on qualifying benefits at certain locations, on terms from 24 April 2026. Fair Fibre is the stronger speed-for-price social option if you qualify; Essential is the more open low-cost tier in London.

Head-to-head

Hyperoptic vs Community Fibre: Who Should You Choose in 2026?

Hyperoptic vs Community Fibre is a coverage-first choice rather than a universal winner.

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The quick answer

Hyperoptic vs Community Fibre is a coverage-first choice rather than a universal winner. Community Fibre is London-focused, with Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month open to anyone and a 5 Gig top tier Hyperoptic does not sell. Hyperoptic currently advertises 150 Mb from £19 a month on 24-month terms, with a £4 rise every April, and is available in 64 UK towns and cities. If both reach your building in London, Community Fibre is usually the better-value starting point; outside London, only Hyperoptic is in play.

Updated 6 September 2026·Reviewed by BroadbandPicker editorial team

Quick Verdict

There is no universal winner. Outside London, Community Fibre does not build, so Hyperoptic is the only one of the two that can serve you, and only if your building is already on its network. Inside London, where both are wired into the same building, Community Fibre is the better-value starting point: Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month is open to anyone, setup is free, the April rise on current 24-month plans is £3 rather than Hyperoptic’s £4, and the 5 Gig tier is faster than Hyperoptic’s 1 Gb cap. Choose Hyperoptic for rolling monthly 1 Gb, a shorter commitment, Fair Fibre from £13 on qualifying benefits, or any address outside the Community Fibre footprint.

Hyperoptic vs Community Fibre: customer-review evidence

These signals are shown separately because they measure different things. Ofcom complaints record serious escalations, surveys measure experiences across a sample, and public reviews reflect self-selecting recent sentiment. We never combine them into an invented trust score.

Hyperoptic

Public reviews

4.5 out of 5

Checked 2026-08-23

A self-selecting public-review signal. Provider invitations and who chooses to review can affect the headline score.

Trustpilot profile used in this review

Which? customer score

77%

January 2026 survey of 5,235 UK adults

Combines satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. It is not directly comparable with Ofcom percentages.

Which? broadband provider survey

Community Fibre

Public reviews

4.7 out of 5

Checked 2026-08-23

A self-selecting public-review signal. Provider invitations and who chooses to review can affect the headline score.

Trustpilot profile used in this review

Which? customer score

72%

January 2026 survey of 5,235 UK adults

Combines satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. It is not directly comparable with Ofcom percentages.

Which? broadband provider survey

Missing a metric does not mean a provider performed badly. Some providers are below Ofcom’s reporting threshold or were not named in a comparable survey. Read our evidence dashboard and review methodology.

Hyperoptic

Best for: Homes outside London, rolling monthly 1 Gb, or Fair Fibre from £13 on qualifying benefits

From

£17/mo (500 Mb promo)

Max speed

1 Gb (900 Mb typical peak wired)

Coverage

64 UK towns and cities

Trustpilot

4.5/5 (as of 8 Apr 2026)

One of the highest Trustpilot scores of any UK ISP, from more than 52,000 reviews
Fully symmetrical speeds on every tier except the cheapest entry-level plan
A genuine social tariff at two price points, £15 and £20 a month, with no fixed contract

Get Deal →Read Hyperoptic review

Community Fibre

Best value

Best for: London homes that can order it, Essential 35 from £12.50, and 5 Gig

From

£12.50/mo (Essential 35)

Max speed

5 Gig

Coverage

London, plus parts of Surrey and Sussex

Trustpilot

Around 4.7/5

One of the highest Trustpilot scores of any UK ISP, around 4.7 out of 5 from roughly 91,000 reviews
A fixed £2 a month annual price rise cap, disclosed in pounds and pence rather than tied to inflation
Coverage has expanded from London-only into parts of Surrey and Sussex

Get Deal →Read Community Fibre review

At-a-Glance Comparison

Metric	Hyperoptic	Community Fibre
From price	£17/mo (500 Mb promo)	£12.50/mo (Essential 35)
Max speed	1 Gb (900 Mb typical peak wired)	5 Gig
Setup fee	Confirm at checkout	Free
Typical contract	24 months typical; rolling monthly on selected 1 Gb	12, 18 or 24 months
Coverage	64 UK towns and cities	London, plus parts of Surrey and Sussex
Trustpilot	4.5/5 (as of 8 Apr 2026)	Around 4.7/5

Pros and Cons

Hyperoptic

Consistently among the best-reviewed ISPs in the UK on Trustpilot
Symmetrical full-fibre speeds from 159 Mbps upward, a genuine advantage for uploads
A real social tariff, no fixed contract, at two price points for eligible households
No setup fee across the range

Coverage remains concentrated in London and a limited number of other major UK cities
A scheduled annual price rise of around £4 a month applies to fixed-term contracts
The cheapest entry tier is not symmetrical, unlike the rest of the range
Installation requires the building to be wired, which needs landlord or freeholder permission in rented properties

Community Fibre

Consistently among the best-reviewed ISPs in the UK on both Trustpilot and Ofcom satisfaction data
Symmetrical full-fibre speeds at every tier, from 150 Mbps up to 3,000 Mbps
A £2 a month annual rise, lower than the £3 to £4 most national providers now charge
No setup fee across the range

Coverage remains concentrated in London, despite recent expansion into Surrey and Sussex
The cheapest 12-month Essential tier is exempt from the price cap policy, so its terms need checking separately
Router range can struggle in larger flats or houses, per recurring review feedback

Availability first

Hyperoptic vs Community Fibre is only a real choice where both own-network full-fibre builds already reach the building. Neither uses Openreach. Follow the three steps before you treat any monthly price as comparable.

Step 1. If you are outside London, Community Fibre is unlikely to be available at all except in parts of Surrey and Sussex. Hyperoptic is the only one of the two that can be in play, and only in a wired building among its 64 UK towns and cities.
Step 2. If you are in London, run both provider checkers. A postcode in a served borough does not mean your block is connected. Wayleave permission still matters in rented or leasehold flats.
Step 3. Only then compare the same speed tier, the same contract length, setup fees and the disclosed April rise. A 150 Mbps 24-month plan is the fairest like-for-like starting point on this page.

Check Hyperoptic availability Check Community Fibre availability

Contract facts

Standardised facts for the 150 Mbps 24-month comparison, checked on 6 September 2026. Missing or address-specific items are labelled rather than invented. Promotional 500 Mb and Essential 35 figures sit in the notes, not in the headline 150 Mbps row.

Contract facts

Hyperoptic 150 Mb

From £19 a month

Intro monthly price: £19, 24-month term
Disclosed April rise: £4 every April
24-month total: £544
Typical peak wired speed: 159 down / 157 up
Setup: Confirm at checkout
Data cap: Unlimited
Availability constraint: 64 UK towns and cities, building must be wired

Contract facts

Community Fibre 150 Mbps

Best value

From £19 a month on the matching 24-month intro

Intro monthly price: £19 like-for-like; £17.10 on the 10% sale to 16 Sep 2026
Disclosed April rise: £3 every April on current 24-month plans
24-month total: £522 at the £19 intro
Typical peak wired speed: 150 / 150 advertised symmetrical
Setup: Free on current published plans
Data cap: Unlimited
Availability constraint: London, plus parts of Surrey and Sussex

Hyperoptic also advertised 500 Mb from £17 a month on 24-month terms on the same day, which is cheaper than its own 150 Mb from £19. Community Fibre Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month is a different, slower product and is not mixed into this 150 Mbps card.

24-month cost at 150 Mbps

Worked example for an order on 6 September 2026 using Hyperoptic’s homepage 150 Mb from £19 with a £4 April rise, against Community Fibre’s matching £19 intro with a £3 April rise. Address-level offers can be lower. This is a cash total, not a ranking score.

Period	Hyperoptic 150 Mb	Community Fibre 150 Mbps
Sep 2026 to Mar 2027 (7 months, before the first April rise)	7 × £19 = £133	7 × £19 = £133
Apr 2027 to Mar 2028 (12 months)	12 × £23 = £276	12 × £22 = £264
Apr 2028 to Aug 2028 (5 months, to the 24th month)	5 × £27 = £135	5 × £25 = £125
24-month total	£544	£522

Community Fibre’s own packages page also showed a 10% flash sale at £17.10 a month until 16 September 2026, which would cut the same 24-month path to about £476. Independent September 2026 listings have shown 24-month 150 Mbps Community Fibre from around £15. Confirm the live checkout price. Setup is included as £0 for Community Fibre and as unknown for Hyperoptic, because the homepage promo cards did not state an activation fee while some independent tables still do.

Hyperoptic and Community Fibre pros and cons

Hyperoptic

Hyperoptic pros

Available in 64 UK towns and cities, so it can be in play outside London
150 Mb from £19 a month and 500 Mb from £17 a month on 24-month terms, checked on the Hyperoptic homepage on 6 September 2026
Rolling monthly 1 Gb offer at £29 a month until 5 October 2026, plus a 30-day decide window on new service
Fair Fibre social tariff from £13 a month for 150 Mb if you receive a qualifying benefit at an eligible location
Typical peak wired one-device speeds published as 159/157 Mb on 150 Mb, 527/523 Mb on 500 Mb and 900/900 Mb on 1 Gb

Hyperoptic cons

Residential top speed stops at 1 Gb, with 900 Mb typical at peak on a single wired device
Fixed-term prices rise by £4 every April, larger than Community Fibre's current £3 on 24-month plans
Independent trackers still list an activation fee on some Hyperoptic terms, so confirm the checkout total
Fair Fibre needs qualifying benefits and is only at certain locations, unlike Community Fibre Essential

Community Fibre

Fastest

Community Fibre pros

Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month is open to anyone, with no benefits check
5 Gig top tier, which Hyperoptic does not sell to homes
No setup fee on the current published range, including Essential
April 2027 rise on current 24-month plans is £3 a month, smaller than Hyperoptic's £4
Ofcom 2025 satisfaction of 92% versus an 84% industry average, kept separate from Trustpilot

Community Fibre cons

London-focused network, with only partial expansion into Surrey and Sussex, so most UK addresses cannot order it
No rolling monthly option to match Hyperoptic's current 1 Gb offer
A direct fetch of communityfibre.co.uk packages is JS-rendered, so live prices still have to be confirmed at the postcode checker
Router range in larger flats is a recurring review theme, so a mesh add-on may be extra

When each provider is the better starting point

Choose Community Fibre if

Both networks already reach your London building and you want the lower 24-month cost
You want Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month with no benefits check
You want 5 Gig, the fastest residential tier in this matchup
A free setup fee and a £3 April rise matter more than rolling monthly

Choose Hyperoptic if

You live outside London, where Community Fibre does not build
Your flat is already wired for Hyperoptic and Community Fibre is not in the block
You want rolling monthly 1 Gb, a 30-day decide window, or Fair Fibre from £13 on qualifying benefits
You may move to another UK city and want the same brand to remain a possibility

Hyperoptic also earns a Best contract flexibility label in this matchup because of rolling monthly 1 Gb and the 30-day decide window. That is not the same as being cheaper or faster.

Which provider fits your main priority?

Choose the one factor that matters most. The result uses the sourced national figures on this page. It is a starting point, not an address-level availability check, and it does not collect a postcode.

Your main broadband priority

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Related Hyperoptic and Community Fibre comparisons

Key Differences

Coverage

Hyperoptic currently lists 64 UK towns and cities and had passed 2 million homes by July 2026. Community Fibre is London-focused, with only parts of Surrey and Sussex beyond the capital. Outside London, this is usually not a two-horse race.

Price and 24-month cost

On a like-for-like 150 Mbps 24-month intro of £19, Community Fibre totals £522 once its £3 April rise is included, against Hyperoptic’s £544 with a £4 April rise. Community Fibre Essential starts at £12.50. Hyperoptic also advertised 500 Mb from £17 a month on 6 September 2026.

Top speed

Community Fibre sells 5 Gig. Hyperoptic’s residential cap is 1 Gb, with 900 Mb typical at peak on one wired device. At 150 Mbps and 1 Gb both are symmetrical on current core plans; do not use older claims that Community Fibre 150 Mbps has a 15 Mbps upload.

Contracts and price rises

Hyperoptic is advertising 24-month terms on 150 Mb and 500 Mb, rolling monthly 1 Gb until 5 October 2026, and a 30-day decide window. Community Fibre offers 12, 18 and 24 months. Current Community Fibre 24-month plans rise by £3 each April; Hyperoptic states £4 every April.

Low-cost and social tariffs

Community Fibre Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month is open to anyone. Hyperoptic Fair Fibre starts at £13 a month for 150 Mb, monthly rolling, but only for qualifying benefits at certain locations, on terms from 24 April 2026.

Customer evidence

Both sit well above typical national-ISP Trustpilot scores. Hyperoptic 4.5 as of 8 April 2026; Community Fibre around 4.7. Community Fibre also has a separate Ofcom 2025 satisfaction figure of 92% versus 84%. We do not invent an Ofcom complaints rate for Hyperoptic.

How We Think About This Matchup

Hyperoptic and Community Fibre both run their own full-fibre networks rather than reselling Openreach, so the first filter is the building, not the brand. Hyperoptic’s homepage on 6 September 2026 listed 64 UK towns and cities, and Reuters reported 2 million homes passed on 24 July 2026. Community Fibre remains a London-centred network with partial expansion into Surrey and Sussex, around 1.4 million homes and 450,000 customers as of May 2026 according to ISPreview.

On like-for-like 150 Mbps 24-month terms, Hyperoptic advertised 150 Mb from £19 a month with a £4 rise every April. Community Fibre’s matching £19 intro with a £3 April rise costs £522 over 24 months against Hyperoptic’s £544. Community Fibre also still publishes Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month with no benefits test. Hyperoptic’s own 500 Mb promo from £17 a month is cheaper than its 150 Mb plan, so check the live 500 Mb price before assuming 150 Mb is the value pick.

We do not treat Trustpilot, Ofcom satisfaction and complaints as one score. Hyperoptic showed 4.5 on Trustpilot as of 8 April 2026 and was named a Which? Great Value Provider in March 2026. Community Fibre’s Trustpilot score is around 4.7, and Ofcom’s 2025 satisfaction figure was 92% against an 84% average. Hyperoptic does not have a named-table Ofcom complaints rate in the Q1 2026 release we use for the majors, so we do not invent one.

Final Verdict

Choose Community Fibre if both networks already reach your London building and you want the lower 24-month cost, Essential 35 Mbps from £12.50 a month, free setup, or 5 Gig.

Choose Hyperoptic if you live outside London, need rolling monthly 1 Gb, want Fair Fibre from £13 a month on qualifying benefits, or your building is already wired for Hyperoptic and Community Fibre is not.

Check Hyperoptic at my postcode Check Community Fibre at my postcode

Frequently Asked Questions

Editorial and Source Notes

We review provider comparisons against the same published methodology used across our provider reviews, then add source links where they help verify pricing context, methodology, and trade-offs.