Hyperoptic vs Virgin Media: Business Broadband Comparison

Both are shared, contended connections rather than dedicated lines, so businesses that can't afford downtime should also compare leased lines with either provider. It's also worth flagging upfront that Hyperoptic is a smaller altnet: where Virgin Media's cable network passes around 15 million UK premises, Hyperoptic is available building by building in around 64 UK towns and cities, so an address check matters more here than with almost any other comparison on this site.

This guide compares Hyperoptic Business and Virgin Media Business on speed, pricing, static IP, contracts and customer service, so you can work out which one fits your business.

Hyperoptic vs Virgin Media: At a Glance

*Hyperoptic doesn't publish a fixed business price list; treat these as indicative third-party figures and confirm the live quote for your building.

The clearest difference on this table isn't price; it's reach and symmetry. Hyperoptic gives every business customer a free static IP and matched upload speeds regardless of tier, which is exactly what a VPN, remote access or cloud-heavy setup needs. Virgin Media Business covers far more of the UK and publishes a proper tiered SLA, but its entry-level Voom 200 gives you neither symmetry nor a static IP as standard.

Headline Speeds and What You Actually Get

Hyperoptic's business range runs across three headline speeds, 250Mb, 500Mb and 1Gb, all symmetrical, so a 500Mb plan gives you 500Mbps up and 500Mbps down rather than a fast download paired with a much slower upload. Because Hyperoptic owns and runs its own FTTP network end to end rather than reselling Openreach, it can offer symmetry as standard across the board, something few mainstream UK business providers do at every tier.

Virgin Media's standard Voom range, sold over its existing HFC cable network, covers 200Mbps up to 2,000Mbps download, but upload speeds lag well behind: Voom 200 offers just 20Mbps upload, and even the top-tier Voom Gig1 only reaches 100Mbps upload against its 1,000Mbps download. Where Virgin Media has rolled out its newer XGS-PON full fibre network, it now sells a parallel symmetrical range called Voom Full Fibre X, matching Hyperoptic's approach at the same five speed points, from 200Mbps up to a fast 2,000Mbps symmetrical at the top.

In our experience, this is the single most important thing to check before comparing price: if your business is in a Virgin Media full fibre area, Voom Full Fibre X puts it on comparable footing with Hyperoptic. If it's only in a cable area, you're choosing between Hyperoptic's guaranteed symmetry and Virgin's considerably cheaper, but asymmetric, standard Voom range.

Matched-Tier Comparison at 500 to 600Mbps

These are the closest like-for-like symmetrical packages each provider sells at a mid-range speed, since this is where most SMEs land once they've outgrown an entry-level plan.

*We found no published per-speed price on Hyperoptic's own site; when we looked into third-party pricing trackers, business figures ranged from roughly £65 to £85/month ex VAT across the full 250Mb to 1Gb line-up, which puts 500Mb somewhere in between.

At this speed point, both providers give you symmetry and a free static IP, which is the fairer comparison than pitting Hyperoptic against Virgin's cheaper but asymmetric standard Voom 600. Virgin's price is transparent and confirmed directly from its own site; Hyperoptic's isn't published in the same way, which on its own is worth knowing before you request a quote, since you'll need to go through a sales conversation to get a firm figure.

What is Hyperoptic Business Broadband Best For?

Hyperoptic is built for businesses that sit inside one of its connected buildings and want symmetrical full fibre, a static IP included at every tier, and the flexibility to pick a contract length that actually suits them, rather than defaulting to 24 months.

Key Features of Hyperoptic Business Broadband

• Three standard business speeds, 250Mb, 500Mb and 1Gb, all symmetrical upload and download, sold over Hyperoptic's own FTTP network

• One static IP address included as standard across every business package, with the option to buy more if you need them

• A choice of monthly rolling, 12, 24 or 36-month contracts, more flexibility on length than most mainstream business ISPs offer

• Unlimited data on every business plan, with no fair-use throttling

• 24-hour SLA advertised alongside dedicated business support, available 24/7

• A leased line option (Hyperoptic Dedicated Fibre) from £220/month ex VAT for 100Mb up to £380/month ex VAT for 1Gb, for businesses that need a dedicated, uncontended connection instead

Trade-Offs to Consider

• Availability is building-specific rather than street-wide; Hyperoptic operates in around 64 UK towns and cities, and your exact address, not just your postcode, has to be checked

• No 4G or 5G backup on any business plan, so businesses that want automatic failover have to arrange it separately

• No published, tier-by-tier price list on Hyperoptic's own site, so getting a firm monthly figure means going through a sales enquiry rather than checking out online

• Hyperoptic's Trustpilot page covers residential and business customers together, so it's worth reading business-specific reviews with that blend in mind rather than assuming the headline score reflects the business service alone

Hyperoptic works well if your building is already on its network and your business needs upload speed to match download, but the price you pay for that is a less transparent buying process and a narrower footprint than a national cable or Openreach provider.

If you're weighing Hyperoptic against a wider-reaching alternative, our guide to static IP business broadband is worth reading first, since it's the feature Hyperoptic leans on hardest.

What is Virgin Media Business Broadband Best For?

Virgin Media Business is built for companies that want the widest realistic coverage of any cable-based UK provider, a clearly published, tiered fault-fix SLA, and the option to bundle in a phone line, 4G backup and security software rather than sourcing them separately.

Key Features of Virgin Media Business Broadband

• Standard Voom tiers from 200Mbps up to 2,000Mbps download, sold over Virgin's cable network, plus a newer symmetrical Full Fibre X range at the same five speed points in XGS-PON areas

• Static IP included as standard from Voom 600 upward (and the matching Full Fibre X tiers); Voom 200 and 400 are dynamic-only unless you add one for +£5/month

• Constant Connect, an optional +£10/month bundle that adds 4G backup, a digital phone line with unlimited UK calls, and F-Secure internet security together

• A published, tiered issue-resolution SLA: 28 working hours on Voom 200, tightening to just 12 working hours on Gig1 and above

• Choice of 24 or 36-month contracts as standard, with a 12-month term available for a further £5/month

• A Wi-Fi router with guest Wi-Fi included as standard across every tier

Trade-Offs to Consider

• Entry-level Voom 200 is asymmetric, with just 20Mbps upload against 200Mbps download, and comes with a dynamic IP only

• 24 months is the default minimum term; a shorter 12-month contract costs extra rather than being offered at the same price

• £75 installation plus a £25 activation charge apply to new customers on top of the monthly price

• Virgin Media Business's own dedicated Trustpilot page is rated 1.4 out of 5, "Bad", from just over 1,000 reviews, a considerably weaker score than Hyperoptic's

Virgin Media works well if your business needs the reassurance of a documented SLA and wants everything, phone line, backup and security, bundled into one bill, but its business-specific service record, on the evidence we could find, is a weak point worth going in with your eyes open about.

If you're comparing wider coverage against Hyperoptic's smaller but faster-uploading network, our business broadband availability checker is the fastest way to see what's actually live at your address before you commit either way.

Is Hyperoptic or Virgin Media Cheaper for Business Broadband?

Hyperoptic Pricing

Hyperoptic doesn't publish a consistent price list across its 250Mb, 500Mb and 1Gb business tiers, unlike its residential range. When we looked into third-party business broadband trackers, figures put Hyperoptic's business pricing at roughly £65 a month ex VAT at the entry tier, rising to around £85 a month ex VAT at 1Gb, though these are indicative rather than confirmed directly from Hyperoptic and should be checked against a live quote for your building before you rely on them. Hyperoptic also introduced a fixed annual mid-contract price rise from June 2025, moving to £4 a month for customers signing or re-contracting from January 2026 on its residential range.

Static IP and unlimited data are included at every tier, so the headline monthly figure is closer to an all-in price than it might first appear, once you account for what Virgin Media charges separately for the same features on its lower tiers.

Virgin Media Pricing

Virgin Media Business publishes its pricing directly, and it's straightforward to check. On a 24-month term, standard Voom broadband-only pricing runs from £29.95 a month ex VAT for Voom 200 up to £83.95 a month ex VAT for Voom Gig2, while the symmetrical Full Fibre X range costs a little more at each equivalent speed, from £39.95 a month for Voom 200 Full Fibre X up to £93.95 a month for Voom Gig2 Full Fibre X, all checked directly against Virgin Media Business's own site in September 2026. Virgin Media is transparent about future price rises too: every tier increases by a fixed £3.50 a month ex VAT each April, with the exact new figure published upfront rather than left as a percentage.

Add the Constant Connect bundle for +£10 a month, and you get a phone line, 4G backup and F-Secure security together, which narrows the price gap with a more fully-featured Hyperoptic plan considerably. For a business that only needs bare broadband and is happy on the standard cable range, Virgin Media's entry-level pricing is difficult for Hyperoptic to match, even allowing for Hyperoptic's indicative figures.

Hyperoptic vs Virgin Media: Pros and Cons

Contracts, Static IP and Customer Service

Contract Length and Flexibility

Hyperoptic offers more choice on paper: monthly rolling, 12, 24 or 36-month terms across its business range, which suits a business that doesn't want to commit long-term or is working from a short lease. Virgin Media Business defaults to 24 or 36 months, with a 12-month term available only for an extra £5 a month on top of the standard price, so the flexibility is there but it costs more to access.

Static IP

This is where the two providers line up more closely than the at-a-glance table might suggest, provided you pick the right Virgin Media tier. Hyperoptic includes one static IP as standard on every business plan, no matter which speed you choose. Virgin Media only matches that from Voom 600 upward, or the equivalent Full Fibre X tier; on Voom 200 and 400 it's a dynamic IP unless you add a static one for £5 a month. For any business running a VPN, remote access or a hosted server, this means the entry-level Virgin Media tiers effectively cost more once you've added what Hyperoptic gives away from the start.

It's worth checking our guide to static IP business broadband to confirm you need one before it drives the decision either way.

4G Backup and Resilience

Virgin Media Business offers Constant Connect, a +£10 a month bundle that adds automatic 4G backup alongside a phone line and F-Secure security, on its standard Voom range. Hyperoptic doesn't offer 4G or 5G backup on any business plan, so a business that specifically wants automatic failover resilience will need to source it separately, or look at Hyperoptic's own leased line product instead, which comes with a stronger SLA but at a materially higher price.

What Real Businesses Say

When we looked at both providers' Trustpilot pages, the picture is mixed depending on which page you're reading. Hyperoptic's single company-wide Trustpilot page, which covers residential and business customers together rather than splitting them out, shows an "Excellent" rating from more than 57,000 reviews as of September 2026, a strong score by broadband industry standards, though it's worth being cautious about applying a blended score directly to the business product.

Virgin Media Business has its own dedicated Trustpilot page, and here the picture is considerably weaker: a rating of 1.4 out of 5, "Bad", from just over 1,000 reviews, with recurring complaints about installation delays, billing disputes and slow escalation once a fault is raised. It's a stark contrast with Hyperoptic's overall score, though it's also worth noting that dedicated B2B Trustpilot pages for major UK ISPs tend to attract a smaller, more complaint-led sample than their consumer equivalents.

It's worth being cautious about pulling in wider household broadband satisfaction data here too, since Which?'s annual survey and Ofcom's research cover residential customers rather than business broadband specifically. For what it's worth, Which?'s 2026 survey (of household broadband customers) gave Hyperoptic a customer score of 77%, placing it 2nd out of 12 providers, while Virgin Media scored 59%, joint-lowest among the UK's "Big Four" providers.

Ofcom's most recent customer service research found 83% of Virgin Media customers satisfied overall, against an 84% industry average, with complaints handling the weaker spot at 53% against a 58% average. Ofcom doesn't publish a broadband complaints figure for Hyperoptic at all, since its tables only cover providers with a stable market share of 1.5% or more, so that particular comparison simply isn't available for the smaller provider.

Who Should Consider Hyperoptic?

Hyperoptic is worth considering for your business broadband if your company:

• Is based in a building already connected to Hyperoptic's network, or can confirm it's coming soon

• Needs symmetrical upload and download speed for cloud tools, large file transfers or VoIP

• Wants a static IP included as standard without paying extra or moving up a tier for it

• Would benefit from a shorter or rolling contract rather than being tied to 24 months by default

• Is comfortable requesting a quote rather than checking out from a published online price list

Who Should Consider Virgin Media?

Virgin Media Business is worth considering for your business broadband if your company:

• Wants the widest realistic availability of any UK cable-based provider, especially outside Hyperoptic's coverage areas

• Would benefit from a clearly published, tiered fault-fix SLA rather than a single flat figure

• Wants 4G backup, a phone line and security software bundled into one monthly bill via Constant Connect

• Is happy on Voom 600 or above, where a static IP comes included as standard

• Prefers transparent, published pricing it can check without a sales call

Best Alternatives to Hyperoptic and Virgin Media

Hyperoptic and Virgin Media sit at different ends of the UK business broadband market, one a fast-growing full fibre altnet, the other a national cable incumbent, but neither is automatically the right fit for every business. When we compare the wider market, a handful of alternatives stand out for different reasons:

Zen Internet scored highest for satisfaction in Which?'s 2026 survey and has held Which? Recommended Provider status for two years running, making it worth a look if service quality matters more than network ownership.

Our Sky vs TalkTalk comparison covers that trade-off between a bundled incumbent and a leaner, static-IP-first competitor in more detail, and our guide to business broadband versus leased lines is worth reading if uptime matters more to your business than price.

FAQs About Hyperoptic and Virgin Media Business Broadband

Is Hyperoptic or Virgin Media cheaper for business broadband?

Virgin Media, on a like-for-like published basis. Its Voom 200 starts at £29.95 a month ex VAT, and even its symmetrical Voom 600 Full Fibre X comes in at a confirmed £48.95 a month. Hyperoptic doesn't publish a fixed business price list, so its indicative £65 to £85 a month range needs confirming with a live quote before it can be compared directly.

Is Hyperoptic or Virgin Media faster for business broadband?

It depends on what you mean by fast. Virgin Media's top standard tier, Gig2, reaches 2,000Mbps download, well ahead of Hyperoptic's 1Gb ceiling. But Hyperoptic is symmetrical at every speed, so its upload speeds beat Virgin Media's standard range by a wide margin, and match Virgin's newer Full Fibre X tiers exactly at the same price points.

Does Hyperoptic or Virgin Media have a static IP for businesses?

Yes. Hyperoptic includes one as standard on every business tier. Virgin Media only includes one as standard from Voom 600 upward, or the equivalent Full Fibre X tier; it's a paid add-on on Voom 200 and 400.

Does Virgin Media or Hyperoptic offer 4G backup to businesses?

Virgin Media does, through its Constant Connect bundle, an optional +£10 a month add-on on the standard Voom range that also includes a phone line and security software. Hyperoptic doesn't offer 4G or 5G backup on any business plan.

Can I get Hyperoptic or Virgin Media business broadband?

Availability differs significantly between the two. Virgin Media's cable network passes around 15 million UK premises, while Hyperoptic is available building by building in around 64 towns and cities, so checking your exact address, not just your postcode, matters more with Hyperoptic.

Use our business broadband availability checker before comparing pricing at your address.

Is a leased line better than business broadband?

Yes. But for most small businesses, no. Standard business broadband from either Hyperoptic or Virgin Media is faster to install, cheaper, and fast enough for everyday use. A leased line is worth the extra cost only where downtime or variable speed would cause an operational or revenue problem, since it's the only option that gives you a dedicated, uncontended connection.

Our Verdict: Hyperoptic or Virgin Media for Business Broadband?

If your business is based in a Hyperoptic-connected building and needs upload speed to match download, whether that's for cloud backups, remote access or VoIP, Hyperoptic's business range is the stronger starting point on features alone. A static IP included at every tier and flexible contract lengths are difficult for Virgin Media to match below its higher tiers.

If your business needs wider coverage, transparent published pricing and a clearly documented fault-fix SLA, Virgin Media's Voom range, especially its symmetrical Full Fibre X tiers where available, is built around exactly that. It's a trade-off worth making with the full picture in front of you, since Virgin Media Business's own service record, on the evidence available, lags considerably behind Hyperoptic's general Trustpilot score.

As with any of these comparisons, it's worth checking live availability and pricing at your specific business address, since Hyperoptic's coverage in particular changes as its network expands.