Side by side
Network
Zen Openreach + CityFibre full fibre
EE Openreach full fibre
Mid-contract price rises
Zen None — fixed for the whole contract
EE £4/month every 31 March, written into contract
Service reputation
Zen Which? Recommended Provider 6 years running; 4.3 Trustpilot
EE 66% Which? score (6th of 12); 4.3 Trustpilot across the whole EE brand
Router
Zen FRITZ!Box Wi-Fi 6 / eero Pro 6E
EE EE Smart Hub Plus (Wi-Fi 7 on current plans)
Static IP
Zen Included free
EE Not offered on consumer plans
TV & mobile bundles
Zen None
EE Extensive — EE TV (Apple TV 4K box), extra data for EE mobile customers
New-customer incentive
Zen £40 referral eGift card (via link, before ordering)
EE Up to £200 towards your old provider's exit fees (£300 with TV)
Comparison based on publicly listed features and pricing structures, checked 13 September 2026. EE's offers change frequently — verify current deals on their own site.
The verdict
EE's headline prices undercut Zen's at every full-fibre tier, and if you already have an EE phone the extra data and one-bill convenience are genuinely useful. But the contract bakes in a £4/month rise every March — a £29.99 deal is £37.99 by year two — and EE finishes mid-table for satisfaction while Zen tops it. Over a full 24 months the gap narrows to a few pounds a month, which is roughly what you're paying Zen for fixed pricing, a free static IP and support that answers. Decide on whether the bundles matter to you.
Choose Zen if…
- You want the price you sign at to be the price for two years
- You work from home and want the free static IP and FRITZ!Box
- Service quality is why you're leaving your current provider
Choose EE if…
- You're already on EE mobile and want the extra data and one bill
- You want TV in the bundle
- A low headline price matters more than what it costs in year two