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Checked 13 September 2026

Zen vs Hyperoptic: which is better in 2026?

Hyperoptic built its own full-fibre network into apartment blocks and new-build estates across 64 towns and cities, and sells gigabit at prices Zen doesn't try to match. Whether that matters to you comes down to one thing: whether your building is one of the roughly two million it has wired.

By Chris, a paying Zen Internet customer · offer and prices checked 13 September 2026

Person using a laptop on a sofa in a sunlit flat

Side by side

Network

Zen Openreach + CityFibre full fibre

Hyperoptic Own full fibre, built into blocks of flats and new-build estates

Mid-contract price rises

Zen None — fixed for the whole contract

Hyperoptic £4/month every April, written into contract (£3 before Jan 2026)

Service reputation

Zen Which? Recommended Provider 6 years running; 4.3 Trustpilot

Hyperoptic 77% Which? score (2nd of 12); 4.6 Trustpilot from ~57,000 reviews

Router

Zen FRITZ!Box Wi-Fi 6 / eero Pro 6E

Hyperoptic Hyperhub (Zyxel, Wi-Fi 6)

Static IP

Zen Included free

Hyperoptic £5/month add-on, where Hyperoptic agrees to it

TV & mobile bundles

Zen None

Hyperoptic No mobile; Sky Glass TV via a partnership

New-customer incentive

Zen £40 referral eGift card (via link, before ordering)

Hyperoptic Free-months promos, 30-day trial, credit towards your old provider's exit fees

Availability

Zen Wherever Openreach or CityFibre full fibre reaches — most of the UK

Hyperoptic ~2 million homes in 64 towns and cities, mostly apartment buildings — building by building

Comparison based on publicly listed features and pricing structures, checked 13 September 2026. Hyperoptic's offers change frequently — verify current deals on their own site.

The verdict

If Hyperoptic serves your building it's cheaper than Zen at every speed — usually by a wide margin in year one — and its service scores are excellent (77% Which? score, second only to Zen; 4.6 on Trustpilot). The trade-offs are a £4/month rise written into every April of your contract, £5/month for a static IP, and a top tier of 1 Gbps against Zen's 1.8 Gbps. Zen's case is fixed pricing, the free static IP, better router kit and availability almost everywhere. For most people in a Hyperoptic building, Hyperoptic is the rational choice; Zen is for everyone else, and for those who'd rather pay more to never think about April.

Choose Zen if…

  • Your home isn't a Hyperoptic building — most UK houses aren't
  • You want the same price in April as in January, every year
  • You need a free static IP or want faster than 1 Gbps

Choose Hyperoptic if…

  • Your block is wired — the price gap is real even after two £4 rises
  • You want a rolling monthly contract with no long commitment
  • You'd like a 30-day trial before you're locked in

More comparisons

Offer checked 13 September 2026

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