It is the total you would pay over the comparison term, divided by the number of months. The total is the intro price for the intro months, plus the standard price for the remaining months, plus mandatory one-off fees, minus guaranteed credits. It puts plans with different promos and fees on the same footing. You may also see it called the effective monthly cost.

The advert price is usually the lowest month in the contract. Once the intro period ends the price goes up, and fees such as activation are charged on top. The real monthly cost spreads all of that across the term.

It varies by offer. The promo price applies for a set number of months, then the standard price applies. Each result shows both prices and the promo months, and the real monthly cost blends them across the whole comparison term.

Mandatory one-off fees, such as a set-up or activation charge you cannot avoid, are added to the total and spread across the term. Optional extras and equipment you choose to buy are not part of the number.

No. We assume you stay for the whole term, so a fee for leaving early is not included. How that fee is worked out varies by provider, so check the provider's terms.

Rolling or unknown contracts are compared over a 24-month window so they can sit next to fixed-term plans. Those results are labelled as an estimate.

Not unless the rise is known and stored in our data, which it currently is not. Every result carries a note saying mid-contract price rises are not included, so check the provider's terms.

We show the prices as entered in our data and do not add or remove tax ourselves. Check the provider's checkout for the final amount.

Not always. Longer contracts often carry a lower monthly price, but you are committed for longer. A shorter term or a rolling plan may cost more per month and give you flexibility. Comparing the real monthly cost shows the difference over the term.

In the US we have 313 home internet plans across 16 states, 28 mobile plans, 2 home phone plans, in the areas where each provider sells.

Plans only appear for areas where the provider sells them, and our data is not the whole market. Try a nearby ZIP code, or browse a category without a ZIP code to see what we track. We would rather show a short list than a number we cannot stand behind.

Yes. Every price on the US pages is in US dollars, exactly as the provider lists it, with no conversion.

Sometimes. Compare the bundle's real monthly cost with the real monthly costs of the separate plans added together. Our guide on when a bundle makes financial sense walks through it.

It matches your answers to bundle offers and shows the lowest real monthly cost. We don't have bundle prices to compare yet, so the builder tells you that up front and points you to mobile and broadband plans instead.

From the providers' own published information, refreshed about once a week. Every price shows a Last checked date and a plain status: Verified, Check with provider, or Out of date.

It is the last day we read that price from the provider's published information. If it is a few days old, the price may have changed, so check it with the provider.

Not for certain. Treat it as a guide to compare plans. The provider's own checkout is the final authority on price, availability and terms.

We may earn a commission if you switch through a link to a provider. That never changes the order of results, which is by real monthly cost only. Any paid offer is labelled Sponsored. The How we make money page explains it in full and says whether any paid placements are live.

No. Results are ordered by real monthly cost, lowest first. A sponsored offer would sit where its price puts it.

Only if you tick the consent box, your name, email and answers are saved so the matching provider or our team can follow up. The privacy policy has the detail.