Home Internet subscription comparison in Switzerland

The 3 best Internet subscriptions right now:

Did you know that the best home Internet offers are reserved for new customers. If you’re a long-standing customer of Swisscom, Salt, Sunrise or UPC, it’s a safe bet that a change of Internet provider would be to your advantage. But home Internet subscriptions in Switzerland are a vast jungle that’s hard to navigate alone. To help you in your research, the suisso-romand.ch team has compiled and compared the best home internet offers on the Swiss market.

Before embarking on your adventure, it’s important to ask yourself the right questions. What do you really want from your Internet subscription? An attractive price? Access to TV channels? An ultra-powerful fiber connection? These questions will help you define your needs. Then you can use our comparison of the best internet box subscriptions in Switzerland.

Are you looking for an Internet + TV subscription? Good news! Our comparison also takes into account Internet packages at all speeds, with or without a TV package.

What’s the best Swiss internet BOX?

That’s it, you’ve decided: you don’t need a landline phone or TV access. The Internet is all you need to live. That’s enough to save you money on your bill. Now it’s time to choose your subscription. Our comparator has selected the best Internet box subscriptions in Switzerland. However, be aware of the commitment period and activation fees charged by some providers. Are you ready? Compare now!

This page is also available in other Swiss official languages:

• Comparatore abbonamento internet
• Vergleich von Internet-Abos
• Comparateur abonnement internet

Comparison – Internet-only subscriptions

What’s the best home Internet + TV offer?

For you, the ideal internet subscription includes access to Swiss TV channels. Good news! Our Internet offer comparison also lists this criterion. If you’re looking for a low-cost Internet Box + TV package, our comparison below will be a great help. Browse through the offers we’ve selected, paying particular attention to the commitment period and the technology used. Some offers include TV access, provided you have a fiber connection.

Comparison – Internet + TV subscriptions

The 4G or 5G Box, an effective alternative

Don’t watch TV? Do you think having a landline phone in 2024 is old-fashioned? Then a 4G or 5G Box is the subscription for you. As its name suggests, the 4G / 5G Box – also known as a Hotspot – is a box into which you insert a SIM card that picks up the 4G or 5G mobile network. All you have to do is connect your devices to the box, and you’ll benefit from a high-speed Internet connection that can rival a fiber connection.

Please note! Not everyone is eligible for the services of this box. To benefit from it, you’ll need to check that your home is covered by the network. Fortunately, ISPs provide platforms that determine whether the 4G / 5G Box is suitable for your situation. Just visit your ISP’s website to find out.

In terms of price, 4G / 5G hotspots are far from being the cheapest on the market. You can expect to pay between CHF 50 and 70 per month for a 4G / 5G box. However, a new supplier has arrived on the market and is beginning to make its mark: Digital Republic. This operator specializes in providing SIM-based Internet access at very competitive rates. However, Digital Republic doesn’t offer a box, so you’ll need a router that accepts SIM cards and is 4G LTE or 5G compatible (between 40 and 90 francs for a 4G LTE router). Once the router has been installed via wifi or, even better, an ethernet connection, you’ll be able to enjoy speeds ranging from 300 Mbit/s to 2 Gbit/s, comparable to fiber offers.

Compare the best offers listed by our comparison below:

Comparison – Box and Router with SIM card

Which are the best Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Switzerland?

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world when it comes to Internet and cell phone subscriptions. With our French neighbors, for example, you can easily find offers for less than €10/month (with Free, Orange, Sosh or Red by SFR, for example). But rest assured. While the giants Swisscom and Sunrise UPC still largely dominate the market, many secondary providers (Yallo, Wingo or Teleboy) are now diversifying the national offer with lightning promotions on the Internet.

No time to search? The Suisso Romand comparator makes it easy for you to find the internet subscription offer best suited to your needs and budget. It saves you time and money!

What’s the right Internet speed for your needs?

To find out how much Internet speed you need, start by analyzing your consumption. Are you the only person in your household who uses the Internet? If you use the Internet only occasionally, to check your e-mails, read press articles or do simple online research, a simple ADSL subscription will be enough to cover your needs. Depending on your location, your mobile package may also be sufficient.

If, on the other hand, your household is made up of several connected members, Internet usage can be quite different. This is often the case in large households (families, shared flats…), where consumption varies the most. If your teenager is a video game fan, or if several of you stream HD movies, we strongly advise you to take out a subscription that includes fiber.

ADSL or fiber: what should I choose for my Swiss Internet subscription?

Choosing between ADSL and fiber is like asking yourself which you prefer, new or old. Fiber optics is 20 times faster than ADSL, and much more modern! In Switzerland, only 30% of households are connected to the fiber optic network. This figure is still low, but is likely to rise sharply over the next few years as the technology is rolled out across the country. Thanks to its glass filament, fiber optics offer ultra-fast speeds. For example, downloading a 5GB HD movie will take around 1min 30 compared with 1h 20 with ADSL / VDSL.

The truth is, you don’t have a choice between ADSL and fiber optics – it depends on the installations in your neighborhood or commune. Where you do have a choice, however, is the maximum speed your ISP can offer you. For example, you may choose a lower speed, such as 100 Mbit/s, for a lower price, even though your line would be equipped with fiber optics, giving you a maximum speed of 10 Gbit/s. In any case, fiber optics should completely replace ADSL within a few years, and the majority of households will be able to benefit from the highest speeds.

If you’re not yet connected to fiber, don’t panic! Other technologies allow you to be connected to the Internet from your home. ADSL, VDSL or 4G will give you a decent Internet connection.

Internet speed and optical fiber in Switzerland – Fiber, hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC), DSL

Almost all of Switzerland is now equipped with fiber optics. However, there are still differences in speed between different areas, ranging from 100Mb/s to 10Gb/s. This difference can be explained by the old copper network installations still in place. Most of the network is equipped with fiber optics, but a large number of homes and businesses are still connected to fiber via a copper line. These lines, where fiber optics and coaxial lines coexist, are called hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC). Finally, there are still DSL networks, but these are now in the minority and are destined to be definitively replaced by fiber. So there are four possible situations depending on where you live:

• Your line is equipped with fiber to the home (FTTH) over its entire length. Here, speeds of up to 10Gb/s are possible.
• Your line is partially equipped with fiber and part of the line has a copper connection over a distance of 0 to 200 meters, “Fiber to the Street (FTTS)”. Here the average speed is 500Mb/s.
• Your line is partially equipped with fiber and part of the line has a copper connection over a distance of 200 to 550 meters, “Fiber to the Curb” (FTTC). The maximum data rate is 100Mbit/s.
• Your line has a copper connection and depends on the DSL network. The speed is less than 100Mbits/s.

To check the type of your Internet line, you can visit the speed test tool provided by Swisscom. By 2025, Swisscom expects 60% of homes and businesses to have 100% fiber-optic lines.

VDSL or ADSL broadband Internet boxes

In Switzerland, not everyone is eligible for fiber optics (but it’s coming soon…). Households without such technology are connected to ADSL or VDSL.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology used to receive a telephone line and digital data. Even today, it remains the main communications technology used in Swiss households. VDSL (Very High Speed Rate Digital Subscriber Line) is the evolution of ADSL technology. It is connected to the telephone network, but also uses copper wires, giving users faster browsing speeds.

ADSL can deliver speeds of up to 20 Mbps, compared with 70 Mbps for VDSL. That’s a big difference, especially when you consider that VDSL provides an almost identical connection in upload (when you send an e-mail) and download (when you receive an e-mail).

Unlike fiber optics, connecting to VDSL does not require costly connection work. To find out if you are eligible for VDSL, you can carry out an eligibility test with your ISP. Some providers offer free tools directly on their website to check if you are eligible. Don’t hesitate to ask!

Opt for high-speed broadband with fiber optic cable

As we’ve seen, fiber optics can deliver much higher speeds than ADSL/VDSL. In fact, some ISPs are promising speeds of up to 10Gb/s. With such capacities, it’s possible to connect a large number of devices with multiple uses (downloading music, watching a 4K quality movie in streaming, broadcasting live broadcasts, playing video games…) in the same home.

Fiber optics are becoming increasingly widespread in Switzerland’s conurbations. In the countryside and mountains, however, connection is more uncertain. To find out if you’re eligible for fiber, simply log on to your ISP’s website and enter your address. In just a few clicks, you’ll know whether or not you’re connected.

Television and unlimited calls: to complement to Internet offers

The popularization of cell phones and Internet access via 4G / 5G have finally made the landline option free. To complement your Internet subscription, your new service provider may naturally offer you this option. This is usually the case when you subscribe to an Internet box that includes access to TV channels.

Access to TV channels is not included in all Internet subscriptions. Depending on your ISP, this option may cost you between CHF 10 and CHF 30 on top of your Internet subscription. As a general rule, this package gives you access to over 200 channels.

Perhaps you can do without TV, but not calls? If so, check your mobile package. Many mobile subscriptions include unlimited calls within Switzerland. But here again, be careful: does your offer include unlimited calls to Natels?

A quick look at your contract or at our Swiss mobile offers comparator is all it takes!

If your cell phone plan includes unlimited calls within Switzerland and you never watch TV, an Internet subscription alone will suffice.

When is the right time to change your Internet subscription?

Did you know? Certain times of the year are better for promotions. The best way to save money on your Internet bill is to keep an eye out for special offers during the festive season or at the start of the new school year. Operators and ISPs may also offer attractive deals during major world events (such as the soccer World Cup).

For your information, our team regularly updates our comparator database. It also includes promotional offers for current events and special occasions. It’s a handy way to find the best Internet offers.

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