The commercial split is almost as sharp as the physics. Eir’s 500 Mb intro is €34.99 for 12 months, then typically €75.99; the 24-month 1 Gb is €39.99 heading for the same thereafter. From April 2027 Eir has said broadband will rise by a flat €4 each April. Virgin’s 500 Mb and 1 Gb intros are often the same €30 — take the gig — then €70 and €72. Both thereafter numbers are brutal. Virgin’s extra tax is upload: advertised 50 Mb up on 1 Gb (and on 500 Mb). That is the cable product, not a glitch.
We score Virgin 8.9 and Eir 8.4 in the best broadband for Ireland ranking. Virgin wins overall where it exists: urban download, no landline, a €30 gig that matches 500 Mb on price. Eir wins the addresses Virgin never built, and anywhere “fibre” on an Eir quote is actually Open Eir FTTH rather than leftover FTTC copper. Check the Eircode first — this matchup is a network decision, then a contract one. Map: Open Eir vs SIRO vs NBI vs Virgin.
Quick comparison
Side by side from published August 2026 prices and contract terms — the same data behind our best-broadband ranking. Green highlights the better figure on that row. Speeds are advertised headlines, not lab results we invented. Availability is always by Eircode.
| Eir | Virgin Media | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.4 | 8.9 |
| Intro from | €34.99 | €30 |
| Thereafter from | €75.99 | €70 |
| Headline speed | 500 Mb | 1000 Mb |
| Annual rise | Yes | Yes |
| Networks | Open Eir FTTH, Open Eir FTTC, 5G home | Virgin cable, Virgin fibre |
| TV bundle | Yes | Yes |
€30 Virgin gig vs Eir’s €34.99 — then both thereafter cliffs
Year one looks like a Virgin win on the plans people actually buy. Virgin’s 500 Mb and 1 Gb are often €30 a month for 12 months, no setup fee — so the gig is free on price. Eir’s 500 Mb is €34.99 for 12 months; the 1 Gb is €39.99 but on a 24-month term. If you only need a year of fast download in a Virgin estate, the red van is cheaper to start and you get more advertised Mb for it.
Year two is why neither is a “set and forget” bill. Eir’s 500 Mb and 1 Gb both land around €75.99 after the deal — more than double the 500 intro. Virgin’s 500 Mb goes to about €70, 1 Gb to €72, 2 Gb from €55 to €80. Eir’s thereafter is the uglier number; Virgin’s jump from €30 is the steeper ratio. Model 24 months, not the tile. Cheapest intros elsewhere: cheapest broadband in Ireland.
Open Eir vs Virgin’s own cable — you usually cannot have both
This is the section that should decide the click. Eir retails Open Eir FTTH, leftover FTTC (fibre to the cabinet, copper to the door) and 5G home. It does not sell SIRO or NBI. Virgin retails Virgin cable and a growing Virgin fibre overlay — still Virgin’s ducts, still not Open Eir. Nobody else can sell you the Virgin street segment. Sky, Vodafone and Pure cannot “switch you onto Virgin.” Virgin cannot “switch you onto Open Eir.”
So the comparison is only live at addresses where both networks pass — a minority of Irish premises, mostly urban/suburban overlap. Everywhere else you are asking the wrong question. Confirm the technology on the order: Eir “fibre” that is FTTC is typically around 100 Mb, not the 500 Mb ad. Walk-through: FTTH vs FTTC vs cable.
Virgin’s urban download vs Eir FTTH upload — the cable tax
On a passed Virgin street the advertised download is often the highest in the house: 1 Gb and 2 Gb on Virgin’s own network, and we score Virgin 9.5 for speed against Eir’s 8.5. That is editorial — technology and advertised tiers, not a fake lab table — but it matches what urban switchers are buying for. Virgin’s 1 Gb intro matching 500 Mb at €30 is the practical nudge: take the gig.
Upload is Virgin’s structural concession. The 500 Mb and 1 Gb plans list 50 Mb up; 2 Gb lists 100 Mb. Eir’s Open Eir FTTH 500 Mb lists 100 Mb up; the 1 Gb lists 200 Mb; 5 Gb lists 500 Mb. If the house is on real FTTH, Eir (or another Open Eir retailer) is the better two-way line for WFH video, backups and two gamers uploading. Peak-time contention is the classic cable complaint; FTTC copper is Eir’s equivalent trap. Speed needs by household: what speed do I need.
Eir’s April €4 vs Virgin’s intro-to-thereafter doubling
Both bake in pain after the honeymoon. Eir’s contract score is the weakest in our fibre set (6.4): thereafter around €76, plus a published flat €4 April rise from 2027 (no longer CPI-linked). A Contract Change Notification can open a penalty-free exit if you refuse the change — that is the escape hatch, not a rumour. Full walk-through: April price rises.
Virgin scores 7.6 on contract: 12-month terms on the plans we track, thereafter that more than doubles, and a history of in-contract and April-style increases. Neither is Pure Telecom. If you sign Eir for 24 months on 1 Gb, budget the April letters. If you sign Virgin for 12, diary month 11 and switch or renegotiate before €72 becomes the habit. Early-exit maths: early termination fees.
Eir’s 28% of lines vs Virgin’s urban footprint
Coverage is Eir’s whole case, and the numbers back it. We score Eir 9.6 here and Virgin 6.8 — the widest gap on this page. Eir is Ireland’s largest fixed retailer because Open Eir still reaches addresses cable never will: one-off rural houses, older estates, towns SIRO skipped, premises NBI has not passed yet. If anything wired exists at a remote Eircode, it is often Eir. 5G home is the stopgap when even that is a wait.
Virgin’s 19.9% ComReg share is huge for a network that is mostly towns and suburbs it already built. That is a dense urban franchise, not a national grid. Rural Ireland is usually a no. Availability is the first click, not the brand: check broadband by Eircode. If Virgin is a no and Open Eir FTTH is a yes, this matchup is over — then compare Eir vs Vodafone on the same Open Eir line.
Who should actually buy which — once the Eircode has spoken
Buy Virgin if you are on the cabinet, you want the fastest advertised download on the street, you will take the €30 gig, and you will not still be paying €72 in month 18 out of inertia. TV and Sky add-ons only pay if you would buy the telly anyway. Skip Virgin if you upload a lot, if you are rural, or if SIRO/Open Eir FTTH at the same address would give you a symmetrical (or at least 100 Mb+) up path. Gaming and evening contention: best broadband for gaming.
Buy Eir if it is the only wired option, or if you have confirmed Open Eir FTTH and a mobile/TV bundle actually saves money. Skip Eir if Sky, Pure or Vodafone can sell the same Open Eir FTTH socket cheaper — they often can — or if the quote is FTTC copper at a 500 Mb price. Do not pick Eir “for rural” when NBI or SIRO has already passed; Eir does not retail those networks. Rural fibre: best rural broadband.
One-bill TV vs add-ons you would buy anyway
Both sell TV. Eir bundles TV and Prime if you want one bill; Virgin has streaming TV and Sky add-ons for live sport. Neither TV pack is a reason to take a bad broadband contract. If you already live in the Sky/Virgin sports stack, Virgin’s add-ons can be the neater living-room story. If you only want Netflix, buy Netflix and pick the line on network and thereafter.
Landline is a non-issue on the products that matter: Virgin does not need one, and Eir does not require a landline on full-fibre (FTTH) plans. FTTC still uses the copper pair. Detail: do I need a landline.
Which should you choose?
It comes down to the line at the house, then the bill. Here’s the quick way to decide.
Choose Eir if
Open Eir is at the Eircode and Virgin is not — Eir is often the wired option that actually exists. You have confirmed FTTH, not FTTC copper to the door, or you already pay Eir for mobile or TV and one bill is worth more than shopping the wholesale line. You will diary the 12-month end date, or you will use the April Contract Change Notification to leave when the €4 letter lands.
Check Eir →
Choose Virgin Media if
The house is on a Virgin-passed street and raw download is the job. The 1 Gb intro is €30 for 12 months — the same as 500 Mb — and you will take the gig. You do not upload all day (WFH video, cloud backups, hosting), you do not need a landline, and you are willing to switch or renegotiate when thereafter hits about €72.
Check Virgin Media →Advertiser disclosure: we earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. This never affects our scores or the winner of each round.
