British Gas Outfox Energy (July 2026)
At a glance
Outfox Energy wins comfortably with cheaper fixed prices and strong service scores, though British Gas offers much better mobile apps.
Outfox Energy leads this comparison by offering cheaper fixed tariffs and achieving higher customer service rankings. British Gas provides better-rated mobile apps, but Outfox Energy scores higher across most other independent metrics evaluated.
About British Gas and Outfox Energy
Who is British Gas?
British Gas is one of the UK's oldest and largest energy suppliers. It is owned by Centrica and supplies millions of homes across the country. It offers a wide range of services, including boiler cover, home repairs, and smart home technology through its Hive brand. The supplier also runs a charity that helps people in energy debt, regardless of who supplies their gas and electricity.
Who are Outfox Energy?
Outfox Energy is an independent UK energy supplier based in Leicester. It was founded as Outfox the Market and changed its name in 2025. It is one of the smaller suppliers in the market and focuses on offering simple tariffs and low prices, alongside a UK-based customer support team.
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Tariffs and pricing
For households looking to lock in their rates, Outfox Energy provides the cheaper overall deal. Its lowest-priced option is the Outfox the Price Cap - Fix'd DUAL July 2026 - 15M V8 tariff, estimated at £1,543 a year. This plan requires a 15-month term and includes a £150 exit fee.
By comparison, the most affordable fixed deal from British Gas is the Fix and Fall Jul28 v3 tariff, priced at £1,703 a year. This option involves a longer 24-month contract and carries the same £150 exit fee.
For those who prefer a variable tariff without a fixed term, pricing is effectively identical based on average usage assumptions. British Gas charges an estimated £1,805 a year for its Standard Variable, matching the £1,805 annual cost of the Fox Standard Dual from Outfox Energy.
Tariff Options
British Gas tariffs
British Gas offers a range of standard variable and fixed-term tariffs for everyday household energy use. It also provides several specialist and time-of-use tariffs designed for customers with electric vehicles, heat pumps, home batteries, and solar panels, as well as options for prepayment meters.
Outfox Energy tariffs
Outfox Energy keeps its product range simple, focusing mainly on standard variable and fixed-term tariffs. It also offers a tracker tariff and specialist options for electric vehicle owners and those who generate their own renewable electricity.
Customer reviews
Outfox Energy achieves a higher Trustpilot score, holding a 4.8 rating from a substantial volume of reviews. British Gas maintains a 4.4 rating, drawn from a significantly larger pool of customer feedback.
Approximately 76% of Outfox Energy's reviews award five stars, compared to 65% for British Gas. The proportion of one-star reviews is also higher for British Gas at 20%, while Outfox Energy records 9%. Both suppliers demonstrate active engagement by replying to almost all negative feedback.
Customer feedback for Outfox Energy frequently highlights polite staff and prompt response times. British Gas users often note the efficiency of visiting engineers, though some report communication issues and difficulties navigating between departments.
In the annual Which? survey, Outfox Energy leads with an overall score of 71, ahead of British Gas at 59. Outfox Energy also outperforms its rival in specific categories, scoring 11 out of 15 for complaints handling and 8 out of 10 for smart meter installation.
App quality and ratings
British Gas leads in mobile application quality. Its iOS app holds a 4.5 rating across 13,000 user reviews and receives frequent updates.
Conversely, the Outfox Energy iOS app scores 2.0. User feedback suggests limited functionality, with several reviews noting that the application operates primarily as a basic web portal rather than a fully featured app.
This pattern continues on the Google Play Store, where British Gas maintains a 4.0 rating alongside over a million installs. Outfox Energy holds a 2.3 rating from a comparatively smaller user base.
Customer service and support
Outfox Energy achieves a higher placement in the latest Citizens Advice assessment, ranking 2nd overall with a score of 4.25 out of 5. British Gas places 13th, scoring 2.61.
Complaint volumes are lower for Outfox Energy, which records 16.3 complaints per 10,000 customers against 68.7 for British Gas. Both providers demonstrate prompt email support; Outfox Energy responds to 100% of emails within two days, while British Gas achieves a 97.9% response rate in the same timeframe.
Telephone support is slightly faster with British Gas, where the average call centre wait time is 51 seconds, compared to 1 minute 17 seconds for Outfox Energy. Both companies average social media response times of under a minute.
British Gas operates its phone lines from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, while Outfox Energy is available from 8:30am to 5pm. Both are open on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm and remain closed on Sundays. Payment options differ: British Gas accepts Direct Debit, Cash/Cheque, and Prepayment, whereas Outfox Energy is restricted to Direct Debit.
Both suppliers maintain formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice.
Complaints and performance
In the last three months of 2025, British Gas received 1,158 complaints for every 100,000 customers. Outfox Energy does not have any complaints data available for this period.
Green Energy Comparison
British Gas
The British Gas electricity fuel mix is largely nuclear, with some fossil fuels and renewables. The company aims to reach net zero by 2050 and plans for its own vehicle fleet to be fully electric by 2030. It also installs electric vehicle home charge points, solar panels, and heat pumps to help customers lower their carbon footprint.[1]
Outfox Energy
The Outfox Energy electricity fuel mix is a mix of fossil fuels and renewables, with some nuclear. The supplier buys renewable electricity from offshore wind farms and uses Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin certificates to match a portion of its supply. It focuses on a diverse fuel mix to keep prices low and offers an electric vehicle tariff to support greener grids during off-peak hours.[2][3]
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Outfox Energy |
| Overall customer service | Outfox Energy |
| A well-rated mobile app | British Gas |
| A greener fuel mix | Outfox Energy |
Outfox Energy wins comfortably with cheaper fixed prices and strong service scores, though British Gas offers much better mobile apps.
Outfox Energy leads this comparison due to its lower-priced fixed tariff and higher customer service ratings. British Gas may be more suitable for households that prioritise managing their energy account via a highly rated mobile application.
- Higher-rated mobile applications
- Slightly faster call centre answer times
- One of the UK's largest suppliers
- Higher-priced fixed tariff option
- Ranks 13th with Citizens Advice
- Higher volume of complaints per 10,000 customers
- Lower-priced fixed tariff
- Ranks 2nd with Citizens Advice
- Higher Trustpilot rating
- Lower-rated mobile applications
- Slightly longer call wait times
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, British Gas or Outfox Energy?
Outfox Energy performs better across most areas we looked at, offering cheaper fixed tariffs and stronger customer service scores. However, British Gas provides a much better mobile app experience.
Does British Gas or Outfox Energy have cheaper tariffs?
Outfox Energy currently offers a significantly cheaper fixed tariff. If you prefer a standard variable tariff, the two suppliers cost about the same.
Who has better customer reviews, British Gas or Outfox Energy?
Outfox Energy has stronger customer reviews, holding a 4.8 rating on Trustpilot compared to 4.4 for British Gas. It also scores much higher in the annual Which? survey.
Are the British Gas and Outfox Energy apps any good?
British Gas has highly rated apps on both iOS and Android. In contrast, the Outfox Energy apps score very poorly, with users reporting limited functionality.
Which supplier has better customer service?
Outfox Energy ranks 2nd overall with Citizens Advice, well ahead of British Gas in 13th place. Outfox Energy also receives far fewer complaints, though British Gas is slightly faster at answering the phone.
Should I switch to British Gas or Outfox Energy?
If you want the cheapest fixed price in this comparison and stronger customer service scores, Outfox Energy is a strong option. British Gas may suit households that place particular value on a high-quality mobile app.
Do British Gas and Outfox Energy offer fixed tariffs?
Yes, both suppliers offer fixed tariffs. Outfox Energy's cheapest fixed deal currently costs less than the cheapest option from British Gas.
How fast do British Gas and Outfox Energy answer the phone?
British Gas answers calls in 51 seconds on average, while Outfox Energy takes 1 minute 17 seconds. Both respond to social media messages in under a minute.
What changed this month
This month, British Gas's cheapest tariff term changed from a variable tariff to a 24-month fixed deal, British Gas's iOS app updates in last 90 days rose from 0 to 3, and Outfox Energy's iOS sampled negative reviews rose from 2 to 4. There were 36 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (48)
British Gas
- Trustpilot reviews342,242 → 345,969
- iOS app days since last update1,096 → 9
- iOS app updates in last 90 days0 → 3
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars1.67 → 2
- iOS sampled negative reviews3 → 2
- Play Store rating3.99223 → 4.0481653
- Play Store ratings count12,839 → 13,077
- Play Store days since last update23 → 14
- Play Store positive ratings %74.5 → 76.2
- Play Store negative ratings %21.3 → 20
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.2 → 3.7
- Play Store net-positive %53.2 → 56.2
- Citizens Advice rank14 → 13
- Citizens Advice score2.28 → 2.61
- Complaints per 10,000 customers73.5 → 68.7
- Avg call centre wait time91 → 51
- Avg social media response timenow available (55)
- Emails responded within 2 days %97.1 → 97.9
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,584.14 → £1,804.81
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,675.23 → £1,702.64
- Cheapest tariff£1,584.14 → £1,702.64
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£0 → £150
- Cheapest tariff termvariable → 24 months
- Shortest fixed term15 months → 14 months
Outfox Energy
- Trustpilot reviews53,128 → 53,918
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %98 → 100
- iOS app days since last update192 → 137
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2 → 1.8
- iOS sampled negative reviews2 → 4
- Play Store rating2.31 → 2.3267326
- Play Store ratings count182 → 185
- Play Store days since last update125 → 140
- Play Store positive ratings %27.8 → 28.6
- Play Store negative ratings %63.3 → 62.6
- Play Store neutral ratings %8.9 → 8.8
- Play Store net-positive %-35.5 → -34
- Citizens Advice score3.9 → 4.25
- Complaints per 10,000 customers23.4 → 16.3
- Avg call centre wait time75 → 77
- Avg social media response timenow available (49)
- Emails responded within 2 days %99.5 → 100
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,584.24 → £1,804.79
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,522.84 → £1,542.79
- Cheapest tariff£1,443.03 → £1,542.79
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£100 → £150
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 15 months
- Cheapest fixed tariff term12 months → 15 months
- Fixed tariffs available3 → 4
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.