Octopus Energy OVO Energy (August 2026)
Overview
Octopus Energy leads on price, customer service, and app quality, making it the better choice for most households.
Octopus Energy leads this comparison due to its lower-priced fixed and variable tariffs. It also records higher customer service scores and app ratings, although OVO Energy demonstrates faster email response times.
About Octopus Energy and OVO Energy
Who are Octopus Energy?
Octopus Energy was set up in 2015 and is backed by pension funds and investors. Through its own growth and by taking on customers from other suppliers, it has grown to become the UK's largest domestic energy supplier. It focuses on smart technology and flexible pricing, running its own software platform to manage customer accounts. It also offers a rewards scheme called Octoplus, which gives customers points for using less energy during busy times to swap for cinema tickets, hot drinks or money off their bills. Octopus Energy has been named a Which? Recommended Provider for nine years in a row, most recently in 2026.
Who are OVO Energy?
OVO Energy was set up in 2009 and grew when it bought SSE's retail business in 2020. Today, it is one of the UK's largest domestic energy suppliers. It focuses on smart meters and digital account management, letting customers track their energy use through the OVO app. It also offers a rewards programme called OVO Beyond, which gives customers perks such as free electricity hours during the summer. As well as this, OVO sells add-ons such as boiler cover and electric vehicle charging plans.
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Tariffs and pricing
The lowest-priced option in this comparison is Octopus Energy's Flexible Octopus, a variable tariff estimated at £1,792 a year. OVO Energy's equivalent, the Simpler Energy variable tariff, costs £1,805 a year. Neither of these variable deals requires a fixed term, and both avoid exit fees.
For households who prefer to lock in their unit rates, Octopus Energy provides the lower-priced fixed option. The Octopus 12M Fixed July 2026 v5 tariff is priced at £1,841 a year, whereas OVO Energy's most affordable fixed alternative sits at £1,923 a year. Both are 12-month contracts that include a £100 exit fee if you leave early.
At present, neither supplier is a signatory to the Energy Switch Guarantee.
Octopus Energy and OVO Energy: Tariff Options
Octopus Energy tariffs
Octopus Energy offers a range of domestic tariffs, including standard variable and fixed options, as well as smart and specialist tariffs for electric vehicle owners and those wanting to track wholesale prices.
OVO Energy tariffs
OVO Energy offers a selection of domestic tariffs, including a standard variable option and fixed deals. It also provides bundled tariffs that include extras like boiler cover or support for greener electricity, alongside an add-on for electric vehicle charging.
Customer reviews
Octopus Energy holds a 4.8 Trustpilot rating from 837,814 reviews, while OVO Energy scores 4.7 across 293,863 reviews. Breaking down these figures, 90% of Octopus reviews award five stars, compared to 77% for OVO. This is reflected in the net-positive scores, where Octopus achieves 91% positive feedback against OVO's 77%. Both companies respond to nearly all negative feedback; Octopus generally replies within a week, whereas OVO typically responds within 24 hours.
Trustpilot feedback for Octopus Energy frequently mentions professional staff and efficient problem resolution, though a subset of users note that email replies can take several days. OVO Energy reviewers often highlight polite interactions and clear guidance, but negative comments point to extended wait times and instances of being transferred repeatedly without a resolution.
The annual Which? survey awards Octopus Energy an overall score of 74 out of 100, placing it ahead of OVO Energy at 61. Octopus achieves 4 out of 5 for overall customer service and ease of contacting, while OVO receives 2 out of 5 in these categories. For supporting vulnerable customers (helping those who need it), Octopus scores 10 out of 10, and OVO follows closely with 9 out of 10. Both suppliers receive 5 out of 10 for their smart meters.
App quality and ratings
Both suppliers maintain apps with over 1,000,000 installs on Google Play, though Octopus Energy achieves higher ratings across both major operating systems. On the iOS App Store, Octopus holds a 4.8 rating from 249,000 reviews, compared to OVO Energy's 4.6 from 18,000 reviews. Both applications receive regular updates.
Feedback from iOS users indicates the Octopus Energy app is effective for account management, although some report occasional missing data or billing display errors. OVO Energy users note the app is functional for monitoring usage and payments, but cite recurring login difficulties and restricted access to complete tariff details.
The rating gap widens on Google Play. Octopus Energy holds a 4.4 rating across 47,091 reviews, yielding a net-positive score of 74.5%. In contrast, OVO Energy scores 3.0 from 10,621 reviews, resulting in a net-positive score of 1.3%, suggesting Android users encounter more issues with the OVO platform.
Service and support
According to Citizens Advice, Octopus Energy ranks 4th with an overall score of 3.67 out of 5, while OVO Energy sits in 8th place with 3.3. Call centre wait times are relatively short for both providers; Octopus averages 1 minute 17 seconds, and OVO averages 1 minute 33 seconds.
OVO Energy demonstrates faster email support, responding to 98.5% of inquiries within two days, compared to 86.1% for Octopus Energy. Additionally, OVO reports an average social media response time of 6 minutes 53 seconds, whereas Octopus does not currently publish this specific metric.
Both companies maintain formal vulnerability commitments with Citizens Advice. Octopus Energy operates its support lines Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm, and Friday from 9am to 4pm. OVO Energy is available on weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Neither supplier opens on weekends, and both accept payments via Direct Debit, cash, cheques, and prepayment meters.
Complaints and performance
Both suppliers' figures cover Q4 2025. Octopus Energy gets far fewer complaints than OVO Energy. Octopus received 495 complaints for every 100,000 customers, while OVO received 1,651.
Green Energy Comparison
Octopus Energy's green commitments
Octopus Energy claims to offer 100% zero-carbon electricity. However, based on Citizens Advice data for January to March 2026, its actual fuel mix is a mostly renewable mix, with the rest coming from nuclear power. The company has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2040 across its whole business. It also invests in building its own wind and solar farms, and it set up a research group called the Centre for Net Zero to help speed up the move to green energy.
OVO Energy's green commitments
OVO Energy has a [Plan Zero strategy to achieve net-zero carbon operations by 2030. It also runs a Tree Planting Promise, where it plants trees for its customers. Based on Citizens Advice data for January to March 2026, OVO's electricity fuel mix is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable, nuclear and other sources.
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Octopus Energy |
| Overall customer service | Octopus Energy |
| A well-rated mobile app | Octopus Energy |
| A greener fuel mix | Octopus Energy |
Octopus Energy leads on price, customer service, and app quality, making it the better choice for most households.
Octopus Energy leads across the majority of metrics in this comparison. It provides lower-priced fixed and variable tariffs, and achieves higher customer satisfaction scores on Trustpilot and Which?. Furthermore, its mobile applications receive stronger ratings, especially among Android users.
While OVO Energy responds to emails more rapidly, it trails Octopus Energy in pricing and overall customer service metrics. Based on current tariff costs and independent ratings, Octopus Energy may suit a wider range of households.
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,792 / year
- 4.8 Trustpilot from 837,814 reviews
- Top-4 Citizens Advice ranking
- iOS app rated 4.8 out of 5
- 86% of emails answered within 2 days
- 11% of Google Play ratings are negative
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,805 / year
- 4.7 Trustpilot from 293,863 reviews
- iOS app rated 4.6 out of 5
- 99% of emails answered within 2 days
- 47% of Google Play ratings are negative
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better overall, Octopus Energy or OVO Energy?
Octopus Energy wins this comparison. It offers cheaper tariffs, higher customer service scores, and better mobile apps.
Does Octopus Energy or OVO Energy have the cheaper fixed tariff?
Octopus Energy currently offers the cheaper fixed deal. Its 12-month fixed tariff costs £1,841 a year, while OVO Energy's cheapest fixed option is £1,923 a year.
Which supplier has better customer reviews?
Octopus Energy has stronger reviews. It scores 4.8 on Trustpilot with 90% five-star reviews, and it achieves higher scores in the annual Which? customer survey compared to OVO Energy.
Are the Octopus Energy and OVO Energy apps any good?
Both suppliers have highly rated iOS apps, but Octopus Energy performs much better on Android. The Octopus Google Play app scores 4.4, while the OVO app scores 3.0.
Which supplier answers the phone faster?
Both suppliers have short wait times. Octopus Energy answers calls in an average of 1 minute 17 seconds, while OVO Energy takes 1 minute 33 seconds.
Should I switch to Octopus Energy or OVO Energy?
Based on the current evidence, Octopus Energy is the stronger choice. It offers better value-for-money and service scores, alongside higher app ratings.
Do these suppliers charge exit fees?
Both suppliers offer standard variable tariffs with no exit fees. However, their cheapest fixed deals both carry a £100 exit fee if you leave before the 12-month term ends.
How quickly do Octopus Energy and OVO Energy reply to emails?
OVO Energy is faster at replying to emails, answering 98.5% within two days. Octopus Energy replies to 86.1% of emails in the same time.
How do they perform on Which? customer service scores?
Octopus Energy scores 4 out of 5 for overall customer service from Which?, while OVO Energy scores 2 out of 5. Octopus also scores better for ease of contacting.
Which supplier has the better Android app?
Octopus Energy has a much better Android app, scoring 4.4 on Google Play. OVO Energy's Android app scores just 3.0 and has a very low net-positive rating.
What changed this month
This month, OVO Energy's iOS app days since last update rose from 13 to 37, OVO Energy's play store days since last update rose from 14 to 37, and Octopus Energy's iOS sampled positive reviews rose from 0 to 1. There were 27 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (38)
Octopus Energy
- Trustpilot reviews821,111 → 837,814
- iOS app ratings count245,000 → 249,000
- iOS app days since last update9 → 6
- iOS sampled reviews avg starsnow available (2)
- iOS sampled positive reviews0 → 1
- iOS sampled negative reviews0 → 2
- Play Store rating4.4341745 → 4.3956046
- Play Store ratings count46,873 → 47,091
- Play Store days since last update11 → 2
- Play Store positive ratings %86.7 → 85.5
- Play Store negative ratings %10 → 11
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.3 → 3.5
- Play Store net-positive %76.7 → 74.5
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,697.05 → £1,841.19
- Cheapest tariff£1,697.05 → £1,792.32
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£100 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 0 months
- Tariff count2 → 3
- Fixed tariffs available1 → 2
OVO Energy
- Trustpilot reviews287,327 → 293,863
- iOS app days since last update13 → 37
- iOS app updates in last 90 days3 → 2
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars4.2 → 3.67
- iOS sampled positive reviews4 → 2
- Play Store rating3.2850413 → 3.0206423
- Play Store ratings count10,351 → 10,621
- Play Store days since last update14 → 37
- Play Store positive ratings %55.4 → 48.2
- Play Store negative ratings %40.2 → 46.9
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.5 → 4.9
- Play Store net-positive %15.2 → 1.3
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,797.13 → £1,923.42
- Cheapest tariff£1,797.13 → £1,804.82
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£100 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 0 months
- Tariff count5 → 4
- Fixed tariffs available4 → 3
- Longest fixed term24 months → 12 months
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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.