Octopus Energy Utilita Energy (September 2026)
Overview
Octopus Energy wins for its cheaper variable tariff and much stronger independent reviews, though Utilita Energy answers calls faster.
Octopus Energy leads this comparison due to its lower-priced variable tariff and stronger performance across independent customer satisfaction metrics. While Utilita Energy records faster call wait times and email response speeds, Octopus achieves higher scores for its Trustpilot ratings, app quality, and overall Citizens Advice ranking.
About Octopus Energy and Utilita Energy
Who are Octopus Energy?
Set up in 2015, Octopus Energy is backed by investors such as Octopus Group, Generation Investment Management, and Tokyo Gas. Through its own growth and buying other suppliers, it has become the UK's largest domestic energy supplier. In September 2026, it announced a planned deal to buy the Danish trading firm BD Energy to help run its power trading.
Who are Utilita Energy?
Set up in 2003, Utilita Energy is an independent company owned by the Luxion Group. It is one of the UK's largest domestic energy suppliers. The company focuses mainly on the pay-as-you-go market and smart meters, helping customers track their energy use and budget.
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Tariffs and pricing
Octopus Energy provides the lowest-priced deal in this comparison. Its cheapest option, the Flexible Octopus standard variable tariff, costs £1,598 a year with no fixed term or exit fees. In comparison, Utilita Energy's lowest-priced equivalent is Smart Energy, a variable tariff priced at £1,611 a year, also without a fixed term or exit fees. This results in Octopus being £12 a year cheaper, equating to roughly £1 a month.
For households seeking price certainty, Octopus Energy offers a 12-month fixed contract, the Octopus 12M Fixed August 2026 v6. This tariff is priced at £1,642 a year and includes a £100 exit fee. Based on the pricing data available for this comparison, Utilita Energy does not currently list a fixed tariff.
Octopus Energy and Utilita Energy: Tariff Options
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy offers mainstream standard variable and fixed tariffs, alongside specialist smart tariffs. These smart options are designed for households with electric vehicles, heat pumps, solar panels, and home batteries.
Utilita Energy
Utilita Energy keeps its product range simple, focusing on standard variable options for pay-as-you-go customers. It does not currently offer fixed deals, tracker tariffs, electric vehicle tariffs, or green tariffs.
Customer reviews
Octopus Energy records strong customer sentiment, achieving a Trustpilot score of 4.8 out of 5 across 857,633 reviews. Of these, 90% award five stars, while 3% give one-star ratings. Feedback frequently highlights polite staff and prompt responses, though some users note occasional email delays and extended wait times when resolving complex technical issues.
Utilita Energy holds a Trustpilot rating of 4.3 out of 5 based on 112,483 reviews. Five-star ratings account for 72% of its total, alongside a 16% share of one-star reviews. Reviewers often mention the supportive nature of the customer service team, specifically noting that advisors help to reassure callers during stressful situations.
In the annual Which? survey, Octopus receives an overall score of 74, compared to 68 for Utilita. Both suppliers achieve a maximum 10 out of 10 for helping those who need it. Octopus records a higher customer service rating, scoring 4 out of 5 against Utilita's 2 out of 5, and also performs better for ease of contacting. Conversely, Utilita secures a 10 out of 10 rating for smart meters, a category where Octopus scores 5 out of 10.
App quality and features
Octopus Energy achieves higher ratings for its mobile applications across both major platforms. On the iOS App Store, Octopus scores 4.8 out of 5 from 254,000 ratings, whereas Utilita scores 4.4 from 27,000 ratings. Recent feedback for the Octopus app indicates occasional frustration regarding smart meter connectivity and direct debit adjustments, alongside positive comments on its functionality once issues are resolved. Utilita users generally describe their app as useful for managing account details.
On the Google Play store, both suppliers maintain a substantial user base with over 1,000,000 installs each. Octopus receives a score of 4.4 out of 5 on this platform, compared to 4.1 for Utilita.
Both applications receive regular maintenance. The Octopus iOS app was updated within the last day, while Utilita released an update 12 days ago to address an issue with its Power Up feature and to revise marketing consent settings.
Customer service and support
In the Citizens Advice rankings, Octopus Energy places 4th overall with a score of 3.67 out of 5. Utilita Energy occupies a lower position, ranking 15th with a score of 2.35.
Despite its lower overall ranking, Utilita records faster direct contact speeds. The supplier answers calls in an average of 1 minute, compared to 1 minute 17 seconds for Octopus. Utilita also responds to 98.2% of emails within two days, ahead of the 86.1% achieved by Octopus. Additionally, Utilita reports an average social media response time of 1 minute 28 seconds, a metric that Octopus does not currently publish.
Both providers maintain formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice. Regarding contact hours, Octopus operates on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, closing earlier at 4pm on Fridays. Utilita provides extended availability, including weekend support, with lines open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays and from 8am to 5pm on both Saturdays and Sundays.
Complaints and performance
Complaint figures are shown with each supplier’s reporting period. No winner is declared when periods differ or one figure is missing.
Green Energy Comparison
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy offers 100% zero-carbon electricity as standard. It matches the electricity its customers use by buying Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates. Based on Citizens Advice data from early 2026, the electricity it supplies to customers is a mostly renewable mix, with some nuclear power. The wider company also builds and runs its own wind farms and solar sites. It installs heat pumps, solar panels, and electric vehicle chargers for homes, and runs a public charging network called Electroverse.
Utilita Energy
Utilita Energy does not focus heavily on green tariffs for households. Based on Citizens Advice data from early 2026, the electricity it supplies to customers is largely fossil fuels, with some nuclear and other sources. The company focuses on helping customers use less energy rather than generating green power. It runs a campaign called High 5, which gives people tips on how to cut their energy use at home, and offers solar panel and battery installations to help homes generate their own power.
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 wins for its cheaper variable tariff and much stronger independent reviews, though Utilita Energy answers calls faster.
Octopus Energy leads this comparison by performing stronger across the majority of reviewed metrics. It provides a lower-priced standard variable tariff and achieves higher overall scores from Trustpilot and Citizens Advice. Furthermore, its mobile applications receive higher ratings from users.
Utilita Energy demonstrates specific strengths in its contact times, answering calls faster and responding to a higher percentage of emails within two days. Its weekend support hours may also suit households requiring flexible contact options. However, Octopus Energy remains the stronger option for most consumers based on its lower pricing and higher overall satisfaction scores.
- Lower-priced standard variable tariff
- Achieves a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot
- Places 4th overall in Citizens Advice rankings
- Higher-rated mobile apps on iOS and Android
- Slower average call wait times than Utilita
- Customer service lines closed on weekends
- Faster average call centre wait times
- Scores a maximum 10 out of 10 for Which? smart meters
- Offers weekend customer service hours
- Higher-priced standard variable tariff
- Places 15th overall in Citizens Advice rankings
- No fixed tariff available in our pricing data
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better overall, Octopus Energy or Utilita Energy?
Octopus Energy wins this comparison. It offers a cheaper standard variable tariff and scores much higher on independent customer satisfaction metrics, including Trustpilot and Citizens Advice. It also has higher-rated mobile apps.
Which supplier has the cheaper variable tariff?
Octopus Energy has the cheaper variable deal. Its Flexible Octopus tariff costs £1,598 a year, which is £12 cheaper than Utilita Energy's Smart Energy tariff at £1,611 a year.
Who has better customer reviews, Octopus or Utilita?
Octopus Energy leads on reviews, scoring 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot compared to Utilita Energy's 4.3. Octopus also achieves a higher overall score in the Which? annual survey, though Utilita scores a perfect 10 out of 10 for smart meters.
Are the Octopus Energy and Utilita Energy apps any good?
Both suppliers offer well-rated apps, but Octopus Energy scores higher on both platforms. It achieves 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store and 4.4 on Google Play, whereas Utilita scores 4.4 and 4.1 respectively.
Which supplier answers the phone faster?
Utilita Energy is faster to contact. It answers calls in an average of 1 minute, while Octopus Energy takes an average of 1 minute 17 seconds.
Should I choose Octopus Energy or Utilita Energy?
Octopus Energy is the stronger choice for most households due to its lower prices, higher Trustpilot score, and better app ratings. However, Utilita Energy may appeal to people who want faster call wait times and weekend customer support.
Does Utilita Energy offer a fixed tariff?
There is no fixed tariff in the data we compared for Utilita Energy, whereas Octopus Energy offers a 12-month fixed option. Utilita focuses mainly on pay-as-you-go and standard variable tariffs.
Do Octopus and Utilita offer weekend support?
Utilita Energy offers weekend support, opening from 8am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Octopus Energy is closed on weekends.
Do Octopus Energy and Utilita Energy offer green tariffs?
Octopus Energy offers a tariff with green electricity, whereas Utilita Energy focuses mainly on pay-as-you-go options and does not currently offer a green tariff in this comparison.
What changed this month
This month, Utilita Energy's iOS sampled negative reviews fell from 2 to 0, Octopus Energy's iOS app days since last update fell from 6 to 1, and Utilita Energy's play store days since last update fell from 61 to 12. There were 22 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (30)
Octopus Energy
- Trustpilot reviews837,814 → 857,633
- iOS app ratings count249,000 → 254,000
- iOS app days since last update6 → 1
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2 → 1.67
- Play Store rating4.3956046 → 4.3669577
- Play Store ratings count47,091 → 47,238
- Play Store days since last update2 → 1
- Play Store positive ratings %85.5 → 84.5
- Play Store negative ratings %11 → 11.7
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.5 → 3.7
- Play Store net-positive %74.5 → 72.8
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,792.32 → £1,598.38
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,841.19 → £1,641.76
- Cheapest tariff£1,792.32 → £1,598.38
- Tariff count3 → 2
- Fixed tariffs available2 → 1
Utilita Energy
- Trustpilot reviews112,253 → 112,483
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %100 → 99
- iOS app days since last update47 → 12
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2.67 → 4
- iOS sampled negative reviews2 → 0
- Play Store rating4.129011 → 4.1229296
- Play Store ratings count61,547 → 61,566
- Play Store days since last update61 → 12
- Play Store positive ratings %77.7 → 77.5
- Play Store negative ratings %18.7 → 18.9
- Play Store neutral ratings %3.6 → 3.7
- Play Store net-positive %59 → 58.6
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,804.59 → £1,610.67
- Cheapest tariff£1,804.59 → £1,610.67
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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.