Vodafone VS Three UK – Which one has the better plan
The quality of your mobile network depends on the cellular provider that you subscribe to. Vodafone and Three UK are both mobile network companies that will guarantee you the best services wherever you are in the UK.
Vodafone and Three UK are both mobile networks that offer you the best mobile network plans consistently. This makes them among the leading mobile network services here in the UK. In addition, you’re also guaranteed a stable and reliable network wherever you are.
When to use Vodafone
This is one of the oldest mobile networks in the UK and the largest telecommunication provider in the world. They deliver reliable mobile network services with wide coverage. They also offer you a wide variety of SIM and device plans that you can choose from depending on your budget and location. Therefore, subscribing to Vodafone will be of great value for your money as you will be able to enjoy their good services.
When to use Three UK
This is the latest mobile network operator in the UK and comes with one of the fastest 5G speeds in the country. The 5G coverage is available for all its customers at no extra cost regardless of the plan. They come with competitive prices that are hard to beat and unlimited plans with no data caps.
Vodafone Mobile Network vsThree UK Mobile Network Feature comparison
Features |
Vodafone |
Three UK |
Network coverage |
2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
3G, 4G, 5G |
5G download speeds |
154 Mbps |
201 Mbps |
Download speeds (4G network) |
21.2 – 25.1 Mbps |
20 Mbps |
Entertainment perks |
Unlimited data streaming |
TV, Music, or subscription inclusive |
Prices |
£6- £41/month |
£6 – £26/month |
How to evaluate Vodafone and Three UK
There are a few factors that we look at in order to give you a proper evaluation of Vodafone and Three UK. These include:
Network Coverage:This is the network infrastructure and the types of networks supported by the mobile network on your phone.
Download speeds: These are the data download speeds that the mobile network company offers on your phone via their SIM.
Monthly prices: This is the amount of money that the company requires you to pay monthly.
Vodafone vsThree UK overview
Vodafone Overview
For sure, this mobile network is one of the best and most reliable networks in the UK especially after the launch of their 5G network. It’s one of the largest telecommunication providers in the world with established infrastructure in over 25 countries. The network provides all the types of coverages (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G) with a wide range of SIM and device plans too.
Tariff |
Data |
Monthly Price |
Details |
Vodafone Basics |
2 GB |
£6 |
|
Vodafone Red |
1 GB – 120 GB |
£11 – £33 |
|
Unlimited Lite |
Unlimited @ 2 Mbps Max |
£22 |
|
Unlimited |
Unlimited @ 10 Mbps Max |
£26 |
|
Unlimited Max |
Unlimited @ 2 Mbps Max |
£30 |
All the above plans come with unlimited calls and texts. Vodafone customers can select a tariff based on Three UK different contract lengths – 30 days, 12 months, or 24 months. The roaming destinations too increase with the type of plan selected. Vodafone premium plans have the most inclusive roaming destinations in the UK making the network more expensive than Three UK. Despite Vodafone being costlier than the other options in the market, it’s definitely worth it given the perks and features it delivers.
The network also offers the Pay as You Go (PAYG) bundles like the PAYG1 if you don’t wish to subscribe to its bundles. You only pay £1 for the days that you use your phone with the tariff rates being at 20p/minute, 20p per 5MB of data, and 20p/text. You can still continue making calls and sending texts at no additional costs when you hit your daily cap of £1. You can also buy an extra 500 MB only once a day.
If you reach your daily cap of £1, you can still make calls and send texts without incurring any extra charges, but the maximum amount of data you can use is 500MB. Vodafone also lets you buy a 500MB data add-on, but only once per day.
Pros
- Wide variety of plans to choose from
- Better network
- 2G network offering
- Offers great perks like VeryMe rewards
- Entertainment subscriptions bundled with its premium plans
- Up to 81 inclusive roaming destinations worldwide depending on the plan
Cons
- Costly plans
- More complaints compared to the other mobile networks
Three UK overview
Despite being the latest major mobile network operator, Three UK has one of the best and fastest 5G speeds in the UK. Without a doubt, the main selling point of Three UK is that its 5G network is available to all its customers at no extra charges. Also, the network offers true unlimited plans with no data caps or restrictions at competitive prices. This means that you will always enjoy unlimited data usage once you subscribe to any of their plans.
Tariff |
Data |
Monthly Price |
Details |
Three UK Advanced |
1 GB |
£6 – £8 |
|
Three UK Advanced |
4 GB |
£9 – £16 |
|
Three UK Advanced |
8 GB |
£10 – £11 |
|
Three UK Advanced |
12 GB |
£12 – £19 |
|
Three UK Advanced |
30 GB |
£14 – £24 |
|
Three UK Advanced |
Unlimited |
£10 – £26 |
All these plans come with unlimited calls and texts with Three UK different contract lengths to choose from – 1 month, 12 months, and 24 months. You can also use PAYG (Pay as you go) services instead of topping up every month. As you can see, Three UK’s plans are cheaper and come without data caps or reduced speeds.
Pros
- Fastest 5G network across the UK
- 5G coverage inclusive in all plans at no extra cost
- 71 roaming destinations depending on the plan
- Unlimited plans with no data caps or reduced speeds
- Competitive pricing on both SIM and PAYG deals
- Cheaper
Cons
- Lacks 2G network support
- Slower internet speeds than some competitors when it comes to 4G network
How does Vodafone and Three UK compare?
Network coverage
Both mobile network service operators offer a wide variety of networks including the most recent, 5G network. Vodafone has a wider coverage of physical landmass. Vodafone has a better infrastructure with an overall better coverage and also offers a 2G network too which is vital in some rural areas where there’s limited coverage, and Three UKdoesn’t. For regular calls and texts nationwide, Vodafone’s network is larger than Three UK’s.
Download speeds
When it comes to speed, both mobile networks rule in different aspects. After carrying out independent speed tests with Speedtest by Ookla, we can conclude that the 4G download speeds for Vodafone are between 21.2 Mbps and 25.1 Mbps on average while Three UK has 20 Mbps. On the 5G network, Three UK has the fastest speeds since the network currently uses 100 MHz of the usable 140MHz 5G spectrum. The average download speed on 5G for Three UK is 201 Mbps while Vodafone has 154 Mbps. Both networks are similar in speeds since 5G isn’t available everywhere and is also the next thing.
Monthly prices
Both networks have a variety of plans to choose rom with amazing deals and offers. However, Three UK has plans with cheaper prices compared to Vodafone making it the better option between the two. Besides, Three UK’s plans come without data caps or speed reduction.
Conclusion
Vodafone will definitely give you the reliability even in the most rural parts and faster speeds at 4G. However, the overall winner is Three UK as compared to Vodafone. This is because Three UK provides 5G connection at a faster speed and without data caps. The prices are also friendly.
FAQs
How good is Vodafone’s network coverage in the UK?
Vodafone offer very good coverage with around 99% 4G, 3G, and 2G coverage across the UK. The 5G coverage is relatively new and at around 95% coverage.
Can I use 4G calling on Vodafone’s basic plan or PAYG1?
Unfortunately you can’t. You can however upgrade to Vodafone RED and access the benefit.
