The Big Four

EE – Best network but expensive, and now seem to be concentrating on business users
Vodafone – Average, but Lebara and Talk Mobile use the same network and are better value
O2 – Good coverage but slow speeds. Better value to be found elsewhere
THREE – Appalling customer service and network coverage not great

Major MVNO players

Lebara – Monthly contracts using the Vodafone network including free international calls
GiffGaff – The cheapskate arm of O2 which does not offer Wi-Fi calling
Lycamobile – Really aimed at international call users. Appalling customer service
Smarty – Offers much better value with more flexible tariffs than parent company THREE
Virgin Mobile – Will disappear by the end of 2023 and customers will be migrated to O2
Sky Mobile – Uses the O2 network and can rollover unused data for up to 3 months
VOXI – Run by Vodafone and aimed at heavy social media users
BT Mobile – Not taking on new customers and is directing them to EE
Plusnet – 4G only and slowly migrating users to EE
Talk Mobile – Ex-Carphone Warehouse now owned by Vodafone


Minor MVNO players

1p mobile – Although the name doesn’t inspire confidence, this is one of the better MVNO operators using the EE network
Tesco Mobile – One of the better operators using the O2 network, but does not offer Wi-Fi calling
ASDA Mobile – Uses the Vodafone network but customer service is very poor
Now Mobile – I know very little about this outfit, but they use the EE network
ID Mobile – Run by Currys and uses the THREE network
Vectone – Scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one but they get good reviews
Co-op mobile – Uses the EE network but gets very bad reviews
Utility Warehouse – Has a bad reputation for trying to sell you other products and services
Honest Mobile – Probably OK but not sure I would trust them personally
Superdrug Mobile – Probably good value if you shop at Superdrug and want the THREE network
Zevvle – Ideal for sharing many users on one account using the EE network

Price comparison websites

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Review websites

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