How do iD Mobile and Three compare at a glance?
The table pulls prices and price rises from our live deal feed, so it matches the deals on our comparison pages today. The roaming, eSIM and exit-fee rows come from each network's own pages.
| Feature |  iD Mobile |  Three |
|---|---|---|
| Owned by | Currys | VodafoneThree |
| Runs on | Three's network | Its own network, plus Vodafone masts where they're shared |
| SIM only from | £6 a month | £6 a month |
| Cheapest unlimited data | £14 a month | £12.42 a month |
| Capped data plans | 20GB to 250GB, plus unlimited | 1GB to 250GB, plus unlimited |
| Contracts in our deals | 30-day, 12 months and 24 months | 12 months and 24 months |
| Scheduled price rises | None scheduled on current deals | 30 of 30 deals: up £1.80 to £2.30 a month from April 2027 |
| EU roaming | Included. 50 destinations, up to 30GB a month under its fair use policy (re-checked 23 September 2026). | £2.75 a day. Included on newer Value and Complete plans; 12GB fair use. |
| eSIM | Yes. QR code by email; manage it in the app or your online account. | Yes. eSIM is the default choice at checkout; plastic is the opt-out. |
| Leaving early | 30-day: nothing. 12 or 24 months: up to the charges left, less iD Mobile's avoided costs. | 30-day: nothing. 12 or 24 months: the charges left, less 3%. |
| Deals | See iD Mobile deals | See Three deals |
Live rows show the deals in our feed at the last refresh, not every plan a network sells. EU roaming was checked against each network’s own pages on 28 August 2026, eSIM on 26 August 2026, and ownership and exit terms on 23 September 2026. Vodafone and Three masts are shared only at sites where sharing has been switched on: 10,000 of them by April 2026, according to Vodafone.
Who owns iD Mobile, and is it part of Three?
iD Mobile isn't part of Three. Its own site says "iD Mobile is a trading name of Currys Group Limited", and that "iD runs on the Three network". It's a virtual network: Currys sells the plans and runs the customer service, while Three's masts carry the signal.
Three itself is now part of VodafoneThree, the group formed when Three and Vodafone merged on 31 May 2025. The group's own low-cost brand on Three's network is SMARTY. iD Mobile sits outside the group, as a customer of Three's network and not a sister brand.
Is coverage the same on iD Mobile and Three?
In most places, yes. Ofcom's January 2026 figures for Three's network show 4G reaching 96.6% of premises indoors and 85.0% indoors in rural areas, with 5G reaching 75.9% of premises outdoors. An iD Mobile SIM uses those same masts.
The exception is mast sharing. Three and Vodafone have been switching on shared masts since the merger, 10,000 of them by April 2026 according to Vodafone. At those sites a Three customer can connect to a Vodafone mast. Vodafone lists the brands that benefit, and iD Mobile isn't among them, so we don't assume an iD Mobile SIM gets the same access.
Where Three's own signal is good, you won't notice a difference. Where it's weak and Vodafone's is strong, a Three SIM may connect where an iD Mobile SIM can't. Check your postcode on our mobile coverage map.
Which is cheaper, iD Mobile or Three?
It depends on which price you look at: today's or next April's. When we checked our feed on 5 November 2026, Three's cheapest unlimited plan was £12.42 a month on a 12-month contract through a retailer, rising to £14.72 in April 2027. From Three's own store, 12 months of unlimited data cost £20 a month, rising to £22.30.
iD Mobile's unlimited plans cost £14 a month through retailers in our feed, on a 30-day plan or a 12-month contract, and £15 on a 30-day plan bought direct. None carries a scheduled rise. So Three's best deal starts lower and ends higher, while iD Mobile's stays where it started.
At the cheap end, iD Mobile gave more data for the money that day. £6 a month bought 25GB on its 30-day plan. Three's £6 plan was 1GB on a 24-month contract, rising to £7.80 in April 2027 and £9.60 in April 2028. Our data allowance guide helps you pick a size.
Can the price go up?
On Three, yes. Every Three SIM deal in our feed carries a rise each April, of between £1.80 and £2.30 a month depending on the plan. Three must set the amount out in pounds and pence before you sign, so check the figure on the deal you choose.
iD Mobile's SIM page promises "No annual price rises" on its SIM plans, and none of its deals in our feed has one scheduled. Our price rise guide explains the rules on both.
How long do you have to commit?
iD Mobile sells SIM plans on 30-day, 12-month and 24-month terms, and its 30-day plans often cost the same as its contracts. Leaving one of its contracts early can cost up to the charges left, less the costs it saves. Text INFO to 85075 from an iD Mobile phone to see your figure.
Our comparison carries Three's SIM plans on 12 and 24-month terms. Leaving one early costs the charges left, less 3%. Our mobile exit fee calculator estimates either.
Will either run a credit check?
Both say they will. iD Mobile's site says: "For a Pay Monthly SIM only deal, you will need to pass a credit check". Three's support page says: "When you sign up for a Pay Monthly plan, we'll run a credit check". If you'd rather avoid one, neither is the route onto Three's masts. SMARTY is, as our iD Mobile vs SMARTY guide explains.
Which is better for using your phone abroad?
iD Mobile, for most trips. It includes roaming in 50 destinations at no extra cost, with up to 30GB of data a month under its fair use policy.
Three charges £2.75 a day in Europe for customers who joined from 18 December 2025, according to its Go Roam page. Its Value and Complete plans include roaming or come with daily passes, and its Lite plans don't. Three limits roaming data to 12GB a month. Its Go Roam scheme does cover more places: over 160 destinations, 49 of them in Europe.
A week in Spain costs nothing extra on iD Mobile. On a Three plan without roaming included it comes to £19.25 at the daily rate. Our EU roaming guide compares every network.
Which has the faster data?
Three's brand carries the awards. According to Ookla's Speedtest Awards for the second half of 2025, Three had the UK's fastest 5G download speeds, its sixth win in a row. Opensignal's January 2026 report also placed Three first for 5G download speed. iD Mobile uses the same masts, but neither report lists it separately.
The plan you buy matters as well. Three's SIM only plans each list "Speeds up to 100Mbps" on its own site, so that is the ceiling on a Three SIM whatever the mast can do. We couldn't confirm a figure for iD Mobile's plans, so ask before you buy if top speed matters to you.
What extras come with each?
iD Mobile's are practical. Data Rollover is free on every plan and moves unused data into the next month. Bill Capping lets you limit charges outside your plan. iD Perks adds discounts, and there's a refer-a-friend scheme and a student discount.
Three's main perk is Three+, a free rewards app with partner offers and ticket presales. It's open to pay monthly customers aged 18 or over, and to pay as you go customers who top up regularly. Three also lets you use an unlimited plan as a hotspot for other devices. Three has shops too.
How does customer service compare?
Three is easier to reach by phone. Its lines on 333 are open 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm at weekends. iD Mobile's contact page lists live chat, an automated phone service, its app and a community forum.
Ofcom's complaints figures put the two close together. From April to June 2026, iD Mobile recorded 1 complaint per 100,000 pay monthly customers and Three recorded 2, against an industry average of 2. Ofcom treats gaps that small as comparable.
Ofcom's 2024 customer service survey gave Three 87% for overall satisfaction, against an average of 88%, and 51% for complaint handling, against 61%. iD Mobile's sample was too small for Ofcom to publish satisfaction scores, so there's no like-for-like figure.
Why you might choose iD Mobile
- You want a price with no scheduled rise.
- You want a 30-day plan on Three's masts.
- You travel and want roaming included, with up to 30GB a month.
- Your data use varies, and rollover would save you money.
- You want more data for a low monthly price.
Why you might choose Three
- You live somewhere Vodafone's shared masts could fill a gap in Three's signal.
- You want the lowest starting price on unlimited data and accept the April rise.
- You'd use Three+ rewards and presale tickets.
- You want shops, and a phone line with people on it.
- You travel beyond iD Mobile's 50 destinations.
How do you switch between iD Mobile and Three?
Your signal should change little, because the masts are the same. To keep your number, text PAC to 65075 from your current phone and the code arrives within a minute. Give it to your new network, and the switch completes within one working day under Ofcom's rules. Our switching guide covers each step.
If you're still in contract, check the exit fee first. Our guide to leaving early sets out what each network charges.
Sources used
Prices, contract lengths and scheduled rises come from our live deal feed and refresh whenever the site updates. Everything else comes from the sources below, read on the dates shown.
- iD Mobile, read 23 September 2026: SIM deals, Data Rollover, roaming and coverage pages.
- Three, read 5 November 2026: unlimited data, Go Roam, credit check, Three+ and contact pages.
- Vodafone, read 5 November 2026: its network sharing explainer, for the shared masts and the brands that can use them.
- Ofcom: the Connected Nations Spring 2026 update for coverage, telecoms complaints data for April to June 2026, and the Comparing Customer Service report for 2024.
- Speed tests: Ookla's Speedtest Awards for the second half of 2025, and Opensignal's January 2026 report.