Three and Vodafone are now part of the same company. Their merger completed on 31 May 2025 to form VodafoneThree, and Vodafone took full ownership on 30 July 2026. The two still trade as separate brands, with their own plans, prices, perks and apps, and each one's customers can use the other's masts at sites where sharing has been switched on. So the question has changed from which network is better to which brand's plans suit you.
How do Three and Vodafone 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 |  Three |  Vodafone |
|---|---|---|
| Owned by | VodafoneThree | VodafoneThree |
| Runs on | Its own network, plus Vodafone masts where they're shared | Its own network, plus Three masts where they're shared |
| SIM only from | £6 a month | £7 a month |
| Cheapest unlimited data | £12.42 a month | £26 a month |
| Capped data plans | 1GB to 250GB, plus unlimited | 1GB to 200GB, plus unlimited |
| Contracts in our deals | 12 months and 24 months | 30-day, 12 months and 24 months |
| Scheduled price rises | 28 of 28 deals: up £1.80 to £2.30 a month from April 2027 | 86 of 91 deals: up £1.50 to £2.50 a month from April 2027 |
| EU roaming | £2.75 a day. Included on newer Value and Complete plans; 12GB fair use. | £2.75 a day. Eight-day pass £16; included on Xtra plans; 25GB fair use. |
| eSIM | Yes. eSIM is the default choice at checkout; plastic is the opt-out. | Yes. Every SIM only plan; also on rolling pay as you go plans. |
| Leaving early | 30-day: nothing. 12 or 24 months: the charges left, less 3%. | 30-day: nothing. 12 or 24 months: the charges left, less 2%. |
| Deals | See Three deals | See Vodafone 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.
Are Three and Vodafone the same network now?
Not quite, but they're getting closer. The group says mast sharing was live at more than 10,000 sites by May 2026, and at those sites a Three phone can connect to a Vodafone mast and the other way round. The full rollout is expected to take until around 2033, so in many places you still get one network's signal or the other's.
Ofcom still measures them separately. Its January 2026 figures put them within two points of each other on every measure. Indoor 4G reaches 96.6% of premises on Three and 97.4% on Vodafone, rural indoor 4G is 85.0% against 86.7%, and outdoor 5G is 75.9% against 77.3%. Outdoor 4G is 99.8% on both. Check your own postcode on our mobile coverage map, because the sharing isn't everywhere yet.
Which has the faster 5G?
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, and Opensignal's January 2026 report also placed it first. Vodafone's network didn't take those awards, though as sharing spreads the two will increasingly use the same masts and spectrum.
Which is cheaper, Three or Vodafone?
For unlimited data on a two-year contract, Three cost less over the term when we checked on 17 October 2026. Three's cheapest was £22 a month, rising to £24.30 in April 2027 and £26.60 in April 2028, or £583.20 over the contract. Vodafone's started lower at £21 a month, but that was an introductory rate: it rises to £28.50 in April 2027 and £31 in April 2028, or £684 in total.
Both unlimited plans come with a speed cap. Three's unlimited SIM only plans list "speeds up to 100Mbps" on its own page, and Vodafone's plain Unlimited plan has "max download and upload speeds of 100Mbps". Vodafone also sells Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Premier tiers with no speed restrictions, which Three doesn't offer.
On shorter terms the picture flips. Our comparison carries Three's SIM plans on 12 and 24-month terms, and its cheapest 12-month unlimited plan was £7.84 a month to start, rising to £14.72 from April 2027. Vodafone had no 12-month unlimited plan in our feed but does sell 30-day plans, with unlimited data at £47 a month. Vodafone's cheapest plan overall was £4 a month for 60GB on 24 months, rising to £13.50 and then £16. Our data allowance guide covers how much you need.
Can the price go up during the contract?
Yes, on both. Vodafone's SIM page says: "Each year, on 1 April, your monthly plan charge will increase" by £2.50 for pay monthly airtime and data plans, and by £1.50 on its Basics plans. Three's rise varies by deal; the deals in our feed carry rises of £1.80 to £2.30 a month each April, which is why the table shows a range. Both must set the amount out in pounds and pence before you sign, as our price rise guide explains.
Which is better for using your phone abroad?
They charge the same daily rate. Three charges £2.75 a day for customers who joined from 18 December 2025, with roaming included or daily passes bundled on its Value and Complete plans, and a 12GB monthly cap on roaming data. Vodafone charges a daily rate on plans that don't include roaming, sells an eight-day pass for £16 and a 15-day pass for £21, and caps roaming data at 25GB a month. EU roaming is included on selected Vodafone plans, including its featured unlimited plan.
The difference, then, is the allowance: 25GB on Vodafone against 12GB on Three. Three's Go Roam covers more than 160 destinations worldwide, 49 of them in Europe. Our EU roaming guide covers every network's terms.
What perks and family discounts come with each?
Three+ is a free rewards app for pay monthly and pay as you go customers aged 18 or over, with partner offers and ticket presales. Vodafone's equivalent is VeryMe Rewards, which Vodafone describes as weekly treats, offers and discounts, open to pay monthly customers and to pay as you go customers who top up at least £10 every six weeks.
For households, Vodafone Together gives discounts when you put two or more eligible plans on one account, and it counts Vodafone broadband too. Three doesn't currently publish a multi-line discount on its site. If you want mobile and broadband from one provider, Vodafone is the one of the two with a stated bundle.
Will either run a credit check?
Both say they will on pay monthly plans. Three's support page says: "When you sign up for a Pay Monthly plan, we'll run a credit check". Vodafone is candid about its own, warning that "you might fail our credit check, even if a credit agency has given you a high score". Vodafone's Pay as you go Plus SIM needs no credit check, according to its SIM page.
How do their customer service records compare?
Ofcom's figures for January to March 2026 recorded 1 complaint per 100,000 Vodafone customers and 2 for Three, against an industry average of 2. Ofcom treats both as comparable with the average, so the gap isn't meaningful.
Ofcom's 2024 customer service survey gave Three 87% for overall satisfaction and Vodafone 84%, against an 88% average, and 78% against 77% for value for money. Vodafone did better on complaint handling, at 62% satisfied against Three's 51%, and on the phone queue, with an average wait of 29 seconds against 46. Both have shops and phone lines; Three's runs 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm at weekends.
Why you might choose Three
- You want the lower total cost on a two-year unlimited plan.
- You want a cheap 12-month unlimited plan rather than a two-year commitment.
- The fastest 5G speeds in independent tests matter to you, and 5G where you live is already good.
- You travel beyond Europe and would use Go Roam's wider list of destinations.
Why you might choose Vodafone
- You want an unlimited plan with no speed cap, on its Plus or Premier tiers.
- You want a 30-day plan, which our comparison carries for Vodafone and not for Three.
- You want mobile and broadband together under Vodafone Together.
- Roaming allowance matters: 25GB a month against Three's 12GB.
How do you switch between Three and Vodafone?
Being in the same group doesn't make this an internal move. Your account, plan and number transfer work exactly as a switch between any two networks. To keep your number, text PAC to 65075 from your current phone. The code arrives within a minute, and your new network completes the switch within one working day under Ofcom's rules. Our switching guide covers each step.
Leaving early costs an exit fee on both. Three charges the payments left, less 3%, and Vodafone charges the payments left, less 2%. Our mobile exit fee calculator works out either.
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.
- Three, read 17 October 2026: unlimited data, Go Roam and credit check pages.
- Vodafone, read 17 October 2026: SIM only, roaming and credit check pages, plus its newsroom for the merger and its network sharing explainer.
- Ofcom: the Connected Nations Spring 2026 update for coverage, telecoms complaints data for January to March 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.