spusu vs 1pMobile: how they compare to each other

✔ 4G data and 2G call signal are identical between them

1pMobile and spusu are very similar in that they are smaller budget providers that piggyback off EE’s network for signal. But are there any differences in signal between them or being on EE directly?

Both providers offer identical 2G call signal to being on EE directly, which covers most parts of the country. But it’s no longer backed up by 3G as they’ve shut it off, and indoor call signal can be a weakness.

The benefit of the 3G switch off is that EE have improved their already excellent 4G. Both spusu and 1p get full access to this with no differences between them. That’s great considering the low cost of their plans.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile and spusu

However, some customers on spusu have complained of an issue receiving One Time Password text messages. This isn’t an issue of coverage, but is an issue receiving inbound texts on spusu, you won’t experience on 1p.

Useful link: Check 1pMobile’s signal map | Check spusu’s coverage here

✔ 5G data signal is also identical on both providers

You may think that being on a budget provider like 1pMobile or spusu would limit you from getting access to EE’s superfast 5G network. But that’s not the case. Both providers offer 5G access on their all plans.

As of the last time we checked, EE claimed to have 5G live in 336+ UK towns and cities and you’ll get 5G in the same areas on both 1p and spusu. But how good is coverage within those locations?

Plans with loads of data on spusu vs 1p

Their hosts only claim to cover a location once 5G is available in 50% of its area. So signal is generally great in their locations, and you can also get 5G in even more places than claimed, just with worse signal.

5G is another big advantage of being on EE’s network. But since there’s no difference between them here, it’s not a point of comparison. Still, it’s handy to check signal using both providers’ coverage maps first.

Useful link: What spusu say about their 5G

✔ 4G data speeds are exactly the same on both providers

So, if there’s no difference in the coverage you get on 1pMobile and spusu, are there any differences in the actual speeds you get between them? The short answer is no. Speeds are identical on both providers.

You’ll get the same typical 4G data speeds of 40.0 Mbps measured by Opensignal on 1pMobile and spusu as you would on EE directly. That means they’re on the fastest UK network for 4G data speeds.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile and spusu

However, speeds will vary massively depending on location. In our tests, speeds went as low as 5 Mbps out in the countryside. However, in the city centre we got the highest result of any network of 130+ Mbps.

So, again, there’s no difference here between being on 1pMobile and spusu. Both get identical 4G data speeds to their hosts, with no built-in speed limits to speak of (which actually makes them better than EE).

Useful link: 1pMobile’s SIM only deals | spusu’s SIM only deals

✔ 5G data speeds are also identical on the two providers

There are no built in speed limits on spusu or 1pMobile, meaning you’ll get the same speeds on both that you’d get with their hosts. So what kinds of speeds can you actually expect?

According to Opensignal and Speedtest by Ookla, typical 5G speeds on spusu and 1pMobile’s host network sit between 99.5 Mbps - 102.33 Mbps. And Speedtest measured peak speeds of 244.07 Mbps.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile and spusu

That’s a lot faster than 4G, but these results have gone down over time. This is likely due to more and more users getting access to 5G, but they’re now down in third place behind Three and Vodafone for 5G speeds.

Still, there’s no difference in speeds at all between 1pMobile and spusu. So, again, this isn’t something we can compare them on.

Useful link: See spusu’s no data speed limit promise

✔ WiFi calling is a better feature on 1pMobile

Call signal (2G/3G) can sometimes struggle to get through building materials, which is something you’ll know if you’ve ever been unable to make a call at home. Providers on EE in particular can suffer from this.

This is where WiFi/4G calling comes in handy. This lets you connect to calls via WiFi and 4G signal where call signal is weak. Between the two providers, 1pMobile have the better implemented feature.

1pMobile's best SIM only deals

1p include it on all plans at no added cost. So as long as your phone supports WiFi calling it should simply work. 1p don’t list their supported devices, so you’ll have to check with your phone’s manufacturer.

You can also switch from a WiFi call to 4G without it dropping on 1p. Our test with spusu failed. But spusu do list which devices they support, we’re just not sure if phones not listed will work. 1p’s scheme is just better in all.

Useful link: Check which devices spusu support for WiFi calling here

✔ spusu have a few more handy network features than 1p

While 1pMobile may have the better WiFi calling scheme, spusu offer a couple of useful network features that 1pMobile don’t. The first and best one in our eyes is their eSIMs.

eSIMs are digital SIMs that you can download straight to your phone without having to wait for your SIM card to arrive. Not only does it save time, but it makes switching between networks easier on dual SIM phones.

spusu's best SIM only deals

spusu also include call forwarding on all their plans, letting you divert incoming calls to another number. That’s useful if you don’t want to be bothered on your main number.

We don’t think either feature will be the main reason someone would join spusu, but they can definitely come in handy. And 1pMobile are otherwise very light on extra network features.

Useful link: Read spusu’s guide to their eSIMs

✔ spusu’s EU roaming scheme is better overall

Both providers offer inclusive EU roaming, so the difference between them will come down to how much of your allowance of mins, texts and data they let you use there. And also any other destinations included.

spusu include roaming in 38 EU countries but set different limits on your mins, texts and data on each plan. This makes it harder to compare, but most of their plans are limited to 500 mins, texts and 10GB of data.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile and spusu

That’s actually more restrictive than on 1p, but spusu do other things better. First, they offer travel plans without fair usage limits at all which tend to not be that much more expensive than their regular plans.

You can use your inclusive international mins there, connect to 5G while abroad and take an eSIM while roaming, so they’re handy in an emergency. And they include roaming in Switzerland. spusu offer more overall.

Useful link: Read spusu’s guide to their EU roaming

✔ 1pMobile’s EU roaming isn’t quite as comprehensive

It’s a close-run thing between these two networks, as we really like 1pMobile’s EU roaming scheme too. It’s a lot simpler than spusu’s with one fair usage policy for all plans, but they don’t offer quite as much.

While in these 46 EU countries you can use all your mins and texts to EU numbers and up to 14GB of data. That’s more than most spusu plans let you use, but 1p don’t offer any plans without limits like spusu do.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile and spusu

1pMobile also don’t support 5G abroad. Our decision between them really comes down to spusu offering a way to use a lot more data and giving you 5G to go speeding ahead.

Again, we really like 1pMobile’s EU roaming scheme and in some situations it can be better than spusu’s. But we think spusu just offer a bit more to appeal to more people, so we just pick them here.

Useful link: Read 1pMobile’s guide to their EU roaming

✔ spusu include some international calls on their plans

spusu are a great choice if you’ve got family or friends living in the EU, as they include a 500 international mins from the UK to these countries on all their plans.

That’s a generous amount considering their low-cost plans and should be enough to tide most people over for the month. But if you do run out, their out of plan rates are quite low at 10p per min and 15p per text.

Current SIM only plans on spusu

We do think it’s a bit odd they don’t have any plans with unlimited EU minutes or any add-ons for this, as that’s something some customers would definitely need. It would help customers avoid paying those rates.

It’s a good scheme for what it is, but it’s not quite as good as Lebara or Lyca’s schemes that give you inclusive mins to most worldwide countries. Still, it’s a nice added benefit to get on such low cost plans.

Useful link: Our guide to the best networks for international calling

✔ There are some smaller better benefits on spusu too

There are a couple of smaller benefits that spusu offer that may come in handy. The first is that you can set a spending cap how you like with them. This is to limit overspending on things like international calls.

You can set your limit between £0 - £100 in £1 increments depending on how much you mind spending outside of your plan. You can also choose not to set a cap. It’s very flexible and handy for preventing overspending.

Current SIM only plans on spusu

spusu are also a bit better if you’ve run out of data and need a bit extra to tide you over. They don’t actually have data add-ons, but you can pay for your data at 0.04p per MB. That works out to £4 per GB.

That works out cheaper than 1pMobile’s 1GB for £5 add-on and is more flexible if you only need a bit of data rather than an entire GB. Just make sure to set your spending cap how you need it to prevent overspending.

Useful link: Our guide to the best networks for data add-ons

✔ 1pMobile offer rewards for referring friends to them

If you’ve got family or friends that are looking to join a new network, you’ll like the rewards that 1pMobile give you for referring people to them. Both of you get £5 free credit after you bring them onto 1p.

All you have to do is send your friend a referral link where they’ll be able to sign up to their plan. Then after they’ve been with 1pMobile for 30 days, you’ll both get your rewards.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile

And there’s no limit to how many friends you can sign up. So you can get some seriously good value out of this scheme, your friend gets a new plan and 1p get a new customer. It’s a real win-win-win scenario.

Still, we’d like the scheme more if they gave you back the money directly. But as it stands, it’s a great scheme for getting even better value out of already great value plans.

Useful link: Read 1pMobile’s guide to their referral scheme

✔ There are a couple of better small benefits on 1p

There are a couple smaller benefits you might prefer on 1p. First, the price of your plan won’t go up at all while you’re with them (which we confirmed with their chat agent), so long as you stay on the same one.

spusu have a similar promise to not increase their plan prices, but that’s only until 2026. Since the main reason for joining one of the two is their low costs, you’ll love that 1p don’t up your plan’s cost at all.

Current SIM only plans on 1pMobile

1p also have a couple of annual SIMs where you pay for the whole year up front. These give you unlimited mins and texts and a bit of data that renews each month and can be better value than paying per month.

These sorts of plans are best for those who don’t use a lot of data and just want to be able to call and not worry about paying their bill each month. But we still think most users will prefer 1p’s monthly plans.

Useful link: Our guide to the best networks for price rises