Talkmobile vs spusu: should you switch networks?

✔ Call signal is better on Talkmobile, 4G data better on spusu

Both Talkmobile and spusu are virtual providers that piggyback off a larger network for signal. Talkmobile use Vodafone’s network while spusu use EE’s network, both of which have their advantages and disadvantages.

Talkmobile hold the advantage for calls (3G/2G), with much more of the country’s landmass covered. spusu actually don’t get 3G as their hosts have switched it off, and indoor call signal is better on Talkmobile.

For 4G data signal, spusu come out ahead. Their hosts have more of their UK’s landmass covered for 4G than any other. It’s quite close between them, but spusu are generally better at providing 4G in rural areas.

Best SIM only deals on spusu & Talkmobile

We do think that having better 4G is more important than having good call signal, as 4G can also be used for calls. But it’s worth checking both networks’ coverage maps here in your area before joining either.

Useful link: See spusu’s coverage map here

✔ 5G coverage in more places on spusu

Both Talkmobile and spusu offer full access to their hosts’ 5G networks at no extra cost on all of their plans. The picture is always changing, but for now spusu hold a clear advantage for 5G coverage.

spusu’s hosts provide 5G in 336+ UK towns and cities while Talkmobile’s hosts have it in 160+ locations. But that doesn’t tell the whole story as spusu’s hosts only claim a location once 5G covers 50% of its area.

That means you’ll get 5G in even more locations on spusu than their claimed number, but signal will be less widespread in these locations. It also means spusu coverage is generally better in claimed locations than Talkmobile.

Best 5G SIM only deals on spusu & Talkmobile

In fact, Talkmobile are on the worst network for covering their 5G locations. But it’s worth checking your local area using both providers' signal maps here as you might get better signal on one than on the other.

Useful link: Read spusu’s guide to their 5G

✔ 4G data speeds are typically faster on spusu

You might think you’d get inferior speeds on budget providers like Talkmobile and spusu, but that’s not the case. Both offer identical speeds to their respective hosts. So which one has the better 4G data speeds?

Well, Opensignal take speed measurements using millions of volunteer phones up and down the country. They reported typical 4G downloads of 40.0 Mbps on spusu’s hosts and 27.9 Mbps on Talkmobile’s hosts.

That’s a clear win for spusu and our real life tests have backed that up. While speeds crawled as low as 5 Mbps on both in rural areas, we got speeds up to 110 Mbps on Talkmobile and 130+ Mbps on spusu in the city centre.

Best SIM only deals on spusu

In all, spusu are the better network for getting consistently healthy 4G data speeds, making HD video streaming and other heavier data activities go a bit smoother. It’s a good win for them.

Useful link: Read spusu’s no speed limit promise

✔ 5G data speeds are much faster on Talkmobile

While spusu hold a clear advantage for typical 4G data speeds, it’s a different story when it comes to both providers' 5G speeds. We use the speed results from Opensignal and Speedtest to show this.

They measured typical 5G speeds between 99.5 Mbps - 102.33 Mbps and peak speeds of 244.07 Mbps on spusu’s hosts and between 114.3 Mbps - 148.67 Mbps on Talkmobile’s hosts with peaks of 331.50 Mbps.

Best SIM only deals on Talkmobile

Interestingly, spusu’s results have only gone down while Talkmobile’s have only got faster. We think this shows Talkmobile’s hosts being better at dealing with the increasing amount of users getting access to 5G.

For heavier data activities such as streaming, mobile gaming or filesharing Talkmobile will be the better option. They’re not the fastest out there, but they will be more than fast enough for most users.

Useful link: Read Talkmobile’s 5G guide

✔ WiFi calling device support is better on Talkmobile

It’s likely that you’ve run into issues connecting to call signal in your home at least once. This is where WiFi calling and 4G calling come in handy, letting you make calls over WiFi/4G where call signal is weak.

Both providers offer these features. However, Talkmobile support more devices for WiFi calling. They support more older iPhone models and claim to support any compatible Android, while spusu’s list is more limited.

Best SIM only deals on Talkmobile

However, spusu’s list may be defensive and it’s possible that devices not listed will work. But with Talkmobile at least you can be sure. Other than that their WiFi calling features are very similar.

We couldn’t transfer calls from a WiFi call to 4G without it dropping. But you can send texts via WiFi and 4G signal on both. The only main difference is their device support, which Talkmobile is a bit better for.

Useful link: Read Talkmobile’s guide to their WiFi calling

✔ spusu’s inclusive EU roaming is more comprehensive

You might think being on a budget provider would stop you from getting inclusive EU roaming. But both spusu and Talkmobile include EU roaming while their host networks make you pay extra for it.

spusu let you roam in these 38 EU/EEA destinations at no added cost. They do limit the amount of mins, texts and data you can use while there and this limit changes depending on the size of your plan.

Their smallest plan limits you to 10GB and 500 mins and texts, which should be enough for a short trip. If not, spusu do offer “Travel” plans that let you use your whole data allowance at a slightly higher price.

spusu’s best SIM only deals

You can also use the 500 inclusive mins to EU numbers that spusu include in all their plans while in the EU. In all, spusu offer a lot that EU travellers will like and are one of the best networks for EU roaming.

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

✔ Talkmobile’s EU roaming is a bit more restrictive

Talkmobile also let you roam in these 41 EU destinations on all of their plans at no added cost. They had removed it for a while, but we think they’ve made the right decision in bringing it back.

But you will be limited to 5GB while there. We still think most people won’t hit that limit on a short trip, but if you’re a heavier data user or need to go abroad for longer you’re likely to go over that.

Talkmobile’s best SIM only deals

If you do you can buy a Euro Holiday Booster to keep using data. These give you unlimited mins, texts and an amount of data (we think it’s 15GB) for 1 day, 8 days or 15 days to suit your needs.

We do find Talkmobile’s data limits a bit restrictive, but at least they don’t limit your mins or texts. Still, we think that spusu just offer a bit more with their EU roaming, so we give them the win here.

Useful link: Read Talkmobile’s EU roaming guide

✔ spusu are much better for international calls

If you’ve got friends or family in the EU, you’ll like that spusu give you an extra allowance of minutes and texts to EU numbers. You don’t have to pay anything extra to get these, they’re included on all spusu plans.

Last time we checked the number was the same on all plans. You get 500 mins and texts to EU numbers (even on their unlimited plan) each month. That’s a fair amount, but some users might want a bit more than that.

Best SIM only deals on spusu

spusu don’t have any add-ons to get more EU mins or texts, so to keep in touch you’ll have to pay per min or text at spusu’s international rates. Thankfully these tend to be quite low compared to other networks.

We still think it would be better if spusu offered plans with unlimited EU mins and texts or offered better value add-ons for this. But as it stands, it’s a nice extra benefit that spusu offer that Talkmobile don’t.

Useful link: See spusu’s international calling rates here

✔ Talkmobile have some handy benefits that spusu don’t

Talkmobile do offer a few things that might make you prefer to join them over spusu. The first is that, on top of their great value 1-month contracts, they also offer 12-month contracts that can be better value.

You also don’t need to pass a credit check for these, which is usually one of the downsides of longer contracts. You’ll have to stay on Talkmobile for 12 months, but the extra value might just make it worth it.

Talkmobile also offer some data add-ons to tide you over if you run out. spusu do have fairly low extra data rates, but Talkmobile’s add-ons can work out to better value (but they only last 7 days).

Best SIM only deals on Talkmobile

Both networks have similarly flexible spending caps to prevent overspending on extras and similarly excellent customer service for such small networks. We can’t split them on these, but they’re worth knowing about.

Useful link: See Talkmobile’s range of 12-month SIM only contracts