VOXI vs Talkmobile: which Vodafone-based network is best?

✔ We found no difference in 5G/4G/3G/2G coverage

VOXI are a sub-brand of Vodafone, while Talkmobile are still ultimately owned by Vodafone but are run much more like a separate company. Both providers get full access to Vodafone’s 5G/4G/3G/2G networks. So what does that mean in terms of real life coverage?

Well, both providers get access to the joint-largest network for calls and texts (3G/2G). Their hosts cover 99% of the UK’s physical landmass for call signal and cover most of the areas where people actually live.

Both providers also benefit from their hosts’ 4G data, covering the majority of UK towns and cities while also reaching some surprisingly rural locations. You’ll stay on 4G more often with them than on some other networks.

And both networks offer 5G access, meaning you’ll get 5G signal in the same 141+ UK towns and cities. Coverage within these locations is identical between the two, which you can check using their signal maps below.

Useful link: Talkmobile’s network guide page

✔ Both networks offer identical 4G/5G speeds

While both VOXI and Talkmobile are smaller providers, they both offer identical speeds to their host network, Vodafone. There are no built-in speed caps and we noticed no differences in our real life tests of them.

Best value Talkmobile and VOXI SIM only deals with 5G

Talkmobile and VOXI include 5G access as standard. Here are their current best value deals that include it:

According to independent network testers Opensignal you can expect typical 4G speeds of 21.2 Mbps on either network. In real life, we got speeds as high as 110+ Mbps in the city on both and as low as 5 Mbps in rural areas.

For 5G, we used results from Opensignal and Speedtest by Ookla which showed typical speeds between 105.2 Mbps - 133.54 Mbps. Since there are no speed caps you can get potentially higher speeds than that on both.

Overall there’s no differences in data speeds between the two providers. The speeds you get will depend highly on where you use your phone, but you’ll get the same speeds in the same areas on both.

Useful link: Talkmobile’s latest network upgrades

✔ VOXI include WiFi calling and 4G calling on every plan

While both networks have excellent coverage for calls, you can still run into signal blackspots indoors on any network if you’re somewhere tricky to reach. VOXI offer WiFi calling and 4G calling on all plans to help with this.

This works by letting your phone connect to WiFi or 4G signal to connect to calls where conventional call signal (3G/2G) is poor. And you can send and receive texts via WiFi and 4G signal too.

You can also transfer from a WiFi call to a 4G call without it dropping. The only main downside is that VOXI don’t cover as many Android models as some other networks (check their supported device list here).

Overall it’s a great feature to help out if you’re struggling to get call signal in your home or anywhere else. Just bear in mind it might not work if you’re on an older Android device.

Useful link: How to get WiFi calling on VOXI

✔ Talkmobile’s WiFi/4G calling can be tricky to get working

Talkmobile’s WiFi/4G calling feature has only recently been introduced. As a consequence it can be harder to get it to work than on other networks, especially on older Android devices.

Their online chat agent told us that most iPhone models will be supported, while only a few of the newest Android models are supported. And you'll need the latest software update for it to work.

When we tested it out we found we were able to send text messages over WiFi and 4G signal. But when we tried to move from WiFi to 4G signal our call dropped.

It’s still a decent feature if you can get it to work and we think it has some room to grow. But for now it’s a bit behind most other networks.

Useful link: Talkmobile’s guide to their network improvements

✔ Talkmobile have brought back inclusive EU roaming

Talkmobile have reintroduced EU roaming after having removed it. This means you can roam in these 41 EU destinations at no extra cost on any Talkmobile plan.

While abroad you will be limited to 5GB of your allowance. It used to be 15GB and while it might sound restrictive, it’s more than most people will use up on a small trip anyway.

If you do hit that limit, Talkmobile offer Euro Holiday Boosters. These give you unlimited calls, texts and 15GB of data for 1 day, 8 days or 15 days depending on which one you take and are decent value.

They don’t offer any inclusive roaming outside out of the EU, so you’ll have to top up and pay at these rates to do so. Still, they’re now a good choice for short trips to the EU again.

Useful link: Full Talkmobile roaming terms and conditions

✖ VOXI don’t have inclusive EU roaming

VOXI are one of the networks that removed inclusive EU roaming from their plans. You now have to pay a daily rate of £2 a day to roam in these EU destinations.

You can take some time-limited passes for EU roaming. These let you use your mins, texts and 20GB of your allowance for 1 day, 2 days, 8 days or 15 days depending on which one you take. But you’re still paying.

VOXI also offer Global Roaming Extras for going beyond the EU that are decent value. These are time limited allowances of mins, texts and data for a one time cost. Otherwise you’ll have to pay their steep rates.

But in our eyes, we think more people will care about going to the EU. Between the two, only VOXI make you pay extra for EU roaming. So, overall we’d say Talkmobile are the better network for roaming.

Useful link: Full costs and charges when roaming on VOXI

✔ VOXI include Unlimited Social Media on every plan

VOXI offer some great benefits to help their users hold onto their data and get more out of your phone, the first of which is their Unlimited Social Media data. We ranked it as the best social media data scheme of all networks.

How it works is that the data you use on these social media apps won’t come out of your monthly allowance of data. This benefit comes on every VOXI SIM only plan and phone contract, even their cheapest one:

This is especially handy when using image or video based social media apps as it can save you a nice chunk of your monthly allowance. But you’ll have to stay on the app to benefit as it doesn’t work with browsers.

There are a couple of things to bear in mind. Firstly, the benefit doesn’t work while roaming. Secondly, you have to have some leftover regular data for the benefit to work. But overall it’s a great scheme.

Useful link: VOXI's full guide to Unlimited social data

✔ VOXI offer Unlimited Video on higher end plans

If you liked the look of VOXI’s Unlimited Social Media then you’ll probably love their Unlimited Video benefit, which does essentially the same thing with video streaming services like YouTube, Netflix and others.

This benefit lets you stream video on these apps without using up your data allowance, which is amazing for keeping yourself entertained on a long journey. And you can tether to larger devices and still benefit.

VOXI plans with Unlimited Video

Here are all the VOXI plans that include their Unlimited Video benefit:

We tested it ourselves by letting a 4K YouTube video run on data for a whole day. When we checked on the YouTube app it said we had used up hundreds of GB, but none of it came out of our data allowance.

If you’re going to join VOXI on a higher end plan then it is a fantastic extra benefit. But like their Unlimited Social Media benefit you’ve got to have some data left and it doesn’t work while roaming.

Useful link: More about VOXI's Unlimited Video

✔ VOXI reward you for bringing friends onto their network

If you’re an existing VOXI customer and you’ve got friends looking to join on a new deal then you can get extra rewards for referring them onto VOXI. These usually take the form of Amazon gift cards.

All you have to do is send your friend a special referral link where they’ll take out their VOXI deal. Then once they’ve stayed on their plan for 2 months you’ll both get an Amazon gift card as a reward.

These are usually similar in value to the amount your friend paid for your plan, but it’s worth checking here anyway. Overall it’s a nice little reward from VOXI for referring new users onto them.

We think that straight up money in your pocket or off your bill would be a better reward, however. And there are some networks that do offer this. But it’s a good scheme for what it is.

Useful link: Full offer terms

✔ Both networks offer flexible deals

Both VOXI and Talkmobile offer flexible plans that let you switch or leave your plan month to month. All of VOXI’s plans are on 1-month deals, while Talkmobile offer a range of plans on 1-month contracts.

The obvious benefit of this is that you can switch to a cheaper plan if you’re paying for more than you need. Or you can move to a larger plan if you often go over your allowance. Or you can leave when you like.

And both networks let you join them without having to pass a credit check, making them both good alternatives to Vodafone if you’ve failed a credit check with them.

The main difference is that you pay upfront for your VOXI plan, meaning if you want to use extras you’ll have to top up with credit. With Talkmobile any extra usage will be billed for your next month.

Useful link: Our guide to every network with 1-month deals

✔ VOXI offer a good value and flexible phone deals

VOXI offer a range of new and old phones on split contracts. These are finance agreements where the cost of your device and usage (mins, texts, data) plan are different payments that combine to make your monthly bill.

You pay off the cost of your phone over 30 months. However you can pay lump sum amounts to shorten your contract or pay off the cost of your device altogether. You can also swap usage plans after your first 30 days.

You can switch usage plans as many times as you like after that, or leave your VOXI usage plan while still paying off your device if you like. That can help you save money in the long term.

The main downside is that it might be harder to pass a credit check to join one, since the network have to be sure you can pay them back. So bear that in mind if you’ve got any blips in your credit history.

Useful link: VOXI's FAQs about their phone contracts

✔ Get better value Talkmobile phone deals via resellers

Talkmobile’s phone contracts are a bit different to other networks. You can’t take one straight away, but instead you can upgrade to one of their phone deals after staying on a SIM only deal for a few months.

On the one hand you won’t have to pass a credit check to upgrade to a phone contract. On the other hand, if you want a new phone deal right away then you’re out of luck with Talkmobile.

However, you can take a Talkmobile phone contract via a third party reseller such as Fonehouse. These are better value than joining via Talkmobile directly, so they’re definitely worth a look.

Other than that, Talkmobile’s contracts are on 24-month contracts with no way to pay off your phone early. The fact you also have to wait to upgrade means we can’t really see who Talkmobile’s phone deals appeal to.

Useful link: More about upgrading to a phone contract