VOXI vs Three: which is the better network to join in 2022?

✔ VOXI's 4G/3G/2G network is bigger than Three's

VOXI are a sub-brand owned and operated by Vodafone. Coverage is identical to being on Vodafone directly. Three are their own company and operate their own separate network.

Being on Vodafone is good news for VOXI’s call signal (3G/2G) coverage as they are able to cover more of the UK’s physical landmass than Three and generally get better signal to the places where people actually live.

The same goes for 4G data signal, as you’ll get 4G in more places on VOXI than you would on Three, although there's basically no difference between them in built-up urban areas.

We always recommend using their coverage checkers below to see which is best in your area. Don’t just check your home, but everywhere you’re expecting to use your phone.

Useful link: VOXI’s guide to their network

✔ Three have the most widespread 5G network in the UK

The four major UK networks (Three, Vodafone, EE and O2) are rapidly expanding their networks to provide 5G signal to more and more locations in the UK. Three have by far the largest.

Three claim to have 5G in 300+ towns and cities compared to VOXI's 120+ UK towns and cities. We can’t say what percentage of the population is covered, but Three have more than twice the covered locations of VOXI.

In all fairness, just because a location is covered by 5G doesn’t mean you’ll get 5G everywhere in that location. It’s still on a street by street basis, but even here Three tends to be a bit more consistent.

Whatever the case, use VOXI and Three's network maps to see where they have 5G on a street-by-street basis and if they actually have it in your area.

Useful link: Three's plans for their 5G rollout

✔ Independent tests put Three ahead of VOXI

To get an idea of each networks data speeds, we use the results of independent network testers Speedtest by Ookla and Opensignal who take speed measurements using millions of volunteer phones.

Opensignal measured Three’s average data speeds as 25.2 Mbps while VOXI’s were 21.6 Mbps. That’s not a huge difference, but videos typically run a bit more smoothly and files will download a bit quicker on Three.

From our own testing we found that VOXI’s speeds can vary more than other networks, with rural 4G dropping to 7 Mbps but urban 4G hitting peaks of 80+ Mbps. Three didn’t reach those peak speeds, but were less varied.

For 5G, Three are by far the faster of the two. The results from both network testers puts Three’s speeds between 103.9 Mbps and 221.8 Mbps vs VOXI’s 73.3 Mbps and 149.9 Mbps.

Useful link: Three's 5G speed expectations

✔ Three’s WiFi calling is our favourite for flexibility

WiFi calling is now a fairly standard feature on most mobile networks. It lets you connect to calls using WiFi signal instead of conventional 2G/3G signal, helping save phone battery and stay connected where signal is poor.

Three’s WiFi calling is our favourite for the amount of phone models supported (check your phone is supported here) and the fact it comes as standard on all plans. It’s easy to get WiFi calling to work on Three.

You’ll also get 4G Calling (or VoLTE) with Three if your phone is supported. This is great news for Three as their 4G is much better at getting into buildings than their 3G, and generally this improves coverage and quality for calls.

Three also offer a network of free WiFi hotspots on the Underground on all of their plans. This lets you stay connected and pairs well with their WiFi calling, but is only really useful for London residents.

Useful link: Three's guide to their mobile network

✔ VOXI’s WiFi calling feature is similar to Three’s

If you join VOXI on any of their plans you’ll get WiFi calling and 4G calling as standard. It’s mostly the same as Three’s in terms of how it works, but have the same list of supported devices as Vodafone.

There’s a few older Android models that aren’t supported, but most of the newer models and iPhone models should work just fine.

Another thing that separates the two is that you’ll no longer get free WiFi on the Underground with VOXI. So you’ve got no chance of staying connected while on the Underground, unlike on Three.

The only thing we’d say VOXI’s network features have over Three’s is that VOXI’s greater 4G coverage means their 4G calling is a little bit more useful. But overall VOXI just fall slightly short here.

Useful link: VOXI’s guide to their network features

✖ VOXI no longer offer EU roaming

VOXI have followed in their host network Vodafone’s footsteps by no longer including EU roaming at no extra cost. You’ll now have to pay a daily rate to roam in these 47 EU destinations, or buy a time-limited roaming pass.

To add to the downsides, VOXI’s Endless Social Media and Endless Video data benefits won’t work while you’re abroad. And VOXI limit your data usage to 20GB while abroad, even though you’re already paying to access your allowance.

If you go beyond the EU you’ll either have to pay with credit (see charges per country here) or you can buy either an 8 day or 15 day roaming extra pass which gives you a bundle of minutes, texts and data for a one time cost.

In the end, it’s not like VOXI are uniquely poor for EU roaming, as more and more networks are getting rid of it. But we don’t appreciate the fact that users on VOXI will pay considerably more to roam, so we have to be critical of them.

Useful link: Full costs and charges when roaming on VOXI

✖ Three also don’t offer inclusive EU roaming

Three used to be our top pick for best EU roaming and worldwide roaming networks. But since they’ve binned their roaming scheme, they’re now easily last in our rankings.

You used to be able to roam on 71 EU and worldwide destinations as standard on any of their plans. Now you’ll have to pay a daily charge of £2 a day in the EU and £5 a day outside the EU.

Even though you’re paying to access your regular allowance, you’re also limited to 12GB in the EU. While you can use your whole data allowance beyond the EU, your calls and texts will be limited.

We find it a bit annoying that your data use is limited even though you’re paying to use it. It’s a real shame that they’ve done away with their inclusive worldwide roaming as it was one of a kind.

Useful link: Roaming costs in non-inclusive destinations

✔ Endless Social Media data on all VOXI plans

In our eyes, VOXI have the best free social media data scheme of all the UK networks. Their Endless Social Media data scheme comes as standard on even the cheapest plan (phone and SIM deals).

When you use any of the covered social media apps (see full list here) the data you would usually use up won’t come out of your monthly allowance. For some that can add up to a lot of saved data.

This really comes in handy for apps like Twitter as you also don’t use data for loading images or videos. You just have to make sure you don't leave the app or use an internet browser as you’ll use up data then.

It’s a great way of saving a bit of data and is an edge over Three who have nothing of the sort. It won’t work if you’ve used up your whole allowance though and it doesn’t work while roaming.

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

✔ VOXI include Endless Video streaming on bigger plans

On all but the cheapest plan(s), VOXI also throw in their Endless Video benefit, which lets you stream YouTube, Netflix and all these other entertainment services without eating into your data.

This could save potentially hundreds of GB if you’re a heavy streamer. It’s especially great for tethering to screens with larger devices as that’s also covered by the benefit.

VOXI plans with Endless Video

These plans all include the benefit:

We left Youtube running on data to test whether it really was endless. When we came back it said we had used hundreds of GB worth of data, but not a single MB of it had come out of our allowance.

This is another incredible benefit of joining VOXI. It’s one of our favourite free streaming data schemes and is one of the biggest reasons we’d consider joining VOXI in the first place.

Useful link: More about VOXI's Endless Video

✔ Three have very few exclusive benefits left

Three used to be one of our highest rated networks because of all the benefits that made it really great value. But as time has gone by, more and more of these benefits have been removed for new customers:

You’ll no longer get their Go Binge scheme, which let you stream certain apps without eating into your data. This was very much like VOXI’s Endless Video benefit basically.

Their Wuntu app is also gone. This used to get you unique offers on restaurants and shopping, but has now been replaced by their Three+ benefit which is similar but still in development.

They also used to have a unique benefit that got you extra hand luggage on easyJet which is gone, leaving them with precious little in the way of benefits.

They’re almost a no-frills network now without the cheap prices. If you want a cheaper alternative that’s also on Three’s network, take a look at our guide to their sub-brand SMARTY.

Useful link: Three's cheaper sub-brand SMARTY

✔ VOXI's phone contracts are more flexible

VOXI offer all of their phone deals on what are called “split contracts”. This means that you’re paying two separate bills at the end of each month. One for the cost of your phone and one for the usage (mins, texts and data).

The benefit of this is that you can change your usage plan after the first 30 days to suit your budget without having to pay off your phone. Their phone contracts are 30 months but you can pay to shorten the length of this.

This means you get more flexibility to tailor your contract to your needs, and you can end up paying less if you end up changing your usage plan to a cheaper one.

The only issue is that you’ll have to pass a credit check, and these can be quite harsh as the network has to be sure that you can afford to pay them back for the phone. If you’ve missed a bill in the pass you might be denied.

Useful link: VOXI's FAQs about their phone contracts

✔ Three's phone contracts are simple and fairly priced

Three’s phone deals are pretty standard. You get put on a 24-month contract over which you pay off the cost of your phone. There’s no option to upgrade early or pay lump sums to lower your monthly bill.

This lack of flexibility might be a deal breaker for some, but Three offer their phone contracts at fair prices, and they’re a lot easier to understand. It’s also easier to pass their credit checks as their contracts aren’t finance based.

You can also get a better deal by going with a reseller, like Fonehouse. You’re getting the same exact sort of contract as you would on Three.co.uk directly, but at generally lower prices.

Our phone comparison tool on the link below compares these types of providers and joining Three directly. Try it out and see what works best for you.

Useful link: Compare phone contracts