Networks that use EE: the best piggybacking providers ranked

BT Mobile have recently removed all their SIM only and phone contracts, so unless you’re an existing customer, there is now no way to join their network. Shame, because we used to rate them as the best alternative to EE.

This was mostly down to the extra network features they offered. This included an excellent WiFi calling scheme, massive WiFi hotspot network, full access to EE’s network (including 5G) and a few others.

And they even offered some benefits that EE don’t. BT offered EU roaming on all plans while EE removed theirs. And you got £5 off as a BT broadband customer and a free BT Sport app subscription on some plans.

You still get all of that if you’re already on a BT Mobile contract. But they're no longer taking new customers, 1pMobile are our new number one pick for smaller providers on EE’s network.

Useful link: Read our full BT Mobile network review

You might not have heard of 1pMobile but they're a cheap and cheerful brand, whose network is way better than their name and appearance might first suggest.

1pMobile get full access to EE's 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G networks, with identical coverage (a few years ago, there were some difference but not now). And you also get WiFi calling and 4G calling too.

And they've now started doing some very well-priced monthly plans, with no contract or credit check:

1pMobile's pay monthly SIMs

Or you can do traditional pay as you go, where you top up and just pay for what you use, at the UK's cheapest rates (1p per minute, text or MB data). Here's that tariff for you:

Useful link: Our full network review of 1pMobile

We've put Plusnet Mobile this high up the rankings mainly thanks to the price, rather than the quality of their mobile network, which is beatable by providers lower down.

There's quite a lot missing on Plusnet Mobile. You don't get access to all the 4G frequency bands that EE and 1pMobile have at their disposal, meaning coverage is inferior to both on Plusnet.

There are also no network extras like 5G data, WiFi calling or 4G calling like you'd get on EE or 1p, so it's a much more basic 4G/3G/2G service you're getting.

But if you know all that and aren't fussed, we still think Plusnet deserve a reasonably high place in this guide, simply because of the out-and-out value they offer, especially for their own broadband customer, who get a free 2GB data boost.

Useful link: How Plusnet compare with EE

You'll actually get a better network experience on IQ than Plusnet Mobile. They've got 5G data and they're on EE's more-modern "MVNO stack" meaning you get access to all the same 4G bands (Plusnet aren't).

But it's hard to see what IQ's advantage over 1pMobile is. IQ are more expensive and you have to commit in 3-month batches (vs 1-month on 1p). Here are their latest plans:

IQ's latest plan prices

You'll pay for 3 months up front, which will work out to the monthly amounts you see here:

You can use IQ Mobile SIMs in tablets and mobile broadband dongles too and they offer a range of data-only SIMs that beat EE directly on price.

Useful link: See IQ Mobile plans

We're now getting onto the networks that you've probably never heard of. One of which is To The Moon. They're a strange network that use EE's full 5G, 4G, 3G, 2G network.

The network seems mainly aimed at getting you to join their financial products, which are things like pre-paid debit cards and less about getting an actual mobile plan.

But they do have a range of pre-paid deals. In fact, they have a massive range (something like 80 different plans) for every 1GB increment of data you could imagine.

They’re not a bad network if you can find a deal that suits you. But there’s typically better value available on networks with more features.

Useful link: See To The Moon's website

Co-op Mobile are functionally very similar to Plusnet Mobile in a lot of ways. They offer all their plans on 1-month contracts and don’t get full access to EE’s network. The main difference is Co-op are a lot pricier.

Their deals are similar in cost to EE’s 1-month contracts which tend to be some of the priciest deals on the market. It’s still great to get the flexibility of a 1-month contract, but it does come at a high cost.

Co-op's latest SIM only deals

Despite the high costs, you don’t get access to EE’s 5G network. And Co-op also offer an inferior 4G experience than their hosts for coverage.

And Co-op claim you can only get speeds of up to 100 Mbps. We’re not sure if this is evidence of a speed cap or just them being defensive about expectations.

Useful link: See Co-op Mobile's website