Lebara vs 1pMobile: Which SIM Only Deal Is Actually Cheaper?

Both Lebara and 1pMobile are budget-focused SIM-only providers, but they're built around genuinely different networks and pricing structures. Here's a real, current side-by-side comparison across every data tier.

Real current pricing — 1pMobile

1pMobile's plans are structured as prepay/PAYG SIM cards, all including unlimited UK calls and texts:

• 5GB — £5/month
• 10GB — £8/month
• 50GB — £10/month
• 75GB — £12.50/month
• 100GB — £15/month
• 150GB — £17.50/month
• 200GB — £20/month
• Unlimited — £25/month
• Family Unlimited — £25 for the first SIM, then £12.50 for each additional family SIM

1pMobile also offers a genuine pay-as-you-go tariff at £10 for 1p per minute, text, and MB, useful if your usage is very light and unpredictable rather than a fixed monthly amount.

Real current pricing — Lebara

Lebara offers two distinct commitment structures: 30-day rolling and 12-month fixed-term, with 12-month plans priced lower in exchange for the longer commitment.

30-day rolling:

• 5GB — £5/month
• 30GB — £10/month
• 50GB — £15/month
• 100GB — £20/month
• Unlimited — £25/month (UK only) or £30/month (with international minutes)

12-month fixed-term:

• 5GB — £4.50/month
• 30GB — £9/month
• 50GB — £13.50/month
• 100GB — £18/month (includes international minutes)
• Unlimited — £22.50/month (UK only) or £27/month (with international minutes)

Head-to-head at matching data tiers

At 5GB, the two are essentially tied on rolling plans (£5 each), with Lebara's 12-month option undercutting slightly at £4.50.

At 50GB, 1pMobile is meaningfully cheaper — £10 versus Lebara's £15 rolling or £13.50 on a 12-month term. This is the widest gap between the two providers at any comparable tier.

At 100GB, 1pMobile again comes out ahead at £15, compared to Lebara's £20 rolling or £18 on 12-month.

At Unlimited, pricing is close — 1pMobile's £25 sits between Lebara's £22.50 (12-month, UK only) and £25 (rolling, UK only), meaning the cheapest unlimited option overall is Lebara's 12-month plan, provided you're comfortable with the longer commitment.

Network and coverage

1pMobile runs on the EE network, giving access to EE's coverage footprint, which is generally regarded as strong across the UK including many rural areas. Lebara runs on Vodafone, which — following the 2025 merger — is now part of the combined VodafoneThree network. We cover what this merger actually means for MVNO customers in more detail here, since the same underlying network changes apply to Lebara as they do to VOXI.

Both EE and Vodafone/VodafoneThree offer strong nationwide coverage, so the more useful comparison is checking coverage for your specific postcode on both networks rather than assuming one is universally better.

International calling — Lebara's real differentiator

Lebara is specifically positioned around international calling, and this shows in its plan structure — higher-tier plans include bundled international minutes, reflected in the price difference between Lebara's "international" and non-international Unlimited options. If you regularly call abroad, this bundled allowance can be worth more than the headline price difference suggests, since buying international minutes separately elsewhere would typically cost more than the £2.50-£5 premium Lebara charges for including them.

1pMobile doesn't offer an equivalent bundled international option across its plans, so if calling internationally regularly is a genuine priority, Lebara's international tiers are worth factoring into the comparison beyond pure headline price.

Commitment structure — rolling vs fixed-term

This is a genuine structural difference. 1pMobile's plans are all prepay/PAYG with no long-term commitment implied by the naming, while Lebara explicitly offers both a 30-day rolling option and a cheaper 12-month fixed-term option. If you want the lowest possible price and are comfortable committing for a year, Lebara's 12-month tier is worth serious consideration; if flexibility matters more, both providers' rolling options are comparable in structure.

Family and multi-SIM options

1pMobile's Family Unlimited plan is a genuine standout if you need multiple SIMs on one account — £25 for the first line, then £12.50 for each additional unlimited SIM, which can work out significantly cheaper per line than buying separate individual plans across multiple providers. Lebara doesn't offer an equivalent explicit family/multi-SIM discount structure in its current plan lineup.

eSIM support

Both providers support eSIM alongside traditional physical SIM cards, letting you activate a plan digitally without waiting for a card to arrive in the post. This has become standard across most UK MVNOs at this point, so it isn't a meaningful differentiator between the two — but it's worth confirming your specific device supports eSIM before choosing this activation route with either provider.

Roaming abroad

If you travel and want to use your SIM abroad rather than switching to a local one or a dedicated travel eSIM, roaming terms are worth checking carefully on both. Since Lebara sits on the Vodafone/VodafoneThree network and specifically positions itself around international communities, its roaming terms tend to be more clearly documented and sometimes more generous for EU travel specifically. 1pMobile's roaming terms, riding on EE's infrastructure, are less prominently marketed but worth checking directly if you travel regularly, since roaming policies can change without much notice on budget MVNOs generally.

Data rollover and unused allowance

Whether unused data rolls over to the following month is a genuine practical difference worth checking directly with either provider before committing, since policies here can differ between rolling and fixed-term plans even within the same network, and aren't always clearly stated in headline pricing comparisons like this one.

Customer service and reputation

Lebara has built a reputation over time specifically around serving international communities in the UK, with customer service resources geared toward this audience, including multilingual support in some cases. 1pMobile, as a smaller and more recently established MVNO, has a less extensive public reputation history, though real customer reviews are worth checking directly given how quickly a smaller provider's service quality can shift as it scales.

A worked example: choosing based on real usage

Say you use roughly 40GB of data a month and don't need international calling. On 1pMobile, the closest tier is 50GB at £10/month, since there's no 40GB-specific option. On Lebara's rolling plans, you'd need the 50GB tier at £15/month, or the 12-month 50GB tier at £13.50/month. In this scenario, 1pMobile is the clear winner at £10 versus a £13.50-£15 range from Lebara, a saving of roughly £42-£60 over a year even before accounting for Lebara's 12-month lock-in.

Now say you use 90GB a month and call family abroad regularly. 1pMobile's 100GB tier at £15 doesn't include international minutes, so you'd need to budget separately for international calls. Lebara's 100GB 12-month tier at £18 includes international minutes as standard — in this scenario, the £3 premium on Lebara may work out cheaper overall than 1pMobile's lower headline price plus separately-purchased international call credit.

Contract exit and cancellation terms

1pMobile's prepay/PAYG structure implies no long-term exit fees, since you're not committing to a fixed term in the same way a 12-month contract would. Lebara's 30-day rolling plans work similarly, but its 12-month plans carry the standard implications of a fixed-term commitment — check the specific cancellation terms before committing if there's a genuine chance you'll want to leave before the 12 months are up, since early exit from a fixed-term plan typically isn't free.

Plan variety and flexibility

1pMobile's lineup spans nine distinct tiers from 5GB up to Unlimited, giving genuinely granular choice if your usage sits at an unusual point between typical tiers — the 75GB and 150GB options in particular fill gaps that many other MVNOs skip entirely. Lebara's lineup is more streamlined, with five tiers on each commitment structure, which is simpler to navigate but offers less precision if your actual usage doesn't line up neatly with 5GB, 30GB, 50GB, or 100GB.

Streaming and app perks

Neither provider currently offers the kind of bundled streaming perks (free Netflix, Disney+, or similar) that some larger networks include on higher-tier plans — both are built around straightforward value pricing rather than bundled extras. If streaming subscriptions bundled into your phone bill matter to you, that's a reason to look beyond both Lebara and 1pMobile specifically, since neither competes on this dimension.

Network reliability in practice

Because neither provider owns physical infrastructure, day-to-day reliability is really a question about EE (for 1pMobile) and Vodafone/VodafoneThree (for Lebara) rather than the MVNO brands themselves. Independent network testing organisations publish regular benchmarks comparing the underlying physical networks on speed, latency, and call reliability, and these rankings shift somewhat year to year as each operator continues investing in infrastructure — worth checking recent results for your specific area rather than assuming either underlying network is definitively better in general.

Signing up and getting started

Both providers typically offer straightforward online sign-up processes with SIM delivery within a few working days, or instant activation via eSIM if your device supports it. Neither requires an in-person visit to a physical store, consistent with their positioning as low-overhead, online-first budget providers rather than full-service network operators with retail presence.

Matching the choice to your actual priority

If price is your only consideration and you use a moderate-to-heavy amount of data, 1pMobile's 50GB and 100GB tiers are difficult for Lebara to match without committing to the 12-month term. If flexibility without any commitment matters more than squeezing out the lowest possible price, both providers' rolling options are broadly comparable, and the decision comes down to network preference and any international calling need. If you're specifically calling family or contacts abroad on a regular basis, Lebara's bundled international tiers are worth the modest premium over calculating and buying international minutes separately through 1pMobile or a third-party app.

Which one should you choose?

Choose 1pMobile if: you want the cheapest option at 50GB or 100GB specifically, you need a family/multi-SIM discount, or you prefer EE's network coverage in your area.

Choose Lebara if: you call internationally regularly and want bundled minutes, you're comfortable committing to 12 months for the lowest possible price, or Vodafone/VodafoneThree coverage is stronger than EE where you live.

Checking coverage before you switch

Since both providers ride on a parent network rather than owning their own infrastructure, check coverage for your specific postcode on both EE and Vodafone before committing, rather than assuming based on general reputation.

Switching between providers

Whichever you choose, our guide to switching SIM providers covers the process, and a PAC code lets you keep your existing number. Our guide to what a PAC code actually does explains the mechanics.

Comparing against the wider SIM-only market

Lebara and 1pMobile are just two options among many. Browse our full current SIM-only comparison here to see live pricing across the wider market, or compare unlimited data SIM-only plans specifically if that's your priority regardless of provider.

Upgrading your phone alongside switching SIMs

If you're switching providers and also considering a new phone, compare refurbished phones here rather than paying full price, or get a live trade-in price for your current phone if you're planning to sell it once you upgrade.

The bottom line

At most comparable data tiers, 1pMobile is the cheaper option, sometimes substantially so at 50GB and 100GB. Lebara closes much of that gap on its 12-month commitment plans and pulls ahead specifically for anyone who values bundled international calling minutes or needs the lowest possible unlimited price and is willing to commit for a year. Check both networks' coverage for your postcode before deciding, since price alone shouldn't be the only factor if signal reliability differs meaningfully where you live. Whichever you choose, the underlying network matters as much as the branded plan sitting on top of it.