iD Mobile vs Vodafone – Compared | Which Network Is Best?

Considering buying a phone or SIM plan from Vodafone, or iD Mobile?

Today, we’ve compared these two mobile networks, to see which is best.

We’ve assessed iD Mobile and Vodafone based on their speeds and coverage, value for money, customer service, and more, to help you decide which is right for you.

Before we begin, if you’re searching for a new mobile plan, on any network, use our comparison site to find the cheapest pay monthly phone plans or SIM-only deals on the market right now.

   in
iD Mobile logo.
24 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Free Roaming up to 30GB
  • Capped Contracts
  • + More
40 GB Monthly Data
£7.00 Average Monthly Cost
£7.00 Per Month
iD Mobile logo. View Deal
   in
iD Mobile logo.
1 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Capped Contracts
  • No speed caps
  • + More
30 GB Monthly Data
£7.00 Average Monthly Cost
£7.00 Per Month
iD Mobile logo. View Deal
   in
Vodafone logo.
12 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Cashback by redemption: £42.00
  • VeryMe Rewards app
  • eSIM Compatible
  • + More
35 GB Monthly Data
£4.50 Average Monthly Cost
£8.00 Per Month*
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase to £9.00 in Apr 2026

   in
Vodafone logo.
12 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Cashback by redemption: £60.00
  • VeryMe Rewards app
  • Flexible Upgrade
  • + More
70 GB Monthly Data
£5.00 Average Monthly Cost
£10.00 Per Month*
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase to £11.00 in Apr 2026

Contents

Overview

While iD Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses the Three network, Vodafone is one of the big four providers, with its own network masts.

iD Mobile vs Vodafone.

When Three and Vodafone complete their merger in the near future, iD Mobile and Vodafone may end up using the same network infrastructure (VodafoneThree). Or, iD Mobile may decide to switch to O2 or EE.

Currently, Vodafone customers also get access to the Three network in certain locations, and this is rolling out gradually in more places around the UK. Meaning, your phone will connect to Vodafone or Three, depending on which is best in your area.

Both Vodafone and iD Mobile offer pay as you go and pay monthly SIM-only deals, as well as phones on a contract.

For an MVNO, iD Mobile’s range of handsets is quite good. You can get the latest devices from Apple and Samsung, as well as refurbished phones if you want to save money.

iD Mobile’s SIM-only deals tend to be more basic, with fewer add-ons and extras, and lower prices compared to Vodafone’s plans.

Vodafone SIM card.

However, their phone contracts do come with a lot of extra benefits, including free access to Apple TV or Apple Music.

With Vodafone, there are fewer entertainment extras included, but their plans are more flexible. You can generally choose between a 24 month or 36 month contract.

Both networks offer inclusive calls and texts to UK numbers on all of their plans, as well as the ability to get an eSIM if you’d prefer.

It is worth keeping in mind though, while iD Mobile tariffs are fully 5G-enabled by default, Vodafone SIMs have different tiers of 5G available.

Sometimes, to get unrestricted 5G, including access to 5G standalone (SA) masts with ultrafast speeds, you need to buy a specific “5G Ultra” plan from Vodafone, which can be more expensive.

Coverage and speeds

We tested an iD Mobile and a Vodafone SIM in the same phone, before VodafoneThree network sharing came into effect in our area.

Meaning, in these tests, iD Mobile is using Three infrastructure, and Vodafone is using Vodafone (not Vodafone and Three).

We have very strong Vodafone 4G signal in our area, so they were the faster of the two providers on 4G, though iD had better upload speeds.

iD Mobile vs Vodafone 4G speeds.

In terms of coverage, we think iD Mobile and Vodafone both perform about the same, on 4G at least.

We were able to get online and make calls in a good range of suburban and remote areas, though the coverage wasn’t quite as good as it is with EE MVNOs like spusu.

On 5G, both networks performed very well, but iD Mobile had slightly faster download and upload speeds.

This is because their parent network, Three, has the fastest average 5G speeds of any of the big four networks at the moment.

iD Mobile vs Vodafone 5G speeds.

It’s also worth mentioning, we used an unrestricted Vodafone SIM for these tests, not one of their cheaper speed-capped ones.

If you want to get fast 5G speeds on a Vodafone PAYG or PAYM SIM, make sure to choose one of their “5G Ultra” tariffs, otherwise you will be limited to a download speed of 100 Mbps.

Roaming allowances

Most small mobile networks and MVNOs have very limited roaming allowances, but this isn’t the case with iD Mobile.

iD Mobile SIM.

They allow you to roam free of charge in 50 different countries, up to a 30GB monthly usage limit, no matter how much data you have.

With most other smaller mobile networks, the roaming data limit is much lower than this, and normally only 30-40 different EU countries are covered.

Using iD Mobile, you can also roam free in certain less common destinations, like Azerbaijan and Macedonia.

Also, in other countries like America, Turkey, and Canada, you can buy an iD Mobile roaming add-on before you travel to get inclusive data, which isn’t something that many MVNOs allow you to do.

You might pay £20 for 10GB of data over five days, for example, to avoid paying per megabyte of data downloaded, or per minute of calls made.

On the other hand, Vodafone’s inclusive roaming allowances can be more comprehensive, but their roaming policies are much more complex, and the destinations covered depend on your tariff.

With most pay monthly plans, you can use up to 25GB per month in the EU, as well as potentially some other further-afield destinations like Australia if you have a more expensive tariff.

On a pay as you go rolling monthly SIM though, you’ll normally have to buy a roaming add-on to get online overseas with Vodafone.

Ultimately, we prefer iD Mobile’s roaming allowances. You get more data and more countries covered for a lower price (since free roaming beyond Europe requires an expensive plan with Vodafone).

Plus, their roaming add-ons tend to be simpler and offer better value for money compared to Vodafone’s ones.

Value for money

   in
iD Mobile logo.
24 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Cashback by redemption: £96.00
  • No speed caps
  • iD Mobile App
  • + More
50 GB Monthly Data
£4.00 Average Monthly Cost
£8.00 Per Month
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal
   in
iD Mobile logo.
24 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Cashback by redemption: £120.00
  • No speed caps
  • iD Mobile App
  • + More
100 GB Monthly Data
£5.00 Average Monthly Cost
£10.00 Per Month
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal
   in
Vodafone logo.
12 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Cashback by redemption: £42.00
  • VeryMe Rewards app
  • eSIM Compatible
  • + More
35 GB Monthly Data
£4.50 Average Monthly Cost
£8.00 Per Month*
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase to £9.00 in Apr 2026

   in
Vodafone logo.
12 month contract
, New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Cashback by redemption: £60.00
  • VeryMe Rewards app
  • Flexible Upgrade
  • + More
70 GB Monthly Data
£5.00 Average Monthly Cost
£10.00 Per Month*
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase to £11.00 in Apr 2026

iD Mobile tends to offer better value for money than Vodafone at the moment.

When you compare their SIM-only deals with similar contract lengths and data limits for example, iD Mobile is often considerably cheaper, even though they don’t limit your 5G speeds on any of their plans.

It’s a similar story on PAYG SIM deals. iD Mobile has a much better range of flexible, short-term plans to choose from.

On pay monthly phone contracts, it’s a bit closer between the two providers.

The cheapest one will depend on the exact handset you’re looking for, and the deals they’re each offering at the moment.

Though, we tend to think that iD Mobile is still a better value option most of the time, thanks to their larger range of extras included, and faster, unrestricted 5G speeds.

You can compare pricing on both networks for any phone you’re interested in on our comparison site.

  256GB in White
256GB, New
White
iD Mobile logo.
24 month contract
256GB , New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • No speed caps
  • iD Mobile App
  • + More
150 GB Monthly Data
£47.03 Average Monthly Cost
£44.99 Per Month*
£49.00 Upfront Cost
Mobiles.co.uk logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase to £46.49 in Apr 2026, £47.99 in Apr 2027

  256GB in Silver Shadow
256GB, New
Silver Shadow
Vodafone logo.
24 month contract
256GB , New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
330 GB Monthly Data
£65.70 Average Monthly Cost
£62.00 Per Month*
£89.00 Upfront Cost
Fonehouse logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase by £1.80 (£1.00 for PAYM basic plans) each April

  256GB in Grey
256GB, New
Grey
Vodafone logo.
36 month contract
256GB , New
  • Unlimited Texts
  • Unlimited Calls
  • Vodafone App
  • VeryMe Rewards app
  • + More
30 GB Monthly Data
£54.88 Average Monthly Cost
£53.50 Per Month*
£50.00 Upfront Cost
Vodafone logo. View Deal

*Monthly cost will increase to £55.30 in Apr 2026, £57.10 in Apr 2027

Customer service

Vodafone currently has better customer service than iD Mobile.

They have a UK-based support team you can reach over the phone, and their live chat is quite responsive as well.

We’ve found Vodafone is quite good if you ever need help, and their customer support agents are knowledgeable.

On the other hand, iD Mobile does not have a customer support phone number. Their 0333 003 7777 number only provides certain automated services, like bill payment, rather than allowing you to speak with one of their staff.

Instead, customers who need help are pushed towards iD Mobile’s live chat service, which generally works well, but doesn’t offer the same level of support as having a phone number.

In saying that though, we were still able to solve problems and find answers quickly using iD Mobile’s live chat. It’s generally quicker to get connected to an agent compared to using Vodafone’s chat-based support option.

Both providers have a mobile app, but we prefer iD Mobile’s over the one Vodafone offers.

iD Mobile app.

Vodafone’s app can be quite complicated, and was often prone to visual glitches, when we tested it on an Android phone at least.

By contrast, iD Mobile’s app is quite streamlined and easy to use, allowing you to easily top up, change, or cancel your SIM.

Verdict: should you join iD Mobile or Vodafone?

In general, we would choose iD Mobile over Vodafone, most of the time.

They have much cheaper prices, especially on SIM-only deals, and offer fast, unrestricted 5G speeds, using the Three network.

While it is great that Vodafone has a phone number you can use to reach them, iD Mobile still has good customer satisfaction, and their live chat is responsive and easy to use.

It remains to be seen though what iD Mobile will do once the VodafoneThree merger is complete.

If they begin using both Vodafone and Three, they will most likely still offer better value than Vodafone, since they’ll offer lower prices on the same network infrastructure.

However, if iD Mobile switches to a network like O2, their 5G speeds won’t be as competitive as they are now.

If you’re still not sure whether to buy a SIM or a phone plan from iD Mobile or Vodafone, leave us a comment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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