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Are you using the best mobile network in the UK? According to consumer watchdog Which?, Talkmobile is the best mobile phone network available in 2026. The brand was ranked in first place in its annual satisfaction survey.
Which? listened to 5,137 mobile customers from across 15 of the biggest pay-monthly, SIM-only, and pay-as-you-go providers, including household names like Three, O2, EE, and Sky Mobile. Britons were asked about signal strength, customer service experiences, value for money and more to assess each brand.
If you want to get the full detailed results of each category, you'll need to sign up for a Which? paid subscription.
Which? has listed all 15 providers, including the overall percentage of satisfaction:
| Provider | Customer Score |
|---|---|
| Talkmobile | 83% |
| Tesco Mobile | 81% |
| Giffgaff | 79% |
| Smarty | 79% |
| Voxi | 79% |
| 1p Mobile | 78% |
| Lebara | 78% |
| Asda Mobile | 77% |
| EE | 74% |
| iD Mobile | 73% |
| Sky Mobile | 73% |
| Vodafone | 72% |
| Lycamobile | 68% |
| O2 Mobile | 67% |
| Three Mobile | 65% |
At a time when many households are looking for relief from rising essential costs, Which? wants mobile customers to know that switching to a cheaper, better-performing network is often one of the simplest ways to save money.
One Which? member ditched O2, after being a customer since 2018, after her monthly bill crept up from £17 to £27. She switched to an £8 Smarty deal in just ten minutes, saving her £200 a year.
Which? analysis of current market rates suggests this is no anomaly. Currently (accurate as of April 14 2026), a one-month SIM-only plan with unlimited data costs £38 with O2, but just £20 with Smarty, a difference of £216 yearly.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services said: “Our latest research shows that smaller providers are consistently outshining the industry’s largest mobile firms by offering better customer service and far cheaper deals.
“Many top-rated challengers avoid mid-contract price hikes, offering households struggling with the cost of living much-needed certainty. Any customers nearing the end of their contract who are unhappy with their service, or simply looking to save money, should not hesitate to vote with their feet and move to a provider that actually delivers on value.”
Get 80GB of data for only £10 from "recommended provider" Smarty
Switch to a Smarty plan and get 80GB of data for only £10 per month. This deal is so good, you'd only be paying 33p per day. Smarty offers flexible, commitment-free mobile plans you can cancel or change anytime, with no credit checks or annual price rises. You get unlimited calls and texts, Wi-Fi calling, fast 4G and 5G data, and EU roaming with a 12GB fair-use limit.
Or get nearly double the data for only £12 from "recommended provider" Giffgaff
If 80GB of data isn't enough, you can get 150GB for only £2 extra per month when you sign up for an 18-month contract from Giffgaff. The mobile provider uses the same network as O2 and includes 5G at no extra cost.
Talkmobile relies on the nationwide network of masts owned and managed by Vodafone, so if you have a decent signal strength with the latter, then you'll see the same number of bars with Talkmobile. It provides SIM-only deals and pay monthly deals with flexible data options.
Having earned the top spot in the survey, a Talkmobile customer told Which?, "Excellent customer service can't be faulted."
Another customer told Which?, "I recommend them to all my friends and family."
Talkmobile also earned the "Recommended Provider" title from Which? — alongside Giffgaff, Smarty, 1p Mobile, and Lebara Mobile. The mobile provider also earned the "Great Provider" badge — next to Smarty, 1p Mobile, Asda Mobile, and iD Mobile.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Many of the providers that earned top spots from the customer survey are actually powered by the UK's big four mobile networks — EE, O2, Vodafone, and Three.
Since they're considered to have a monopoly on this space, many partner with other providers on their SIMs. The big four help power the following providers:
- EE: 1p Mobile, BT Mobile, LycaMobile, Utility Warehouse
- O2: Giffgaff, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile
- Vodafone: Asda Mobile, Lebara, Talkmobile, Voxi
- Three: iD Mobile, Smarty
However, Three and O2 actually earned the bottom two spots from customers in the survey. From this, Three received a two-star rating in every category, including network reliability and technical support.
O2 received only two stars for value for money and customer service. The provider recently increased its annual price rises from £1.80 to £2.50 a month for all customers.