Last updated: Tuesday 20 October 2026 (Europe/London).
Next update: when Lebara or Smarty change their SIM only prices, or when Which? publishes its next mobile survey.
By: Switch Editorial Team, Switch Squid Ltd
As of 20 October 2026, Lebara is a good, cheap no-contract network: Which? gave it a customer score of 78% in its January 2026 survey, joint sixth of 15 providers and enough to be named a Which? Recommended Provider, and its 30-day plans run on Vodafone’s network from £5 a month for 5GB with no annual price rises. The catch is bigger allowances: Lebara lists 100GB at £20 a month, while Smarty charges £12 a month for 100GB on Three’s network. Lebara’s real strength is calling abroad, because most of its plans include free minutes to more than 50 countries. This SwitchSquid review covers what Lebara costs, what customers say, who owns it, how good the international and roaming extras are, and when another network is the cheaper home for your number. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay.
Sources: Lebara — SIM only deals, Which? — Lebara mobile review, Which? — best and worst mobile networks, Smarty — 100GB plan and Smarty — 16GB plan (all checked on 20 October 2026).
Smarty 100GB — £12 a month
100GB of data with unlimited UK calls and texts for £12 a month on a one-month plan when we checked on 20 October 2026
No annual price rises and no credit check, on Three’s network
Main limitation: EU roaming has a 12GB fair use limit, and there are no free international minutes
Lebara review: the short verdict
Good for: people who call family or friends abroad, light to moderate data users, anyone who wants no credit check and no contract.
Network: Vodafone’s 4G and 5G network, with 5G included at no extra cost.
Price rises: Lebara says it has no annual price hikes on its plans.
Customer view: 78% in Which?’s January 2026 survey, joint sixth of 15 and a Which? Recommended Provider.
Weak spot: large data plans cost noticeably more than the cheapest rivals, so heavy users can pay less elsewhere.
In short, Lebara is a sound choice if its extras match how you use your phone. If you only need lots of UK data and never ring abroad, compare it carefully before you move.
What Lebara costs in October 2026
When we checked Lebara’s plans page on 20 October 2026, it listed six 30-day rolling plans. Every plan includes 4G and 5G data, and every plan apart from the smallest includes unlimited UK minutes and texts.
5GB: £5 a month, with 1,000 UK minutes and texts and 100 international minutes.
30GB: £10 a month, with 100 international minutes.
50GB: £15 a month, with 500 international minutes.
100GB: £20 a month, with unlimited international minutes to more than 50 countries plus 1,000 minutes to India.
Unlimited data: £25 a month, with 100 international minutes.
Unlimited Plus: £30 a month, with unlimited international minutes to more than 50 countries plus 1,000 minutes to India.
Lebara also sells 12-month versions of most of these plans for 10% less: £4.50 for 5GB, £9 for 30GB, £13.50 for 50GB, £18 for 100GB, £22.50 for unlimited data and £27 for Unlimited Plus. You give up the freedom to leave each month in return, so only pick a 12-month plan if you are sure the allowance suits you.
Lebara and some comparison sites also run introductory offers, such as a lower price for your first few months. Those can make Lebara very cheap at the start, but always check what you will pay once the offer period finishes, because that is the price you will live with.
Lebara vs Smarty: what you pay over a year
Smarty is the most useful comparison because it is also a no-contract, no-credit-check network with no annual price rises. Smarty is run by the company behind Three and uses Three’s network, so the right choice also depends on which network works best where you live.
Plan | Network | Data | Price a month | Cost over 12 months* | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lebara 5GB | Vodafone | 5GB | £5 | £60 | 30-day rolling |
Lebara 30GB | Vodafone | 30GB | £10 | £120 | 30-day rolling |
Lebara 100GB | Vodafone | 100GB | £20 | £240 | 30-day rolling |
Lebara 100GB, 12-month plan | Vodafone | 100GB | £18 | £216 | 12 months |
Lebara Unlimited | Vodafone | Unlimited | £25 | £300 | 30-day rolling |
Smarty 16GB | Three | 16GB | £8 | £96 | 1 month, rolling |
Smarty 100GB | Three | 100GB | £12 | £144 | 1 month, rolling |
Smarty Unlimited | Three | Unlimited | £20 | £240 | 1 month, rolling |
*Twelve monthly payments at today’s price. Lebara prices are its list prices and Smarty prices are from its plan pages, all checked on 20 October 2026. Introductory offers are left out so the totals show the price you would pay after any offer period.
The table splits neatly. For very light use, Lebara’s £5 plan is hard to beat. At the top end, Smarty’s 100GB plan costs £96 a year less than Lebara’s 30-day 100GB plan, and Smarty’s unlimited plan is £60 a year cheaper than Lebara’s. Lebara wins back ground if you use its free international minutes, because calling abroad from another network’s plan can cost extra.
Smarty 16GB — £8 a month for lighter users
16GB of data with unlimited UK calls and texts for £8 a month on a one-month plan when we checked on 20 October 2026
One-month plan, so you can change or leave at the end of any month
Available as a physical SIM or eSIM
What customers say about Lebara
Which?’s January 2026 survey of 5,137 mobile customers gave Lebara a customer score of 78%, which put it level with 1p Mobile in joint sixth place out of 15 providers. Lebara was one of five networks named a Which? Recommended Provider, and press coverage of the results reported that Lebara earned five stars for value for money. The survey included 249 Lebara customers.
For context, Smarty scored 79% in the same survey and was named both a Recommended Provider and a Great Value network. The big four networks scored lower: EE 74%, Vodafone 72%, O2 67% and Three 65%. So Lebara customers on Vodafone’s network rated their provider more highly than Vodafone’s own customers did.
Lebara’s own website displays a Trustpilot rating of 4.7 out of 5. Review sites are useful for spotting patterns, but they can’t verify every individual claim, so read a mix of recent good and bad reviews rather than relying on a headline score.
If you want a second opinion before you choose, you can ask Squid AI, SwitchSquid’s AI deal assistant, to compare SIM plans by the data and calls you actually use.
Who owns Lebara?
Lebara Group is owned by Waterland Private Equity, a Dutch investment firm. Waterland announced the purchase from Alchemy and Triton Partners on 12 August 2024, and the deal closed on 6 November 2024 after the European Commission cleared it. At the time, Waterland said Lebara served more than four million customers across the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Denmark.
Lebara was founded in 2001 and started out selling cheap international calls. In the UK it is a virtual network: it doesn’t own masts, so your calls and data run over Vodafone’s network. A change of owner doesn’t change your plan, and because Lebara’s plans roll monthly you can leave at any time if anything changes in future.
Is Lebara good for international calls and roaming?
This is where Lebara stands out. Most of its plans include 100 international minutes from the UK to more than 50 countries, the 50GB plan includes 500, and the 100GB and Unlimited Plus plans include unlimited international minutes to those countries plus 1,000 minutes to India. The list covers 54 destinations, including India, Bangladesh, China, Poland, Romania, the USA, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, but not every country, so check yours is on it before you buy.
Lebara also lets you use your plan in the EU and India at no extra cost. Its own comparison table describes free EU roaming as up to 30GB, and it says roaming add-ons for destinations beyond the EU, EEA and India start from £5. By comparison, Smarty’s EU roaming has a 12GB fair use limit each month.
One useful safety net: Lebara says out-of-bundle use is capped at zero, so once you have used your allowance you won’t be charged extra. You can add more data or wait for your plan to renew.
Lebara’s network, coverage and service
Because Lebara uses Vodafone’s network, your signal should be much the same as a Vodafone customer’s at the same spot. Lebara says the network offers up to 98% coverage, and 5G is included on every plan where your phone and area support it.
Check coverage at home, at work and on your commute before you switch. A cheap plan is poor value if the signal drops where you spend most of your day. If Three’s network is stronger near you, that is a good reason to look at Smarty instead.
How to switch to Lebara, or away from it, and keep your number
Check your current contract. If you are still in a minimum term, leaving early can mean exit fees.
Get your PAC code. Text PAC to 65075 from your current phone. It’s free, and the reply tells you about any charges for leaving early.
Order your new SIM. Once it is active, give your new provider the PAC code and your number.
Let the switch happen. Ofcom says your number should normally move within one working day once your new provider has the code.
Sources: Ofcom — switching mobile (checked on 20 October 2026). For more detail, read our guide to getting a PAC code. Our Lebara SIM only deals page lists Lebara’s plans side by side, and our guide to SIM only deals with no price rises compares other fixed-price networks.
Fit summary
Good fit for Lebara: anyone who calls abroad regularly, light users who want a £5 plan, and people who need a SIM without a credit check.
Good fit for Smarty: heavy data users who want 100GB for £12 or unlimited data for £20, and anyone with better Three coverage.
Think twice: if you are tempted by an introductory price, check the full price that follows before you sign up.
Important conditions
Lebara’s 30-day plans can be changed or cancelled at any time; its 12-month plans tie you in for the full year.
Lebara’s smallest plan has 1,000 UK minutes and texts rather than unlimited.
Free international minutes only cover the countries on Lebara’s list and only apply to calls made from the UK.
Smarty’s plans run month to month with no annual price rises, and its EU roaming has a 12GB monthly fair use limit.
Prices on rolling plans can change with notice, but you can leave without a penalty if they do.
Final decision card
Call family abroad every week? Lebara’s included international minutes are its best feature.
Need 100GB or more and no contract? Smarty’s 100GB plan is £12 a month, £8 less than Lebara’s.
Light user on a tight budget? Lebara’s 5GB plan is £5 a month, or Smarty’s 16GB plan is £8 a month for over three times the data.
Get 100GB for £12 a month
Smarty 100GB, unlimited UK calls and texts, £12 a month
Keep your number with a free PAC code: text PAC to 65075
Check coverage for your postcode before you order
FAQ
Is Lebara a good network?
Lebara scored 78% in Which?’s January 2026 survey, joint sixth of 15 providers, and was named a Which? Recommended Provider. It runs on Vodafone’s network with 5G included. Its customers rated it more highly than the big four networks in the same survey.
What network does Lebara use?
Lebara uses Vodafone’s 4G and 5G network in the UK. It is a virtual network, so it doesn’t own any masts itself. Your coverage should be much the same as Vodafone’s at the same address.
Does Lebara put prices up every year?
Lebara says its plans have no annual price hikes. Its 30-day plans can be cancelled at any time, so you are never stuck with a mid-contract rise. Check the full price after any introductory offer before you sign up.
Who owns Lebara?
Lebara Group is owned by Waterland Private Equity, which completed its purchase on 6 November 2024. The previous owners were Alchemy and Triton Partners. Lebara was founded in 2001 as an international calling business.
Is Lebara cheaper than Smarty?
It depends on how much data you use. Lebara’s 5GB plan is £5 a month, cheaper than any Smarty plan we checked, but Smarty charges £12 for 100GB where Lebara charges £20. If you use Lebara’s international minutes, that can tip the balance back towards Lebara.
Can I use Lebara abroad?
Lebara includes roaming in the EU and India at no extra cost, and its comparison table describes the EU allowance as up to 30GB. For other countries you can buy roaming add-ons, which Lebara says start from £5. Always check the rules for your destination before you travel.
How do I leave Lebara and keep my number?
Text PAC to 65075 from your Lebara phone to get a free PAC code. Give the code to your new provider, and Ofcom says your number should normally move within one working day. On a 30-day plan you don’t need to wait for a contract to end.
