EE and Vodafone are the two big names when it comes to mobile networks in the United Kingdom. Both of them offer 4G-LTE Advanced Speeds to facilitate their customers. In addition, they offer a wide range of SIM-Only phone plans and loads of Pay-As-You-Go tariffs, which further makes it complicated for customers to make a choice.
If you want to switch your existing network but facing a hard time deciding between these two, then fret not as we are here to assist. Our experts have made a head-to-head comparison of EE and Vodafone so you can understand all ins and outs of these leading networks and make an appropriate choice.
EE Mobile
EE is the country’s largest mobile network operator, providing the best coverage and blazing-fast data speeds for both 4G and 5G. Launched in 2010 as a joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange, EE has now come a long way and was the very first network to bring 4G services to the UK.
Its 4G network reaches over 90% of the country’s geography and 99% of the population. It is good to know that EE’s 5G coverage is currently available in 125 cities and towns and the number is continuously rising.
Pros:
- Best and competitive 4G and 5G coverage
- Excellent data speeds
- Various SIM-only deals
- Good scores for customer satisfaction
Cons:
- Expensive than most other network operators
- Might not be the best option for international calling and roaming
Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the oldest and largest mobile networks in the UK. This career manages its business in around 22 countries and two geographic regions. Launched back in 1984, it has now become one of the leading network operators in the world.
Unlike other options, Vodafone still uses all spectrums, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G to expand its network coverage while reducing call drops or other such concerns.
Pros:
- Offers many benefits and extras
- Tons of plans are available to choose from
- Affordable
- Great roaming perks
- Entertainment subscriptions are available with certain premium plans
Cons:
- Some essential extras are only available on premium options, such as roaming.
- The customer service could have been improvised.
Scroll down the page and find all the key differences between EE and Vodafone. Read them thoroughly and pick an option that’s worthy of investment.
Compare EE and Vodafone Phone Plans
There’s no second thought that Vodafone offers more phone plans in comparison to EE. While this sounds amazing at once, it can make your choice overwhelming and you might end up selecting the wrong option.
On the other hand, EE offers a good range of sim-only deals and lower-cost alternatives to facilitate budget-conscious users. However, its lower alternatives or EE Essential Plans don’t have 5G coverage, which might bother some customers.
However, what makes Vodafone and EE plans differ from each other is their flexibility. Vodafone offers tons of flexible tariffs without locking customers into a long-term contract with a carrier, but EE, on the contrary, lacks this flexibility and both tariff types will lock you into commitment.
EE Phone Plans
EE facilitates users by offering different contract lengths, say 30-days, 12 months, and 24 months. Its plans are mainly classified into two categories, namely EE Essential Plans and EE Smart Plans. Make sure you pick the option wisely to avoid any hassle later on.
1 Month Plan
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1GB | £22.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £25.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 25GB | £28.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 125GB | £30.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (max100 Mbps) | £35.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (Best Speed) | £38.00 |
EE offers 1 month plan, with cost from £22/mo to £35/mo. They all offer 5G connectivity for 5G phones with unlimited minutes and texts.
12 Months Plan
| Plans | Minutes | Texts | Data | Speed | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5GB No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | 10 Mbps | £25.00 |
| 25GB Essentials | Unlimited | Unlimited | 25GB | 100 Mbps | £28.00 |
| Unlimited No frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 Mbps | £30.00 |
| Unlimited Essentials | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 Mbps | £35.00 |
| Unlimited Essentials Plus | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 Mbps | £39.00 |
If you are interested in long-term contracts, then EE won’t disappoint you. EE offers several one-year or 12-month plans to ease the consumers. These offer both 5G and 4G network coverage, depending on the handset, with unlimited texts and minutes.
24 Months Plans
| Plans | Minutes | Texts | Data | Speed | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25GB Essentials | Unlimited | Unlimited | 25 GB | 100 Mbps | £16.00 |
| 100GB Essentials | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 GB | 100 Mbps | £20.00 |
| Unlimited Essentials | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 Mbps | £23.00 |
| Unlimited Essentials Plus + EU Roaming | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 Mbps | £27.00 |
| Unlimited All Rounder + EU Roaming | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Uncapped speed | £42.00 |
| Unlimited All Rounder for iPhone + EU Roaming | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Uncapped speed | £42.00 |
| Unlimited Full Works + EU and Beyond Roaming | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Uncapped speed | £48.00 |
| Unlimited Full Works for iPhone+ EU and Beyond Roaming | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Uncapped speed | £48.00 |
Vodafone Phone Plans
At present, Vodafone offers three types of Sim-Only plans, namely Basics, Vodafone Red, and Vodafone Unlimited. No matter whatever option you decide to go with, you’ll definitely get unlimited minutes and texts.
While Vodafone Basics are the most affordable plans, Vodafone Unlimited gives you the best of everything. Vodafone Red is a combination of the two, giving some extras within certain restrictions.
30-Days Plan
| Plan | Monthly Price | Data | |
| Unlimited | £41 | Unlimited (Maximum 10 Mbps) | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max | £47 | Unlimited (Fastest available) | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Lite | £37 | Unlimited (Maximum 2 Mbps) | View Plan> |
| Red 20GB | £33 | 20GB | View Plan> |
| Red 5GB | £28 | 5GB | View Plan> |
| Red 1GB | £24 | 1GB | View Plan> |
12-Months Plan
| Plan | Monthly Price | Data | |
| Unlimited | £29 | Unlimited (Maximum 10 Mbps) | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max | £35 | Unlimited (Fastest available) | View Plan> |
| Unlimited + Entertainment | £36 | Unlimited (Maximum 10 Mbps) | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max + Entertainment | £42 | Unlimited (Fastest available) | View Plan> |
| Red 20GB | £21 | 20GB | View Plan> |
| Red 20GB + Entertainment | £28 | 20GB | View Plan> |
| Red 5GB | £16 | 5GB | View Plan> |
| Red 5Gb + Entertainment | £23 | 5GB | View Plan> |
| Red 1GB | £12 | 1GB | View Plan> |
| 6GB + 4 Xtra Benefits | £23 | 6GB | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max + 4Xtra Benefits | £38 | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Lite + 4Xtra Benefits | £30 | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| Unlimited + 4Xtra Benefits | £34 | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| 2GB + 4Xtra Benefits | £19 | 2GB | View Plan> |
24-Months Plans
| Plan | Monthly Price | Data | |
| Red 150GB | £10/mo for 6 months, then £20/mo | 150GB | View Plan> |
| Red 200GB | £11.50/mo for 6 months, then £23/mo | 200GB | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max | £16/mo for 6 months, then £32/mo | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| Unlimited | £13.50/mo for 6 months, then £27/mo | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| Red 150GB + Entertainment | £13.50/mo for 6 months, then £27/mo | 150GB | View Plan> |
| Red 200GB + Entertainment | £15/mo for 6 months, then £30/mo | 200GB | View Plan> |
| Unlimited + Entertainment | £17/mo for 6 months, then £34/mo | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max + Entertainment | £19.50/mo for 6 months, then £39/mo | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| Red 5GB | £7.50/mo for 6 months, then £15/mo | 5GB | View Plan> |
| Red 5Gb + Entertainment | £11/mo for 6 months, then £22/mo | 5Gb | View Plan> |
| Red 1GB | £5.50/mo for 6 months, then £11/mo | 1Gb | View Plan> |
| Unlimited Max + 4Xtra Benefits | £19.50/mo for 6 months, then £39/mo | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| 6GB + 4 Xtra Benefits | £11/mo for 6 months, then £22/mo | 6GB | View Plan> |
| 180GB + 4Xtra Benefits | £13.50/mo for 6 months, then £27/mo | 180Gb | View Plan> |
| Unlimited + 4Xtra Benefits | £17/mo for 6 months, then £34/mo | Unlimited | View Plan> |
| 2GB + 4Xtra Benefits | £9/mo for 6 months, then £18/mo | 2Gb | View Plan> |
| 250GB + 4Xtra Benefits | £25 | 250GB | View Plan> |
So, overall, both EE and Vodafone plans are generally on the pricier side, but Vodafone offers a massive range of plans with slightly affordable pricing and better extras.
EE vs Vodafone Network Coverage
The next element users must consider while comparing between EE and Vodafone is their network coverage. EE’s network coverage is estimated to be above 95% and this number is continuously growing.
However, Vodafone, on the other hand, isn’t even close in this race, making EE an undisputable winner in terms of network coverage. Also, Vodafone’s 5G coverage is not the best in the UK and covers only 100 cities and towns, which is way lower than EE’s 160 cities.
All in all, EE comfortably wins this round with more 5G and network coverage. But, it is still recommended to check the network’s coverage checker map to determine its signal quality in your area before making a choice.
EE vs Vodafone Mobile Data Speeds
EE’s big selling point is its speed and it is at the top position on numerous speed tests. All EE plans, be it monthly or PAYG offers the fastest 4G data speeds in the UK. The customers using EE claimed to get up to 60Mbps 4G data speeds on their regular plans; however, it depends on the location as well.
According to the OpenSignal Survey, 2021, EE customers enjoy an average of 9.1Mbps upload speed accompanied by 39 Mbps download speed, which is way higher than Vodafone’s metrics that offer 21Mbps download speed and 8.1Mbps upload speed respectively.
| Carriers | Download speed | Upload speed | 5G download speed |
| EE | 39 Mbps | 9.1Mbps | 140 Mbps |
| Vodafone | 21Mbps | 8.1Mbps | 103Mbps |
The same is true for the 5G speed test. Vodafone’s average 5G download speed is 103Mbps while it is measured at 140 Mbps for EE.
EE vs Vodafone Wi-Fi Hotspots
Vodafone is no longer part of London Underground stations, which means that it doesn’t have any WiFi hotspots in the UK. On the contrary, EE offers WiFi access to its customers, but this offer isn’t as unique and independent as other network operators, such as O2 and Three.
EE customers can benefit from some BT WiFi hotspots but there’s a 3GB data limit and the offer is available only on certain plans.
EE vs Vodafone International Calls
While drawing a comparison between EE and Vodafone, it’s essential to check the international calling function, especially if your loved ones live overseas.
Vodafone offers a International calling add-ons that includes certain international minutes. EE, on the other hand, offers options like The International Pack CALL 50 (including 50 countries) and CALL100 (including 100 countries) to facilitate your international calls.
EE vs Vodafone International Roaming
Speaking of International Roaming,Vodafone split the world into Zones A, B, C and D. Vodafone monthly plans will let you roam freely in Zone A destinations . Roaming outside of Zone A depends on where you’re travelling to and what plan you’re on. You need to pay or not pay based on different plans for different roaming Zones. You can find more information at its roaming page.
However, EE doesn’t offer anything special when it comes to roaming abroad. Users will be charged £2 per day in 47 European countries. Or can add a Roam Abroad 30 day pass to your existing plan, the pass includes 47 European and other 5 destinations including the USA, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. The Roam Abroad Pass cost is £10 per month, the cost will be added to your monthly mobile bill.
EE vs Vodafone: which should you get?
Here concludes EE Vs Vodafone. EE and Vodafone are among the Big Fours of the UK; hence, drawing a comparison between them or making a choice can be overwhelming for users.
While EE offers excellent network coverage and mobile data speed, making it the best option. While Vodafone boasts various plans with better perks. Hence, the final decision depends on your preference and requirements. Consider all aspects in mind and pick an option wisely.