Start with the credit check, then the billing style
A credit check is the first filter, and all three providers here pass it. Lycamobile, Simpel and Youfone are each listed as needing no credit check, so you can order a plan without a lender-style assessment of your credit file. That makes them sensible starting points on the phone plans without a credit check ranking before you look at anything else.
The second filter is how you pay. Lycamobile bills prepaid and rolling, Youfone bills contract and rolling and Simpel bills contract only. A rolling arrangement lets you stop whenever you like, while a contract ties you in and normally needs notice before you leave.
The network behind the plan is a fair shorthand for reliability where you live. Lycamobile serves GB, Simpel hosts on Odido out of NL, and Youfone runs on KPN. Coverage varies by postcode, so test the signal at home and at work before you commit.
Price the monthly cost against the billing period
Starting price is what most people read first, but it only means something next to the billing period behind it. Lycamobile's starting price is £3.50 a month and its unlimited plan is £12.50 a month. Youfone's starting price is €1 a month. Read these as the entry point, not as the price of a typical bundle.
For a sense of scale, across the plans listed here starting prices run €0 to €30.69, and the unlimited plans run €13.15 to €43.76. Lycamobile and Youfone both sit at the low-cost end of that span, which is why they keep appearing on comparisons of this kind.
The distance between the cheapest bundle and the unlimited one is where your decision really sits. Moving from a small allowance to unlimited data at Lycamobile means a noticeably higher monthly cost, so the honest question is whether you would rather pay for a fixed amount of data you control or for an unlimited one you may never touch.
Match the data allowance to the contract length
All three sell on some form of commitment, and the options differ. Lycamobile offers contract lengths of 1, 12 and 24 months, Youfone offers 1, 12 and 24 months, and Simpel offers 12 and 24 months. Simpel has no rolling option, so if you expect to move or stop paying soon, that is the detail to check first.
Lycamobile's bundles come in three shapes. National Plus pairs a mid monthly cost with a generous monthly data allowance, UK Plan Unlimited trades a higher monthly cost for unlimited data, and UK Plan Smart is the cheapest of the three with a small allowance. All run on a short rolling monthly period.
Youfone's Magic Deal bundles lean the other way. The two larger bundles share the same low monthly price, while the smallest bundle costs a little more each month for far less data. Simpel does not offer data rollover, so a light month stays a light month instead of carrying over into the next one.
A worked example: if you stream on the commute and rarely top up, a small bundle with a low monthly cost and a short term is the safer fit. If a household shares one line, a larger or unlimited allowance on a longer term usually costs less than buying extra data on top every month.
Settle the roaming question early
Roaming is the easiest place to misread a plan. Youfone and Simpel both include EU roaming within the bundle, given as included and included. Lycamobile's EU roaming is fair use, which means you get EU data at a fair-use level rather than an unlimited one.
If you cross the border several times a year, an included allowance removes the risk of an unexpected bill. If travel is occasional, a fair-use arrangement can be perfectly adequate, provided the limits are spelled out where you can read them before you buy.
Check the practical features you will actually use
All three brands offer a sim only option and an eSIM, so you can order online, activate without waiting for a plastic card and keep your existing number when you switch. All three also offer 5G, so that is not a useful way to separate them.
Youfone adds wifi calling, which lets a call continue indoors where the mobile signal is weak. It is the kind of feature that matters in a thick-walled flat or a basement office, and it is worth more than a headline allowance bump.
Weigh the provider behind the plan
Age and structure tell you something about staying power. Youfone was founded in 2008 and Simpel in 2007, trading as Simpel.nl B.V.. Both sell as an mvno rather than as the network operator itself, which is normal for this part of the market and explains why they can undercut the host network's own pricing.
Leaving early is the detail people forget. Simpel's exit terms are After minimum term rolling monthly with 1 month notice, so you can move to a monthly basis once the minimum term is done, provided you give notice. A rolling plan with no minimum term removes that consideration altogether, and Lycamobile's rolling option suits that preference.
Read the reviews next to the numbers. The Lycamobile, Youfone and Simpel write-ups cover what customers report about signal, support and billing, none of which a price list can show you.
A short checklist before you order
Confirm there is no credit check, then confirm the billing style and term length. If you might move home or change provider, avoid the longest term and favour a rolling option. If you will stay put, a longer term is usually where the lower monthly price sits.
Then price the whole picture: monthly cost, data allowance, roaming treatment, what happens if you leave early, and whether unused data carries over. Write the answers down side by side for Lycamobile, Simpel and Youfone, and the right plan usually becomes obvious.