Entry tier and unlimited tier, side by side
The comparison usually turns on what a provider charges to join and what it charges for a plan with uncapped data. 1&1 lists an entry price of €9.99 and an unlimited plan at €14.99. ALDI Talk does the same, an entry price of €2.99 with unlimited at €9.99. 4ka pairs €4 for the entry tier with €16 for unlimited.
Read the billing period beside each figure on the provider's own plan page, because a prepaid bundle and a monthly subscription behave differently once you top up. The 1&1 review and the 4ka review show how those tiers sit against what people actually use.
A narrow gap or a wide step
Some brands price both tiers at the same figure. AirTalk Wireless lists an entry price of $0 and an unlimited plan at $0, so price on its own will not separate the options there. 50plus Mobiel lists an entry price of €2.50 and Africell DRC an entry price of $1.20, which marks the floor of the range rather than the cost of a full month.
Others stretch the distance between the tiers. 3 Denmark charges DKK 60 for its entry tier and DKK 290 for unlimited, a wider step than most prices in this group. 2degrees lists an entry price of NZD 8 with an unlimited plan at NZD 85, while 1pMobile lists £5 for entry and £25 for unlimited.
A wide gap means heavy use costs a good deal more than light use, so the useful question is which side of the gap your data habit sits on. Read the 2degrees review and the 3 Denmark review for how the plans hold up, and the 1pMobile review for a market where the tiers sit well apart.
Discount brands and their low entry tiers
The lowest entry prices tend to belong to discount and supermarket brands. 4ka quotes €4 for entry against €16 for unlimited, ALDI Talk an entry price of €2.99 with unlimited at €9.99, and 50plus Mobiel an entry price of €2.50. 019 Mobile lists an entry price of ILS 10, and ALIV an entry price of BSD 5 with an unlimited plan at BSD 45.
For these brands the entry tier is a way in rather than the plan you stay on, so the unlimited figure tells you what a month of real use eventually costs. Check the allowance on the entry tier and the price of extra data before you settle on it.
Convert before you compare across markets
Prices are quoted in the currency of the market they belong to, so a low figure in a single market says nothing about another country's plan. 2degrees lists an entry price of NZD 8 in New Zealand dollars, 3 Denmark an entry price of DKK 60 in Danish kroner, and Asiacell an entry price of IQD 1,250 in Iraqi dinar.
Australia offers a like for like comparison: ALDI Mobile lists an entry price of AUD 28 and amaysim an entry price of AUD 10, both in Australian dollars. In West Africa, Africell Gambia quotes GMD 10 for the entry tier and GMD 6,000 for unlimited in dalasi, and Africell Sierra Leone prices its tiers in the leone at SLE 0.40 and SLE 100. Convert before you rank them, and check whether a currency charge or a roaming rate sits on top of the local figure.
A comparison routine you can repeat
Put the entry price and the unlimited price for the same brand on a single line, then write the billing period beside each of them, taken from the provider's plan page rather than a comparison table. Add the allowance, limits and quotas for each tier, and note whether the plan is sold as a prepaid bundle or a monthly subscription.
Then widen the field: Cheap cell phone plans (MVNOs) for the brands with the lowest entry tiers, and Mobile networks when you want to weigh what you pay against the kind of network you are buying. If you travel often or swap devices regularly, check Phone plans with eSIM at the same time.
Price is only part of the decision
A low entry price says nothing about coverage, and nothing about what your data does once you pass the allowance. Alfa lists an entry price of $1.50 and Antel an entry price of UYU 635, and each figure needs the plan's limits and quotas next to it before it means anything to a household. Read the provider's review for the limits that produce surprise bills, confirm the billing period before you sign up, and treat the entry price as the cost of joining rather than the cost of a month with heavy use.