Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
1pMobile vs Play
Where 1pMobile and Play differ
| Compare |  1pMobile |  Play |
|---|---|---|
| Seller type | Mvno | Network |
| Price from | £5 | PLN 50 |
| Reference plan prices | 5GB 30-day: GBP 5 per month, 5GB, 30-day rolling; Unlimited 30-day: GBP 25 per month, unlimited data, 30-day rolling; 1-year 50GB: GBP 110 per year, 50GB per 30 days, 12-month | Abonament S+: 70 PLN/month, unlimited calls/SMS, data varies, 24 months; Pakiet XXL 5G na karte: 50 PLN/month, unlimited calls/SMS plus 600GB promo, prepaid; Starter XXL online: 25 PLN/month avg first 2 months (50 PLN then 0 PLN), GB unlimited 186 days promo, prepaid |
| Unlimited plan price | £25 | PLN 50 |
| Markets | GB | PL |
| Roaming countries | 46 | Not confirmed |
| Hotspot sharing | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Mid-contract price rises | Any contractual changes not to your benefit notified with at least 30-days notice with right to leave without charge | Not confirmed |
| Credit check required | No | Not confirmed |
Same on both: SIM-only (Yes), 5G (Yes), eSIM (Yes), Wi-Fi calling (Yes), EU roaming (Fair use), Multi-line discount (Yes).
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Key differences
- Support channels: only 1pMobile offers Phone, Email, Chat.
- Billing: only 1pMobile offers Rolling.
- Billing: only Play offers Contract.
- Contract length: only 1pMobile offers 1, 12.
- Contract length: only Play offers 24.
- Markets: only 1pMobile offers GB.
- Markets: only Play offers PL.
Our verdict on each
1pMobile
1pMobile suits adults in the UK who want a cheap Sim only line, an eSIM, no credit check and a rolling monthly option they can leave quickly. It scores 9 overall, with plans starting at £5 a month, and the unlimited tier landing mid table on our price comparison.
Play
Play sells sim only and prepaid plans on its own network in Poland, suiting readers who want calls, data and roaming from a single operator. Entry pricing starts at PLN 50, unlimited data sits at PLN 50, and contract lines run for 24 months.
Score breakdown
| Area | 1pMobile | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.9Entry at £5 a month ranks 111 of 258, and unlimited at £25 sits lower down. | 9.1HigherCost scores 9.1 here, with entry at PLN 50 and unlimited data at PLN 50 on both billing types (contract and prepaid). |
| Offer | 9.0HigherSim only with eSIM, 5G and WiFi calling, support on phone, email and chat and no credit check. | 8.9Offer scores 8.9, with an eSIM, wifi calling, a multi line discount and roaming on fair use terms across contract and prepaid. |
Where each is licensed and available
| Country | 1pMobile | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | Not confirmed |
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | 1pMobile | Play |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only deals | 17 of 416 | 21 of 416 |
| Prepaid phone plans | 13 of 367 | 16 of 367 |
| Phone plans with eSIM | 29 of 389 | 32 of 389 |
What we checked
1pMobile
- 1pmobile.com: 20 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Play
- play.pl: 15 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | 1pMobile | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Rolling, Prepaid | Contract, Prepaid |
| Contract length | 1, 12 | 24 |
| Legal entity | Telecommunications Management Limited | P4 Sp. z o.o. |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Phone, Email, Chat, Help centreCovers more | Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | 1pMobile | Play | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming countries | 46below the median | Not confirmed | 100 |
Median across 176 listed providers.
Pros and cons
1pMobile
Pros
- Plans start at £5 a month, and billing runs rolling and prepaid with terms of 1 and 12 months, so a reader can start small.
- No credit check is required and an eSIM is available, which means a new number can be live without a handset.
- 5G, WiFi calling and hotspot sharing are all included, and a multi line discount applies to households.
Cons
- EU roaming is fair use rather than included, and roaming overall reaches 46 countries.
- Terms run 1 and 12 months, so the rolling option is the pick for anyone who might move, and the annual plan only makes sense for readers already settled.
- 1pMobile is an mvno, while GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN and yesss! all sell as network providers, so a reader who wants the operator itself is looking at a different kind of seller.
Play
Pros
- Sim only plans are available, so a reader with an existing handset does not need to fund a new device to get the tariff.
- Billing covers both contract and prepaid (contract and prepaid), so a short prepaid line and a longer contract line can sit on one operator.
- EU roaming follows fair use terms rather than a separately billed add-on, which suits readers who travel without arranging a roaming bundle.
Cons
- Contract lines run for 24 months, a long commitment for anyone who would rather change provider part way through.
- Support is listed as help centre alone, with no phone or email channel named, so problems are handled in writing.
- Plans are sold in a single market, PL, so these prices say nothing about buying in other countries.
Who each suits
1pMobile
Who it suits
- Adults in the UK who want a Sim only line at the cheap end of the price range and can set up an eSIM themselves.
- Households adding a second line, where a multi line discount applies.
- Readers who want a rolling monthly line they can end quickly, with no credit check at signup.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants to buy from the network operator rather than an mvno: GETESA and yesss! sell as network and network providers.
- Heavy data users on a tight budget, since the unlimited plan costs £25 a month, with the network sellers GETESA, yesss! and Lonestar Cell MTN the ones to price against.
Play
Who it suits
- Households in PL that want calls, data and roaming from one operator on a sim only line.
- Readers comfortable holding a contract for 24-month who want contract and prepaid options from the same seller, with network meaning the network itself.
- Families adding extra numbers to an account, since a multi line discount applies.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want rolling monthly terms without a long commitment, since yesss! lists contract, rolling and prepaid, which adds rolling, while Play's contract lines run 24 months.
- Readers shopping purely on the lowest starting figure, where Lonestar Cell MTN starts at $0.20 against Play's PLN 50.
- Anyone buying outside PL, since GETESA sells on prepaid and contract in its own market and Play's price points do not carry across.
Current offers
1pMobile
Current offer
Discount code
PAYG SIM with GBP 10 credit for GBP 5: GBP 5 off starter
SIM loaded with GBP 10 of credit; 14-day money back guarantee
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Country by country
| Country | 1pMobile | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | No | Yes |
Questions about each
1pMobile
What does 1pMobile cost to join?+
Plans start at £5 a month, and that figure belongs to the smallest data allowance in the range. A heavy user should budget on the unlimited plan rather than the entry number. The entry figure is a month to month spend, not an introductory deal that resets later.
How much is the unlimited data plan?+
The Unlimited plan is listed at £25 a month. It is the price to hold in mind for anyone who regularly uses more data than a capped allowance allows, and it is the figure that pushes 1pMobile further back in our price comparison than its entry plan does. Readers who stay well inside a small allowance pay far less.
Play
What does a Play plan cost at entry, and what is unlimited data priced at?+
Play's entry price is PLN 50, the figure shown for the cheapest plan on the range. A plan with unlimited data is listed at PLN 50. The two sit close together on this brand, so the entry number is a fair guide to what unlimited data runs at rather than a teaser for a much higher tier.
How long do Play contract plans run?+
Contract lines run for 24 months. That is the length to weigh before taking one, since it holds the price arrangement for the full term. A reader who expects to move provider or change address part way through is the one most affected, as the term outlives many phone upgrade cycles. Prepaid options sit alongside on contract and prepaid.
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