Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
Lycamobile vs US Mobile
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Lycamobile | US Mobile ReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £3.50 | $10 |
| Reference plan prices | National Plus: GBP 5 per month, 30 GB, 30 days; UK Plan Unlimited: GBP 12.5 per month, Unlimited, 30 days; UK Plan Smart: GBP 3.5 per month, 5 GB, 30 days | By the Gig 1GB: $10/mo, 1GB shared, monthly; Unlimited Starter annual: $16.58/mo, unlimited, 12-month; Unlimited Flex: $17.5/mo, unlimited 10GB high-speed, monthly |
| Unlimited plan price | £12.50 | $16.58 |
| EU roaming | Fair use | Included |
| Markets | GB | US |
| Wi-Fi calling | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Roaming countries | Not confirmed | 180 |
| Data rollover | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Hotspot sharing | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Credit check required | No | Not confirmed |
| Multi-line discount | Not confirmed | No |
Same on both: Seller type (Mvno), SIM-only (Yes), 5G (Yes), eSIM (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- Lycamobile scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 9.1.
- Billing: only Lycamobile offers Rolling.
- Contract length: only Lycamobile offers 24.
- Markets: only Lycamobile offers GB.
- Markets: only US Mobile offers US.
Our verdict on each
Lycamobile
Lycamobile suits UK readers who want a prepaid sim only line, 5G and an eSIM without a credit check or a long handset contract. It scores 9.2 overall, and entry pricing starts at £3.50 a month on a rolling monthly basis.
US Mobile
US Mobile suits US households that want a prepaid shared data plan or an annual unlimited tier, and it scores 9.1 overall for price and offer. The trade-off is the annual term behind the cheapest unlimited rate and a missing multi line discount for families buying more than one line.
Score breakdown
| Area | Lycamobile | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.4HigherEntry pricing of £3.50 a month and unlimited data at £12.50 a month back a strong cost score. | 9.1The By the Gig plan opens at $10 and Unlimited Starter annual at $16.58, the two prices readers weigh before signing up. |
| Offer | 8.9Sim only plans, 5G, an eSIM, prepaid and rolling billing and terms of 1, 12 and 24 make for a flexible, low commitment lineup. | 9.1HighereSIM, wifi calling, hotspot sharing, data rollover and 5G come as standard, with EU roaming included. |
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | Lycamobile | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only deals | 6 of 416 | 16 of 416 |
| Cheap cell phone plans (MVNOs) | 3 of 137 | 8 of 137 |
| Prepaid phone plans | 5 of 367 | 12 of 367 |
| Phone plans with eSIM | 20 of 389 | 28 of 389 |
Availability and regulation
| Country | Lycamobile | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
Additional countries for Lycamobile: 1. Additional countries for US Mobile: 1.
What we checked
Lycamobile
- lycamobile.co.uk: 12 facts, checked September 30, 2026
US Mobile
- usmobile.com: 18 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Lycamobile | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Prepaid, RollingCovers more | Prepaid |
| Contract length | 1, 12, 24Covers more | 1, 12 |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
| Support channels | Not confirmed | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Lycamobile | US Mobile | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming countries | Not confirmed | 180above the median | 100 |
Median across 176 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Lycamobile
Pros
- Entry pricing of £3.50 a month and unlimited data at £12.50 a month place it near the top of our price-from and unlimited tables.
- A credit check is not required, which is a shorter route to a live line than a provider that scores applicants first.
- Billing runs on prepaid and rolling terms and plan terms come in 1, 12 and 24, so a reader can start short and stay flexible.
Cons
- Roaming in Europe runs on fair use terms rather than being included, so regular travel calls for another plan.
- Lycamobile is an MVNO by mvno, where GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN and yesss! are listed as networks, so readers set on a network seller should compare those instead.
- The entry price ranks 79 of 258 on our price-from list, so the lowest starting price in the comparison sits elsewhere.
US Mobile
Pros
- Shared data starts at $10 a month on the By the Gig plan, one of the lower entry figures in the listings.
- Unlimited Starter annual comes in at $16.58 a month, below the monthly Unlimited Flex tier for anyone willing to hold a yearly term.
- EU roaming is included across 180 countries, a package only 36.1% of the site listings include.
Cons
- Multi line discount is not offered, although 97.5% of prepaid listings include one, so a family pays full price on every line.
- US Mobile sells as mvno, while Lonestar Cell MTN is network, so readers who prefer to buy from a network operator have fewer like for like sellers to weigh.
- The lowest unlimited rate of $16.58 is tied to the annual term, and contract lengths run 1 and 12 months, so month to month flexibility costs more per month.
Who each suits
Lycamobile
Who it suits
- UK readers wanting a cheap prepaid data line: sim only plans from £3.50 a month, sold in the United Kingdom, with no credit check.
- Readers who want 5G or an eSIM but not a handset bundle, and who can live with plan terms of 1, 12 and 24.
- Holders of a spare phone or tablet who can manage fair use roaming and a set data allowance.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want European roaming included in the price: Lycamobile runs roaming on fair use terms, and GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN and yesss! are the alternatives to weigh instead.
- Anyone who insists on buying from a network rather than an MVNO, since GETESA (network), Lonestar Cell MTN (network) and yesss! (network) all sell as networks while Lycamobile is an MVNO by mvno.
US Mobile
Who it suits
- Households in the US that want a prepaid line with rollover, so unused data carries over rather than disappearing.
- Travellers from a US base who want roaming included across 180 countries without a separate roaming plan.
- People comfortable running on a host network and managing their own plan, since the seller type is mvno.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want to buy from a network operator rather than a host network, since GETESA at network, Lonestar Cell MTN at network and yesss! at network all sit on the network side.
- Shoppers buying several lines and expecting a multi line discount, because none is offered here.
- Anyone living outside the US, since the plan market is US.
Country by country
| Country | Lycamobile | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Yes | No |
| United States | No | Yes |
Questions about each
Lycamobile
What is the cheapest Lycamobile plan?+
UK Plan Smart is the entry plan, priced at £3.50 a month for a set data allowance. It is a sim only offer, so no handset is needed, and a credit check is not required. National Plus costs more for a larger allowance, while UK Plan Unlimited is the option for a reader who would rather not watch data.
How much does the unlimited plan cost?+
UK Plan Unlimited is quoted at £12.50 a month. On our unlimited price list Lycamobile ranks 44 of 173, so unlimited data is priced below the middle of the field. The figure is the same throughout, with no promotional opening rate listed for the plan.
US Mobile
What does the cheapest plan cost?+
The By the Gig plan is the entry plan at $10 a month, with a shared data pool across the lines on the account. Unlimited Starter, the annual tier, is the unlimited option at $16.58 a month, and Unlimited Flex adds a high-speed allowance to the unlimited range on a monthly basis.
What happens to the price after the first year on the unlimited plan?+
The plan contract options run 1 and 12 months, so the annual unlimited tier sits alongside a shorter monthly term. Unlimited Starter is listed at $16.58 a month on the annual term, and the monthly unlimited alternative, Unlimited Flex, is priced higher per month.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
- Lycamobile vs Very Mobile
- Lycamobile vs HoT Hofer Telekom Austria
- Lycamobile vs Cricket Wireless
- Lycamobile vs O2 CZ Datamanie
- Lycamobile vs Simpel
- Lycamobile vs TextNow
- Lycamobile vs Astound
- Lycamobile vs MobileX
- Lycamobile vs yallo
- US Mobile vs nju Mobile
- Lycamobile vs MasMovil
- Lycamobile vs Budget Thuis Internet
- Lycamobile vs Twigby Mobile
- Lycamobile vs Kyivstar
- Lycamobile vs T-Mobile Polska
- US Mobile vs ho. Mobile
- Lycamobile vs Budget Energie
- Lycamobile vs PremiumSIM
- Lycamobile vs Lyca Mobile Ireland
- US Mobile vs 1pMobile
- Lycamobile vs Lyca Mobile
- Lycamobile vs sim.de