Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
SMARTY vs UKLG DirectSave
SMARTY vs UKLG DirectSave: the differences
| Compare |  SMARTY |  UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £5Lower | £22.95 |
| Reference plan prices | 40GB: GBP 10 per month, 40GB, 1-month rolling | Unlimited: GBP 20 per month, unlimited, 1-month rolling | 2GB Data Only: GBP 5 per month, 2GB, 1-month rolling | 11Mb/s Broadband: GBP 22.95/month, 11Mbps, 12 months; 550Mb/s Full Fibre: GBP 39.95/month, 550Mbps, 24 months; 1000Mb/s Full Fibre: GBP 44.95/month, 1000Mbps, 24 months |
| Unlimited plan price | £20 | £19.95Lower |
| Mid-contract price rises | No annual price rises on rolling one-month plans | If price rise is detrimental you may cancel without penalty within 30 days |
| 5G | Yes | Not confirmed |
| eSIM | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Wi-Fi calling | Yes | Not confirmed |
| EU roaming | Fair use | Not confirmed |
| Hotspot sharing | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Multi-line discount | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Seller type (Mvno), Host network (Three), SIM-only (Yes), Credit check required (No), Markets (GB).
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Key differences
- Price from is lower at SMARTY: £5 vs £22.95.
- Unlimited plan price is lower at UKLG DirectSave: £19.95 vs £20.
- Support channels: only SMARTY offers Help centre, Community.
- Support channels: only UKLG DirectSave offers Phone, Email.
- Billing: only UKLG DirectSave offers Contract.
- Contract length: only SMARTY offers 1.
- Contract length: only UKLG DirectSave offers 12, 24.
Our verdict on each
SMARTY
SMARTY suits anyone after a rolling monthly SIM, a low entry price and the usual extras with no credit check, and it stays cheap at renewal because annual price rises do not apply to its rolling plans. Its unlimited plan ranks 89 of 173 on price, where heavy users get their value.
UKLG DirectSave
UKLG DirectSave suits households in GB that want full fibre speeds at a low entry cost, a setup fee of £0 and renewal at £27.95 to £39.95. The trade-off is commitment and support: terms run for 12 and 24 months, help comes over phone and email, and no credit check is required.
Score breakdown
| Area | SMARTY | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1Entry plan from £5 a month, unlimited at £20, rolling billing with no annual rises. | 9.4HigherEntry price of £22.95, renewal of £27.95 to £39.95 and a setup fee of £0. |
| Offer | 8.9HigherSim only on Three with eSIM, wifi calling, hotspot sharing, a multi line discount and no credit check. | 8.6Full fibre at 1,000 Mbps on fttp and fttc, uploads from 20 to 115 Mbps, router included. |
Which one suits you
Pick SMARTY if offer and price from matter most.
Pick UKLG DirectSave if cost and unlimited plan price matter most.
Also worth a look
Lycamobile has price from at £3.50, against £5 for SMARTY and £22.95 for UKLG DirectSave.
Lycamobile reviewWhat we checked
SMARTY
- smarty.co.uk: 20 facts, checked September 30, 2026
UKLG DirectSave
- directsavetelecom.co.uk: 14 facts, checked September 30, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | SMARTY | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only deals | 184 of 416 | 194 of 416 |
| Cheap cell phone plans (MVNOs) | 85 of 137 | 91 of 137 |
| Phone plans without a credit check | 11 of 26 | 14 of 26 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | SMARTY | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Rolling | Contract, RollingCovers more |
| Contract length | 1 | 12, 24 |
| Legal entity | Hutchison 3G UK Limited | Utilities UK Ltd t/a Direct Save Telecom |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| Support channels | Help centre, Community | Phone, Email |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | SMARTY | UKLG DirectSave | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | £5lowest quarter | £22.95above the median | £10 |
| Unlimited plan price | £20below the median | £19.95below the median | £22 |
Median across 22 listed providers.
Pros and cons
SMARTY
Pros
- The entry plan is priced from £5 a month and bills on rolling terms.
- No annual price rises on the rolling monthly plans, so what you start on is what you renew on.
- An eSIM, 5G, wifi calling and hotspot sharing are all included.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre and community only, with no phone line for problems that need a voice.
- EU roaming works on a fair use basis, so a month abroad is not the same as a month at home.
- Coverage is fixed to Three because SMARTY is a virtual network operator, so there is no second host network to weigh.
UKLG DirectSave
Pros
- A setup fee of £0 puts UKLG DirectSave at 1 of 86 on setup fee, the strongest rank among the measures here.
- Renewal pricing of £27.95 to £39.95 sits at 6 of 36 on post contract price, so the month after the term is not a step change.
- Full fibre downloads of 1,000 Mbps with uploads running from 20 to 115 Mbps across fttp and fttc.
Cons
- Terms run for 12 and 24 months, so a short commitment is ruled out, and termination fees apply once the service is live.
- Chat and a help centre are not among its phone and email, so a time-sensitive fault means a phone call rather than a written desk.
- The entry price of £22.95 ranks 53 of 95 on price from, and the top speed of 1,000 Mbps sits at 49 of 114 on maximum download speed, so neither measure leads the field.
Who each suits
SMARTY
Who it suits
- People in GB who want to leave any month on a 1 month rolling term.
- Heavy data users who will pay £20 a month for the unlimited plan instead of watching a cap.
- Households running several lines, since a multi line discount is available.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who would rather buy from the network's own brand: GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN and yesss! are all network sellers, while SMARTY is a virtual network operator on Three.
- Frequent travellers who want roaming included, since fair use is the basis here and 48.2% of cheap plan listings include it outright.
- Anyone who needs a human voice on day one, since support runs on help centre and community only.
UKLG DirectSave
Who it suits
- Households in GB that can get fttp and fttc at their address and want a £0 setup fee with a router included.
- Applicants who would rather skip a credit check, since none is required to order.
- Readers planning a broadband and mobile pairing from one brand, with sim only service on Three and unlimited data at £19.95.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want cable or satellite alongside full fibre: Astound is listed on cable and fttp and EarthLink on fttp, 5G and satellite.
- Houses that want a single fibre-to-the-premises technology to compare against, since Abissnet is listed on fttp alone while UKLG DirectSave runs on fttp and fttc.
- Readers chasing the highest headline speed in the site data, where the top download of 1,000 Mbps ranks 49 of 114.
Country by country
| Country | SMARTY | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Yes | Yes |
Questions about each
SMARTY
How much is the cheapest SMARTY plan?+
SMARTY's entry plan starts at £5 a month and bills rolling, so there is no annual term to fund first. That figure is the monthly price from the start, not a headline rate that needs a discount code. Bigger allowances and unlimited data cost more.
How much is unlimited data at SMARTY?+
The unlimited plan costs £20 a month on rolling terms, and on the price lists it places 89 of 173 tracked brands, a stronger showing than its entry price. Heavy users get more here than the entry figure suggests.
UKLG DirectSave
What does broadband cost at the start, and what does it cost afterwards?+
The entry broadband plan is listed at £22.95 a month, with the full fibre tiers above that. Once the initial term ends, plans renew within £27.95 to £39.95, so budget the renewal figure rather than the headline. The setup fee on both lines is £0, which means nothing to pay before the first bill.
Is there a setup charge, and do I need to buy a router?+
Setup is charged at £0, so no activation fee lands on the first bill. A wireless router is supplied with full fibre orders rather than sold separately, and Free wireless router, GBP 8.95 delivery covers what is included alongside the delivery terms. Reading that detail matters, since delivery is the part that can carry a cost.