Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
TextNow vs UKLG DirectSave
What sets them apart
| Compare |  TextNow |  UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0 | £22.95 |
| Reference plan prices | Free: $0 per month, unlimited talk and text, rolling; Plus Monthly: $18.99 per month, 20GB data, rolling; Unlimited Monthly: $35.99 per month, 20GB data plus unlimited 2G, 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 | $35.99 | £19.95 |
| Markets | US, CA | GB |
| Host network | Not confirmed | Three |
| 5G | Yes | Not confirmed |
| eSIM | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Wi-Fi calling | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Mid-contract price rises | Not confirmed | If price rise is detrimental you may cancel without penalty within 30 days |
Same on both: Seller type (Mvno), SIM-only (Yes), Credit check required (No).
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Key differences
- Support channels: only TextNow offers Help centre, Chat.
- Support channels: only UKLG DirectSave offers Phone, Email.
- TextNow is available in 1 more country.
- Billing: only TextNow offers Prepaid.
- Billing: only UKLG DirectSave offers Contract.
- Contract length: only TextNow offers 1.
- Contract length: only UKLG DirectSave offers 12, 24.
- Markets: only TextNow offers US, CA.
- Markets: only UKLG DirectSave offers GB.
Our verdict on each
TextNow
TextNow suits anyone who wants a second line or a spare handset for talk and text without paying a monthly bill, since the Free plan sits at $0 and runs rolling. It is a weaker fit for heavy data users or for anyone who wants support by phone.
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 | TextNow | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.3Entry price is $0 and TextNow ranks 1 of 258 on that figure. | 9.4HigherEntry price of £22.95, renewal of £27.95 to £39.95 and a setup fee of £0. |
| Offer | 8.8HigherSim only, eSIM and wifi calling are offered, and the unlimited plan costs $35.99. | 8.6Full fibre at 1,000 Mbps on fttp and fttc, uploads from 20 to 115 Mbps, router included. |
| Trust | 8.6The legal entity is TextNow Inc. in CA, with support on help centre and chat. | Not confirmed |
How they place
| Ranking | TextNow | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only deals | 189 of 416 | 194 of 416 |
| Cheap cell phone plans (MVNOs) | 89 of 137 | 91 of 137 |
| Phone plans without a credit check | 13 of 26 | 14 of 26 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | TextNow | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Rolling, Prepaid | Contract, Rolling |
| Contract length | 1 | 12, 24 |
| Legal entity | TextNow Inc. | Utilities UK Ltd t/a Direct Save Telecom |
| Headquarters | Canada | United Kingdom |
| Founded | 2009 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Help centre, Chat | Phone, Email |
Pros and cons
TextNow
Pros
- The Free plan costs $0 and still includes unlimited talk and text, so a spare line costs nothing to run.
- No credit check is required to sign up, which the free tier shares with the paid plans.
- Sim only plans run on rolling and prepaid billing, with a plan term of 1 month, so there is no long lock-in.
Cons
- The Unlimited Monthly plan, which adds unlimited data on older network generations, costs $35.99 a month, so heavy data users pay well above the free tier.
- Support runs on help centre and chat only, so there is no phone line listed.
- TextNow is a virtual network operator serving US and CA, so it does not reach readers who would pick a network such as GETESA.
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
TextNow
Who it suits
- People in the US or Canada who want a second number for messages and calls and will not stream much video.
- Households keeping an old handset on a cheap line purely for talk and text.
- Readers who want an eSIM line and prefer paying monthly with no fixed term.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone outside the US and Canada, who should look at GETESA, yesss! or Lonestar Cell MTN instead.
- People who stream and tether regularly, since the paid data allowance is modest next to what network sellers offer.
- Readers who need phone support, because the listed channels are a help centre and chat.
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 | TextNow | UKLG DirectSave |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Yes | No |
| United Kingdom | No | Yes |
| United States | Yes | No |
Questions about each
TextNow
What is the cheapest TextNow plan?+
The Free plan is the cheapest, priced from $0 a month. It includes unlimited talk and text on a rolling basis, with a plan term of 1 month. It is a sim only plan, so you use a handset you already own.
What does the unlimited plan cost?+
The Unlimited Monthly plan costs $35.99 a month. It pairs a set data allowance with unlimited data on older network generations, plus unlimited talk and text. The Plus Monthly tier carries the same data allowance, so the difference is the older-generation data on top.
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.