So there are three questions, in order. Which radio works where you sleep? How much does the bill move after month 12? And do you need a counter, an eSIM, or a broadband bundle? 48 wins the second outright. Eir wins the third on eSIM and shops. The first is an address, not a brand.
If you already know you want Eir masts, the page you actually need is Eir vs GoMo. If you want the two mast owners side by side, that is Eir vs Three. This page is Eir retail against the cheapest unlimited 5G SIM on the other radio.
Quick comparison
Side by side from published August 2026 prices and contract terms. Green highlights the better figure on each measurable row.
| Eir Mobile | 48 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 7.8 | 9.3 |
| Intro from | €14.99 | €10.99 |
| Thereafter from | €20 | €10.99 |
| Headline data | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Host network | Eir network | Three network |
| Annual rise | Yes | No |
| eSIM | Yes | No |
| Kind | MNO | MVNO |
Price: €12.99 that stays put versus €29.99 that rises every April
48 unlimited 5G is €12.99 a month, rolling, and the plan card says no annual price hikes. Year one is €155.88. Year two is €155.88. Eir Connect is €14.99 for 12 months, then €29.99, plus a €9.99 SIM activation fee. Year one is €189.87. Year two is €359.88 before the April adjustment. Over 24 months the gap is about €238 for the same word, unlimited.
Eir then has a second mechanism most people miss. In April 2026 the SIM-only standard price went up €1.70, calculated on the €29.99 rack rate even if you were on the intro or a bundle discount. For new joiners Eir now prints a flat €2.50 rise each April from April 2027 on the plan page. So the €29.99 becomes €32.49, then €34.99, while 48 sits at €12.99. The price-for-life guide explains why that clause matters more than the headline.
The Eir bundle changes the shape but not the ranking. Eir broadband customers see Connect at €9.99 then €19.99. That is €10 off the thereafter, and it is still €7 a month more than 48 from month 13. Eir’s €9.99 SIM activation fee is on top of all that; the “activation fee” on 48’s plan card is simply your first month, not an extra charge, so the checkout totals are €24.98 at Eir and €12.99 at 48.
Network: Eir masts versus Three masts, and what the evidence says
This is the only section where Eir has a real argument, so take it seriously. Eir claims 99% 5G population coverage and has 3G retiring from October 2026, which means its 4G and 5G layers are where the money went. Opensignal’s January 2026 Ireland analysis, based on data from October to December 2025, gave Eir first place for 5G Coverage Experience and 5G Availability: the share of time users sat on 5G in the places they actually go.
Three, the radio 48 rides, claims 99% population coverage too, and in the same Opensignal cycle it typically takes the speed awards, with 5G download figures around the 190 to 200 Mbps mark in that data. Read that together: Eir tends to win on how often you are on 5G, Three on how fast it is when you are. Neither number is your kitchen.
The honest rule for rural Ireland: if your neighbours on Three or 48 have signal indoors, 48 is fine. If the only phones that work at the back of the house are on Eir or GoMo, then you want Eir radio, and GoMo at €12.99 gets you there without Connect. 48 gives a free 1 GB trial on activation so you can test Three before buying a plan. Use it. Our rural mobile guide covers the mast question by county.
Data: both say unlimited, 48 dropped its fair-use cap
Both headline plans are unlimited 5G in Ireland. The difference is the small print. 48 removed the 200 GB fair-use limit from the €12.99 plan in August 2024 and now sells it as unlimited in the Republic with no stated cap. Eir calls its plan “totally unlimited” and links a separate explainer; typical network-management terms still apply to heavy tethering on any Irish MNO.
48 adds Flexi Data on top: carry over, borrow, share and donate data, which matters more on the 100 GB student plan than on unlimited. Eir’s Complete tier at €24.99 then €34.99 adds 200 international minutes and texts, not more data. If the reason you are paying for Eir is data, you are paying for nothing 48 does not already give you.
The 48 student plan is the outlier: 100 GB on 4G, not 5G, for €10.99. If 100 GB covers the month, it is the cheapest serious SIM on either radio. How much you actually need: data guide.
Contract: both are 30-day rolling, only one has a cliff
On paper the two are identical: 30-day rolling, no minimum term. In practice Eir’s 30-day plan has a 12-month intro baked in, so the contract you are not signing still has a month-13 cliff to €29.99. You can leave at month 12 with no penalty. Most people do not, and Eir’s pricing assumes that.
48 has no cliff because there is no intro. The €12.99 you pay in month one is the €12.99 in month 25. Buying is a free SIM posted out, a plan bought in the app, and a port done online. There is no retention desk to ring because there is nothing to retain you from.
Leaving either is a port to the new network, done from the new SIM. See how to switch and no-contract mobile.
Roaming: Eir’s bigger EU cap, 48’s 20 GB that includes the UK
This is Eir’s second genuine win. Connect lists 65 GB of EU roaming; Complete is 75 GB and adds 200 international minutes and texts. 48 unlimited is 20 GB EU/UK, the student plan 17 GB. For a fortnight in Spain, 20 GB is plenty. For three months working from Lisbon, it is not, and you will hit 48’s cap and pay per gigabyte after it.
Two details tilt it back. 48 states the UK inside its roaming allowance; Eir’s plan card lists the EU, so check the UK line before a Belfast commute. And the Eir cap is attached to a plan that costs €17 a month more from month 13. Twelve months of that difference buys a lot of roaming add-ons. Rules and post-Brexit detail: EU roaming explained; heavy travellers: best mobile for roaming.
Who it's for: the shop, the bundle and the eSIM versus the cheapest unlimited SIM
Eir is the one with a counter. Eir stores can set you up, eir.ie describes eSIM activation for SIM-only customers through the eir app by EID or QR code, and broadband customers get €10 off every mobile plan. If your phone has no SIM tray, Eir can serve you today and 48 cannot; 48 still posts plastic and its community forum has been asking for eSIM for two years. HelloGlobe is 48’s travel eSIM for outside the EU/UK, not an eSIM for your Irish number.
48 is the one with the price. Everything is online, support is app and chat, and the product is the membership. Students get the €10.99 plan. Anyone on Three radio who wants unlimited 5G and does not want to think about April gets the €12.99 plan. For the radio-by-radio view of the cheap unlimited floor, 48 vs GoMo vs Clear; for the current ranking, best mobile in Ireland.
Which should you choose?
It comes down to cost profile, host network fit, and contract style. Use this fast decision frame.
Choose Eir Mobile if
You have eir broadband and the €10 off is real on your order, or a Three-radio SIM has failed at your address and you want the network owner rather than GoMo. You want eSIM, a shop, and the bigger EU roaming cap, and you accept €29.99 from month 13 plus a rise every April.
Check Eir Mobile →
Choose 48 if
Three signal works where you live and work, you want unlimited 5G at €12.99 that stays €12.99, and you are happy to buy online, wait for a plastic SIM and deal with support in the app. Students take the 100 GB plan at €10.99.
Check 48 →Advertiser disclosure: we may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. That never affects scores or the winner.
