Over 24 months Freedom costs €588 before the April rises. 48 costs €311.76. That €276 gap is the price of the Three badge. Some people should pay it. Most should not.
This page is only the parent against the child. For Three prepay versus Three bill pay see Three prepay vs bill pay. For 48 against the other €12.99 SIMs on other masts see 48 vs GoMo vs Clear.
Quick comparison
Side by side from published August 2026 prices and contract terms. Green highlights the better figure on each measurable row.
| Three | 48 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.2 | 9.3 |
| Intro from | €14 | €10.99 |
| Thereafter from | €20 | €10.99 |
| Headline data | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Host network | Three network | Three network |
| Annual rise | Yes | No |
| eSIM | Yes | No |
| Kind | MNO | MVNO |
Price: €311.76 or €588 for the same two years
48 unlimited 5G is €12.99, rolling, no thereafter. Three SIM Core is €20 on 12 months. SIM Freedom is €14 for six months then €28 on a 24-month term, and the €14 needs a promo code at checkout. Flex is €34.99 on 30 days. Three prepay is €20 or €25 per 28 days, which is 13 top-ups a year, not 12.
Year one: 48 is €155.88. Core is €240. Freedom is €252 (six at €14, six at €28). Over 24 months Freedom is €588 and 48 is €311.76. Three bill pay also carries a fixed annual rise each April, €2.50 on SIM-only and €3 on handset plans for contracts started after 30 July 2025, so real Freedom money lands nearer €640. 48 lists no annual rise. Rise explainer: price for life.
Network: one company, one set of masts
There is no coverage argument to have. 48 is Three. A dead spot on 48 is a dead spot on Three, and no Three shop assistant can sell you out of it. Both advertise 99% population coverage because it is the same figure.
Where Three does pull ahead is on the phone itself. Three supports VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling, so a call can ride your home broadband when the mast cannot reach the back bedroom. 48 has neither on the plans we list. Same radio, but 48 calls stop where the signal stops. Three also sells eSIM on Core, Freedom and Super Surfer; 48 posts a plastic SIM and its HelloGlobe eSIM is a travel product for outside the EU, not your Irish number. Network guide: best mobile network in Ireland.
Data: All You Can Eat versus unlimited, both with fair use
Three calls it All You Can Eat 5G and puts it on every bill-pay SIM and on Super Surfer and Connect Complete prepay. 48 calls it unlimited 5G. Both sit on the same Three fair-use policy because both are Three. Nobody is getting a faster lane for €28.
The one real data gap is the cheap fallback. 48 Student is 100 GB on 4G at €10.99 and needs a college email. Three’s nearest cheap row is Total Talker, 10 GB for €20 per 28 days, which is a talk plan with data as a garnish. If you want a lot of data for little money on Three radio, 48 is the only door. Data sizing: how much data do I need.
Contract: walk away monthly or sign for 24 months
48 is a rolling membership. Stop paying, it stops. Three Core is 12 months, Freedom is 24 months, Flex is 30-day rolling at a price that punishes you for wanting it. Three prepay is no contract but runs on 28-day cycles with a 100-day credit expiry from April 2026.
Three’s term also covers a phone if you want one financed, which 48 cannot do at all. That is the legitimate reason for the 24 months: you are paying off a handset, and the SIM is along for the ride. If you already own your phone, the 24 months is just a fence. No-contract list: no contract mobile.
Roaming: 48 lists 20 GB, Three lists 35 to 60 GB and a day pass
48 unlimited lists 20 GB EU/UK roaming and Student lists 17 GB. Three Core lists 35 GB, Freedom and Flex list 60 GB, and Freedom adds 100 international minutes. Super Surfer lists 30 GB and Connect Complete 37 GB. Three’s numbers are bigger because the plans cost two to three times more, not because the EU rules differ.
Outside the EU is where the two part company. Three Ireland runs a roaming day pass at €5.99 for 2 GB, on prepay and bill pay, renewing at midnight Irish time, with €0.06 per MB after the 2 GB. There is no Irish Go Roam; that is Three UK. 48 has no worldwide pass on your Irish number and points you to a HelloGlobe travel eSIM instead. If you fly to the States or Australia twice a year, Three is the simpler phone to carry. EU detail: EU roaming. Roaming picks: best mobile for roaming.
Who it's for: pay for the shop or pay for the masts
Three is the same product sold with a showroom around it. Dozens of shops, a phone line, handsets on the bill, eSIM, Wi-Fi calling, Three+ two-for-€10 cinema tickets and 3Arena presales. If you will use two of those, the extra €7 to €15 a month is a service fee, not a rip-off.
48 is the same product sold from a website, with a 24/7 bot, chat agents in working hours and a community forum. No shop, no handsets, no Three+, plastic SIM in the post. If you were only ever going to use the SIM for data and calls, 48 is Three at the price Three should charge.
Which should you choose?
It comes down to cost profile, host network fit, and contract style. Use this fast decision frame.
Choose Three if
You need eSIM on your Irish number, Wi-Fi calling for a house with no bars, a phone financed on the bill, a human in a shop or on a phone line, or the Three+ cinema and presale perks. You have read the Freedom maths and accept €28 from month seven plus a €2.50 rise each April.
Check Three →
Choose 48 if
You wanted Three coverage and unlimited 5G at the lowest price that exists on this radio. You can live with a plastic SIM, no Wi-Fi calling, chat-only support and bringing your own phone. You leave whenever you like with no cancellation sting.
Check 48 →Advertiser disclosure: we may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. That never affects scores or the winner.
