Three vs giffgaff
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Three
Easily manage your mobile and broadband plans. Track usage, view bills, top up accounts, and access exclusive offers. Set up and manage your broadband with helpful tools.
- View plan allowances and usage
- Manage additional products
- Access past bills and cost breakdowns
- Top up Pay As You Go accounts
- Set up and manage broadband
- Access Three+ rewards
- Live chat support
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The Three app makes managing your phone and broadband plans easy. The app helps you: - view plan allowances and usage - add, change or cancel additional products - access past bills and see a breakdown of costs - top up your Pay As You Go account - see offers you won’t find anywhere else - set up and manage your broadband - position your hub with the real-time signal strength indicator - quickly launch Three+ rewards - discover Three Community - live chat with Three - manage payments easily and securely with Apple Pay.
giffgaff
Manage your mobile account effortlessly. Track data usage, renew plans, and access WiFi hotspots across the UK. This app provides a comprehensive overview of your mobile services and allows for easy top-ups and account management.
- Check data usage
- Buy or renew plans
- Plan expiry notifications
- Add credit/auto top-up
- WiFi Extra access
- Community access
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The giffgaff mobile app lets you manage your giffgaff account with the tap of your phone. You can check your data use on the go and connect to literally thousands of WiFi hotspots all across the UK with WiFI Extra. But that's just the start of what the app can do. It's a bitesize wonder. - Check how much data you have left - Buy or renew a plan - Keep an eye on when your plan expires - Add credit or turn on auto top up - Pay with a saved card or PayPal - Redeem a voucher - Access the community - Add multiple giffgaff accounts - Access thousands of WiFi hotspots across the UK with WiFi Extra You'll need your giffgaff member name and password to log in. If you're new to giffgaff, order your free SIM card now: https://www.giffgaff.com/orders/free-sim
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: giffgaff at none against Three's shown. giffgaff also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (29% vs 18%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Three against 4.5 for giffgaff. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 18% of Three's written reviews are positive against 29% of giffgaff's.
Three ships an update every 2 weeks, giffgaff every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Three | giffgaff |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.1K ratings) | 4.5 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.0% of reviews | 28.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 1K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 99 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hutchison 3G UK Ltd | giffgaff |
Customer experience
Three
giffgaff
User reviews
Three
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- ✨ Reliable service
- 💰 Good value
- 🌍 Excellent roaming coverage
Room to improve
- 🔧 Buggy app
- 📶 Poor network coverage
- 🤖 Unhelpful customer service
- 💸 Overcharging issues
- 🔒 Security concerns
giffgaff
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 💰 Affordable pricing
- 👍 Straightforward app
- 🔒 Secure login process
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes
- ⚠️ Poor network coverage
- 🔍 Lack of customer support
- 🔧 Technical issues with SIM activation
Bugs and requests
Three
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues
- App crashes frequently
- Inaccurate data usage tracking
- Inability to cancel add-ons
Requested features
4 requests- Add Apple Pay support
- Improve app stability and performance
- Provide better network coverage information
- Streamline account management features
giffgaff
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login screen freezes
- Inability to update payment methods
- Inconsistent app behavior across devices
- Unreliable app performance after updates
Requested features
4 requests- Detailed data usage tracking
- Ability to manage family accounts
- Landscape mode support for tablets
- Seamless SIM card switching
In-app purchases
Three
No in-app purchases
giffgaff
No in-app purchases
