Comparison

Three vs Spark NZ

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Three

Manage your mobile and broadband plans effortlessly. Track allowances, view bills, top up accounts, and access exclusive offers. Get support via live chat and manage payments securely.

Highlights
  • View plan allowances and usage
  • Add, change, or cancel products
  • Access past bills and cost breakdowns
  • Top up Pay As You Go accounts
  • Set up and manage broadband
  • Live chat support
  • Manage payments with Apple Pay
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Spark NZ

Manage all your mobile, broadband, and wearable plans in one convenient app. Easily top up, pay bills, track data usage, and discover the latest offers and content.

Highlights
  • Manage all accounts in one place
  • Quick bill payments
  • Track data usage by hour, day, month
  • Top up plans and add data/minutes
  • Discover latest offers and content
Features
Read full description

Manage your Spark services in one place. Check your usage, pay bills, top up, manage roaming and find support whenever you need it. Manage your mobile, broadband and other Spark services in a simpler, more personalised app experience. Everything you need, all in one place: • View data usage, balances and bills • Top up prepaid and pay bills • Manage plans and roaming • Update account and security settings • Switch between accounts • Check outages and get support Your new Home screen shows important updates, recommendations and next steps so you can quickly see what needs your attention. We’re building smarter, more personalised ways to help you stay connected, informed and in control.

Screenshots

Three4 screens
Spark NZ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Three at 4.4 against Spark NZ's 3.5. Three also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 87). Spark NZ's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Three holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Three has 1.2K ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Three's written reviews are positive against 8% of Spark NZ's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Three ships an update every 3 weeks, Spark NZ every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Three versus Spark NZ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThreeSpark NZ
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.2K ratings) — better3.5 (87 ratings)
Positive reviews17.7% of reviews — better7.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K — better87
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size198 MB212 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHutchison 3G UK LtdSpark New Zealand Trading Limited

Customer experience

Three

All ratings1,231 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.3%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews1,025 reviews
Positive17.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative77.5%

Spark NZ

All ratings87 ratings
Positive60.9%
Neutral8.0%
Negative31.0%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive7.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative86.1%

User reviews

Three

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What 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

Spark NZ

From 87 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good overall app
  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 📊 Useful for tracking usage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive UI
  • 💸 Overcharging and billing issues
  • 📞 Poor customer support
  • 🔌 Connectivity problems

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

Spark NZ

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and password reset issues
  • Unreliable data tracking and usage information
  • Compatibility problems with newer OS versions
  • Transactions failing or not reflecting properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve payment and top-up functionality
  • Add more self-service options
  • Provide better visibility into account details
  • Integrate with other Spark services

In-app purchases

None

Three

No in-app purchases

None

Spark NZ

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Three free?
Three is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spark NZ free?
Spark NZ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Three or Spark NZ?
Three is rated higher. Three averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Spark NZ averages 3.5 from 87 ratings.
Do Three or Spark NZ have ads?
Three shows ads; Spark NZ does not.
Which is updated more often, Three or Spark NZ?
Three ships an update every 3 weeks, and Spark NZ every 5 weeks. Most recently, Three was updated on November 6, 2026 and Spark NZ on November 1, 2026.

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