CComparative of the best mobile plans updated on March 4, 2022 - With its new 200 GB offer, RED by SFR regains first place in our comparison of the best packages, long trusted by Prixtel. The latter remains attractive with an offer flexible and inexpensive. free mobile also remains an option to study with its well-thought-out 5G offer. Orange is quite enterprising with its 5G packages at attractive prices… for 12 months. Opposite, if you intend to take advantage of 5G, RED by SFR seems more engaging to us with a long-term and generous data plan.
VNext to our selection of the best mobile plans, you will find the average operator speeds according to ARCEP and 4G Monitor (updated on March), network coverage, a note on the evolution of offers and our advice / FAQ for choosing the right package and operator.r.
1. RED by SFR 200 GB package: the best package currently
Difficult to get RED by SFR at the beginning of the month, the operator takes the lead in our comparison with its "Big RED" promo. 200 GB of data, against 12 euros / month, the "low cost" branch of SFR offers the most generous package on data and aggressive on the price currently. A non-binding package sold as no time limit (the offer and the price will be offered until the termination of the contract by the subscriber) and with 17 GB of data additional for Europe and the overseas departments. A lasting proposal that will appeal to large data consumers.
In detail, this mobile plan includes:
- Unlimited landline / mobile calls in France, overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) and Europe (3 hours maximum / call and 129 different recipients maximum / month)
- Unlimited SMS and MMS in France and from the overseas departments and Europe
- 200 GB of data, in 4G / 4G +, for Metropolitan France
- 17 GB of data additional to be used in Europe and the overseas departments
- Network 4G and 4G + by SFR
- 4G coverage Population: 99%
- 4G Territory coverage: 93 %
- COVER 5G Population: 52%
- SIM card: 10 €
- Price: 12 € / month
- Commitment: without
After the 17 GB of the Internet data envelope, the MB will be charged 0,01 euro in France and 0,06 euro when you travel to the old continent.
RED by SFR 200 Go in detail>
2. Prixtel 140 GB: the best 4G package at 10 euros
The virtual operator takes second place in our comparison with its very aggressive "The Giant" package on price and data. The MVNO always intends to shine with flexible packages depending on the actual consumption of the subscriber. With his entrance ticket to 9,99 euros for 140 GB, Prixtel does better than RED by SFR and B & You on this price. Same story for data abroad with 20 GB from the EU / DOM (to be deducted from the 140 GB envelope). The offer remains unbeatable for 1 year...and even after. Because after the 12 month subscription, this package goes to 15,99 euros, not much more expensive than the competition RED and B & You. Remember that the operator relies on the 4G / 4G + network of SFR.
- Unlimited calls in France, in the overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) and in Europe (3 hours maximum/call and 129 different recipients maximum/month)
- Unlimited SMS/MMS in France and from the overseas departments and Europe
- 140 Go d'internet mobile, in 4G / 4G + for Metropolitan France
- including 20 GB of data for use in Europe and in the overseas departments
- Network 4G and 4G + by SFR
- 4G coverage Population: 99%
- 4G Territory coverage: 93 %
- COVER 5G Population: 52%
- SIM card: 10 €
- Price: from €9.99 for 12 months then €15,99
- Commitment: without
Past the 140 GB of the Internet data envelope, the package will increase to €12,99, past the 170 GB, it will increase to €15,99.
Pricetel 140 GB in detail >
3. Free Mobile 70 GB package: the well-designed and 5G-ready package
Free Mobile offers a well-thought-out offer to €10,99 with 70 GB of data for metropolitan France and 10 GB (to be deducted from the 70 GB envelope) of data usable from Europe and the overseas departments. There are also unlimited calls, SMS / MMS. A nice offer without engagement who will be valid for 1 year, at the end of these 12 months the offer will automatically switch to the package 5G at €19,99/month which includes for mainland France 210 GB of data if you are not a Freebox subscriber or unlimited data if you are and 25 GB for abroad.
A balanced proposal and the guarantee of having a package tailored for 5G, when the latter will be deployed more widely on the territory. In detail, this mobile plan includes:
- Unlimited landline / mobile calls in France, overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) and Europe (3 hours maximum / call and 129 different recipients maximum / month)
- Unlimited SMS / MMS in France and from the overseas departments and Europe
- 70 GB of data, in 4G / 4G +, for Metropolitan France
- Including 10 GB of data to use in Europe and in the overseas departments
- Network 4G and 4G + of Free Mobile then 5G after a year
- 4G coverage Population: 97%
- 4G Territory coverage: 86 %
- COVER 5G Population: 72%
- SIM card: 10 €
- Price: 10,99 euros for 12 months then 19,99
- Commitment: without
Passed the 70 GB of the Internet data envelope, the speed will be reduced, passed the 10 GB for foreign countries, the MB will be charged 0,0036 euro when you travel on the old continent.
Free Mobile 70 Go in detail>
3. RED by SFR 5 GB package: the best package at 5 euros
RED by SFR intends to attract modest purses with a small package billed at €5 per month, long-lasting (understand, a promotion valid for more than a year) and generous with an Internet envelope of 5 GB of data for metropolitan France and Go 6 for Europe and the overseas departments (in addition to the envelope allocated to mainland France).
In detail, this mobile plan includes:
- Unlimited landline / mobile calls in France, overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) and Europe (3 hours maximum / call and 129 different recipients maximum / month)
- Unlimited SMS and MMS in France and from the overseas departments and Europe
- 5 GB of data, in 4G / 4G +, for Metropolitan France
- 6 GB of data additional to be used in Europe and the overseas departments
- Network 4G and 4G + by SFR
- 4G coverage Population: 99%
- 4G Territory coverage: 93 %
- SIM card: 10 €
- Price: 12 € / month
- Commitment: without
After the 5 GB of the Internet data envelope, reloading from 1 GB to €2 possible, 4 maximum refills then Internet use blocked. When you travel to the old continent and past 6 GB, the MB will be charged 0,01 euro in France and 0,06 euro.
RED by SFR 5 Go in detail>
4. Orange 120 GB plan: the best premium plan, for 5G speeds
Orange is back in the race with its 5G plan Go 120 à € 20,99 / month. If the price is barely higher than the competitors Bouygues Telecom and SFR, it should however be kept in mind that this promotion is valid for 1 year. At the end of the 12 months, the price rises to 32,99 euros, it will therefore be necessary to think about changing air and switching to another promo operator. Remember that these new Orange offers are now non-binding. In addition to access to 5G, this plan is very complete with a data envelope of 120 GB in metropolitan France and 70 GB in the overseas departments and in Europe. In details, this package includes:
- Unlimited calls to France, overseas departments and Europe (3 hours maximum / call and 129 different recipients maximum / month)
- Unlimited SMS/MMS in France and from the overseas departments and Europe
- 120 GB of data, in 4G / 4G + / 5G, for Metropolitan France
- 70 GB of data to use in Europe and in the overseas departments
- Network 4G and 5G from Orange
- 4G coverage Population: 99%
- 4G Territory coverage: 90 %
- COVER 5G Population: 72%
- SIM card: 10 €
- Price: 20,99€ / month then 32,99 after one year
- Commitment: without
Orange 120 Go in detail>
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5. RED by SFR 200 GB plan: the best 5G plan
RED by SFR's 5G proposal differs from Orange by presenting itself as no time limit (the offer and the price will be offered until the termination of the contract by the subscriber). 200 GB of data, in 5G, against 17 euros / month, the "low cost" branch of SFR offers a comfortable envelope and is aggressive on the price. In addition to these 200 GB of Internet for mainland France, the RED package includes 17 GB of additional data for Europe and the overseas departments. A lasting proposal that will appeal to large data consumers wishing to switch to 5G.
In detail, this mobile plan includes:
- Unlimited landline / mobile calls in France, overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) and Europe (3 hours maximum / call and 129 different recipients maximum / month)
- Unlimited SMS and MMS in France and from the overseas departments and Europe
- 100 GB of data. as 5G, for Metropolitan France
- 17 GB of data additional to be used in Europe and the overseas departments
- Network 4G, 4G+ et 5G by SFR
- 4G coverage Population: 99%
- 4G Territory coverage: 93 %
- COVER 5G Population: 52%
- SIM card: 10 €
- Price: 20 € / month
- Commitment: without
After the 17 GB of the Internet data envelope, the MB will be charged 0,01 euro in France and 0,06 euro when you travel to the old continent.
RED by SFR 200 Go in detail>
The two best mobile plans of the moment
Network coverage (voice and data) and average upload and download speeds remain determining factors in the choice of your operator, as does the quality of service, the duration of the promotion and the Internet envelope in France and abroad. For this month of March 2022, here are the two mobile plans that seem to us the most relevant:
- On the 4G or 5G option, the RED by SFR packages are unbeatable at the start of March. RED by SFR presents the richest and most balanced proposal currently with 200 GB at 12 euros (in 4G) or 17 euros (in 5G), all valid no time limit. A package that ticks all the boxes on voice and roaming and has a nice 17 GB data envelope that should cover the needs of the majority of subscribers abroad.
RED by SFR 200 Go in detail>
- Less than 10 euro, difficult to find Prixtel which is illustrated with a flexible and generous offer with 140 GB for mainland France and 20 for the DOM / EU. After the 12 months of promotion, the operator's offer also remains attractive with a price of 15,99 euros.
Pricetel 140 GB in detail >
March 2022 operator speeds
To establish an overall table of performance by operator, we base ourselves on the barometers of 4G Monitor which display the level of quality of service of the main mobile operators based on the connection tests carried out by users.
In March 2022 and according to the average speeds observed by 4G Monitor, Orange is still far ahead in terms of reception and transmission speeds. The historic operator is followed by Bouygues, SFR and Free.
Operator trends this month
The new front on the "cheap package" that emerged in previous months seems to be continuing at the start of March 2022 with fairly attractive 5-euro offers. The market finds its stability around offers ranging from 10 to 15 euros including a very comfortable Internet envelope for metropolitan France and abroad with always unlimited logic on calls, SMS and MMS. With regard to the average flows, Orange still dominates the debates. Free Mobile brings up the rear again after overtaking Bouygues for a good part of 2021.
Regarding the considerable data envelope granted by the operators, it logically benefits the users with more balanced packages that will cover all uses, Web browsing on smartphones of course, but also streaming or even data sharing with tethering mode, i.e. 4G connection sharing from the smartphone to another terminal (tablet, PC, etc.). In this core market, the quartet SFR (RED), Free Mobile, Bouygues (B&You) and Orange (Sosh) have got into the habit of pulling the plug on territory coverage, population and average speed with proposals enriched with options or benefiting from promotional rates.
It's not always easy to see clearly in the scorched earth strategy that the mobile operators are carrying out together. Between the data packages, but sold at the same price, and the "limited" promotions (but very often extended several times) granted by the operators, there is always time for subscribers to change air and test these offers. without engagement.
Subscribers are in control
Non-binding is now well established in usage, leading to customer volatility and the need for operators to offer ever more aggressive discounts to capture them. A price war and services that benefit subscribers, these non-binding offers allow them to switch easily from one operator to another according to promotions or the data envelope.
Keep your phone number
Remember that to switch from one operator to another while keeping their phone number, you will need to obtain your RIO by dialing 3179 on your smartphone. Once your RIO has been recovered, the new operator will take care of the portability of your number and will send you a new SIM card, generally billed at 10 euros.
Mobile internet
In the age of Netflix, audio streaming and mobile only internet browsing, the data envelope offered in 4G is one of the first elements to watch. If 30 GB covers most of the basic needs, large data consumers will opt for 80 GB, especially as connection sharing mode (4G modem) is still included in the subscription.
International roaming or data
All the mobile offers that we recommend present at least calls, SMS and MMS from Europe/DOM to metropolitan France/Europe (and sometimes DOM). In addition to voice, it will be necessary to monitor the envelope of Internet data allocated for foreign countries. A vacationer can be satisfied with 5 GB / month for web browsing or some audio and video streaming on his smartphone, a regular traveler or a professional will need more, especially if he intends to use his data envelope on his Laptop on the go.
Network and coverage
For voice (calls), mobile operators have identical coverage, 99% of the population and between 90 and 94% of the territory. On the 4G coverage of the population, the three incumbent operators stand in a handkerchief, Orange, SFR and Bouygues point to more than 99% while Free is catching up and is now advancing to cover 99% of the metropolitan population in 4G. With regard to 4G coverage of the territory, on the surface, therefore including less densely populated areas, the coverage figures are more contrasted. According to Arcep, SFR becomes leader at 94% of the territory covered on the surface, followed by Bouygues at 93%, Orange at 92% and Free at 86%.
3G, 4G, 4G+ and 5G speeds
The speeds in 3G, 4G and 4G+ will be strongly conditioned by your zone of use. Whether you live in an urban or rural area, the actual speeds observed can vary greatly. Some operators are significantly better in the countryside, others in public transport. Across the country and according to the latest ARCEP statement, Orange is at 110 Mb/s download (18 Mb/s upload), SFR at 69 Mb/s (and 12 Mb/s), Bouygues Telecom at 55 Mb/s (and 14 Mb/s) while Free Mobile still brings up the rear at 50 Mb/s (and 10 Mb/s), even if the operator is catching up. Independently of this race for Internet speeds that operators are engaged in, it should be noted that they are all fast enough to offer Internet browsing, 4K streaming for the image and Hi-Res for the sound, very comfortable on smartphone or any other terminal. For Cloud Gaming, on the other hand, it will be necessary to wait for the diffusion of 5G to be able to play without lag.
