A1 vs Drei in Austria (2026): Which is Better?
A1 vs Drei at a glance
A1 A1
- Market share
- 36.2%
- Coverage
- 8.4/10 (best)
- Latency
- ~30 ms
- Cheapest plan
- SIMply Youth EUR 12.90
- Unlimited from
- EUR 24.90
- Sub-brands
- bob, yesss!, spusu
3 Drei
- Market share
- 20.4%
- Best Network award
- Opensignal Q1 2025
- Latency
- 24.86 ms (best)
- Cheapest plan
- up Start EUR 6.90
- Unlimited from
- EUR 24.90 (up Unlimited+)
- Sub-brands
- up, Lidl Connect, educom
Whose network performs better in Austria?
Different metric, different winner. A1 wins on Opensignal's coverage experience. Drei wins on Opensignal's overall Best Network award, download speed, and nPerf's latency.
| Metric | A1 | Drei | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opensignal Best Network | No | Yes | Drei |
| Opensignal coverage | 8.4/10 | ~7.9/10 | A1 |
| Opensignal download | 65.9 Mbps | 68.0 Mbps | Drei |
| Opensignal upload | 14.0 Mbps | 13.4 Mbps | A1 |
| nPerf 2026 latency | ~30 ms | 24.86 ms | Drei |
| nPerf 2026 nPoints | 99,082 | 103,046 | Drei |
A1 vs Drei prices side by side
| Tier | A1 plan | A1 price | Drei / up plan | Drei / up price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | SIMply Youth (under-26) | EUR 12.90 | up Start (10 GB) | EUR 6.90 |
| Value | SIMply S (120 GB) | EUR 14.90 | up Pure (55 GB) | EUR 9.90 |
| Mid | SIMply M (200 GB) | EUR 21.90 | up Smart (70 GB) | EUR 14.90 |
| Unlimited | SIMply L | EUR 24.90 | up Unlimited+ | EUR 24.90 |
Drei's up brand undercuts A1 on price at every tier except unlimited, where the two match at EUR 24.90/month.
Should I pick A1 or Drei?
Pick A1 if:
- · You travel in alpine or rural Austria
- · Coverage matters more than peak speed or latency
- · You want the largest EU roaming bucket
- · You prefer shop-led signup and physical SIM
- · You are an A1 home-internet customer (combo discount)
Pick Drei if:
- · You game, stream, or video-call (lowest latency)
- · You want app-native onboarding (up by Drei)
- · You want the cheapest unlimited at EUR 24.90 with no binding
- · You live in a city or near major motorways
- · You want a five-minute eSIM activation
Frequently asked questions
Which is better in Austria, A1 or Drei?
A1 wins coverage; Drei wins overall network experience. A1 scored 8.4/10 on Opensignal coverage in Q1 2025. Drei won Opensignal's overall Best Network title with 68.0 Mbps download and the lowest nPerf 2026 latency at 24.86 ms.
Is up by Drei better than A1 SIMply?
For most users, up by Drei is the better digital experience. up Pure at EUR 9.90 for 55 GB beats A1 SIMply S at EUR 14.90 on price. up Unlimited+ at EUR 24.90 matches A1 SIMply L for unlimited data. A1 is more flexible for shop-led signup and broader coverage.
Does Drei have better 5G than A1?
Magenta is the 5G coverage leader, not A1 or Drei. Both A1 and Drei have 5G in major cities and along motorway corridors. Drei wins overall network experience including 5G performance in real-world tests, but Magenta wins 5G coverage reach.