Which fraenk plan is best in Germany in 2026?

Which fraenk plan is best in 2026?

Single tier · 20 GB · EUR 10/month · Telekom 5G · monthly cancellable

fraenk sells one plan: 20 GB on Telekom D-Netz at EUR 10/month, billed in real calendar months (not 4-week cycles), monthly cancellable, with Allnet calls and SMS to German numbers. Roaming covers the EU plus Switzerland. The data allowance can grow to 30–40 GB via the referral mechanic. There is no smaller cheap tier and no premium tier — the “best plan” choice is binary: take it or pick a different MVNO.

Source: fraenk.de tariff page, verified May 2026

How does fraenk work (app-only)?

Signup · activation · billing · cancellation all inside the app

fraenk is a mobile-first MVNO: the entire customer journey lives in the iOS or Android app. There is no web checkout, no retail SIM card, no call centre, and no plan picker. You download the app, run video-ident verification, install an eSIM profile, and your number is live within minutes. Billing, data tracking, referral codes, and one-tap cancellation all sit in the same interface.

The app-only model is intentional. fraenk runs on the Telekom MVNO platform but bypasses the retail and call-centre stack that drives congstar, Telekom CallYa, and the Telekom MagentaMobil contract tariffs. The operator publishes neither a tariff comparator nor a contract PDF on the website — fraenk.de is a marketing page that points to the App Store and Google Play. This is a feature, not a limitation: the absence of plan variants is what keeps the price flat at EUR 10 and the renewal cycle monthly rather than 4-week.

• Signup. Download the fraenk app, enter name, address, and a payment method (SEPA or card). No paper form, no postal SIM.
• Identity verification. A short video-ident session with an external verifier replaces the in-store passport scan. Takes roughly 5–10 minutes, available in German and English.
• eSIM provisioning. The app installs an eSIM profile directly to the phone — no QR code emailed separately, no physical SIM shipped.
• Billing. SEPA direct debit on the first of each calendar month. No paper invoice; PDF copies live in the app.
• Cancellation. A single button inside the app cancels at the end of the current month. No retention call, no written notice.

Why does fraenk skip SCHUFA and Anmeldung?

No credit check · no registered address requirement · eSIM-only

Most German mobile contracts run a SCHUFA check at signup — recent expats and people without German credit history routinely get declined. fraenk waives the SCHUFA check because it bills month-by-month with no minimum term: there is no debt exposure to underwrite. It also skips the typical Anmeldung proof, because the eSIM-only model and the video-ident process satisfy BNetzA's identification rules without needing a registered address letter.

That makes fraenk one of the easiest entry points for newcomers to Germany. A passport or EU national ID is enough to pass video-ident. The app accepts an address before the Anmeldung is finalised, which is otherwise a circular dependency for many expats — you cannot complete Anmeldung without a working German number, but most contract carriers will not give you one without an Anmeldung. fraenk, congstar prepaid, and ALDI TALK prepaid are the three usual escape hatches; fraenk is the only one of the three that bills monthly and ships an eSIM directly.

How is fraenk's network (Telekom D-Netz)?

Telekom D1 host · 5G included · speed cap c. 25–50 Mbit/s

fraenk runs on the Telekom D-Netz — the network ranked #1 by connect magazine for 13 consecutive years. Coverage is identical to Telekom-branded plans: the broadest 4G/5G footprint in Germany, with the strongest rural and ICE-corridor performance of the three MNOs. 5G access is included, not paywalled. The typical MVNO download cap sits around 25–50 Mbit/s, in line with congstar — lower than uncapped Telekom MagentaMobil but unnoticeable for video, navigation, and standard mobile use.

For rural users and travellers on the ICE / IC rail network, fraenk's coverage advantage over O2-hosted MVNOs (ALDI TALK, Blau, winSIM) is meaningful. connect's 2024 and 2025 network tests consistently flag Telekom as the only operator delivering >95% LTE coverage along intercity rail. The fraenk SIM rides that same infrastructure. Switzerland coverage falls back to local roaming partners (typically Sunrise or Salt) under the EU + CH bundle.

How much does fraenk cost compared to congstar and ALDI TALK?

Annualised cost · per-GB price · network · contract terms

At EUR 10/month for 20 GB, fraenk lands at EUR 0.50 per GB — cheaper than Telekom MagentaMobil's mainstream tiers but slightly above the supermarket prepaid plans. congstar M (also Telekom) is EUR 10/4w for 25 GB — nominally cheaper per GB, but the 4-week cycle annualises to EUR 130 instead of fraenk's EUR 120. ALDI TALK Jahrespaket M (O2 host) is EUR 99.99/year for 18 GB/month — the cheapest absolute price but on the weaker O2 network.

Source: fraenk.de, congstar.de, alditalk.de, telekom.de tariff pages, verified May 2026

The headline trade-off: ALDI TALK wins absolute price but loses on network quality. congstar wins per-GB but the 4-week billing cycle costs you one extra cycle per year. fraenk is the clean middle — D-Netz, monthly cancellable, Switzerland-inclusive, no retail step. The Telekom flagship plan is a different product category at 3× the price.

What are the pros and cons of fraenk?

Best at: simplicity · D-Netz access · expat-friendly signup

fraenk's strengths cluster around simplicity and access: one tariff, monthly cancellable, no SCHUFA, no Anmeldung gate, eSIM-only delivery, and full Telekom 5G. The weaknesses are mostly about flexibility: no smaller cheap tier, no unlimited tier, no physical SIM option, no family bundle, no hotspot add-ons, and customer support runs through in-app chat only.

How do you sign up for fraenk (eSIM activation)?

Five steps · eSIM-only · live within 15 minutes

Signup takes 10–20 minutes end-to-end. You need an eSIM-capable phone (iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 4 or newer, recent Samsung Galaxy), a passport or EU ID, a SEPA-eligible bank account or payment card, and a working Wi-Fi connection for the video-ident step. No printed Anmeldung paper is required at signup; you can complete the Buergeramt registration afterwards.

1. Download the fraenk app. Available on the App Store and Google Play. The website (fraenk.de) deep-links to both; there is no web signup.
2. Enter your details. Name, address, date of birth, payment method (SEPA or card). The address can be a temporary one if your Anmeldung is pending. (takes 2–3 minutes)
3. Complete video-ident. A short video call with an external identity verifier. You hold up your passport or EU ID and answer two or three questions. Available in German and English. (takes 5–10 minutes)
4. Install the eSIM profile. The app pushes the eSIM directly to your phone — no QR scan, no email. On iPhone, accept the profile in Settings > Cellular. On Android, accept the prompt in Settings > Network & internet.
5. Test and (optionally) port your number. Place a 30-second test call to confirm signal. If you want to keep your existing German number, request a port-out code from your old operator and submit it inside the fraenk app under “Rufnummernmitnahme”. (port completes in 1–3 working days)

Should you pick fraenk or congstar?

Both are Telekom MVNOs · different signup models · different cycles

Both fraenk and congstar run on Telekom D-Netz at similar speed caps. Pick fraenk if you want app-only signup, monthly billing on a real calendar month, Switzerland roaming included, and no SCHUFA. Pick congstar if you want the extra 5 GB per cycle (25 GB vs 20 GB), the ability to buy at a Telekom or supermarket retail store, a physical SIM option, and a more complete plan ladder (S / M / L / XL).

Source: fraenk.de + congstar.de tariff pages, verified May 2026

How did we rank fraenk?

Five-dimension scoring · operator-verified data · affiliate-independent

fraenk was scored against the German MVNO market on five equally-weighted dimensions: price-per-GB, network quality (host MNO), signup friction (SCHUFA, Anmeldung, retail step), roaming scope, and contract flexibility. Pricing was pulled from fraenk.de in May 2026 and cross-checked against congstar, ALDI TALK, Telekom, and the Drillisch family (1&1, sim.de, winSIM).

Sources used: fraenk.de tariff page, congstar.de, alditalk.de, telekom.de, connect magazine 2025 Netztest, BNetzA Telekommunikationsgesetz identification rules.