Comparison · 3 cheap German SIMs
fraenk vs simon vs BLAU: which cheap German SIM is best in 2026?
Updated May 14, 2026 · By Jules de Bruin · Telekom vs O2 vs O2, ranked by network, SCHUFA rules, monthly cost and porting friction.
Updated May 2026. Three discount German SIMs, two networks, one decision. fraenk runs on Telekom D-Netz at EUR 10/month for 10 GB, is app-only, and is the only one of the three that skips the SCHUFA credit check on prepaid. simon mobile sits on O2/Telefónica from EUR 4.99/month as a 1&1-style discount tariff. BLAU (E-Plus heritage, also O2) starts at EUR 9.99/month for 12 GB with a longer brand history. Cheapest sticker: simon. Best network: fraenk. Best balance for O2 fans: BLAU.
fraenk vs simon vs BLAU: which cheap German SIM is best in 2026?
Premium network · Lowest sticker · O2 with brand history
For most users, fraenk wins overall — it is the only one of the three on the Telekom D-Netz, skips the SCHUFA credit check on prepaid, and ships in a clean app-only flow. simon mobile wins on raw price at EUR 4.99/month and sits on O2 with a 1&1-style discount feel. BLAU is the safer O2 pick if you want a brand that has existed since the E-Plus era and a tariff lineup that scales up.
fraenk is a Deutsche Telekom-owned discount brand launched in 2020. Pricing starts at EUR 10/month for 10 GB on the full Telekom D-Netz with 5G included. No SCHUFA check on the prepaid tariff, app-only signup, monthly cancellable. Switzerland is included in roaming — rare for a cheap German SIM.
simon mobile is the discount tariff brand sitting on the O2/Telefónica network. Entry pricing from EUR 4.99/month for a small data bucket, scaling up to mid-tier plans. SCHUFA check applies on contract tariffs, monthly cancellable on the Flex variants. Best raw EUR/GB if your usage fits the smallest bucket.
BLAU is the longest-running of the three — an E-Plus-era brand now folded into Telefónica/O2. Entry tariffs from EUR 9.99/month for 12 GB, full 5G access, monthly cancellable on Flex tariffs. Wider tariff lineup than simon and a longer track record on customer service.
Which has the better network — Telekom or O2?
D-Netz consistency · O2 city speed · Rural drop-off
Telekom (D-Netz) is ranked first in Germany by the connect mobile network test for the 13th consecutive year — broadest rural coverage, most consistent 4G/5G fallback, lowest dropped-call rate. O2/Telefónica has closed the gap in major cities (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg) and on the ICE rail corridors, but rural Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Eifel still favour Telekom.
fraenk inherits Telekom's full network including 5G stand-alone in covered areas. simon and BLAU both ride on O2's network — the same towers, the same speeds, the same urban edge. The practical question is not "is O2 fast enough?" but "is O2 fast enough where you actually use it?" If your commute or daily routine is inside a top-20 German city, O2 is fine. If you regularly travel through smaller towns or rural Lander, Telekom's hit rate is materially higher.
| Network measure | fraenk (Telekom) | simon (O2) | BLAU (O2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| connect rank 2025 | 1st (D-Netz) | 3rd (O2) | 3rd (O2) |
| 5G included | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Typical 5G cap | ~25 Mbit/s on entry | Up to 50–100 Mbit/s | Up to 100 Mbit/s |
| Rural coverage | Best of three | Patchy in east | Patchy in east |
| Urban coverage | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Source: connect 2025 mobile network test, operator coverage maps, verified May 2026
What does each provider charge?
Entry tier · Mid tier · Annual total · Hidden fees
Headline pricing is misleading until you normalise by data bucket. simon looks cheapest at EUR 4.99/month — but only for a 3 GB allowance. At the same 10–12 GB tier, fraenk and BLAU sit within EUR 0.01 of each other (EUR 10 vs EUR 9.99). simon's matching 10 GB plan lands around EUR 8.99/month. None of the three charges activation fees on Flex tariffs.
| Tier | fraenk | simon mobile | BLAU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | EUR 10 / 10 GB | EUR 4.99 / 3 GB | EUR 9.99 / 12 GB |
| Mid | EUR 13 / 18 GB (referral boost) | EUR 8.99 / 10 GB | EUR 14.99 / 25 GB |
| Top | Not offered | EUR 14.99 / 25 GB | EUR 24.99 / Unlimited |
| Annual cost (entry) | EUR 120 | EUR 59.88 | EUR 119.88 |
| Activation fee | EUR 0 | EUR 0 (Flex) | EUR 0 (Flex) |
| Contract term | Monthly | Monthly (Flex) | Monthly (Flex) |
Source: fraenk.de, simonmobile.de, blau.de pricing pages, verified May 2026. Prices for Flex (monthly cancellable) tariffs. 24-month variants of simon and BLAU are typically EUR 1–3 cheaper but lock you in.
fraenk's pricing only has one knob — you can grow your bucket via the referral system (each successful invite adds extra GB), so heavy users in a friend group can reach 18–30 GB without paying more. simon and BLAU instead have a multi-tariff ladder you climb by paying for a bigger plan. That is the structural difference that drives most of the verdict downstream.
Which is cheapest for entry-level use?
Light user · Second phone · Backup SIM
simon mobile wins outright for sub-EUR-10 use cases. The EUR 4.99/month entry tariff includes 3 GB of data plus the standard German allnet flat (unlimited domestic minutes and SMS). That is materially cheaper than fraenk's EUR 10 floor and BLAU's EUR 9.99 floor — both of which start at a 10–12 GB bucket whether you need it or not.
Where simon stops being the obvious answer is the moment you cross the ~8 GB usage line. At that point you have to step up to simon's EUR 8.99 tariff, and fraenk's EUR 10 plan delivers slightly more data on a much better network. The decision is therefore:
- Under 3 GB / month (backup SIM, work phone, grandparent phone): simon mobile at EUR 4.99. Nothing in the German market beats it on a major network at this allowance.
- 3–10 GB / month (typical light user, mostly on Wi-Fi): simon at EUR 8.99 if you want O2; fraenk at EUR 10 if you want Telekom. The EUR 1 delta buys you the D-Netz.
- 10+ GB / month and you want O2: BLAU at EUR 9.99 for 12 GB is the cleanest fit — cheaper than simon's mid tier and with a more recognised brand.
How does the SCHUFA check differ?
fraenk skips it · simon and BLAU run it on contracts
Only fraenk skips the SCHUFA credit check by design. The fraenk tariff is structured as a prepaid product billed via SEPA, so no credit assessment runs at signup. simon and BLAU both run a SCHUFA query on their post-paid Flex and 24-month tariffs — standard for German Postpaid SIMs, but a hard blocker for newcomers without a German credit file.
Anmeldung (city-hall residence registration) is a separate requirement and is enforced under the BNetzA SIM-registration regime that came in after the 2017 Bundestag amendment. Both prepaid and post-paid German SIMs require a valid ID (passport / EU national ID) at identification. fraenk specifically does not require an Anmeldung-confirmation slip because the tariff is prepaid — you identify with your passport via video-ident in the app. simon and BLAU's contract tariffs typically require the full billing-address chain, including Anmeldung in practice.
What are the pros and cons of each?
fraenk strengths · simon strengths · BLAU strengths
Each brand optimises for a different buyer. fraenk wins on network quality and accessibility for newcomers. simon wins on raw price for light users. BLAU wins as the safer "I want O2 but not a no-name discounter" option. The trade-offs map cleanly to those positions.
fraenk — Telekom
Pros:
- Telekom D-Netz — #1 ranked German network
- No SCHUFA check
- App-only, fully digital onboarding
- Switzerland included in roaming
- Referral system grows the data bucket
Cons:
- Single tariff — no XL/Unlimited option
- Lower 5G speed cap (~25 Mbit/s on entry)
- App-only is a blocker if you prefer a web checkout
simon mobile — O2
Pros:
- Cheapest sticker at EUR 4.99/month
- Higher 5G speed cap than fraenk
- Multiple tariff sizes (3–25 GB)
- Flex variant is genuinely monthly cancellable
Cons:
- SCHUFA check on Postpaid — newcomers may be rejected
- O2 network — weaker rural coverage
- Brand is younger and less recognised
- Some channels default to 24-month contracts
BLAU — O2
Pros:
- Established brand (E-Plus heritage, since 2005)
- Wider tariff ladder up to Unlimited
- Better customer service reputation than simon
- Flex tariffs are monthly cancellable
Cons:
- SCHUFA check applies
- EUR 9.99 floor — not the cheapest
- O2 network — same rural caveats as simon
- Anmeldung typically required on Postpaid
Should you pick fraenk, simon, or BLAU?
Decision rule by buyer type
The decision collapses to two questions. First: do you have a SCHUFA record? If no, pick fraenk — it is the only one that does not gate on credit history. Second: does your daily routine include rural or eastern Germany? If yes, pick fraenk; the D-Netz advantage is real outside the top-20 cities. If both answers are "no", the price/feature comparison opens up between simon and BLAU.
| Buyer profile | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Newcomer to Germany, no SCHUFA history | fraenk | No credit check, app-only signup, premium network |
| Rural / east German user | fraenk | D-Netz beats O2 outside top-20 cities |
| Light user, < 3 GB / month, backup SIM | simon | EUR 4.99 entry tariff is unbeatable for low usage |
| Frequent Swiss visitor | fraenk | Switzerland included in roaming (unique to fraenk) |
| 10–25 GB urban user, wants O2 | BLAU | Best price/data balance with established brand |
| Heavy data user (50+ GB) on O2 | BLAU | Only one of the three with an Unlimited tier |
Source: SimCompare365 analysis of operator pricing pages, verified May 2026. SimCompare365 may earn a commission on confirmed sign-ups via Claim deal links — rankings are independent. See disclosure.
How do you switch between them?
Rufnummermitnahme · Portierungsschlüssel · 5 steps
Switching between fraenk, simon, and BLAU uses Germany's Rufnummermitnahme (number-porting) regime. The process is free under the 2021 Telecommunications Modernisation Act (TKMoG). You request a Portierungsschlüssel (porting key) from your current operator, hand it to the new one at signup, and the port completes within 1–5 working days. Your existing contract is terminated automatically.
- Request the porting key from your current operator. Most operators show a "Rufnummermitnahme" button in the customer portal. fraenk handles it inside the app. simon and BLAU require a short web form. The key is valid for 30 days. (Typical turnaround: same day to 24 hours)
- Start the signup at the new operator. For fraenk, install the app and select "Rufnummer mitnehmen". For simon and BLAU, go to the web checkout and tick "Rufnummer mitbringen". Paste the porting key and your current number.
- Complete identification. All three use video-ident or post-ident under the BNetzA SIM-registration rules. Have your passport or EU national ID ready. fraenk's flow is entirely in-app and usually completes in 5–10 minutes.
- Wait for the port date. The new operator publishes a port date, usually 1–5 working days out. Your old SIM stays active until the port completes — then it stops working and the new SIM activates with your old number. You can choose to port immediately or at end of contract.
- Verify, then cancel the old SEPA mandate. After the port completes, place a test call to confirm. Most operators auto-terminate the old contract on successful port; double-check no residual charges hit your account on the next billing cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fraenk, simon and BLAU really three different brands?expand_more
Yes, but the network ownership pattern is unusual. fraenk is owned by Deutsche Telekom and runs on the Telekom D-Netz. simon mobile and BLAU are both ultimately owned by Telefónica/O2 and run on the O2 network — simon as a newer discount brand, BLAU as the legacy E-Plus heritage brand folded into O2 after the 2014 merger. So two of the three are corporate siblings on the same network.
Can I keep my number when switching to any of the three?expand_more
Yes. All three support standard German Rufnummermitnahme (number porting). You request a Portierungsschlüssel from your existing operator (free under the 2021 TKMoG), hand it to fraenk/simon/BLAU at signup, and the port completes within 1–5 working days. Your existing contract is automatically terminated on the port date.
Do I need an Anmeldung address to sign up?expand_more
Not for fraenk — its prepaid structure only requires a valid passport / EU national ID via video-ident. For simon and BLAU's contract tariffs you typically need a German billing address, which in practice means having completed Anmeldung. ID is mandatory in all three cases under the BNetzA SIM-registration regime introduced after the 2017 Bundestag amendment.
Do all three include EU roaming?expand_more
Yes — all three include EU "Roam Like at Home" (RLAH) covering the EU-27 plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. fraenk also includes Switzerland, which is rare in this price band; simon and BLAU treat Switzerland as out-of-zone (per-MB rates apply unless you book a Swiss add-on). Fair-use caps tied to your domestic data allowance apply on all three.
Do all three include 5G?expand_more
Yes, but with different speed caps. fraenk includes 5G on Telekom but caps download speed at roughly 25 Mbit/s on the entry tariff. simon and BLAU both offer 5G on O2 with caps up to 50–100 Mbit/s depending on tariff. For web browsing, streaming and social, all three are functionally indistinguishable; the cap matters only for tethering or heavy downloads.
Is monthly-cancellable really better than a 24-month contract?expand_more
For most users, yes. Monthly cancellation lets you switch when prices change or your usage shifts. The trade-off is no 24-month introductory discount. Heavy users who know they will stay two years can save 20–35% with a 24-month tariff from 1&1, sim.de or winSIM. Most users switch within a year anyway, so Flex tariffs from fraenk, simon and BLAU pay off.
Do all three support eSIM?expand_more
Yes. fraenk is eSIM-first — the app provisions the eSIM during onboarding, no plastic SIM ships unless you request it. simon and BLAU both offer eSIM at checkout as an alternative to a physical SIM, though some entry-channel deals default to physical — toggle "eSIM" in the order flow if you want the digital version.