# MEO vs NOS Portugal (2026)

> MEO vs NOS in Portugal for 2026: coverage, prepaid plans, youth brands, home internet bundles, and which is better for newcomers, students, and residents.

By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.how-to-portugal.com/telecom/sim/meo-vs-nos

## MEO

Altice Portugal

MEO is the retail brand of Altice Portugal. It is not the same as UZO or Moche, which are its own low-cost and youth brands running on the same radio network.

Cheapest entry: UZO, EUR 5 per month for 100 GB

Wins 3 of 933%[Get a MEO plan](https://www.meo.pt)VSN

## NOS

NOS SGPS

NOS is a network owner in its own right. WOO and WTF are its low-cost and under-25 brands on the same network, and NOWO is now part of DIGI, not NOS.

Cheapest entry: WOO, EUR 5 per month for 100 GB

Wins 3 of 933%[Get a NOS plan](https://www.nos.pt)

## Row by row

Fees verified August 2026 against each provider's published data

| Criterion | MEO | NOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 4G population coverageWhether you have signal at all, anywhere | ~99%Tie | ~99%Tie |
| 5G base stationsHow dense the 5G layer is, not just whether it exists | 2,465fastest growth, +57.8% | 4,886Winssecond most in Portugal |
| Rural and interior reachThe one place the three networks genuinely differ | Best in the interior and mountainsWins | Weaker in Trás-os-Montes and the Serra da Estrela |
| Independent benchmark rankMeasured speed and reliability, not marketing | 1st on nPerf, Ookla and RootMetricsWins | 3rd on nPerf 2024/2025 |
| Cheapest way onto the networkNobody should pay the parent-brand price | UZO, EUR 5 for 100 GBTie | WOO, EUR 5 for 100 GBTie |
| Prepaid eSIMWhether you can be connected before you land | Not on prepaid, only Moche | Yes, NOS Like 55 GB at EUR 10Wins |
| Youth brandAn age gate can halve the price under 25 | Moche, under 35 | WTF, under 25, 1000 GB at EUR 10Wins |
| Home fibre reachWhether one provider can cover both | ~89% of householdsWins | Wide, strongest in cities |
| Parent-brand contractWhat it costs to change your mind | 24 monthsTie | 24 monthsTie |

## So which one

### Pick MEO if

- You live or travel outside Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve
- You want the network that leads nPerf, Ookla and RootMetrics
- Home fibre matters as much as mobile
- You are happy on UZO or Moche rather than the parent brand

### Pick NOS if

- You want a prepaid eSIM with a Portuguese number, activated online
- You are in Lisbon or Porto and never leave them
- You want the NOS Kids plan for a child's first phone
- You already have NOS fixed internet and want one bill

## Other comparisons

3 more pairs[MvsVMEO vs Vodafone›](/telecom/meo-vs-vodafone)[NvsVNOS vs Vodafone›](/telecom/nos-vs-vodafone)[DvsMDIGI vs MEO›](/telecom/digi-vs-meo)

## How we compared these two

### The criteria are fixed

Every comparison on this site uses the same 9 rows in the same order, so two pages can be read against each other. We do not add a row because one side happens to win it.

### A win is a stated threshold

A row is won on the published number or capability, not on judgement. Ties are declared rather than broken. Figures come from provider price lists and official sources.

### How we get paid

Both links earn a commission at the same rate, so the winner of a row is never the higher-paying one. Fees come from each provider's own published price list, not a comparison feed.

Sources: provider price lists and official data, accessed August 2026. Next review: November 2026.

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