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In the current landscape, wireless carriers seem to go to great lengths to create confusion among customers regarding their plans. Despite advertising unlimited data, the reality is that there are five distinct unlimited plans. This complexity can be overwhelming, especially for those considering a switch to a new carrier for their Android smartphone. How does one determine which carrier offers the most suitable phone plans?
In order to make your decision-making process easier, we have conducted research and created a comparison of plans offered by major carriers, including a few prepaid options for a comprehensive overview. This information is intended to help you find the phone plan that best suits your needs. We hope this comparison will assist you in making an informed decision.
While all these carriers offer commendable phone plans, several factors need consideration when selecting the right plan for you. Assess your data usage, determine which carrier provides the best coverage in your daily areas, and consider the pricing that suits your budget. Notably, Google Fi and Xfinity Mobile emerge as the most cost-effective options, though it’s essential to verify if they offer the desired data volume. These considerations are crucial for making an informed decision in this competitive landscape.
Best Phone Plans 2024 – By Carrier
Best Phone Plans Compared
In this article, we aim to compare as best we can, the plans from each of the major carriers. However, keep in mind that they all choose different things to differentiate themselves. For instance, Verizon has +play, which gives you discounts on streaming services and other products. T-Mobile offers things like unlimited Google Photos storage – which you can only get through T-Mobile.
The biggest thing to remember here is that each carrier might have different coverage near your home. Verizon and AT&T might have great coverage, while T-Mobile is not so great. Or vice versa. And that should be the number one reason for switching or the number one thing to think about before switching. If you switch to a carrier that has worse service, then you’re really just wasting your money, unfortunately.
AT&T
AT&T is the carrier that I currently have, and my experience with them has been pretty good. They are surprisingly one of the cheaper postpaid carrier options available – that was not always the case. AT&T’s Unlimited Starter plan starts at $65 per month. While AT&T does offer its Unlimited Extra plan for $75 per month and Unlimited Premium for $85 per month. These prices all include a $10 per month auto-pay discount.
While Unlimited Starter is the cheapest, our recommendation is to go with the Unlimited Extra plan. The biggest reason for this is that Unlimited Starter can throttle your speeds at any time during congestion. Whereas Unlimited Extra gets you 50GB of high-speed data before you can be throttled. For most people, that is enough to get through a month without worrying about being throttled. And if you really need some more data, then Unlimited Premium offers you truly unlimited high-speed data, and you’ll never be throttled. But that’s really only needed if you do a lot of traveling, like myself, which is why I have the Unlimited Premium plan.
Unlimited Extra does also offer up to 15GB of hotspot data per line, per month. After that data is used up, you’ll be throttled down to 3G speeds, which is really not great for hot-spotting, of course.
For families, AT&T does allow you to mix-and-match your plans. So you can choose the unlimited plan that works best for each member of the family. If you are someone who works from home most of the time, then Unlimited Starter is a great option. If you actually go to an office every day for work, then Unlimited Extra is the better plan. And finally, if you do a lot of traveling, then Unlimited Premium is your best option.
As we’ve mentioned before, it is very important to check out coverage. AT&T does have a coverage map that you can check out. However we’d recommend a crowdsourced coverage map like Coverage Map.
Google Fi
Google Fi is a wireless carrier from Google that runs on three different networks – T-Mobile (Sprint) and US Cellular. It can automatically switch between the two when one has better coverage in a certain area. And it will also automatically switch to WiFi when available – using the Google VPN to keep your data safe. However, since US Cellular is not available in most of the US, you’ll mostly be sticking to T-Mobile on Google Fi.
Google Fi does have 5G, but it is only in places that T-Mobile has rolled out 5G. Considering T-Mobile claims it is a “nationwide” 5G network, it’ll be available in most places throughout the US. You’ll also need a 5G device, like the new Galaxy S23 lineup from Samsung, to get 5G on Google Fi. Speaking of phones, not all of them work on Google Fi in the same way. Pixel devices are “made for Fi,” meaning that they work the best. Some features will be missing if you bring a Galaxy S20 over to Fi. But talk, text, and data will work the same – it won’t auto-switch to different networks on its own, though.
Essentially, there are only two plans available with Google Fi. There is the Flexible plan and Unlimited. Flexible is better for those who use less than 6GB of data per month. It is as low as $20 per month, which is for the text and talk. Data is then $10 per GB. So if you use 1GB, it’s $30, and so on. If you use more than 6GB, then “Bill Protection” kicks in, and you won’t be charged more than $80 (+ taxes and fees). You can use this data in other countries too – up to 120 countries – and it’s 4G LTE and priced at the same $10 per GB.
The other plan is the Unlimited plan. For $70 per month, you’re getting unlimited data – though Google notes that if you use 22GB in a single month, your speeds may slow down. You still get unlimited talk and text, as well as the ability to use talk, text, and data in 120 countries. On top of that, you get 100GB in Google One for free. If you are one that usually uses more than 6GB per month, then this is the better plan to get, as it’s $10 cheaper, and you get 100GB of Google One storage too.
For families, Google Fi is pretty awesome too. You can add up to six lines, and the more lines you add, the cheaper the bill will be per line. Two lines drop to $18 for the Flexible plan and $60 for the Unlimited plan per line. Three lines are $50 and $17 per line, respectively. Four lines are $65 and $17 per line, respectively.
Google Fi also allows you to easily see who on your plan is using the most data, this is pretty useful if you are on a family Flexible plan.
T-Mobile
The days of T-Mobile being the true “Uncarrier” are long gone. The carrier has continued to raise rates in recent years, after promising that they wouldn’t. But their plans are still some of the best among the Big Three. Right now, T-Mobile offers three unlimited plans: Essential, Go5G, and Go5G Plus. Our pick for the best plan is going to be the Go5G plan.
One of the big differences between the Go5G Plus, Go5G Next, and Essentials is that Essentials does not include taxes and fees. So, while it looks significantly cheaper than the Go5G plans, it’s actually not all that much cheaper. Go5G Plus is $90 per month for a single line, and that’s after a $5 auto-pay discount. That is actually a smaller discount than most other carriers offer for auto-pay right now.
Here’s what you get for that $90 per month: unlimited premium data, 50GB of high-speed hotspot data, and unlimited talk and text. So this is truly unlimited. This means you could use 1TB of data in a month and still not experience any throttling.
This wouldn’t be T-Mobile without any added perks, which include the ability to be upgrade-ready every two years. T-Mobile also provides “Netflix on Us” for the basic plan. Apple TV+ is included, as well as the ability to stream videos up to 4K resolution.
The Go5G Plus is also a great plan for those who are travelers, as you are getting full in-flight texting and WiFi with streaming when available. You also get flat-rate calling when abroad in over 215 countries and free data and texting when abroad. Let’s not forget that there is a year of AAA membership included, with T-Mobile TRAVEL too.
The main difference between Go5G Plus and Go5G Next is that you are eligible to upgrade every year instead of every two years. Which is why it is not the plan we are recommending here.
T-Mobile Essentials is a good plan for those of you that work from home or leave the house very little. It provides 50GB of premium data, unlimited 3G hotspot data, and unlimited talk and text. You do still get unlimited text in over 215 countries, but no data. There’s also no inflight WiFi available with this plan. As the name states, it is truly the “essentials” plan.
For families of four, you can get Essentials for $100 per month (that’s $25 per line), Go5G Plus for $185 per month (or $46.25 per line), or you can get Go5G Next for $215 per month (that’s $53.75 per line). T-Mobile, unlike its competitors, does not allow you to mix and match your unlimited plans either. So either everyone is on Go5G Next or Essentials, not one on Essentials, and the rest on Go5G Plus.
You can check out T-Mobile’s coverage for its 4G and 5G networks, to see if they are a good fit in your area.
Verizon
Verizon is the biggest carrier in the US and has been number one for quite some time. A lot of that has to do with the coverage that Verizon offers. In my experience, the others can’t match Verizon’s coverage. Verizon has coverage just about everywhere, and that makes it a really good option for those who do a lot of traveling.
Pretty recently, Verizon introduced new Unlimited plans. These plans now start as low as $65 per month. There are three plans now: Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate. For the majority of people, we recommend the Unlimited Plus plan. It’s a bit more expensive at $80 per month, but it is worth the premium over Unlimited Welcome.
With Unlimited Plus, Verizon is giving you 5G Ultra Wideband – meaning that you’ll get those mind-blowing speeds you see people screenshotting on Twitter (X). In my experience, Verizon is able to get up to 3Gbps of download speeds. So it can get incredibly fast, and that’s where 5G UW comes into play. You also get 30GB of premium mobile hotspot data and up to 50% off a watch, tablet, hotspot, or hum plan. So you could add your smartwatch to this plan for only $5 per month. Verizon will also discount your Home Internet, making it as low as $25 per month.
Unlimited Plus does give you unlimited premium data, meaning you’ll never get throttled – only on hotspot data. That’s the main difference between it and Unlimited Welcome, which also does not include the hotspot at all. You can think of it as the most basic or essential plan from Verizon.
When it comes to Unlimited Ultimate, we’d really only recommend that to those who do a lot of traveling. It offers everything that Unlimited Plus has, but it doubles the premium hotspot data to 60GB, and gives you high-speed international data, talk and text. This is available for $90 per line.
For families, you’ll be happy to know that Verizon does allow you to mix and match your unlimited plans. So someone who works from home could get Unlimited Welcome. Those who work outside of the house or travel a lot could be placed on the Unlimited Plus or Ultimate plans. Prices for four lines on each plan are as follows: Unlimited Welcome is $30/line, Unlimited Plus is $45/line, and Unlimited Ultimate is $55/line.
Xfinity Mobile
Xfinity Mobile may appeal to some as the provider with the most attractive phone plans, offering straightforward and affordable options. Its service shares similarities with Google Fi, automatically transitioning between WiFi and Mobile Data, even beyond your personal WiFi network. Leveraging Comcast’s extensive Xfinity WiFi hotspots, especially prevalent where millions use Comcast for Internet services, ensures broad coverage nationwide. When Xfinity WiFi isn’t accessible, the network seamlessly switches to Verizon’s network, providing a robust and reliable connection on Xfinity Mobile.
Essentially, Xfinity Mobile offers two primary plans: Pay By The Gig and Unlimited.
Under Pay By The Gig, the cost is $15 per month for the initial Gig, followed by $30 for 3 GB and $60 for 10 GB. Remarkably, this makes it a more economical option compared to Google Fi.
Xfinity Mobile offers three tiers of Unlimited plans. The base Unlimited plan starts at $45/month for a single line or $30/month for two or more lines. It includes 20GB of high-speed data, unlimited mobile hotspots at 3G speeds, and video streaming at 480p. The Unlimited Plus plan, priced at $55/month or $40/month for two or more lines, offers 30GB of high-speed data, 5GB of high-speed mobile hotspot, and video streaming at up to 720p. Lastly, the Unlimited Premium plan, at $65/month or $50/month for two or more lines, features 50GB of premium data and 15GB of premium mobile hotspot data.
Note that equipment, taxes, and fees are not included in the listed prices. But both plans include unlimited talk and text. One standout feature of Xfinity Mobile is its mix-and-match capability, allowing you to, for instance, have two lines sharing 10GB of data and one unlimited line for $105 per month. This flexibility is unique, providing three lines at a competitive rate.
However, it’s crucial to consider that not all phones are compatible with Xfinity Mobile. While many do work on the network. Some may not work Xfinity Mobile, affecting the option to bring your own phone to Xfinity Mobile. Therefore, it’s essential to verify phone compatibility before making a decision.