The Best Cell Phone Plans

The best family plan right now is T-Mobile’s Magenta, which offers unlimited data at unbeatable prices, including the option to add a third line for free right now. You can add up to eight lines, and additional lines beyond the first three are $20 each. We have some alternative options if T-Mobile service isn’t great in your area or if you’re looking for the best individual plan, best unlimited plan, and more.

We test hundreds of smartphones at Pro Well Tech, so good service is essential. We pour through every detail of what each carrier offers and review coverage and service standards before making recommendations to ensure you find the right plan for you.

Editor’s Note: Each plan we’ve chosen lists only the price of your service bill. You will also pay monthly installments on your new phones’ balances, if you choose to buy new phones from your carrier. This is explained further in the section below titled “How do phone payment plans work?”

At a glance

T-Mobile

The best

Why you should buy this: T-Mobile leads the industry with plans that charge no overages, cost less than the competition, and offer more perks.

Read more about T-Mobile’s plans here.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants an unlimited plan, lives in an urban area, or travels internationally a lot.

How much it will cost:

These prices reflect the autopay pricing discount of $5 per line and include taxes and fees.

Why we picked T-Mobile:

T-Mobile is the industry leader in the U.S. with its bold “Un-carrier” campaign. When T-Mobile busts out a new plan or feature, the rest of the carriers inevitably follow its example. T-Mobile started by ending overage charges, killing the two-year contract, and offering lower prices than its competitors.

Now, T-Mobile offers a wide range of perks, including free gifts on Tuesdays, unlimited data plans, video streaming, free international service, and more. As such, T-Mobile wins our awards for best unlimited plan, best international service, and best urban service.

Of course, you have to look beyond the gimmicks to see the core aspects of T-Mobile’s service. It offers one plan: T-Mobile Magenta.

There’s no contract, and you have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for each smartphone you buy on the plan. You’ll pay for each device in installments (typically $20 to $30 a month per phone), or you can bring your own phone instead of buying a new one.

T-Mobile Magenta MAX, a premium upgrade, starts at an additional $15 a month and includes unlimited GoGo in-flight Wi-Fi, voicemail to text, and caller ID. T-Mobile Magenta Plus customers get unlimited data at twice the speed of the basic T-Mobile Magenta plan (up to 256 kbps) and unlimited text and calling at $0.25 per minute in 210 countries.

Bottom line: Data hogs get a pretty decent deal with the T-Mobile Magenta Plan and its unlimited data and people who want a no-frills unlimited option will find T-Mobile’s One plan attractive. Large families who make international calls or tether to mobile hotspots should opt for Magenta Plus.

Disclaimer: If you live in a rural area, T-Mobile may not work for you. Coverage is still spotty in rural America, though it excels in cities.

The perks that come with T-Mobile’s plan:

• Mobile without Borders: T-Mobile users get free calling and texting to and from Mexico and Canada and up to 5GB of free high-speed data when traveling there as well as unlimited text and data and low flat-rate calling in 210 countries worldwide. High-speed data passes are available for $5 per day.
• Jump! on Demand: An 18-month agreement lets you lease phones for less and upgrade to the latest and greatest phone every 30 days.
• Scam ID and Scam Block: The company offers free screening for scammers with no app or opt-in required — you’re alerted with a Scam Likely message if T-Mobile detects a scam call.
• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Download the iOS and Android app to get free deals every Tuesday, like a Dunkin Donuts latte or Taco Bell tacos.
• No overages on data: The unlimited plan has no overages.
• Free Netflix subscription: For T-Mobile Magenta unlimited customers with two or more lines on their account.
• Speeds won’t throttle until 50GB: For subscribers on the T-Mobile Magenta plan, speeds won’t throttle until your data usage reaches 50GB.

The downsides of T-Mobile’s plan:

• Spotty coverage in rural areas
• The tethering between your phone and other devices is limited to 3G speeds
• Sign up for Auto Pay on your bills, or T-Mobile will charge $5 extra per line each month

Verizon

The best rural service

Why you should buy this: Verizon offers the best coverage in rural areas across the U.S. and its unlimited plan is a decent deal.

Read more about Verizon’s plans here

Who it’s for: Anyone who lives in rural America where Sprint and T-Mobile just don’t work.

How much it will cost:

Prices include $10/month savings per line when you sign up for paper-free billing and Auto Pay.

Why we picked Verizon:

Verizon offers the best service in rural areas across the country. If you live in the boonies where T-Mobile and Sprint don’t reach, Verizon is your best bet for reliable coverage.

Verizon offers fixed data plans, as well as an unlimited option.

The 5G Get More unlimited plan is a recent addition, and it starts at $90 a month for a single line or $260 for a family of four, and includes all-you-can-eat data, texting, and calling. Two caveats to note, though: Subscribers who use more than 22 GB on a line might be subject to throttled speeds, and Verizon limited high-speed 4G LTE tethering to 600 Kbps on its older plans. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wide Band unlimited plans come in multiple tiers — Get More Unlimited for $90 per month and Do More or Play More Unlimited for $80 per month for a single line with options for up to five lines with perks like HD streaming, generous unlimited 4G LTE mobile hotspot, Verizon Up rewards, and Apple Music. If you use a 5G phone, the advanced plans offer the company’s 5G ultra-wideband data, unlimited 4K HD streaming, and unlimited 5G ultra wideband hotspot. All prices reflect the $5 per month auto-payment discount.

If you don’t need unlimited data, Verizon offers capped plans in two sizes: 5GB and 10GB. Each additional line costs $25, and data package prices start at $55 a month. All capped plans come with unlimited talk and text.

None of Verizon’s plans require you to sign a contract, and you have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for each smartphone on both Verizon’s capped and unlimited plans. You’ll pay for each device in installments (typically $20 to $30 a month per phone), or you can bring your own phone instead of buying a new one.

Verizon does not offer international service beyond Canada and Mexico like T-Mobile and Sprint, and though it doesn’t charge for data overages, exceeding your monthly data limit knocks your speed down to 2G. But you will get reliable service in all parts of the country.

The perks of Verizon plans:

• Strong coverage in both rural and urban areas.
• Up to 15GB of mobile-hotspot data on advanced unlimited plans.
• Decent prices for individuals.
• Big phone selection.

The downsides of Verizon’s plans:

• Generally higher prices across the board.
• Various throttling caps on unlimited plans.
• International coverage beyond Canada and Mexico costs extra money.
• Verizon runs on CDMA networks, so buying unlocked phones is tricky.

Visible

The best for all budgets

Why you should buy this: Unlimited talk, text, data, and hotspot access for a low price, with no fees, no contract lock-ins, and excellent service. Why shouldn’t you buy this is the real question?

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants unfettered access to 5G, with no hassle and a reliable subscription cost.

How much it will cost:

Why we picked Visible:

How about truly unlimited everything at a ridiculously low cost? That’s precisely what you’ll get with Visible. Taking a huge leap forward in 2022, Visible is also offering new unlimited plans for its members, and they’re available to both new and existing customers! The two plans, Visible and Visible+, are available now.

What’s the big deal? You get unlimited data, talk, text, and hotspot access all through one simple plan, the Visible option, at $30 per month for a single line. All taxes and fees are included, and that price is a reduction of the company’s previous plan — originally $40 per month. There are no coverage holes, thanks to Verizon’s award-winning network, which is incredibly competitive and ultra-reliable. You get 5G and 4G LTE network coverage as part of the plan, and you can bring your own phone or grab a new one through Visible’s excellent selection.

The new Visible+ plan is just $45 per month, and includes access to the 5G Ultra Wideband network for blazing connection speeds, along with 50GB of premium network experience, roaming coverage in Canada and Mexico, and global calling to over 30 countries from within the U.S.

You can also add a smartwatch or a similar device to your plan for just $5 per month. There’s no annual contract, no hidden taxes, and no extra fees — it’s all rolled into your monthly cost. Customer support is available 24/7 as well, with access to talk to a human, eliminating many of the concerns you’d have with comparable services.

Existing customers can move to these new plans at any time, while still keeping Party Pay rates locked in as of October 18, 2022. Of course, new customers can always sign up when they’re ready!

Perks that come with Visible plans:

• Strong coverage in both rural and urban areas through Verizon’s network.
• Unlimited talk, text, data, and hotspot access with no fees.
• Bring your own device or choose from several options.
• Family plan savings, no family required.

The downsides of Visible plans:

• 5G Ultra Wideband for top tier only.
• Data deprioritization during congested hours.
• Verizon networks are CDMA, so GSM-only phones won’t work.
• International calls outside of the U.S. require a local SIM.

Mobile Share Plus, Unlimited &More, and Unlimited &More
Premium

The best AT&T plans

Why you should buy this: AT&T offers reliable coverage across the U.S. and a strong phone selection.

Read more about AT&T’s plans here

Who it’s for: Anyone who lives in rural America, where Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon just don’t work.

How much it will cost: Cost reflects auto pay and paperless billing.

AT&T Mobile Share Plus 3GB/9GB

Why we picked AT&T:

AT&T offers the second most reliable coverage across the U.S., but its plans are the priciest. If you live in an area where Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint don’t work, AT&T is likely your only option.

AT&T offers capped data plans called Mobile Share Plus at 3GB and 9GB or Unlimited&More and Unlimited&More Premium unlimited plans.

Mobile Share Plus starts at $50 a month for 3GB and includes unlimited domestic and Mexico calling and texting. You don’t get charged for exceeding your monthly data limit, and you can add up to 10 phones, tablets, and other devices to a single plan.

Unlimited Starter starts at $65 a month for a single line up to $140 for a family of four, but unlike T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon’s unlimited plans, it doesn’t include tethering — you’ll have to opt for the premium version of the plan if you’re dead set on a hotspot. Videos are capped at standard definition (480p), and you get maximum speeds of 1.5Mbps. AT&T says it may temporarily slow speeds when the network is busy.

Unlimited Extra starts at $75 a month and adds 15GB of tethering.

Unlimited Elite starts at $85 a month and upgrades video streaming to 1080p. It features 30GB per line of hotspot and includes a free subscription to HBO Max.

None of the plans requires you to sign a contract, and you have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for each smartphone on the plan. You’ll pay for each device in installments (typically $20 to $30 a month per phone), or you can bring your own phone instead of buying a new one.

The perks of AT&T plans:

• Strong coverage in both rural and urban areas.
• Big phone selection.
• Free calling to Mexico

The downsides of AT&T plans:

• Comparatively pricey plans.
• No hotspot on cheaper unlimited plan.
• Network slowdowns on unlimited plans after 22GB
• International coverage costs extra.

T-Mobile and Sprint

The best plans for international travelers

Why you should buy this: T-Mobile and Sprint offer the best international coverage as part of their plans.

Who it’s for: Jetsetters who travel a lot and don’t want to pay extra for international service.

How much it will cost:

Sprint Unlimited Basic

T-Mobile Magenta

Why we picked T-Mobile and Sprint:

T-Mobile and Sprint are the only carriers that include international service in their plans. AT&T and Verizon offer international plan add-ons, but they tend to be expensive.

Verizon charges $10 a day for an International Travel Plan, which includes talk, text, and data in over 185 countries. You’ll pay $5 a day per device for Mexico and Canada. If you want monthly international coverage in over 185 countries, prices range from $70 to $130 per device for a capped allowance of minutes, texts, and data.

AT&T plans include talk, text, and data in Mexico at no extra charge, but other countries are a different story. The carrier charges $10 per day for an International Day Pass and $70 (2GB) or $140 per month (6GB) for an AT&T Passport. International Day Pass provides 24-hour coverage in more than 100 countries, and AT&T Passport comes with 30-day coverage in over 200. Passport gives you unlimited texting (SMS and MMS) and charges 35 cents per minute for calls. The Day Pass covers all calls and texts for a 24-hour period in countries covered by the plan.

In contrast, T-Mobile and Sprint offer unlimited texting and data at 2G/3G speeds in more than 100 countries. You can also place calls for $0.25 per minute, and place as many texts and calls as your heart desires.

T-Mobile Magenta

The best unlimited data plan

Why you should buy this: It’s the best unlimited plan you can buy with international service and no data limits.

Who it’s for: Data hogs who want it all and can get T-Mobile coverage.

How much it will cost:

Why we picked T-Mobile Magenta:

T-Mobile offers the best unlimited plan of all the carriers. If you’re a real data hog who gobbles gigabytes of apps on a monthly basis, T-Mobile’s Magenta unlimited plan is the best choice for you and family. You’ll never have to pay for extra data or argue over who used up the last gigabyte — T-Mobile’s Magenta unlimited plan imposes no limits on data usage, so you should get all the high-speed data your heart desires.

It’s also a good plan for travelers. T-Mobile Magenta customers get unlimited text and 2G data in more than 140 countries around the world. In Mexico or Canada, you even get unlimited calls and high-speed data, and T-Mobile will even give you one hour of data and unlimited texting on Gogo-enabled flights. The icing on the cake is T-Mobile Tuesdays, an app that offers free rewards every Tuesday, including movie tickets, free lattes, free tacos, and more. T-Mobile Magenta customers with two or more lines on their account will also receive a free Netflix subscription.

If you can’t get T-Mobile, there’s always Verizon’s plan: Verizon surprised just about everyone when it reintroduced unlimited data. It’s reasonably priced and offers benefits like mobile tethering. But it’s not the cheapest.

Sprint’s unlimited plan: If you’re not crazy about T-Mobile’s or Verizon’s offers, you can check out Sprint’s trio of Unlimited plans —Basic, Plus, and Premium. Sprint offers many of the same great features for about the same price. In our experience, T-Mobile has the better network and a few more perks that make it worth your while. However, Sprint is a good option if you can’t get T-Mobile service where you live.

AT&T’s unlimited plan: The only other unlimited plan comes from AT&T, and if you live in an area where there’s spotty coverage, AT&T will be there for you, though your mileage may vary in terms of speed if your network encounters heavy traffic. Prices tend toward the high end for both domestic and international coverage, but it offers a choice of cheaper capped plans as well. If you’re an international traveler, there are more advantageous options.

T-Mobile Simply Prepaid

The best prepaid plan (from a major carrier)

Why you should buy this: T-Mobile’s prepaid plans give you the most bang for your buck.

Who it’s for: People on a strict budget who want a good chunk of data and can get T-Mobile service.

Why we picked the T-Mobile Simply Prepaid Plan:

The four main carriers all have prepaid plans, which are traditionally a bit cheaper than postpaid plans. Of the bunch, T-Mobile offers the most for the least amount of money. T-Mobile offers three monthly prepaid plans: 1 10GB plan, Unlimited plan, and Unlimited Plus plan. With both, you get unlimited talk and text, no overages, and unlimited music streaming. Simply Prepaid starts at $40 per month for a single line and offers up to 10GB of domestic 4G LTE data. The T-Mobile unlimited prepaid plan starts at $50 for one line and features unlimited 4G LTE on your smartphone. Both prepaid plans can accommodate five lines and include hotspots, though the hotspot on the starter plan is capped at 10GB while the hotspot on the basic unlimited plan is unlimited but at 3G speeds. The highest plan offers all the same features with expanded hotspot speeds and data caps.

T-Mobile add-ons include international calling and texting. For $5 a month, you get unlimited data, calling, and texting in Canada and Mexico. And for $15 a month, you get unlimited texting to virtually anywhere, unlimited calling to landlines in more than 70 countries and to mobile numbers in more than 30 countries.

Sprint Forward is no longer available to new customers and the company plans to shut down the service in January 2020. Prepaid plans are now available only through Boost Mobile where you must set up in person at one of their stores. Boost Mobile offers plans with unlimited talk and text ranging from $35 per month (6GB data) to $50 and $60 per month with unlimited talk, text, and data. The $50 per month plan offers a 12GB hotspot while the $60 per month offers a 30GB hotspot. You can add a line to the $35 plan for a total of $60 per month. Family plans cost $100 for up to 5 lines with unlimited talk, text, and data and a 12GB hotspot with optimized streaming for gaming, music, and video.

AT&T’s prepaid plans are pretty good. You’ll pay $30 a month for talk and text and 2GB of data; $40 a month for talk, text, and 8GB of high-speed data that rolls over; or $55 or $75 per month for talk, text, and unlimited of data — all with autopay included. The $40, $55, and $75 tiers include unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada.

Verizon’s prepaid plan is decent. It’s $40 for 5GB of data and unlimited talk and text, and $50 for 15GB of data. Verizon also offers an unlimited prepaid plan for $65 a month. All prepaid tiers include unlimited talk and text in the U.S. and unlimited text in more than 200 other countries.

Even though the other carriers offer pretty good options, T-Mobile’s prepaid plans are the cheapest and include perks like unlimited music streaming and no overages; its rates for calls, texts, and data for Mexico and Canada are a good deal, too.

Other things to consider

How much data do you need?

Perhaps the most important decision you’ll have to make when choosing a carrier plan is the amount of data you will need.

To determine how much data you need, consider two factors: The number of people in your family plan and how much data you think each will use. If you and your family rarely use the Internet when you’re away from a Wi-Fi network, you might want to buy less data. If you or your kids like to stream movies over your 4G network, browse the Internet for hours, check your email 95,000 times a day, and live-tweet your day, you’ll want a huge chunk of data.

Unlocked vs. locked: How to buy your phone

When you buy a phone from your carrier, it’s locked to their network. You’re locked into the carrier’s payment plan. If you want the freedom to switch carriers at any point in time, you should buy your phone unlocked directly from the company who made it. Not all smartphone makers offer unlocked phones, but it’s becoming a lot more common. Some companies like ZTE and Apple even offer payment installment plans, so you can buy your phone in small payments just like you would at a carrier.

We recommend buying unlocked, because the phone will be yours whether you switch carriers or not. You’ll also avoid bloatware, annoying carrier apps, and, if your phone runs Android, you’ll likely get more timely software updates.

How to switch carriers

Switching carriers can be tough. Here’s how to do it and what each carrier is offering you to come over to their network.

T-Mobile has long offered enticing reasons to switch to the Un-carrier. The company will pay off your phone and service contracts with your current carrier up to $650 per line on up to five lines or early-termination fees up to $350. T-Mobile even gives you the option of getting a Visa prepaid card in the amount of your current carrier’s early termination fee or remaining device balance. You can get bill credit based on the market value of your eligible trade-in device, too.

Verizon offers to pay up to $650 to get you to switch over to Big Red. You’ll have to trade in your current eligible phone, but you’ll receive a credit up to $450. Plus, you can get a $200 prepaid Mastercard by signing up for at least one new line in one of Verizon’s unlimited plans.

With Sprint, if you switch to a monthly payment plan — either Sprint Lease or 24-month installments — the carrier will pay off your contract or old phone balance up to $650. It also offers a $250 prepaid MasterCard with the newest phones. You’ll have to register and trade in your phone first.

AT&T offers up to $650 if you switch to its network. You have to get a new phone on AT&T Next first, then trade in your old phone for credit in-store or on AT&T Promotion Visa card.

How we choose the best plans

We start by checking out all the promotions, phones, and plans offered by the big four carriers in the United States: T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon. After we work out the main points of each plan, we sift through the fine print to check for any catches. If something isn’t clear, we contact the press representative from the carrier for clarification. We look for special features and perks that are unique to the carriers and we weigh that in our decision along with price and availability.

Not all carriers work in all areas, so we make sure to highlight where each carrier works the best. For example, T-Mobile and Sprint excel in cities, while Verizon and AT&T are specialists in rural areas. We’ve personally used these networks, so we can verify coverage claims in the areas we travel.

We also look at prepaid plans and plans from smaller carriers that base their networks on the big carriers’ networks to see what they offer.

Finally, details like the clarity and ease of use on a website or the kindness of customer service representatives also factor into our decisions. After all, we’re putting you first.

Editors’ Recommendations