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What Cell Company Has Better Service Metropcs Or Boost

Best phone carriers of 2022

best phone carrier
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Picking the best telephone carrier is always a challenge, but never more than then when new devices get available. New phones give you the take chances to consider a new provider for your prison cell phone service — especially if you tin become a ameliorate deal on that telephone by switching over to a new carrier and committing to one of that provider'southward best cell phone plans.

Even if you're not thinking virtually a new carrier because of a new telephone purchase, it pays to compare the all-time telephone carriers every now and and then. With prices ascent in other areas of life, finding a ameliorate telephone programme could cutting some of your monthly expenses.

That said, finding the best phone carrier requires more merely picking the carrier who charges you the to the lowest degree for information each month. Phone carriers also stand out with their network coverage, peculiarly equally wireless providers are expanding their 5G networks. You should consider client service — the all-time phone carriers can handle questions most billing as easily every bit helping you troubleshoot your device. And some carriers make a mark by showering subscribers with plenty of perks.

Sounds similar a lot to continue track of, doesn't it? That'due south why nosotros're here, since we've done all the research for you. Right now, T-Mobile and Verizon are battling each other for the championship of best phone carrier. If you're willing to wait beyond the major wireless providers at some of the top MVNOs offering cell telephone service, you can detect good value from smaller operators like Mint Mobile and Visible.

Today's meridian three all-time value phone carriers

The best phone carriers overall

best phone carrier: T-Mobile

(Image credit: T-Mobile)

1. T-Mobile

The best phone carrier overall

Specifications

Best Unlimited Program: $70/month Magenta program

Best Tiered Information Program: N/A

Best Prepaid Programme: $15/calendar month 3GB plan

5G Coverage: 310 million people (nationwide)

Parent Network: T-Mobile

Reasons to buy

+

Attractive unlimited plans

+

Low-cost tiered data plans

+

Excellent perks for subscribers

Reasons to avoid

-

T-Mobile Connect prepaid plans accept a hard cap on data

When information technology comes to the best mix of information plans, coverage and perks, T-Mobile is a tough phone carrier to beat. While its merger with Dart has introduced a few customer service struggles initially, T-Mobile still emerges as the all-time telephone carrier, thank you to some great information plans, excellent perks and a growing 5G network.

T-Mobile offers the best unlimited data plan in the business, with its $70 Magenta program that bakes taxes and fees into the price of the programme and also lets yous use your data when y'all're overseas (albeit at slower speeds). Healthy discounts equally you add lines also make Magenta the best family unit cell phone program, particularly when T-Mobile waives the price of a third line as it does under a frequent promotion.

If y'all don't need all that data, T-Mobile's 3GB and 6GB prepaid plans are among the cheapest you'll find, and the visitor has added a $10/month 1GB plan as well. Those plans as well include 5G coverage, which is something other carriers oft restrict to their most expensive plans. For that reason, we think T-Mobile offers better value than other big-name carriers.

In our LTE network testing, we found T-Mobile's LTE download speeds were fast, even if Verizon and AT&T both finished ahead of the Uncarrier the last fourth dimension nosotros tested. More recent testing past Ookla gives T-Mobile a make clean sweep of peak speeds for both 5G and overall. Rootmetrics as well gives T-Mobile the nod every bit the carrier with the fastest and near available 5G coverage.

Speaking of 5G, T-Mobile'southward 5G service at present reaches more than 310 one thousand thousand people across the country. Of that total, 210 meg can access its faster Ultra Capacity 5G service.

What really sets T-Mobile apart is the perks it extends to customers. Weekly T-Mobile Tuesday giveaways include prizes and benefits while T-Mobile's Team of Experts program besides provides first-class customer service to subscribers. Family plan subscribers can get the toll of a Netflix account covered as part of their plan, and T-Mobile now provides one free year of both Apple Television set Plus and Paramount Plus to Magenta and Magenta Max subscribers.

best phone carrier: Verizon

(Image credit: Verizon)

2. Verizon

A practiced alternative to T-Mobile

Specifications

Best Unlimited Plan: $80/month Play More than plan

Best Tiered Information Plan: $55/calendar month 5GB programme

Best Prepaid Plan: $45/month 15GB program

5G Coverage: 230 one thousand thousand people (nationwide); 100 million (Ultra Wideband)

Parent Network: Verizon

Reasons to purchase

+

Network has extensive reach

+

Fast mmWave 5G bachelor to more customers

+

Fantabulous prepaid plans

Reasons to avoid

-

Best unlimited plans are pricey

-

Fastest 5G speeds limited to select areas

Verizon's plans may be pricier than the competition. Simply at that place's plenty to like well-nigh the nation's biggest wireless carrier, starting with the accomplish and performance of its network. When nosotros've tested LTE speeds, Verizon has come up out on top, though for the second half of 2021, testing firm Rootmetrics placed AT&T ahead of Verizon in more categories for the first time.

At the start of this yr, Verizon gave its 5G service a big boost by enhancing its existing Ultra Wideband 5G network with C-Band spectrum. More than 100 million people now enjoy faster speeds, while Large Ruddy's nationwide network delivers lower-spectrum 5G coverage to 230 meg people. (That network'south non almost as fast as Ultra Wideband.) Verizon as well makes information technology easier to experience 5G past accepting any phone — fifty-fifty cleaved ones — to reduce the toll of upgrading to a 5G phone. The carrier is moving to 36-month agreements, increasing how long you lot need to tie yourself to Verizon if you purchase your telephone in installments or get some of the best Verizon telephone deals.

Every bit for the toll of service, you will find cheaper and easier-to-decipher unlimited data plans at T-Mobile, but Verizon'south current plans do include interesting perks. Verizon's 5G Do More programme, which costs $80 a month for one line (and $180 for four) includes 600GB of deject storage and a 50GB ceiling earlier Verizon will throttle your speeds. Play More, which costs the same, includes access to a bundle of Disney streaming services (Disney Plus, ad-supported Hulu and ESPN Plus) too as a subscription to a streaming gaming service — either Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass.

Verizon's prepaid plans are specially attractive, cheers to a serial of escalating discounts. You'll pay $45 a month for Verizon's 15GB prepaid plan after a $5 autopay disbelieve, just if yous stick with Verizon for 3 months of service, that rate falls to $forty. After nine months, some other $five discount cuts your rate to $35. All Prepaid plans go 5G service, likewise, though Ultra Wideband coverage is reserved for prepaid customers with unlimited plans.

Verizon has fared well when nosotros've tested client service for phone carriers, and it continues to offer an extensive pick of phones, including Ultra Wideband versions of some phones designed specifically for Verizon's network. If you don't mind paying a little more on your monthly bill, Verizon provides the performance and service that justifies the extra toll.

best phone carrier: AT&T

(Image credit: AT&T)

3. AT&T

Third place among the major carriers

Specifications

Best Unlimited Program: $85/month Unlimited Elite

Best Tiered Data Program: $50/month 4GB

Best Prepaid Programme: $25/month 8GB plan (12 months in accelerate)

5G Coverage: 255 million people (nationwide)

Parent Network: AT&T

Reasons to buy

+

All-encompassing network

+

Growing 5G coverage

+

HBO Max tie-in for Unlimited Elite plan

Reasons to avert

-

Best unlimited plan is expensive

AT&T finds itself in an awkward position among the remaining major carriers. AT&T's monthly rates and promotions tin can't match what T-Mobile offers, and Verizon nevertheless has the larger overall network (though AT&T bests Verizon on reliability and speed according to testing firm Rootmetrics). That leaves AT&T in third place in our best telephone carrier rankings, but there are some notable bright spots for the carrier.

For one, AT&T typically fares well in performance testing, equally noted by its strong showing in Rootmetrics testing for the 2d half of 2021.Like Verizon, AT&T is launching C-Band 5G, which brings faster speeds, though AT&T has only added this coverage to a handful of cities at nowadays.

When information technology comes to plans, AT&T'due south most appealing unlimited data option is its most expensive offering — an $85-a-calendar month Unlimited Elite program that includes the HBO Max streaming service. AT&T has removed whatever cap on data consumption so Unlimited Elite customers won't have their speeds slowed, and you get more than hotspot data, too. In May, Unlimited Elite subscribers will be able to employ talk, text and data for costless when traveling in 19 Latin American countries.

The cheaper unlimited tiers at AT&T didn't compare as favorably to T-Mobile and Verizon plans, though that's changing a little bit. First, AT&T added 5G coverage to all its unlimited plans, matching its rivals. And now if you but need one line of information, a $50/month Value Plus Plan offers unlimited talk, text and data (though AT&T does reserve the right to slow your speeds when the network's congested.)

AT&T'south prepaid options provide a lot of data, too. A particularly strong option gives you 15GB of data for $forty a month. Nevertheless, if yous tin can swing the upfront costs, paying for a full year of service, gets you 8GB of information at $25/month. AT&T's cheapest unlimited data program is now available through Walmart when you activate a telephone in ane of the retailer'south stores.

best phone carrier: Visible

(Prototype credit: Visible)

4. Visible

A cheaper way to go unlimited data

Specifications

Best Unlimited Plan: $40/month

Best Tiered Data Plan: Due north/A

All-time Prepaid Programme: Due north/A

5G Coverage: 230 million people (nationwide); 100 million (Ultra Wideband)

Parent Network: Verizon

Reasons to buy

+

Unlimited data for $xl

+

Discounts on multiple lines

+

Services uses Verizon's network

Reasons to avoid

-

Speeds can be slowed if network's congested

-

5G coverage limited to iPhones

Variety is not the spice of life when it comes to Visible'due south service options, as the disbelieve carrier and Verizon MVNO offers simply one service plan. Merely it'southward a really good pick — you get unlimited data for $xl a month over Verizon's LTE network, which has been the elevation performer in our testing.

Visible used to place a cap on data speeds when the carrier debuted, just that brake has since been lifted. That means yous tin can enjoy the total ability of Verizon'due south network, with your speeds slowing merely should the network get too congested. (That's standard operating procedure for networks similar Visible that use another carrier's towers for their coverage, though.) 5G service is at present available through Visible using Verizon's coverage, with both the iPhone 13 and Galaxy S22 models. Other 5G phones are supported as well, though you should double-check which ones with Visible.

Compared to the best cheap prison cell phone plans, Visible has the best option for families thanks to the generous discounts as you add lines to your plan. Ii lines of unlimited data at Visible reduces the per-line cost to $35, while a family unit of four pays a full of $100 (or $25 per line) each calendar month. Your Visible Party Programme isn't limited to people living at the aforementioned address — it can cover friends, distant relatives or roommates. And a referral program can reduce your bill to just $5 for the month after a new customer you've referred joins Visible.

Visible got its starting time as an iPhone-only carrier, though it subsequently added Android phones to the mix, from flagships like the Galaxy S22 and Pixel 6 to budget offerings like the Samsung Milky way A53. A new early upgrade program lets you switch to a new device later you lot've paid off 50% of your phone. You can also bring your own device to Visible. And iPhone owners can try out Visible for free for fifteen days using their own device.

best phone carrier: Mint Mobile

(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

5. Mint Mobile

Low rates if you lot pay upfront

Specifications

All-time Unlimited Plan: $30/month unlimited information plan

Best Tiered Data Plan: N/A

Best Prepaid Programme: $20/calendar month 10GB programme

5G Coverage: 310 million people (nationwide)

Parent Network: T-Mobile

Reasons to buy

+

Low monthly rates, especially for unlimited information

+

Uses T-Mobil's network

Reasons to avoid

-

Depression rates require a twelvemonth's commitment

-

Minimal perks

Mint Mobile offers some of the lowest rates around, provided yous're willing to pay for coverage up forepart. Pricing starts at $15 a month for 4GB of LTE data — that'due south better than even T-Mobile'southward Uncomplicated Connect programme. But that price is just bachelor through the first 3 months of your service. To maintain that low rate, yous've got to sign upward for a year of coverage, limiting your flexibility to change carriers if you're not satisfied. (That approach also holds truthful for Mint'southward 10GB and 15GB plans as well as the carrier's $30-a-month unlimited data plan.) Mint's family plans hope the same discounted charge per unit for each line of data, and y'all tin mix and friction match unlike data allotments.

Mint uses T-Mobile'southward network to provide coverage, and so you should expect fast performance, particularly if you live in an urban expanse. Mint says y'all'll get 5G or 4G coverage depending on which signal is stronger — assuming you've got a 5G-uniform phone, of course.

Speaking of devices, Mint sells both iPhones and Android handsets, at a broad range of prices. Yous tin can besides bring your current phone to Mint if y'all prefer. Our Mint Mobile vs. AT&T and Verizon vs. Mint Mobile comparisons offer a closer look at how this discount service compares to bigger telephone carriers.

best phone carrier: Metro by T-Mobile

(Prototype credit: Metro past T-Mobile)

6. Metro by T-Mobile

A skilful discount phone carrier

Specifications

Best Unlimited Plan: $50/month Unlimited plan

Best Tiered Data Program: N/A

Best Prepaid Plan: $40/month 10GB plan

5G Coverage: 310 million people (nationwide)

Parent Network: T-Mobile

Reasons to buy

+

Good variety of plans

+

Uses T-Mobile's network

+

5G coverage with uniform phones

Reasons to avoid

-

Few perks

-

Data speeds tin be slowed if network is busy

Metro Past T-Mobile — formerly MetroPCS — remains one of the best phone carriers if you don't desire to spend a lot of money on your cell phone service. That said, Metro is facing stepped-upwards competition from big-name rivals and obscure disbelieve carriers alike. Parent company T-Mobile stole some of Metro's thunder by offering a super-inexpensive $15/month cell phone programme, while Verizon has doubled the amount of data it packs into its prepaid packages.

Still, in that location's enough to similar about Metro, which benefits from using T-Mobile's cellular network for its coverage. Fifty-fifty though Metro traffic can tiresome downward when T-Mobile's towers get congested, in our testing, that's been a rare occurrence. More than importantly, Metro customers with 5G-capable phones can savor T-Mobile's 5G coverage, which at present stretches coast to coast.

Verizon may offer more data to prepaid customers, but Metro's $40-a-month plan nonetheless includes a generous helping of 10GB of data, with streaming music from more than forty services non counting confronting your cap. Metro'due south unlimited plans — $50 for the entry level plan and $60 for a plan that includes an Amazon Prime membership and more than hotspot data — are pretty attractive, too.

Metro has a adept selection of phones, with around a tertiary of the handsets on sale costing less than $200. Y'all can detect additional savings if you port over a telephone number when signing upwards for service with Metro.

best phone carrier: Google Fi

(Image credit: Google Fi)

vii. Google Fi

The best telephone carrier if you go with Pixel

Specifications

Best Unlimited Plan: $65/calendar month unlimited

Best Tiered Information Plan: $xx/month for talk and text plus $x/GB

Best Prepaid Plan: N/A

5G Coverage: 310 million people (nationwide)

Parent Network: T-Mobile, United states of america Cellular

Reasons to buy

+

Only pay for the data yous use

+

Utilize data and text overseas

+

Optimized for Google Pixels, select Samsung and Moto phones

Reasons to avoid

-

Cheaper unlimited data is available elsewhere

With the Pixel 6a expected to make it this month, Google Fi deserves some attention among the best telephone carriers. Pixel devices are optimized for Google'south wireless network, allowing them to seamlessly switch between the carriers that provide Google Fi's coverage — T-Mobile and Us Cellular at this indicate — so yous'll always accept the best connection available. Compatible tertiary-party devices, which include the Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy Z Flip 3 and several Motorola handsets reap the same benefits.

Google Fi'due south pricing is pretty compelling if you lot don't use a lot of data. Google charges yous $20 for unlimited talk and text and and so only $x for each gigabyte of data you use. But that's adapted to the precise corporeality of information you consume — if you use 2.5GB, say, yous'll pay $25 instead of Google rounding upward to $30.

Unlimited information plans are now more than compelling after Google dropped prices on its two unlimited offerings. The all-time plan, Unlimited Plus, costs $65 a calendar month and features the ability to use your data overseas in more than than 200 countries at no extra cost. If you don't need that feature, the Only Unlimited program now costs $50 a month for one line of information. Discounts on boosted lines are available.

Best phone carrier: Consumer Cellular

(Image credit: Consumer Cellular)

8. Consumer Cellular

The best phone carrier for seniors

Specifications

Best Unlimited Plan: $55/month Unlimited Shared Data

Best Tiered Data Program: $25/calendar month 3GB plan

Best Prepaid Plan: N/A

5G Coverage: Yes

Parent Network: AT&T, T-Mobile

Reasons to buy

+

Discounts for AARP members

+

Depression rates if yous don't need much information

Reasons to avoid

-

Cheaper plans elsewhere if you utilize lots of data

-

Some criticism of customer service

Consumer Cellular is a good option for your cell phone service if you don't demand a lot of data each calendar month or y'all don't demand unlimited talk minutes. (Or both!) The carrier has modest information tiers available at reasonable prices, and yous can switch around your data allotment on a monthly basis if you conceptualize needing more data.

The 3GB programme probably offers enough data for many users who don't stream music and movies and at $25, it's a pretty affordable option.

Because Consumer Cellular offers an additional 5% discount on monthly rates to AARP members, it's become a hit with seniors. The carrier uses both AT&T and T-Mobile for its coverage, so information technology's likely y'all'll get practiced network functioning no affair where you are. (And if you purchase an iPhone 13 or 5G-set up Android phone through the carrier, yous can savour 5G coverage.) Consumer Cellular does take some criticism for customer service, but information technology's generally regarded as any piece of cake service for managing your plan and keeping your cell phone costs low.

best phone carrier: Boost Mobile

(Paradigm credit: Boost)

9. Boost Mobile

A new era of the discount carrier

Specifications

All-time Unlimited Plan: $50/calendar month Unlimited Gigs

All-time Tiered Information Plan: Northward/A

Best Prepaid Program: $25/month 5GB plan

5G Coverage: 308 meg people (nationwide)

Parent Network: T-Mobile/AT&T

Reasons to buy

+

Unlimited plans compare nicely to Metro's

+

Adept selection of depression-toll phones

Reasons to avoid

-

Unlimited plan isn't truly unlimited

-

Express perks

Once owned and operated past Sprint, Heave Mobile is now the holding of Dish in a $1.4 billion purchase spurred by the Dart-T-Mobile merger. Boost is keeping its name, and it'southward in the procedure of switching over to AT&T's network as Dish looks to build out its ain network.

Boost continues to offer the same plans as before, with your best option existence one of the company'southward 2 unlimited plans. The $50 program features 12GB of hotspot data. For $60 a month, you get Hd video streaming and 30GB of hotspot data. Both unlimited data plans tedious your speeds after you apply 35GB of information in a month.

Boost's unlimited prices compare favorably to what y'all become from Metro by T-Mobile, though T-Mobile's prepaid service doesn't put caps on music and game streaming similar Boost does. The best tiered plan at Heave gives you 5GB of data for $25 a month, with 2GB ($15) and 10GB ($35) options as well.

best phone carrier: Xfinity Mobile

(Image credit: Xfinity Mobile)

ten. Xfinity Mobile

A good choice if yous believe in bundles

Specifications

Best Unlimited Plan: $45/month Unlimited programme

Best Tiered Data Program: $30/month 3GB program

Best Prepaid Programme: N/A

5G Coverage: 230 million people (nationwide); 100 million (Ultra Wideband)

Parent Network: Verizon

Reasons to buy

+

Low unlimited rate

+

5G coverage on Verizon'due south network

+

Discounts on multiple lines of unlimited data

Reasons to avoid

-

Requires Xfinity internet subscription

If you already get your net service from Comcast — and since it's the nation's biggest internet access provider, you lot probably practice — Xfinity Mobile offers yous the opportunity to save coin on your monthly phone beak. The Comcast-backed phone carrier uses a combination of Verizon's cellular towers and Xfinity hotspots to offer nationwide phone coverage.

Xfinity's best plan for individuals is its $45 unlimited plan. Non only is that cheaper than what yous'll pay for unlimited coverage at the major phone carriers, it too includes admission to Verizon'south 5G network if you take a 5G-capable phone. That means you can get 5G for nearly half the toll of what yous'd pay for a Verizon unlimited information plan.

Xfinity Mobile has added discounts on additional lines, eliminating one of the big cons against this best phone carrier option. While a single line of unlimited services costs $45 a month, a second line of data brings the per line cost down to $forty. A family of 4 pays $120 each calendar month, or $30 per line.

Don't need unlimited information? Xfinity also offers by-the-gig pricing, starting at $15 for 1GB of data. (The 3GB programme for $30/calendar month is the more than generous option.) You lot tin switch between unlimited and by-the-gig plans for months were you lot don't need a lot of data.

Yous'll detect a good selection of phones at Xfinity, including the latest iPhone and Android flagships, such as the iPhone 13 and Galaxy S22. These days, Xfinity offers better support for bringing your own device beyond simply the iPhone; contempo Samsung Milky way and Google Pixel devices are supported, too, if you already own those phones.

What to wait for when choosing a phone carrier

The commencement thing to consider when determining the all-time telephone carrier for your needs is to figure out who has the best coverage in your area. Concentrate on the places where you spend a lot of time and need cell phone service, such as your habitation, function and frequent hangouts. Our network functioning testing looks at download speeds in select cities, and third-party testing can give you lot an idea of how networks perform on boilerplate. Just to truly get a movie of local network coverage, yous'll need to enquire friends and family nearly their experience.

If you lot're comfortable looking beyond one of the major cell phone providers, you can ever effort a disbelieve carrier. These MVNOs turn to the larger networks to provide cellular service, and so be certain to find out which network a disbelieve carrier uses to make sure information technology's one that provides adept service to where you alive and work.

One time you've figured out which phone carriers offer the best coverage in your areas, look at plans and pricing. You'll need to effigy out how much data you need — whether an unlimited plan is required or if yous can opt for a cheaper plan with tiered data. We've analyzed the best jail cell phone plans overall to help you find one that fits your needs.

phone carriers

(Image credit: 10'000 Hours)

One other thing to consider when picking carriers is perks that come included with a monthly subscription. Y'all'll find more than of these with larger carriers, while disbelieve carriers and prepaid cellular service tends to skimp on the extras. Pop perks include streaming service subscriptions, loftier-speed hotspot data and the power to utilise your programme while traveling overseas. (Speaking of overseas travel, we've as well got a look at the best international phone plans from the major carriers.)

How we test phone carriers

We've previously tested network performance by heading out to eight US cities and running Ookla's Speedtest app to measure out download speeds. For real-earth testing, we download a sizable app off of Google Play and time how fast it takes to get the app on a smartphone. The coronavirus pandemic impacted our ability to travel in contempo years, so we've placed a cracking weight on network performance reports from third-political party firms including RootMetrics, Opensignal and Ookla.

Below, yous'll run across a round-up of the well-nigh contempo data from each third-party testing firm, with the median download speed recorded for each of the iii major carriers. (MVNO customers can expect speeds like to that of their parent network, with the caveat that an MVNO'south speeds might be slowed downward if a network is congested.)

Ookla Opensignal RootMetrics
AT&T 56.1 Mpbs 35.3 Mbps 38.1 Mbps
T-Mobile 117.8 Mbps 54.1 Mbps 79.8 Mbps
Verizon 62.half-dozen Mpbs 30.2 Mbps 40.8 Mbps
Catamenia tested 1Q, 2022 January 2022 2H, 2021

We continuously review cell telephone plans to compare how much data each carrier offers and how unlimited plans vary at each provider. We also expect at the best prepaid phone plans, including extras you have to give up for the lower price to evaluate whether those are proficient deals or not.

We've done customer support testing in the past where we contact carriers incognito to inquire them questions both about their service equally well every bit phones they offering. We conduct this undercover testing both over the phone and through social media support accounts on Twitter and Facebook.

Finally, nosotros make a annotation of the different perks that are available through each carrier, whether it'south plan add together-ons like streaming services and hotspot information, regular giveaways or the power to utilise data when traveling in other countries.

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom'due south Guide. He'south been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the outset time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that beginning iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following telephone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has potent opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

What Cell Company Has Better Service Metropcs Or Boost,

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