Having one of the best cell phone plans isn't just about having the lowest rate — though that's a big part of it. And while we all want to save money on our monthly bill, the cost of wireless service is just one thing to consider when looking for coverage. There's also the perks that come with each plan, not to mention how strong of a network a particular wireless carrier offers in the places where you frequent.
Best cheap cell phone plan: Mint Mobile
Best option for coverage: Verizon
Best unlimited plan on a budget: Visible
Best prepaid value: AT&T
We take all those considerations into account when we evaluate the best cell phone plans overall. And we also make sure to compare what one carrier offers with deals from rival providers. To make sure we're comparing a wide array of plans, we look at the offerings from the three major phone carriers in the U.S. as well as options from smaller operators.
The result is a guide to the best cell phone plans that introduces a wild range of options from an assortment of the best phone carriers. Our search for the best plan overall calls out the top cheap plans as well as the best options for families and prepaid users. We also highlight the top options if you want unlimited data. (And if you're looking just at price, we've tracked down the best cheap cell phone plans, too, in a separate guide.)
Below you'll find the best cell phone plans across all of those categories, with comparisons to other options so that you can ensure you're getting the best deal on your cell phone coverage.
Cheap cell phone plans
Simply want a cell phone plan on a budget? There are plenty of carriers that can offer you a cheaper plan if you don't mind sacrificing your data cap somewhat. Most of the plans below cost less than $20 per month, but as a result, you should only expect 5GB of data at most.
Of these options, we think the best cheap cell phone plan belongs to Mint which offers the best balance of data and price for its 5GB plan. At $15 a month, Mint's cheapest plan costs the same as the T-Mobile Connect plan, though T-Mobile limits your data to 3.5GB. To go even cheaper, you can pay $10 per month at Tello, but you'll only get 1GB of data. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Verizon offers the most data of our favorite cheap plans, but it's also the most expensive at $35 a month after an autopay discount. Read on to find out more about these four plans' strengths and weaknesses.
| Carrier | Plan | Monthly cost |
| Mint Mobile | 5GB | $15 |
| T-Mobile | 3.5GB | $15 |
| Tello | 1GB | $10 |
| Verizon | 15GB | $35 |
Unlimited cell phone plans
You'd think the best unlimited data plans would pricey — and it's true that the options at the major carriers are among the more expensive plans you'll find. But there are still some low-cost plans out there that can get you unlimited data for as little as $30 per month.
That's why our unlimited plan pick is Visible's $30 plan. It's light on perks, but it is among the lowest prices you'll pay, with the pay-in-advance requirement that gets you a $30 monthly rate at Mint Mobile. Among the major carriers, the T-Mobile Magenta plan offers a good blend of price and perks, though Verizon and AT&T offer cheaper options for anyone looking for a no-frills plan. We'd also flag up Google Fi's Unlimited Plus plan if you do a lot of traveling, as it lets you use your data at no extra cost when you're overseas.
| Carrier plan | Monthly cost | Perk highlights |
| Visible Unlimited | $25 | Unlimited mobile hotspot, taxes and fees included |
| Mint Unlimited | $30 | After 3 months, $30 pricing requires a year commitment |
| T-Mobile Magenta Unlimited | $70 | Six months of Apple TV Plus, 5GB hotspot data |
| Verizon Welcome Unlimited | $65 | Nationwide 5G coverage; bundled perks cost extra |
| Tello Unlimited | $29 | Free calls to 60-plus countries, includes hotspot |
| AT&T Value Plan Plus | $50 | Unlimited talk, text and data when traveling in Mexico and Canada |
| Google Fi Unlimited Plus | $65 | Use data when traveling in 200-plus countries |
Family cell phone plans
When shopping for the best family cell phone plan, cheaper isn't always better. More expensive options tend to have larger data caps (or unlimited data), better coverage and more perks.
T-Mobile's Go5G plan is the best option for a family of four with an attractive price (thanks to a current discount) and a number of perks. (Opt for Magenta Max or Go5G Plus, and the perks increase, but so does your monthly rate.) Verizon's Unlimited Plus plan also packs in some perks, and lets you layer on others with $10 add-ons; plus, you can can mix and match Verizon's cheaper Unlimited Welcome plan on some lines to lower your overall cost.
Discount carriers don't typically offer discounts on multiple lines like the bigger providers do, but Mint at least offers the same discount as you add each line, making it the best choice for a low-cost, no frills family plan.
| Carrier plan | Data | Monthly cost (4 lines) |
| T-Mobile Go5G | Unlimited | $155 |
| Verizon Unlimited Plus | Unlimited | $180 |
| Mint Family Plan | 5GB (per line) | $60 |
Prepaid cell phone plans
The best prepaid phone plans have you pay up front for a set amount of data, instead of being charged at the end of the month for the data you've used. That means you know what you're going to pay month to month. And if you play your cards right, you can usually pay a lot less for a prepaid plan.
AT&T currently offers the best prepaid plan, if you have the ability to pay for a full year of service up front. That gives you a massive amount of data — 16GB every month — for what amounts to $25/month over the course of the year. Otherwise, we'd point you toward Mint Mobile's 15GB plan, which also requires you to pay in advance to get the best rate. More traditional prepaid options come from Metro by T-Mobile and Cricket, where you're only paying for service on a month-to-month basis.
| Carrier | Data | Monthly cost |
| AT&T | 16GB | $25 (must pay 12 months in advance) |
| Mint Mobile | 15GB | $20 |
| Metro by T-Mobile | Unlimited | $50 |
| Cricket | 10GB | $40 |
How we pick the best cell phone plans
Picking the best cell phone plans requires extensive research on exactly what each carrier offers. That means we're checking the plans available at each of the three major carriers as you would expect, but we also extend our search to lesser know MVNOs, who often offer lower-priced plans.
Once we've gathered all the data on available smartphone plans, we single out the lowest cost options. But because the best cell phone plan isn't a one-size-fits-all choice, we look at the best options from the most popular carriers, as well as compelling values from discount carriers, giving you a wide variety of options to choose the best plan for you. (More on making that decision in a moment.)
Because phone carriers are often changing up their plans, we make it a habit to periodically review what's available. As a result, these rankings get updated at least once a month so that our picks reflect any changes to pricing or perks.
How to choose the best cell phone plan for you
Price is a big consideration when looking for the best cell phone plans, especially if you’re getting more than one line for other members of your family. Most carriers offer escalating discounts as you add lines, so you’ll want to compare the total cost of your plan based on the number of lines that require service.
Cell phone plans are about more than just the amount on your bill each month, though. You also need to consider who offers the best coverage in your area and whether they support the phone you’ll want to use. Our guide to the best phone carriers can answer some of those questions, but you’ll also want to ask friends, neighbors and co-workers about how a specific carrier’s coverage is at your home and office, if you’re looking to switch wireless providers.
Speaking of switching carriers, the major carriers are all willing to pick up some of the cost to get you to switch. These promotions can vary over time, so we'd suggest keeping an eye on any new carrier deals when you're mulling a switch, as you could find extra ways to save money.
Wireless carriers have spent the past several years building out their 5G coverage, and if you’ve got the right 5G phone, you can benefit from faster speeds if a carrier offers 5G service in your area. T-Mobile includes 5G coverage with its Magenta Plan, and Metro By T-Mobile customers with unlimited plans can also access T-Mobile's 5G towers with a compatible smartphone. AT&T had required you to sign up for its most expensive unlimited data plan options for 5G, but now any unlimited plan qualifies for coverage. Verizon includes full 5G coverage in three of its four unlimited plans currently, but the cheapest plan, Start Unlimited lacks 5G Ultra Wideband coverage. Both AT&T and Verizon have extended 5G coverage to prepaid customers with unlimited data plans.
What kind of cell phone plan do I need?
As you would expect, there is no simple answer to this and the question is more about what is the best plan for you. This will obviously depend on a wide variety of factors.
For those on a budget and looking for some flexibility, a prepaid cell phone plan will be an excellent way to go. These are often the cheapest options and the lack of contracts is going to be a massive bonus, especially if you like to change up carriers frequently.
If you frequently stream Netflix on the go, like to play games on your phone or just generally drain your data at impressive speeds, an unlimited plan is an excellent way to go — especially as 5G becomes more common.
Family cell phone plans are an excellent way to save money, especially as many carriers offer discounts as you add more lines to your plan. It will be no surprise that this is the way to go for the average family. Some carriers, such as Verizon and AT&T, let you mix and match plans, so parents can get an unlimited line with greater perks, while giving kids a cheaper line of data to save money overall.
If you are simply after the lowest price possible, carriers including Mint Mobile and Tello can offer you really low costs if you don't mind settling for smaller data caps.
Realistically, cell phone plans tend to fall into one of these categories: cheap, prepaid, family, unlimited, kids or seniors. If you work out which one you fit into best you can narrow your search drastically.
MVNOs and main carriers: what's the difference?
MVNOs are a slightly strange concept but they do offer an excellent way to get a cell phone plan on a budget. So what are they and how do they differ from the main carriers.
Firstly, it's important to note the main carriers. These are: AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, which absorbed Sprint in 2020. You can also include US Cellular in that group, though its coverage remains regional compared to the Big Three carriers. These brands use their own technology and run their own regional cellular networks.
MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) on the other hand are brands that don't own and operate their own technology and instead 'piggyback' off of the services of one of the above brands. This allows them to be far cheaper than the main carriers but does mean they are the first to be restricted during peak usage periods and don't get access to as many additional benefits.
MVNOs used to have limited 5G coverage, though that seems to be changing, as carriers build out their coverage. \We explain more about this in our MVNO guide, but the main players are:
- Mint Mobile: runs on T-Mobile
- Metro by T-Mobile: runs on T-Mobile
- Cricket Wireless: runs on AT&T
- Visible: runs on Verizon
- Xfinity Mobile runs on Verizon
- Boost Mobile: runs on T-Mobile and is transitioning to AT&T
