Cell Phone Plans: Every Option Compared (October 2026 Edition)

Cell Phone Plan Awards by Category

No single plan wins everything, which is sort of the point of a page like this. Here’s who takes each category once you look past the sticker. Want the short version, ranked? Our best cell phone plans roundup is the shortlist.

Awards reflect our editorial evaluation against the criteria in the methodology section. The “Best Overall” pick is supported by US Mobile’s Consumer Reports Top Rated designation. See the full ratings. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.

How to Choose a Cell Phone Plan

Phone plans got complicated. The decision itself didn’t, really: it comes down to seven questions, and most people can answer them in about five minutes with last month’s bill in hand.

1. How much data do you actually use?

Check your last bill. Most people guess high. Under 2GB a month, a small plan saves real money: US Mobile Light is $10/mo with taxes included, Tello 2GB is $10/mo plus taxes, and Tello’s plan builder goes down to $8/mo for 2GB and 300 minutes. Somewhere between 5GB and 20GB? Look at US Mobile By the Gig (5GB for $15, 10GB for $20, 20GB for $35, taxes included), Mint’s 12-month plans (6GB at $15/mo, paid $180 up front), Tello Everyday (10GB, $15/mo) or Cricket Sensible 10GB ($35/mo, $30 with AutoPay, taxes included).

Past that, you want unlimited, and the fine print on high-speed data matters far more than the word on the box. Our best unlimited data plan roundup ranks them on exactly that.

2. How many lines do you need?

This is where the math flips. A single line is the worst deal at the Big 3, and their per-line price drops as you add people. US Mobile goes the other way on Unlimited: no multi-line discount, so four Unlimited Starter lines are four times $25, or $100/mo with taxes included. Its Light and By the Gig plans work differently. Extra lines are $8 each and share the data, so four lines on By the Gig 20GB come to $59/mo.

Here’s how entry-level unlimited plans stack up for a family of four.

At four lines the gap gets a lot smaller than the single-line prices suggest, and Total Wireless even edges under US Mobile. The Big 3’s per-line fees still land on top of those totals, though, and they add up fast with four people. For the full breakdown by household size, see the best family phone plan, best cell phone plans for 2 lines and best phone plans for one guides.

3. Does one network work everywhere you go?

Most carriers run on exactly one network. Visible and Total Wireless use Verizon’s, Cricket uses AT&T’s, and the Big 3 run their own. If one network has always worked where you live and work, staying on it (maybe through a cheaper brand) is perfectly fine.

If coverage is patchy where you live or travel, a carrier that lets you change networks is worth a look. US Mobile gives every line access to all three major US wireless networks on a single plan, and you can move a line to a different one later from your dashboard. We don’t rate coverage ourselves: check each carrier’s map for your address, and independent results from Ookla’s Speedtest reports and Opensignal.

4. Are you OK with a commitment?

Contracts are close to extinct; nearly every plan here is sold without one. Prepaid carriers bill before the month starts, so there’s nothing to break. Postpaid plans skip the contract too, but if you finance a phone through the carrier, leaving early usually means paying off whatever’s left on it. Bring your own unlocked phone and you can walk whenever you like. Our switching carriers guide covers the mechanics.

5. Do you want a store, or are you fine online?

The Big 3 have stores, and so do their prepaid brands: Cricket and Metro both charge $25 a line to activate in a store (online activation is free at Metro). Consumer Cellular advertises US-based phone support, and TracFone sells through retailers like Walmart and Dollar General. US Mobile and Visible don’t have retail stores; you sign up and get help online. If walk-in help matters to you, weigh it honestly, because it’s one of the few things the expensive carriers still do better.

6. Does international use matter?

If you travel abroad a lot, look at the top tiers. Google Fi Unlimited Premium includes 50GB of high-speed data in 200+ destinations. US Mobile Unlimited Premium includes 20GB of roaming in 180+ countries plus international calling and texting. T-Mobile Experience Beyond 2.0 gives you up to 15GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries and destinations, and Verizon Unlimited Ultimate builds international use in. If it’s calls home rather than travel, Lycamobile includes unlimited talk and text to 100 countries on every plan, and Ultra Mobile unlimited talk to 90+ destinations.

7. What’s your real budget after taxes and fees?

Big 3 prices on the plan page come before taxes and before each carrier’s own monthly fee: $5.49 a line at T-Mobile (plus government surcharges it puts at $0.08 to $4.57 a line), up to $4.99 a line at AT&T, and $3.78 a line at Verizon, rising to $4.69 on November 15, 2026. Verizon says its surcharges can add 16% to 58% to your monthly charges; Google Fi says taxes and surcharges normally run 10 to 20 percent. Then the one-time hit: $40 a line to activate at Verizon, $35 at AT&T, and a $35-a-line device connection charge at T-Mobile.

A lot of prepaid plans include taxes in the price you see. US Mobile (Unlimited, Light and By the Gig), Visible, Cricket, Metro and Total Wireless all do. So a $25 prepaid plan can really be $25 a month, while a $50 postpaid plan almost never is.

Types of Cell Phone Plans

Cell phone plans fall into a handful of structural types. Knowing which one you’re looking at keeps you comparing apples with apples.

Postpaid plans

You’re billed after each month of service. Taxes and the carrier’s own fees go on top of the advertised price, the advertised price usually needs AutoPay, and postpaid carriers usually check your credit first. Examples: T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Google Fi, Consumer Cellular, Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile and Optimum Mobile.

Prepaid plans

You pay for the month before you use it, and you can leave when you like. Many prepaid plans fold taxes into the price, though plenty don’t, so check. Examples: US Mobile, Mint Mobile, Visible, Cricket, Boost, Metro, Total Wireless, Tello, TextNow, H2O Wireless, Ultra Mobile, Lycamobile, Straight Talk, Simple Mobile and TracFone. Here’s how prepaid cell phone plans work if you want the mechanics, and our best prepaid phone plans roundup ranks them.

Multi-network plans

Most carriers put you on one network and that’s that. US Mobile is the exception here: every plan gets access to all three major US wireless networks, you pick one at signup and you can switch a line later from your dashboard. Its Multi-Network add-on goes a step further and lets one phone use more than one network, for $10/mo per line or $7.50/mo on an annual plan.

Small-data and build-your-own plans

Not everyone needs unlimited, and paying for it anyway is the most common way people overspend. US Mobile Light gives you 2GB with unlimited talk and text for $10/mo. By the Gig pools data across lines (5GB, 10GB or 20GB). Custom plans go smaller still: unlimited texts only for $6/mo, or unlimited minutes only for $8/mo, with no data. Tello’s builder gets you 2GB and 300 minutes for $8/mo plus taxes. Our guide on how to build a cheap cell phone plan walks through it, and $10 mobile phone plans covers the bottom of the market.

Pay-ahead plans

Several carriers knock the price down if you pay months up front. US Mobile’s yearly plans: Light $96 ($8/mo), Unlimited Flex $210 ($17.50/mo, yearly only), Unlimited Starter $270 ($22.50/mo) and Unlimited Premium $390 ($32.50/mo). Mint sells only 3, 6 and 12-month plans, Visible’s base plan is $275 a year, and H2O’s $20 plan drops to $16/mo if you prepay 12 months ($192). The catch is obvious: the cash leaves your account all at once.

Cable-bundled plans

Spectrum Mobile and Xfinity Mobile need their parent company’s home internet. Cheap if you already pay for it; off the table if you don’t. Optimum’s plan page doesn’t say Optimum Internet is required, but it advertises a $20 a month internet credit when you add Mobile.

Free, ad-supported plans

TextNow Free is the only free plan among the carriers we checked: talk, text and 550MB of data a month, paid for by ads, plus a $3.99 SIM. Fine as a backup line. As your only line, 550MB disappears quickly.

Full Cell Phone Plan Comparison

The cheapest and the top plan from each carrier, one line, monthly. Regular price without AutoPay first, with the AutoPay price in brackets where the discount is ongoing. Looking for the best pick for one specific need instead? The best phone plans roundup sorts them by use case.

See US Mobile plans.

The Big 3: T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T

All three are postpaid, all three need AutoPay for their best price, and all three add taxes and a per-line fee on top. Here’s every unlimited tier side by side before we get into what makes each one different.

Monthly prices for one line, before taxes and fees. AT&T’s AutoPay price needs a bank account or AT&T’s own card; with a debit card, AutoPay is $5 off instead of $10.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s plans now carry a “2.0” tag. Essentials 2.0 gets 50GB of premium data and hotspot at 3G speeds, with no streaming perks and no price guarantee. Experience More 2.0 adds Netflix Standard with ads and 60GB of hotspot; Experience Beyond 2.0 adds Hulu, T-Satellite and 250GB of hotspot. Both Experience plans carry a 5-Year Price Guarantee and Apple TV for $3/mo. At 1 or 2 lines you’ll also see Essentials Saver 2.0 at $50/mo with AutoPay, and if you’re 55 or older, Essentials Choice 55+ 2.0 is $45/mo for one line or $60 for two, with AutoPay.

On top of any of them: taxes, a $5.49-a-line fee, government surcharges T-Mobile puts at $0.08 to $4.57 a line, and a one-time $35-a-line device connection charge. Four lines of Experience More 2.0 come to $170/mo with AutoPay, a total that includes “3rd line free” bill credits, which stop if you cancel any line. See T-Mobile plans. Weighing the two biggest? See T-Mobile vs Verizon.

Verizon

Verizon’s myPlan tiers differ mostly in priority and hotspot. Welcome has no hotspot, deprioritized data and no 5G Ultra Wideband. Plus adds 30GB of hotspot, unlimited premium data and Ultra Wideband. Ultimate gets unlimited premium data, 200GB of full-speed hotspot and international use built in. Our QCI 8 vs QCI 9 guide explains what that priority actually buys you.

The fees are the steepest of the three: $40 a line to activate, a $3.78-a-line administrative charge that rises to $4.69 on November 15, 2026, and surcharges Verizon says can add 16% to 58% to your monthly charges. Verizon also advertises a Simplicity plan at $30 a line, but only with AutoPay, paper-free billing and a switch from another carrier, and it doesn’t print the full price. See Verizon plans.

AT&T

AT&T has four unlimited tiers, and the cheapest is the stingiest: Value 2.0 gives you 5GB of full-speed data and 3GB of hotspot, after which data may slow when the network is busy. Extra 2.0 raises that to 100GB and 50GB. Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0 don’t slow you down based on how much you use, and include 100GB and 250GB of hotspot. Add taxes, a fee of up to $4.99 a line and a $35 activation fee.

Per line, it gets cheaper with company: four lines of Value 2.0 are $120/mo with AutoPay. See AT&T plans. For the head-to-head, see AT&T vs Verizon or the three-way AT&T vs Verizon vs T-Mobile comparison.

Prepaid Brands and MVNOs

MVNOs are the smaller carriers that rent space on the big networks, and the Big 3’s own prepaid brands sit here too. This is where most of the savings live.

Mint Mobile

Mint doesn’t sell month to month: you buy 3, 6 or 12 months at once. On the 12-month plan, 6GB is $15/mo ($180 up front), 17GB $20/mo ($240), 23GB $25/mo ($300) and Unlimited $30/mo ($360), plus taxes. Shorter terms carry new-customer intro prices: Unlimited is $30/mo for the first 3 months, then $40/mo, and on the 6-month plan every tier is $10/mo for the first term before Unlimited renews at $35/mo. Unlimited includes 50GB of premium data and 20GB of hotspot. See Mint Mobile plans, or compare it in Mint Mobile vs Visible.

Visible

Visible runs on Verizon’s network, with taxes and fees included. Visible is $25/mo, Visible+ $35/mo and Visible+ Pro $45/mo, or $275, $375 and $450 on yearly plans. Hotspot is unlimited on all three but capped at 5, 10 and 15 Mbps. The plus tiers add 5G Ultra Wideband, and Pro adds calling to 85+ countries and smartwatch service. With code 5OFF5, Visible+ is $30/mo and Visible+ Pro $40/mo for 5 years on monthly billing, then the regular price. See Visible plans. Up against AT&T? See AT&T vs Visible.

Google Fi

Four plans, taxes extra (Fi says taxes and surcharges normally run 10 to 20 percent), no activation fee. Flexible is $20/mo plus $10 for every GB you use; Bill Protection stops the data charge at 15GB, after which speeds drop to 256 kbps. Unlimited Essentials is $35/mo (30GB of high-speed data, no hotspot), Unlimited Standard $50/mo (50GB, 25GB of hotspot, use in Canada and Mexico) and Unlimited Premium $65/mo (100GB, 50GB of hotspot, 50GB of high-speed data in 200+ destinations and free calls from the US to 50+). See Google Fi plans.

Consumer Cellular

Built around older customers, with US-based phone support. Prices include a $5 AutoPay and eBilling credit: Basic 1GB is $20/mo, 5GB Data $25/mo, Unlimited 50+ $35/mo (two lines $60) and Unlimited 18-49 $60/mo. AARP members get 5% off, so Unlimited 50+ drops to $33.25. Taxes are extra, along with a $10 activation fee per line and a $3.99 monthly operational compliance fee per line. On Unlimited, speeds drop after 35GB on one line, or 50GB on multiple lines. See Consumer Cellular plans, and our senior phone plans guide for more options.

Cricket Wireless

On AT&T’s network, taxes and fees included, and AutoPay takes $5 off. Sensible 10GB is $35/mo ($30), with no hotspot and 128 Kbps once the 10GB runs out. Select Unlimited is $40/mo ($35), hotspot only as an add-on; Smart Unlimited $50/mo ($45) with 15GB of hotspot; Supreme Unlimited $60/mo ($55) with 50GB of hotspot, HBO Max Basic with Ads and 150GB of cloud storage. Activating in a Cricket store costs $25 a line. See Cricket plans, or Cricket Wireless vs US Mobile.

Metro by T-Mobile

Metro has rebuilt its lineup around three unlimited plans, all with taxes and fees included and a 5-year price guarantee. The web-only Unlimited 5G Data is $40/mo with 35GB of premium data. The regular Unlimited 5G Data is $55/mo ($50 with AutoPay) with 50GB and 8GB of hotspot, and Unlimited Premium 5G Data is $60/mo ($55) with 25GB of hotspot. Activation is free online and $25 a line in a store. See Metro plans.

Boost Mobile

Unlimited is $30/mo ($25 with AutoPay) with 30GB of premium data. Global Connection, $45/mo ($40), adds global talk and text and 1GB of global roaming, with 40GB of premium data. Unlimited+ is $55/mo ($50) with 40GB, and Unlimited Premium $60/mo with AutoPay, with 50GB. Taxes and fees are extra. Multi-line pricing helps at the top end: two Unlimited Premium lines are $100/mo and four are $160/mo, with AutoPay. See Boost plans.

Cable-Bundled Plans

Good deals if you already have the internet service. If you don’t, none of these first-year prices are really on offer to you.

Spectrum Mobile

Needs Spectrum Internet and AutoPay. Unlimited Plus is $40 a line with 10GB of hotspot and use in 215+ countries and destinations; Unlimited Plus Premium is $50 a line with 50GB of hotspot and a free smartwatch data plan. The plain Unlimited plan is listed at $30 a line, but Spectrum’s FAQ puts one line alone at $40, and two lines at $60. New customers get the first line free on Unlimited, $10 on Unlimited Plus or $20 on Unlimited Plus Premium, first year only, then the regular rate. There’s an activation fee, and taxes may apply; Spectrum doesn’t publish either amount. See Spectrum Mobile plans.

Xfinity Mobile

Needs Xfinity Internet. Mobile Select is $30/mo with 15GB of hotspot and Mobile Plus $45/mo with 50GB; both include use in 215+ destinations. New customers get the first line for $0 on Select or $15 on Plus, first year only, then the regular price (the free-year offer needs Xfinity Internet at 300 Mbps or faster). Taxes and fees are extra, and activation is $25 a line, waived on a first order through October 30. See Xfinity Mobile plans.

Optimum Mobile

Unlimited is $45/mo (20GB of premium data, 5GB of hotspot) and Unlimited Max $55/mo (50GB, 15GB of hotspot), taxes extra; Optimum says the price is based on good credit. Lines get cheap quickly: two Unlimited lines are $60/mo and four are $80/mo. Optimum’s plan page doesn’t say you need Optimum Internet, though it advertises a $20 a month internet credit when you add Mobile. See Optimum Mobile plans.

Budget and Ultra-Light Carriers

Smaller carriers that win on one thing: price, calls abroad, or the freedom to buy exactly what you use. If price is your only filter, our cheap phone plans list ranks them that way.

Total Wireless

On Verizon’s network, with taxes and fees included and a 5-year price guarantee. Total Starter is $40/mo, Total MAX 5G $55/mo and Total All Access $65/mo; AutoPay takes $5 off from the second month, once per account rather than per line. Four lines of Total Starter are $95/mo with AutoPay. See Total Wireless plans.

Straight Talk

Four tiers: Bronze 10GB at $35/mo, Silver Unlimited $45/mo, Gold Unlimited $55/mo and Platinum Unlimited $65/mo, taxes extra. The AutoPay discount only lasts the first 3 months. Silver gets cheap in a group: four lines are $100/mo. See Straight Talk plans.

Tello

Build your own, down to the minute. 2GB with 300 minutes is $8/mo; the preset plans are 2GB for $10, 10GB for $15, 20GB for $20 and Unlimited for $25 (50GB at full speed, 10GB of hotspot). Any calling plan includes free calls to 60+ countries. Taxes and a cost recovery fee of up to 30 cents are extra. See Tello plans.

TextNow

Free really is free: $0 a month with ads and 550MB of data, plus a $3.99 SIM. Plus Monthly is $18.99/mo with no ads (but no streaming or gaming), and Monthly Unlimited is $35.99/mo; both labels list 20GB of data. Taxes vary by location. See TextNow plans.

H2O Wireless

Five tiers from the $20 Plan (10GB) to $60 Unlimited, with 10% off for AutoPay and lower rates if you prepay 12 months (the $20 plan drops to $16/mo, $192 up front). The $40 Unlimited includes 10GB of hotspot and slows after 40GB. Taxes and a small monthly regulatory fee are extra. See H2O Wireless plans.

Ultra Mobile

Made for people who call abroad: every plan includes unlimited talk to 90+ international destinations, plus talk and text in Mexico and Canada. 4GB is $19/mo, Unlimited $49/mo and Unlimited+ $59/mo, taxes extra. New customers on the 12-month plan pay $300 for Unlimited ($25/mo) for the first term; the regular 12-month rate is $34/mo ($408). See Ultra Mobile plans.

Lycamobile

Unlimited talk and text to 100 countries on every plan. Watch the headline prices, though, because most are first-term promos: the 5GB plan is $10 per 30 days for 12 months, then $19; Unlimited Plus is $18 for 9 months, then $49; Unlimited Pro is $29.50 for 6 months, then $59. Lycamobile doesn’t say whether taxes are included. See Lycamobile plans.

Simple Mobile

Data plans at $25 (15GB), $30 (20GB) and $40 (30GB), plus Unlimited World at $50/mo and Unlimited World+ at $60/mo. Taxes extra. See Simple Mobile plans.

TracFone

Sold at retailers like Walmart and Dollar General. Basic is $15/mo for 1GB ($10 with Auto-Refill, first 2 months only), climbing through 4GB ($20), 10GB ($30) and 20GB ($40) to Unlimited at $50/mo with 15GB of hotspot. Taxes extra. See TracFone plans.

How Much You Can Save by Switching to US Mobile

Same-tier comparisons: entry unlimited against entry unlimited, premium against premium. Big 3 prices are their single-line AutoPay rates, the lowest they advertise for one line; US Mobile is the regular monthly rate, no promo code.

The savings above leave out the Big 3’s per-line fees and activation charges, so the real gap is a bit wider. New lines that pay for a year save even more in year one: Starter is $199 for the first year and Premium $299, then they renew at $270 and $390 a year.

See US Mobile plans.

Which Cell Phone Plan Is Right for You?

• Best for most people: US Mobile Unlimited Starter at $25/mo, taxes included, 20GB of hotspot and access to all three major networks.
• You barely use data: US Mobile Light at $10/mo (or $8/mo on the $96 yearly plan), or a custom plan from $6/mo if you mostly text. Tello’s 2GB with 300 minutes is $8/mo plus taxes.
• You want a Big 3 carrier and its stores: T-Mobile Experience More 2.0 at $85/mo with AutoPay, or AT&T Value 2.0 and T-Mobile Essentials Saver 2.0 from $50/mo with AutoPay, before taxes and fees.
• You travel internationally: Google Fi Unlimited Premium ($65/mo) or US Mobile Unlimited Premium ($44/mo, 20GB of roaming in 180+ countries).
• You’re 50 or older: Consumer Cellular Unlimited 50+ ($35/mo with the AutoPay credit), or T-Mobile Essentials Choice 55+ 2.0 ($45/mo with AutoPay) if you’re 55 or older.
• You’re a family of four: US Mobile Unlimited Starter ($100/mo for four lines, taxes included), Total Wireless Total Starter ($95/mo with AutoPay, taxes included) or T-Mobile Essentials 2.0 ($105/mo with AutoPay, plus taxes and fees).
• You already pay for home internet: Xfinity Mobile or Spectrum Mobile.
• You want the cheapest unlimited: US Mobile Unlimited Flex at $210 for the year, or Visible at $25/mo month to month. More in our cheapest unlimited data plans roundup.
• You need a free backup line: TextNow Free, with ads and 550MB of data.

How We Picked and Compared These Cell Phone Plans

US Mobile wrote this comparison, and it’s in it. Every price, allowance and fee here was read on the carrier’s own plan pages or FCC Broadband Facts labels on October 20, 2026, and we saved screenshots of those pages. Prices are for one line without AutoPay unless we say otherwise; “/mo” on a yearly or multi-month plan is the up-front price divided by the months it covers. Where a carrier doesn’t publish something, we say “Carrier does not say” rather than guess, and plans a carrier no longer sells are left out.

For category winners, we weighed the regular monthly price, what’s actually included (high-speed data before slowdowns, hotspot, whether taxes are in the price, international use), extra fees, network access and choice, and what happens when an intro price ends. Savings comparisons match tiers (entry with entry, premium with premium); Big 3 prices there are single-line AutoPay rates, and US Mobile’s are regular monthly rates with no promo code. Multi-line totals are the carriers’ own published totals.

We don’t rate network speed or coverage ourselves. For customer ratings, see Consumer Reports; Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. For speed and coverage, independent sources include Ookla’s Speedtest reports and Opensignal, and the FCC’s wireless consumer guides explain your rights as a customer.

US Mobile coverage details live on the plans page and the network coverage page. The previous edition is the August 2026 edition, and the main article is updated as prices change.