The Best Carrier for your Smartphones

Don’t just opt for the lowest-priced cell phone plans because the best carriers offer more than just low monthly rates. Check our list to get the best carrier deals available.

Sure, cost is something worthy to consider when choosing a carrier for your phone. However, the best phone carrier delivers more than low monthly bills. Some of the things to keep in mind involves network performance, customer services, and other advantages before subscribing.

But that’s not all, 5G is here and it should be given priority as well. Considering how your cell phone service performs in the future is just as important. We took ample consideration to give you the best phone carriers out there.

Of course, T-Mobile and Verizon remain on the top spot.  But T-Mobile got the edge thanks to its attractive priced data plan and the network’s excellent performance in all major cities. Additionally, it’s the first carrier to offer coast-to-coast 5G coverage.

So, here is our list of the best phone carriers in the market today.

Xfinity Mobile

Great option if you’re into bundles

Pros:

• Low unlimited price
• Supports 5G coverage on Verizon network

Cons:

• No available discounts on multiple lines
• Xfinity internet subscription required

Xfinity Mobile lets you save money on your monthly bill if you’re already subscribed into Comcast. Since it’s the biggest internet service provider, most likely they’ll offer you bundled promos. Moreover, Xfinity Mobile is backed by Comcast and it uses the combination of Verizon’s cellular towers and Xfinity hotspots.

As a result, you get nationwide phone coverage. On the other hand, Xfinity’s best individual plan is the $45 unlimited plan. Not only is it cheaper, but it also includes access to Verizon’s 5G network. This is a big advantage if you have a 5G-capable phone.

Boost Mobile

The phone carrier in transition

Pros:

• Unlimited plans available
• Great collection of low-cost phones

Cons:

• Unconvincing future with T-Mobile Sprint merger
• Limited benefits

Boost Mobile used to be owned and operated by Sprint. The popular discount carrier is now owned by Dish for $1.4 billion buyout by Sprint-T-Mobile merger. However, Boost will keep its name and will operate its existing network for up to seven years. Dish, on the other hand, is planning to build its own network.

Boost will continue to offer its existing plans such as the $50 plan with 12GB of hotspot data along with a six-month Tidal streaming subscription. And the $60 a month with HD video streaming and 30Gb of hotspot data.

Consumer Cellular

The best phone carrier for seniors

Pros:

• Offers discount for AARP members
• Low rates if subscribe for less data

Cons:

• Cheaper plans in other places if you need lots of data
• Some disputes on customer service

Consumer Cellular is a great choice if you’re not using a lot of data each month. That’s because the carrier has small data tiers available for a good price but offers easy switching for your data allotment on a monthly basis in case you’ll be needing more data.

Likewise, you can save money by limiting your talk time to only 250 minutes a month. That lowers the cost by $5 to $25 a month. Also, Consumer Cellular offers a 5% discount on monthly rates to AARP members. This is very favorable for seniors. In addition, it uses both AT&T and T-Mobile for its coverage.

Mint Mobile

Upfront payments lets you save money

Mint Mobile provides some of the best deals around especially if you’re willing to pay upfront. The pricing starts at $15 a month. This includes 3Gb of LTE data. However, the price is only available for the first three months of the service. In order to maintain the low rate, you need to subscribe for an annual coverage.

Unfortunately, this limits your flexibility to change carriers in case you’re not satisfied with the service. This is especially true for the 8GB and 12 GB plans. Furthermore, Mint uses T-Mobile’s network. This ensures faster speed especially in the city areas. According to the carrier, you’ll get 5G or 4G coverage depending on which one is stronger.

Of course, this is only available if you have a 5G compatible phone. In addition, Mint offers both iPhone and Android devices. You can even use your current phone if you prefer it that way.

Google Fi

The best carrier if you’re into Pixel

Pros:

• You get to pay only for the data you use
• Data and texts can be used overseas
• Developed for Google Pixels and selected Moto phones

Cons:

• Not so cheap unlimited data

Google Fi is no longer limited to Google phones. The Google wireless service supports almost any kind of phones. However, it’s always a good choice if you have a Google Pixel device. Moreover, it’s fully compatible with third-party phones such as Moto G Power or Moto G Stylus.

This carrier also offers the new Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. These phones work seamlessly between carriers with Google Fi coverage like Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. This ensures the best connection available. In addition, Google Fi has compelling prices if you’re not a big data user.

Metro by T-Mobile

The best discount carrier

Pros:

• Great plan variety
• Uses T-Mobile network
• Support 5G with compatible phones

Cons:

• Limited offers
• Data speeds can be limited with high traffic

Metro is formerly known as MetroPCS. It remains the carrier of choice if you don’t want to spend too much on cell phone service. With that being said, Metro is facing advanced competition from its big rivals and other discount carriers in the space.

T-Mobile, the parent company is now offering the super-affordable cell phone plan for only $15 a month. Also, Verizon is doubling the amount of data it will include into its prepaid packages. Moreover, there’s a lot to love about Metro.

Visible

The affordable way to gain unlimited data

Pros:

• Offers unlimited data for only $40
• Big discounts on multiple lines
• Uses Verizon network

Cons:

• Slow speed when network is congested
• Doesn’t support 5G

Visible is not the best when it comes to variety. That’s because it only offers one service plan. However, it offers a really good option since you can have unlimited data for only $40 a month using Verizon’s LTE network.

In the past, Verizon placed a cap on data speeds. Fortunately, the restriction was lifted. This means you can enjoy the best of what the Verizon network can offer. Probably the biggest trade-off is, 5G coverage is not available on Visible at this time. However, the carrier said that the service will be available soon.

AT&T

The third best on our list

Pros:

• Wide network
• Increasing 5G coverage

Cons:

• Expensive unlimited plan
• 5GE coverage is actually LTE

AT&T is left in an awkward situation since Sprint is absorbed by T-Mobile. Currently, AT&T can’t match T-Mobile’s promotions and monthly rates. Still, AT&T got some special features to offer. Probably one of its superior qualities is it’s excellent LTE download speeds.

Also, other third-party firms offer some positive note on both RootMetrics and OpenSignal rating making AT&T the fastest network for download speeds. Meanwhile, it improved its 5G coverage to reach every country. It now joins T-Mobile as it offers nationwide 5G service.

Verizon

The best alternative for T-Mobile

Pros:

• Extensive network
• Supports high-speed 5G coverage
• Good prepaid plan offerings

Cons:

• Expensive unlimited plans
• Fast 5G speeds are only limited to selected areas

Verizon remains the biggest wireless carrier in the whole nation. It has a wide reach and excellent network performance. Likewise, it showed promising results when tested for LTE speeds. Moreover, Verizon still boasts of its four different plans.

The Do More plan costs $80 a month for a single line and $180 for four lines. It includes up to 600GB of cloud storage and a 50GB ceiling. Play More costs almost the same which include Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus.

In addition, Verizon has attractive prepaid plans. It includes a 15Gb plan for $45 a month with $5 autopay discount, and loyalty awards. Also, the price drops to $40 after three months and in nine months the price drops to only $35.

T-Mobile

The best carrier overall

Pros:

• Excellent unlimited plans
• Affordable tiered data plans
• Offers a variety of benefits

Cons:

• Not really the fastest 5G speed
• Data cap on the 2Gb and 5GB plans

T-Mobile offers the best combination of coverage, data plans and great benefits. With that being said, T-Mobile is a phone carrier that’s hard to beat. The company spent years upgrading its wireless capabilities. It now forces its rivals to offer generous unlimited data plans and other attractive promotions.

In fact, T-Mobile offers the best unlimited data plan with its $70 Magenta plan. It lets you use your data when you’re overseas. Likewise, it’s the best plan for families. Also, T-Mobile has the cheapest plans with its 2GB and 5GB prepaid plans.