• Tons of 5G data

  T-Mobile

  T-Mobile is one of the Big Three carriers, with its own LTE and 5G networks and large data plans that take advantage of the strong coverage. It offers a wide range of plans with multiline discounts for families. Offering truly unlimited data, T-Mobile is a great pick for the heaviest users.

  Pros

  • Totally unlimited data on most plans
  • Excellent coverage and speeds on the T-Mobile 5G network
  • Multiline savings with taxes included on most plans

  Cons

  • Not all plans include taxes and fees
  • Auto-pay is required for the best prices
  • Plans can get very expensive

• A lighter option

  US Mobile

  US Mobile has a wide range of plans for light users and heavy users alike. With multiline and annual discounts, single-line users and families can save on service. You'll also get excellent coverage with the option of either a T-Mobile SIM or a Verizon SIM, both with full 5G support.

  Pros

  • Excellent coverage with either T-Mobile or Verizon
  • Taxes and fees are included in the plan price
  • Strong international features including roaming

  Cons

  • All video streams at SD quality
  • Warp 5G SIM is missing some features
  • No multiline support on Flex Unlimited

T-Mobile is one of the Big Three carriers in the U.S., meaning it builds and maintains its own wireless network. US Mobile, on the other hand, uses coverage from Verizon or T-Mobile for its coverage. You can choose either SIM with US Mobile, but there are a few small differences between the two. Both carriers offer large unlimited plans, but US Mobile offers a small 2GB plan, as well as a shared data family plan. With multiline savings for families and multi-month savings for single lines, US Mobile can be a good value for most users.

Mobile carrier features

T-Mobile is a more traditional postpaid carrier with its own network, a handful of unlimited plans, and some prepaid options. The carrier primarily offers multiline savings to entice families to join its prepaid unlimited plans. Its unlimited plans are truly unlimited, but the cheap Essentials and Go5G plans come with a generous, but limited, chunk of premium data. T-Mobile further differentiates its plans with hotspot data amounts, international features, and streaming service perks.

US Mobile’s plans mainly stick to the basics with unlimited talk and text with some amount of high-speed data. The carrier also includes high-speed hotpot data and multiline discounts on its two large unlimited plans, as well as 25% savings for single-line users willing to pay for the year. It also still has a shared data plan for families that don’t need a ton of mobile data. And if you bring three or more lines to the Unlimited Premium plan, a bonus subscription (Spotify Family, Apple Music Family, Disney Plus, Max, PlayStation Plus, or even Xbox Gamepass) can be selected.

If you plan on traveling internationally, both carriers offer decent options for international calls and texts and some amount of international roaming. US Mobile’s international features are a bit more complete with the T-Mobile SIM offering roaming outside the U.S. on its two larger unlimited plans. With T-Mobile, international features vary between plans; some of the more premium options offer international roaming with high-speed data and even some in-flight Wi-Fi.

Coverage and reception

Both carriers offer nationwide coverage with fast 5G. T-Mobile uses its own network for most of its coverage, with some roaming in a few areas. T-Mobile’s 5G network is still the largest in the country, offering strong data speeds throughout. T-Mobile uses a combination of low-band and mid-band 5G coverage to build its network, so must have one of the best Android phones to make the most of the carrier. The phone should support bands n71, n41, and n66, which most 5G phones do, including 5G-capable iPhones.

On US Mobile, there are more options. The carrier offers Warp 5G and GSM 5G SIMs to customers. Warp 5G refers to the Verizon network, while GSM 5G refers to T-Mobile. The main difference between the two SIMs, besides coverage, is international support, which is handled a bit differently. Note that US Mobile customers must choose a SIM and can’t switch networks at will.

With GSM 5G, you can expect coverage very similar to T-Mobile, and with Warp 5G, you’ll get Verizon’s coverage. Both networks offer strong nationwide coverage, but one may work better than the other. For example, Verizon still has better rural coverage than T-Mobile.

Phone compatibility

T-Mobile’s network supports a wide range of phones, including some international models, though phones made for the North American market will work best. Except for some carrier-specific models, you should be able to bring your own phone to T-Mobile with good coverage and full feature support. If you're ready for a new phone, you can pick up any of the best T-Mobile phones, as well as some more affordable options like the Google Pixel 8a.

You can check your phone's IMEI on T-Mobile's website if you’re unsure. And if your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked, you can even grab a three-month T-Mobile network trial to ensure you have data everywhere you go.

Since you can use either T-Mobile or Verizon, there aren’t many phones that won’t work well on US Mobile. Most unlocked phones are compatible with either SIM, so for the most part, you just need to determine which one gives you the best coverage. Still, it’s nice to know that you can use any phone T-Mobile can with the option to use the Verizon network if it works better in your area.

Plans

Plans are the most important element of any mobile carrier, and these carriers have some of the best value data plans around. T-Mobile has quite a few postpaid and prepaid options, while US Mobile keeps it much simpler with three unlimited options, a light plan, and shared data plans. One nice thing is that US Mobile and T-Mobile have taxes and fees included in the price for most plans. Both carriers also offer multi-line savings if you’re bringing the family.

T-Mobile’s plans

T-Mobile has quite a few plans. It offers two Essentials plans, three Go5G plans, and even a couple of remaining Magenta plans. For most people, the Go5G and Essentials plans are the way to go; they have solid discounts and generous data amounts.

Starting at the cheaper end, there are three Essentials plan variants: Essentials, Essentials Saver, and Essentials Choice for seniors. For the most part, they’re the same plans but vary with discounts and promotions. Essentials includes 50GB of premium data with potentially slower, but truly unlimited data after that. Mobile hotspot is also unlimited at 3G speeds. This is the only plan where taxes and fees are extra on T-Mobile. There are no entertainment extras and videos stream at SD quality. With a $50 single-line Essentials Saver plan and a $100 four-line Essentials plan available, this is a solid option for single and multiline accounts.

Moving up, Go5G increases premium data to 100GB (more than many users need), 15GB of high-speed hotspot data is included, and taxes and fees are bundled in. For travel, there are four in-flight Wi-Fi sessions on supported airlines and 10GB of high-speed data in Mexico and Canada. You also get 5GB of high-speed data in 11 more countries with unlimited slower data in 215+ countries. A single line costs $75 per month and four lines cost $155.

Next are the two most premium plans, Go5G Plus and Go5G Next. These plans get unlimited premium data, 50GB of high-speed hotspot data, and device upgrade perks. On Go5G Plus, you’re upgrade-ready every two years, while Go5G Next customers are ready every year. Both plans get full 4K streaming with Apple TV+ and Netflix with Ads. Go5G Next also gets Hulu with Ads included. As for international travel, there's full-flight Wi-Fi on supported plans, 15GB of high-speed data in Mexico and Canada, plus 5GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries.

Go5G Plus comes in at $90 per month for a single line, while Go5G Next costs $10 more at $100 per month. For four lines, Go5G Plus costs $185 and Go5G Next costs $225. If you want to upgrade your phone frequently, these plans could be worth it over Go5G.

T-Mobile also offers discounts for seniors, military members, veterans, and first responders. So, be sure to get all the discounts you deserve when signing up.

T-Mobile even has a decent range of prepaid plans starting with a 10GB plan and two unlimited plans. T-Mobile Connect also offers a 5GB plan for $15, an 8GB plan for $25, and a 12GB plan for $35 per month. With unlimited talk and text on all these plans, you could save a bit of cash or avoid credit checks with a prepaid T-Mobile plan.

US Mobile’s plans

US Mobile keeps its plans a lot simpler. It has two unlimited plans, a 10GB Unlimited Flex plan, a light 2GB plan, and a shared data family plan. The Unlimited Flex is a 10GB plan that sticks to the basics with no hotspot data or international data but is cheap at $15 per month or $180 per year. However, this plan isn’t available for multiple lines and must be paid annually. Luckily, taxes and fees are included with all US Mobile plans.

Moving up, Unlimited Starter is also available with an annual discount of $23 per month, but if you pay monthly it’s $29. Of course, the main reason you’d pay monthly is if you have multiple lines; three lines or more decreased the price to $25 per month per line. This plan gets 35GB of high-speed data (1Mbps after), 10GB of hotspot data, and international data support. With GSM 5G, you can simply roam outside the U.S. with 1GB of data, but on the Warp 5G SIM, you’ll need an international eSIM.

Unlimited Premium increases high-speed data to 100GB and hotspot data up to 50GB, which is a lot compared to any carrier. The International data is also upgraded to 10GB. If you pay for a single line annually, it will cost $450 for the year or $37.50 per month. A single line will cost $50 per month and three or more lines will cost $40 per line. With three lines, you can also choose a subscription perk, such as Disney Plus, Spotify, or Xbox Gamepass.

US Mobile's Light Plan could be the perfect fit for light users. It offers 2GB of data and unlimited talk and text. It’s just $10 per month and $8 per month annually ($96 per year). Last but not least, the Shareable Data plan starts at $10 per month with 2GB; additional data costs $2 per gigabyte. Additional lines come in at $8 each, so you could create a solid family plan.

Which should you buy?

While T-Mobile is a good overall value, it’s impossible to ignore US Mobile. While it’s true that its plans aren’t truly unlimited like T-Mobile, it comes with plenty of data for most users, and the international perks may be an even better fit, with high-speed data available abroad even on Unlimited Starter. With multiline discounts for families and annual discounts for single lines, US Mobile is a great value with easy-to-understand pricing.

On the technical side, it provides excellent coverage with either Verizon or T-Mobile SIMs, so you can pick the best coverage. It’s also nice that US Mobile has taxes and fees included in the price.

For many people, especially heavier users, T-Mobile is still a great option with multiline discounts, plus military, first responder, and senior discounts. T-Mobile’s plans are truly unlimited and if you feel like traveling, the in-flight Wi-Fi and international data included with most plans can prevent a few trip headaches. With excellent 5G coverage, T-Mobile can still be a great choice.