• 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. Customers can save by signing up for an annual plan, and with the Teleport feature, you can easily switch networks if you're looking for better coverage. US Mobile gets full 5G speeds with either SIM inclduing C-band 5G.

  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
  • No multi-line discounts
  • Flex Unlimited is only annual

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 either Verizon or T-Mobile with access to 5G on both. You can choose the SIM that gives the best coverage in your area, and if you pick wrong, you can switch with Teleport. Both carriers offer large unlimited plans, but US Mobile offers a small 2GB plan, as well as a shared data family plan. US Mobile doesn't offer multi-line discounts on its unlimtied plans, but you can save by paying annually.

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 multi-line 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 usage in Mexico and Canada on its two large unlimited plans. You can choose to pay for a single month, but if you pay for the whole year at once, you can get a discount. 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. US Mobile has made it fairly easy to switch between its networks with a feature called Teleport. On most plans, you get two Teleports for free, then they cost $2 each, but Unlimited Premium can switch at any time for free.

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 in many areas. Naturally, your milage will vary with coverage on any carrier, so it's nice that US Mobile lets you switch.

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 a shared data plan. One nice thing is that US Mobile and T-Mobile have taxes and fees included in the price for most plans. T-Mobile, however, is the only one to offer multi-line discounts.

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 multi-line 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 Plan with 2GB of data, and a shared data family plan. Unlimited Flex is a 10GB plan that sticks to the basics with just 5GB of hotspot data and basic international calling and texting. This plan is only available with annual payments, so you're looking at $210 per year, which breaks down to $17.50 per month. Luckily, taxes and fees are included with all US Mobile plans.

Moving up, Unlimited Starter is also available with an annual discount of $22.50 per month, but if you pay monthly it’s $25. This plan gets 35GB of high-speed data (1Mbps after), and 10GB of hotspot data. International support is a bit strange with 1GB of data in Mexico and Canada for those using a Warp 5G SIM. With a GSM 5G SIM, you get 1GB of roaming data in Mexcio and Canada with the annual plan, but you'd need an add-on with the monthly plan.

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 $390 for the year or $32.50 per month. Paid monthly, it costs $44 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's value. While it’s true that its plans aren’t truly unlimited like T-Mobile, they generally come with plenty of data for most users, and the international perks may be an even better fit, with high-speed data available in Mexico and Canada. While it doesn't have multi-line savings for families, its prices are still competitive.

On the technical side, it provides excellent coverage with either Verizon or T-Mobile SIMs, so you can pick the best coverage. If you're not sure which will work best in your area, you get two free Teleports, so you can try the other network and switch back if it's not a good fit. 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.