How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Visible and US Mobile give one line unlimited data for 25 dollars a month with taxes included, roughly a third of a big carrier postpaid bill.
- Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T still win on coverage perks, phone deals, stores, and priority data, at 50 to 65 dollars for an entry single line before taxes.
- Google Fi is the travel pick, with high speed data in more than 200 destinations on its premium plan at 65 dollars a month.
- Every price here is a single line with autopay: family plans cut the per line cost sharply, taxes are added on most postpaid plans, and coverage at your address matters more than any national map.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Verizon | Widest premium network and phone deals | $65 per month | No |
 T-Mobile | Fast 5G and bundled perks | $50 per month | No |
 AT&T | Balanced coverage with store support | $50 per month | No |
 Visible | Cheapest Verizon network unlimited | $25 per month | No |
 US Mobile | Choosing any of the three networks | $25 per month | No |
 Google Fi Wireless | International travel data | $20 per month plus data | No |
 Consumer Cellular | Older users who want human support | $20 per month | No |
 Cricket Wireless | AT&T coverage on prepaid with stores | $35 per month | No |
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The best phone mobile services
Starting price$65 per month
Free planNo
What we like- Verizon remains the coverage benchmark for much of the US, especially outside cities, and its postpaid plans carry full priority data, the richest phone trade in deals, and thousands of stores. Unlimited Welcome starts at 65 dollars a month for one line with autopay, and Unlimited Ultimate reaches 95 dollars with 200GB of full speed hotspot and international use built in. For rural coverage plus premium treatment, it is still the default.
Watch out for- Taxes and fees are added on top, so the real Welcome bill lands closer to the mid 70s in many states. Verizon's prices are the highest here for what, in a city with good T-Mobile coverage, may be an identical experience. Plan names and perk bundles change often, and the bill credits that make phone deals cheap lock you in for three years.
Starting price$50 per month
Free planNo
What we like- T-Mobile built the widest mid band 5G network in the US and pairs it with the most bundled perks: its Experience Beyond plan at 100 dollars a month for one line includes streaming subscriptions and 250GB of hotspot, while Essentials Saver starts at 50 dollars with autopay for one or two lines. Family pricing drops per line cost quickly at four and five lines. International roaming basics are included on premium tiers.
Watch out for- Taxes are extra on most plans, including the entry tiers. Rural coverage still trails Verizon in parts of the country, which matters if your life happens there. The cheapest Essentials tier deprioritises data and strips hotspot to slow speeds, so the entry price buys a lesser network experience than the headline plans.
#3
AT&T
Best for: Balanced coverage with store support
Visit att.com
Starting price$50 per month
Free planNo
What we like- AT&T offers a middle path: strong national coverage including deep rural reach in the south and midwest, around 5,000 stores, and a four tier postpaid ladder from Value 2.0 at 50 dollars a month with autopay up to Elite 2.0 at 110 dollars. Its network powers several prepaid brands here, so testing AT&T coverage cheaply through Cricket or Consumer Cellular is easy before committing to postpaid. Phone deals for existing customers have improved in recent cycles.
Watch out for- Taxes and a 35 dollar activation fee add to the sticker price. AT&T's plan structure and add on pricing are the least tidy of the big three, and its 5G mid band footprint historically trailed T-Mobile's. Value tier data is deprioritised, so the entry plan is not the full network either.
Starting price$25 per month
Free planNo
What we like- Visible is Verizon's own digital prepaid brand: 25 dollars a month for unlimited data with taxes and fees included, unlimited hotspot capped at 5 Mbps, and no contract, stores, or sales pitch. Visible+ Pro at 45 dollars adds faster hotspot and premium data. For a single line on Verizon's map, nothing legitimate undercuts it, and the price you see is the price on the bill.
Watch out for- There is exactly one line per account, so families manage separate accounts and lose multi line discounts entirely. Base plan data is deprioritised behind Verizon postpaid customers in congestion. Support is chat based, and when an activation goes wrong, there is no store to walk into.
Starting price$25 per month
Free planNo
What we like- US Mobile is the flexible MVNO: its Unlimited Starter at 25 dollars a month, taxes included, lets you pick Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T as your underlying network and switch between them, which solves the coverage guessing game better than any rival. Annual plans cut the effective price further, with an unlimited Flex year at 210 dollars. Premium tiers add large hotspot allowances, and its customer service draws strong independent ratings.
Watch out for- You must know, or test, which network suits your address, and network switching has rules and waiting periods rather than being instant and unlimited. Priority data levels differ by network and plan in ways that take reading to untangle. As an online only brand it shares Visible's no store limitation.
Starting price$20 per month plus data
Free planNo
What we like- Google Fi is the traveller's carrier: its Unlimited Premium at 65 dollars a month includes 50GB of high speed data usable in more than 200 destinations and free calls from the US to more than 50 countries, with no day pass fees. The Flexible plan at 20 dollars plus 10 dollars per gigabyte suits light users and travellers who mostly live on Wi-Fi. It runs on T-Mobile's network at home with full priority on premium tiers.
Watch out for- Taxes are added. Domestic value is mediocre if you rarely travel, since Visible and US Mobile beat it on price for the same home network experience. Phone support and promotions favour Google's own Pixel line, and iPhone users get a reduced feature set in areas such as some network and messaging functions.
Starting price$20 per month
Free planNo
What we like- Consumer Cellular sells mobile service the old fashioned way: US based phone support that answers, help in person at thousands of Target stores, and simple plans from 20 dollars a month for 1GB up to a 35 dollar unlimited plan for customers over 50, with a 5 percent AARP member discount. It uses the AT&T and T-Mobile networks. For someone who values a person on the phone over an app, it has no real rival here.
Watch out for- Taxes are extra, and per gigabyte value trails the digital brands for heavier data users. The best unlimited pricing is age restricted to account holders of 50 plus in current offers. Its app and account tools are basic beside the big carriers, which suits its audience but limits self service.
Starting price$35 per month
Free planNo
What we like- Cricket is AT&T's prepaid brand with about 4,500 stores, unlimited plans from 35 to 60 dollars a month with taxes included, and multi line pricing that takes four lines to around 100 dollars. It offers the AT&T coverage map without a credit check, contract, or bill surprises, and in person help that digital only brands cannot. Phone promotions for switchers are regular.
Watch out for- Cricket data is deprioritised behind AT&T postpaid, and hotspot is limited or absent on the cheaper tiers. Video streaming is capped at standard definition on most plans. Per line prices for a single line are higher than Visible or US Mobile for a similar prepaid experience.
How we chose
We compared the three network owners with the prepaid and MVNO brands a US shopper realistically considers, using October 2026 single line prices with autopay from carrier plan pages and independent comparisons. We recorded whether taxes are included, because that changes real bills by 10 to 20 percent. Coverage judgements use the carriers' published maps and the broad findings of independent drive test reporting, with the caveat that only an address level check settles it. We excluded cable bundled mobile, which requires an internet subscription, and a well known T-Mobile prepaid brand whose name collides with a discontinued finance app in our format checks; its absence is a naming constraint, not a quality judgement.
How to choose the right phone mobile service
Start with coverage at your two or three most important addresses, not the national map. The cheapest honest test is a prepaid month on US Mobile or Visible, or asking neighbours on each network how their signal behaves indoors. If one network clearly wins at home and work, your carrier list shortens to the brands that use it.
Then price your real shape. A single line favours Visible or US Mobile at 25 dollars all in. Four lines change the maths: T-Mobile family pricing and Cricket's multi line deals close the gap with prepaid, and postpaid phone promotions start to matter. Add the tax treatment before comparing, since a 65 dollar Verizon line and a 25 dollar Visible line are both honestly priced but not directly comparable until taxes, hotspot needs, and priority data are counted. If you travel abroad more than twice a year, price Google Fi against buying local eSIMs or paying day passes, because its premium plan can win that comparison on convenience alone. Prices are October 2026 published figures and carriers revise plans frequently.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between postpaid and prepaid?
Postpaid, the big three's traditional model, bills after use, runs a credit check, and carries phone financing and the best promotions, with taxes added to the bill. Prepaid charges in advance, needs no credit check, and stops when you stop paying. Network access is the same towers; what differs is priority in congestion, perks, and how you pay for the phone.
Are MVNOs like Visible and US Mobile really on the big networks?
Yes. Visible is owned by Verizon and runs on its network; US Mobile resells access to all three networks and lets you choose; Cricket is AT&T's brand. The honest caveat is priority: prepaid traffic is usually served after the network owner's own postpaid customers when a tower is congested, which shows up as slower speeds at stadiums and rush hour rather than no service.
How much data does a normal person use?
US averages sit around 15 to 20GB a month, but the spread is wide: home and office Wi-Fi users often need under 5GB, while people who stream video on trains or use hotspot for work can pass 100GB. Check your current phone's settings for last month's cellular use before buying unlimited out of habit; light users overpay for unlimited more than heavy users overpay per gigabyte.
Do taxes really change the comparison?
They do. Visible, US Mobile, and Cricket include taxes and fees in the sticker price. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Google Fi add them, and combined federal, state, and city charges commonly add 10 to 20 percent, turning a 65 dollar plan into a bill in the mid 70s. Always compare the estimated total at checkout, not the advertised plan price.
Can I keep my number when switching?
Yes, number portability is a legal right in the US. You need your account number and a transfer PIN from the old carrier, and you should not cancel the old service before the port completes or the number can be lost. Most switches finish within a day; the common failures are a mistyped PIN or a name mismatch, both fixable through support.
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Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.