Best Low-Cost Cell Phone Plans COMPARED

Picking the right cell phone plan can be extremely challenging. We know the struggle, and that’s why we’ve compared cell phone plans from the top providers. Read on.

AT&T

AT&T has 3 levels of service, all of which include unlimited data. And all 3 plans feature access to AT&T’s national 5G network (you can check the carrier’s maps to see if the area you reside in has 5G coverage).

The least expensive plan, the Unlimited Starter Plan, will run you about $75 per month for one phone. If you do add more lines, the plan’s per-phone cost will drop from $70 ($140 for 2 lines) to $55 ($165 for 3 lines) to $45 ($180 for 4 lines). Now, that’s a steal!

The plan provides unlimited text, talk, and data in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. It also includes unlimited texting from the U.S. to over 120 countries.

Video streams at high quality, but AT&T reserves the right to throttle your data speeds if the network gets busy.

T-Mobile

As part of its merger deal with Sprint, T-Mobile pledged to not increase prices for at least 3 years. Meanwhile, its 5G network continues to expand.

The carrier offers a trio of unlimited plans but doesn’t offer a way to share a bundle of data with family members. The most basic plan, Essentials, costs around $65 for one phone and $100 for two lines. A four-line bundle will cost you $125.

That gives you unlimited talk, data, and text, on the T-Mobile network. Mobile hotspot data is unlimited but will be capped at 3G speeds. The plan offers unlimited data, text, and talk in Canada and Mexico, too (but data moves at 2G speeds). Texting is free in about 210 other destinations. The company also reserves the right to throttle your data speeds once you hit the 50-gigabyte mark.

Verizon

Verizon offers four kinds of unlimited plans. All of them offer unlimited talk, data, and text, (in Canada and Mexico, too, along with unlimited texting in a further 200 countries).

After that, the perks vary based on the plan you choose. The least expensive plan, Start Unlimited, costs about $80 for one phone and offers DVD-quality streaming and 6-month trials of Disney+, Apple Music, and Discovery+.

You get access to Verizon’s 5G network, but not the “Ultra Wideband” network, which offers faster speeds. Keep in mind that Verizon will throttle speeds when the network gets too busy.