Finding the right cell phone plan doesn’t have to be hard. We analyzed dozens of plans to help you find the best value, whether you’re looking for a family plan, a solo plan or a plan with tons of data.
Best cell phone plans: average user
Smartphone owners currently use 2GB to 5GB per month, on average, according to various industry reports. That figure is expected to climb to nearly 9GB by 2021. We scoped out plans that meet current and future data needs while minimizing costs.
- Plan name: Boost Unlimited
- Price (monthly): $50 (includes taxes and fees)
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited minutes, texts and data
- Why we like it: Boost’s plan includes more high-speed mobile hot spot data (12GB) than similarly priced plans offered by its competitors.
- Plan name: T-Mobile Simply Prepaid 10GB plan
- Price (monthly): $40
- Plan at a glance: 10GB of data, plus unlimited talk and text
- Why we like it: Mobile hot spot access and unlimited music streaming make this prepaid plan a great value, plus 10GB is more than enough data for most cell phone users.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best cell phone plans: unlimited
Carriers are going all-in on unlimited data. We looked at the current offerings to find the best unlimited plans for single-line users.
- Plan name: Boost Unlimited
- Price (monthly): $50 (includes taxes and fees)
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited minutes, texts and data
- Why we like it: Boost’s plan includes more high-speed mobile hot spot data (12GB) than similarly priced plans offered by its competitors.
- Plan name: T-Mobile Essentials
- Price (monthly): $65; $60 with $5 autopay discount.
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited high-speed data, minutes and text messages, plus unlimited 3G mobile hot spot data
- Why we like it: Bonuses like 5G network access and unlimited international texting in more than 210 countries make this plan stand out. If entertainment perks are more important to you, consider the Verizon Start Unlimited plan, which includes six-month subscriptions to Disney+ and Apple Music.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best cell phone plans: families
Families can often get more for their money — on a cell phone plan, at least — if they stick together. We used a family of four as our model to find the best family plans.
- Plan name: Boost Mobile Unlimited
- Price (monthly, four lines): $140 (includes taxes and fees)
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited talk, text and data, plus 12GB of mobile hot spot per line and SD video streaming
- Why we like it: The plan includes unlimited talk, text, data and partner music streaming, plus ample high-speed mobile hot spot data for a reasonable price.
- Plan name: T-Mobile Essentials
- Price (monthly, four lines): $125; $105 with autopay discount
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited data, minutes and text messages
- Why we like it: An affordable, entry-level unlimited plan with bonuses like mobile hot spot (at 3G speeds) and unlimited texting from more than 200 countries.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best cell phone plans: basic
Do you miss the good old days, when cell phones weren’t smart? If you want a simple phone and plan, these are the best options.
- Plan name: My Choice Talk & Text
- Price (monthly): $15
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited minutes and text messages; not available on iPhones
- Why we like it: Just minutes and messages for a very low cost, plus data access via Wi-Fi
- Plan name: Tracfone Basic 30 minute airtime card
- Price (monthly): $9.99 per month
- Plan at a glance: 30 minutes, texts (sent or received) and megabytes of data
- Why we like it: Simple, affordable service available on a variety of networks.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best cell phone plans: prepaid
Prepaid providers offer great rates and the latest phones — think iPhone and the latest Samsung Galaxy models — to go with them.
- Plan name: Boost Unlimited
- Price (monthly): $50 (includes taxes and fees)
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited minutes, texts and data
- Why we like it: Boost’s plan includes more high-speed mobile hot spot data (12GB) than similarly priced plans offered by its competitors.
- Plan name: T-Mobile Simply Prepaid 10GB plan
- Price (monthly): $40
- Plan at a glance: 10GB of data, plus unlimited talk and text
- Why we like it: Mobile hot spot access and unlimited music streaming make this prepaid plan a great value, plus 10GB is more than enough data for most cell phone users.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best cell phone plans: international
Want a plan that suits your wanderlust? We scouted out plans that let you use your phone overseas, without paying exorbitant international roaming fees.
- Plan name: Fi Flexible
- Price (monthly): $20 per month, plus $10 per GB
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited talk and text in the U.S. Unlimited texting while abroad. High-speed data is a flat $10 per gigabyte, even when roaming internationally.
- Why we like it: Use your service (texts and data) in more than 200 countries for the same price you pay at home. Calls from overseas are an additional cost.
- Plan name: T-Mobile Magenta
- Price (monthly): $75; $70 with autopay discount
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data in the U.S. Unlimited talk, text and 5GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico. Unlimited texting and 2G data in more than 200 other countries.
- Why we like it: Easy text and data access while overseas, with the option to upgrade to Magenta Plus for faster data speeds and unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best cell phone plans: summary
| Carrier | Details | Get started |
|---|---|---|
| Plan: Boost Unlimited Best for: Average users Monthly cost: $50 | |
| Plan: T-Mobile Simply Prepaid - 10GB Best for: Average users Monthly cost: $40 | |
| Plan: Boost Unlimited Best for: Unlimited data Monthly cost: $50 | |
| Plan: T-Mobile Essentials Best for: Unlimited data Monthly cost: $65; $60 with autopay | |
| Plan: Boost Unlimited Best for: Families Monthly cost: $120 (four lines) | |
| Plan: T-Mobile Essentials Best for: Families Monthly cost: $125 (4 lines); $105 with autopay | |
| Plan: My Choice Talk & Text Best for: People who want a basic plan Monthly cost: $15 | |
| Plan: Tracfone Basic 30 minute airtime card Best for: People who want a basic plan Monthly cost: $9.99 | |
| Plan: Boost Unlimited Best for: People who want a prepaid plan Monthly cost: $50 | |
| Plan: T-Mobile Simply Prepaid - 10GB Best for: People who want a prepaid plan Monthly cost: $40 | |
| Plan: Fi Flexible Best for: International travel Monthly cost: $20 per month, plus $10 per GB | |
| Plan: T-Mobile Magenta Unlimited Best for: International travel Monthly cost: $75; $70 with autopay |
METHODOLOGY
We evaluated more than 200 cell phone plans offered by the following carriers: AT&T, Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Cricket, GreatCall, Google’s Project Fi, MetroPCS, Net10, Republic Wireless, Sprint, Straight Talk, T-Mobile, Tracfone, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile. To determine the best plans, we looked at the monthly plan price before taxes and fees, the price per gigabyte, and features such as unlimited video streaming or rollover data. We only considered national carriers, which ruled out regional providers like U.S. Cellular.
