Is fast T-Mobile 5G worth more than vast AT&T coverage?

• 

  The best 5G coverage

  T-Mobile

  T-Mobile’s massive 5G network makes it a good fit for many heavier users. But with high single-line prices and a smorgasbord of plans that seem mostly identical, it can be hard to find the best value. Luckily, T-Mobile also has a lot of discounts available for seniors, members of the military, and first responders.

  Pros

  • Excellent 5G coverage and speeds
  • Solid multiline savings
  • Discounts for seniors, military, and first responders

  Cons

  • Expensive for a single line
  • Taxes and fees are extra on the Essentials plans

• 

  Strong prepaid savings

  Cricket Wireless

  Cricket is a well-rounded prepaid carrier using the AT&T network with fixed data plans and unlimited options. You can even get multiline savings if you bring the family, or multi-month savings if you have a single line. With full access to AT&T LTE and 5G, you can also expect strong nationwide coverage.

  Pros

  • Excellent coverage on AT&T
  • Unlimited data with usage in Mexico and Canada
  • Taxes and fees are included with all plans

  Cons

  • No mobile hotspot on multi-month plans
  • Phone selection and savings aren?t great

While there are really only three major mobile networks to choose from, the carrier you choose can impact your experience. T-Mobile is one of the Big Three carriers. It builds and maintains its own LTE and 5G network and its plans seem to be geared towards unlimited data to harness the capacity. Cricket, on the other hand, is owned by AT&T and uses the AT&T network for all of its coverage. However, since it’s a prepaid carrier, it doesn’t get the same priority data as a postpaid AT&T plan would, so speeds could be a bit lower in congested areas.

Both carriers offer multiline discounts for families, but Cricket also offers multi-month savings for single-line users looking to save. While AT&T’s 5G hasn’t caught up to T-Mobile, AT&T’s stronger rural coverage will be a good trade-off for some.

Mobile carrier features

T-Mobile is a premium postpaid carrier that builds and maintains its own network. Thanks to the spectrum it received from purchasing Sprint, T-Mobile has maintained a 5G lead in coverage and speed, and its plans reflect that. The carrier’s best plans come with unlimited data and hotspot data, so customers can keep browsing and streaming without worrying about limits.

T-Mobile also has a solid selection of travel and international features. For example, most plans include usage in Mexico and Canada, with pricier plans adding high-speed data and additional roaming countries. Besides that, plans like Go5G have in-flight Wi-Fi with partner airlines like American, Delta, and United. Your T-Mobile plan may even come with Netflix, Apple TV+, or Hulu.

Cricket Wireless keeps its plans fairly simple, with three fixed data plans and two unlimited plans. All plans offer full access to AT&T’s 5G network, and the unlimited plans provide unlimited high-speed data, though it will be deprioritized compared to postpaid AT&T customers. Usage in Mexico and Canada is also included with the 10GB plan and higher.

Cricket offers multiline savings on most of its plans to help families save and multi-month savings for those who only need a single line. But with Cricket’s multi-month plans, mobile hotspot data is not included and add-ons are not available.

Coverage and reception

T-Mobile, of course, uses the T-Mobile LTE and 5G network for coverage; it has strong international 5G coverage thanks to a combination of low-band and mid-band 5G spectrum. The carrier has maintained its 5G coverage lead thanks to the mid-band spectrum resulting from the Sprint purchase, while AT&T and Verizon needed to wait for costly FCC auctions to conclude. T-Mobile’s rural coverage isn’t as strong as AT&T’s, so if you live in the country, check T-Mobile’s coverage map to confirm availability. You could also try T-Mobile’s data for three months if your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM.

Cricket is owned by AT&T and exclusively uses the AT&T network for coverage. For the most part, that means solid 5G coverage in cities and larger towns with excellent LTE coverage as a backup. In fact, AT&T has some of the best rural coverage of any carrier, so if you work or live in the country, it could be the better network overall. If you’re not too worried about getting the fastest 5G speeds possible, Cricket’s coverage should be great for most people, but you can reference the coverage map or sign up for a free trial to confirm.

Phone compatibility

The nice thing about the T-Mobile and AT&T networks is that they’re highly compatible with most phones you can buy in North America. These carriers will work with just about any of the best Android phones, including more affordable favorites like the Google Pixel 8a and the OnePlus 12R, as well as flagships like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Naturally, iPhones are also supported with 5G.

To confirm phone compatibility, check the IMEI on T-Mobile or Cricket. If your phone isn’t compatible, or you’re just ready for a new one, both carriers sell new phones. T-Mobile has a better selection of new devices, offering flagship and budget options with discounts available for many. Cricket, on the other hand, sticks more to midrange and budget devices, offering only a couple of flagship phones like the Galaxy s24 and iPhone 15 Pro series. With Cricket, if you want to use a high-end phone, you’ll likely need to bring it with you.

Plans

The network and features don’t mean a lot if you can’t find the right plan, and the good news is that there are a lot of plans to choose from. T-Mobile mostly sticks to unlimited plans for its postpaid service but also has a couple of prepaid options that compete more closely with Cricket. Cricket offers many plans for light and heavy users, providing discounts for those with single or multiple lines.

T-Mobile’s plans

T-Mobile’s plans can be a bit confusing with three T-Mobile Connect prepaid plans, three more T-Mobile Prepaid plans, and four postpaid plans, not including some older Magenta plans still available through customer support.

Starting with T-Mobile Connect, these low-cost fixed data plans keep it as simple as possible with a $15 5GB plan, $25 8GB plan, and $35 12GB plan. All T-Mobile Connect plans have unlimited talk and text, and not much else. There is also no add-on data or international options available, so with T-Mobile Connect, what you see is what you get.

T-Mobile Prepaid plans look a lot more typical with a 10GB option on the low end and two unlimited plans. The 10GB plan starts at a fairly steep $40 per month, with Unlimited costing $50 per month with 3GB of high-speed hotspot data, and Unlimited Plus costing $60 per month with 10GB of high-speed hotspot data.

For postpaid, the entry-level Essentials plan will be a good enough value for most users. The plan starts at $50 per month with unlimited data, 50GB of premium data, and unlimited 3G-speed hotspot data. And if you bring four lines, you can get a deal for just $100. But taxes and fees are extra with the Essentials plans, so you’ll want to pay attention to your final cost before signing up.

Go5G is T-Mobile’s next plan at $75 per month for a single line, and $155 per month if you’re bringing four lines with taxes and fees included. The plan gets 100GB of premium data with 15GB of high-speed hotspot data. You also get Netflix Standard with Ads included and streaming video resolution gets bumped up to 720p if it’s enabled. Usage in Mexico and Canada includes 10GB of high-speed data with 5GB in 11 other countries.

Go5G Plus upgrades premium data to unlimited and includes 50GB of high-speed hotspot data. It comes with Apple TV+ and Netflix Standard with Ads with no limit on video streaming resolution. For international travel, you get 15GB of high-speed data in Mexico and Canada, plus 5GB of high-speed data in 215+ other destinations. There’s also unlimited full-flight texting and streaming Wi-Fi. And you’ll be upgrade-ready every two years with full discounts on new phones. This plan is a bit pricey at $90 for a single line and $185 for four lines.

Go5G Next is mostly the same as Go5G Plus, but with this plan, you’ll be upgrade-ready every year rather than every two years. You’ll also get Hulu with Ads bundled in. Go5G Next is $100 for a single line and $225 for four lines.

Keep in mind, auto-pay needs to be enabled to get T-Mobile’s lowest price. T-Mobile also has discounts for seniors (55+), military members and veterans, and first responders.

Cricket’s plans

Cricket’s plans are a lot more straightforward than T-Mobile’s, but they don’t offer nearly as many features. Starting on the low end, Cricket’s cheapest plan is a $15-per-month, 1GB plan. This plan gets unlimited talk and text in the U.S., plus full 5G access, but not much more. There is no hotspot data and no usage in Mexico and Canada. This plan is $15 per month with no multiline discounts. The 5GB plan is mostly identical with a $30 price tag.

The 10GB plan is a bit more complete with usage in Mexico and Canada included on new accounts, plus international add-ons are available. There’s still no hotspot data, which is bizarre, but at $40 for the first line and some multiline savings, it could still be a solid pick. At four lines, the unlimited plan is cheaper than this one, so it’s worth the upgrade if you’re bringing the family.

The base unlimited plan starts at $55 per month for a single line and increases to $100 for four. No hotspot data is included, but it can be added on if needed. Unlimited texting to 37 other countries is included, as well as usage in Mexico and Canada.

Moving up, the Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot Plan does a little more than the name implies, with not only 15GB of mobile hotspot data being added, but Max with Ads streaming included and 150GB of cloud storage with Cricket’s own cloud storage app. This plan starts at $60 per month for a single line and costs $130 for four lines.

If you only have one line, you can get a three-month version of the unlimited plan for $40 per month with a 12-month version costing $25 per month. Add-ons are not available with these plans, so you’ll only be getting the base plan features, which don’t include hotspot data, with these multi-month options.

Which should you buy?

While T-Mobile’s plans can be a bit more confusing, you can get a good deal on wireless. For example, T-Mobile’s Essentials plan and Cricket’s Unlimited plan both come to $100 with four lines, but T-Mobile comes with some extras like premium data and hotspot data to help set it apart. That being said, T-Mobile’s plan would add more taxes and fees at the end.

Still, for heavier users, T-Mobile comes out on top with a wider range of unlimited plans, so you can find the package that makes the most sense for your needs. T-Mobile also has a better selection of new phones and a faster overall 5G network, making it a better pick for those that want the latest tech.

However, many users don’t need unlimited data, so Cricket makes a lot more sense. Cricket’s 1GB, 5GB, and 10GB plans fill a void left open by T-Mobile’s postpaid plans, helping it to be a strong pick for lighter users. While some of the other best-value data plans may be a bit cheaper, with AT&T’s full network at-hand, Cricket can be a great pick for those in rural areas. Cricket also offers a strong single-line value with multi-month payments bringing the price of unlimited data down.