Visible is the best cell service plan for most single-line readers who want simple unlimited data, at $25 per month with taxes and fees included, while US Mobile Light at $10 per month is the best choice for light users who stay near Wi-Fi. T-Mobile T-Mix lets customers change their Picks benefits every 3 months, a level of plan customisation that the other large carriers in this list do not offer in the same form. The headline price is rarely the full price: Verizon Simplicity needs a switch discount, Mint needs an upfront term, and AT&T Value 2.0 costs $50 per month for one line but $30 per month per line with four lines.
Pick a plan by line count, data use, hotspot need and travel first. Prices below are for one line unless the text states a different line count, and each price states the condition that the carrier attaches to it.
On this page
Best cell service plans: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T-Mobile | Large carrier perks and custom benefits | $45 per month for 1 line | Not applicable | Visit |
| 2 | Verizon | A single simple plan on a large network | $30 per month per line | Not applicable | Visit |
| 3 | AT&T | Families who mix plans on one account | $30 per month per line | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 4 | Mint Mobile | Low cost unlimited data with an upfront term | $15 per month for 3 months | Not applicable | Visit |
| 5 | Visible | Simple unlimited data with taxes included | $25 per month | Not applicable | Visit |
| 6 | Google Fi Wireless | Travel and flexible data use | $35 per month for 1 line | Not applicable | Visit |
| 7 | Cricket Wireless | Stores, family lines and taxes included | $30 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 8 | US Mobile | Light users and choice of network | $10 per month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
The 8 best best cell service plans, in detail
T-Mobile
Best for: Large carrier perks and custom benefits
T-Mobile sells four T-Mix plans for one line with AutoPay, plus taxes and fees: Saver $45 per month, Standard $55, More $75 and Loaded $95. Saver and Standard include 50GB of premium data. More adds unlimited premium data and 60GB of hotspot data.
- Loaded adds 250GB of hotspot data, 30GB in Canada and Mexico, and 15GB in 215 or more countries and destinations.
- The Picks system sets T-Mix apart.
- Standard includes one Pick, More includes two and Loaded includes three, drawn from streaming, music, travel and gaming benefits.
- Customers can change their mix every 3 months.
Pros
- T-Mix plans let customers change Picks benefits every 3 months
- T-Mix Loaded includes 250GB of high-speed hotspot data
Cons
- Taxes and fees are extra
- T-Mix Saver has no Picks and a two-line limit
Verizon
Best for: A single simple plan on a large network
Verizon Simplicity is listed at $30 per month per line after AutoPay and a $15 per month switch discount, plus taxes and fees. It is one plan with one price per line, a change from the earlier myPlan range, which started at $65 per month for Unlimited Welcome, $80 for Unlimited Plus and $95 for Unlimited Ultimate for one line with AutoPay. Verizon also sells add-on bundles.
- One bundle adds Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ with ads plus Netflix and HBO Max with ads for $25 per month, and YouTube Premium is listed at $20 per month.
- Do not choose Simplicity on the $30 figure if you are an existing Verizon customer, because the switch discount does not apply to a line that stays in
Pros
- One plan with one price per line keeps the choice simple
- activation and upgrade fees are listed as extinct on the plan page
Cons
- The $30 price needs AutoPay and a $15 per month switch discount
- taxes and fees are extra
AT&T
Best for: Families who mix plans on one account
AT&T Unlimited Your Way has four plans: Value 2.0, Extra 2.0, Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0. The per-line price depends on the total number of lines. At four lines, prices are $30, $40, $50 and $70 per month per line in that order.
- At one line, the same plans cost $50, $70, $90 and $110 per month.
- All prices are after AutoPay, paperless billing and wireless discounts, and taxes and fees are extra.
- Value 2.0 includes 5GB of high-speed data and 3GB of hotspot data, and data may slow after 5GB when the network is busy.
- Extra 2.0 includes 100GB of high-speed data and 50GB of hotspot data.
Pros
- Unlimited Your Way lets each line use a different plan
- Elite 2.0 includes 250GB of hotspot data
Cons
- Value 2.0 costs $50 per month for one line, not $30
- taxes and fees are extra
Mint Mobile
Best for: Low cost unlimited data with an upfront term
Mint Mobile sells plans in 3, 6 and 12-month terms that you settle in advance. From 3 November 2026, new customers can get any plan for $15 per month, with $45 upfront for 3 months, $90 for 6 months or $180 for 12 months. After the first term, regular prices apply: $15 per month for 6GB, $20 for 17GB, $25 for 23GB and $30 for Unlimited on a 12-month term.
- Unlimited customers who use over 50GB in a month may notice reduced speeds for the rest of the monthly cycle in some locations when the network is bus
- Unlimited includes up to 20GB of hotspot data and video streams in SD.
- Mint runs on the T-Mobile network, and T-Mobile completed its purchase of Mint Mobile in May 2024.
- Do not treat the $15 Unlimited price as permanent, because it is a new-customer offer for the first term only.
Pros
- Any plan is $15 per month for new customers on a 3, 6 or 12-month term
- Unlimited includes up to 20GB of hotspot data
Cons
- The $15 price needs an upfront term and ends after the first term
- taxes and fees are extra
Visible
Best for: Simple unlimited data with taxes included
Visible is a Verizon brand with three plans: Visible $25 per month or $275 per year, Visible+ $35 and Visible+ Pro $45, all with taxes and fees included. All three include unlimited data, talk and text on Verizon 5G and 4G LTE networks, unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada, and unlimited hotspot data at up to 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps and 15 Mbps in that order. Video streams in SD on the base plan.
- Visible+ adds premium data on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, which means no slowdown from prioritisation.
- Visible+ Pro adds the fastest hotspot speed in the range and a smartwatch plan in the price.
- Visible also lists Connection Protection, which covers up to 3 months of service while a customer searches for work after a layoff or hardship.
Pros
- Taxes and fees are included in the $25 price
- the base plan includes unlimited hotspot data at up to 5 Mbps
Cons
- Support is online only with no physical stores
- base plan data may slow when the network is busy
Google Fi Wireless
Best for: Travel and flexible data use
Google Fi Wireless has four plans. Unlimited Essentials costs $35 per month for one line, Standard $50 and Premium $65. The Flexible plan costs $20 per month for one line plus $10 per GB.
- For two lines, Flexible costs $35 per month plus data, and the unlimited plans cost $60, $80 and $110 per month in that order.
- High-speed data limits are 30GB per person on Unlimited Essentials, 50GB on Unlimited Standard and 100GB on Unlimited Premium, with speeds dropping to
- Essentials has no hotspot tethering, while Standard includes 25GB of high-speed hotspot tethering and Premium includes 50GB.
- Premium also includes international data in 200 or more destinations, 6 months of YouTube Premium, and 100GB of storage with Google One.
Pros
- Flexible plan charges $10 per GB so light users pay only for data used
- Premium includes international data in 200 or more destinations
Cons
- Unlimited Essentials has no hotspot tethering
- taxes and government fees are extra
Cricket Wireless
Best for: Stores, family lines and taxes included
Cricket Wireless runs on the AT&T network and sells four monthly plans: Sensible 10GB $30 per month with AutoPay, Select Unlimited $35, Smart Unlimited $45 and Supreme Unlimited $55. All prices include taxes. The first month costs $5 more because the AutoPay credit starts from the second service charge.
- Cricket also offers a 14-day free trial through the TryCricket app.
- Sensible 10GB drops to 128 Kbps after 10GB and has no hotspot.
- Select Unlimited has no hotspot unless you add it.
- Smart Unlimited includes 15GB of hotspot data.
Pros
- Taxes are included in the listed prices
- Select Unlimited costs $25 per line with four lines
Cons
- Sensible 10GB has no hotspot and drops to 128 Kbps after 10GB
- in-store activation costs $25 per line
US Mobile
Best for: Light users and choice of network
US Mobile Light costs $10 per month for one line, with 2GB of data, unlimited talk and text, and hotspot included, with taxes and fees included. A yearly Light plan costs $96 per year, or $8 per month. Extra data costs $2 per GB.
- By the Gig costs $15 per month for 5GB, $20 for 10GB and $35 for 20GB.
- Unlimited Starter costs $25 per month and Premium $44, with a port-in offer of $15 and $25 for the first 6 months.
- US Mobile gives access to all three major networks in the United States.
- The plans page lists a 30-day free trial for new customers who transfer a number, with 30GB of data and unlimited talk and text.
Pros
- Light costs $10 per month with taxes and fees included
- a 30-day free trial includes 30GB of data
Cons
- Light includes only 2GB of data
- there is no multi-line discount
How we chose
We chose carriers with an official plan page and a starting price that a reader can check on the official site. Prices and plan limits here come from official carrier pricing pages opened on 2026-11-12, and each item cites its official page in Sources. We did not test any service hands-on. We did not use customer counts, awards or review scores to order the list.
A unique fact here is that T-Mobile T-Mix lets customers change their Picks benefits every 3 months, while AT&T changes the per-line price with the total line count, so the same AT&T plan can cost $50 per month for one line and $30 per month per line with four lines. Visible includes taxes and fees in its $25 price, while the three large carriers add taxes and fees on top of the prices shown here.
Pick by budget and use
| Use case | Best fit | Monthly price to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2GB a month, mostly on Wi-Fi | US Mobile Light | $10 per month, taxes and fees included |
| Unlimited data, lowest fixed total | Visible | $25 per month, taxes and fees included |
| Unlimited data, upfront term | Mint Mobile Unlimited | $15 per month for the first term, then $30 per month on a 12-month term |
| One line, large carrier, low entry price | Verizon Simplicity | $30 per month per line after AutoPay and switch discount, taxes and fees extra |
| Four lines, family unlimited | AT&T Value 2.0 or Cricket Select Unlimited | AT&T $30 per month per line at four lines; Cricket $25 per line at four lines |
| Travel abroad with data | Google Fi Wireless Premium or Flexible | Premium $65 per month for one line; Flexible $20 per month plus $10 per GB |
| Hotspot for work, 50GB or more | T-Mobile T-Mix Loaded or AT&T Elite 2.0 | T-Mobile Loaded $95 per month for one line; AT&T Elite 2.0 $70 per month per line at four lines |
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest cell service plan in this list?
US Mobile Light is the cheapest entry price here, at $10 per month for 2GB of data with unlimited talk and text and taxes and fees included. A yearly Light plan costs $96 per year, or $8 per month. Light suits readers who stay near Wi-Fi most of the day. Heavy users should compare Visible at $25 per month instead, because extra data on Light costs $2 per GB.
Which cell service plan is best for most people?
Visible is the best choice for most single-line readers who want unlimited data without a complex choice. It costs $25 per month with taxes and fees included, and it includes unlimited hotspot data at up to 5 Mbps. Readers who want a large carrier account and family mixing should compare T-Mobile and AT&T instead.
Which plan is best for families?
AT&T Value 2.0 and Cricket Select Unlimited are the strongest family options here. AT&T Value 2.0 costs $30 per month per line with four lines, and each line can use a different plan level. Cricket Select Unlimited costs $25 per line with four lines, or $100 per month in total, with taxes included.
Do any of these plans include taxes and fees in the price?
Yes. Visible includes taxes and fees in its $25 per month price, Cricket includes taxes in its listed prices, and US Mobile includes taxes and fees on Light and its unlimited plans. T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Google Fi add taxes and fees on top of the prices shown here.
Can I keep my number when I switch carriers?
Yes, in most cases you can keep your number when you switch. US Mobile offers a 30-day free trial when you transfer a number, and AT&T offers a 30-day free trial for iPhone users. Do not cancel your old service before the transfer is complete, and keep your old account active until the new line is working.
What is the best plan for travel outside the United States?
Google Fi Wireless Premium is the strongest travel option here, at $65 per month for one line, with international data in 200 or more destinations, 100GB of high-speed data and 50GB of hotspot data. T-Mobile T-Mix Loaded also includes 15GB of high-speed data in 215 or more countries and destinations, plus 30GB in Canada and Mexico.
Sources
- https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans
- https://www.verizon.com/plans/unlimited/
- https://www.att.com/plans/wireless/
- https://www.mintmobile.com/plans
- https://www.visible.com/plans/base
- https://fi.google.com/about
- https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phone-plans.html
- https://www.usmobile.com/plans
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.