Cricket Wireless vs Metro by T-Mobile: Which Is Better?
AT&T's own budget prepaid brand versus T-Mobile's own budget prepaid brand — two network owners, two very different value plays. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
Cricket Wireless takes it, 3–2 on rounds.
Cricket and Metro are the same play from two different network owners — the real decision is which network actually performs where you live, not which brand name is on the bill.
Choose Cricket Wireless if…
- • You want the cheapest published everyday unlimited rate and simple 4-line family pricing
- • You're already on AT&T's network and want taxes-and-fees-included pricing
Choose Metro by T-Mobile if…
- • T-Mobile covers your area better and you want a full Amazon Prime membership bundled in
- • You're a single heavy data user willing to pay more for the highest-priority tier
Round by round
- Round 1Price for a Single LineCricket Wireless winsCricket Wireless8/10
$35/mo (Select Unlimited)
Auto Pay price; $30/mo Sensible 10GB for light users
- Cheaper everyday unlimited rate than Metro
- Taxes and fees baked into the sticker price
- $5-10/mo more without Auto Pay
Source: Cricket Wireless pricing data
Metro by T-Mobile6/10$40/mo (standard unlimited)
$25/mo rate requires 6-month prepay, not the everyday price
- Taxes and fees included in sticker price
- 5-year price-lock guarantee on current plans
- $5/mo pricier than Cricket for standard unlimited
- Advertised $25 rate needs 6 months paid upfront
Source: Metro by T-Mobile pricing data
Cricket undercuts Metro's everyday unlimited price by $5 a month, and its light-data tier undercuts it further.
- Round 2Network Coverage & ReliabilityTieCricket Wireless7/10
AT&T network
Same towers as AT&T postpaid; RootMetrics-award-winning in H1 2025
- Full AT&T coverage footprint, RootMetrics award-winning network
- Deprioritized behind AT&T postpaid during congestion
Source: AT&T/Cricket network data
Metro by T-Mobile7/10T-Mobile network
Same towers as T-Mobile postpaid, including Ultra Capacity 5G
- Full T-Mobile 5G footprint including Ultra Capacity in most markets
- Deprioritized behind T-Mobile postpaid during congestion
Source: T-Mobile/Metro network data
Both ride a major network at full strength, deprioritized only when it's busy — the real answer depends on your address.
- Round 3Data Allotment Before DeprioritizationMetro by T-Mobile winsCricket Wireless5/10
50GB (Supreme Unlimited)
Top-tier premium data cap; video capped to SD on most plans
- Clear, published data ceiling per tier
- SD video streaming even on the top Supreme tier
Source: Cricket Wireless plan data
Metro by T-Mobile7/10Highest-priority tier at $60/mo
Top Unlimited Premium tier gets the network's highest deprioritization priority
- Top tier gets highest deprioritization priority on the network
- Entry $40 plan includes no hotspot data at all
Source: Metro by T-Mobile plan data
Metro's tiers give heavy data users more breathing room before speeds actually drop.
- Round 4Perks & ExtrasMetro by T-Mobile winsCricket Wireless6/10
HBO Max Basic (with ads)
Bundled free on the $55 Supreme Unlimited tier
- Free HBO Max Basic on Supreme Unlimited
- 100GB cloud storage on Smart tier and up
Source: Cricket Wireless plan data
Metro by T-Mobile9/10Amazon Prime included
Bundled free on $60 Unlimited Premium, plus Google One and MLB.TV
- Full Amazon Prime membership included free
- Google One 100GB, MLB.TV, and Scam Shield bundled
- Best perks locked to the priciest $60/mo tier
Source: Metro by T-Mobile plan data
Metro's top tier bundles a full Amazon Prime membership — that's hard for Cricket's HBO Max Basic to match dollar for dollar.
- Round 5Customer Service & TrustCricket Wireless winsCricket Wireless5/10
1.6/5 Trustpilot, strong in-store
- Nationwide retail stores for in-person support
- 1.6/5 on Trustpilot, 651 reviews
- Billing and autopay glitches reported
Metro by T-Mobile3/101.1/5 BBB, not accredited
- In-store experiences frequently praised
- 1.1/5 on BBB, not accredited
- 1.4-2.2/5 on Trustpilot depending on listing
Neither carrier scores well online, but Cricket's numbers are measurably less bad than Metro's.
- Round 6Family & Multi-Line PricingCricket Wireless winsCricket Wireless8/10
$25/line (4 lines)
Cricket's advertised, straightforward family-plan price
- Clear published 4-line rate: $100/mo total
- Data still deprioritized behind AT&T postpaid on every line
Source: Cricket Wireless pricing data
Metro by T-Mobile6/10$35/line (top tier, 4 lines)
Base-tier family pricing competitive; top perk tier costs more per line
- Promo pricing can match Cricket on the base tier
- Perk-loaded top tier costs $10/line more than Cricket's family plan
Source: Metro by T-Mobile pricing data
Cricket's family pricing is simpler and cheaper once you want more than the base tier.
Which one is for you?
AT&T-area shopper wanting the cheapest true unlimited rate
→ Cricket Wireless · $35/mo Select Unlimited with taxes and fees included
T-Mobile-area shopper who wants Amazon Prime bundled in
→ Metro by T-Mobile · $60/mo Unlimited Premium includes a full Prime membership
Family adding 4 lines on a budget
→ Cricket Wireless · Published $100/mo total for 4 lines, $25 a line
Heavy streamer wanting a break from AT&T-only SD video caps
→ Metro by T-Mobile · Top tier gets Metro's highest deprioritization priority
Side by side
- $25/line at 4 lines — a real family discount
- Rides the same AT&T towers that won H1 2025 RootMetrics awards for best overall, most reliable, fastest
- Full 5G AT&T access on every tier
- $25/line at 4 lines on one shared account
- 5-year price-lock guarantee on current plans
- Runs on T-Mobile's Ultra Capacity 5G in most markets
- Identical physical coverage map to T-Mobile postpaid
- $60 Unlimited Premium gets Metro's highest internal priority tier
- $35/mo for a single line — $10 more than Visible
- Data-capped Sensible plan drops to 128 Kbps after 10GB
- Deprioritized behind AT&T postpaid during congestion
- No premium-data upgrade exists at any price, even on the $55 top plan
- Cheapest $25 rate requires paying 6 months upfront
- Standard month-to-month price is $40, well above Visible's $25
- Deprioritized behind T-Mobile postpaid during congestion
- Entry $25 plan deprioritized after ~35GB during congestion