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Updated September 2026 · 11 compared

The best phone carriers, ranked.

11 phone carriers compared across 32 evidence-checked head-to-heads.

Every matchup is scored round by round on what matters most: price for a single line, customer service & trust, perks & extras, network coverage & reliability.

  1. 1US MobileUS Mobile7.6
  2. 2VisibleVisible6.7
  3. 3Metro by T-MobileMetro by T-Mobile6.7

At a glance

Top rated7.6
US Mobile
US Mobile
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Best for customer service6.6
Consumer Cellular
Consumer Cellular
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Best for perks6.6
T-Mobile
T-Mobile
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Best for price for a single line6.3
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
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Top 11 phone carriers

Ranked by overall score

1US Mobile
Top rated

US Mobile

Best for: Someone unsure which network covers their area best

Pick US Mobile if you want the flexibility to choose your network, or switch later if coverage disappoints.

Price for a Single Line
$25/mo
Customer Service & Trust
4.5-4.6/5 Trustpilot, rated Excellent
Perks & Extras
Varies by promo
Network Coverage & Reliability
3 networks
  • As low as $16.58/mo first year with a promo code
  • No credit check, no autopay requirement
  • Choice of all 3 major US networks on one account
  • Can 'Teleport' a line to a different network later
  • Deepest discounts require annual prepay
  • No published flat family-plan rate for multiple lines
  • Bundled perks vary by promotion rather than guaranteed
  • Not BBB-accredited; some speed complaints
2Visible

Visible

Best for: Budget shopper who rarely travels internationally

Pick Visible if you want the lowest all-in monthly price and rarely leave North America.

Price for a Single Line
$25/mo
Customer Service & Trust
4.2/5
Perks & Extras
Inner Circle: $5/mo off
Network Coverage & Reliability
Up to 99%
  • $25/mo all-in, taxes and fees included
  • No credit check, no annual contract
  • Full access to Verizon's nationwide LTE/5G map
  • Same coverage regardless of phone model
  • Base tier uses deprioritized, not premium, data
  • 5G Ultra Wideband access limited to Visible+/Pro tiers
  • No international roaming at all on the base $25 plan
  • Day-pass model outside North America, not free data
3Metro by T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile

Best for: Family adding 4 lines who wants Amazon Prime bundled in

Pick Metro by T-Mobile if you're adding four lines and want a published family rate with Amazon Prime bundled in.

Price for a Single Line
$40/mo standard
Customer Service & Trust
1.1-2.2/5 across Trustpilot and BBB
Perks & Extras
Amazon Prime included
Network Coverage & Reliability
Same as T-Mobile postpaid
  • 5-year price-lock guarantee on current plans
  • Same physical towers as T-Mobile postpaid, including Ultra Capacity 5G
  • ~$35/line/mo published rate for 4 lines on the top tier
  • Seasonal promos have included a free 4th line
  • Cheapest $25 rate requires 6 months paid upfront
  • Standard single-line unlimited starts at $40/mo
  • Only one network option, no fallback if T-Mobile is weak locally
  • 1.1/5 on BBB, 1.4-2.2/5 on Trustpilot
4Consumer Cellular
Best for customer service

Consumer Cellular

Best for: Older adult or less tech-savvy user

Pick Consumer Cellular if you or a family member want a live, patient human on the phone every time.

Price for a Single Line
$35-$65/mo
Customer Service & Trust
4.2/5 Trustpilot, real phone support
Perks & Extras
AARP: 5% off service
Network Coverage & Reliability
AT&T (new activations)
  • $20/mo entry tier for light data users
  • No overage fees — auto-upgrades instead
  • No overage fees — automatic plan upgrade instead
  • Matches AT&T postpaid coverage for new activations
  • Under-50 customers pay $30/mo more for the same data
  • Even the top tier caps at 35GB, not truly unlimited
  • No true unlimited-data tier at any price
  • Entry tiers cap as low as 1GB
5T-Mobile
Best for perks

T-Mobile

Best for: Streaming-heavy user or frequent flyer

Pick T-Mobile if you want truly unlimited premium data with no deprioritization threshold, plus the deepest perk stack.

Price for a Single Line
$50-$85/mo
Customer Service & Trust
1.4 / 5
Perks & Extras
Streaming + satellite + in-flight Wi-Fi
Network Coverage & Reliability
Bronze, H2 2025
  • 5-year price-lock guarantee on the plan rate
  • Opensignal Q2 2026: 12 of 16 awards
  • Top priority on T-Mobile's own network
  • No deprioritization threshold on top tiers
  • Taxes and fees now bill separately on top of the price
  • Credit check required; taxes/fees billed separately
  • 1.4/5 Trustpilot from 8,200+ reviews
  • Taxes/fees now billed separately from the list price
6AT&T

AT&T

Best for: Budget-conscious single-line users who want data to last

Pick AT&T if you want more data before deprioritization on a budget entry tier.

Price for a Single Line
$50/mo
Customer Service & Trust
1.2-1.3/5 Trustpilot
Perks & Extras
FirstNet + AT&T Turbo
Network Coverage & Reliability
98.3
  • $50/mo — cheapest single-line entry of the two
  • ~22-50GB before any deprioritization kicks in
  • 98.3 RootScore — essentially tied with Verizon
  • Beat T-Mobile's 97.3 by a full point
  • Narrowly behind Verizon's 98.4
  • HBO Max/Max bundling repeatedly added and removed since 2020
  • 1.2-1.3/5 Trustpilot ('Bad')
  • Reports of $5,000 and $600 billing shocks
7Cricket Wireless

Cricket Wireless

Best for: Family of four watching the monthly bill

Pick Cricket Wireless if you want AT&T-grade coverage at roughly half the price and can live with occasional slowdowns.

Price for a Single Line
$35/mo
Customer Service & Trust
1.6/5 Trustpilot, mixed rep quality
Perks & Extras
HBO Max Basic included
Network Coverage & Reliability
Same as AT&T postpaid
  • $35/mo true unlimited undercuts Verizon by nearly $20/mo
  • Taxes and fees included — no surprise line items
  • Same physical AT&T towers as AT&T postpaid
  • Full nationwide 5G access on every plan
  • Cheapest $25/mo effective rate requires a 12-month prepay
  • AT&T's national rankings trail Verizon's H2 2025 sweep
  • Deprioritized behind AT&T postpaid on every plan, no exceptions
  • Video capped to SD (480p) even on the top Supreme Unlimited tier
8Boost Mobile
Best for price for a single line

Boost Mobile

Best for: Budget shopper who wants the richest $25/mo base plan

Pick Boost Mobile if you want the richest $25/mo base plan with global talk and text included.

Price for a Single Line
$25/mo
Customer Service & Trust
3.9/5 Trustpilot, rated Great
Perks & Extras
Starlink Direct-to-Cell coming
Network Coverage & Reliability
Migrated Nov. 2025
  • $25/mo includes 30GB of premium data
  • Global talk and text included on the cheapest tier
  • Now on AT&T's mature nationwide network instead of its own still-building infrastructure
  • 50GB premium data on Unlimited Premium tier
  • $30/mo without AutoPay
  • Nov 2025 migration caused real disruption and device-compatibility issues
  • Complaints of unilaterally cutting a prior 100GB allotment to 50GB
  • Satellite coverage isn't live yet — still a future promise
9Verizon

Verizon

Best for: Heavy data user who wants guaranteed priority speed

Pick Verizon if you want the top-ranked national network with real priority data and can pay full postpaid price.

Price for a Single Line
$55/mo
Customer Service & Trust
1.3/5 Trustpilot, 1,700+ stores
Perks & Extras
6+ streaming options
Network Coverage & Reliability
5 of 8
  • Runs on Verizon's own top-ranked network at this price
  • #1 RootMetrics Overall RootScore, H2 2025
  • Opensignal 2026 leader for overall coverage
  • Top tier offers 200GB of premium data before slowdown
  • $15/mo more than Metro's standard unlimited plan
  • No premium data on the entry tier
  • Cheapest Welcome tier has zero premium allotment
  • Most expensive of the Big Three on a per-line basis
10Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile

Best for: Budget shopper who can pay a lump sum upfront

Pick Mint Mobile if you want the single cheapest unlimited price and can pay a lump sum upfront.

Price for a Single Line
$15/mo (promo)
Customer Service & Trust
3.0-3.1/5
Perks & Extras
Hotspot included
Network Coverage & Reliability
T-Mobile 5G UC
  • $15/mo promo rate for 12 months, no credit check
  • No activation fee in most cases
  • Full access to T-Mobile's 5G Ultra Capacity network
  • Coverage rated strong by WhistleOut (mirrors T-Mobile)
  • Requires paying $180 upfront for the year
  • T-Mobile UC 5G reaches only about a third of the country
  • Deprioritized behind T-Mobile postpaid past 50GB
  • No monthly billing option — must prepay in 3/6/12-month blocks
11Google Fi

Google Fi

Best for: Frequent international traveler

Pick Google Fi if you travel internationally often and want free high-speed data abroad built into the bill.

Price for a Single Line
$50/mo
Customer Service & Trust
1.3-1.4/5 Trustpilot
Perks & Extras
Google One + YouTube Premium
Network Coverage & Reliability
Pixel-only switching
  • No contract, no credit check
  • Automatic T-Mobile/US Cellular switching on Pixel phones
  • 50GB free high-speed data in 200+ countries
  • International calls to 50+ countries included on Premium
  • Double Visible's base price for a single line
  • Base tier price roughly doubled between 2021 and 2025
  • No network switching on iPhone or most Android phones
  • US Cellular partner network is shrinking as T-Mobile absorbs it

Compare every spec

Sort any column, tick products to go head-to-head · hover the edges or drag to see more

best in column · tick up to 4 to compare
1US MobileUS MobileScore 7.6$25/mo4.5-4.6/5 Trustpilot, rated ExcellentVaries by promo3 networksIndividual billing7–0100 %64 %
2VisibleVisibleScore 6.7$25/mo4.2/5Inner Circle: $5/mo offUp to 99%—3–175 %50 %
3Metro by T-MobileMetro by T-MobileScore 6.7$40/mo standard1.1-2.2/5 across Trustpilot and BBBAmazon Prime includedSame as T-Mobile postpaid~$35/line (4 lines)4–267 %56 %
4Consumer CellularConsumer CellularScore 6.6$35-$65/mo4.2/5 Trustpilot, real phone supportAARP: 5% off serviceAT&T (new activations)No 4-line rate2–340 %43 %
5T-MobileT-MobileScore 6.6$50-$85/mo1.4 / 5Streaming + satellite + in-flight Wi-FiBronze, H2 2025—5–0100 %57 %
6AT&TAT&TScore 6.5$50/mo1.2-1.3/5 TrustpilotFirstNet + AT&T Turbo98.3—3–175 %58 %
7Cricket WirelessCricket WirelessScore 6.4$35/mo1.6/5 Trustpilot, mixed rep qualityHBO Max Basic includedSame as AT&T postpaid$100/mo total3–443 %48 %
8Boost MobileBoost MobileScore 6.3$25/mo3.9/5 Trustpilot, rated GreatStarlink Direct-to-Cell comingMigrated Nov. 2025No 4-line tier1–420 %43 %
9VerizonVerizonScore 6.3$55/mo1.3/5 Trustpilot, 1,700+ stores6+ streaming options5 of 8$120/mo total2–340 %57 %
10Mint MobileMint MobileScore 6.1$15/mo (promo)3.0-3.1/5Hotspot includedT-Mobile 5G UC—1–6–114 %48 %
11Google FiGoogle FiScore 5.5$50/mo1.3-1.4/5 TrustpilotGoogle One + YouTube PremiumPixel-only switching~$110/mo, 2 lines0–7–10 %29 %

Popular head-to-heads

32 round-by-round comparisons — here are the top-ranked match-ups

VisiblevsUS MobileVisible vs US Mobile→US MobilevsMetro by T-MobileUS Mobile vs Metro by T-Mobile→US MobilevsConsumer CellularUS Mobile vs Consumer Cellular→VisiblevsConsumer CellularVisible vs Consumer Cellular→T-MobilevsMetro by T-MobileT-Mobile vs Metro by T-Mobile→US MobilevsCricket WirelessUS Mobile vs Cricket Wireless→US MobilevsBoost MobileUS Mobile vs Boost Mobile→AT&TvsConsumer CellularAT&T vs Consumer Cellular→Metro by T-MobilevsBoost MobileMetro by T-Mobile vs Boost Mobile→
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How these are scored: our ranking method. We may earn a commission from links on this page — disclosure.