T-Mobile vs. Metro: Is premium data worth the premium price?

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  T-Mobile

  Premium 5G data

  T-Mobile is focused on fast data with all of its postpaid plans including some premium data. T-Mobile also includes taxes and fees with many of its plans, as well as multiline savings to make the carrier a strong option for families.

  Pros

  • Excellent 5G coverage on the T-Mobile network
  • Premium data on every plan
  • Multiline discounts

  Cons

  • Taxes and fees are extra on Essentials
  • Plans can get very expensive

  From $50/month

• 

  Metro by T-Mobile

  Savings for single lines and families

  Metro by T-Mobile is a prepaid carrier running on the T-Mobile network with multiple unlimited plans to choose from. Metro is a good value for families looking to save with multi-line discounts and taxes and fees included in the price.

  Pros

  • Low prices for unlimited data
  • Taxes and fees included with all plans
  • Full 5G access on all plans

  Cons

  • Connection fee is a bit steep
  • No HD streaming on any plan

  From $30/month

Metro has been a part of T-Mobile since 2013 and uses the same network for coverage with a handful of unlimited plans of its own, but its plans still provide unique value to those looking to save on wireless. Metro by T-Mobile includes taxes and fees with all its plans and offers multi-line discounts for those bringing the family. T-Mobile’s postpaid service may still be a better pick for some with premium data, larger hotspot data options, streaming perks, travel perks, and early phone upgrades.

Since T-Mobile and Metro use the same network, all the same devices work on either carrier, so you can use any of the best Android phones with full 5G access. If you’re ready for a new phone, you can pick one up unlocked, but if you want a payment plan, T-Mobile may offer a better deal, especially with a trade-in.

Read our ranking

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There are a ton of plans to choose from, but the best network mostly comes down to coverage in your area

Mobile carrier features

T-Mobile is a fairly straightforward pick these days with a 5G network that’s been rapidly expanding in rural and suburban areas, helping T-Mobile to shake off a coverage disadvantage that held it back during the LTE era. With its current network offering some of the best data speeds and plans designed to take advantage of that, choosing T-Mobile makes a lot of sense for a family that uses a lot of data.

Even T-Mobile’s cheapest plans come with a chunk of premium data, which offers a slight advantage over Metro customers when a tower is congested. T-Mobile also offers stronger international features. Even the cheap Essentials plan comes with full usage in Mexico and Canada, albeit with lower data speeds.

T-Mobile also offers some streaming perks with its larger plans, such as including Netflix Standard with Ads with most of its plans and Apple TV+ and Hulu on its top plans. To that end, T-Mobile also offers HD streaming on some of its plans, while Metro sticks to 480p for all its plans. T-Mobile also provides hotspot data on even its cheapest Essentials plans, which can be very helpful, even if it’s at 3G speeds.

Metro by T-Mobile sticks to a more classic prepaid layout, with more basic features and several add-ons available for those who want them. While Metro still has a cheaper 5GB plan for those on a budget, most will consider one of its three unlimited plans. All these plans get access to T-Mobile Tuesdays, a set of discounts and perks available through an app for T-Mobile customers and ScamShield to protect against scam calls. These three plans also get a one-year subscription to Vix, a streaming video service with Spanish Language shows and sports, such as Liga MX.

Regarding add-ons, Metro starts with international features, such as the popular $5 Mexico and Canada unlimited option offering 5GB of data while roaming in these countries. It also gets unlimited calls and texting to and from Mexico and Canada. You can add calling to 15 other Latin American countries for $10 per month, as well as a Global Voice add-on for other countries.

For data add-ons, Metro offers 2GB and 10GB data add-ons for limited plans, though you should consider an unlimited plan if you use these frequently. You can also get Google One cloud storage at 200GB or 2TB. And if you stream a lot of video, HD video can be added to your plan for $10 per month. Finally, both carriers offer ScamShield Premium and device protection add-ons.

One thing Metro gets very right is that taxes and fees are included in the plan’s price. This makes it easier to comparison shop since you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll be paying off the bat. Naturally, autopay needs to be enabled to get the best rates and the first month is $5 extra. T-Mobile also includes taxes and fees with most of its plans, but on its cheaper Essentials plans, they’re extra, which makes comparing them to other budget plans a bit more tedious.

Coverage and reception

As you might expect, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile use the same network for coverage, including 5G. T-Mobile plans generally get higher priority data, which matters more in congested areas, but with so much Ultra Capacity 5G coverage at hand, most people will have no trouble with network speeds on either carrier. It’s just worth noting that if you want the best possible speeds, T-Mobile’s high-end plans have them.

T-Mobile’s 5G network mostly consists of n71 and n41 band coverage, though some areas also get speed boosts with carrier aggregation using bands n25 and n66. T-Mobile has some mmWave spectrum for very congested areas, like sports arenas, but for the most part, you’ll be using the carrier’s mid-band 5G coverage. This isn’t a bad thing, as this coverage can deliver speeds over 1Gbps, with plenty of speed for streaming, browsing, and uploading to social media.

For the most part, you can expect identical coverage for both these carriers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including roaming coverage from partners. All Metro by T-Mobile and T-Mobile plans get the same 5G access, so there’s no need to get a more expensive plan for the best speeds like there is on Verizon and its prepaid carrier Visible.

Phone compatibility

Phone compatibility is one of T-Mobile’s strengths with a highly compatible network and common 5G bands. If your phone only supports LTE, and it’s unlocked, it’s still likely to work on T-Mobile’s network until you’re ready for a 5G upgrade. T-Mobile works with the most popular devices, including Samsung Galaxy phones, Google Pixel phones, and, of course, Apple’s iPhones. T-Mobile also works great with smaller brands like OnePlus. Even in our Nothing Phone 2a review, a phone designed for European markets, the phone worked fine on a T-Mobile-based carrier, Google Fi.

If you’re looking for a new phone, T-Mobile comes out ahead, with a large device selection and strong discounts for new customers, especially if they have a phone to trade in. Some of T-Mobile’s biggest discounts require one of its top plans, like Go5G Plus, so discounts won’t be consistent across all plans. Even so, a high-end device like the Galaxy S24 Ultra can be as much as $1,000 off (over 24 months), which can be worth it for some folks.

Metro by T-Mobile also sells phones with a focus on cheaper devices. That being said, Metro is offering many phones for free for customers who bring their numbers to a Metro plan, so if you don’t need the fastest SoC, it can be a great option. You could even get one with a stylus, like the Moto G Stylus 2023, or the T-Mobile Revvl 6x Pro for free with Metro.

If you want to bring a high-end phone to Metro, you can. Any of the best T-Mobile phones unlocked, and most unlocked phones for that matter, can be used with T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile without problems.

Plans

As you might expect, plans are the biggest differences between these two carriers. While both stick to unlimited data for the majority of their offerings, T-Mobile’s plans have premium data and more in-depth options for travelers. Both carriers also include taxes and fees on most plans, making it easier to determine exactly how much the service will cost at the end of the day.

T-Mobile’s plans

T-Mobile’s plans aren’t exactly cheap, with its top plan starting at $100 per month, but with multiline discounts and a wide range of features across its seven base plans, there’s a good chance you’ll find something that fits your needs. On the cheaper end, Essentials and Essentials Saver plans include 50GB of premium data and unlimited 3G-speed mobile hotspot data. They also come with usage in Mexico and Canada with 128Kbps data speeds. Essentials Saver starts at $50 for a single line but can be as low as $100 with four lines. Taxes and fees are extra with these plans.

Go5G takes the premium data up to 100GB and adds 15GB of high-speed hotspot data. You get six months of Apple TV+ when you sign up, and video streaming quality gets a bump from 480p to 720p, as long as you go into your account settings and enable it. For travel, you get four full in-flight Wi-Fi sessions when you travel by plane, and 10GB of high-speed data to use in Mexico and Canada. And 5GB of data is available in 11 other countries. This plan starts at $75 for a single line with multiline savings.

Go5G Plus makes all domestic data usage premium data and upgrades the hotspot data to 50GB. Netflix with Ads and Apple TV+ are included, and video streaming quality gets a bump to 4K quality. Usage in Mexico and Canada comes with 15GB of high-speed data, and full in-flight Wi-Fi is supported. You also get 5GB of data when visiting one of 215+ countries. What sets this plan apart is that customers are upgrade-ready every two years, receiving the same discount as new customers. This plan starts at $90 per month and increases to $225 for four lines.

If you’re looking for the best of the best, Go5G Next upgrades the Go5G Plus plan with Hulu with Ads, and upgrade-ready status every single year. That means you can upgrade to the latest model with all discounts intact before you actually pay off your old phone. While most customers will need to wait for their two-year payment plan to end or pay off the rest of the phone to upgrade, Go5G Next customers are ready to go after a year.

T-Mobile offers many discounts with plans and pricing for 55+ customers, members of the military as well as veterans, and first responders. You can also get these plans with multiple lines to include your whole family with your discounts. T-Mobile also requires autopay to be enabled for its lowest prices, so be sure to set that up right away if you choose T-Mobile.

Metro by T-Mobile’s plans

Metro by T-Mobile’s plans are a bit simpler with just four options. Starting at the very bottom of the stack, a $30 plan with unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data is available. Unsurprisingly, this plan costs exactly as much as customers can save with the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal government program that helps pay for internet connectivity for low-income homes.

For most users, Metro’s plans start with the $40 Unlimited plan. The plan offers unlimited data with full 5G access on T-Mobile’s network. Calls and texts are unlimited in the U.S. and T-Mobile ScamShield helps prevent scam calls from reaching you. This plan also gets a one-year subscription to Vix, a Spanish-language streaming service. Metro’s unlimited plans have multiline discounts, so if you need four lines, this plan costs just $100 per month.

Moving up, the $50 Unlimited plan adds 8GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data to your unlimited data. This plan also includes a 100GB Google One membership for cloud storage and access to Google’s VPN. If you want to bring four lines, this plan costs $140 per month.

Metro’s top plan, the $60 Unlimited plan, increases hotspot data up to a full 25GB and provides international unlimited texting to 210+ countries. You also receive the same 100Gb Google One membership as above and the one-year Vix subscription. If you bring four lines, this plan costs $150 per month.

Keep in mind that all Metro by T-Mobile plan prices include taxes and fees, but also a $5 discount for using autopay. All videos stream at 480p quality, though you can upgrade to HD video for $10 per month with an add-on. Metro also claims that it may slow your speeds if you use more than 35GB before the end of the month and the network is congested.

Which should you choose?

When it comes to pricing, Metro by T-Mobile comes out ahead thanks to its cheap unlimited plan. This plan includes unlimited talk, text, and data for just $40 per month, with taxes and fees included. T-Mobile’s nearest plan, Essentials, packs in a few extra features to justify its higher cost, like 3G hotspot data, but just doesn’t feel like such a good value, because you’ll still owe taxes and fees on the T-Mobile plan. With Metro by T-Mobile, this plan costs $100 for four lines.

Metro’s data is at a lower priority and lacks premium data, but for most users, the dip in speed won’t matter much outside of a speed test, as long as you’ve got strong 5G coverage, which most will on T-Mobile. Metro by T-Mobile also may charge a one-time connection fee of $25 per line, so your initial payment could be quite a bit higher on Metro. That being said, at the time of writing, there’s a promotion waiving the fee when you sign up online. Even with that extra fee, it beats paying taxes and fees every single month on T-Mobile’s cheapest plan.

Metro by T-Mobile

Editor’s pick

Great budget friendly carrier option

While Metro lacks some of T-Mobile’s higher-end features, like premium data, it stays focused on the basics with unlimited data, solid multiline discounts, and the excellent T-Mobile 5G network behind it.

From $30/month

While Metro by T-Mobile makes a strong appearance on the low end, T-Mobile offers much more with its premium plans than Metro could hope to. If you want the fastest data possible, for example, choosing a premium data plan, like Go5G, can keep your speeds higher in congested areas. Taxes and fees are included with these higher-tier plans and they qualify for a third-line free promotion. This plan also gets a bump to HD video streaming, which is good for those who watch gaming content, and 100GB of premium data, so you get full 5G speeds for longer. Last but not least, if you travel out of the country, T-Mobile gives customers 10GB in Mexico and Canada with this plan, and 5GB in 215+ other countries.

T-Mobile

Runner-up

Offers premium plans for heavier users

T-Mobile, with its premium data and international roaming features, is still a great option for many. Multiline savings and fees are included in most of its plans, making it a good value for those bringing the whole family along.

From $50/month