T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Which carrier is better value?

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  Excellent 5G coverage

  T-Mobile

  T-Mobile’s 5G coverage has put it in a strong position to offer a ton of data on its competitively-priced plans. With its Go5G Next plans, T-Mobile also leads the competition when it comes to phone upgrades. It offers yearly upgrades for those who subscribe and upgrades every two years for those on the cheaper Go5G Plus plan.

  Pros

  • Strong 5G coverage nationwide
  • Solid discounts for Military, First Responder, 55+, and more
  • Good savings on home internet

  Cons

  • Worse rural coverage than Verizon
  • Taxes and fees are extra on Essentials

  From $50/month

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  Bundle your services

  Verizon

  Verizon’s flexible new plans help make it a contender for those willing to bundle for savings. Verizon also offers BYOD savings, so even those who are happy with their current devices can still cut costs. With its Ultra Wideband 5G network rapidly expanding, Verizon could be a great pick.

  Pros

  • Strong value with add-on perks
  • Home Internet savings on all plans
  • Expansive rural coverage

  Cons

  • Ultra Wideband 5G isn’t available on Unlimited Welcome
  • Smaller 5G footprint
  • Taxes and fees are extra

  From $65/month

T-Mobile’s 5G network is its best asset, and it’s got plans that allow customers to make the most of it with unlimited data and plenty of hotspot data. T-Mobile has made good use of its mid-band 2.5GHz spectrum blanketing the country in fast 5G, but there are still some areas where it falls short of Verizon. Especially in rural areas. That being said, for most people, T-Mobile’s network will deliver plenty of speed and coverage. T-Mobile also has a wide range of plans including some with annual phone upgrade options.

Verizon’s 5G coverage area is still smaller than T-Mobile’s, but the carrier has still made rapid progress with 5G where it matters the most with LTE performing well enough as a fallback for most people’s needs. Even so, Verizon has remained nimble with big discounts for customers willing to sign up, and a new set of plans that simplifies pricing and incentivizes customers to add more of their monthly subscription payments to their Verizon bill.

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By far, 5G is T-Mobile’s biggest advantage over Verizon. T-Mobile took the lead in 5G coverage, and its egalitarian approach has allowed the cheapest postpaid and prepaid plans to access the full 5G network and its fastest bands. Verizon, on the other hand, splits its 5G network into two tiers: 5G and 5G Ultra Wideband. Verizon’s top plans get the full-fat Ultra Wideband 5G network, which includes mid-band spectrum, while its cheaper plans are capped to just standard 5G speeds, which are more like LTE speeds.

T-Mobile’s plans are a bit more traditional with more premium data, hotspot data, and streaming services heaped on as the price of the plan increases. The carrier’s top two plans, for example, come with Apple TV and Netflix bundled in. Verizon’s plans, on the other hand, allow you to add streaming services, or other plan add-ons like perks at a flat $10 per month. This allows you to add only the services you actually plan to use, and you can save on your bill a bit if you don’t want any.

Both carriers offer strong international support with roaming in over 200 countries on either carrier’s top plans. T-Mobile stands out a bit with free in-flight Wi-Fi on multiple airlines, so you can keep messaging and browsing on the way to your destination. Still, it’s nice that either carrier is an option if you find yourself leaving the country frequently.

One thing both of these carriers have in common is 5G home internet and both offer discounts for wireless customers. T-Mobile has a handful of home internet plans these days with about $15 in savings for wireless customers. You can also save on Verizon’s home internet plans with your wireless plans. For both of these carriers, that’s $35 per month for a home internet connection with enough speed for 4K streaming and multiple users at once.

Mobile coverage and reception

Verizon stands out as the overall pick for folks living in the country with a wider rural LTE footprint, but if you spend most of your time in the city or suburbs, T-Mobile is still the network to beat with the highest average speeds according to Speedtest. Keep in mind that the performance in your area depends on a lot of factors, so these median results might not be indicative of your actual performance.

To get an idea of what kind of coverage you can expect, be sure to check T-Mobile and Verizon’s coverage maps to determine the 5G coverage you’ll get. The darker the shade, the faster your speeds should be. To be absolutely sure of the network performance, both carriers offer a free trial if you download the My Verizon app or T-Life app from the Play Store. You will need a phone with an available eSIM to use the trial.

When T-Mobile first launched 5G, it was with its low-frequency band n71 spectrum that produced speeds similar to LTE. After that, the carrier completed its purchase of Sprint and gained access to its valuable chunk of 2.5GHz spectrum. Since then, T-Mobile has speedily expanded 5G coverage on this 2.5GHz spectrum, branded as Ultra Capacity 5G, with carrier aggregation making the most of all of T-Mobile’s spectrum. All of this made T-Mobile’s 5G network the largest in the country, while Verizon had to wait multiple painful months to gain access to the 3.7GHz C-band spectrum it won at auction.

After Verizon managed to get its C-band spectrum in hand, it moved quickly to expand coverage in urban and suburban areas. Putting this coverage under the Ultra Wideband umbrella it had been using to describe mmWave 5G. The carrier now covers the majority of the population with its fast 5G coverage and has been steadily making its way to smaller cities and towns across the country.

One thing to keep in mind about coverage is that higher frequencies don’t travel as far as lower frequencies. As a result, T-Mobile’s 2.5GHz spectrum has a natural advantage over Verizon’s 3.7GHz spectrum in terms of coverage, but not in terms of performance once connected.

Phone compatibility

T-Mobile is compatible with most of the best Android phones including some of the most popular models like the Galaxy S24 or Pixel 9. T-Mobile also one of your best bets for an international phone, but to work best on T-Mobile’s 5G, you’ll want one that supports band n41 and n71. Verizon, while quite strict in the past, will work with a wide range of devices as well. No matter which of these carriers you choose, you should be able to find an Android phone to fit your needs.

Phones that will work best on Verizon’s network should support bands n2, n5, n66, and n77 for low-band and mid-band coverage. Extra speed is available in some cities and venues with mmWave on Verizon using bands n260 and n261. While mmWave is nice to have in a crowded place where the network can become congested for most people, it’s not terribly important as mid-band 5G has plenty of capacity for most of our needs.

If you’re looking to bring your phone to Verizon, you can save on your monthly bill with BYOD credits. Verizon’s more expensive plans enjoy larger bill credits for using your own device, but at least you don’t need to buy a new phone to get the best deals. To get the best deals on a new phone, you’ll also need one of Verizon’s top plans. For example, someone on Unlimited Ultimate can save more than someone on Unlimited Welcome.

Similarly, T-Mobile offers trade-in promotions for its top plans, Go5G Plus and Go5G Next. With a high-end phone from the past few years, you can get $1,000 off with 24 bill credits or $500 off for an older or cheaper phone. T-Mobile does pull ahead again when it comes time to upgrade, with its Go5G Plus plan eligible for full device upgrade savings every two years and Go5G Next eligible every year. It could be worthwhile if you like to have the latest phone in your pocket and don’t mind the extra cost.

One thing to keep in mind about these savings is that they are bill credits and will only apply as long as you meet the terms of the agreement. Mostly, that means you won’t be able to switch to a cheaper plan without losing your credits. It also means that if you want to switch to another carrier, you still owe the remaining balance on that phone, minus the bill credits. T-Mobile’s 24-month payment plans make more sense.

Plans

Plans are perhaps the most important aspect when considering a phone carrier. T-Mobile stands apart by including taxes and fees in the price of several of its plans, making it much easier to get an idea of what your bill will actually be. Verizon makes you proceed through the entire checkout process to ascertain how much you’ll be paying in fees. Both carriers have a $35 activation fee for new lines.

Both carriers offer auto-pay discounts and multi-line discounts for families. There are also military, first responder, and senior discounts for each carrier, so if you qualify, don’t forget to add those to your bill.

T-Mobile’s plans

There are four main T-Mobile plans with a handful of older Magenta plans also avaialble thorugh customer support. The latest plans are called Go5G, Go5G Plus, and Go5G Next. There’s also a budget-oriented Essentials plan for those looking for basic connectivity. Taxes and fees are baked into the price of the plan on everything except the essentials plan.

Beginning with the top plan, Go5G Next, you get unlimited premium data on the T-Mobile 5G network and 50GB of mobile hotspot data. Several streaming perks are also included, like Apple TV+, Netflix Standard with Ads, and Hulu with ads. Streaming is unlocked to full 4K resolution, which means you’ll have no speed limit on streamed content. For international usage, you’ll receive up to 15GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico and up to 5GB in 215+ countries. The headlining feature for this plan is that it’s upgrade-ready every year, so you can get the latest model phone with full savings before you’ve paid off your old one. This plan costs a steep $100 for a single line but $225 for four lines with current promotions.

Taking a step down, Go5G Plus is nearly identical, lacking Hulu and only upgrade-ready every two years. Using a phone for two years is hardly a hardship, so for most people, this plan is worth the savings over Go5G Next. This plan is $10 cheaper for a single line at $90 per month and $185 for four lines.

The standard Go5G plan offers a healthy 100GB of premium data and 15GB of hotspot data. Apple TV+ is limited to just six months, though Netflix with ads is still included. Video streaming resolution is set to 480p by default, but can be unlocked to 720p in your account settings. If you want to get the full features you pay for, make sure to insist they change the setting for you if you’re signing up in-store or do it yourself online later. You get 10GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico, with up to 5GB in 11 other countries, and slow, but unlimited, data in 215+ countries. Naturally, this plan lacks the phone upgrade options of the pricier plan, making it a good fit for those who buy their phones unlocked.

Finally, Essentials is T-Mobile’s cheapest single-line postpaid value at $50 for a single line. The nearly identical Essentials plan is a bit cheaper with three lines thanks to a third-line free promotion, and Essentials Saver is once again the better value at four lines thanks to a promotion. These plans come with 50GB of premium data, unlimited hotspot data at 3G speeds, and unlimited 128Kbps data in Mexico and Canada. Video streaming resolution is also locked to 480p on both. Remember, too, that neither Essentials nor Essentials Saver have taxes and fees included, so your bill will be a bit more.

Verizon’s plans

Verizon’s plans, by comparison, are refreshingly simple. Verizon has three base plans: Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate. Verizon doesn’t include taxes and fees in any of its shown prices, so keep in mind you’ll be paying a few dollars more per line when everything is said and done. As mentioned above, Verizon offers discounts for those bringing their own phone to the carrier, as well as auto-pay discounts.

Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon’s top plan and offers full 5G Ultra Wideband access, unlimited premium data, and 60GB of high-speed hotspot data. International data in Mexico and Canada is included with a limit of 2GB of high-speed data per day and up to 10GB per month in 210+ other countries. This plan enjoys Verizon’s best savings on new devices as well as the biggest credits when you bring your own phone, up to $540. Streaming video is unlocked to full 4K when connected to Ultra Wideband 5G, and 1080 when on LTE or nationwide 5G. If you bring a smartwatch or tablet, you can also get 50% off plans for two devices. Unlimited Ultimate starts at $90 per line for a single line and decreases to $55 per line with four.

Unlimited Plus also gets unlimited premium data with a decent 30GB of high-speed hotspot data. International travelers get 2GB per data in Mexico and Canada. You get full access to 5G with Ultra Wideband support, and 720p streaming on nationwide 5G or LTE. Like Unlimited Ultimate, full 4K video streaming is available on Ultra Wideband 5G. You’ll get some savings on new phones, but not as much as the top plan, and BYOD credits are reduced to $360. You also get 50% off on a plan for a connected device.

Unlimited Welcome is the cheapest postpaid plan Verizon offers, with a single-line price of $65 per month. If you bring four lines, that decreases to $30 per line, which is a solid value for families looking to save. Connectivity is limited to nationwide 5G with LTE-like speeds, which, to be fair, is plenty for most people. There’s no hotspot data and video streams are limited to just 480p, which means no HD videos unless you’re on Wi-Fi or download them. BYOD credits are at their lowest with this plan at just up to $180, but still nice to have.

All of these plans are really designed to be used with add-on perks. These perks include streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Apple One, and more. You can also add other perks, such as a Walmart Plus membership, or plan add-ons like extra hotspot data or travel passes. All of these add-ons cost $10, which means you can save compared to direct subscriptions.

Which is right for you?

Both carriers offer a tremendous amount of data at fairly high prices. If you’re looking for a bargain, you may be better served by one of the best value data plans instead. Most of those plans still use Verizon or T-Mobile for coverage after all. If you prefer postpaid and the benefits it brings, T-Mobile stands out as a better value for those looking for simple connectivity. T-Mobile offers its full 5G network, including mid-band coverage, in all of its plans, so you don’t have to give up modern 5G tech for savings. T-Mobile also makes it easier to determine what you’ll actually pay by including taxes and fees in its more expensive plans.

For those bringing multiple lines with them, T-Mobile has a promotion on some of its plans offering the third line for free, which makes it the better multiline value. Paired with savings on T-Mobile 5G Home Internet when you have a wireless plan and wider overall 5G coverage, T-Mobile could be your complete internet solution.

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Editor’s pick

T-Mobile

Great coverage, lots of data, and mobile upgrades, too

T-Mobile’s 5G coverage has put it in a strong position to offer a ton of data on its competitively-priced plans. With its Go5G Next plans, T-Mobile also leads the competition when it comes to phone upgrades, with yearly upgrades for those who subscribe and upgrades every two years for those on the cheaper Go5G Plus plan.

From $60/month

On the flip side, Verizon’s latest plans make it a lot more competitive with T-Mobile, especially if you’re interested in some of the add-on perks. If you’re already paying for multiple services Verizon offers, you can save simply by adding them to your Verizon bill since they’re just $10 per month. Unlimited Plus is the sweet spot for most users, with access to the full 5G network, plenty of hotspot data, and solid savings on new devices or the ones you brought with you. Like T-Mobile, you can even save on home internet with Fios or 5G Home Internet for as low as $25 per month.

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Runner-up

Verizon

Easy, useful plans and simple add-ons

Verizon’s flexible new plans help make it a strong contender for those willing to bundle to save. Verizon also offers BYOD savings, so even those who are happy with their current devices can still save. With its Ultra Wideband 5G network rapidly expanding, Verizon could be a great pick.

From $65/month