Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
T-Mobile is one of the fastest-growing carriers in the United States thanks to aggressive pricing, marketing, and a penchant for doing the unexpected. The Uncarrier has significantly shaken up the mobile industry in the US, but is it the right carrier for you? Let’s look at the best T-Mobile plans and how they compare to the competition. After that, we’ll also help you pick the best T-Mobile phone for your needs.
The best T-Mobile plans at a glance
| Essentials Saver | Essentials | Go5G Plus | Go5G Next | Unlimited Prepaid | Unlimited Plus Prepaid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost | Essentials Saver $50 for one line, plus taxes and fees | Essentials Prices per line, plus taxes/fees: $60 for one line $100/month for Essentials 4 Line Offer - better deal if you sign up for all four lines at once. | Go5G Plus Prices per line (taxes/fees included): $90 for one line | Go5G Next Prices per line (taxes/fees included): $100 for one line | Unlimited Prepaid Prices per line, plus taxes/fees: $50 for one line | Unlimited Plus Prepaid Prices per line, plus taxes/fees: $60 for one line |
Unlimited Talk & Text | Essentials Saver Yes | Essentials Yes | Go5G Plus Yes | Go5G Next Yes | Unlimited Prepaid Yes | Unlimited Plus Prepaid Yes |
Unlimited 4G Data | Essentials Saver Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 50 of Premium Data | Essentials Yes, but might slow down during congestion after 50GB per month | Go5G Plus Unlimited Premium 5G & 4G LTE with | Go5G Next Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with Unlimited Premium Data | Unlimited Prepaid Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE | Unlimited Plus Prepaid Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE |
Mobile Hotspot | Essentials Saver Unlimited 3G | Essentials Unlimited 3G | Go5G Plus 50GB of hotspot data | Go5G Next 50GB hotspot data | Unlimited Prepaid 3GB hotspot | Unlimited Plus Prepaid 10GB hotspot |
Netflix perk? | Essentials Saver No | Essentials No | Go5G Plus Netflix Standard with Ads | Go5G Next Netflix Standard with Ads | Unlimited Prepaid No | Unlimited Plus Prepaid No |
Apple TV perk? | Essentials Saver No | Essentials No | Go5G Plus Included | Go5G Next Included | Unlimited Prepaid No | Unlimited Plus Prepaid No |
Unlimited video streaming | Essentials Saver SD streaming | Essentials SD streaming | Go5G Plus Up to 4K UHD streaming | Go5G Next Up to 4K UHD streaming | Unlimited Prepaid SD streaming | Unlimited Plus Prepaid SD streaming |
As you can see, T-Mobile has changed up its plans recently, phasing out the older Magenta offerings and consolidating its Go5G options. Wondering which plan is right for you?
- Go5G Plus is the ideal family plan. You get Netflix Standard, Apple TV Plus, 4K streaming, and more. There’s also unlimited Premium data for the entire family and plans go as low at $46.25 a line for four lines.
- Go5G Next is for those who want to upgrade regularly. Go5G Next is the latest plan in the Go5G line. You get all the same perks as the Go5G Plus plan but with the added benefit of upgrading a phone up to once a year, as long as you’ve already paid for half of it. Nothing else is really different, though the added feature will cost you as it starts at $100 a line.
- Essentials is a good postpaid choice if you’re looking to save money. Starting at $50 for one line but going as cheap as $25 a line for four lines, Essentials is the cheapest postpaid option. Be aware it’s a bit more complicated than it used to be. Essentials Saver is only for users with one line and it starts at $50, whereas the Essential Plan starts at $60. There’s also a 4-line offer for new customers that’s even cheaper. You can see what I mean in the chart above.
- You don’t get Netflix or Apple TV, but you do get unlimited 3G hotspot access and 50GB of priority data. You also will have postpaid extras like the ability to finance a phone, free phone upgrades for select devices, and more.
Let’s also not forget the carrier also offers great prepaid options that require no credit check or obligation. While prepaid used to be nearly as good on T-Mobile as its postpaid service, these days there are no longer premium data options or anything. You can learn more in the chart above, but for most it’s worth getting Essentials unless credit or other factors are an issue.
Not overwhelmed by choice yet? There are also MVNOs that run on T-Mobile’s network but are not officially operated by the carrier. This includes Metro by T-Mobile as well as completely independent options, like Mint Mobile. We’ll talk about those a bit later in this guide.
T-Mobile Prepaid vs Postpaid: What’s the difference?
As you can see, there are a lot of similarities between T-Mobile’s different prepaid and postpaid offerings. So what’s the real difference between the two? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of prepaid service:
Pros:
- Typically cheaper pricing and less commitment
Cons:
- Deprioritized over T-Mobile’s other tiers
- Weaker customer service
- You won’t typically get the extra perks you’d get with post-paid, like free streaming services, phone financing, etc
That’s honestly the biggest difference: customer service and extras. Believe it or not, network quality is not a major difference, though. In fact, as we highlighted above, T-Mobile Prepaid Unlimited is actually prioritized above the postpaid Essentials plan.
Notably, T-Mobile charges customers a $5 surcharge if they pay their bill in-store. To avoid this, users must pay on the web through T-Mobile.com, via the T-Mobile app, or set up autopay.
Which of T-Mobile’s plans do we recommend?
Kris Carlon / Android Authority
We’ve already highlighted which plans are best for what kind of users in the section above, but which ones do I recommend personally? These days there’s a lot less choice, so for most users, Go5G Plus is going to strike the most balance. If you want to save money, Essentials is a close second. Lastly, Next should really only be for those who care about frequent device upgrades or improved phone deals over the other tiers.
Go5G Plus: The best T-Mobile plan for families and those who want more than Essentials
The Go5G Plus plan starts at $90 for one line but gets as low as $46.25 per line for four lines. You get unlimited Premium data, 50GB hotspot access, and extras like Netflix Standard with Ads, as well as Apple TV Plus. For most consumers this is going to be the best plan as you get all the data you could use without worrying about slowdowns, and there are plenty of perks. The only reason to go for Next is if you really care about its better deals on upgrades.
Pros:
- It includes taxes and fees in your monthly rate.
- Plans with two or more lines include one screen of Netflix Standard with Ads for free and Apple TV Plus.
- 4K streaming support
Essentials is best for those who want to save a bit more
Again, we recommend Plus for most but Essentials is a close second. There’s no streaming services included and you get just 50GB of premium data but that’s still more than enough for most users. Prices start as low as $50 for the 1-line Essentials Saver plan. The standard Essentials plan is the same thing but lets you add up to 4 users and can go as low as $26.50 a month. Want to save even more? You can get Essentials 4 Line Offer, where you sign up for 4 lines at once for a rate of $100 a month ($25 per line).
Pros:
- Device installment plans and better customer service than prepaid
- Cheaper for those with three or more lines, compared to prepaid
- Priority data, unlike other budget prepaid options
Cons:
- It limits video streaming to standard definition (480p).
- Both: No extras like Netflix or Apple TV.
T-Mobile vs the competition
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
If you’re here to switch carriers, you’re probably looking for a head-to-head showdown. We’ll stack T-Mobile against Verizon and AT&T to give you just the battle you’re looking for. Comparison shopping is the easiest way to decide on the right carrier. We’ll compare our favorite plans from the best unlimited data plans in the US to show you how each carrier stacks up.
| Go5G Plus | AT&T Unlimited Premium | Verizon Welcome Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost | Go5G Plus $90 for one line | AT&T Unlimited Premium $85 for one line | Verizon Welcome Unlimited $90 for one line |
Data | Go5G Plus Unlimited 4G/5G with 100GB premium data | AT&T Unlimited Premium 100GB of Premium 4G Data | Verizon Welcome Unlimited Unlimited 4G/5G |
Talk and Text | Go5G Plus Unlimited | AT&T Unlimited Premium Unlimited | Verizon Welcome Unlimited Unlimited |
Streaming | Go5G Plus HD Streaming | AT&T Unlimited Premium HD Streaming with Stream Saver | Verizon Welcome Unlimited 480p streaming |
Hotspot | Go5G Plus 15GB of 4G LTE/5G | AT&T Unlimited Premium 30GB of 4G LTE per line | Verizon Welcome Unlimited 30GB 5G/LTE access |
International | Go5G Plus Texting, 2G data | AT&T Unlimited Premium Texting to 120 countries | Verizon Welcome Unlimited Texting to 200 countries |
Extra Perks | Go5G Plus Netflix Standard | AT&T Unlimited Premium 5G Access | Verizon Welcome Unlimited Perks for $10 each |
As you can see, the top-tier plans follow similar pricing structures, and unlimited talk, text, and data are all standard. AT&T and Verizon are more specific with plan details and offer international texting in over 120 countries. T-Mobile’s plan is the most affordable of the three, regardless of having one line or four. AT&T and Verizon have also announced increased fees to offset inflation — a move that T-Mobile has yet to follow.
Obviously, there are many more plans from each carrier. If you’re looking to dive deeper, we recommend looking at our guides to the best Verizon plans and . You can also see how they pit against T-Mobile directly in our T-Mobile vs Verizon and comparisons.
Best T-mobile phones
T-mobile keeps its pricing and options consistent regardless of whether you’re a prepaid or postpaid T-Mobile customer, though the latter will have financing options. If you go the prepaid route, you’ll have to pay for the full phone outright. With that in mind, pretty much every major flagship sold in the US can be found on T-Mobile. To make things as easy as possible, I’ve recommended three phones: a flagship, a mid-ranger, and a budget option. Keep in mind these aren’t necessarily the best phones available in each class (as that’s pretty subjective). Instead we made our selections based on pricing and promotions. These are the phones we feel are the best deals currently on T-Mobile.
Don’t like our picks? Check out T-Mobile’s phone section directly, or visit our best Android phones and best cheap phones guide to learn more about many of the great unlocked phones you can bring to T-Mobile. Of course, you can also unlock any T-Mobile phone if you want to jump to a new network.
Our recommended flagship: Galaxy S24 series
Damien Wilde / Android Authority
Samsung’s shiny Galaxy S24 devices sit at the top of this list of the best T-Mobile phones. The Galaxy S flagships have long offered a taste of just how good Android can be and the Galaxy S24 is even better than ever with new design and material changes for the Ultra and plenty of smaller but still meaningful improvements for the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus as well.
The phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and all three can connect to T-Mobile’s 5G network. You also get an IP68 rating, wireless charging, and an in-display fingerprint scanner regardless of the three phones you go for. If you opt for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, you also get an S Pen and a 200MP primary camera.
Our recommended mid-ranger: Pixel 7a
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The Google Pixel 7a is easily one of the best midrange phones available right now. There are quite a few improvements to the Pixel 7a from its predecessor such as the move to a 90Hz display and the introduction of wireless charging, even if it’s fairly limited at just 7.5W speeds. The main camera is equally great thanks to a combination of Google’s AI trickery and the new 64MP sensor onboard.
As for raw power? The Pixel series doesn’t usually try to compete here but the Tensor G2 is still a fairly high-end chip for a budget device, largely thanks to its unique AI capabilities. Just be aware this phone can overheat during heavy use.
Our favorite budget option: Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Galaxy A23 5G
If you’re on a budget and don’t demand a lot from your phone, the Galaxy A23 5G might be up your alley. Its specs won’t blow your socks off, but the handset still has more than enough power for everyday tasks like browsing the web, watching videos, and checking social media at 5G speeds.
The device’s screen is quite large, coming in at 6.6 inches with a Full HD+ resolution. Four cameras at the back get the job done, just don’t expect the world from them — especially in low-light situations. Other specs and features include up to 128GB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery, and Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.1 on top.
The phone is also equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, supports expandable storage, and has a headphone jack.
Want T-Mobile’s service on a budget?
You don’t have to sign up for T-Mobile to get access to the T-Mobile network.Check out the table below for a few of our favorite alternatives to T-Mobile that still use the same reliable network.
| Google Fi | Metro by T-Mobile | Mint Mobile | Straight Talk | US Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost | Google Fi Flexible plan starts at $20 for one line and $10 per GB of data | Metro by T-Mobile $60 for one line | Mint Mobile Plans start at $25 per month after intro promo | Straight Talk Basic plans start at $30 per month | US Mobile Build your own plan for as little as $5 per month |
Talk & Text | Google Fi Unlimited | Metro by T-Mobile Unlimited | Mint Mobile Unlimited | Straight Talk Basic plan includes 1,500 minutes | US Mobile As little as 75 minutes and 50 texts |
Data | Google Fi Pay per GB on the Flexible plan | Metro by T-Mobile Unlimited up to 35GB | Mint Mobile 3GB for $25 | Straight Talk Basic plan includes 100MB | US Mobile As little as 50MB |
Hotspot | Google Fi Full-speed available at per GB rate | Metro by T-Mobile 15GB included | Mint Mobile Included with your data cap | Straight Talk 10GB hotspot included with unlimited (Not available with AT&T SIMs) | US Mobile Included with custom plans |
International | Google Fi Flexible includes unlimited texts, low rate for calls, $10 per GB | Metro by T-Mobile Available as an add-on | Mint Mobile Calling to Mexico and Canada | Straight Talk Global calling cards available | US Mobile Up to 10GB free |
Extras | Google Fi Flexible plan has a monthly cost cap | Metro by T-Mobile Google One membership | Mint Mobile Free SIM Card | Straight Talk None | US Mobile Pick your perks with multi-line unlimited plans |
Google Fi Wireless
Google’s carrier is an excellent fit if you plan to pay per gig or expect to go abroad often. With monthly bill limits, you’ll never pay past a certain point, even if you use mountains of data. Thanks to Google Fi’s reliance on multiple networks, you can always get the best signal available — even abroad. Now, you can choose from two unlimited plans to save money without sacrificing access.
Metro by T-Mobile
We’ve already mentioned Metro as a T-Mobile prepaid alternative, but its perks and plans make the MVNO a solid choice no matter your needs. If you opt for unlimited service, you’ll be rewarded with 15GB of hotspot included as well as Google One and Amazon Prime memberships. Unfortunately, you’ll have to head into a Metro store to sign up for most services.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile, the carrier owned by Ryan Reynolds, is an affordable alternative for service if you want to save some money. Plans range from 4GB to unlimited, and you’ll never pay more than $35 per month for one line of service. You may not get much by way of extra perks, but if you sign up for multi-month plans, you’ll save even more money.
Straight Talk
One of the easiest MVNOs to sign up for, Straight Talk, is available at most Walmart locations and actually supports most of the primary carriers. You can go for a limited talk option with just a little bit of data or spend more for unlimited service. Affordability is critical, so you’ll pay a bit extra for bonus features like international access, but Straight Talk is an easy way to grab the basics.
US Mobile
If you want a plan that’s perfectly tailored to your needs, US Mobile is the way to go. You can choose your ideal level of talk, text, and data for as little as $5 per month or go unlimited for $40. 5G access will cost you a little extra, but it’s nice to know that it’s available. When you add multiple lines of unlimited, you’ll get the chance to add subscription services like Disney Plus, Spotify, and PlayStation Plus.
Does T-Mobile offer any special discounts?
T-Mobile offers special discounts if you’re in the military, a first responder, or over the age of 55. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Unlimited 55 is for those 55 and older. This discount applies to Essentials, Magenta, Magenta Max, and the new Go5G plans. The exact discount will vary. As an example, two lines of Essentials 55 will run you $37.50 a piece versus $40 for each line on the standard Essentials plan.
- Military discounts apply to Magenta and Go5G plans. You’ll get military discounts on any of the plans under these umbrellas. The exact discount will vary. For example, you’ll pay $100 for four lines of Magenta. That would cost you $160 normally, so the discount is pretty substantial. Keep in mind only one member has to be active military to qualify.
- First responder plans apply to Magenta and Go5G plans. As long as one member of your family is a first responder, everyone will get the discounts here. The exact savings vary, just like with the other options above. Actual discounted rates are the same as the military discount.
Frequently asked questions
The least expensive T-mobile plan is the prepaid Connect option. You’ll get 1000 minutes, 1,500 texts, and 1GB of data for just $10 a month.
Yes, as long as it’s unlocked. If you’re switching from another carrier you’ll want to make sure the phone can be unlocked and is compatible with T-Mobile’s network.
This question used to be a lot easier to answer before the Sprint and T-Mobile merger. Deutsche Telekom is still the majority owner of the new T-Mobile, controlling around 43%. Softbank is the second-largest controlling part, with roughly a 24% cut. Outside shareholders hold the rest of the shares.
You can unlock your T-Mobile phone for use with another network as long as you meet specific requirements, including an account in good standing, a fully paid device active on the network for at least 40 days for post-paid accounts, and a few other hoops for prepaid. For more specific instructions, head over to T-Mobile.
Technically, T-Mobile supports GSM alongside its LTE and 5G standards.
Yes. You can use data to your heart’s content and still get prioritized above other customers. That’s the advantage of paying a premium, we suppose.
Most likely, yes. While Verizon is a CMDA carrier and T-Mobile runs on GSM, the former’s devices are typically designed with all the necessary GSM bands (for use while traveling, etc.). Be sure to check out the specific Verizon phone in question and make sure it can run on the same bands required by T-Mobile in your area.
Obviously, the answer to this varies on what you’re looking for and where in the US you live. That said, don’t assume it won’t work well if you tried T-Mobile years ago and found it wasn’t powerful in your area. Years ago, T-Mobile was best suited for urban areas, but with changes to its network (including the purchase of Sprint), this is no longer the case. Consult T-Mobile’s coverage map for more details.
Yes, T-Mobile supports Wi-Fi calling on its network.
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