While we can’t say T-Mobile is better for everyone, we do think it’s the more impressive company overall right now, offering the fastest data speeds, highest data caps, and cheapest prices. But AT&T may be a better option for some, especially those that need good 4G coverage in rural areas.
Data: Your phone is a lot less smart when you run out of 4G LTE/5G data. Get a plan with a data cap high enough to support all your streaming and scrolling. Price: Make sure you’re not overpaying for your cell phone plan by checking comparison tools like the WhistleOut charts we use in this article. Coverage: Peep these coverage maps to see how different networks look in your area. Be sure to consider both 4G and 5G coverage. Perks: There are perks, like mobile hotspot data, that may be essential for some customers. Others, like a free HBO MAX subscription, are just a nice bonus. Check the fine print to make sure your plan has all the features you need.
Both companies have three flagship unlimited plans that can be categorized into three tiers. We’ll look at all three tiers and figure out which company offers a better plan in each one. Check out the first-tier options for yourself right here. With a deprioritized data plan, your speeds will always be subject to slowdowns. Basically, when the network gets busy, you get kicked to the back of the line. Those who pay for pricier plans will still see 4G/5G data speeds in the 20-40 Mbps range, while yours can drop as low as 3-5 Mbps, making it hard to stream and even load web pages. So, if you need reliable high-speed data, you might want to check out the tier two and tier three plans. If you don’t mind occasional data slowdowns, then T-Mobile Essentials is probably the better choice here, if only because it’s $5 cheaper. And this brings us to the biggest difference between T-Mobile and AT&T’s mid-tier plans: the Magenta plan gives you a full 100 GB of high-speed 4G/5G data and the Unlimited Extra plan gives you just half that, or 50 GB. That’s not a trivial difference. Take a look at the plans for yourself here. Despite AT&T perks, T-Mobile’s Magenta plan seems like the better option in this category for two simple reasons: it’s $5 cheaper and it offers twice as much high-speed data. High-band 5G can get to speeds of 100+ Mbps (probably faster than your home internet), while low-band 5G is only slightly faster than 4G data speeds. AT&T’s 5G network is almost all low-band, while T-Mobile has a mix of low and high-wave technology. Both the Magenta MAX and Unlimited Elite plans come with truly unlimited talk, text, and high-speed data, no deprioritization, throttling, or data caps. Check it out. There are a few other features of note in these two powerful plans. The AT&T plan will give you a free HBO Max Subscription while the T-Mobile plan gives you a Netflix subscription. Both plans come with 40 GB of high-speed hotspot data. If you’re sitting there thinking that these plans seem nearly identical, you’re right. They both offer truly unlimited data, 40 GB of hotspot data, and a free streaming subscription. And yes, they’re both $85 a month. So it really comes down to other factors when choosing which plan is right for you. Do you prefer T-Mobile’s faster data speeds or AT&T slightly better 4G coverage? Both companies offer significant savings on unlimited data plans when you add lines, but T-Mobile’s discounts are better at every level. Check out this chart showing the prices for different unlimited data family plans with four lines. For example, if you get four lines on the Magenta MAX plan it will cut the cost of each line in half! Instead of paying $340 for four separate lines, you’ll pay just $170 for a family plan with four lines. Nice. AT&T’s family plan deals are also awesome, even if they cost a bit more. So, no matter which phone carrier you decide to go with, we suggest adding additional lines. Other than the cost savings, these plans are basically exactly the same as the individual plans we covered in detail above. In some cases, you’ll get additional perks (like a free Netflix subscription on T-Mobile Essentials when you have 2+ lines), but these are minor details. According to our own speed tests from over 100,000 mobile customers, T-Mobile is comfortably in first place. AT&T comes in third (or last place), well behind Verizon Wireless. When it comes to 5G data speeds, we’ll rely on the latest 5G User Experience Report from OpenSignal. It states that, “for the first time, T-Mobile wins Opensignal’s award for 5G Download Speed. Our T-Mobile users saw average 5G download speeds of 58.1 Mbps ahead of AT&T’s score of 53.8 Mbps and Verizon on 47.4 Mbps.”1 In short, if you care about having crystal clear HD streaming, lag-free gaming, and seamless Facetime video, then T-Mobile is the carrier for you. Now, look back at those coverage maps and click only the box at the bottom that says “5G”. All of a sudden T-Mobile’s coverage looks a lot better, right? The company has a clear edge when it comes to 5G network infrastructure. It can be hard to get a hold of a real human being, and once you do they may spend more energy trying to upsell you on a new plan than on actually helping you with your issue (I speak from personal experience). So, this is one category where both companies could improve. That said, if you do need to contact AT&T or T-Mobile about an issue, these are the best ways to do it. T-Mobile customer service
Call 1-800-937-8997 Tag @TMobileHelp on Twitter Visit t-mobile.com/customers/customer-care Use the T-Mobile app for iOS or Android
AT&T customer service
Call 1-800-331-0500 Tag @ATTCares on Twitter Visit att.com/support/ Post in a community forum
Here’s a quick section-by-section recap for the TLDR crowd.
Plans: T-Mobile and AT&T have similar plans when it comes to the features they offer, but T-Mobile’s prices are usually a bit lower while offering higher data caps. Family plans: You can save money by bundling up in a family plan with both companies, but you’ll save more with T-Mobile. Data performance: T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G data speeds are the best in the industry. AT&T’s are usually ranked the slowest. Coverage: AT&T’s 4G coverage is better than T-Mobile’s especially in rural areas, but T-Mobile’s 5G coverage is building out faster.
We used our own proprietary data from over 100,000 customers to evaluate 4G speeds and we used the latest OpenSignal report to rate 5G speeds. Along with this data, we used our hands-on experience and publicly available plan information to evaluate AT&T and T-Mobile. We appreciate you putting your trust in our analysis and recommendations, and we would love to hear any feedback you have for us in the comment section below. But, when it comes to 5G coverage, T-Mobile actually takes the gold medal. Ever since acquiring Sprint, T-Mobile’s 5G (and 4G) network have expanded rapidly.
