Best Cell-Phone Plans For 2023
It's easy to get excited about shopping for a new mobile phone. From powerful camera quality to shiny new screens, there's a lot to get pumped about in the cell phone market. But the world of phone plans has always been complex, and things aren't getting any easier now that more carriers are popping up across the US.
We can help you sort through which cell phone plans offer the best value for your needs in 2023 — low-cost cell phone plans, family cell phone plans, senior cell phone plans and more. Read our reviews and then click on the links to find out more.
Table of Contents
- Our Top Picks For Cell Phone Plans
- Best Cell Phone Plan Reviews
- Cell Phone Plans Guide
- How We Chose The Best Cell Phone Plans Of 2023
- Summary Of The Best Cell Phone Plans
Our Top Picks For Cell Phone Plans
With so much fierce competition between carriers, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to cell phone providers. So, we've rounded up some of our top picks for best cell phone plans, including the "Big Three" carriers — Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T — and a few underrated small carriers you might not have heard of.
When it comes to the major carriers, here's our choice for the best cell phone plans:
- Verizon Unlimited — $70/month per line ($30/month with five or more lines)
- Verizon 5G Play More — $164/month for four lines
- AT&T Unlimited Starter — $65/month per line ($30/month with five or more lines)
- AT&T Unlimited 55 Plus — $60/month per line ($80/month for two lines, 55+ only)
- T-Mobile Essentials — $60/month per line ($25/month with five or more lines)
- T-Mobile Magenta — $140/month for four lines
Any kind of unlimited data plan from a major carrier can get expensive quickly. However, a smaller provider can get you deals on cell phone plans that offer all the perks you want, from unlimited data to 5G speeds.
Here's the lowdown on a few of the best plans you can find from smaller providers:
- Mint Mobile — $30/month per line
- Visible — $30/month per line
- Ultra Mobile Talk & Text — $15/month for talk, text and 250MB of data
- Consumer Cellular Unlimited Talk & Text — Customizable data plans starting at $20/month
- Cricket Wireless Unlimited — $55/month per line
- Boost Mobile Unlimited — $50/month per line
That wasn't so hard, was it? Now you have all the tools you need to find the perfect cell phone plan.
Except it's not quite that simple. There's a lot more you need to know before you commit. Read on for an in-depth breakdown of the top-rated cell phone plans, including reviews, prices and recommendations on the best plans for families, seniors and budgeters.
Best Cell Phone Plan Reviews
After combing through all the plans available, we found the ones with the most perks and value — and then split them into categories. Whether you want something as cheap as possible, a plan with unlimited data or a home service for a family of four, there's a plan out there for everyone.
Let's review everything you need to know about the best cell phone plans of 2023.
Unlimited Plans
Everyone's wireless needs are different, but there are so many reasons to choose an unlimited data-only cell plan. No more worrying about running out of data on the go, let alone paying the expensive overage fees.
Here are the top two cell phone data plans that offer unlimited everything — talk, text and data.
Out of all the Verizon cell phone plans, the Verizon Unlimited plan is the most comprehensive. Starting at $70 per month for one line, it includes high-speed 5G access and unlimited talk, text and data. But the more lines you add, the cheaper it gets — $60 per month for two lines, $45 per month for three, $35 per month for four and $30 per month for five or more lines.
So, Verizon's mobile unlimited plan can be a great deal but tends to be more expensive than the other carriers if you only pay for only one line. Also, some plans come with extras, like HD streaming, home internet savings, and between 25 and 50 gigabytes of hotspot data, but these extra upgrades come with a fee of about $10 to $20 per line.
As one of the major carriers, AT&T offers stiff competition for the best unlimited phone plan. The AT&T Unlimited Starter plan comes in at $65 per month for 5G access and unlimited talk, text and data. It also includes some perks, like three gigabytes of hotspot data per month and unlimited talk, text and data in and between Mexico and Canada.
Just like the other big carriers, the more lines you add, the cheaper AT&T cell phone plans get. It's $60 per month for two lines, $45 per month for three, $35 per month for four and $30 per month for five or more.
The catch, however, is that the starter plan isn't necessarily unlimited. While you get unlimited access to data, it isn't high-speed — the carrier may slash your data speed if the network is busy.
If you want access to 50 gigabytes of premium, high-speed data, you'll need to opt into the extra plan starting at $75 per month per line. The premium plan offers truly unlimited high-speed data, starting at $85 per month per line.
Family Plans
It might seem daunting to get the whole family hooked up on the same plan, but you can use family size to your advantage. By tapping into the best family cell phone plans, you can use multiple lines to grab great savings.
Many of these plans also offer access to free entertainment perks, making the deal even sweeter. That said, plenty of family plans offer perks you don't need — at an additional cost you can't afford. So it's important to compare family cell phone plans to find what works for you.
Let's take a closer look and compare the plans with the best value.
As one of the best family cell phone plans with four lines, T-Mobile's Magenta plan is full of value for bigger families. Normally, a family of four would pay $160 per month under T-Mobile's usual pricing, but they offer a perk for people with more than two lines — dropping the cost of the third line. This cuts the cost down to $140 per month for four people, or $35 per line.
In addition to the low price, this plan is jam-packed with extras. You'll get unlimited 5G data along with free Netflix, a free year of Paramount Plus and six months of Apple TV Plus.
It might not be the cheapest plan, but Verizon's 5G Play More plan can be a great deal for families of four or more. $164 per month gets you a family cell phone plan with four lines, including access to 5G coverage.
However, the real highlight of this plan is the bevy of perks added on. The 5G coverage includes access to Verizon's Ultra Wideband service, bringing you lightning-fast speeds. It also comes with access to Disney's streaming services, a six-month Apple Music trial and an online gaming subscription from Apple or Google.
The Play More plan is a great balance of cost and perks for families. If you want truly unlimited data that isn't throttled after 50 gigabytes, you can opt for the more expensive 5G Get More plan.
Senior Plans
According to Pew Research, 97 percent of people older than 50 have their own cell phones. That's no small number. But with smartphone plans often costing more than $70 a month for a single line, it isn't always easy for older folks to get the coverage they need.
That's why we've rounded up the best and most affordable cell phone plans for seniors.
Consumer Cellular makes its plans accessible to the 55+ market, offering flexible and low-cost cell phone plans for seniors. Whatever services you need, they have a plan that won't break the bank.
All plans include unlimited talk and text. The real highlight of their offerings, however, is their customizable data. Depending on how much data you need, you can opt into a plan that ranges from $20 to $50 per month. Choose between one gigabyte and 20 gigabytes, or choose their unlimited data plan for $50.
Consumer Cellular also doesn't charge overage fees. If you underestimate the amount of data you need, you won't be hit by over-the-top fees and charges. Instead, going over the monthly allowance will get you bumped up to the next-highest plan.
At only $60 per month, the AT&T Unlimited 55 Plus plan seems like a steal compared to their regular unlimited plans. With it, you get unlimited data, calls and text lines — and if you upgrade to two lines, you can get it for only $80 per month. 5G service is included at no extra cost, as well as spam and fraud blocking.
There's just one pretty big restriction. You have to be over age 55 and living in Florida. If you don't live in Florida, you can still get one or two lines through AT&T, but it won't have this kind of discount.
Affordable Plans
Let's face it. We don't all have $60 to $80 to shell out on a full-perks unlimited plan each month. If you're someone with more of a budget-conscious lifestyle, you might be looking for ways to find deals on cell phone plans. Plus, it's not always easy to know which plans offer the best value, especially when there are restrictions on data usage in the fine print.
That's why we're here to find you the cheapest cell phone plans that meet your needs. Here are the best cheap cell phone plans for you and your wallet.
If you don't want to shell out a lot of money but want a lot of data, Mint Mobile's unlimited data plan offers a great bang for your buck. It costs only $30 per month for one line to get 5G access on T-Mobile's network.
There's just one drawback. This $30 per month rate is a new customer offer, which you get to keep for the first three months. To stick with that number, you need to commit to a full year of service after the three-month trial. If you only want to commit for another three months, the price increases to $40 per month. For a six-month commitment, it's $35 per month.
While it's one of the cheapest unlimited plans, you can still expect some usage restrictions. Mint Mobile may restrict your speed if you've used more than 35 gigabytes of data in any given month.
While T-Mobile is one of the "Big Three," their unlimited plan is among the more affordable options, especially for multiple lines. The T-Mobile Essentials Plan offers 5G speeds and unlimited talk, text and data at $60 per month for one line. The Essentials plan also includes an unlimited mobile hotspot, although it might drag slower than other options with 3G speeds.
The savings you can get with T-Mobile Essentials also adds up the more lines you add. With two lines, you only pay $90 total — or $45 per line — and that number only goes down. The third is free when you get two lines, so a three-line cell phone plan also has a $90 total. Four lines are $100 total (about $25 per line) and five or more lines are $125 ($25 per line or less).
The one drawback, however, is that there's a limit to the amount of "premium" data you get with the basic plan. It comes with 50 gigabytes of premium data, but you could be subject to slowdowns after that. To get 100 gigabytes of premium data, you'll need to upgrade to the $70 per month Magenta plan. For fully unlimited premium data, it's $85 per month for Magenta Max.
Prepaid Phone Plans
There are so many reasons why you might not want to be tied down by a contract. While you won't get the same perks as you would with a contract, prepaid phone plans let you take things month by month. If you ever need to stop your phone service or jump to another plan, you have the flexibility to change your mind.
Here are the best prepaid phone plans of 2023.
With Visible's unlimited plan, you get something that few carriers provide on their basic prepaid cell phone plans: truly unlimited data for only $30 per month, no contract required.
Many carriers either have usage restrictions, throttling your speed once you pass a certain amount of data each month. With Visible's plan, you get 5G phone data and a hotspot that's truly unlimited, with zero restrictions. That being said, there's still a drawback. Visible uses what's known as "deprioritized" data. Priority for limited cell tower bandwidth goes to Verizon's higher-priority customers, which means you might get slower speeds in congested areas, regardless of signal strength.
If you want to stay on Visible's plan but avoid the deprioritization, you can upgrade to Visible+ for an extra $15/month. This plan offers the same benefits, like unlimited data and an unlimited hotspot, but with a premium network experience and 5G Ultra Wideband for even faster speeds.
With no annual contract and no overage fees, Cricket Wireless Unlimited is a no-frills prepaid phone plan for someone seeking unlimited data on a budget.
At $55 per month — only $50 per month with AutoPay — you get unlimited high-speed data, including 5G. If you upgrade to the $60 per month plan, that includes a 15-gigabyte mobile hotspot and perks like HBO Max and 150 gigabytes of cloud storage.
Low Data Phone Plans
While there's no shortage of unlimited data options on the market, not everybody needs that much to work with. Whether you have home WiFi or you just don't need to access data on your cell phone, there are some cheap, no-frills plans to choose from that can match your data needs.
Here are the best low-data phone plans on the market today.
For anyone with flexible data needs, Boost Mobile is a great option. Their cheapest plans offer one gigabyte of data for less than $10 per month.
For those with higher data needs, $15 gets you two gigabytes, $25 gets you five gigabytes and $35 gets you 10 gigabytes. If you want unlimited, their $50 per month plan includes up to 35 gigabytes of 5G or 4G LTE data and a 12-gigabyte mobile hotspot. $60 gets you the same, along with an upgraded hotspot of up to 30 gigabytes.
While it's definitely more limited compared to some of the more expensive options, this can be a low-cost choice for someone who doesn't have high data needs. It also has no contracts, so you're not locked into anything long-term.
The Ultra Mobile Talk & Text plan is a great option for anyone who doesn't need much data at all. For the ultra-low price of $15 per month, you get unlimited talk and text on the T-Mobile 5G network. There's just one catch — the data is capped at 250 megabytes. The rest will be pretty slow at 3G.
Now, to be clear, that's not a lot of data. But this is a great way to save money for someone who mostly uses their phones to text and call or only needs to make the occasional Google search.
Other Services We Considered
That long list just about covers our recommendations for the best cell phone plans. But there were a few honorable mentions. They might not have made the top ranking, but they come in a close second.
Here are a few other phone services that almost made the list.
Google Fi Unlimited Plus
Google Fi's unlimited plan isn't one of the most affordable, but it's a solid choice for unlimited data. If you're a traveler, this plan is the perfect option.
At $50 per month, you get unlimited talk, text and data, and 5G speeds on eligible phones. You also get extra perks, like a year of Youtube Premium. But the real standout of Google Fi's plan is the international coverage. The Unlimited Plus plan doesn't charge extra for texting or using data in more than 200 countries, making this the perfect choice for anyone using frequent flier miles.
Spectrum Unlimited
Another solid option for unlimited data is Spectrum's cell phone plans — Unlimited and Unlimited Plus. If you're already a Spectrum internet customer, you can add mobile phone services for a decent price.
The Unlimited plan offers unlimited talk, text and 5G data for $29, with data speeds restricted after 20 gigabytes. If you want more freedom to surf and stream, the Unlimited Plus goes for $40 per month but doesn't cap your speed until you hit 30 gigabytes a month.
Xfinity Unlimited Plan
If you're already getting your internet from the nation's largest provider — Xfinity (previously Comcast) — then why not bundle your phone service to get an Xfinity cell phone plan? With Xfinity mobile's cell phone plans, you can tap into Verizon's network at a low cost.
At $45 per month for unlimited data on one line, it certainly comes at an attractive price. Once you add extra lines, the cost drops to $30 per line. For times when you know you won't need full unlimited data, you can make a temporary switch to pay-as-you-go pricing.
With that being said, there's one major restriction. It's only available to people who are already Xfinity internet customers. So if you aren't already on their internet service, you're out of luck.
Simple Mobile Unlimited Family Plan
If you're looking for the best cell phone plan for two lines, look no further than one of the many Walmart cell phone plans carried in-store: Simple Mobile.
For smaller families, finding deals on phone plans can be a struggle. Having only one or two lines with some major carriers can come with a high price tag. With Simple Mobile's Unlimited Family Plan, you can get two lines for only $75 — less than $40 each — making it one of the cheapest two-line plans.
The $75 price gets you access to unlimited high-speed data, five gigabytes of high-speed hotspot data and unlimited international calling. It's also easy and affordable to add more lines. You can add up to four lines at $25 each.
Cell Phone Plans Guide
Choosing The Right Cell Phone Plans
At the end of the day, the right choice comes down to your lifestyle, budget and preferences. This guide will break down all the factors you should consider to pick the right cell phone plan.
Expected Use
One of the most important factors to consider is expected use. You don't want to pay for unlimited data if you're only using a gig or two. Many people only use up to five gigabytes, especially if they have a WiFi connection at home.
But if you're always out and away from WiFi and need access to the Internet, data might be necessary. If you find yourself constantly stressing about exceeding data limits, maybe an unlimited plan is the more cost-effective choice.
Lines Needed
Are you setting up a data plan for your whole family or just fending for yourself? That can play a pretty big role in the kind of plan you choose.
Some of the bigger carriers, for example, have great deals for families of four or more. But those same carriers carry high monthly costs for just one or two users. Other plans, however, are designed for just one or two lines at an affordable price.
Budget
Budget, budget, budget. Everything depends on this question: How much are you willing to spend each month?
Some cell phone users might be looking to squeeze out the best deal, even if it means sacrificing data usage, speed or other benefits like mobile hotspots. For others though, extra perks like premium data, 5G speeds, mobile hotspots and other perks can be well worth the money.
Bonuses
As you might have noticed, some of these plans come with serious perks. From extra mobile hotspot data to streaming service subscriptions, the bonuses can help sweeten the deal if you're not sure about a certain plan.
If the bonus is something you already wanted to sign up for, like Netflix or HBO Max, bundling these subscriptions can even save you money.
Location
Depending on where you live, the network you choose can make or break your phone plan's success. Networks like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have strong coverage across the US. But there are always some areas where certain networks will be spottier than others. It's always a good idea to check coverage maps before making your final decision.
How We Chose The Best Cell Phone Plans Of 2023
At Digg, we take the job of tech recommendations very seriously. That's why we scoured the web to find some of the best phone plans with the best value for customers. We considered a wide range of factors, like the price, amount of data, talk and text capabilities, family plan options, hotspots, overage fees, additional features and added perks like subscriptions.
Not all phone plans are up-front about what they actually offer. Many unlimited plans aren't really unlimited — not when they come with drawbacks like speed throttling and deprioritization. That's why we dug deep into the fine print of each plan to give you the full picture of what you're buying into.
Summary Of The Best Cell Phone Plans
- Verizon Unlimited — $70/month per line ($30/month with five or more lines)
- Verizon 5G Play More — $164/month for four lines
- AT&T Unlimited Starter — $65/month per line ($30/month with five or more lines)
- AT&T Unlimited 55 Plus — $60/month per line ($80/month for two lines, 55+ only)
- T-Mobile Essentials — $60/month per line ($25/month with five or more lines)
- T-Mobile Magenta — $140/month for four lines
