Summary:
You're paying too much for your cell phone plan.
I know because I've been reviewing plans for over a decade.
I also currently have 30+ lines costing over $800 a month.
I sign up for cell phone plans so you don't have to.
Here's the good news:
Let me show you.
Before we dive into the best plans, I think it's important we answer two key questions:
Let's dive in.
You're probably wondering, "how can one carrier charge $25 for unlimited data while another charges $65?"
Seems too good to be true, right?
It's not.
Here's what's going on.
The United States has three major carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
These major carriers are called Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) because they build and operate their own cellular networks. Think putting up cell towers, buying spectrum licenses, and maintaining network infrastructure.
Building a cellular network is expensive.
It costs billions of dollars per year.
To recover those costs, the MNOs charge premium prices. Their plans range from $65 to $100 per month for a single line.
Not everyone can afford those high prices.
And not everyone has the credit score to be eligible for the postpaid plans.
So what do the MNOs do to make more money and get more customers?
They do two things:
Instead of lowering their own prices and hurting their premium reputation, the MNOs create separate brands to target budget-conscious consumers.
These carrier-owned prepaid brands are known as flanker brands.
A flanker brand is when a large company creates or buys a second brand to target a different market segment.
Think of Proctor & Gamble. They own multiple hair care brands:
All brands sell the same product. Shampoo.
But they all have different branding, marketing, and price points to appeal to different consumer demographics.
That's exactly what the MNOs are doing with their prepaid brands.
And that's why Visible can offer unlimited data for $25. It's not competing with Verizon. It's competing with Cricket and Metro for price-conscious customers.
You can use these prepaid brands to get identical coverage for less money.
The second strategy the MNOs use is they sell network access to independent carriers called Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).
These MVNOs buy minutes, texts, and data in bulk, then package them into affordable plans.
MVNOs keep costs low with a few other strategies as well:
One more thing to cover before we get to the plans though:
How do you choose a cell phone plan?
Choosing a cell phone plan is easier than it looks.
You only need to answer four questions.
If you have one or two lines, the plans in this post are perfect. If you have three or more, check out my guide on the best family plans.
The average person in North America uses about 25 gigabytes (GB) per month according to Ericsson's 2025 mobility report.
A plan with 25GB to 30GB should cover most people.
In fact, I've heard from industry experts that 8GB-15GB is more in line with what most people need.
Helium Mobile even advertises their Air plan with 10GB of data is perfect for 85% of Americans.
My point:
You may need less data than you think.
You can check your exact usage in your phone’s settings.
By seeing EXACTLY how much data you need per month, you won't overpay for data you don't need. This will save you a LOT of money.
This one is easy. If you're happy with your current network, just keep it and switch to a cheaper plan on the same network.
Not sure which network is best in your area?
Download the free Coverage Map app, available on iPhone (4.7 stars) and Android (4.1 stars).
Enter your location, and the app will show you a breakdown of coverage percentages and real-world data speeds on the different networks in your area.
You can also browse interactive maps to compare coverage.
The main differences between plans come down to the amount of high-speed data, hotspot data, included perks, and international features.
I put together a free worksheet that lists every feature so you can check off your must-haves and nice-to-haves.
You can then filter plans by exactly what features you need.
Once you have these four questions answered, you're ready to pick the best cell phone plan for you.
Speaking of which, let's now dive in to my top picks for the best cell phone plans of 2026.
Why it wins:
US Mobile Unlimited Starter Dark Star is my top pick in 2026.
Why?
It goes above and beyond with superb features at an industry-best price.
It comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited high-speed data for $25 per month. Taxes included.
You also get 20GB of hotspot data. That's more hotspot than the $25 plans from Total Wireless (15GB), Metro by T-Mobile (no hotspot), and Cricket Wireless (also no hotspot).
US Mobile's plan even allows up to 4K video streaming. That's better than the 480p quality on other similarly priced plans. YouTube videos will look crisp. TikTok videos and Instagram Reels will load fast.
I use US Mobile for my personal phone number, and one of the things I love most is their online account dashboard.
It's easy to track your data usage, swap your eSIM to a new phone, or manage add-ons.
US Mobile also offers its unique multi-network add-on. This lets you add a secondary eSIM to your phone on another network.
The Unlimited Starter Dark Star plan is on AT&T, so you could add a second eSIM on either T-Mobile (Light Speed) or Verizon (Warp).
The add-on gives you get 70GB of shared multi-network data. You can toggle between your primary and secondary network as much as you want for up to 70GB of total usage. After 70GB, you will continue getting unlimited high-speed data on the AT&T network.
No other carrier offers this feature.
It's a great way to expand your coverage for an affordable price.
And what's the whole point of a cell phone plan? To keep you connected wherever you are.
US Mobile offers the annual version of their Unlimited Starter Dark Star plan for just $22.50/month ($270 up front).
Get started with US Mobile Unlimited Starter Dark Star
Why it wins:
Helium Mobile's Zero plan is my pick for the best budget option.
How come?
Quite simply, it's the most affordable month-to-month plan out there.
The plan itself is free. You just pay for taxes and fees. This varies by market. In my area, my bill came to $2.20 after all taxes and fees.
Do you get a whole lot with this plan?
No, absolutely not.
But it still has some bare essentials. You get 100 minutes, 300 texts, and 1GB of cellular data usage on the T-Mobile network.
You also get 2GB of additional usage on Helium Mobile's WiFi hotspots.
Get started with Helium Mobile Zero
Why it wins:
If you're a parent, you're probably searching for the best cell phone plan to keep your child connected at an affordable price.
US Mobile's 2GB plan is for you.
It comes with unlimited minutes and texts so your child can always reach you.
Plus, 2GB is enough data for light music streaming, web browsing, and most importantly, Google Maps navigation. Your kid will never get lost again.
US Mobile is also unique in that they offer coverage on all three networks, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You get to pick which network you want when you activate the plan. That means you can put your child on the network with the best coverage in your area.
If you're unsure which network is best where you live, enter your location on CoverageMap.com to instantly see how the networks stack up.
Parents will also love that US Mobile gives them tools to turn off cellular data entirely and block texts, turning this into a distraction-free call-only plan.
As a bonus, US Mobile also offers a standalone watch plan if you want to give your child a connected watch instead of a phone.
Either way, both plans are excellent for kids and parents, and they cost just $10 or less.
Get started with US Mobile 2GB
Why it wins:
MobileX offers the most customizable plan in the industry.
Seriously.
You can choose how many minutes and texts you want. You can purchase data by the gigabyte. You can get on-demand priority data anytime you need a superior network experience.
You can customize your video streaming quality from 480p to 720p to 1080p all the way up to 4K.
And there are affordable add-ons for international calling and international data roaming.
The MobileX app also lets you easily monitor your data usage and toggle on or off automatic top-ups.
And, at any point during your billing cycle, you can check the AI Forecaster to see about how much data you need per month and get a new plan perfectly tailored to your needs.
No plan gives you this many options or features at such a great price.
Here is MobileX's pricing:
It's an excellent option for lighter users.
Plus, MobileX gives you 10 days free if you sign up with their AI plan, which learns your usage patterns and then suggests the perfect plan for you.
Get started with a custom MobileX plan
Why it wins:
Before we dive into the awesomeness of the Visible+ plan, you're probably wondering, what is priority data?
Priority data is an allotment of data that is treated like "first-class traffic" on the network.
Think of it like a highway with an express lane. Users with priority data stay in the fast lane. Everyone else merges into slower traffic.
Having priority data makes the biggest difference in areas with a lot of congestion. Think concerts, sports games, your uncle Ted's blowout block party.
If traffic is light on the network, then having priority data won't make a difference over having a deprioritized plan.
But if you DO want priority data, Visible+ is my top pick.
With Visible+ you get unlimited priority data on the Verizon network. That's the same network experience as the $80 Verizon Unlimited Plus plan.
Visible+ also gives you unlimited hotspot data at 10 Mbps, 1080p video streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband (and 720p video streaming on LTE or 5G Nationwide), and the option to add a smartwatch line for $10 extra.
International roaming is also included. You get one free international day per month with the ability to accumulate up to 12 free days per year.
It's a great plan.
Visible's current discount drops the price to $30/month for 5 years, which is excellent. Use code "5OFF5" if you want that applied.
You can also grab the annual version of this plan for $31.25/month, or $375 up front for the year.
This is the plan I would switch to if I were to switch plans right now.
Why it wins:
If you're a heavy hotspot user, you're going to want to check out Visible+ Pro.
This plan comes with truly unlimited hotspot data with speeds at 15 Mbps.
That's plenty fast for web browsing, streaming videos, watching movies, playing games, Zoom calls, and more.
There were some mornings here in Colorado where I would go out and do work while watching the sunrise. I'd hotspot off my Visible+ Pro plan during those times, and it worked great.
The rest of the plan have Visible+ Pro rivaling the top-tier Verizon plans.
It comes with:
Oh yeah, and it's all just $45 per month with taxes included.
You can even get it for $40/month with the current 5OFF5 promo code, or as low as $37.50/month with the annual plan ($490 upfront).
Why it wins:
Ultra Mobile's unlimited plan is my top pick for international calling.
It includes free unlimited international calls to landline and mobile numbers in 51 countries, landline-only numbers in 38 countries, and mobile-only numbers in 3 countries.
That's 92 countries total.
And if your country isn't on the list?
The unlimited plan comes with $10 of free international calling credit that you can use to call all other countries at low-cost pay-per-minute rates.
Ultra Mobile's Unlimited plan also has two key advantages that make it my top pick.
First, it's one of the few plans with truly unlimited high-speed data here in the United States. You'll never need to worry about your data usage.
Second, Ultra Mobile runs on T-Mobile, which is known for having better compatibility with international models of phones.
This is important because people who may need international calling are likely visiting from other countries. They are going to want to make sure international model phone works well while in the U.S.
Ultra Mobile's Unlimited plan starts at $49 per month. You can grab it for as low as $40 per month with the annual option ($480 upfront).
If it turns out you don't need truly unlimited data, you can get Ultra Mobile's 8GB plan for $24 per month. This comes with the exact same international calling features, except for $1.50 of calling credit instead of $10.
Get started with Ultra Mobile Unlimited
Why it wins
US Mobile's Unlimited Premium Light Speed plan is a legend for international travelers.
It comes with 20GB of free international roaming data that works in over 180 countries.
That's 4x more international data than T-Mobile Experience More ($85/month), and 5GB more than T-Mobile Experience Beyond ($100/month) and Verizon Unlimited Ultimate ($90/month).
US Mobile gives you more data for half the price.
Plus, you get 200 free minutes with US Mobile's plan. International calls on T-Mobile's plans are $0.25 per minute, and even the popular Google Fi Unlimited Premium plan charges $0.20 per minute.
US Mobile's plan is great within the United States, too.
It comes with unlimited minutes and texts, unlimited high-speed data, 50GB of hotspot data, and 4K video streaming.
It rivals T-Mobile Experience More for features, but costs $30 less.
US Mobile Unlimited Premium Light Speed is also available as an annual plan. The annual option is $32.50/month ($390 upfront), which is ridiculously good.
This is the most affordable plan with the most international roaming data included.
So grab your bags.
Get started with US Mobile Unlimited Premium Light Speed
Why it wins:
AT&T Unlimited Starter SL remains the best option for families in 2026.
It comes with the essentials you need: unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited high-speed data.
You also get 5GB of hotspot data, free roaming in Canada and Mexico, and options for paid international roaming add-ons as well.
The real benefit to AT&T Unlimited Starter SL is even though it is AT&T's most affordable plan, it is still AT&T's best device trade-in deals.
This is different from T-Mobile and Verizon, who limit their best device deals to their top-tier plans, which are substantially more expensive.
At the time of writing, this means you can trade in your old phone and get up to $1,100 off the iPhone 17 Pro Max, $1,249 off the Pixel 10 Pro XL, or $1,000 off the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
And you can do this every three years for all of your lines.
When you combine the cost of the plan with the cost of the phone, AT&T Unlimited Starter SL is the most affordable option of the big three carriers.
Families will also appreciate the ability to go to AT&T stores for help and support.
AT&T also offers numerous discounts, such as for teachers, nurses, first responders, and more, and sometimes you can get extra deals when you sign up through your local Costco.
It's a great plan that will save you a lot of money, and that's what I am all about.
