Best phone carriers in 2022: top carriers and networks to choose from
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Intro
Latest carrier news:
- T-Mobile vs Verizon vs AT&T: so many new 5G and overall network experience tests, one big winner
- Verizon's affordable new Welcome Unlimited plan comes with all the 5G 'basics'
- AT&T knocks it out of the park with outstanding new 12-month prepaid plan
- Check out the top phones added and dropped by U.S. carriers
Also read:
- T-Mobile vs AT&T and Verizon unlimited 5G plans price comparison
- The best AT&T phones to buy
- Best Verizon phones to buy
- The best T-Mobile phones
Why do we have this list?
Choosing a phone and a carrier network has gradually become one of the most important decisions in both urban and rural lifestyles alike. A fancy phone is nothing without good network coverage at the places you live or frequent the most, so having a combination of the two is the ideal usage scenario and that's where the choice becomes challenging.
The US cell phone carriers, be it the big three - Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T - or their more affordable MVNO offshoots as well as independent regional carriers, offer different plan options, 4G and 5G coverage areas, or phone prices and promotions.
Since the rampant inflation forced carriers to raise both employee wages and plan prices to compensate, the choice of a carrier network and the variety of phones it offers has grown even further in importance.
We all want an affordable cell phone monthly bill without sacrificing coverage quality and extra plan perks like free streaming services, minutes and data in Mexico or Canada, as well as privacy and security options, not to mention quick and available customer service to manage those.
That is why we created this best 2022 phone carriers list to help you navigate the dizzying variety of networks, plan features, prices, phones, customer service, and coverage that the US carriers offer at any point in time.
How did we choose the best phone carrier of 2022?
- 4G/5G network coverage in rural and urban areas
- Family and individual plan prices
- Unlimited data options and throttling allotments
- Phone choices
- Extra plan perks such as streaming services
- Privacy and security plan features
To help you pick the best US phone carrier in 2022 we started with the most important thing - network coverage - which gets further broken down by the still ubiquitous 4G blanket, or the newfangled 5G option.
Bear in mind that both of these network generation standards differ from carrier to carrier and, ultimately, the best phone carrier for you is the one that has coverage where you live and travel, even if it is "only" 4G LTE, so there is no need to slave over brand names or phone promos.
Those unlimited 4G and 5G data plans come with different perks to further complicate the matter - from T-Mobile's generous Tuesday freebies, to AT&T's deprecated HBO Max subscription. Oops, not that one, as it recently got nixed in an ever-changing play of competitiveness.
In the very restricted in terms of phone brands on offer US market the variety of phones that the carriers offer matters even more, given that the vast majority of users shop for phones through carriers rather than go for unlocked handsets to bring over.
Last but not least, security safeguards over the privacy of your conversations, messages, browsing habits or app data should be considered in the never-ending quest to evade malicious software or stealth hacking tools. All of these criteria combined make the best US phone carrier of 2022 for some, but not others, so here's what we found.
Best phone carriers summary
- Verizon - the best rural coverage and overall network strength at the most expensive prices
- AT&T - second best coverage at competitive prices and the most phone choices
- T-Mobile - the leader in next-gen 5G network speeds and spread with the cheapest family plans, but with more limited total coverage
< T-Mobile 4G LTE coverage map
Verizon 4G LTE coverage map >
Verizon
- Cheapest Verizon 5G unlimited plan: $30/month 4-line family plan
- Best Verizon prepaid plan: $60 for 25GB data
- Verizon subscriber count: 143 million
- Verizon 5G coverage (millions of Americans): 110 million people covered by 5G Ultra Wideband, with 175 million expected by 2023
- Verizon median download speeds: 60 Mbps (Q2 2022 Speedtest by Ookla), 40.8 Mbps (H2 2021 by RootMetrics)
Verizon 4G LTE coverage map
The largest US carrier needs no introduction as not only does it offer the best network coverage, even in the rural boondocks, but also has the most reliable 4G fallback and plenty of perks to choose from with its admittedly expensive plan prices.
The next weak spot is the relatively limited number of phone options to choose from compared to the former GSM carriers like AT&T or T-Mobile, yet with the advent of 5G phones this issue is starting to fade away as they'll work on a different standard.
Verizon unlimited 5G plan price comparison
- Best cheap 5G plan on Verizon: Welcome unlimited priced at $120/month for four lines (no perks)
- Best premium Verizon 5G plan: Get More unlimited priced at $220/month for four lines with 9+ perks
| Verizon Welcome/Start | Verizon Play/Do More | Verizon Get More | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 line | $65/$70 | $80 | $90 |
| 2 lines | $110/$120 | $140 | $160 |
| 3 lines | $120/$135 | $165 | $195 |
| 4 lines | $120/$140 | $180 | $220 |
| 5 lines | $125/$150 | $200 | $250 |
| Throttling | Any time | > 50GB/50GB | None |
| Freebies | Disney+, discovery+, Apple Arcade and Apple Music for 6 months (only on Verizon Start) | Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ included (Play More) 50% off connected device plan (Do More) 600GB cloud storage (Do More) Apple Arcade or Google Play pass (Play More) 1 TravelPass/day per month | Apple Music, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ subscriptions included Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass 600GB cloud storage 50% off Unlimited connected device plans 1 TravelPass/day per month |
| Video streaming | SD (480p) | HD (720p)/SD (480p) | HD (720p) |
| Hotspot (per line) | 5GB (only on Verizon Start) | 25GB | 50GB |
AT&T
- Cheapest AT&T 5G unlimited plan: $35/month 4-line family plan
- Best AT&T prepaid plan: $50 for unlimited data with throttling during congestion
- AT&T Mobility subscriber count: 100.5 million
- AT&T 5G coverage (millions of Americans): 255 million
- AT&T median download speeds: 55 Mbps (Q2 2022 Speedtest by Ookla), 38 Mbps (H2 2021 by RootMetrics)
AT&T 4G LTE coverage map
The loving heir of Ma Bell's monopoly-busting spree in the eighties seemingly offers the sweet spot of network coverage, median speeds, and plan prices. While it's not as aggressive in marketing as the infamous Verizon vs T-Mobile spat, it nevertheless offers the second most robust rural network in the US, and the unlimited data pricing to match.
Granted, it also fell behind T-Mobile in 5G network rollout, but its solid 4G network has been improving leaps and bounds lately and compensates to the extent that for all intents and purposes AT&T offers the fastest median download speeds when both the 4G and 5G networks are taken into account.
Since it is the original GSM carrier, AT&T also has the widest choice of phones to pick from and most of the unlocked ones you'd bring to it would work, too, making it an ideal choice if you need compatibility for traveling abroad or landing in the US.
AT&T unlimited 5G plan price comparison
- Best cheap 5G plan on AT&T: Extra unlimited priced at $160/month for four lines
- Best AT&T 5G plan: Premium unlimited priced at $200/month for four lines with no throttling, 4K streaming, 50GB hotspot, and unlimited data in Latin America
| AT&T Starter | AT&T Extra | AT&T Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 line | $65 | $75 | $85 |
| 2 lines | $120 | $130 | $150 |
| 3 lines | $135 | $150 | $180 |
| 4 lines | $140 | $160 | $200 |
| 5 lines | $150 | $175 | $225 |
| Throttling | Any time | >50GB | None |
| Freebies | AT&T Active Armor mobile security Unlimited texting to 200+ countries | Unlimited texting to 200+ countries AT&T Active Armor mobile security | Unlimited talk, text & high-speed data in 19 Latin American countries Unlimited texting to 200+ countries AT&T Active Armor mobile security |
| Video streaming | SD (480p) | SD (480p) | UHD (4K) |
| Hotspot (per line) | 3GB | 15GB | 50GB |
T-Mobile
- Cheapest T-Mobile 5G unlimited plan: $26/month 4-line family plan
- Best T-Mobile prepaid plan: $50 for unlimited data with throttling above 50GB
- T-Mobile subscriber count: 109 million (H1 2022)
- T-Mobile 5G coverage (millions of Americans): 225 million people covered by Ultra Capacity 5G Ultra Wideband, with 260 million expected by 2023
- T-Mobile median download speeds: 117 Mbps (Q2 2022 Speedtest by Ookla), 79.8 Mbps (H2 2021 by RootMetrics)
T-Mobile 4G LTE coverage map
From a scruffy but feisty newcomer, T-Mobile has become a 5G network juggernaut in the US thanks to its FCC-approved acquisition of Sprint not long ago that allowed it to build the so-called "layer cake" of a robust 5G coverage from the low to the mid-bands.
Despite all the marketing fluff, however, and its underdog status that made it a favorite among users, T-Mobile still has a way to go in coverage outside of the big city areas and frequented highways compared to AT&T or, even worse, to Verizon's coverage.
T-Mobile unlimited 5G plan price comparison
- Best cheap 5G plan on T-Mobile: Essentials unlimited priced at $105/month for four lines with throttling above 50GB
- Best premium T-Mobile 5G plan: Magenta Max unlimited priced at $200/month for five lines with free Netflix, no throttling and 4K streaming
| T-Mobile Essentials | T-Mobile Magenta | T-Mobile Magenta Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 line | $60 | $70 | $85 |
| 2 lines | $90 | $120 | $140 |
| 3 lines | $90 (3rd line free, limited time offer) | $120 (3rd line free) | $140 (3rd line free) |
| 4 lines | $105 | $140 | $170 |
| 5 lines | $120 | $160 | $200 |
| Throttling | >50GB | >100 GB | no |
| Freebies | T-Mobile Tuesdays | T-Mobile Tuesdays 1 hour of in-flight Wi-fi | Netflix 4K UHD streaming, 2 HD screens, basic on single, standard on family plans T-Mobile Tuesdays Unlimited in-flight Wi-fi Apple TV+ and Paramount+ for a year |
| Video | SD (480p) | SD (480p) video streaming | UHD (4K) |
| Hotspot per line | 3G speeds | 5GB | 40GB |
Best prepaid phone carriers in the US
- Visible and Straight Talk - low 5G Unlimited plan prices, wide 4G LTE coverage using Verizon's network
- Cricket Wireless: AT&T network power, unlimited 5G plan at just $25 a month for a family of four
- Metro by T-Mobile: $100/month of 5G unlimited data for four lines, 15GB hotspot
Cricket Wirеless
- Network coverage: AT&T
- Best Cricket Wireless prepaid plan: 5G unlimited data on 4 family lines for $100 a month
Cricket Wireless is an AT&T-owned prepaid plan carrier with 10 million subscribers who piggyback on Ma Bell's expansive 4G LTE and 5G networks. Its current best Cricket Wireless plan deal is 4 lines for $100 a month for unlimited 5G network access with throttling if the network becomes congested. Add $30 more per month for a family of four, and get a 15GB hotspot allowance for each line, too.
Visible
- Network coverage: Verizon
- Best Visible unlimited 5G prepaid plan: 4 lines for $100
Mint Mobile
- Network coverage: T-Mobile
- Best Mint Mobile 5G unlimited prepaid plan: $30 a month for a 12-month period
The newly minted Mint Mobile has one of the most affordable prepaid plan prices and it also benefits from being available on T-Mobile, so it can use its widely available 5G network. Mint's plan prices are a bit convoluted as it depends whether you sign for 3, 6, or 12-month period.
Straight Talk
- Network coverage: Verizon
- Best Straight Talk 5G unlimited prepaid plan: $45 a month with 5GB hotspot
America's largest prepaid phone plan virtual carrier with more than 30 million subscribers among its various brands - TracFone - got acquired by Verizon and is now part of the big happy family with the best coverage in the US. The Straight Talk brand is the most popular of the TracFone umbrella companies and takes advantage of the Verizon 4G LTE and 5G networks at much lower prices with places like Walmart selling Straight Talk phones and plans like hot cakes.
Straight Talk prepaid plan prices
| 10GB data | Unlimited 5G data, 5GB hotspot | Unlimited 5G data, 15GB hotspot | Unlimited 5G data, 20GB hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|
| $35 | $45 | $55 | $65 |
Metro by T-Mobile
- Network coverage: T-Mobile
- Best Metro by T-Mobile 5G unlimited prepaid plan: 4 lines for $120 including 15GB hotspot
What was originally Metro PCS got rebranded to Metro by T-Mobile and kept as the only T-Mobile prepaid brand upon its merger with Sprint after DISH scooped up Sprint's Boost Mobile.
Metro by T-Mobile prepaid plan prices
| $40 Unlimited 5G plan | $50 Unlimited 5G plan (5GB hotspot, 100GB Google One) | $60 Unlimited 5G plan (15GB hotspot, 100GB Google One, Amazon Prime) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 line | $40 | $80 | $60 |
| 2 lines | $80 | $100 | $90 |
| 3 lines | $90 | $110 | $120 |
| 4 lines | $100 | $140 | $120 |
| 5 lines | $125 | $170 | $150 |
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