Choosing a brand-new cellphone provider can be such a daunting task. All the mobile wireless internet service providers claim that they are better than other providers. But how do really choose the best wireless provider? A little bit of research can help you make a choice that is perfect for you. Today we are comparing the two most used wireless internet providers in the nation. AT&T vs T-Mobile. Here’s a basic difference between both the mobile wireless providers.
AT&T: AT&T has a lot of family plans and they come at a good enough price if you don’t need too much data. If you love watching TV, you will love the WatchTV app and Premium channels.
T-Mobile: You get amazing extras for people who travel daily. You get in-flight WiFi and international texting and data. AT&T vs T-Mobile plan comparison is simple. T-Mobile includes taxes and additional charges in the fees upfront.
T-Mobile Vs AT&T Comparison
| T-Mobile | AT&T |
| Unlimited Plans – $60 – $85/mo | Unlimited Plans – $65 – $85 |
| Family Plans – $28 – $70 per line | Family Plans – $30 – $35 per line |
| Coverage- Best For most users | Coverage- Basic coverage for most users |
| Speed- Faster than AT&T | Speed- Close enough to T-Mobile |
| Devices: iPhone & Samsung | Devices- iPhone & Samsung |
This is the basic difference between T-Mobile vs AT&T coverage and service plans. If you don’t have a wireless broadband internet service at home then we suggest you choose an unlimited mobile plan. The list of unlimited T-Mobile vs AT&T plans has a good enough list. Here’s a comparison of AT&T vs T-Mobile unlimited plans.
AT&T Vs T-Mobile Unlimited Plans
When it comes to finding the best unlimited mobile plan between multiple providers you have to ask, which is better, T-Mobile and AT&T? Well, unlimited mobile plans are basically the king of all internet plans. These plans allow you to get everything under one package. Let’s see the difference between T-Mobile and AT&T.
| T-Mobile Essentials | AT&T Unlimited Starter | |
| Price | Starting at $60 per month | Starting at $65 per month |
| Data Deprioritization | Speeds can be throttled during network congestion | Speed throttling during network congestion |
| Video Streaming Quality | 480P | 480P |
| Mobile Hotspot Data | Unlimited 3G | None |
| International Content Perks | Unlimited Talk, Text and 5GB mobile data in Mexico & Canada. Unlimited texting & data in 210+ locations. | Unlimited text, talk and data in Mexico and Canada. |
For the basic unlimited plan, we suggest you choose T-Mobile Essentials. AT&T’s unlimited starter plan may be good but T-Mobile is actually giving you everything unlimited plans should offer. You get mobile hotspot service with your plan and T-Mobile doesn’t start deprioritizing your data until you have consumed 50 GB of data.
No one is a fan of the AT&T policy of slowing down your internet speed whenever you want. The AT&T unlimited extra plan however is a much better deal, with that plan you can stream video in SD and you even get Hotspot data. Plus your speeds won’t be reduced till you have consumed 50 GB.
AT&T Unlimited Extra Vs T-Mobile Magenta
| T-Mobile Magenta | AT&T Unlimited Extra | |
| Price | Starting at $70 per month | Starting at $75 per month |
| Data Deprioritization | After 50 GB | After 50 GB |
| Video Streaming Quality | 720P | 480P |
| Mobile Hotspot Data | 3 GB of 4G LTE, then unlimited 3G | 15 GB per line |
| International Perks | Unlimited Talk & Text in Mexico and Canada plus 4GB 4G data. Unlimited texting and data in 210+ locations. | Unlimited Talk, Text and data in Mexico and Canada. |
Pay a little more amount and give your plans a boost. In this case, you get better streaming quality, more speed, and more hotspot data from AT&T & T-Mobile. Fortunately, in these plans, you will be able to get rid of AT&T’s policy of reducing data speed at any time. AT&T will only start to deprioritize your data once you have consumed 50 GB data.
T-Mobile vs AT&T Family Plans Comparison
If you are looking to save money and you need two or three lines of mobile plans. With T-Mobile, you can turn all of its unlimited plans into family packages by just adding extra lines onto your plan.
The price becomes cheaper as you add a new line. And you get additional perks by having two or more lines on T-Mobile’s Magenta and Magenta Plus plans, you get benefits like Netflix and Quibi. You get both services for free for 1 year and after one year is over you get to pick one service. AT&T also has family plans and they can be a good deal if you don’t require unlimited data.
AT&T Mobile Share Plus Plans
| 3GB | 9GB | |
| 1 Line | $30/mo | $35/mo |
| 2 Lines | $60/mo | $70/mo |
| 3 Lines | $90/mo | $105/mo |
| 4 Lines | $120/mo | $140/mo |
| 5 Lines | $150/mo | $175/mo |
If you don’t have an unlimited plan, you’ll have to mind the data limit. With AT&T you’ll share either 3 GB data per month or 9 GB data. You will need a WiFi connection if you can’t survive on limited data plans.
T-Mobile Family Plans
| Essentials | Magenta | Magenta Plus | |
| 2 Lines | $45/mo | $60/mo | $70/mo |
| 3Lines | $35/mo | $40/mo | $47/mo |
| 4 Lines | $30/mo | $35/mo | $43/mo |
| 5 Lines | $27/mo | $32/mo | $40/mo |
| 6 Lines | $25/mo | $30/mo | $38/mo |
| 7 Lines | N/A | $29/mo | $37/mo |
| 8 Lines | N/A | $28/mo | $36/mo |
T-Mobile Vs AT&T Bundles and Extras
Needless to say that providers try their best to provide as many perks as possible to keep customers engaged and getting brand new customers. Perks is another one of the differences between T-Mobile Vs AT&T service quality.
Sign up for AT&T’s Unlimited Elite plan and get access to HBO Max, the latest streaming service from HBO. HBO Max contains content from HBO and Warner Entertainment. That means you get to watch Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and everything else that HBO has to offer to consumers.
T-Mobile Unlimited Plan Extras
| Perks | Essentials | Magenta | Magenta Plus |
| Netflix & Quibi | No | Yes, for plans that include 2+ lines. You get 12 months free of both services and once the year is over, you can choose either one. | Yes, for plans that include 2+ lines. You get 12 months free of both services and once the year is over, you can choose either one. |
| In-Flight Perks | No | In-Flight texts plus 1 hour of Data. | In-Flight texts plus In-Flight Unlimited WiFi. |
While AT&T just offers HBO Max, T-Mobile offers Netflix and Quibi for a whole year. After a year, you can choose to get a subscription for 1 service. And as we mentioned above, the basic difference between T-Mobile Vs AT&T Service quality is the perks T-Mobile offers to frequent travelers. You can get free data or texts on your flight with T-Mobile based on your plans.
Our Verdict
Which is better T-Mobile or AT&T? Well, the winner depends on what kind of service you are looking for. For those whose lives don’t revolve around the internet only, AT&T is a good enough deal. But if you and your family like to stream stuff then T-Mobile takes the win for sure.