Verizon Wireless vs. T-Mobile Wireless: Which Provider Is Best for You?
We compare two cellular giants on pricing, data, perks, and coverage
Aug 15, 2025 | Share 
Provider Comparisons (Versus)
-
Best for reliability
- Unlimited plans: Starting at $55.00/mo. per line*
- Family plans: Starting at $30.00/mo. per line*
- High-speed data: Up to Unlimited Ultra Wideband (mmWave and C-band)
- Hotspot data: Up to 200GB Ultra Wideband (mmWave and C-band)
-
Best for speed
- Unlimited plans: Starting at $50/mo. per line w/ AutoPay†
- Family plans: Starting at $24/mo. per line w/ AutoPay†
- High-speed data: 50 GB–Unlimited
- Hotspot data: Up to 250GB at 5G speeds
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Compare Verizon and T-Mobile head-to-head
In the matchup between T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile edges ahead with its slightly lower prices, satellite texting, and faster average speeds. However, Verizon is famous for its perks and reliability in rural areas.
Both carriers offer big discounts per line on family plans, streaming service perks, and plenty of mobile data. But you’ll pay big for premium service with either, and both also now add taxes and fees on top of advertised prices.
Read on for details.
Pro tip: Test your speed from anywhere
Cell phone speeds vary based on your exact location and local congestion, but it’s good to know what kind of firepower you’re getting at any given time. Run an internet speed test to see how much bandwidth you have.
Pros and cons: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
Pros
Most-reliable coverage
Truly unlimited data on premium plans
Excellent perks and giveaways
Cons
Higher prices
Smaller national 5G network
Streaming perks cost extra
Pros
Fastest national 5G speeds
Free satellite texting on premium plans
Generous hotspot data allotment
Cons
No superfast 5G speeds
Streaming perks not always included
Smaller 4G LTE network
On this page:
Unlimited plans | Family plans | Prepaid plans | Customer ratings | Devices | Speeds | Coverage | Final call | FAQ
On this page:
Unlimited plans and pricing: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
Verizon and T-Mobile are the top two wireless providers in the country, and choosing between them isn’t easy. Both get you unlimited talk, text, and data with 5G access, huge allotments of data, and nationwide coverage. You can also get free streaming services with either, but only T-Mobile offers satellite texting from anywhere.
The biggest downside for both is high monthly prices, but you’ll get a slightly better deal with T-Mobile than you will with Verizon Wireless. With either, you’re charged taxes and fees on top of advertised prices, but the price per line improves when you have multiple lines on the same plan.
What is premium data?
Premium data is internet data that runs over 4G LTE and 5G networks, giving you speeds in the range of 30–100+Mbps. Premium plans from both T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless now offer truly unlimited premium data, but speeds may be slowed on cheaper plans.
With Verizon’s Unlimited Welcome plan, for example, you’re limited to 5G, and your speeds may be temporarily slowed any time the network is congested. Upgrade to Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate, though, and you get both 5G Ultra Wideband (UW) and the fastest possible data with no limits.
With T-Mobile’s cheapest plan, Essentials Saver, you’re limited to 50GB of high-speed data per month, but on the Experience More and Experience Beyond plans, you get the fastest possible data at all times.
Verizon plans and pricing
| Package | Starting price* | Premium data | Hotspot data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Welcome | $65.00/per line per mo. | None (speeds can slow during network congestion) | None |
| Unlimited Plus | $80.00/per line per mo. | Unlimited | 30 GB |
| Unlimited Ultimate | $90.00/per line per mo. | Unlimited | 60 GB |
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Verizon charges some of the highest prices in the business, but you benefit from unmatched reliability and access to Ultra Wideband speeds in certain areas. You also get solid customer service and sweet deals on smartphones.
What about the perks?
From there, you can add perks for an additional $10 per month each. They include subscriptions to the Disney Bundle, Apple One, Netflix + Max, extra mobile hotspot data, and more. You can also get $15 per month off a Verizon Home Internet plan when you pair it with a qualifying unlimited phone plan.
Pro tip: Hotspots a good way to stay connected
Mobile hotspots are a great way to access high-speed Wi-Fi while you’re out traveling or working remotely in a restaurant or coffee shop. Take a look at our best hotspots guide for the lowdown on pricing, data, and speeds.
T-Mobile unlimited plans and pricing
| Package | Single-line price† | Premium data | Hotspot data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials Saver | $50/mo. 1 line w/ AutoPay | 50GB (speeds can slow during network congestion after data cap is reached) | Unlimited 3G data (max 3Mbps) |
| Essentials | $60/mo. 1 line w/ AutoPay | 50GB (speeds can slow during network congestion after data cap is reached) | Unlimited 3G data (max 3Mbps) |
| Experience More | $85/mo. 1 line w/ AutoPay | Unlimited | 60GB premium data + unlimited 3G data |
| Experience Beyond | $100/mo. 1 line w/ AutoPay | Unlimited | 250GB premium data + unlimited 3G data |
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
T-Mobile goes big on a cell phone user’s fundamental needs, namely speed and data. You get some nice perks too.
The entry-level plan, Essentials Saver, comes with 50GB of premium data. That’s more than most people need, and you’ll get it at speeds of 70Mbps or faster if you’re on 5G.
And then there’s the Experience More and Experience Beyond plans. There are no caps and no slowdowns, so you can stream and download on your cell phone all month long without worrying about throttled speeds. You get to upgrade your phone more often, too.
What about the perks?
Experience More and Experience Beyond both come with Netflix plans (Standard with ads) and Apple TV+ and free access to T-Satellite texting. Experience Beyond also includes Hulu (With Ads). Plus, you can get $15 off your monthly T-Mobile home internet plan when you pair it with one of these phone plans.
Family plans and pricing: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
Family plans are the best way to get good prices from either Verizon or T-Mobile. In fact, we’d go so far as to say these carriers aren’t worth the money unless you have a family plan.
You get the best prices on family lines from T-Mobile, with four lines of service per account, and the best prices on family lines from Verizon, with five lines per account.
With Verizon, you can mix and match unlimited lines on a family plan, so the parent who travels often can get Unlimited Ultimate while the grandparent who just goes back and forth to the grocery store could save with Unlimited Welcome. With T-Mobile, though, every line on a family plan gets the same level of service.
Verizon Wireless family plans and pricing
| Package | Family line price* | Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Welcome | $30.00–$55.00/mo. per line (up to three lines) | |
| Unlimited Plus | $45.00–$70.00/mo. per line | |
| Unlimited Ultimate | $55.00–$80.00/mo. per line |
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
T-Mobile Wireless family plans and pricing
| Package | Family line price† | Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials Saver | $33.33–$40/mo. per line w/ AutoPay | |
| Essentials | $26.25–$45/mo. per line w/ AutoPay | |
| Experience More | $42.50–$70/mo. per line w/ AutoPay | |
| Experience Beyond with 2+ lines | $43–$85/mo. per line w/ AutoPay |
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Prepaid plans: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
Prepaid accounts are cheaper and easier to manage than big-boy unlimited accounts. You don’t get as much data and usually none of the extra perks, but you’ll get the basics for a bargain price.
We think T-Mobile has better prepaid plans because you pay a little less every month than with Verizon Wireless. But both providers have some solid options.
Verizon prepaid plans
| Plan | Starting price for a single line* | Data cap | Hotspot allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 GB Plan | $35.00/mo. w/ autopay | 5 GB | Shared with plant data |
| Unlimited | $50.00/mo. w/ autopay | Unlimited (speeds can be slowed during network congestion) | 5 GB |
| Unlimited Plus | $60.00/mo. w/ autopay | 50 GB premium data (after which speeds can be slowed during network congestion) | 25 GB |
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Verizon’s prepaid plans are reasonably priced, but you miss out on streaming perks and deals on new phones. There are no savings for having multiple plans per line, either, and you get charged $5 extra per line if you don’t sign up for autopay.
T-Mobile prepaid plans and pricing
| Plan | Starting price † | Premium data | Hotspot data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Monthly | $40/mo. (for 1 line) | 15GB | Shared with plan data |
| Unlimited Monthly | $50/mo. (for 1 line) | 50 GB (then unlimited at slower speeds) | Yes (unlimited data at 3G speeds) |
| Unlimited Plus Monthly | $60/mo. (for 1 line) | 50 GB (then unlimited at slower speeds) | Yes (includes 5GB premium data, then reverts to 3G speeds) |
Data as of 08/12/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
T-Mobile offers nice prepaid options, and they save you around $10 per line compared to regular unlimited lines. In your first month, you’ll pay $5 more than the advertised price. After your first three months of service, you get $5 off per line. After 10 months of service, you get $10 off per line.
Perks include T-Mobile Tuesdays, MLB.TV, MLS Season Pass, and Scam Shield on all prepaid plans. On the Unlimited Plus Monthly plan, you also get unlimited international calling and texting.
None of T-Mobile’s prepaid plans come with deals on devices or streaming services, though, and they don’t get you a deal on T-Mobile Home Internet.
Customer ratings: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
T-Mobile gets slightly better customer reviews than Verizon Wireless, but the providers are very close.
The HighSpeedInternet.com annual internet provider survey awarded T-Mobile 4.1 stars for customer satisfaction and awarded Verizon 3.9, for example. Real customers gave T-Mobile 3.5 stars, while real Verizon customers gave it 3.3 stars. The max star ranking for each was five stars, but the scoring didn’t separate each brand’s home internet scores from wireless scores.
JD Power’s 2025 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Study, which looked at wireless customers separately, ranked T-Mobile 837 out of 1,000, while Verizon ranked 815. The average score among all mobile providers in the study was 819.
Meanwhile, the American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked T-Mobile 76 out of 100, while ranking Verizon 75 out of 100. The carriers came in at first and second place nationwide.
Devices: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
You can get great deals on all the latest phones from either T-Mobile or Verizon, but the plan you pick may impact your discounts and how often you can upgrade your phone.
With Verizon Wireless, you can get top phones from Apple, Galaxy, Motorola, OnePlus, Pixel, and more. Some devices require up-front payment or a 36-month installment plan, but others are free with trade-in. If you subscribe to an Unlimited Ultimate plan, you get the best current in-market smartphone offer with trade-in every year. On Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Welcome, you get the phone offer either when you join or when you upgrade. Deals change often, though, so be sure to read the fine print during checkout.
With T-Mobile, you can get all the same phones you would with Verizon, but with bonus perks like free earbuds. Like with Verizon, some phones are free, some are free with trade-in, and others come with up-front costs or a monthly payment on an installment plan. An Experience More plan gets you an upgrade every two years, while an Experience Beyond plan gets you a yearly upgrade.
Pro tip: Shop based on your smartphone needs
If you’re looking for a deal on a specific phone, you can start shopping based on that device rather than on wireless plans to get the best deal. Either way, you can find great deals on wireless plans by bundling with your home internet service.
If you already have a phone you love, though, you can save money by shopping for prepaid plans or MVNO plans.
Speeds: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
| 5G download speeds | 5G upload speeds | Shop now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 169.5Mbps | 18.1Mbps | |
|
| 252.4Mbps | 17.8Mbps |
Data from Opensignal’s Mobile Network Experience Report, June 2025.
T-Mobile wins the race on 5G download speeds with a whopping 252.4Mbps, while Verizon comes in at 169.5Mbps. Meanwhile, Verizon offers upload speeds that are slightly faster than T-Mobile’s.
Those nationwide speeds are impressive, but remember that you won’t always get max speeds from either carrier. It’s more important to know what each carrier offers in the places you’ll be using your phone every day. That’s where coverage comes in.
Coverage: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
Verizon beats out T-Mobile on mobile coverage overall, according to OpenSignal’s most recent Mobile Network Experience Report. But just barely. The study rated Verizon a 9.6 out of 10 while rating T-Mobile 8.9 out of 10. AT&T Wireless earned the middle score, with 9.3 points.
On 5G, though, T-Mobile is once again champion. OpenSignal ranked its 5G coverage 8.1 out of 10, while Verizon’s 5G earned 7 out of 10 (tied with AT&T).
The following coverage stats from the Federal Communications Commission tell a similar story.
| Provider | Areas covered with 4G LTE | Areas covered with 5G at 7Mbps speeds | Areas covered with 5G at 35Mbps speeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 58.68% | 13.69% | 8.84% |
|
| 43.86% | 36.91% | 52.94% |
Pro tip: You need 4G LTE and 5G, but your smartphone matters more
Because of the way mobile traffic is routed in 2025, you still need both 4G LTE and 5G. But your distance from the nearest tower, your local congestion, and the age of your phone will play the biggest role in the speeds you get day to day.
Final call: Verizon vs. T-Mobile
We really like both of these providers, but we’d choose T-Mobile. It offers more 5G speed overall and truly unlimited data on its Experience More and Experience Beyond plans. You get some sweet perks too, including subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+ on some plans.
Verizon is a strong contender, though. Its strengths include a larger 4G LTE network, more rural reliability, and much faster Ultra Wideband 5G in some areas. You can also get more streaming service perks from Verizon than from T-Mobile, and its monthly deals for new customers are top-notch.
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FAQ about Verizon vs. T-Mobile
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Disclaimers
* T-Mobile Wireless plans
- for 1 phone line + taxes and fees. AutoPay discount using an eligible payment method applied
† Verizon Wireless plans
- With paper-free billing and Auto Pay. Plus taxes & fees.
Author - Chili Palmer
Chili Palmer covers home tech services, with a special focus on understanding what families need and how they can stay connected on a budget. She handles internet access and affordability, breaking news, mobile services, and consumer trends. Chili’s work as a writer, reporter, and editor has appeared in publications including Telecompetitor, Utah Business, Idaho Business Review, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and Switchful.com.
Editor - Jessica Brooksby
Jessica loves bringing her passion for the written word and her love of tech into one space at HighSpeedInternet.com. She works with the team’s writers to revise strong, user-focused content so every reader can find the tech that works for them. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University and seven years of creative and editorial experience. Outside of work, she spends her time gaming, reading, painting, and buying an excessive amount of Legend of Zelda merchandise.
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