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Verizon vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

Get the scoop on deals and reliability for the two top 5G home internet providers.

  • Best deals
    • Customer rating: 3.9
    • Price: $60.00–80.00/mo.* w/ Auto Pay ($35.00–$45.00/mo. with select 5G mobile plans)
    • Speed: Up to 1,000 Mbps
    • Data caps: None
  • Best for reliability
    • Customer rating: 4.1
    • Price: $50.00–$70.00/mo.
    • Speed: 72–245Mbps
    • Data caps: None

Compare Verizon 5G Home Internet vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet head to head

Verizon and T-Mobile both offer excellent deals on 5G home internet service. Both providers sell you solid speeds for a flat rate of just $50–$60 a month, and you get unlimited data and no extra fees for installation or equipment. But if you had to decide, we say T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet is the way to go, because our reviewer has had a much better experience with its speeds and service.

Although Verizon offers tons of awesome deals and discounts, T-Mobile mostly gets better customer satisfaction ratings, although both rank at the very top of our customer satisfaction survey. We’ve found T-Mobile to be much more reliable in our experience using it, but different Verizon customers may have a better experience.

Pros and cons: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Pros:

  • Faster speeds on 5G Home Plus plan
  • More deals and discounts

Cons:

  • Routine outages for some users

Pros:

  • Top customer satisfaction ratings
  • Wider availability

Cons:

  • Limited mobile bundle options

Want to know if Verizon or T-Mobile are in your area? Take a look by typing in your zip code below.

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Plans and pricing: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Verizon’s and T-Mobile’s respective 5G home internet services are similar in a lot of ways—the baseline plans cost the same, and both providers offer unlimited data, a router, and installation at no extra charge. But Verizon’s 5G Home plans advertise faster speeds and better bundle deals for the carrier’s 5G wireless subscribers.

Verizon 5G Home Internet plans and pricing

PackagePrice*SpeedView on Verizon site
5G Home $60.00/mo.
w/ Auto Pay
Up to 300 MbpsView Plan
5G Home
with select 5G mobile plans
$35.00/mo.
w/ Auto Pay
Up to 300 MbpsView Plan
5G Home Plus $80.00/mo.
w/ Auto Pay
Up to 1,000 MbpsView Plan
5G Home Plus
with select 5G mobile plans
$45.00/mo.
w/ Auto Pay
Up to 1,000 MbpsView Plan

Verizon’s 5G internet offerings stand out in significant ways. Unlike T-Mobile, Verizon has two plans to choose from—5G Home Internet and 5G Home Internet Plus—both of which advertise faster speeds than T-Mobile 5G Home Internet.

Another advantage is that you can get them for half the normal price when you also have a qualifying Verizon 5G wireless plan. You really can’t beat getting home internet for $25 a month—and T-Mobile doesn’t have any bundle offers that compare.

Pro tip:

Read our full review of Verizon 5G Home Internet for a closer look at how this service works.

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet plans and pricing

PackagePriceSpeedView on T-Mobile site
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Unlimited $50.0072–245MbpsView Plan
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Plus $70.0072–245MbpsView Plan

T-Mobile has one 5G home internet plan, and it’s a pretty simple offer. You don’t get the stupendous advertised speeds you would from Verizon, but top download speeds of 245 Mbps are still excellent for most people, especially small- and mid-sized households. T-Mobile also doesn’t have the same bundle offers as Verizon, but you can get $20 monthly off your bill when you pair this plan with two or more lines of the Magenta MAX phone plan.

Other than that, you get a similar deal as Verizon. No data caps and no extra fees for equipment or installation.

Pro tip:

Take a look at our full review of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for more details on how it works and what you get.

HighSpeedInternet.com’s experience: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

In recent months, members of the HighSpeedInternet.com team have used both Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. The staffers’ experiences give us a unique view into how these much-talked-about services work day to day.

HighSpeedInternet.com’s experience with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

A different HighSpeedInternet.com writer tried out T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for several months in 2022 and had a much better experience.

Although T-Mobile advertises speeds between 72 and 245Mbps, experienced speeds rarely dropped below 100 Mbps—and often exceeded 200 Mbps. These speeds were enough to cover his and one other person’s online activities, including remote working, streaming, and online gaming. There weren’t any drops, consistent lag, or slow updates. No issues with latency either, even while playing time-sensitive online games like shooters and racing sims.

There was one major hitch, though. Instead of a traditional cable TV provider, he uses a live TV streaming service, which uses his IP address to authorize his account. T-Mobile changed his IP address every week or so, and every time that happened, he would need to make a long call to his streaming TV provider to authorize the new IP.

HighSpeedInternet.com’s experience with Verizon 5G Home Internet

A HighSpeedInternet.com staffer used Verizon 5G Home Internet for a month or so in 2022. He liked it at first, but recurring technical issues ended up being a dealbreaker. He soon returned to his original cable internet provider.

At first, the service was fast and reliable. But a few weeks after signing up, he started to experience regular outages on phones and computers—his internet dropped out without warning, sometimes even in the middle of Zoom calls. Every time this happened, he had to restart the 5G modem/router that came with his package, which was quite the hassle considering the frequency.

He wasn’t sure what the problem was, but we’ve read about these disconnect issues happening with other Verizon 5G internet users as well. It seems Verizon has some technical kinks that it still needs to work out.

Take a speed test before signing up for 5G home internet

Take a speed test on your phone before signing up for 5G home internet

Keep in mind that our staffers’ experiences can’t be seen as entirely reflective of what you get from these services—the wireless nature of 5G internet means that customers can get different speeds and performance based on a wide range of factors, including the quality of the cell service in their area and even where they place their 5G gateway in their home.

In general, 5G home internet seems to work best for customers who live in areas that have fast and reliable cellular service in general. If you have a 5G phone, take a speed test on it before you sign up for one of these services to get an idea of the speed and consistency of the cell service in your area. Then you can better predict how things will work out with a 5G home internet setup.

 

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Deals and promotions: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

One of the biggest perks of 5G home internet is the chance to get a wide range of deals and promotions. Verizon and T-Mobile both go hard in delivering a range of offers that sweeten the pot for new customers.

Best Verizon 5G Home Internet deals and promotions

PromotionHow to get itView on Verizon site
$25 off monthly billSign up for 5G Home or 5G Home Plus when you also have an unlimited mobile Verizon planView Plans
2–3 year price guaranteeSign up for 5G Home or 5G Home Plus
$200 Verizon gift card OR free HomePod ($299.99 value)Sign up for 5G Home PlusView Plans

Verizon has an ever-changing lineup of deals each month, but you should focus on the promo bundle offers for wireless customers. If you have a 5G Play More, Do More, or Get More phone plan, you can get half off your monthly 5G Home or 5G Home Plus plan. That’s quite a discount, and T-Mobile doesn’t have any bundles that compare.

Best T-Mobile 5G Home Internet deals and promotions

DealHow to get itView on T-Mobile site
$20 monthly discountBundle T-Mobile 5G Home Internet with a Go5G Next, Go5G Plus, or Magenta MAX mobile lineGet the Deal
Get a $200 Mastercard®Order T-Mobile 5G Home Internet onlineGet the Deal
Free ViX+ subscription for 1 yr.Order T-Mobile 5G Home InternetGet the Deal
Free SiriusXM Streaming Platinum subscription for 6 mos.Order T-Mobile 5G Home InternetGet the Deal
Up to $500 in reimbursements for early termination fees from previous providerOrder T-Mobile 5G Home InternetGet the Deal

T-Mobile has some great deals for cord-cutters. When you switch to T-Mobile Home Internet you get a $50 Virtual Prepaid Mastercard® for one month of service. And getting $10 per month off Philo TV is a bonus if you’re looking for a reliable streaming TV option.

You can get $30 off your monthly bill when you combine 5G Home Internet with a Magenta MAX phone plan featuring two or more lines. That’s not quite as impressive as Verizon’s bundle offers, but it’s still a sweet deal.

Want to know if Verizon or T-Mobile are in your area? Take a look by typing in your zip code below.

Extra fees: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Equipment FeeInstallation FeeOther Fees
Verizon 5G Home InternetNoneNoneNone
T-Mobile 5G Home InternetNoneNoneNone

Neither Verizon nor T-Mobile tack on extra fees for equipment, installation, or anything else when you sign up for their respective 5G home internet plans. You get a modem/router gateway with your plan, and you can install everything yourself with a kit.

The fact that you don’t have to shell out for hidden fees makes 5G home internet especially enticing for college students and other budget-minded users. You can’t beat a no-fee internet plan—especially since most providers still charge fees for a router and installation.

Customer ratings: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Overall RatingSpeedPriceReliabilityCustomer service
Verizon3.9/5.04.0/5.03.6/5.04.0/5.03.9/5.0
T-Mobile4.1/5.04.0/5.04.1/5.03.9/5.04.1/5.0

T-Mobile gets a slight edge on Verizon in some categories in our annual customer satisfaction survey, but both providers get top rankings.

In an upset victory against much bigger internet providers, T-Mobile swept to the lead in our survey this year, taking the lead ratings for price, customer service, and overall satisfaction. But Verizon is hot on T-Mobile’s heels, taking second place for overall satisfaction, tying with T-Mobile for speed, and taking first place for reliability.

You can’t fairly compare the two providers’ ratings because Verizon falls into a different category than T-Mobile. We ranked Verizon among national providers, and our survey covers all the provider’s services—including fiber internet as well as 5G home internet. On the other hand, T-Mobile offers only 5G home internet and no other residential internet type.

Even when you factor in these caveats, T-Mobile’s performance in the survey is unequivocally stellar—suggesting that customers are very happy with the carrier’s 5G internet services. Then again, Verizon’s performance in the survey is also top-tier. According to the people using these services, you can’t go wrong either way.

Best 5G and mobile bundles

PackageCellular dataPriceOrder online
Verizon 5G Home Internet + 5G Get MoreUnlimited$35.00/mo. + $86.11/mo.View Plans
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet + T-Mobile Magenta MAX (2 lines)Unlimited$30.00/mo. + $140.00/mo.View Plans

Although both internet providers also operate as cellular carriers, only Verizon gives you a discount on service when you combine 5G home internet with a single-line phone plan. And what a discount it is—you get literally half off the monthly price of 5G home internet when you combine it with 5G Get More, 5G Do More, or 5G Play More (Verizon’s premium unlimited phone plans).

As for T-Mobile, you get $20 per month off 5G Home Internet when you combine it with two or more lines of T-Mobile’s flagship Magenta MAX cellular plan. While it’s not as good a deal as Verizon’s bundles, it’s still a healthy discount for two excellent services.

Internet types: What is 5G home internet?

Internet typeOrder online
Verizon5GView Plans
T-Mobile5GView Plans

5G home internet is a Wi-Fi connection that runs over a 5G cellular network. Unlike fiber or cable internet—which rely on networks of cable buried underground—5G internet relies on wireless signals beamed from cell towers and transmitters.

This technical setup makes 5G a bit less stable and more prone to fluctuating speeds and outages compared to traditional internet types. It also limits the service’s reach to cities and metropolitan areas, where 5G transmitters (which have a smaller range than 4G cell towers) can reach a higher number of customers.

Verizon and T-Mobile both compensate for 5G’s technical limitations by offering fixed rates and low prices while cutting out the extra fees that get tacked onto most internet bills.

Pro tip: 

Take a look at our guide to 5G for a full rundown of how this technology works and where you can find it.

Data caps: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Data CapOrder online
Verizon 5G Home InternetNone*View Plans
T-Mobile 5G Home InternetNoneView Plans

Neither Verizon nor T-Mobile have data caps on their 5G home internet plans. You can stream, game, download, browse, post, and video call as much as you like without worrying about overage fees or throttled speeds.

Contracts: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Contract lengthOrder online
Verizon 5G Home InternetNoneView Plans
Verizon 5G Home InternetNoneView Plans

Here’s another good thing about 5G home internet—there are no contracts. Whether you choose Verizon or T-Mobile, you can cancel at any time with ease. You don’t have to shell out for early termination fees or deal with any other penalties. (Just make sure to return your modem/router.)

Installation: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Installation optionsOrder online
Verizon 5G Home InternetFree self-installationView Plans
T-Mobile 5G Home InternetFree self-installationView Plans

Installation is easy peasy for both providers. After you sign up, you get a gateway (a combination modem and router) in the mail to install in your house. The equipment comes free, and installation takes about 15 minutes. This is a wireless service, so you don’t have to deal with networking cables, and you can manage your system over Verizon’s app or via the LED panel on T-Mobile’s gateway.

Availability: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Verizon and T-Mobile have both been rolling out 5G internet across the country. It’s mostly available in large cities and metro areas, but the list of cities gets longer each month. Search your zip code below to see if either of these 5G home internet services is available where you live.

To see if Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is in your area, enter your zip code below.

Final call: Verizon 5G Home vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

We like T-Mobile 5G Home Internet the best out of these two providers. Although Verizon has better promotions and bundle packages, T-Mobile is just a better service in our experience, with better reliability and a lower chance of outages. T-Mobile also gets stellar ratings in our annual customer satisfaction survey, suggesting that other customers have similar experiences.

That said, Verizon 5G Home Internet is also a great deal and also gets superb ratings. It’s well worth trying out if that’s the only 5G home internet option in your area.

Methodology

Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.

Author -

Peter Holslin has more than a decade of experience working as a writer and freelance journalist. He graduated with a BA in liberal arts and journalism from New York City’s The New School University in 2008 and went on to contribute to publications like Rolling Stone, VICE, BuzzFeed, and countless others. At HighSpeedInternet.com, he focuses on covering 5G, nerding out about frequency bands and virtual RAN, and producing reviews on emerging services like 5G home internet. He also writes about internet providers and packages, hotspots, VPNs, and Wi-Fi troubleshooting.

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