The real difference between these four Mint Mobile plans is the 5G data allotment, which ranges from 4 GB to unlimited (Mint’s unlimited data plan has a 35 GB data cap. After you reach that, your speeds will be slowed). The Essentials plan comes with a 50 GB cap (after which speeds will be slowed) and few perks. The Magenta plan has a 100 GB cap, and it comes with 5 GB of 5G/4G LTE mobile hotpsot data (as opposed to the Essential plan’s unlimited 3G mobile data) and a free Netflix subscription. If you want the best of the best, T-Mobile’s Magenta Max gives you unlimited top-quality video streaming, 40 GB of 5G mobile hotspot data (with unlimited 3G mobile hotspot data after you hit those 40 GB), free Netflix, and plenty of other special features. Of course, it also costs a pretty penny at $85 a month. That price tag means that T-Mobile’s Magenta Max plan is almost three times the cost of Mint’s unlimited data plan. That’s a lot of extra dough to pay for increased performance and a few perks. You’ll have to decide if it’s worth it to you (we’ll talk more about the difference between Mint Mobile and T-Mobile’s performance below). Unfortunately, Mint Mobile doesn’t actually offer any deals or discounts on multi-line plans. But T-Mobile does. Here’s what the company has for families who want to bundle. When you count the savings offered by family plans, T-Mobile and Mint’s prices start to look pretty similar. So if you’ve got a family, you’ll definitely want to consider signing up for T-Mobile together. T-Mobile
Average download speed: 32.73 Mbps Average upload speed: 12.9 Mbps
But just because T-Mobile and Mint are on the same network, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the same exact service, which brings us to deprioritization and throttling.
Throttling: Every cell phone plan—even unlimited data plans—has a data cap. Once you go above that data cap, your data will be throttled. That means you’ll experience significant slowdowns (like going from 4G LTE to 3G speeds), including with your mobile hotspot data. Data Deprioritization: Certain cell phone plans—usually cheaper ones—can be deprioritized when the network is busy. This means their data speeds will be reduced in favor of other customers on the network.
Mint Mobile’s unlimited data plan has a 35 GB cap before throttling, while all of T-Mobile’s unlimited data plans come with a 50-100 GB cap. That’s a lot of extra high-speed data for all you streamers, gamers, influencers, and web surfers. When it comes to deprioritization: Mint Mobile customers are always subject to data deprioritization. Those on T-Mobile’s lowest-tier unlimited data plan (Essentials) can also experience deprioritization, but those on higher-tiered plans will not. Both Mint and T-Mobile will sell you a brand new phone when you sign up. Here’s a gander at some of the most popular devices sold by each company. T-Mobile has definitely less-than-ecstatic reviews, especially compared to Mint. Customers have reported having difficulty speaking to a real human being. And when they do finally reach a person, a lot of time is spent discussing new plans or upgrades instead of the customer’s issue.1 We’ve heard of positive in-store experiences for T-Mobile, but it’s not always realistic to go into a store for every phone issue you might have. Mint Mobile customer service
Call 1-800-683-7392 Chat with a representative at mintmobile.come/chat
T-Mobile customer service
Call 1-800-937-8997 Tag @TMobileHelp on Twitter Visit t-mobile.com/customers/customer-care Use the T-Mobile app for iOS or Android
Unlimited plans: Mint has a cheaper unlimited plan, but beware of deprioritization and throttling. This won’t happen with T-Mobile, but you’ll have to pay more. Individual plans: Mint offers four basic plans, from 4 GB of data to unlimited. T-Mobile has a wider variety, from a talk and text only plan to three different unlimited data options. Mint’s prices are much cheaper, but T-Mobile throws in some enticing perks for those who have more to spend. Family plans: T-Mobile will hook you up with a hefty discount when you bundle multiple lines into a single family plan. In fact, when you’ve got three or more lines with T-Mobile prices can become similar—or even cheaper—than Mint’s. Network performance: Mint and T-Mobile are on the same network, meaning their coverage range is identical. But when it comes to data speeds and performance, Mint customers may have a worse experience than those who pay for T-Mobile’s high-end plans.
If neither of these companies seem right to you, be sure to read up on the very best cell phone plans in the industry. You might find what you’re looking for in one of those. We used our own proprietary data from over 100,000 customers to evaluate 4G speeds and we used the latest OpenSignal report to rate 5G speeds.2 Along with this data, we used our hands-on experience and publicly available plan information to evaluate Mint Mobile and T-Mobile. Since Mint doesn’t have to pay to maintain their own network, they’re able to price their plans and services lower than traditional mobile companies like T-Mobile or Verizon. There is a downside, though, as T-Mobile can prioritize its own customers and reduce speeds for Mint Mobile customers.
