When it comes to cell phone providers, it can be confusing to decide which one to go with. Many people may attest to one brand being better than another and just when you’ve made your choice, the perks change and you need to start from scratch. What is a priority for some may be lower on the list for others but what seems to be universal across the board is service. It may seem rather obvious but people want a cell phone carrier that they can use no matter where they are.
While there may be a large field of providers, not all are equal and one of the biggest debates currently in tech for consumers is whether they should choose Verizon or T-Mobile as their phone provider. Unfortunately for AT&T, high prices and lagging 5G coverage have opened the door for Verizon and T-Mobile. Verizon, once the undisputed network champion, has lost ground in recent years as T-Mobile’s 5G network has quickly grabbed the speed throne.
Although Verizon is working overtime to catch up, T-Mobile still has the edge around pricing. T-Mobile also offers perks like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+ with some of its higher-end plans. It even offers a one-year paid membership in the American Automobile Association (AAA). Verizon offers Apple One and Disney+ as plan extras, which increases the competitiveness between the two carriers.
Let’s jump right into the most important aspects of T-Mobile and Verizon and see which one might be right for you.
Coverage: Verizon
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The benefits of its 5G coverage have long been touted by Verizon, specifically its 5G Ultra Wideband network. As of January 2024, Verizon’s 5G UW network covers around 230 million people. This is equivalent to about 60% of the U.S. population.
On this network, Verizon highlights that it can download a movie in minutes or a song in a few seconds. There are also plenty of claims over its 5G Ultra Wideband network being able to provide console-quality gaming on the go. Verizon’s larger standard 5G network covers a bit more area though it doesn’t offer the same type of download or upload speeds as its Ultra Wideband 5G coverage.
While Verizon doesn’t make specific speed claims, it says its 5G network is 10x faster than its 4G LTE network.
Coverage: T-Mobile
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Verizon may have an impressive amount of coverage but in a contest of which phone provider has the largest 5G network, T-Mobile wins by a large margin. Covering right around 330 million people, T-Mobile’s 5G network is handily larger than Verizon or AT&T. Better yet, T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity network, its competitor to Verizon’s Ultra Wideband, covers around 300 million people.
Not only is T-Mobile faster, but it supports more users at a single time which means speeds are more consistent. As of January 2024, T-Mobile’s 5G network map looks very similar to its LTE network or its 4G coverage area. For a carrier that was once well behind on nationwide coverage, what T-Mobile has done is downright impressive.
Like Verizon, T-Mobile also promises that its 5G network can download movies and songs in seconds. It also makes the same claims about console-quality gaming while streaming on its 5G network. T-Mobile claims its 5G network can handle speeds up to 20 Gbps as its very best performance.
Cost: Verizon
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When it comes to cost, Verizon has always been at the higher end of the pricing spectrum. Even though AT&T is slightly more expensive, Verizon remains near the top end of pricing. Verizon’s pricing for its best-unlimited plans starts at $65 for one line with Unlimited Welcome and goes up to $90 a line with Unlimited Ultimate. If you jump up to four lines, pricing for the Unlimited Welcome drops to $30 per line or $55 per line with Unlimited Ultimate.
One of the areas Verizon falls behind T-Mobile is that this pricing does not include taxes and fees. With these extra costs, it’s best to add another 15% of the total plan amount to get a final payment number.
Cost: T-Mobile
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T-Mobile’s pricing structure is similar to Verizon’s in that it offers 3 primary plans as part of its unlimited offering. Starting with its Essentials plan, you pick up a single line for just $60 a month. Its top line, the Go5G Next starts at $100 per month for one user. If you jump up to four lines, the Essentials plan becomes only $100 for all four lines, a definite promotion worth considering. The Go5G Next plan jumps to $225 as you get one line free. T-Mobile’s most popular plan, the Go5G Plus, is only $185 a month with the third line free.
Where T-Mobile beats Verizon is that its pricing includes taxes and fees. In other words, if you pick the $185 Go5G Plus plan for a family of four, that is exactly the price you will pay. The only real difference between T-Mobile’s two best plans is that the Next plan allows you to upgrade your phone every 12 months.
Stores: Verizon
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According to online tracking of phone stores, Verizon currently has 6,290 retail locations around the U.S. As of January 23, 2024, these stores are located in 3,412 cities across 51 states and U.S. territories. California is currently home to 499 Verizon locations, which represents approximately 8% of all of its retail storefronts. New York and Texas are the next largest with 388 and 373 stores respectively. Over 1,500 of these locations are directly owned by Verizon, while the rest are owned and operated by third parties.
Stores: T-Mobile
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Based on the same reporting as Verizon, there are approximately 6,194 T-Mobile locations spread across 52 states and territories. These stores can be found in 2,669 cities as of late January 2024. California is again the most dominant state with around 710 stores, or 11% of the total number count. Texas and Florida are the next largest with 552 and 486 locations respectively.
T-Mobile also supports its Signature stores, which are showrooms for the latest products, as well as Experience stores, which have the full assortment of T-Mobile offerings. Neighborhood stores make up the largest T-Mobile store count and provide day-to-day support for customers.
Phones: Verizon
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Verizon has one of the best selections of smartphones available with a lineup that includes all of the latest devices. You will find the newest iPhone models and the same goes for Samsung’s latest Galaxy releases. While Verizon’s smartphone lineup is strong, it doesn’t offer any exclusive models that are only available to Verizon customers.
Phones: T-Mobile
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The assortment of devices offered at T-Mobile rivals that of Verizon in most major ways. T-Mobile has the same selection of the latest Android and iPhone devices, including recent generations of both. Where T-Mobile differs from Verizon is that it still looks to provide customers with some exclusive offerings.
These include the T-Mobile REVVL lineup, which currently includes the REVVL V+ 5G and REVVL 6X Pro 5G. Similarly, T-Mobile also has a deal with Motorola to offer the Moto Razr 5G exclusively to T-Mobile customers. T-Mobile also has an exclusive for the OnePlus Nord N30 5G.
Plan Perks: Verizon
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In the world of Verizon, adding perks like Apple One, Disney+, Netflix, or MAX enables you to save over what you would normally pay purchasing these benefits standalone. Verizon’s Disney Bundle offers you Disney+ Premium (No Ads), Hulu, and ESPN+, both with ads, for only $10. When compared to the regular price of $19.99 per month for all three, it’s a $120 yearly savings.
The Apple One family plan is regularly priced at $25.95 direct from Apple, while your Verizon plan will offer you the same benefit for only $20 a month. A similar pricing scenario works out if you add the Netflix and MAX plan, where you save around $7 per line if you add this package to your plan.
Plan Perks: T-Mobile
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When it comes to plan perks, there is little question T-Mobile has the upper hand over Verizon. First and foremost, T-Mobile includes Apple TV+, Netflix Standard with Ads, and Hulu on the Go5G Next plan. If you have a more expensive Netflix plan, T-Mobile will cover the standard with ads cost and bill you the difference. It’s a very strong offering and a definite bonus point in T-Mobile’s favor.
Additionally, T-Mobile offers one year of AAA membership and in-flight text and Wi-Fi where available. Perhaps T-Mobile’s biggest benefit is its unlimited text while traveling in over 215 countries. You also get up to 5GB of high-speed data, then unlimited data up to 256 Kbps. Compared to Verizon’s international plan, which requires you to pay daily for international data, T-Mobile is well ahead of Verizon.
Last but not least, T-Mobile’s T-Mobile Tuesday app includes travel discounts as well as weekly rotating offerings. These can include free pizzas at popular fast food chains, 25 cents off a gallon at Shell, and other discounts.
Which Should You Choose?
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Based on all of the advantages in T-Mobile’s favor including the larger 5G network, it seems to be the easy choice. When you add in exclusive phone offers and more attractive plan perks, T-Mobile is showing all the reasons why it’s growing faster than Verizon.
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