Best MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network 2024

The best MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network are able to provide you outstanding coverage on one of the largest and fastest 5G networks in the United States — but at a much lower cost. With most of its coverage area updated to support 5G, along with the quicker 'Ultra Capacity' 5G coming in to improve speeds and capacity even more, T-Mobile's network is one of the best for a prepaid carrier.

Besides that, T-Mobile's network is compatible with most unlocked phones, so you can bring any of the best Android phones you can buy. Following its acquisition by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile continues to be a standout value, thanks to a simple approach to savings that makes sense to most users, complete with family options that help in keeping multi-month plans accessible.

At a glance


Best overall

Mint Mobile logo on a Zenfone 8

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)
Best overall

Reasons to buy

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Save with longer terms
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Upgrade mid-cycle
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Hotspot on all plans
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Mint Family improves family savings

Reasons to avoid

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Only 10GB of hotspot data on the unlimited plan
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No truly unlimited option

After years of using T-Mobile's network to provide great coverage, Mint Mobile was officially bought by the carrier in March 2023. Almost a year after that, Mint Mobile continues to be great. If you're willing to buy a year of phone service up front, you can get 15GB of data for $20 per month with only one line. You also get hotspot data on every plan. An unlimited plan with 40GB of high-speed data per month is also available if you need more data. This plan is the best choice for heavy data users. 

However, Mint's best rates come from its smaller plans, with the 5GB plan coming in as low as $15 per month. The 15GB plan costs only a bit more, starting at $20 per month. You can save quite a bit with Mint Mobile if you're a lighter user.

Still, Mint's best savings mean you'll need to pay for a year of service upfront, which can be daunting, especially if you plan to bring multiple lines. For multi-line customers, Mint Family offers the 12-month rate, but payments are only made every three months. This makes bringing your family to Mint easier, even if you can't afford to pay for a year of service for multiple lines up front.

To learn more, check out our Mint Mobile review.

Best for multi-line-discounts

Metro by T-Mobile web page on a phone

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

2. Metro by T-Mobile

Best for multi-line discounts

Reasons to buy

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Full T-Mobile network with roaming partners
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Great phone support
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Tons of plans to choose from
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Multi-line savings
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Compatible with the Affordable Connectivity Program

Reasons to avoid

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Not much hotspot data
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Video streams are only SD
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The 5GB plan isn't a great deal

Metro by T-Mobile has three main unlimited plans, with the cheapest plan including only the basics. You get unlimited data on T-Mobile's network, as well as a 12-month trial of ViX, a Spanish-language video streaming service. The next unlimited plan has 8GB of hotspot data and 100GB of Google One cloud storage as well, and costs $50 per month with autopay enabled. This plan is ideal for heavier users who don't want to worry about how much data they use.

Finally, there's the $60 per month unlimited plan that adds 25GB of hotspot data, as well as unlimited texting to over 210 countries worldwide.

All of the unlimited plans have multi-line discounts for up to a maximum of five lines. There are also a few 'Heritage Plans' available for a limited time, for which you have to contact customer care. These plans cost from $20-60 per month and also include multi-line discounts. Another plan, which costs $30 per month with autopay, comes with 5GB of data.

Best international

Google Fi SIM card

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

3. Google Fi Wireless

Best international

Reasons to buy

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Multiple networks with certain phones
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Free roaming in 200+ countries
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Flexible or unlimited
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Hotspot on every plan
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5G is included for free

Reasons to avoid

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Expensive for high data usage

Google Fi isn't trying to have the lowest prices around, but it keeps things as simple as possible. If you have a flagship device like Google Pixel 8 Pro, Galaxy S24 series, or even one of a few other affordable other Android phones, you can not only get T-Mobile's network, but also intelligent switching to secure Wi-Fi connections whenever they're available and stronger. This unique approach keeps Fi customers connected in most of the country without issues. If you don't have one of these phones, you'll just use the T-Mobile network. 5G is available for both 'Designed for Fi' and 'Compatible with Fi' phones. You also get to travel to over 200 countries without worrying about data prices.

Google Fi's main plan is a flexible plan starting at $20 per month for one line with data but increases by $10 per 1GB until 6GB. After that, the cost freezes at $80 per month with the 'Bill Protection' feature. That said, if your group is blowing through a lot of data, this plan gets expensive quite fast. There are also two unlimited plans — Simply Unlimited and Unlimited Plus — to pick from, priced $50 and $65 per month respectively. Both of these come with unlimited talk, text, and data. Do keep in mind that high-speed data is limited to 35GB on the cheaper plan and 50GB on the pricier plan. The more-expensive plan gets 100GB of Google cloud storage, 1year of free YouTube Premium, as well mobile hotspot and a data-only SIM. This plan also comes with international data included.

To learn more, check out our Google Fi review.

Best ultra-affordable

Tello homepage on phone

(Image credit: Android Central)
Best ultra-affordable

Reasons to buy

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Great prices on small plans
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Plenty of data on custom plans
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Use your data in a mobile hotspot
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Calls to Canada, Mexico, India, and many more countries included
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Cheap unlimited plan

Reasons to avoid

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No discounts on family plans
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Small phone selection

Tello is designed in a way that lets you buy as little or as much data as you need. If you are a very light user, it's almost impossible to beat Tello's 1GB plan, which also offers unlimited talk and text for just $9 per month. There are no contracts or fees to worry about either, so there won't be any billing surprises. An unlimited option is available for $25 per month with 35GB of high-speed data, after which speeds are reduced. You can add up to four lines to an account if you want to bring your family, but there are no additional discounts.

Tello is a great option if you have family or friends in Canada, Mexico, or India, since you get free calls to these and over fifty-five other countries. For other countries, you though you'll need to pay by the minute, starting at one cent per minute.

You can bring your own phone as long as it's unlocked and works with the T-Mobile network. You can check your IMEI to be sure. Tello sells a few phones via its website, including refurbished flip phones and cheap smartphones. If you want something a bit higher end, like one of the best Android phones, you'll need to bring it yourself.

To learn more, check out our Tello review.

Best for customization

Phone showing splash page to "Activate Your Service" for US Mobile

(Image credit: Android Central)
Best for customization

Reasons to buy

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Lots of high-speed data
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International roaming
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Shareable data plans
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Pay for what you need
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5G is included for free

Reasons to avoid

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Slow speed cap on the base unlimited plan
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No multi-line discounts

US Mobile has a diverse range of plans with something that will work for just about anyone, starting with just unlimited talk and text and 1GB of data. From there, you can move up to the 10GB plan that's only available as an annual option, as well as two unlimited plans — Unlimited Starter and Unlimited Premium — that offer 35GB and 100GB of premium data at $29 and $50 per month, respectively. Both of these plans include international calling and texting, with the higher plan also offering multi-line subscription benefits. Essentially, you can choose from more than ten streaming and gaming services for $15 per month, if you have 3 lines on the higher unlimited plan.

Another interesting offering by US Mobile is its collection of 'Shareable Data' plans. You can select a specific amount of monthly data to share between any number of devices. The 'pool' of data to be shared also covers one line with unlimited talk and text, at no additional charges. Additional lines can also be added to this plan, at a cost of $8 per month. There's no restriction on the amount of data you can buy to add to the pool for sharing, with data packs being available in capacities of 2GB, 6GB, 12GB, and 30GB.

To learn more, check out our US Mobile review.

How to choose

Save more with the best T-Mobile MVNOs

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Mint Mobile unlimited

(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

There are a lot of great MVNOs on T-Mobile's networks that offer a diverse range of plans, including everything from just a few minutes of talk time to unlimited data. As such, many of these prepaid carriers are some of the best MVNOs overall. While more and more people are using large amounts of data on their smartphones, the availability of Wi-Fi has continued to grow, allowing many people to get by on a much cheaper plan. If you find you can get by on a small amount of data, there is a plan on most prepaid carriers with a few GBs available for a great price.

Now officially a subsidiary of T-Mobile, Mint Mobile continues to offer plenty of data for most users with pricing that immediately makes sense. Mint Mobile's unlimited plan isn't the biggest but for most customers, its 40GB of high-speed data should be more than enough.

Samuel Contreras

When Samuel is not writing about networking or 5G at Android Central, he spends most of his time researching computer components and obsessing over what CPU goes into the ultimate Windows 98 computer. It's the Pentium 3.

With contributions from