Metro by T-Mobile vs. Cricket Wireless: Carrier-owned prepaid brands go head-to-head

• Fast 5G coverage

  Metro by T-Mobile

  Metro by T-Mobile is one of T-Mobile’s main prepaid brands with a handful of unlimited plan options and a couple of smaller plans for lighter users. Running on the T-Mobile 5G network, Metro is one of the fastest unlimited prepaid carriers you can get.

  Pros

  • Fast T-Mobile 5G coverage
  • Totally unlimited data
  • BYOD and multi-line savings available

  Cons

  • Multiple lines must sign up in a store
  • Activation fees for in-store sign-ups
  • Single-line pricing is high

• 

  Unlimited data savings

  Cricket Wireless

  Cricket is one of the best prepaid carriers for AT&T coverage with two totally unlimited options, high-priority data available, and multi-line savings. Single-line customers can even save with a multi-month plan with strong family savings on unlimited plans.

  Pros

  • Savings for single lines and families
  • Unlimited priority data available
  • Vast AT&T coverage

  Cons

  • Light plans aren’t a great value
  • No hotspot data on multi-month plans

The Big Three postpaid carriers surround themselves with budget prepaid brands, but Metro by T-Mobile and Cricket Wireless feel like the main prepaid brands for T-Mobile and AT&T, respectively. While there are a few prepaid carriers and MVNOs that use these networks, Metro and Cricket have data benefits similar to US Mobile, with truly unlimited data that doesn’t have a data cap. With Metro and Cricket, you can use as much data as you want.

Both of these carriers have unlimited plans with multi-line discounts and a couple of smaller data plans, but Cricket has a few features for those with only one line, such as multi-month savings, and a cheap unlimited plan for four lines coming for just $100 per month. Metro, on the other hand, has a few extras on its plans, like more hotspot data than Cricket and Amazon Prime, but it works out to be more expensive for most of its plans.

Mobile carrier features

Metro by T-Mobile mostly sticks to a handful of unlimited plans called Flex Start, Flex Up, and Flex Plus. It also has a smaller 10GB plan in addition to some discounted plans for those who bring their old phone number from another carrier as well as their phone. Metro’s plans aren’t exactly expensive, but compared to other prepaid carriers, its prices are on the high end. For some people, however, the extra cost may be worth it.

One nice thing about Metro is that taxes and fees are included in the price of the plan, which makes it easier to know what your actual bill will be at the end of the month. Metro also includes a 100GB Google One plan with all of its Flex plans, so you can keep your phone safely backed up. All of these Flex plans come with hotspot data as well, so if you want to get your laptop or tablet connected while away from Wi-Fi, you have that option.

If you’re looking at one of Metro’s Flex plans and are also an Amazon Prime shopper, you may want to check out the top Flex Plus plan, which comes in at just $10 more than the next cheaper Flex plan. That makes Metro one of the cheapest ways to get Amazon Prime if you’re already a good fit for one of its plans.

Cricket Wireless has two unlimited plans and two fixed data plans. The cheaper of the two unlimited options is made even cheaper with multi-line discounts for families with four lines, dropping the price to $25 per line, or $100 per month. That’s among the cheapest unlimited family plans you can get. If you only need a single line, you can pay for the whole year upfront to get to that $25 per month, or save a bit less with a three-month payment instead.

Like Metro, taxes and fees are included, so it’s very easy to figure out how much your bill will be before signing up for service. Cricket’s plans are a bit more straightforward, but interestingly, its top unlimited plan comes with hotspot data, priority data, and Max with Ads streaming. While the top plan can be faster with higher-priority data, all plans at least come with 5G support.

Mobile coverage and reception

A decade ago, AT&T would have mopped the floor with T-Mobile when it comes to coverage, but T-Mobile has done a lot to close the gap with fast 5G, which has also propelled Metro by T-Mobile to be the fastest prepaid carrier. While T-Mobile is still a bit weaker in rural areas, T-Mobile is one of your best bets if you live in a city or the suburbs.

Take a look at Metro’s coverage map to see how coverage stacks up in your area. The darker the color on the map, the faster your 5G performance should be.

While T-Mobile took an early lead in 5G coverage, AT&T has made steady progress with its 5G network, which Cricket uses, including low-band coverage spectrum, mid-band spectrum, and some mmWave coverage in cities. While you’ll still see an LTE connection pop up on your phone more often than T-Mobile, AT&T still has the lead in rural areas, even if it’s only at LTE speeds.

Phone compatibility

T-Mobile and AT&T are the two best options for phone compatibility with networks that work well with the most popular Android phones, but are also compatible with many of the other phones, like the OnePlus 12.

If you want something a little more exotic, like the Nothing Phone 2a, Metro’s T-Mobile coverage is a better option. Even so, you should have no trouble finding a phone that works great on either carrier, whether you prefer a Samsung Galaxy S24, the Google Pixel 9, or even iPhone 16.

If you’re looking to buy a new phone, buying one unlocked gives you the greatest flexibility and choice, but both carriers do sell a handful of handsets. Cricket has the latest iPhone models as well as some mid-range Androids like the Galaxy S24 FE. Metro by T-Mobile also offers the latest iPhones and some cheaper Android devices.

While it’s generally disappointing that higher-end Android phones are absent considering the availability of the $1,200 iPhone 16 Pro Max, it may be a better idea to buy a phone from the manufacturer or another retailer instead, with Metro only offering full-price devices and Cricket using Affirm for financing.

Plans

Metro and Cricket both offer a handful of plans with multi-line savings, but if you have a single line or need a basic unlimited family plan, Cricket generally works out cheaper. Still, there’s more to finding a phone plan than getting the cheapest one, and Metro’s network performance and phone compatibility are worth keeping in mind.

One thing that makes plan comparisons a little easier is that both carriers bake taxes and fees into the plan pricing, making pricing much easier to predict.

Metro’s plans

Metro has three main unlimited plans, a 10GB plan, a couple of BYOD plans, and a whole web page of so-called Heritage Plans. These Heritage Plans were previously offered by the carrier and are still available. You need to call customer service to get them, but if you are looking to save on unlimited data for a family, these plans could still be a good pick for you. For example, you can still get a four-line unlimited plan for $100 per month this way.

Moving back to Metro’s main plans, you’ve got a 10GB on the bottom for $40 per month. This plan gets unlimited talk and text as well. If you bring four lines, the plan is discounted to $135. This plan does not come with Google One cloud storage.

Moving up to the Flex plans, Flex Starter comes with unlimited data, 8GB of hotspot data, and 100GB of Google One storage. This plan comes in at $50 per month for the first line, and with four, it’s discounted to $160.

Metro Flex Up keeps the unlimited data, but increases hotspot data to 25GB for $60 for the first line and adds unlimited texting to 210+ destinations. Metro’s pricing is simple for the Flex plans with only $10 separating them, even with multiple lines. This pricing is what makes the next plan, Flex Plus, a no-brainer for many. For just $10 more than Flex Up, Amazon Prime is included with your plan. And since Prime costs $15 per month, it’s a good deal.

If you already have a fairly new phone that’s unlocked, you can bring it with you to Metro with two different plans available. With a single line, while bringing your phone and your old number, you can get unlimited data for $25 per month. No hotspot data is included, but this is still a solid deal on unlimited data. There’s also a 5GB plan for $5 more per month if you need a new number.

Cricket’s plans

Cricket Wireless only has four main plans, with two featuring unlimited data. Cricket hasn’t always been a great choice for data, with its old plans offering only slow data speeds, but these days, Cricket has fast unlimited data with no speed cap. You can even get higher-priority data with Cricket’s top plan.

Starting with the cheapest option, the 5GB comes in at $30 as a solid option for light users. This plan doesn’t get any multi-line discounts, so it’s really only ideal for those with one or two lines who can’t afford to pay for a year of service in advance. If you’ve got three or more lines, the 10GB plan works out to be cheaper at $40 for the first line, but just $90 for three lines, and $110 for four lines.

Moving up to the base unlimited plan, you’re looking at $55 per month for the first line, which isn’t exactly a bargain. Luckily, if you’re willing to pay for three months at once, the plan is just $40 per month; for 12 months, it works out to be $25 per month. If you need multiple lines, however, you reach that $25 per line price with four lines. Keep in mind that while you can add hotspot data to the monthly plan if you get a multi-month plan, there’s no hotspot option.

Cricket’s most expensive plan is descriptively named Unlimited + 15GB Hotspot Data Plan. Compared to the cheaper unlimited plan, however, you’re getting more than just 15GB of hotspot data. You also get higher-priority data, which can be faster. Max with Ads is included as well as 150GB of cloud storage using Cricket’s own backup app. This plan costs $60 per month for the first line or $130 for four lines. There is no multi-month option for this plan.

Which should you buy?

Picking between these carriers can be tough as they both offer solid values in different price ranges. If you’re simply looking for unlimited data for a family, Cricket stands out due to its strong multi-line discounts. Four lines of unlimited data for just $100 per month with Cricket’s base unlimited plan is hard to beat, even if it lacks hotspot data. Need an upgrade? You can still get higher-priority data and 15GB of hotspot data with the top unlimited plan.

Cricket is also a good choice for single lines with its multi-month plans bringing the price down a lot on its unlimited plan. While this plan isn’t perfect, it’s one of the cheapest single-line unlimited options between these carriers and doesn’t have BYOD or bring-your-number requirements like Metro’s similarly priced plans.

Cricket Wireless

Cricket Wireless is one of the best value carriers using AT&T with unlimited data, multi-line savings for families, and multi-month savings for single lines.

Metro by T-Mobile can still be the right pick for some people, however. First, T-Mobile’s 5G network covers a greater area than AT&T, especially if you’re considering mid-band coverage. Metro also comes with hotspot data on its Flex plans, so you’re not giving up as many features as users on Cricket’s base unlimited plan.

With multi-line savings, hotspot data, and perks like Amazon Prime on the top plan, Metro is still a solid pick for many people.

Metro by T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile is a good way to get fast 5G data without signing up for a postpaid plan. It’s even a good pick for families with multi-line savings and plenty of data and hotspot data on its plans.