Mint Mobile vs. AT&T: Which carrier is better?

Mint Mobile and AT&T are some of the most popular carriers on the market. Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s compare them and see which is better.

In this article, we plan to discuss the details of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:

• What the coverage of both carriers looks like
• How prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans 

Unsure of what you need out of a plan? Check out our guide on how to choose the best phone plan. 

Coverage & Reception

Mint Mobile is on the T-Mobile network. 

Mint Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. This means that they purchase service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile – giving customers service at a much cheaper price. Mint Mobile is an MVNO of T-Mobile. 

Often, the quality of coverage comes down to your area. One carrier’s coverage may be better in New York, while another’s coverage may be better in California. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.

However, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. 

Plan Options

Mint Mobile offers multi-month plans, while AT&T offers premium data. 

Both carriers give you unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Mint Mobile gives you plans where you pay for multiple months of connection up front. Both companies deprioritize data, meaning you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and shopping centers. AT&T, however, gives you premium data depending on the plan, which doesn’t slow down no matter how high the network traffic is. 

Mint Mobile Plans

Mint Mobile offers 4 plans, each with multiple options for lengths of service.

Mint Mobile offers plans ranging from 5GB to Unlimited (40GB) data, giving customers more options to meet their needs. Mint Mobile only offers 3, 6, or 12 month plans to sign up for. However, your data is reset every month. Their current New Customer Offer allows you to purchase a 3 month plan at the best deal. Mint Mobile also offers a deal where you can get 6 months of free service if you purchase a phone and a 6 month plan. Mint Mobile allows up to 5 lines on one account, each with their own customizable plan data to draw from.

As a T-Mobile MVNO, Mint Mobile is on tier 7 of 9 Quality of Service Class Identifiers (QCIs).

This indicates the priority level of the carrier on T-Mobile’s network compared to T-Mobile specific plans. This means they’re at a higher priority compared to MVNOs on Verizon or AT&T’s networks. As such, you may experience higher speeds while being deprioritized than other MVNOs.

Mint Mobile keeps your phone locked for the first year after purchase. After, you must request to have your phone unlocked. Taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

5GB

5GB of full speed data is included before you get unlimited data at slow speeds. 

This plan gives you 5GB of data and mobile hotspot access. The plan is again deprioritized, then slows down to 2G speeds after the 5GB allotment. With 2G speeds, users can expect to send text messages and emails or scroll the internet, but streaming video or playing games will be difficult. Hotspot data comes from the 5GB and stops after hitting that amount. The plan costs $15 per month and $45 for the first 3 months. To get the same deal afterwards, you need to purchase 12 months of service. At this rate, you get 5GB for $3 per GB.

15GB 

You get 15GB of full speed data, then unlimited slow data. 

This plan gets you 15GB of full speed data and mobile hotspot data. This plan is also deprioritized and slowed down to 2G speeds after 15GB. Your hotspot data comes from the 15GB allotment and stops after 15GB. The plan costs $20 per month and $80 for the first 3 months. To get the same deal afterwards, you need to purchase 12 months of service. At this rate, you get 15GB at $1.33 per GB. 

20GB

This plan also gives you unlimited slow data after 20GB. 

As it says in the name, you get 20GB of full speed data. This plan is deprioritized, however, and it slows down to 2G speeds after you reach the 20GB cap. The plan also includes mobile hotspot capabilities. Data comes from the 20GB allotment and stops after hitting that amount. The plan costs $25 per month and $75 for the first 3 months. To get the same deal afterwards, you need to purchase 12 months of service. At this rate, you get 20GB at $1.25 per GB. 

Unlimited

Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan gives you 40GB before slowing down speeds. 

With Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan, you get 40GB of data. Your data is deprioritized, and it slows down to 3G speeds (512 kbps) after 40GB. At 3G, you can still send texts, send emails, and scroll through social media without too many issues. Streaming video might be a bit slower. While this may be a negative for those who use large amounts of data, most users use about 20GB of data per month or less, according to Ericsson Mobility. This plan also gives you 10GB of mobile hotspot data, allowing your phone to become a WiFi connection for other devices. Data stops after 10GB. 

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The plan costs $30 per month, or $90 for the first 3 months. After that, the price is $40 per month. To get the same $30 per month deal, you need to buy 12 months worth of service. At this rate, you get 50GB at $0.60 per GB. 

AT&T Plans

AT&T offers premium data with some of their plans. 

AT&T only offers one limited plan. The rest are unlimited plans with varying amounts of premium data.

If you purchase your phone from AT&T, your device will be locked for 60 days after activation. 

The plans they offer renew monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

4GB 

This plan is the smallest one AT&T offers.  

Each month, you get 4GB of full speed data and hotspot access included. Once you reach that limit, both your data access and hotspot access stop. Access begins again at the start of the next month. It’s important to note that this plan charges overage fees if you use more than the allotted amount. 

The plan costs $60 per month at full price, and $50 with the Autopay discount. With this plan, you get 4GB per month for $15 per GB. 

Value Plus 

This plan gives you unlimited data. 

Value Plus gives you unlimited, but deprioritized, data. With this, you’ll have full speeds the whole month because the plan doesn’t have any data cap. Speeds will only slow down for high network congestion. It does not offer hotspot access. 

This plan costs $60 per month at full price, and $50 with the included Autopay discount. 

Unlimited Starter 

This plan gives you unlimited data. 

AT&T offers deprioritized unlimited data with this plan. Like their Value Plus plan, your speeds won’t slow down because of any data cap – only because of high network congestion. This plan also offers 3GB of hotspot data, which slows to 2G speeds once you run out. With 2G speeds, users can still send texts and emails or browse the internet. However, it’s difficult to stream video or play games without access to WiFi. 

This plan costs $75 at full price, and $65 with Autopay. 

Unlimited Extra 

This plan gives you limited premium data. 

Unlimited Extra is the first plan to offer premium data with AT&T’s services. You get 50GB each month, then unlimited deprioritized data afterwards. You also get 15GB of hotspot data, which slows down to 2G speeds after that cap. 

This plan costs $85 per month before the $10 Autopay discount, and $75 per month after. You get 65GB per month for $1.30 per GB at full price. 

Unlimited Premium 

This is AT&T’s biggest and best plan they have to offer. 

AT&T offers users unlimited premium data. No matter what, whether it be the amount you use or the network traffic, your speeds will not slow down. They also give 50GB of hotspot data with this plan, and speeds slow to 2G once you run out for the month. 

This plan costs $95 per month before the discount, and $85 with Autopay.  

Features

Mint Mobile offers a free trial with their service, while AT&T offers spam protection. 

If you’re looking for a plan with more included features, such as international connection or domestic roaming data, it’s best to compare carriers with what they offer. 

Domestic Roaming Data

Mint Mobile does not include this feature. AT&T includes domestic roaming capabilities with all of their plans. 

Mexico & Canada Connection

Mint Mobile offers talk and text in Mexico and Canada included and roaming data at $0.06 per MB. AT&T includes talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada included with all of their plans. 

International Connection

Mint Mobile gives you international text included, while international talk and data are pay-per-use. International talk is $0.25 per minute, while international data is $0.20 per MB. AT&T offers international text, but calling and roaming data capabilities require an additional add-on.   

Video Streaming Quality

Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan streams at 480p Standard Definition, while their limited data plans stream at 4k Ultra High Definition. All AT&T plans with the exception of Unlimited Premium stream at 480p Standard Definition, and Unlimited Premium streams at 4k Ultra High Definition. 

Streaming Services

Mint Mobile and AT&T do not offer this feature. 

Cloud Storage

Mint Mobile does not offer this feature. AT&T offers an add-on for cloud storage. 

Device Financing

If you buy a phone from AT&T or Mint Mobile, the carrier allows you to pay for your device in installments over time. 

WiFi Calling

Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception.

Spam Protection

Mint Mobile does not offer this feature. AT&T offers AT&T Active Armor on all of their plans, which blocks spam calls.  

Free Trial

Mint Mobile offers a 7 day free trial. AT&T does not offer this feature. 

Customer Service 

Mint Mobile does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support. AT&T offers stores across the country.  

Mint Mobile is a digital-only carrier, meaning they only offer customer support online and over the phone. Mint Mobile offers chat support 24/7 and support over the phone at (800)-683-7392 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST every day of the week. AT&T offers thousands of brick-and-mortar stores across the country, and you can find one near you with their store locator. You can also call (800) 901-9878 on Mon. through Sat. from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. 

The Verdict

AT&T is better if you use a lot of data, but Mint Mobile is best for the average user.  

Mint Mobile offers a better price per GB for their plans than AT&T, even though their unlimited plan technically offers less data. Many AT&T plans are too expensive for the average user, so Mint Mobile is the better deal. However, if you use a lot more data than most people, AT&T will give you the data you need. 

We’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.

Want to compare other carriers?

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Are you still unsure which carrier to choose, or which phone plan to pick? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!