Twigby vs. AT&T Prepaid: Which carrier is better?

Twigby and AT&T’s prepaid plans offer great deals on their plans for consumers that use wide ranges of data. Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s put them head to head and see which brand comes out on top. 

In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs 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

Twigby is on the Verizon network. 

Twigby 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. Twigby is an MVNO of Verizon. AT&T Prepaid is a branch of AT&T, which is one of the major phone networks. 

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. 

Plan Options

AT&T Prepaid offers multi-month plans, and Twigby offers several limited plans. 

Like most plans you’ll see on the market, both carriers offer unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Twigby offers several limited data plans along with an unlimited plan and a plan without data. Some of AT&T’s prepaid plans offer multiple months of service for one price. Both companies deprioritize data, which means your connection may slow down during times of high traffic, such as a concert or a crowded parking lot. 

Twigby Plans

Twigby plans give you a discount for the first three months of service. 

Twigby offers 5 plans, ranging from plans with no data included to unlimited data. All plans offer unlimited talk and text, and all data plans offer hotspot access. All plans allow up to 50 lines on an account. All Twigby plans are on QCI tier 9. 

If you purchase your phone from Twigby, your device will be sold to you unlocked after activation. The plans they offer renew monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

No Data Plan

This plan does not have data access. 

With this plan, you do not have access to any data. This means you must have a WiFi connection in order to browse the internet, send emails, stream videos, and play games. According to Twigby, you also need to have WiFi access to use iMessage on iPhones. You also do not have access to group messaging on basic or Android phones. 

You do not have hotspot access on this plan either. 

The plan costs $10 per month, and $5 for the first 3 months. 

2GB Plan 

This plan gives you 2GB per month before slowing down. 

This plan gives you 2GB per month, which slows to 2G speeds after the cap. This slower speed allows you to send texts and emails or browse the internet, but playing games and streaming video. The plan also allows for mobile hotspot access with the 2GB included in the plan. This access stops at the 2GB cap.

The plan costs $15 per month. At this rate, you get 2GB at $7.50 per GB. This plan costs $5 per month for the first 3 months. 

5GB Plan 

This plan gives you 5GB per month if you use their service. 

This plan gives you 5GB of data to use per month, which then slows to 2G speeds after you reach the cap. 

The plan costs $20 per month. At this rate, you get 5GB at $4 per GB. The plan also gives you the first 3 months of service at $10 per month. 

8GB Plan 

This plan gives you 8GB monthly. 

This plan gives you 8GB per month of service, which slows to 2G speeds after this cap. You also get access to mobile hotspot data, which stops at 8GB. 

The plan costs $26 per month. At this rate, you get 8GB at $3.25 per GB. The plan also gives you service at $16 per month for the first 3 months. 

Unlimited Plan 

This plan gives you 20GB before slowing speeds. 

This plan gives you 20GB of data before slowing down to 2G speeds. You also get 20GB of mobile hotspot data access, which stops at the cap. 

The plan costs $35 per month. At this rate, you get 20GB at $1.75 per GB. You get service at $25 per month for the first 3 months. 

AT&T Prepaid Plans

AT&T prepaid offers several monthly plans, as well as 3 month and annual options.

AT&T offers 5 plans, varying between limited and unlimited data offerings. Their plans are deprioritized, which means your data will slow down during high traffic. All plans include unlimited talk and text, and all but 1 plan allows for up to 10 lines. Their limited data plans are on QCI tier 8, while their unlimited monthly plan is on QCI tier 8. 

If you purchase your phone from AT&T, your device will be locked for 6 months after activation. The plans they offer renew monthly, except for two plans, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

5GB

This plan offers 5GB per month. 

This plan gives you 5GB of data. This connection then slows to 128 kbps, or 2G speeds. With these speeds, you can send texts and emails or browse the internet. However, playing games or streaming video will be difficult. This plan also includes mobile hotspot access, which users can use all plan data with. This access stops after 5GB. It also features rollover data, which means any data you don’t use rolls over to and is added to the next month of service. For example, if you use 2GB of data one month, the last 3GB of unused data will be added to the next month. 

The plan costs $30 per month. At this rate, you get 5GB at $6 per GB. 

8GB for 3 Months

This plan gives you 8GB per month for 3 months. 

This plan requires you to purchase 3 months of service, and it gives you 8GB per month. Data slows to 2G speeds once again after you hit this limit. You get mobile hotspot access for 8GB, then access stops once you hit the 8GB limit. Your data is also able to rollover to the next month of service. 

The plan costs $33 per month when you pay $99 for 3 months. At this rate, you get 8GB per month at $4.13 per GB. 

15GB

This plan gives you 15GB per month of service. 

This plan gives you 15GB and allows you to pay monthly. Again, data slows to 2G speeds after the 15GB cap. This plan also gives you mobile hotspot access, which stops after the 15GB data allotment.

The plan costs $40 per month. At this rate, you get 15GB at $2.67 per GB. 

Unlimited Annual

This plan gives you 16GB, requires you to sign up for a year of service, and only allows one line. 

This plan gives you 16GB of full speed data before slowing to 2G speeds. You do not get hotspot access with this plan. This plan also requires a new single line upon sign up, and you can only have one line on this plan.

The plan costs $25 per month. At this rate, you get 16GB at $1.56 per GB. 

Unlimited

This plan gives you a $15 Autopay discount. 

As their biggest plan, AT&T prepaid’s unlimited monthly plan gives you unlimited deprioritized data. Your data will slow down during times of congestion. You also get 5GB of hotspot data, which stops once you reach this cap.  

The plan costs $65 per month before the Autopay discount, and $50 after.

Features

AT&T Prepaid offers domestic roaming capabilities, and Twigby offers international calling capabilities included. 

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

AT&T Prepaid offers domestic roaming data on their plans. Twigby does not offer this feature. 

Mexico & Canada Connection

Twigby plans allow unlimited talk in Mexico and Canada, but not text or data. All AT&T Prepaid plans include talk, text, and data abilities in Mexico and Canada, except for their 5GB prepaid plan. Data in Mexico and Canada may be slowed to 2G. 

International Connection

Twigby allows unlimited talk in up to 80 countries, but not text or data. AT&T Prepaid plans include international texting, but international talk and data requires an additional add-on. 

Video Streaming Quality

All Twigby data plans stream at 720p High Definition resolution. Their No Data plan requires WiFi to stream video. AT&T Prepaid offers 720p High Definition on their annual unlimited plan and 3 month 8GB plan, and 480p Standard Definition on every other prepaid plan.  

Streaming Services

Twigby and AT&T do not offer this feature.

Cloud Storage

Twigby and AT&T do not offer this feature.

Device Financing

If you buy a phone from either carrier, the carrier allows you to pay for your device in installments over time. Twigby only offers this service with PayPal. 

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

All AT&T Prepaid plans include Active Armour with their plans, which blocks spam and fraud calls and secures WiFi connections. Twigby does not offer this feature. 

Free Trial

AT&T Prepaid and Twigby do not offer this feature.   

Customer Service 

Twigby does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support. AT&T offers thousands of store locations across the country.

Twigby is a digital-only carrier, meaning they only offer customer support online. They offer chat support from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST Mon. through Fri. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST Sat. through Sun. You can also email Twigby Customer Support at twigby.support@twigby.com. AT&T offers thousands of brick-and-mortar stores across the country, and you can find one near you with their store locator. For help specifically prepaid plans, you can text “prepaid” to 75421 on Mon. to Sat. at 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET and on Sundays at 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET. You can also call (800) 901-9878 on Mon. through Sat. from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. 

The Verdict

Twigby offers better limited plan deals.  

If you need a limited data plan, Twigby offers much better prices per GBs that you get included. All of their plans also allow you to have multiple lines and hotspot access, while the arguable best plan with AT&T Prepaid does not. If you need lots of data, AT&T’s Prepaid Unlimited plan that allows you to pay monthly is a decent deal. 

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

Want to compare other carriers?

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