By
Max McCaskill Sr. Staff Writer
Updated

Three experts here at WhistleOut have been customers of both Mint and T-Mobile. After a month of hands-on testing, we think Mint is the best option for most customers due to its lower plan prices that maintain significant value.

That said, T-Mobile’s premium plans offer more features than Mint, as well as similar plans from carriers like AT&T and Verizon.

Let’s dive into the details of Mint Mobile and T-Mobile to help you determine which carrier is right for you.

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Get to the point: Mint vs. T-Mobile carrier snapshot


If you want to know what it’s like to be a customer of one of these carriers, check out our hands-on reviews of Mint Mobile and T-Mobile. That said, here’s a quick comparison of the pricing and features of each if you want to make a decision right now:

Mint Mobile T-Mobile
Plan prices $15–$30/month  $50-100/month
Mobile hotspot data5GB–20GB high-speed 
(from monthly data)
Unlimited (3G speeds) to
60GB (high-speed)
5G networks79–357Mbps
89–418 Mbps
Perks and extras None Yes, depending on plan
Custom family plans Yes No
Monthly plans available No Yes
WhistleOut rating

Shop plans Shop plans

The bottom line: Mint is a better value than T-Mobile

Both carriers offer the same 4G LTE and 5G coverage. For that reason, we think Mint is the better value, despite its relatively basic plan inclusions. Most people don’t use all of the bells and whistles on their phone plan—so why should you be forced to pay for them?

That said, your individual needs are what will help you decide which carrier to choose.

  • Mint Mobile is the best carrier for customers looking for a cheaper wireless plan, but you won’t find any extra perks.
  • T-Mobile is best for customers who need large premium data allotments and perks with their plan; just understand those plans also come with a premium cost.

Mint Mobile is the cheaper option…by quite a lot. Mint’s multi-month pricing can help you score unlimited data on T-Mobile’s network for one of the cheapest costs of any carrier. That said, just note that the best pricing is only available with family plans or 12-month pricing. Plus, if you need extras—like streaming subscriptions or device installment plans—Mint doesn’t offer them.

There’s no way to avoid it: T-Mobile is expensive. But to be clear, you get quite a lot for your money. T-Mobile’s plans include massive premium data and hotspot allowances, streaming subscriptions, early device upgrades, international roaming, in-flight Wi-Fi, and more. Plus, customers directly with T-Mobile have a much lower chance of seeing slower data speeds due to network congestion. If any of these features sound appealing, it might be worth paying more for T-Mobile’s premium plans.

How we scored Mint Mobile and T-Mobile 


At WhistleOut, we review all carriers using the same five criteria: price, value, speed, coverage, and customer service. Each is evaluated on a 5-star scale to calculate the carrier's overall rating.

AT&T logo
4.5 out of 5.0 overall
  • – Price: 4 out of 5
  • – Value: 4 out of 5
  • – Data speeds: 4 out of 5
  • – Coverage and network reliability: 3 out of 5
  • – Customer service: 4 out of 5
T-Mobile logo
4.0 out of 5.0 overall
  • – Price: 3.5 out of 5
  • – Value: 4.5 out of 5
  • – Data speeds: 4 out of 5
  • – Coverage and network reliability: 4 out of 5
  • – Customer service: 4 out of 5

Mint Mobile's rating details

Mint Mobile’s best feature is it offers T-Mobile’s widespread 5G coverage at an affordable price. Our UX analyst, Angelo Ilumba, tested Mint’s Unlimited plan for a month and noted he saw data speeds as fast as 600Mbps, which is excellent for a plan only costing $30/month, or as low as $15/month for new customers.

However, Mint’s reliance on T-Mobile’s network also means it doesn’t offer great rural coverage, so Angelo sometimes struggled to find a signal in remote locations. Overall, he felt Mint is a great value if you live in an area with a strong T-Mobile signal.

You can read about Angelo’s full experience and see the results of his network testing in our Mint Mobile review.

T-Mobile's rating details

T-Mobile offers the nation's largest 5G network and a slew of premium wireless plans. Since T-Mobile and Mint share networks, it’s better to look at T-Mobile’s data allotments and perks as the most important features for this comparison.

Two WhistleOut team members—Daphne Kelly and Adam Roach—are longtime T-Mobile customers. Both of them had T-Mobile's mid-tier plan and noted they’ve never come close to using all their monthly data. Additionally, T-Mobile offers more standard perks than any other major carrier, including streaming subscriptions like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+. Just remember that T-Mobile is much more expensive than Mint, with plans topping out at $100/month.  

Check out our T-Mobile Review for our team’s full experiences with T-Mobile's plans.

Compare Mint Mobile and T-Mobile plan prices and value


Mint and T-Mobile may offer the same coverage, but there are not many similarities between their plan offerings or how the carriers operate.

Mint's plans are cheaper than T-Mobile's

Mint Mobile offers four prepaid plans stretching from 5GB to unlimited data (which is actually 35GB premium data and unlimited data at potentially slower speeds after). The 5GB plan starts at $15/month and Unlimited clocks in at $30/month ($15/month for new customers). Note that Mint’s plans are only available in 3-, 6-, and 12-month blocks, and you must pay the full price upfront. That means the Mint Unlimited 3-month plan is actually $90 total. That pricing is also tied to a 3-month introductory deal. After that, the pricing goes up to $40/month unless you pay for the 12-month plan.

T-Mobile’s premium lineup stretches from the smaller Essentials plan with 50GB of premium data to the perk-filled Experience Beyond plan with unlimited premium data. The respective pricing starts at $60/month and tops out at $100/month, making Experience Beyond the most expensive phone plan on the market.  

Compare specific Mint and T-Mobile plans

Check out the plans offered by Mint Mobile and T-Mobile below:


Mint Mobile T-Mobile
Select plan
Mobile data
Coverage
Hotspot
Speeds
Price
Shop plans Shop plans

T-Mobile's unlimited data plans are full of features

With unlimited data plans, T-Mobile has the advantage in virtually every category except price.

Many T-Mobile customers are best served by the Experience More plan for $85/month. It includes unlimited premium data—well over the 10-15GB that average customers use—and 60GB of mobile hotspot data. Plus, you’ll also get free subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV+, one year of AAA, and travel perks like free in-flight Wi-Fi with partner airlines. If you need more data, Experience Beyond includes unlimited premium data and even more perks including Hulu and early device upgrades.

The Essentials plan is T-Mobile’s most bare-bones option. At $60/month, it’s cheaper than T-Mobile’s other options, but you’re still getting 50GB of premium data and an unlimited mobile hotspot at 3G speeds.

Clearly, T-Mobile is much more expensive than Mint, but you are getting plenty for your money. The question to ask yourself is: Do I actually need all this extra data and premium perks? After taking a hard look at her plan for our T-Mobile review, Daphne realized her family wasn’t using nearly enough data to justify T-Mobile’s pricing and switched to Mint Mobile. 

We keep talking about Mint’s pricing because it truly is one of the cheapest ways to score unlimited data on T-Mobile’s network. The Mint Unlimited plan offers 35GB of high-speed data and a 10GB mobile hotspot for as low as $15/month. That is plenty of high-speed data to meet the average customer’s monthly needs. While Mint’s $15 price is an introductory offer, you can keep it if you purchase a year of service for single lines or create a family plan for any length of time.

Angelo’s thoughts on Mint Mobile’s pricing

Angelo Ilumba

Angelo was impressed with the value and pricing of Mint Mobile:

"Mint Mobile's prices are definitely a standout feature. With unlimited plans starting at $30/month with a 3-month package, Mint easily beats out the major carriers' rates."

Learn more in his full Mint Mobile review.

T-Mobile plan perks outshine Mint

You won’t find many perks from Mint Mobile. As a discounted carrier, its goal is to provide the cheapest service possible. The only perks to speak of are limited international features like calling and texting to Mexico and Canada and 3GB of roaming data in Canada included with all plans. 

T-Mobile offers the best standard perks of any major phone carrier. Its top plan includes three streaming subscriptions, yearly device upgrades, and free in-flight Wi-Fi with eligible airlines.

The bad news for T-Mobile customers is that perks are linked to specific plans. The more expensive the plan, the better your perks will be. If you’re willing to pony up the cash, T-Mobile’s perks can include:

  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+ (discounted rate)
  • Hulu
  • AAA membership
  • In-flight Wi-Fi and texting
  • Yearly device upgrades
  • Watch and tablet connectivity for $5/month

Family plans make both carriers more affordable

Family plans are the best option for either carrier. For Mint, they guarantee the cheapest pricing, no matter the length of your plan; with T-Mobile, adding lines is one of the only ways to make the carrier’s premium plans affordable.

The Mint Mobile Modern Family Plan lets customers pick any of Mint’s plans and get the lowest price per line, regardless of your plan length. It’s one of the best multi-line discounts you’ll find with any MVNO.

Mint Mobile family plan monthly pricing

Plan Single-line price Multi-line (2-5) price Learn more
5GB $15 (12 months)
$20 (6 months)
$25 (3 months)
$15 View plan
15GB $20 (12 months)
$25 (6 months)
$25 (3 months)
$20 View plan
20GB $25 (12 months)
$35 (6 months)
$45 (3 months)
$25 View plan
Unlimited $30 (12 months)
$35 (6 months)
$40 (3 months)
$30 ($15 for
new customers)
View plan

While T-Mobile’s family plans do lower the cost per line, customers can’t mix and match different types of plans. Any family plan for T-Mobile must all use the same kind of line. This differs from Mint, as well as T-Mobile’s main competitors, Verizon and AT&T—both of which let you mix and match lines based on each individual’s needs.

Still, T-Mobile’s family plan discount is very attractive. For example, a family with four lines of the Essentials plan could pay as little as $24/line (less than $100/month before taxes).

Here’s how T-Mobile’s family plan discounts work:

Plan Multi-line discount Total monthly price
Essentials Saver 2 lines: $40/line
3 lines: $33/line
$80/mo.
$100/mo.
Essentials 2 lines: $45/line
3 lines: $30/line
4 lines: $26.25/line
5 lines: $24/line
$90/mo.
$90/mo.
$105/mo.
$120/mo.
Experience More 2 lines: $70/line
3 lines: $47/line
4 lines: $42.50/line
5 lines: $40/line
$140/mo.
$140/mo.
$170/mo.
$200/mo.
Experience Beyond 2 lines: $85/line
3 lines: $57/line
4 lines: $53.75/line
5 lines: $52/line
$170/mo.
$170/mo.
$215/mo.
$260/mo.

Coverage is the same, but speed varies


Mint Mobile and T-Mobile offer the same coverage, since T-Mobile owns Mint. Therefore, both offer access to T-Mobile’s 5G network, the largest in the nation. 

4G LTE and 5G coverage

T-Mobile coverage map
T-Mobile coverage map.
Image: T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s 5G network is the largest of any carrier, covering a whopping 53% of the country. Verizon and AT&T trail with 5G coverage at just 12.77% and 29.52% respectively. In many locations, T-Mobile’s 5G is also the fastest option.

Daphne and Adam consistently saw download speeds above 100Mbps on T-Mobile. When testing Mint, Angelo saw speeds cross 600Mbps, which is a testament to both T-Mobile’s top speeds and Mint’s access to the T-Mobile network overall.  

Angelo's experience with Mint Mobile's speeds

Angelo Ilumba

Angeo had a great experience with Mint’s data speeds, but he wasn’t always happy with his coverage.

“I never saw speeds dip down below 200Mbps, with peak speeds reaching as fast as 600Mbps. I was able to stream videos, play games, and download large files without a hitch. The only times I really had bandwidth issues were those rare instances in remote areas when a signal wasn't great (or non-existent).”

The bad news is that T-Mobile offers the smallest 4G LTE network of any major carrier, coming in at 62%. That’s a solid amount behind Verizon’s 4G LTE network, which covers 70%. 4G LTE is still the most widespread network type that’s available, so having a smaller network means T-Mobile struggles to offer rural coverage in many areas.

If you don’t live in an urban area with strong T-Mobile coverage, it may be best to shop for a plan from another carrier and network.

Mint vs. T-Mobile: Customer service


Mint Mobile’s customer service is known for being excellent. That said, it’s only available online and over the phone. T-Mobile’s customer support is typically rated pretty low, but it does have the advantage of offering in-person help if you need it. 

In his Mint Mobile review, Angelo noted that, “I tried their online chat and phone support. Mint was quick to respond each time, so I was pretty satisfied.”

In the T-Mobile review, Daphne noted that she had “positive experiences with the carrier’s customer service.” She had to remove an Apple Watch line from her account, and while the process couldn’t be handled through the app, a quick phone call resolved the issue.

Your experience with any carrier will depend on the individual representative you connect with. Some are immensely helpful, while others may make you want to change carriers completely.

Bottom line: Mint’s pricing beats T-Mobile’s features 


Both Mint and T-Mobile will give you the same excellent 5G coverage. However, you must remember you’re picking between a budget carrier and one of the largest carriers in the nation. It’s hardly apples to apples. Still, we think Mint Mobile offers a better overall value for most people, as it delivers strong coverage, fast speeds, and decent features for less than half the price of T-Mobile.

To make the best choice for you, though, consider your specific priorities for a phone plan:

  • If finding a cheaper phone plan is your main concern, Mint is the best choice. At just $30/month ($15/month for new customers), the Unlimited plan with 35GB of premium data is enough to meet the needs of average customers. For families, the multi-line discount of Mint’s Modern Family Plan means that customers can expect the lowest pricing available on every line, no matter the length of the plan.
  • T-Mobile is the better choice if you need a lot of premium data or want perks with your phone plan. Purchasing a plan directly from T-Mobile is the only way to get truly unlimited premium data. Plus, its plans offer more standard perks than any other carrier, including streaming subscriptions, frequent device upgrades, and travel features like in-flight Wi-Fi. While T-Mobile is expensive, purchasing a family plan can score you a major discount. Just remember that everyone in your family has to be on the same line.

We have a full guide on how to choose a phone plan that can help you further break down the details to compare when deciding what plan to purchase. 

Should you switch to Mint Mobile or T-Mobile?

If you’ve made your decision and are ready to switch, we can help walk you through the process. Generally need to make sure your phone is paid off and unlocked and any outstanding bills are up to date. Check out our Mint Mobile switching guide and T-Mobile switching guide for complete instructions.  

Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile

Unlimited Data Plan

  • Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data
  • 20GB mobile hotspot data
  • Deal: Get this plan for just $25/mo. when you switch to Mint Mobile using promo code 15OFF at checkout. Upfront payment required
$25.00/mo
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile

Go5G

  • Unlimited Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 100GB of Premium Data
  • Unlimited mobile hotspot data
  • Deal: Get up to $800 via virtual prepaid MasterCard when you bring an eligible phone, activate a new line on select plans and port-in your number and switch from select carriers
$75.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees included

How WhistleOut rates cell phone plans

WhistleOut evaluates phone plans based on the following criteria:

  • Price & value: Not all cheap plans are “bad,” and not all expensive plans are worth it. We look at everything a plan includes and compare it both to other plans from the same carrier, as well as similar plans from competitors in the market, to determine whether the value is consistent with the price.
  • High-speed data: Also called “premium” data, this is how much data you get at full 4G/5G speeds before they can or will slow down. The more guaranteed high-speed data the plan includes, the better experience you’ll generally have—but there’s also usually a limit to how much you actually need, and we ensure that you’re not overpaying for data that will go unused.
  • Coverage & network reliability: The breadth of each carrier’s 4G LTE and 5G networks determines your reception and service. Particularly in the case of 5G, some carriers offer far more robust coverage than others, which affects how their phone plans perform in different parts of the country.
  • Plan extras and perks: In addition to the basics—talk, text, and data—some plans throw in freebies like hotspot allowances, cloud storage, entertainment subscriptions, or service discounts.

Our mobile experts tested Mint Mobile and T-Mobile for at least a month each, in addition to leveraging proprietary data and real-world customer feedback. We compared the two carriers by analyzing their coverage, cost, and plan options. We considered plan-specific elements, including perks, premium data allowances, and mobile hotspot allocations. After performing hands-on testing and extensive research, we picked the best carrier we felt meets the needs of most people where we were able—in some areas, each carrier stacked up equally. We only compared Mint Mobile vs. T-Mobile; no other carriers, big or small, were included in our examination.

Visit our guide to choosing a phone plan to learn more about cell phone carriers and plans and find the one that best meets your specific needs.

Max McCaskill

Sr. Staff Writer

Max McCaskill
Max is a Senior Staff Writer at WhistleOut, specializing in mobile plans, operating systems, and carrier news. He regularly tests and reviews dozens of phone plans firsthand, evaluating real-world data speeds, coverage reliability, and plan features. He's been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance, AARP, AP News, and GoBankingRates.

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