Best Cell Phone Coverage for 2023
Who has the best 5G & 4G LTE wireless coverage?
CEO & Founder
About Rob
Rob has 15+ years experience running price comparison & review websites that empower consumers to find the cheapest cell phone services, cell phone deals, home phone, and internet providers available. He has been published in Forbes, US News, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Inc.
Rob's Expertise
5G wireless networks, cell phone plans, cell phone deals, MVNOs, internet services, tablets, comparison shopping, money saving, reviewing telecom products & services
Editor
About Amanda
Amanda has 20+ years of experience as an educator. Her teaching career, paired with her love for research and technology, has led her to MoneySavingPro. Her personal experience with eSIMs and MVNOs after switching her entire family away from big wireless in the last few years has taught her the ins and outs of the industry. And saved her hundreds per month.
Amanda's Expertise
Writing, editing, proofreading, researching, blogging, collaborating, communicating, CMS, eSIMs, MVNOs, 5G home internet & comparison
Last updated on November 2nd, 2023
MoneySavingPro independently researches the products & services to bring you our recommendations. We may earn money when you click our links - disclosure policy.
Finding the best coverage is an essential factor when choosing a new cell phone plan.
With MVNOs you'll get access to the same nationwide coverage from Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, without the high prices.
At MoneySavingPro we like to make things as easy as possible when you're buying a new plan so you'll be able to compare all of the carriers on each network.
Keep reading below to make sure you get the best network coverage where you live.
Compare 5G & 4G LTE wireless coverage in December
Cell phone network coverage
| NETWORK | OVERALL | RELIABILITY | SPEED | DATA | CALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Coverage | 95 | 96 | 94 | 96 | 94 |
| AT&T Coverage | 94 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 92 |
| T-Mobile Coverage | 86 | 88 | 82 | 89 | 82 |
Source: Rootmetrics
Best cell phone coverage in my area
T-Mobile cell phone coverage map
Best cheap phone service on T-Mobile
- T-Mobile 5G & 4G LTE network
- Unlimited talk and text
- 15GB data
T-Mobile vs Mint Mobile comparison
Keep your T-Mobile phone, number & coverage: Save $720 per year
| Carrier | Network Coverage | 4G/5G Data | Price | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | T-Mobile 4G & 5G | Unlimited | $75/mo | $900/yr |
| Mint Mobile | T-Mobile 4G & 5G | 15GB | $20/mo | $180/yr |
| Savings | $55/mo | $720/yr | ||
Verizon cell phone coverage map
Best cheap phone service on Verizon
- Verizon & T-Mobile 5G & 4G LTE networks
- Unlimited talk and text
- 12GB data
Verizon vs US Mobile comparison
Keep your Verizon phone, number & coverage: Save $600 per year
| Carrier | Network Coverage | 4G/5G Data | Price | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Verizon 4G & 5G | Unlimited | $75/mo | $900/yr |
| US Mobile | Verizon 4G & 5G | 12GB | $25/mo | $300/yr |
| Savings | $50/mo | $600/yr | ||
AT&T cell phone coverage map
Best cheap phone service on AT&T
- AT&T & T-Mobile 5G & 4G LTE networks
- Unlimited talk and text
- 5GB data
AT&T vs Boost Mobile comparison
Keep your AT&T phone, number & coverage: Save $750 per year
| Carrier | Network Coverage | 4G/5G Data | Price | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | AT&T 4G & 5G | Unlimited | $75/mo | $900/yr |
| Boost Mobile | AT&T 4G & 5G | 5GB | $15/mo | $150/yr |
| Savings | $60/mo | $750/yr | ||
Best cheap phone service
| Carrier | Network | Data | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tello 2GB plan | T-Mobile 5G/4G Coverage | 2GB | $10/mo |
| Boost Mobile 5GB plan | AT&T & T-Mobile 5G/4G Coverage | 5GB | $5/mo $15/mo |
| Mint Mobile 15GB plan | T-Mobile 5G/4G Coverage | 15GB | $10/mo $20/mo |
| Mint Mobile unlimited data plan | T-Mobile 5G/4G Coverage | Unltd | $15/mo $30/mo |
| US Mobile 30GB plan | Verizon & T-Mobile 5G/4G Coverage | 30GB | $0/mo $50/mo |
Cheap carriers list
| T-Mobile MVNOs | Verizon MVNOs | AT&T MVNOs |
|---|---|---|
| Boost Mobile | Red Pocket | Boost Mobile |
| Mint Mobile | Twigby | Red Pocket |
| Red Pocket | US Mobile | Good2Go Mobile |
| Tello | Affinity Cellular | Boost Infinite |
| Ultra Mobile | Spectrum Mobile | Tracfone |
| US Mobile | Straight Talk | Optimum Mobile |
| Good2Go Mobile | Total by Verizon | |
| Boost Infinite | Tracfone | |
| Lycamobile | Visible | |
| Kroger Wireless | Xfinity Mobile | |
| WOW! Mobile | Cox Mobile | |
| Gotalk Wireless | MobileX |
Cell phone coverage FAQs
For nationwide 4G coverage, Verizon comes top just slightly above AT&T, followed by T-Mobile. However, T-Mobile is ahead of both with its 5G coverage.
You can check the best cell phone coverage in your area with our ZIP code checker.
Recap
Although Verizon has the best nationwide 4G coverage, the difference is only small across all three major networks.
You can compare all low-cost carriers on the network of your choice, once you know which network is best for you. If Verizon is the one, there are plenty of Verizon MVNOs offering access to the same network but without the expensive price tag.
There are other deals with AT&T carriers or T-Mobile MVNOs if their network better suits your needs.
Each carrier and plan is customizable so you can find the perfect plan just for you.
