Ting Mobile vs. T-Mobile Prepaid: Which carrier is better?

Ting Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid offer great deals on their plans for those who want to save the most money, but still want great service. 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 

Coverage & Reception

Ting Mobile is on several networks.

Ting Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNOs. 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. Ting Mobile is an MVNO of both Verizon and T-Mobile, and you can choose which network you use. 

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

T-Mobile Prepaid offers premium data, while Ting Mobile offers a flexible data plan. 

Like most plans you’ll see on the market, both carriers offer unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Ting Mobile offers several limited and unlimited plans as well as a flexible data plan. T-Mobile Prepaid offers premium data, which is data that doesn’t slow down due to network traffic congestion. Both companies deprioritize data, meaning you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and sports arenas.

Ting Mobile Plans

Ting Mobile offers several unlimited and limited plans, as well as a pay-as-you-go plan. 

Ting Mobile offers varying unlimited and limited plans with the ability to include an unlimited number of lines on your plan. Any fast data you don’t use will roll over to the next month. Their QCI tier changes depending on which network you choose. If you choose T-Mobile, your QCI tier will be 7. It will be tier 9 on Verizon’s network.

Their unlimited plans also include varying amounts of hotspot data. 

They also offer a pay-as-you-go, or flexible, plan, where you pay for the exact amount of data you use.

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

Flex Plan

This plan gives you a rate of $5 per GB. 

As a flexible plan, Ting Mobile allows you to pay for the exact amount of data you use. Any data you buy can be used as hotspot data. 

The plan costs $10 per month, and each GB you use is $5. For example, if you used 1GB, you’d pay $15. 

Set 5 

This plan gives you 5GB, then slow data afterwards. 

Ting Mobile gives you 5GB of data with this plan, and all plan data can be used as a hotspot data. After the cap, you can use unlimited slow data at 2G speeds, or 128 kbps. This allows you to send text messages and emails or browse websites, but not much else. 

The plan costs $25 per month. At this rate, you get 5GB at $5 per GB. 

Set 12

This plan is 12GB with hotspot data and unlimited slow data. 

Set 12 gives you 12GB of data, and all of it can be used as hotspot data. Again, data slows to 2G speeds after the cap. 

The plan costs $35 per month. At this rate, you get 12GB at $2.92 per GB. 

Unlimited

This plan slows down after 22GB of full speed data. 

Ting Mobile’s unlimited plan gives you 22GB of full speed data before slowing down to 2G speeds for the rest of the month. The plan also gives you separate hotspot data, which stops after 12GB. 

The plan costs $45 per month. At this rate, you get 22GB of full speed data and 12GB of hotspot data at $1.32 per GB. 

Ollo Unlimited Pro 

Their biggest plan gets you 35GB of full speed data and 18GB of hotspot data. 

Ollo Unlimited is Ting Mobile’s biggest plan, which gives you 35GB of full speed data before slowing down to 2G speeds. You also get an additional 18GB of hotspot data, which stops after you reach that cap. 

The plan costs $55 per month. At this rate, you get 35GB of full speed data and 18GB of hotspot data at $1.04 per GB. 

T-Mobile Prepaid Plans

T-Mobile Prepaid plans offer premium data with hotspot access. 

T-Mobile Prepaid offers 3 different plans, one being limited data and the other two unlimited. You can have up to 5 lines on these plans. The QCI value of these plans is 6, which is the highest tier.

You can purchase If you purchase your phone from T-Mobile Prepaid, your device will be locked for 12 months after activation. The plans they offer renew monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

Prepaid 10GB 

This plan gives you 10GB of premium data.

T-Mobile Prepaid’s only limited plan has 10GB of premium data. After you use 10GB, your access to data stops. The plan also includes mobile hotspot access that uses the 10GB and again stops once you use this amount. 

The plan costs $40 per month. At this rate, you get 10GB at $4 per GB. 

Prepaid Unlimited 

This plan gives you unlimited mobile hotspot data, but at slower speeds. 

This plan gives you access to 50GB of premium data, which then becomes unlimited but deprioritized. You also get mobile hotspot access, which is limited to 3G speeds at all times. 3G speeds allow you to scroll social media and send texts or emails, but streaming video or playing games will be slower. 

The plan costs $50 per month. At this rate, you get 50GB at $1 per GB. 

Prepaid Unlimited Plus

This plan gives you 10GB premium mobile hotspot data included. 

This plan, like their other unlimited prepaid plan, gives you 50GB of premium data. Data becomes deprioritized after the 50GB. You also get 10GB of extra premium data dedicated to mobile hotspot access. After you use the 10GB, data slows to 3G speeds. 

The plan costs $60 per month. At this rate, you get 60GB at $1 per GB. 

Features

T-Mobile offers more features included with their plans.

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. Ting Mobile offers international connectivity at pay-per-use rates, and T-Mobile offers several features included with their different plans depending on what you purchase.

Domestic Roaming Data

All T-Mobile Prepaid and Ting Mobile plans offer domestic roaming capabilities.

Mexico & Canada Connection

Ting Mobile offers pay-per-use rates on talk, text, and data for both Mexico and Canada. Talk rates are $0.30 per minute, text rates are $0.12 per message, and data rates are $0.20 per MB. T-Mobile does not offer talk, text, or data included for Mexico and Canada, but they offer an add-on for access at an additional $5 per month. 

International Connection

Ting Mobile offers varying pay-per-use rates depending on the country. T-Mobile Prepaid does not offer international text and data, but an add-on is available for international talk (when you’re in the United States) for $15 per month. 

Video Streaming Quality

All Ting Mobile plans offer 1080p High Definition streaming. Both of T-Mobile Prepaid’s unlimited plans stream at 720p High Definition, and their 10GB plan streams up to 4k Ultra High Definition.   

Streaming Services

Ting Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid do not offer this feature.

Music Services

T-Mobile Prepaid offers a subscription to Music Unlimited with all three of their prepaid plans. Ting Mobile does not offer this feature. 

Cloud Storage

Ting Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid do not offer this feature.

Device Financing

If you buy a phone from T-Mobile, they allow you to pay for your device in installments over time. Ting Mobile does not offer this feature.

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

T-Mobile Prepaid offers scam protection on all three of their plans, which filters calls and blocks spam callers. Ting Mobile does not offer this feature.

Free Trial

Ting Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid do not offer this feature.  

Customer Service 

Ting Mobile does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support, while T-Mobile offers several stores across the country. 

Ting Mobile is a digital-only carrier, meaning they only offer customer support online. They offer chat support 24/7 and phone support at the number 1-855-846-4389. T-Mobile offers several stores across the country, and users can find the closest one with their store locator. They also offer customer support online with their website live chat, their support website for common questions, and over the phone at 1-800-937-8997. 

The Verdict

T-Mobile Prepaid offers a better deal.

Because of the price per GB and features included, T-Moblie Prepaid offers better plans. However, Ting Mobile still offers great deals on limited data plans if you don’t need a lot of data. 

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

Want to compare other carriers?

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