Ting Mobile vs. Verizon: Which carrier is better?

Ting Mobile and Verizon are very popular phone carriers and well known throughout the industry. 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 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. 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

Verizon 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. Verizon offers premium data, which does not slow down no matter the amount of network traffic. 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. 

Verizon Plans

Verizon offers unlimited data with all of their postpaid plans.

Verizon offers 3 postpaid plans: myPlan Unlimited Welcome, myPlan Unlimited Plus, and myPlan Unlimited Ultimate. This means you pay after the month of service instead of before. They all offer unlimited data, but at different prioritization levels. One offers unlimited deprioritized data, while the others offer unlimited premium data. The Unlimited Plus and Ultimate plans have a QCI level of 8, while Unlimited Welcome has a QCI level 9. 

You can have up to 12 lines on one Verizon plan account. Devices bought from Verizon are locked for the first 60 days after activation. Their postpaid plans renew monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

myPlan Unlimited Welcome

This plan offers unlimited, but deprioritized, data. 

This plan offers unlimited data, but your connections are subjected to deprioritization. You may experience slower speeds when in high traffic areas. The plan does not come with hotspot access, but 100GB of hotspot data can be bought as an additional add-on for $10 per month. 

The plan costs $70 per month for one line normally, and $60 per month with the Autopay discount. 

myPlan Unlimited Plus 

This plan gives you unlimited premium data. 

This plan offers unlimited premium data, which means users can use however much they want without experiencing slower speeds. The plan also includes 30GB of hotspot data, which is also premium. However, your hotspot data will be deprioritized after 30GB. The 100GB add-on is also available to include with this plan. 

The plan costs $75 per month normally, and $65 per month with the Autopay discount. 

myPlan Unlimited Ultimate 

This plan gives you unlimited premium data. 

This is Verizon’s newest and biggest plan, and it offers unlimited premium data every month. You also get 60GB of premium hotspot data, but your hotspot data becomes deprioritized after you hit that limit. 

This plan costs $85 per month without the $10 Autopay discount, which would bring the price to $75 per month. 

Features

Ting Mobile and Verizon offer very different features with their plans, and Verizon offers mostly add-ons.

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 Verizon offers several add-ons for their plans. 

Domestic Roaming Data

Verizon offers domestic roaming data on their plans, and Ting Mobile offers domestic roaming with no specific limits. 

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. Verizon includes talk, text, and 2GB of data per day in Mexico and Canada with their postpaid plans.  

International Connection

Ting Mobile offers varying pay-per-use rates depending on the country. Verizon offers an add-on for 3 Travel Pass days per month for Welcome and Plus, but Ultimate offers international talk, text, and data included.    

Video Streaming Quality

All Ting Mobile plans offer 1080p High Definition streaming. The myPlan Unlimited Welcome plan by Verizon streams at 480p Standard Definition, while the myPlan Unlimited Plus and Ultimate plans stream at 4k Ultra High Definition.   

Streaming Services

Verizon offers several add-ons to their plans for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Apple One, which includes Apple TV+. They also offer a +Play add-on, which allows you to use credit to choose between several streaming services like Max and Netflix. They also have an add on for Walmart+, which includes a Paramount+ membership. Each is $10 per month. Ting Mobile does not offer this feature. 

Music Services

Verizon includes several add-ons for Apple Music Family and AppleOne, which includes Apple Music. Each add-on is $10 per month. Boost Infinite does not offer this feature. 

Gaming Services

Verizon offers an add-on for +Play, allowing you to sign up for an XBox Game Pass. They also offer an Apple One add-on, which includes Apple Arcade. Boost Infinite does not offer this feature. 

Cloud Storage

Verizon offers an add-on for 2 terabytes (TB) of Cloud Storage for $10 per month, as well as an add-on for AppleOne, which includes iCloud+. Ting Mobile does not offer this feature.

Device Financing

If you buy a phone from Verizon, 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

Verizon offers call filtering and spam protection through their Call Filter program, but the app must be installed and enabled to work. Ting Mobile does not offer this feature. 

Free Trial

Ting Mobile and Verizon do not offer this feature. 

Customer Service 

Ting Mobile does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support, while Verizon 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. Verizon offers thousands of locations across the country, and you can find the closest store to you with their store locator. For support over the phone, call 1-800-837-4966 or 1-800-VERIZON. Customer support is also available over chat on their website and through Facebook Messenger. 

The Verdict

The better plan depends on what you need. 

With the different offerings both carriers offer, the better plan depends entirely on what you need. If you’d like more features and premium data, a Verizon plan is a great option. Their unlimited plans also don’t put a cap on how much data you can use. If you need a limited data plan, however, Ting  Mobile offers better plans. 

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

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