The best unlimited data plans no longer require you to bust your budget just to a virtually limitless supply of data every month for your wireless phone service. Yes, there are some expensive unlimited plans out there, but you can also find cheaper offerings where the data is just as unlimited.
The trick? Look beyond the usual suspects. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon offer compelling options with unlimited data — you even find some in our best unlimited data plan picks below — but smaller carriers offer unlimited data, too. And more often the note it will cost you less than what you'd pay from a big-name service, without any dip in quality or coverage.
I've spent most of the last decade covering phone carriers and their various plans as part of making regular updates to our best cell phone plan guide. That includes checking out unlimited data plans to see not only what they cost, but what perks they include along with a big pool of data.
Right now, I'd steer your toward Visible for the best unlimited data plan, though if you don't mind paying for a year of service up front, Mint Mobile offers one of the best cheap cell phone plans under $40. If you must go with a big-name carrier, AT&T has one of the best lower-priced options, while T-Mobile is the place to turn for family plans with unlimited data. Because there's no one-size-fits-all approach to unlimited data, I've included several other options from other carriers at different price ranges that may be more appropriate for your needs and budget.
The quick list
Unlimited data for $45 at Visible
Visible's best plan costs $45/month and gets you Verizon's 5G network (with international calls included). You can use 50GB of data without seeing your traffic slowed.
Unlimited data for $51 at AT&T
AT&T's Value Plus VL plan costs $51 a month, and it includes 5G service. Perks are limited, and there's no hotspot data included as there is with other AT&T unlimited options.
Unlimited data for $30 at Mint
Mint's $30/month plan lets you consume 40GB of data before your speeds slow down. You get to use T-Mobile's 5G wireless network for coverage. New customers pay $15 for their first three months of service.
Unlimited data for $155 (4 lines) at T-Mobile
Four lines of T-Mobile's Go5G plan cost $155 currently. (T-Mobile waives the cost of a third line.) You'll enjoy 100GB of priority data, along iwth 15GB of hotspot data, plus streaming perks for families.
Unlimited data for $110 (4 lines) at Total Wireless
Total Wireless has a great way for families to save on unlimited data, with the carrier waiving the cost of a fourth line on its Total 5G unlimited plan. That drops the overall monthly cost to $110, $27.50 per line.
Unlimited data for $80 at Verizon
Unlimited Plus ($80/month) gets you faster Ultra Wideband 5G, 30GB of hotspot data, a three-year price lock, and 30GB of data each month before Verizon slows your data speeds.
View more options...
Unlimited data for $65 at Google Fi
This is a no-brainer if you own a Google Pixel (though Google Fi works with all phones). Travelers will like the $65/month Unlimited Plus plan that lets you use your coverage overseas at no additional cost.
Unlimited data for $25 at Boost Mobile
Boost's $25 unlimited data plan matches some of the lowest rates we've seen from other carriers. But Boost goes one better by locking in that rate for as long as you keep your plan in place.
Unlimited data for $60 at Cricket
While Metro by T-Mobile charges less, Cricket's plan comes with 15GB of hotspot data, 150GB of cloud storage and Max with ads. Autopay enrollment saves you $5 every month.
My name is Philip Michaels, and I oversee all the mobile coverage at Tom's Guide. That includes our look at cell phone plans and what carriers might be charging at any given time for data. I've been at this long enough to remember when unlimited data was restricted to the priciest plans; these days, at some carriers, unlimited data is your only option. When I'm not comparing phone plan prices, I'm busy reviewing handsets, with an emphasis on Apple's iPhones.
The best unlimited data plans you can get today
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The best unlimited data plan overall
The best unlimited plan from a major carrier
The best unlimited plan value
The best unlimited plan for families
The best prepaid unlimited family plan
The most flexible unlimited plan
Best unlimited data plan for travelers
The best unlimited data plan rate guarantee
Best prepaid plan perks
Best unlimited data plans compared
Here's a look at all of the best unlimited data plans we've recommended above, all in one place, so you can compare what a single line of data costs each month. (For plans like Mint's, we've marked where you have to pay for a year of service in advance, and what your total cost would be.) To help families judge how much they'd pay for data, we've included the per-line cost for a 4-line plan — note that 2- and 3-line offerings may have different monthly rates, owing to variable discounts.
The high-speed data allotment lists the amount of data you can consume each month with each plan before you will experience slower speeds for the remainder of the billing cycle.
| Unlimited plan | High speed data allotment | Single-line monthly price | Per-line price for 4 lines |
| Visible Plus | 50GB | $45 | $45 |
| AT&T Value Plus VL | Speeds can be slowed when network congested | $51 | $31 |
| Mint Mobile Unlimited Data | 40GB | $30 (requires a year prepayment) | $30 (requires a year prepayment) |
| T-Mobile Go 5G | 100GB | $75 | $38 (3rd line is free) |
| Total Wireless Total 5G | Unlimited | $50 | $27.50 (4th line is free) |
| Verizon Unlimited Plus | Unlimited | $80 | $45 |
| Google Fi Unlimited Plus | 50GB | $65 | $40 |
| Boost Mobile | 30GB | $25 | $25 |
| Cricket Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot | Unlimited | $60 | $33 |
How to pick the best unlimited data plan for you
Besides making sure to choose a carrier that offers good service in your area — ask friends and family about the coverage they get — consider both price and perks. With the best unlimited data plans from major carriers ranging in price from $60 to $90 per month, pick the plan that fits in your budget or turn to a discount carrier like Mint or Visible. Also consider what benefits each wireless carrier includes with their different tiers of unlimited data.
Wondering if you need unlimited data? Unless you’re streaming video and music fairly regularly, you probably can get away with a tiered data plan, like the ones offered by AT&T and Verizon. Mint and Tello have less expensive tiered data plans, too.
While we have a separate guide to the best family cell phone plan options, most of the unlimited plans featured here allow you to add extra lines, usually at discounted per-line rates. The exceptions are AT&T's Value Plus Plan, Tello's $25 option and the Visible Plus plan. Mint's approach to family plans is to offer the same discounted rate for each line of data, so unlimited plans would cost $30 per line, assuming you commit to the full year of service.
Frequently asked questions about unlimited data plans
Are unlimited data plans truly unlimited?
That depends. While you do technically get unlimited data on all of these plans, many carriers will impose a restriction somewhere in the plan to limit you slightly.
AT&T reserves the right to start throttling data at 50GB for Unlimited Extra; Unlimited Starter customers can be throttled at any time. Unlimited Premium customers don't have to worry about caps, though, as AT&T has removed that limitation from its most expensive plan. Verizon is able to slow data after 30GB are used by Unlimited Plus customers; speeds can slow whenever there's network congestion for the Unlimited Welcome plan. T-Mobile lets you use 100GB of data before throttling can begin, though if you opt for the more expensive Magenta Max plan, there's no cap on data usage at all.
Get your service from a discount carrier, and you run the risk that your speeds will be slowed in favor of other customers on the parent carrier's network. Visible guarantees customers who sign up for its Visible Plus plan 50GB of premium data free of throttling. Mint caps its unlimited data plan at 40GB while Tello has increased its cap to 35GB. Boost's three unlimited plans offer different levels of "premium" data depending on your monthly rate.
There could also be limits on the quality of video you can stream — some plans restrict video streaming to 480p, requiring you to pay more for HD video streaming. Many plans also impose limits on hotspot data, only allotting a limited amount of high-speed hotspot data. This isn't really as big of an issue as it sounds. For the average person, hotspotting is simply an added benefit and you won't really lose out too much by being limited on it.
What about families looking for unlimited data plans?
Our guide to the best family cell phone plans has specific recommendations on the best options for people who need multiple lines of data, but here's a quick summary on unlimited data for families.
Multiple lines of unlimited data sounds like a costly proposition, and it can be, though there are ways you can keep your monthly bill lower while still making sure each member of your family gets unlimited data. The first thing to do is see which carriers offer discounts as you add more lines to your plan. This is a common practice with plans from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, but harder to find with prepaid carriers. As good as Visible's unlimited plan is, for example, there's no discount for adding another line of data to your plan. At Total Wireless, in contrast, your per line price drops as you add lines.
Another thing to look out for is whether carriers let you mix and match different plans. At T-Mobile, everyone has to be on the same unlimited plan, while Verizon lets you swap in different plans for different lines. That way, a parent could have the perk-filled (and more expensive) Unlimited Plus plan while their kids could make do with the cheaper Unlimited Welcome option. Mint family plans let some members choose unlimited data while others can opt for tiered data.
Family plans can also get more perks as you add lines. A second line of T-Mobile's Go5G plan makes you eligible for the carrier's Netflix on Us option, where it picks up the cost of the streaming service for you.
