Find the best family cell phone plan, and you can keep your monthly wireless costs under control while making sure everyone in your life has the right amount of wireless data each month. It's just a matter of finding a plan that charges a low amount for that first line of data, while scaling up the discounts as you add more lines.
I can point you toward the plans that do exactly that, thanks to all the research I do every month at Tom's Guide to keep our best cell phone plan buying advice up to date. After spending just about a decade looking into what phone providers charge, I'm confident I can find a plan with enough data to satisfy everyone in your family without busting your budget.
I start by focusing on the best unlimited data plans — they're not as expensive as you think they are, and they make sure that everyone in your family will have enough data. I also look at tiered plans in a few cases, and I go beyond the major wireless carriers, since some unfamiliar names offer attractive monthly prices and dependable wireless coverage.
For the most part, families of four can expect to pay between $120 to $220 a month for four lines from the major wireless carriers. Certain promotions can drive that cost down, particularly when carriers waive the cost of an extra line. Plans on the lower end of that range tend to have fewer perks — hotspot data, complementary streaming services, and more — so take that into consideration when making your choice.
Right now, I think T-Mobile has the best mix of perks and price for its family plan, but if you want a more budget-friendly option, consider Mint Mobile. Xfinity and Total Wireless also have plans with significant discounts for families of four. (Note that the prices in our best family cell phone plan summaries reflect the cost of four lines of data at each carrier. If you need fewer lines, you'll pay less, though the per-line cost may be higher because of those escalating discounts I mentioned.)
The quick list
Unlimited data for $155 at T-Mobile
T-Mobile's Go5G is the best option with hotspot, data, travel perks and streaming benefits included in the plan. (Taxes and fees are covered, too.) This price reflects the fact that T-Mobile is currently waiving the cost of a 3rd line of data.
Unlimited data for $180 at Verizon
Verizon's Unlimited Plus plan costs $180 per month for four lines and features hotspot data and fast 5G coverage. You can pick and choose additional benefits for extra and mix and match with the cheaper Unlimited Welcome plan.
5GB for $60 at Mint
Mint doesn't add discounts as you add lines, but every line in a plan is subject to the same low rate when you sign up for a year of service. That means four lines of Mint's 5GB plan can cost as little as $60 per month when you pay up front.
Unlimited data for $100 at Comcast
Comcast lowers the per line cost of unlimited data as you add more lines. That means a family of four will pay $100 each month for Xfinity Mobile's service, which relies on Verizon's network for coverage.
Unlimited data for $164 at AT&T
The best option for families at AT&T is the carrier's Unlimited Extra plan. Four lines cost $164 per month, and you get hotspot data along with coverage when traveling in Mexico and Canada.
Unlimited data for $110 at Total
Formerly Total by Verizon, the rebranded Total Wireless has a much more attractive unlimited data plan that waives the cost of a fourth line. As a result, you're paying less for faster 5G coverage.
Load the next 3 plans...
Unlimited data for $130 at Cricket
Four lines of unlilmited data cost $130 per month at Cricket Wireless, which uses AT&T's network. But the real story here is a subscription to the ad-supported Max streaming service, a rare benefit for prepaid plans.
Half-off extra lines
Add additional lines of Ultra Mobile's unlimited plan, and you'll pay just $24 for each new line. That's half-off the $49 monthly cost on the first line of data for coverage on T-Mobile's network.
Unlimited data for $160 at Google Fi
Google Fi's Unlimited Plus plan includes unlimited talk, text and data, and you can use that data when traveling overseas to 200-plus countries at no additional cost.
As the managing editor of mobile at Tom's Guide, I oversee our coverage on phones and wireless networks. That includes keeping track of all the different cell phone plans out there. With two other people in my immediate family, I have more than a passing interesting in staying up-to-date on what carriers are charging for multiple lines of their wireless service.
The best family cell phone plan overall
The most flexible family cell phone plan
Best family cell phone plan value
Best family cell phone plan for Comcast customers
Best family cell phone plan at AT&T
Best prepaid family plan
Best prepaid perks for families
Big discounts for extra lines
The best family cell phone plan for travelers
Best family cell phone plans compared
| Phone carrier plan | Data amount | Monthly cost per line (2 lines) | Monthly cost per line (4 lines) |
| T-Mobile Go5G | Unlimited | $65 | $38.75 |
| Verizon Unlimited Plus | Unlimited | $70 | $45 |
| Mint 5GB plan | 5GB per line | $30 (with annual payment) | $60 (with annual payment) |
| Xfinity Mobile Unlimited | Unlimited | $30 | $25 |
| AT&T Unlimited Extra EL | Unlimited | $65.99 | $40.99 |
| Total Wireless Total 5G Unlimited | Unlimited | $42.50 | $27.50 |
| Cricket Unlimited + 15GB Hotspot plan | Unlimited | $45 | $32.50 |
| Ultra Mobile Family Plan | Unlimited | $49 | $27.25 |
| Google Fi Unlimited Plus | Unlimited | $55 | $40 |
How to pick the best family cell phone plans
For families, picking the right cell phone plan comes down to balancing the costs of multiple lines of data with the perks each carrier offers. If you do a lot of video streaming, for example, you’ll want to pick a plan that not only throws in a streaming service as a perk (Netflix with T-Mobile, multiple streaming services with Verizon) but also doesn’t slow your data if you consume a lot of data in a given month. Getting a plan with HD streaming can also be a good idea if you plan to stream on a screen larger than your smartphone's display.
When it comes to unlimited data, remember that there are still some limits on how much data you can use before your speed can slow down. AT&T's Unlimited Extra customers will enjoy a 50GB cap, while Unlimited Elite subscribers face no cap at all. Verizon can slow data for Unlimited Plus customers once they use more than 30GB of data, while Welcome Unlimited customers can see data speeds slowed down whenever there's too much traffic on Verizon's network. T-Mobile Magenta and Go5G customers can see data slowed when they use more than 100GB during a billing cycle; there's no throttling for Magenta Max and Go5G Plus customers.
Use an MVNO like Mint or Cricket, and you can see your data speeds deprioritized in favor of other customers on the parent company's network (T-Mobile and AT&T, respectively).
We’ve mainly focused on unlimited plans, as only AT&T is the only major carrier that continues to offer a tiered data option (a 4GB in this case) among its postpaid plans. If you prefer tiered data, you'd want to turn to a service like Mint, which offers plans with different data allocations.
