Cricket vs Metro is AT&T against T-Mobile at prepaid prices. Cricket Wireless is a subsidiary of AT&T and uses AT&T’s network. Metro by T-Mobile, formerly MetroPCS, is T-Mobile’s own prepaid brand on T-Mobile’s network. So the first thing to settle is which of those two networks is better where you live.
Side by side
| Cricket Wireless | Metro by T-Mobile | |
|---|---|---|
| Network | AT&T | T-Mobile |
| Cheapest plan | $35, 10 GB of data | $40, unlimited data |
| Cheapest unlimited | $40 | $40 |
| Top plan | $60 | $60 |
| Automatic-payment discount | $5 off from the second month | $5 off the two upper plans |
| Taxes and fees | Not stated on the plans page | Included |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Prices are for one line, from each brand’s plans page, read on October 8, 2026.
The $40 unlimited plans
Both brands have an unlimited plan at $40 and they are not alike.
Cricket’s Select Unlimited is for new lines only, and every line on the account has to be on it. It has no hotspot and does not work in Mexico or Canada. With Auto Pay it drops to $35.
Metro’s $40 plan is sold on the web, with taxes and fees in the price. Data slows after 35 GB in a month when the network is busy.
If the two bills came out the same before tax, Metro’s would be the lower one, because its taxes are already in.
Further up
At the top, both charge $60 for one line. Cricket’s Supreme Unlimited includes 50 GB of hotspot. Metro’s Unlimited Premium includes 25 GB of hotspot and HD video.
In the middle, Cricket’s Smart Unlimited is $50 with 15 GB of hotspot and use in Mexico and Canada. Metro’s middle plan is $55 with 8 GB of hotspot.
Priority on a busy network
Both brands say their data can be slowed when the network is crowded. Metro puts it plainly: “Metro speeds may be reduced vs. T-Mobile speeds due to prioritization.” Cricket says data on its two cheaper unlimited plans “may slow if the network is busy”.
Which one
Pick by network first. Then: Cricket if you want a small 10 GB plan or more hotspot data at the top, Metro if you want the price on the sign to be the price you pay.
Full details: Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile.