Mint Mobile vs Tello is a choice between two of the cheapest brands we track, and the real difference is how you pay. Tello charges by the month. Mint Mobile charges for 3, 6 or 12 months at a time and gives its best price only on the year.
Mint is owned by T-Mobile and its service is tied to T-Mobile’s network. Tello does not name its network on the pages we read. Its own setup instructions point to T-Mobile’s, and Wikipedia lists it there.
Side by side
| Mint Mobile | Tello | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | $15 a month for 6 GB | $10 a month for 2 GB |
| Around 10 to 20 GB | 17 GB for $20 a month | 10 GB for $15, 20 GB for $20 |
| Unlimited | $30 a month on a yearly term | $25 a month |
| Full-speed data on unlimited | May slow after 50 GB | 50 GB, then reduced |
| How you pay | 3, 6 or 12 months up front | Every 30 days |
| Build your own plan | No | Yes, from $5 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Figures are from each brand’s plans page, read on October 8, 2026. Mint’s monthly prices are the 12-month rates.
What the payment terms do to the price
Mint’s $15 means $180 on the day you sign up. If you would rather renew every three months, the regular prices are higher: $25 a month for 6 GB and $40 for unlimited.
Tello’s price is the same whether you stay one month or twelve. One caution applies. Tello’s plan labels call the listed price “an introductory rate” for the “First month”, and the line for the price afterwards was blank when we read it. Check the second month’s price before you commit.
Which one
Choose Tello if you want to pay monthly, if you use very little data, or if you want to set your own mix of minutes and data.
Choose Mint Mobile if you are sure about T-Mobile’s coverage where you live and are happy to pay for a year to get the lower rate.
On unlimited data Tello is cheaper by $5 a month and needs no advance payment.
Full details: Mint Mobile and Tello.