Red Pocket vs Tello is a contest between two of the cheapest plans in the country. Both start at $10 a month. Red Pocket gives more data at that price and a choice of network. Tello has more steps between its plans and lets you build one to fit.
Side by side
| Red Pocket | Tello | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | $10 a month, 3 GB | $10 a month, 2 GB |
| $20 plan | 20 GB | 20 GB |
| Top plan | $30 a month, 50 GB with 10 GB of hotspot | $25 a month, unlimited, with 50 GB at full speed |
| Plans in between | None | $15 for 10 GB |
| Build your own | No | Yes, from $5 |
| Yearly option | Yes: $100, $200 or $300 for the first year | Not on the pages we read |
| Network | A choice of three | Not named by Tello |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Figures are from each brand’s own pages, read on October 8, 2026.
Price
At $10 Red Pocket gives a gigabyte more. At $20 the two are level at 20 GB.
Above that Tello is cheaper. Its $25 plan is unlimited, and Tello says it “offers 50 GB at full 5G speed with 10 GB of hotspot included”. Red Pocket’s comparable plan, 50 GB with 10 GB of hotspot, is $30.
The small print on each price
Red Pocket adds fees. The label for its $10 plan lists a $1 Regulatory Recovery Fee and a $0.25 Admin Fee a month, plus taxes. It calls the $10 a “permanent rate”.
Tello’s label describes each price as “an introductory rate” for new customers, for the first month. The line for the price after that was empty when we read it. Check what month two costs before you sign up.
Paying by the year
Red Pocket sells all three plans yearly. The first year is $100, $200 or $300, and renewals are $110, $220 and $330. At the renewal rate the cheapest plan works out to $9.17 a month.
Network
Red Pocket sells service on three networks, which it labels GSMA, GSMT and CDMA, for AT&T-compatible, T-Mobile-compatible and Verizon-compatible phones. We could not read separate plan lists for each, so check that the plan you want is sold on yours.
Tello does not name its carrier. Its Android instructions mention T-Mobile’s APN.
Which one
Choose Red Pocket if you want the most data for $10, want to pick your network, or will pay for a year.
Choose Tello if you want unlimited data for $25, a 10 GB plan at $15, or a custom plan smaller than either brand’s cheapest.
Full details: Red Pocket and Tello.