The cheapest phone plans in the United States start at $10 a month, and you will not find them on the main plans pages of Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile. They come mostly from MVNOs, mobile virtual network operators, which rent those same networks and sell service for less. This page ranks every brand we track by its lowest monthly price for one line.
Every brand, cheapest first
| Brand | Network | Owned by | From, a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen Mobile | T-MobileAT&T | EchoStar | $10 |
| Red Pocket Mobile | AT&TT-MobileVerizon | Not recorded | $10 |
| Tello | T-Mobile | Not recorded | $10 |
| Ting Mobile | Verizon | Not recorded | $10 |
| Ultra Mobile | T-Mobile | T-Mobile | $10 |
| US Mobile | VerizonAT&TT-Mobile | Not recorded | $10 |
| Page Plus Cellular | Verizon | Verizon | $12 |
| Good2Go Mobile | AT&TT-Mobile | Not recorded | $15 |
| Helium Mobile | T-Mobile | Affiniti Ventures | $15 |
| Mint Mobile | T-Mobile | T-Mobile | $15 |
| T-Mobile | T-Mobile | Not recorded | $15 |
| Tracfone | Verizon | Verizon | $15 |
| Twigby | Verizon | Not recorded | $15 |
| Walmart Family Mobile | Verizon | Verizon | $19.88 |
| Black Wireless | AT&T | The OLB Group | $20 |
| Consumer Cellular | AT&T | Not recorded | $20 |
| H2O Wireless | AT&T | Locus Telecommunications | $20 |
| PureTalk | AT&T | Not recorded | $24.99 |
| AT&T | AT&T | Not recorded | $25 |
| Patriot Mobile | VerizonAT&TT-Mobile | Not recorded | $25 |
| Simple Mobile | Verizon | Verizon | $25 |
| Straight Talk | Verizon | Verizon | $25 |
| Visible | Verizon | Verizon | $25 |
| Boost Mobile | AT&TT-Mobile | EchoStar | $30 |
| Optimum Mobile | T-Mobile | Not recorded | $30 |
| Spectrum Mobile | Verizon | Charter Communications | $30 |
| Xfinity Mobile | Verizon | Comcast | $30 |
| Cricket Wireless | AT&T | AT&T | $35 |
| Google Fi Wireless | T-Mobile | $35 | |
| Verizon | Verizon | Not recorded | $35 |
| Metro by T-Mobile | T-Mobile | T-Mobile | $40 |
| Total Wireless | Verizon | Verizon | $40 |
Networks and owners last reviewed . Prices read from each brand's own site on .
Each price is the lowest one the brand’s own site showed for a single line when we read it. It is not always a price you can pay month to month. Mint Mobile’s needs a year paid up front, Tello’s is labelled as an introductory rate, and Consumer Cellular’s shown prices include a $5 credit for AutoPay and e-billing. Follow a brand’s name for its full plan list, the conditions and the date we checked.
What the lowest price buys
A starting price is a small plan. Here is what sits behind the cheapest ones.
| Brand | Lowest plan | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| US Mobile | $10 | 2 GB of data, taxes and fees included |
| Tello | $10 | 2 GB of data. You can build a smaller plan from $5 |
| Gen Mobile | $10 | 2 GB of data |
| Red Pocket | $10 | 3 GB of data, plus $1.25 in monthly fees |
| Ting Mobile | $10 | Talk and text only. Data is $5 a gigabyte |
| Ultra Mobile | $10 | Talk and text only, and only when you pay $120 for a year. Price from July 2026 |
| Page Plus | $12 | 500 minutes, 500 texts and 100 MB of data |
| Good2Go Mobile | $15 | 1 GB of data |
| Tracfone | $15 | 1 GB of data |
| Mint Mobile | $15 | 6 GB of data, but only when you pay for a year or as a new customer’s first three months |
| Black Wireless | $20 | 1 GB of high-speed data with international calling |
Three things that change the real price
Taxes and fees. US Mobile, Visible, Metro by T-Mobile and Total Wireless include them in the advertised price. Most others add them at checkout. T-Mobile’s own postpaid plans add a fee of $5.49 a line each month.
Paying ahead. Mint Mobile’s low prices need 12 months paid at once. Straight Talk’s Silver Unlimited is $45 by the month and works out to $30 if you pay $360 for a year. H2O Wireless also discounts longer terms.
Automatic payments. Many brands take $5 off from the second month if you let them charge your card. Each brand’s page gives the price with and without.
The cheapest unlimited data
If you want unlimited data, the lowest prices we found were $25 a month, at Visible, Tello, US Mobile, Ting Mobile, AT&T Prepaid and Straight Talk’s bring-your-own-phone plan. They are not the same thing at all. The differences are set out on our unlimited plans page.