Verizon vs AT&T: plan prices, phones, and network coverage
AT&T offers the widest cell phone coverage in the U.S. and some of the most affordable plans around. That puts an interesting twist on the current landscape - T-Mobile vs Verizon are now battling it out for the top spot, while AT&T steps into the role of the underdog in the AT&T vs T-Mobile matchup. All the while, it keeps a close eye on Big Red's coverage dominance. So, if you're choosing between Verizon and AT&T, which carrier really comes out on top?
- Pros and cons
- Pricing and plans comparison
- Phone options
- Verizon vs AT&T coverage
- Network performance
- AT&T vs Verizon: Who has better features and perks
- Customer service
- Verizon or AT&T: Which carrier should you choose?
Verizon vs AT&T Pros and Cons
AT&T became the largest victim of the merger of T-Mobile with Sprint and the aggressive pricing and marketing campaigns. While T-Mobile was feisty, selling phones and plans at cost, and amassing an underdog following that made it the second largest US carrier after Verizon, AT&T and Verizon kept laughing all the way to the bank in terms of profits.
While AT&T continues to provide broader coverage than T-Mobile, its plan costs have become nearly identical - meaning AT&T may not stay in the third spot for much longer. But the real challenger is Verizon, especially when it comes to rural service. So, let's take a closer look at Verizon vs AT&T in terms of coverage, data speeds, device selection, and overall cost to see how the two stack up right now.
Verizon
- The most robust network with the widest rural coverage
- 5G network laggard
- Generous hotspot data
- Rich collection of phone choices
- Paid streaming services
AT&T
- Largest US carrier network with 59% nationwide coverage
- 5G signal covering 290+ million Americans
- Cheapest family plan
- Generous hotspot data allotment
- Limited phone roster
- No streaming perks
Pricing and Plans Comparison
- Cheapest 5G plan on Verizon: Unlimited Welcome plan, priced from $30 per line for four lines, throttling any time
- Cheapest 5G plan on AT&T: $25/month per line for 4 lines, throttling any time
AT&T's unlimited 5G data plans come out at a slightly cheaper cost than Verizon's, but Verizon is better than AT&T in terms of offering more perks. AT&T also offers the cheapest family plan that is just $25 a line per month, against Verizon's $30, both with throttling that can happen any time when the network is very busy. All in all, AT&T has the plan price advantage before Verizon, as you can see in the premium Unlimited 5G plan price comparison below.
Verizon vs АТ&T Unlimited 5G premium plan prices
| Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | AT&T Unlimited Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 line | $90 | $85 |
| 2 lines | $160 | $150 |
| 3 lines | $195 | $180 |
| 4 lines | $220 | $200 |
| Throttling | No | No |
| Freebies | Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for $10/mo. Netflix & Max for $10/mo International talk, text & 10GB data in 210+ cuntries Both new and existing customers eligible to receive the best current in-market smartphone offer with trade-in. Up to $540 BYID promo credit Unlimited talk and text Unlimited premium data | 60GB high-speed mobile hotspot data Unlimited talk and text Unlimited premium data Free unlimited high-speed roaming in Canada and Mexico Free roaming in 19 Latin American countries, $10/day elsewhere Unlimited texting from the U.S. to 200+ countries AT&T ActiveArmor security app |
| Video streaming | 1080p | 4K |
| Hotspot (per line) | 60GB | 60GB |
Coverage Comparison between Verizon and AT&T
The FCC ranks AT&T as the top carrier for overall network coverage in the U.S. While Verizon is often praised for its strong rural performance, AT&T actually takes the lead in 4G LTE availability - covering about 59% of the country compared to Verizon’s 56%.
AT&T vs Verizon US coverage (percentage) | Image credit – FCC
Looking at the FCC's Verizon vs AT&T coverage map, it's clear that Verizon's 4G signal surpasses AT&T's mainly in parts of the Northwest. However, AT&T fills in more of the gaps across other regions, which helps explain its slightly higher national coverage percentage in the FCC's data. In summary, both AT&T and Verizon deliver broad, reliable cell networks across the U.S., but AT&T holds a small edge and is slightly better than Verizon - unless you're tucked away in the mountainous Northwest.
Verizon vs AT&T 4G LTE coverage map | Image credit – FCC
When it comes to basic 5G coverage at the low bands, AT&T is pulling ahead of Verizon as well, with 29% against Verizon's 9%. Same with the midbands where it holds an 18% against 6% coverage area advantage before Verizon.
AT&T vs Verizon midband 5G coverage (percentage) | Image credit – FCC
It's not T-Mobile's fourfold advantage, but AT&T says that it now blankets more than 290 million people with 5G in the US, and seeing as its 5G network is spread around big city conglomerates and along highways, that explains its more robust 5G coverage compared to Verizon which is still a bit overly reliant on its stellar 4G LTE network.
Verizon vs AT&T midband 5G coverage map | Image credit – FCC
Network Performance
AT&T may lead when it comes to 4G LTE and 5G coverage, but the story shifts when we look at AT&T vs Verizon in terms of download speeds and overall reliability. Verizon's 5G network includes ultra-fast mmWave technology, giving it a noticeable edge in speed performance compared to AT&T.
AT&T vs Verizon vs T-Mobile 5G network speeds | Image credit – Ookla
The situation with the wider 4G LTE network is the same as Verizon is an overall network reliability and speeds champion here, but both carriers will provide you with robust signal in most of the US, so it really depends on where you live and travel the most.
Verizon is the US 5G network reliability champion | Image credit – RootMetrics
Phone Selection
- Verizon: 98
- AT&T: 39
It used to be that AT&T, as a GSM carrier, had a much richer phone selection than Verizon that even now demands special editions with mmWave antennas to take advantage of its ultrafast 5G bands.
Today's 5G modems - like those from Qualcomm - are built to handle nearly every network type and 5G band, all packed into a single compact chip with built-in interference filtering. Thanks to this flexibility, Verizon has been able to significantly grow its device lineup, now offering one of the widest selections of phones for U.S. customers. You can browse all the available phones on Verizon and AT&T in our dedicated device lists here:
Best Verizon phones to buy in 2024: With contract and prepaid
AT&T vs. Verizon: Who Has Better Features and Perks
Ever since AT&T ditched the free HBO Max subscription with its premium unlimited plans this summer, it became the carrier with the poorest number of plan features and perks. Granted, Verizon charges $10 for, say, Netflix and Max after six months, but at least it offers the two most popular streaming services without ads for a low price, whereas AT&T only compensates with line prices that are on average about $5 cheaper than Verizon's, and that's that.
Verizon and AT&T offer absolutely the same generous 60GB mobile hotspot allotment, as well as free calling, but Verizon is much more generous with the data allotment when travelling internationally, allowing you to use 10GB in most countries, something AT&T charges $10 for even in its premium unlimited plan pricing.
Customer service
According to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. enterprise internet study, big businesses prefer AT&T for their internet service, while small businesses prefer Verizon. When it comes to retail wireless customer service, however, Verizon is ahead of AT&T.
In the past, wireless providers often experienced lower customer satisfaction when promotional periods ended, leading to higher service costs. However, we are now seeing many wireless brands addressing this issue, with a particular focus on managing costs and improving the overall customer experience
Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecom at J.D. Power
The Verizon Wireless business customer service also ranks second with 739 points, only after T-Mobile, and is highest in the medium business segment, while big enterprises apparently still prefer AT&T.
Verizon or AT&T: Which Carrier Should You Choose?
So, if AT&T provides stronger coverage where you live and you're not too concerned about streaming extras or international travel, it could be the smarter pick. But in areas where Verizon matches or outperforms AT&T, paying an extra $5 per line might be worth it for the added features and wider device variety.
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