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Last Updated: Apr 2025

The Top SIM Card and eSIM Plans of 2025

From prepaid to family plans to unlimited streaming, everyone needs something different from their wireless carrier. Compare our top picks below.

Our #1 Low-Cost Pick
1
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile -Premium provider with flexible SIM card plans and nationwide coverage13,897 reviews
by
  • Get 5GB/month for 3 months—only $15/month
    Upfront payment of $300 for 12-month plan (equiv. to $25/mo.) req'd. New customer offer for first 12 months only; then full-price plan options available. Taxes & fees extra. Customers who use over 35GB/mo. may notice reduced speeds for the rest of the monthly cycle in certain locations when our network is busy. Includes up to 10GB hotspot. Videos stream at ~480p. Limited time offer. May not be combined w/ other offers; non-transferrable & no cash value. Restrictions apply.
  • No contract option
  • Free calling to Mexico and Canada
  • 4G LTE and 5G coverage
  • Free mobile hotspot
exceptional
9.9
View Plans
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2
Tello
Tello -No-contract, affordable & flexible phone plans, powered by T-Mobile12,319 reviews
by
  • Unlimited phone plan for $25/mo
  • Free mobile hotspot
  • Free international calls to 60+ countries
mint
3
US Mobile
US Mobile -No-contract, customizable, cheap cell phone plans4,516 reviews
by
  • Plans start at $8/month
  • All plans come with 4G LTE and 5G coverage
  • Bring your phone number, get 100 days free
4
Ultra Mobile
Ultra Mobile -Flexible cell phone plans with unlimited international calls, powered by T-Mobile1,802 reviews
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  • Get up to 20% off on select multi-month plans
  • Runs on the nation's largest 5G network
  • Flexible data options
5
Lyca Mobile -Fast, reliable coverage at low prices8,557 reviews
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  • All plans come with international calling
  • High-speed 5G data
  • No contracts, credit checks or hidden fees
6
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile -Contract-free, affordable SIM card plans11,256 reviews
by
  • Unlimited talk and text for $10/mo
  • New expanded Boost 5G network
  • Members get access to exclusive rewards
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Our Best Cell Phone Plan Provider
Our #1 Low-Cost Pick
1
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile -Premium provider with flexible SIM card plans and nationwide coverage13,897 reviews
by
  • Get 5GB/month for 3 months—only $15/month
    Upfront payment of $300 for 12-month plan (equiv. to $25/mo.) req'd. New customer offer for first 12 months only; then full-price plan options available. Taxes & fees extra. Customers who use over 35GB/mo. may notice reduced speeds for the rest of the monthly cycle in certain locations when our network is busy. Includes up to 10GB hotspot. Videos stream at ~480p. Limited time offer. May not be combined w/ other offers; non-transferrable & no cash value. Restrictions apply.
  • No contract option
  • Free calling to Mexico and Canada
  • 4G LTE and 5G coverage
  • Free mobile hotspot
exceptional
9.9

What’s an eSIM Cell Phone Plan?

An eSIM cell phone plan is a digital SIM card that is embedded within a mobile device, enabling users to access mobile networks without needing a physical SIM card. It provides phone calls, text messages, and cellular data (internet access) like a regular mobile plan, but with the added convenience of being built into the device.

What to Know About Choosing an eSIM Cell Phone Plan:

Choosing the right phone eSIM card plan is an important decision - so it’s important to choose wisely. If you’re looking for a cellular company that you’ll be able to stick with for the long run, pay attention to the below factors to make sure that you end up with a provider that’s going to be a great fit — whether for you or your family.

Some of the factors that you may want to bear in mind when weighing up your options include:

Prepaid eSIM vs Bill Pay eSIM

Some providers charge for their services via a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model. Under this model, users pay for their service by prepaying for connection vouchers that enable them to remain on the network.

The opposite of this is bill pay. Under the bill pay model, subscribers receive a bill at the end of each month with an invoice to pay. Typically this is a fixed monthly fee. But sometimes users may accrue additional charges by using services not included in their package such as:

  • Phone calls that were not included in the package. For instance, those placing international calls may find that they incur extra charges

  • Using more data than was included in the package

If you’re shopping for your business then you may prefer to go with a bill pay model so that you can buy bulk subscriptions for all your subscribers. Bill pay is also more convenient for consumers because you don’t have to top up periodically to avoid losing connectivity.

What’s a Data Cap?

When it comes to the type of cellular data that cell phone providers offer, everything is not created equally. While 4G (LTE) is now the standard for reasonably fast connectivity — and can typically support download speeds of up to 100 Mbps — its successor, 5G, is now rolling out around the world.

Besides the type of network that providers offer, they also differ in terms of:

  • The bandwidth that they support. This is the total speed of data transfer across the network. During times of heavy load — or when users exceed their data allowance — providers may throttle the network which means reducing speeds. This is done in order to preserve network performance.

  • How much data in total they allow users to access each month. This is sometimes known as a data cap. These vary very widely according to plans. Some providers offer ‘unlimited’ eSIM plans — although in practice these are rarely actually unlimited (read the fine print and you’ll likely find there’s a fair use clause). And others provide users with a certain number of gigabytes of cellular data per month. If users go over this then they may be throttled and/or charged extra.

MNOs vs MVNOs

Broadly speaking there are two types of providers that offer cellphone connectivity services:

Mobile network operators (MNOs) own and maintain their own infrastructure. That means the base stations and other components that make the network “run”.

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Unlike MNOs these don’t actually own the infrastructure they use to provide the network. Rather they lease it from them.

What difference does this make to consumers? MVNOs can be cheaper because they don’t need to pass on the costs of maintaining the network. But MNOs can offer better service and customer support because, after all, they own the network that provides connectivity.

How Much Do eSIM Phone Plans Cost?

Prices between providers vary upon the packages offered. Some factors that will commonly affect these include:

  • Subscription periods. Cell phone providers typically try to incentivize users to sign up for longer subscription periods by offering long-term discounts. Some will offer three years plans designed to appeal to those that really want to commit to a network for a lengthy period of time.

  • What’s included. In general the more data, minutes, and other services that are offered the more consumers can expect to pay for those plans.

From some of the plans we have reviewed:

  • Verizon Wireless offers a data plan for about $70/month

  • Tello offers a basic coverage plan for $19/mo for a pay-as-you-go service, so the prices do vary

Find the Best eSIM Plan For You

In order to find the very best phone eSIM plan for you and your family pay attention to your usage patterns and make a list of the features that are important to you (international calling minutes? A high monthly data plan?). Then sign up for a provider that best fits your needs. If you’re really confident in your choice you can likely lock in discounts by signing up for long-term contracts.

Our Top 3 Picks

  • 1
    3-month introductory offer
    Visit Site
    • Best For - Best cell phone plan overall
    • Starting Price - From $15/month
    • Plans - Prepaid
    3-month introductory offer
    Visit Site

    Mint Mobile - Best cell phone plan overall

    Mint Mobile gives you access to 5G, cutting-edge technology with high network speed and reliability. Plans also come with unlimited talking and texting, so you never need to worry about topping up or checking if you’re near the limit. And by connecting to your network's servers through the internet, their WiFi messaging and calling feature can also be useful when overseas.

    "With Mint Mobile, you will get reliable service and fast download speeds. They have the fastest download speeds of any mobile network operator I’ve tried,” says Joe Troyer, CEO of tech company Digital Triggers.

    After a few months of using the plan, the customer support team will reach out to help you select one that better suits your usage needs. You can keep your 4G LTE device if you decide on Mint’s “Bring Your Own Phone” program. Although the connection will slow down if you reach the monthly data limit, your service will remain active.

    Why we chose Mint Mobile: Mint Mobile offers robust coverage and cost-effective and customizable plans to match your specific data usage patterns. They’re also committed to providing personalized recommendations based on your usage, improving your experience.

    Our experience: We found Mint Mobile's service highly reliable in urban areas, with a strong signal on their 5G and 4G LTE networks. While several new phones maintained consistent and dependable connections, a few older cell phones weren’t updated and required additional support during the setup process.

    Read Mint Mobile Review

    Mint Mobile Pros & Cons

    PROS

    WiFi-based texting and calling
    You can keep your device with the “Bring Your Own Phone” program
    Personalized recommendations for plans based on your usage

    CONS

    Older phones can have trouble connecting to the network
    Connection slows down if you go over the monthly usage limit
    Mint Mobile
    Visit Site
  • 2
    Plans for as little as $5 per month
    • Best For - Best for low-data plans
    • Starting Price - From $5/month
    • Plans - Prepaid and custom plans
    Plans for as little as $5 per month

    Tello - Best for low-data plans

    Tello offers new prices, including unlimited nationwide talking and texting, with free calls to over 60 countries. And with the “Build Your Own” subscriptions, you can tweak data or minutes to further lower the cost.

    “The coverage is superb, and I can make phone calls from almost anywhere I go without any difficulty,” says Michael Collins, managing director of IT company SphereIT.UK. He also states, "4G speeds are consistently fast and responsive.”

    All of Tello's default and customizable plans offer 4G and 5G LTE data and mobile hotspot sharing. When you reach your monthly limit, they downgrade your network to 2G, which even comes with the “No Data” custom subscription.

    Why we chose Tello: Tello offers unlimited international calling to over 60 countries—this can be useful if you have family living overseas and want to stay in touch. We could opt for “Build Your Own” plans starting from 1GB/month if we didn’t need as much data and only wanted unlimited texting and calling.

    Our experience: Tello’s plans were straightforward to set up and connect, and the SIM card worked with various new and old phones. Throughout our testing, we experienced consistent cell coverage within the US for all our calls, including international ones.

    Read Tello Review

    Tello Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Consistent cell coverage
    Most affordable option on this list
    Minutes include international calling to over 60 countries

    CONS

    Download speeds can be inconsistent
    They don’t include the latest devices
  • 3
    Prepaid, no-contract mobile provider.
    • Best For - Best reliable connection
    • Starting Price - From $17.50/month
    • Plans - Prepaid
    Prepaid, no-contract mobile provider.

    US Mobile - Best reliable connection

    US Mobile’s customizable subscriptions allow you to tailor the service to your liking. The “Unlimited” plan gives you infinite talking, texting, and standard and hotspot data. The “Premium” membership also includes an account for Spotify, Netflix, and Xbox Live.

    Why we chose US Mobile: US Mobile has flexibility if you’re looking to share your account—their customizable “Unlimited” plan and data can be shared on multi-line accounts. Beyond that, their website also has a section where you can compare different subscriptions and figure out which one is the best for you.

    Our experience: Despite US Mobile’s affordable plans, their network can be slower than many competitors, as they deprioritize you (When your data get slows down during high-traffic hours in favor of other subscribers using the network) frequently. This may be less ideal if you frequently stream music or TV shows on your phone.

    Read US Mobile Review

    US Mobile Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Bundled subscriptions like Spotify or Netflix
    You can customize “Unlimited” plans
    Multi-line accounts share a data pool, leading to additional savings

    CONS

    Slower network than other providers on this list
    Frequent network throttling