Astound Mobile vs. REALLY: Which carrier is better?

Astound Mobile and REALLY Wireless are two unique phone carriers that offer prospective customers a different version of the phone plan(s) they’ve come to know. Astound Mobile is a service where in order to get it you need to have their Home Internet and REALLY Wireless is a rising carrier that aims to be a pioneer in the cell phone world by being “the world’s first fully encrypted & private phone service.” Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s put them head to head and see which brand comes out on top. 

In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:

• What the coverage of both carriers looks like
• How prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans

Coverage & Reception - How do Astound Mobile and REALLY Compare?

Astound is on T-Mobile’s network, while REALLY also uses T-Mobile and our own decentralized wireless (DeWi).

Astound Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). This means that it purchases service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country—Verizon, Verizon, and T-Mobile—giving customers service at a much lower price. Astound Mobile uses T-Mobile's major wireless network.

MVNO - What Should You Know:

A common aspect of MVNOs you should know about is they are more likely to subject users to data deprioritization and throttled speeds. Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” Which means that those who are direct customers of the “parent” company will get network priority when you’re in a high traffic area like a concert hall or sports stadium, or when there’s network congestion.

Throttling is also more likely to occur with MVNOs and “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable.” This will happen when you go over a certain number of gigabytes of data for the month, which is referred to as a “data cap.” You’ll see this number displayed somewhere on your carrier’s website. Your normal speeds will slow down until the start of your next billing cycle.

Often, the quality of coverage comes down to your area. One carrier’s coverage may be better in New York, while another’s coverage may be better in California. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.

REALLY Wireless however is a bit different than your average MVNO as it is a brand new type of phone plan. Using T-Mobile and their own REALLY Decentralized Wireless (DeWi) structure, you’re getting a bit more juice as this carrier provides service essentially using two networks.

REALLY has said “big wireless puts a few big towers in a city which creates super annoying deadzones.” Verizon, AT&T, and even T-Mobile are a part of “centralized wireless” and REALLY is here to make it so you are your own cell tower.

When you sign up for REALLY Wireless you’ll be given a small radio which provides the signal you need to be on the REALLY network and when more people get the radios the signal strength increases. The technical term for this is called Decentralized Wireless or DeWi for short, it’s powered by people for people. No more relying on these big networks with spotty connection, the more people who take part the more we can have strong network reliability all throughout the globe. 

Obviously these are big dreams, right now their DeWi network is only available in Austin, but they are ready to expand. They do offer “premium wireless service on the the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network,” and have their own mock up of a coverage map:

Learn more about DeWi here, this gives you more info on the decentralized movement and how you can get started.

As for T-Mobile, their 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. So you can expect some pretty solid 5G speeds for any MVNO under the T-Mobile umbrella. Their 4G LTE isn’t as widespread as their two major competitors, Verizon and AT&T, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker. 

Plan Options - A Close Look at Astound Mobile vs. REALLY

Like most plans you’ll see on the market, both carriers offer unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Astound Mobile has four plans with limited high-speed data. REALLY has just one encrypted and private unlimited data plan.

Astound Mobile Plans

With Astound Mobile there a few stipulations up from:

• First, you can only get their mobile service in the states Astound operates in.
• Secondly, you have to be signed up for their Home Internet service too, like the other mobile and home internet provider Spectrum Mobile, you have to have their home internet in order to have access to their phone plans. This leads to their “bundle and save” options.
• There is a “2-Year Internet Price Lock” that comes with each plan.
• And lastly, Astound Mobile plans are also deprioritized, which you know means your speeds may slow down in high network traffic like concerts, stadiums, or busy stores.

1.5GB Plan

This plan is the smallest one Astound Mobile offers, and it gives users 1.5GB of full speed data each month. It also offers hotspot access with all data. Once you reach the 1.5GB cap, your access to both data and hotspot stops completely. You’ll have to wait until the next month of service to get access again. 

You also get a $300 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 300* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

This plan costs $20 per month. With this plan, you get 1.5GB per month for $13.33 per GB.

3GB Plan

This is the bigger of two limited data plans, this plan comes with 3GB of full speed data with included hotspot access. Once you reach 3GB, just like for the previous plan, your access to both data and hotspot stops completely. 

You also get a $200 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 600* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

It costs $35 per month. With this plan, you get 3GB per month for $11.66 per GB.

Unlimited Plan

With Astound Mobile’s Unlimited plan, you get 20GB of full speed data with included hotspot access. Once you reach the 20GB cap, you lose hotspot access and your data speeds slow down to 3G speeds. At 3G speeds, you can still send emails and texts or scroll on the internet, but streaming video or playing games may be slower without WiFi. 

You also get a $400 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 1000* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

This plan costs $45 per month, and you get 20GB for $2.25 per GB.

Unlimited Plus Plan

Just like the Unlimited base plan, you get 20GB of full speed data with included hotspot access with the Unlimited Plus plan. Once you reach the 20GB cap, you lose hotspot access and your data speeds slow down to 3G speeds. 

You also get a $400 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 1500* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

This plan costs $55 per month, and you get 20GB for $2.75 per GB.

REALLY’s Plan

REALLY only has one phone plan which keeps things simple, so there’s no frills and no fuss when you’re signing up for REALLY. Let’s take a look:

The REALLY Limitless Plan

With the REALLY Limitless Plan you get unlimited high speed data* (50GB of premium data, *full terms apply), talk, and text on the largest and fastest 5G network in the country and a mobile hotspot is included. Fully encrypted calling and can add up to 12 lines with each extra line costing $38/month.

And here are some things not yet available but are coming soon:

• A VPN
• AI-powered privacy assistant for spam calls and texts
• A deadzone destroyer for full signal inside your home

It’s all set up via eSIM. Best for dual-SIM capable phones, (which most phones are nowadays). When you sign up they will provide you with an eSIM to download. If that sounds like that could be a confusing process for you, don’t worry as there’s a real person at REALLY ready to help you through the process of downloading and installing your eSIM.

Features - Astound Mobile vs. REALLY

While both carriers offer pretty good deals for their customers, there are some differences in the features and benefits that may entice you to pick one over the other. If you’re a frequent traveler, talk to your international friends and family a lot, or are looking for a bit more “perk” with your plan then this section will break down all of that juicy info so you can know what you’re potentially gonna get.

Domestic Roaming Data

Astound Mobile offers standard domestic roaming rates which are $0.30 per mb, $0.00 per minute, and $0.01 per SMS. REALLY Wireless courtesy of T-Mobile offers domestic roaming capabilities.

Mexico & Canada Connection

Astound Mobile offers pay-per-use rates for connection in Mexico and Canada. REALLY Wireless’ service is supported in 200 countries, including Mexico and Canada (rates apply).

International Connection

Astound Mobile offers international roaming and you only pay for what you use via their rates found here.

When you land in one of REALLY’s supported countries, you'll receive a text from with available roaming packages:

1 day for $10/5GB or 30 days for $150/40GB. These packages include unlimited talk and text.

Video Streaming Quality

Astound Mobile’s plans stream at 4k Ultra HD resolution, 480p SD resolution on Unlimited. For REALLY Wireless they stream at 720p High Definition courtesy of T-Mobile’s network.

Streaming Services

Astound Mobile and REALLY Wireless do not offer this feature.

Cloud Storage

Astound Mobile and REALLY Wireless do not offer this feature.

Device Financing

Astound Mobile has partnered with Affirm which is a financial company and through them you can “Buy Now and Pay Later” with select phones and Smartwatches. You can get APR financing through Astound’s deal with Affirm- (note that you may need to make a down payment, so be aware of that before you look into the program). Then once you’re done paying off said loan, the device(s) are yours. More information you need on Astound Mobile and Affirm can be found in checkout.

REALLY does not sell phones at this time.

WiFi Calling

Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception. 

Spam Protection

Astound Mobile does not offer this feature.

REALLY offers fully encrypted and private phone service. There’s “no spying, no tracking, no hacking. we never sell your data, because we don’t have it.”

While traditional, centralized, wireless networks have dead zones- (areas with no signal), and set ups that don’t always have the best security, REALLY Wireless doesn’t. They want to eliminate the digital divide by setting up initiatives like the G.O.A.T Program which is their way to give back by “giving away phone service to those who otherwise wouldn't have access, but also single moms, musicians, artists, teachers, firefighters and those who are seldom recognized.”

Free Trial

Astound Mobile and REALLY Wireless do not offer this feature. 

Customer Service 

Astound Mobile only has a few physical locations and REALLY Wireless does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support.

Astound offers a few store locations across the country, which can be found with their store locator. However, most Astound Mobile users would likely contact customer service online or over the phone. Their support number is 1 (800) 746-4726.

REALLY has dedicated customer service. Doesn't matter when or where -- if you have any trouble with coverage, network nodes, or anything else, you can contact us by email which is [email protected], our website, or through social media.

The Verdict

REALLY Wireless offers the best deal.

Although Astound Mobile has four choices for mobile phone plans and REALLY only has one, Astound’s price(s) and mandatory Home Internet use makes REALLY the winner. Not many are looking to switch their home internet and if you aren’t that means you can’t use Astound’s phone service, also for only 20GB of high speed data a month on their unlimited plans before throttled speeds for $45 and $55 a month, it’s not worth it, especially when average phone users trend higher. We always recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan. 

We won’t lie and say REALLY isn’t a commitment, but it’s a movement for a reason, they want to change the mobile industry for the better and if you are concerned with your internet footprint being seen by potential scammers then you won’t find a safer carrier than REALLY.

Want to compare other carriers?

Really.com helps users compare between features, coverage, price, reviews, and more!

And if you want to compare and contrast Astound Mobile and REALLY Wireless to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.