AT&T vs Verizon: Who Should You Go With?

For decades we’ve seen commercials of AT&T and Verizon taking digs at each other in order to draw more customers onto their side. There’s been many times where one person in the commercial won’t have a signal, another will come up and have five bars, thus naming that respective carrier superior. Although coverage is a huge deciding factor for choosing a wireless carrier there’s also a few other things to consider like price, data, international benefits, perks, and more. And with our two powerhouse players, AT&T and Verizon, you can expect quite the match-up. 

AT&T and Verizon are considered two of the “big three” in wireless- (alongside T-Mobile), and there have been many opinions on which is better from many people as each of the companies have millions of customers. So that’s why we’re here today, to break down the most important offerings of each carrier so you can decide which is better for you. Let the AT&T vs Verizon fight begin!

• Quick Overview: AT&T and Verizon
• What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers
• How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features
• The Verdict

Quick Overview: AT&T and Verizon

Before we go over what the coverage and phone plans look like from each provider we should first talk about the two companies as a whole, so you can get an overall idea of what to expect from each as you begin to make your decision. 

-> AT&T

Let’s go back to the beginning, specifically 1983 in Chicago where AT&T “launched the first commercial cellular telephone service in Chicago.” This wireless carrier has kept up with the times in big ways, being one of the only companies with a plan that no matter how much data you use the speeds never slow down, (their AT&T Unlimited Premium® PL plan in case you’re curious), you can expect a plentiful variety in both AT&T’s postpaid and prepaid plans. 

In today’s world the demand for “heavy-duty” data plans is big as more and more people are in need of more gigabytes to browse the internet, send emails, texts, play games, stream video, and more. We have mini computers in our pockets so keeping up with what they can do while we’re out in the world not connected to a secure wifi spot is useful and AT&T wants their plans to be the tool. 

Besides their AT&T Unlimited Premium® PL plan, they also have a bunch of plans with large data thresholds and other benefits such as access to their security app and international calling, texting, and data usage- but more on that later.

-> Verizon

Now let’s look at the other side of the coin with Verizon. Verizon got their start a little later than AT&T in 2000, but have quickly put themselves on the podium as a top contender since they have “the most nation-wide coverage” available. Verizon’s main draw has been reliability, with their 4G LTE coverage spanning 70% of the country, many flock to the company so they can effectively use their phones not just close to home but when they travel as well. 

Another perk to Verizon is their perks! Verizon has a ton of amazing add-ons with their postpaid plans that are a huge plus when you’re willing to pay the big bucks each month for their phone plans. You can get subscriptions to your favorite streaming services, cloud space, and more- (we will break down the full perk list in our cell phone plans section).

Verizon, like AT&T, has their fair share in a variety of plans, with postpaid bundles being the more alluring option, their prepaid plans offer those lighter-phone users direct access to Verizon’s widespread coverage which is great as not everyone needs to have “unlimited” everything. 

A REALLY Helpful Tip: Why does my data slow down, even when I have “unlimited”?

It’s the age old question, if I pay for unlimited data, why is it not actually unlimited? Well, the reason is over-indexing. Think of a holiday dinner, when you’re eating and then you end up eating too much food which can cause a stomachache, the same thing can happen to a wireless network. When there’s too many people using their devices at their full capacity it can overload the bandwidth of the network as there’s only so much it can handle at all times. 

There needs to be limits on our high-speed usage so as to not overload the network and cause problems for not just you, but millions of other customers on the same network.

The way companies will do this is data throttling, throttling is “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable,” and this will happen when a person goes over their data allotment number for the month. There’s usually a number listed on the phone plan itself or in fine print somewhere on the provider’s website letting you know the data cap number.

What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers

Okay now that we’ve got the brief overview of both carries, let’s jump into the important details, starting first with coverage. 

There have been many reports comparing and contrasting coverage between not just AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile but also many MVNOs and other independent carriers. But since AT&T and Verizon are a part of the “big three” there is a lot of valuable information regarding what the coverage is like. 

Overall it seems that AT&T sits comfortably in the middle when looking from a top-down view of the three. T-Mobile reigns supreme in 5G coverage overall, but AT&T is in second place in terms of availability. You’ll be able to find more 5G coverage from AT&T when comparing it to Verizon directly, just not T-Mobile. (Although it is good to note that when you are in a 5G covered area from Verizon, they have the highest marks in 5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience, and 5G Video Experience).

Verizon however wins the race in 4G LTE coverage, they are the leader in nation-wide coverage after all. For those in more rural areas it’s a definite plus as phone signals can be a bit tricky to maintain when you’re seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. While city-folk will have more reliable signal strength from AT&T’s vast network.

When researching wireless carriers you will most likely come across a tab marked “Coverage” or “Coverage Map” where it will show you a map detailing what type of coverage the network provides, i.e. 5G, 4G LTE, etc. and how far their coverage extends to. 

Let’s first take a look at AT&T’s coverage map:

As you can see AT&T covers a majority of the United States along with parts of Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. And if you’re interested in wanting to see where coverage falls in your area and do further research, view the AT&T Coverage Map in full here.

Now moving onto Verizon’s coverage map:

Although not completely captured in the screengrab, Verizon offers coverage in the majority of the United States along with parts of Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. When you take a look at their coverage map in full you’ll be able to tell that Verizon covers more surface area than AT&T just at a glance.

How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features

It’s now time to get into the fun stuff: the phone plans! Let’s compare and contrast AT&T and Verizon prices, special features, and other benefits, starting first with AT&T’s unlimited postpaid plans:

Plus, they also offer two “value-friendly” plans which are:

Now one important thing to note is the prices we listed above aren’t necessarily the finalized prices. These prices are only if you sign up for AutoPay and also exclude taxes and fees, so if you’re planning out your budget keep that in mind.

As you can see from their plans, AT&T offers a healthy data cap for each plan along with some extra perks like access to their security map to help hide your online footprint and international benefits.

Let’s take a look at Verizon's postpaid plans, these are going to look a little different from AT&T right off the bat as Verizon likes to put its focus on bundled plans where you can select a plan that comes with a specific set of perks- (more info on their perks in a second). Here are their base unlimited plans:

Just like AT&T, these are base prices- (not counting taxes & fees) for Verizon’s Unlimited Postpaid plans for one line. But if you go up to say, four lines, you will begin to save money. Always make sure to factor in those potential price changes when you’re comparing the two!

What we didn’t include in the infographic was all the perks Verizon has to offer, when you sign up for a postpaid unlimited plan you can bundle and save while adding these exclusive benefits:

• The Disney Bundle which gets you Disney+ Premium with no ads, Hulu with ads, and ESPN with ads. Original price is $18.99/mo, only 10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• Netflix & Max which gives you Netflix Standard with ads and Max with ads plan. Original price is $16.98/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• Apple One which has Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ all in a bundle. Perfect for Apple phone users. Original price for individuals is $19.95/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings and original family plans normally pay $25.95/mo, now only $20/mo (Terms Apply).
• The Walmart+ Membership which has its own benefits you can read about on the plans tab. Original price is $12.95/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• Apple Music Family which allows six members to enjoy Apple Music. Original price is $16.99/mo and Verizon customers pay $10/mo. (Terms Apply).
• A 100GB Mobile Hotspot originally priced at $45/mo now only $35/mo. (Terms Apply).
• Smartwatch Data & Safety which is normally $20/mo is now only $10/mo. (Terms Apply).
• +play Monthly Credit, a Verizon platform that lets you manage all of your digital subscriptions from one place. You can save $5/mo off your $15/mo credit.(Terms Apply).
• 3 TravelPass Days. TravelPass lets you call, text, and use data in 210+ countries around the world. These three days, 24 hour sessions, are included each month. Originally it’s $30/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• 2TB Cloud Storage that’s originally $14.99/mo and with the addon it’s $10/mo. (Terms Apply).

That’s a HUGE list of potential perks from Verizon which if that’s what you’re looking for when shopping for a phone plan- you might have found your answer to the match-up. 

The Verdict

We’ve compared the coverage, the prices, and the plans, now’s the time for the verdict. We’d first say that choosing the plan that’s better all depends on what your living situation is like. If you live in a more urban, city-like environment, AT&T’s 5G network will be more beneficial to you. But if you live in a more rural area, Verizon’s best nation-wide coverage can help guarantee you get a signal even when you’re out in the middle of nowhere. We think for the price and benefits Verizon is the better call overall, you get more and are more likely to have coverage the farther you go, but ultimately the two either pick isn’t bad.

And if you want to compare and contrast AT&T and Verizon 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.