Straight Talk vs Connect by T-Mobile: Who Should You Go With?

Every day it seems more and more cell phone carriers are popping out of the woodworks. You’ce probably seen your fair share of TV commercials, Youtube ads, or Instagram pop-ups of these new providers by now. And in the past you might not have paid them too much mind, but if you’ve been thinking about switching from your current carrier to something a little more friendly to your needs- then you might be spending a little more time looking at these advertisements. 

With so many options out there it’s no surprise that you might end up with a “match-up” of sorts between two carriers. And in this case we have Straight Talk vs Connect by T-Mobile; two providers that have their own list of pros and cons to look at. We know that every cell phone plan comes with its own set of benefits, but finding the one that’s best for you can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Luckily we’re here to help make that search a little easier on you by giving you an overview of the two cell carriers so you can decide which one to choose. Let’s get started!

• Quick Overview: Straight Talk and Connect by T-Mobile
• What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers
• How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features
• The Verdict

Quick Overview: Straight Talk and Connect by T-Mobile

Before we go over what the coverage and phone plans look like from each provider we’re going to give a brief overhaul of each carrier, so you can get a general idea of what they are like as companies.

-> Straight Talk Wireless

Straight Talk Wireless is a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that has been in the game since 2009. They are widely known for their great deals on phones, like for instance right now they have a “Buy a new iPhone 12 with 5G and save big plan if you

get the ‘Silver Unlimited Plan’ for only $20/month with Auto Pay.” They are known for running offers like this often and who doesn’t enjoy a good deal? 

Straight Talk is also known for their vast array of plans, from cell phone plans to Homephone plans, Home Internet plans, Tablet plans, Hotspot plans, and more. Their products link together well and if you choose to bundle and save that could be enticing to our more “budget-friendly” audience. 

Now we will say that Straight Talk isn’t known for their flashiness, in fact they keep things simple with a couple of benefits like a Walmart+ Membership on select plans and cloud storage. For the most part their plans are great for those who aren’t looking for a ton of data. In a world where it seems like more and more are after higher amounts of monthly data allotments, Straight Talk has plans for those who don’t need that. Instead they have a number of limited data options that are great for those who aren’t glued to their phone.

-> Connect by T-Mobile

Connect by T-Mobile is T-Mobile’s “no contracts, no credit checks, and no complicated extras” prepaid phone plan service that’s all about delivering you, the customer, good deals while being a part of the T-Mobile family. Designed specially for those who want to pay for what they use and not a cent over, Connect by T-Mobile is considered to be pretty “bare bones” when comparing it to T-Mobile directly but that is exactly what some people need.

You can Bring Your Own Device and check the compatibility so you can keep your phone instead of getting a new one or start fresh and get one of T-Mobile’s Prepaid Cell Phones which are phones that work with their prepaid plans like Connect. 

With Connect by T-Mobile you can expect simplicity at its finest. As we’ve said they have no contracts, no credit checks, and no complicated extras- actually you can switch and change your plan whenever you want with no questions asked.

What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers

-> Straight Talk Wireless

With Straight Talk Wireless being a MVNO, (which is a term used to describe smaller cell phone carriers that don’t own their own cell towers. They instead piggyback off a provider that does and in turn has discounted rates on cell phone plans for customers), you are getting coverage from a different source. Now typically MVNOs will only work with one network to provide coverage to customers but Straight Talk is a bit different as they work with multiple.

They “share networks with the best four carriers” which in this case are: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint- (Sprint was acquired by T-Mobile in 2020, they still provide coverage through their cell towers that were established before the merge). Though some users have said that these choices of having multiple network options might not last forever as Straight Talk Wireless is a brand of TracFone Wireless, Inc. and TracFone was bought by Verizon officially back in 2021. And it’s been said that Verizon wants to move TracFone customers over to Verizon and Verizon only, which means subsidiaries of TracFone like Straight Talk would also eventually move to Verizon. There’s no official word on this yet but it’s something to keep in mind if you move with them forward.

As for the coverage itself, Verizon is the leader in 4G LTE nation-wide coverage, and while their 5G is a bit behind compared to AT&T and T-Mobile they still hold some powerful performance, specifically in “5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience, and 5G Video Experience.”

One thing to keep note of with Straight Talk being a MVNO is they are subject to data deprioritization which is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” This will happen in high traffic areas or when the network itself is congested. 

With Straight Talk Wireless’s Coverage Map (a map that gives you an approximation of the coverage provided by the carrier), you will have to provide your ZIP code and phone model to get the most accurate results. As an example we took a look at Straight Talk’s coverage map in New York with the iPhone 15 128GB:

From the picture Straight Talk’s coverage is mainly localized in the United States only- (not pictured is parts of Hawaii and Alaska which are also covered). You can view your home town and phone model’s coverage under Straight Talk by looking at their coverage map here.

-> Connect by T-Mobile

Connect by T-Mobile uses the same coverage that regular T-Mobile customers use. T-Mobile is currently number one in 5G coverage which is a huge feat to have in the wireless world, especially since new elevated 5G options are being readily available. Although they are behind a bit in 4G LTE coverage- those in more rural areas may have trouble connecting, they make up for it with their rapidly spreading 5G network. 

T-Mobile also covers the majority of the United States along with parts of Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. You can view the full T-Mobile coverage map here.

TIP: Be sure to look if you have a data cap and don’t go over that monthly limit if you don’t want your data potentially throttled- aka always look at the terms before signing up.

How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features

Moving onto the phone plans, we’re going to go over both Straight Talk and Connect by T-Mobile’s phone plans so you can see which one(s) look more appealing to you, starting first with Straight Talk’s.

Here are their three most popular plans:

And then we have variations of those plans:

A variety of plans that offer a great deal of basic stuff that everyone needs with their cell phone plan including a couple of phone bonuses from their top three plans, a Walmart Membership which includes free delivery from the store, mobile scan and go, and more, and cloud storage which is especially needed if you are a user with thousands of photos.

Connect by T-Mobile has four base plans:

Overall they are SUPER basic plans, exactly what Connect is advertising for. There aren't a lot of extra benefits besides the second and third plans having an “Annual Data Upgrade” for an additional 500MB of data per month until March 2025 according to their website which is a cool perk. All of these plans are for domestic use only. If you want international use they have “International Add-ons” for $15 Connect plans and higher:

• The $5 Mexico & Canada Unlimited add-on lets you call and text both to and from each of those countries. 
• Then there’s the $15 Stateside International add-on which gets you unlimited calling to landlines in 70+ countries, unlimited calling to mobile devices in 30+ countries, and discounted rates.

What can you expect from certain gigabytes of data?

Both Straight Talk Wireless and Connect by T-Mobile have small data options available, so we thought we’d give you some examples on what you can expect from those gigs before you buy so you know which one will work best for your use.

100MB to 1GB/3GB of data is as low as you can go, it’s enough for basic internet browsing and sending an email, but nothing too much more in depth than that. For those who like scrolling through social media while you wait for the bus or train in the morning before work, we recommend “tiering up” if you want to continue your leisure scrolling. 5GBs to 10GBs is a bit more manageable but again, no heavy duty phone gaming or streaming unless you want to go over your data limit fast. For reference, streaming at 4K video uses about 12 GB of data.

According to the U.S. News and Ericsson's Mobility Report released in November 2023, “the average smartphone around the world uses 21 GB of data per month.” So if you feel you use your phone like the average person then you’re definitely going to want Straight Talk as your provider as Connect by T-Mobile is the perfect fit for the phone user who just uses their phone as a phone and almost nothing else.

The Verdict

We’ve made it to the end and now we can say which one out of Straight Talk vs Connect by T-Mobile we prefer. When comparing the prices, it’s no surprise that Connect by T-Mobile wins out here, with their cheapest plan running you just $10 a month, you can’t really beat that. But when comparing everything else? Straight Talk Wireless takes the cake. It’s worth your money more as you get additional benefits without having to pay extra and a Walmart+ Membership and cloud storage which for a MVNO is a nice plus.

Plus the variety of plans you get with Straight Talk Wireless versus Connect by T-Mobile is also a plus in the latter’s hand as you can choose which plan works best for your spending habits rather than choosing one because of limited options.

We will say though, if you are thinking of getting Straight Talk’s “Basic Phone Plan” plan- go for the $10 Connect by T-Mobile plan instead. That is where Connect wins but overall Straight Talk Wireless takes the cake.

And if you want to compare and contrast Straight Talk and Connect by T-Mobile 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.