Straight Talk vs Google Fi: Who Should You Go With?

A MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) describes smaller wireless providers that don’t own their own cell towers and instead piggyback cell phone signals off of a company that does. In this day and age you’ll find that most MVNOs will work directly with Verizon, AT&T, and/or T-Mobile. There are a ton of MVNOs out there, each coming with their own pros and cons. You’ll find that some offer more “bells and whistles” than others, while some keep it simple and give you exactly what you need, nothing fancy. 

With there being a lot of options out there for prospective customers, it’s safe to assume that you’re going to end up comparing a couple providers and making your own pros and cons list. And today we’re here to help you narrow down your search by comparing Straight Talk vs Google Fi, two carriers that have left their footprint known in the wireless world. 

There’s a lot of factors to think about when choosing a new cell phone plan and provider. You’ve got to look into the coverage, plans, prices, data allotment, and international usage just to name a few. So let’s go over all the info you need to know to help make your decision!

• Quick Overview: Straight Talk Wireless and Google Fi Wireless
• What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers
• How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features
• The Verdict

Quick Overview: Straight Talk Wireless and Google Fi Wireless

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

-> Straight Talk Wireless

Straight Talk, or Straight Talk Wireless, first got into the wireless game back in 2009 when more and more people were slowly transitioning from flip phones to the new at-the-time first generation Smartphones. They are known for their “mid-range” phone plans, perfect for the phone users who don’t need heavy amounts of data coverage or fancy perks. In fact, there are a lot of people, older phone users in particular, who would rather have simple and reliable phone plans than one with a million things attached. Straight Talk Wireless offers a range of deals and bundles along with a “Refill” page where you can add on data if you need extra for the month for any particular reason. 

-> Google Fi Wireless

In 2015 “Project Fi” was introduced as an invite-only wireless provider. Eventually it became open to the public a year later and slowly transitioned to Google Fi, or Google Fi Wireless. At first glance you may be worried that only those with “Google” phones can use the service, but that isn’t the case as most newer models of phones of any brand can be used with the provider. We do suggest checking your compatibility first so if you don’t feel like buying a new phone and want to keep your current device you won’t accidentally sign up for the carrier with an incompatible phone.

Google Fi offers some pretty good elevated phone plans compared to your basic MVNO which we will go over a little later. You can expect to get some perks with your Google Fi plan that you might not find elsewhere for the same prices.

But what about their coverage?

What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers

As we said in the intro, MVNOs get their coverage from a bigger provider, so let’s take a look at both Straight Talk and Google Fi to see how their networks compare and contrast with the other.

-> Straight Talk Wireless

Straight Talk Wireless you’ll find is a bit of an anomaly as instead of only partnering with one carrier to provide coverage they “share networks with the best four carriers” which in this case are: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint- (although Sprint was acquired by T-Mobile in 2020 they still provide coverage through their cell towers that were established before the merge).

Though it is good to note for future customers that all of these coverage 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 after some talks were announced the previous year. With that, Verizon has stated they want to eventually move Tracfone customers and those under the Tracfone roof to eventually all be under Verizon and Verizon only. So for now you have options with multiple providers through Straight Talk but you might not always get that, and will more than likely have coverage under just Verizon.

Verizon as a company itself is just behind T-Mobile and AT&T in the 5G race, but proves that when you are in a 5G covered area their signal strength is unmatched, specifically winning in  “5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience, and 5G Video Experience” categories. One other tidbit about Verizon is they are the nation-wide leaders in 4G LTE coverage which spans over over 70% of the country.

One drawback for MVNOs and their coverage not coming directly through the company itself but rather a parent company in this case is you’re more likely to experience data deprioritization and throttling.

A REALLY Helpful Tip

What is data deprioritization?

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- (in Straight Talk’s case it’s Verizon with helping hands from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint) 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 which can happen during peak times of the day like the morning or evening.

What is data throttling?

Throttling is “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, also known as your “data cap.” You’ll see this number displayed in small text on the phone’s plan. Your normal speeds will slow down until the start of your next billing cycle.

Coverage Maps are helpful tools for customers to get an approximation of the network’s coverage all throughout the country. You can zoom in and out of the map and type in your hometown so you can see what coverage is available in your area. Straight Talk’s coverage map is a bit different than normal as you will get prompted to type in your zip code and what phone you have/are looking to buy. Then they will give you a view of the map based on that information. We have an example set up here in New York with the iPhone 15 128GB:

As you can see 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.

-> Google Fi Wireless

Google Fi uses T-Mobile’s high-speed network to provide coverage to customers and as we already mentioned before they are ahead in the race of 5G. In fact, T-Mobile is number one in 5G coverage overall which is great as everyone who has a 5G capable phone is wanting to flex that signal strength. 

Two interesting things about Google Fi Wireless is one, they don’t prioritize data like Straight Talk Wireless or other MVNOs do. On their website they say “Fi is not subject to data traffic deprioritization during times of high network usage.” Already that’s a major plus in Google Fi’s column. 

The second interesting thing about Google Fi is their W+ Network which is their own network that “uses select secure, high quality Wi-Fi networks to improve your mobile data connection.” Specifically when you’re in a high traffic area or aren’t getting the strong signals you’d normally get from your data your device will connect to a secure Wi-Fi network to help improve your connection. Not every phone is compatible with the W+ Network, “you need a Pixel device that runs the latest version of Android 12 or up,” according to their website. So again, just like checking to make sure your current device is compatible with their service, also make sure your phone is compatible with their W+ Network should this feature interest you.

As you can see Google Fi and Straight Talk’s maps are pretty similar in terms of area coverage but they do cover Puerto Rico. Also not pictured: Hawaii and Alaska which also are partially covered. You can view your location and get a closer look at the Google Fi Coverage Map here.

How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features

Now we get to look at the fun stuff, the phone plans! Here we will go over each provider’s plans so you can see which one appeals to you more, starting first again with Straight Talk Wireless.

They’ve got a wide array of plans which is great for those looking to get specific with exactly what they need. Here are their three most popular plans:

And then we have variations of those plans:

Even though we said Straight Talk is a bit more “bare bones” compared to other MVNOs, you’ll notice that some of their plans come with cloud storage and a Walmart+ Membership which includes fun benefits like free delivery from the store, mobile scan and go, and more. 

Now we move onto Google Fi’s phone plans and they have three categories of plans: Flexible- (those who are looking to pay for the data you use), Simply Unlimited- (a basic unlimited plan), and Unlimited Plus- (their unlimited plans with a few cool perks). These plans can all go up to six lines and price decreases the more lines you add.

With their Unlimited Plus plan you get some pretty cool perks like six months of Youtube Premium, cloud storage, and lots of international benefits. We will say Google Fi has a lot of great international benefits overall, not just in their Unlimited Plus plan which is great for travelers.

The Verdict

Now’s the time for the verdict, we compared the most important aspects of each carrier and we’ve come to the conclusion that Google Fi Wireless is the way to go. Although Straight Talk Wireless has a lot of variety when it comes to plans, we think the benefits and coverage of Google Fi outweighs that of Straight Talk. The prices are similar enough to spend a little bit more for higher data caps and international perks.

And if you want to compare and contrast Straight Talk and Google Fi 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.