Ultra Mobile vs. Straight Talk: Which Carrier is Better?

Ultra Mobile and Straight Talk Wireless are two MVNOs. Straight Talk uses Verizon’s network to deliver awesome coverage to all its users. They have a nice set of plans that, while expensive, offer a lot of data to mid-data users to find a great plan without breaking the bank. Straight Talk has multi-line savings, lots of data, a good mixture of plans, and a store full of the latest and greatest devices. 

Ultra Mobile is an awesome MVNO that operates on T-Mobile’s network. It offers a wide range of affordable plans for single-line accounts. Ultra Mobile phones work on T-Mobile’s 5G and 4G LTE networks, providing fantastic coverage around the continental United States. This is a cell phone company for people interested in affordable prices more than what you see with major wireless networks and are willing to work with limited data cell phone plans. 

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 do the prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans 

Coverage & Reception

Ultra Mobile and Straight Talk are both popular MVNOs, each one with its pros and cons. Ultra Mobile is an MVNO directly under T-Mobile, offering access to T-Mobile's robust network. Straight Talk, also an MVNO, purchases network access from Verizon. Straight Talk offers competitive pricing while utilizing Verizon’s extensive network, the same as Ultra Mobile. 

Ultra Mobile benefits from T-Mobile's expansive 5G and 4G LTE networks. T-Mobile's 5G network is known for its impressive speed and coverage in urban areas, while its 4G LTE network provides widespread and reliable service nationwide. T-Mobile is currently working to increase it’s 5G coverage to cover 90% of the population, and over the last decade, its coverage has increased impressively. T-Mobile is currently the leader in 5G coverage, and its network continues to grow. Ultra Mobile customers enjoy this high-speed network as long as there is no congestion in the area. 

Straight Talk offers a similar network reach through Verizon’s network. Verizon's 5G and 4G LTE networks are renowned for their coverage and reliability, particularly in rural and suburban areas. However, Straight Talk users experience the same low data priority compared to customers on the main carriers’ plans. This means that during times of network congestion, Straight Talk customers have slower data speeds as they are deprioritized in favor of higher-tier customers from the primary carriers. The intensity of congestion and data throttling depends on your location. New York City, for instance, will always have more congestion than its suburbs. 

Be sure to explore our detailed guides and reviews on our website for a comprehensive analysis of Verizon and T-Mobile’s networks' performance and how MVNOs like Straight Talk and Ultra Mobile leverage these networks.

Plan Options

Ultra Mobile offers various plans that provide unlimited data, while Straight Talk offers a quartet of data plans with limited high-speed data. Along with high-speed data, both carriers offer unlimited talk and text along with various features and add-ons. First up, let’s talk about Ultra Mobile’s cell phone plans. 

Ultra Mobile Plans

Ultra Mobile offers a long list of plans perfect for low- and medium-data users. Ultra Mobile offers five cell phone plans at various prices, including a special offer with their three-month contract that gives new customers one free month of service. The pricing on our graphic will reflect the special offer on their three-month plan, which is not a part of their longer contracts. Similar to Straight Talk, Ultra Mobile does not offer unlimited high-speed data on any of its plans. The most robust plan they offer is 40 GB of high-speed data before your data is throttled to 3G speeds. Let’s take a look at their other cell phone plans. 

Ultra Mobile is an excellent T-Mobile MVNO, providing some of the best cell phone coverage. Ultra Mobile offers the following plans: 

Unfortunately, Ultra Mobile does not provide much in the way of family plans. They have an offering on their site, but it comes with almost no data, making it a poor choice for many families. They operate with a similar structure as Mint Mobile, but Ultra Mobile favors single-line accounts. If you are interested in staying with them, their 12-month plans offer the best value on T-Mobile’s amazing network. 

We have mixed feelings about these long contracts. The savings are nice, but they really tie you down, and when you are trying out a carrier for the first time, you might have different wants and needs half a year later, and if your current plan doesn’t fit well anymore, you are out of luck. Even though it’s more expensive, we recommend starting with one- or three-month contracts so you can get a feel for the plan and your unique circumstances. We’re filling your toolbelt with all the information we can so you can make the best decision possible. However, there are always insights you will only gain after using the carrier for a few months. You may live/work in an unlucky place where T-Mobile’s network has a dead spot. Coverage maps give excellent general data, but you cannot gauge exactly how your data holds up until you are using it yourself. 

Ultra Mobile’s pricing is higher than that of the competition. MVNOs like Mint Mobile, Tello Mobile, and Ting offer similar data allocations at lower prices. Ultra Mobile is good, but make sure to investigate other low-data MVNOs to find the best deal for you. 

Straight Talk Cell Phone Plans

Straight Talk has four main plans for its store. All of them are viable, depending on how much data you want each month, with great savings coming from creating a multi-line account. Carriers like Tello Mobile and Visible Wireless, who don’t have any multi-line savings, are able to provide more affordable prices when compared to the maximum cost of Straight Talk’s cell phone plans, but the multi-line savings from Straight Talk is an excellent choice for if you have friends or family who are willing to open an account with you. Here are the main Straight Talk plans:  

• Bronze Unlimited — $35 per month (no multi-line savings)
• Silver Unlimited — $45/37.50/30/25
• Gold Unlimited — $55/47.50/40/35
• Platinum Unlimited — $65/57.50/50/45

The savings available from these plans make them excellent choices for multiple-line accounts. Straight Talk’s Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans all come with 60 GB of high-speed data before your plan is throttled to 2G data speeds. Outside of the data, the Gold and Platinum plans both come with hotspot data (15 and 20 GB, respectively), 100 GB cloud storage, international calling, and a Walmart+ membership!

Opening an account with Straight Talk is a great choice as long as you use less than 60 GB of high-speed data each month. For single-line users, we still recommend the Silver plan, as the Bronze plan only comes with 10 GB of high-speed data.

Straight Talk offers a simple family plan for all its customers. When you have multiple lines on an account, each line receives its lowest prices on Straight Talk’s 3-month contract plans, which are the shortest contracts they offer. 

As far as contracts go, three months is a sweet spot. We are generally opposed to change, so the first month might leave a bad taste in your mouth for no good reason. Over the course of the next few months, you’ll learn a lot about your new service and be able to make a very good decision as to whether or not Straight Talk is right for you. We hope these articles, however, give you a lot of good information because switching carriers is no fun. Picking a new carrier is a big decision! But don’t worry, we’re here to help. You can peruse our site’s content and articles to gather all the data you need about carriers in your area or visit our comparison tool to look at your area's cell phone plans. 

Make sure to cast a wide net when looking at MVNOs! There are an abundance of great options around the United States. 

Major Wireless Network vs. MVNO

Ultra Mobile and Straight Talk are both MVNOs, so they have a lower data priority than any of the major wireless networks in the United States. MVNOs are amazing, but they have a few downsides compared to the more expensive and expansive major networks. 

Impact on Data Speeds

As mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), both Ultra Mobile and Straight Talk experience data deprioritization. However, the level of impact can differ based on their parent networks and how they manage congestion. Ultra Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, while Straight Talk on Verizon’s.

Both Ultra Mobile and Straight Talk users face frequent data deprioritization in high-congestion areas. During times of network congestion, Ultra Mobile users can still experience slower speeds, particularly in heavily populated cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Miami.

Network Comparison

When comparing major wireless networks, Verizon and T-Mobile both offer extensive coverage and high-speed data services, but their performance can vary by location.

• Verizon: Known for its superior coverage in rural and suburban areas, Verizon generally provides reliable service with less data deprioritization. Verizon customers benefit from higher data priority, often enjoying either Tier 1 or Tier 2 data, which means MVNO customers, including those on Straight Talk using Verizon’s network, are deprioritized before Verizon's direct customers.
• T-Mobile: Excelling in both urban and suburban areas with its extensive 5G and LTE networks, T-Mobile offers high-speed data and reliable coverage across the country. T-Mobile has the most impressive 5G coverage out of the three major carriers at this time. Ultra Mobile users benefit from this robust network but may experience data deprioritization during peak times.

Customer Service 

Ultra Mobile Mobile's contact information is 888-777-0446, or you can access its help page here. For Straight Talk, you can contact them here: 877-430-2355 or access their help page here. 

The Verdict

These are two awesome MVNOs, but we must give Straight Talk the upper hand. Their plans are better suited for their intended audience, while Ultra Mobile’s low-data plans are beaten out cost wise by other MVNOs. Their wide variety of data allocations accommodates many different kinds of cell phone users, with a hearty maximum of 60 GB of high-speed data at their premium plan. Coupled with multi-line savings, Straight Talk is a great, well-rounded MVNO that is perfect if you have a couple of friends to make a multi-line account. 

All in all, Ultra Mobile’s cell phone plans are more expensive than the competition without any other strong selling point. They differ too much from the likes of Tello and Mint for us to recommend it, while Straight Talk, though expensive, provides a great data plan for medium-data users where they can save in relation to major wireless networks while retaining an impressive amount of monthly cell phone data. 

MVNOs offer the most benefits when you don’t need unlimited high-speed data because they offer great plans that the major networks do not match. Once you start looking at cell phone plans between $40 and $70 from an MVNO, well, it becomes very similar to what you would pay at a major wireless network, and with a major network, you receive many other benefits. 

We’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan. Being able to limit your data consumption opens up the option for far more low-data plans that are a fraction of the cost of major wireless unlimited high-speed data plans. The downside, of course, is that it is difficult to keep data consumption low. For low-data users there are many available MVNOs that offer single-line plans under $20 a month. 

Want to compare other carriers?

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

Are you still unsure which carrier to choose or which phone plan to pick? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the pros and cons of Ultra Mobile? 

Ultra Mobile offers competitive pricing, particularly for international calls and texts, making it a good option for frequent international communicators. Their flexible plans and widespread availability of SIM cards at retail locations are convenient. However, the carrier relies on T-Mobile's network, which has slow-spots around the country, so you should check local coverage maps before confirming. Data speeds may be deprioritized during peak times, affecting performance. 

What are the pros and cons of Straight Talk?

Straight Talk provides low-cost, no-contract plans with wide coverage through multiple networks. Its customer service is often criticized, and they do not offer unlimited high-speed data, so be on the lookout for data slowdowns if you go over your monthly data allocation.

Is Straight Talk being phased out?

There is no indication that Straight Talk is being phased out. It continues to offer services and remains a popular choice for budget-conscious consumers.

Since Verizon acquired TracFone, Straight Talk, which is one of TracFone's brands, has seen some changes. Straight Talk has transitioned to using Verizon only as their network, and their plans have changed from what they were before the acquisition. The integration process is ongoing, and users may experience further adjustments as the transition continues.

Whose towers does Ultra Mobile use?

Ultra Mobile uses T-Mobile's towers for their network services.

Is Ultra Mobile a good carrier?

Ultra Mobile is a good carrier for users who prioritize cost-effective international calling and texting, and for those who live in areas with strong T-Mobile coverage. Their flexible plans and availability make them convenient. However, their plans do not cater to high-data users. Whether Ultra Mobile is a good carrier depends on individual needs and local network performance

Can you Facetime on Ultra Mobile?

Yes, you can FaceTime on Ultra Mobile. Since FaceTime relies on data or Wi-Fi, it works on any carrier that provides internet access. Ultra Mobile, like many MVNOs, does not offer unlimited high-speed data, but you can use as much WiFi as you want!

Why is my data getting slowed on unlimited MVNO plans?

Data on unlimited MVNO plans often gets slowed due to network prioritization and data throttling policies once a certain usage threshold is reached. This is a common practice among MVNOs to manage network congestion and ensure fair usage among customers. Major Networks have higher-priority data, which is one of the perks of their higher-priced service.