Phone Plan Providers That Offer the Best Coverage

It doesn’t matter how fancy your phone is – if you can’t find a signal, it won’t work. And as evidenced by numerous horror movies, there are plenty of places where you don’t want to be left without a signal!

To avoid such scenarios, we recommend signing up for plans offered by one of these three providers:

Verizon

Verizon offers the most reliable nationwide coverage.

What we like:

Verizon covers 70% of the 4G service across the country and users report getting 4G coverage about 95.9% of the time. Expect super reliable coverage near big cities. 

Clocking in around 25.3 Mbps, the network also boasts some of the best data speeds in the country. You can stream Netflix, watch YouTube, and play games effortlessly almost anywhere.

What we don’t like:

Access to the most reliable coverage in the country does not come cheap – Verizon plans are quite pricey.

AT&T

AT&T gives you second-best coverage and speedy downloads.

What we like:

AT&T is catching up to Verizon when it comes to coverage. The network currently covers 68% of the country. Users report access to reliable coverage 92.9% of the time.

The difference between the two providers really comes down to rural coverage – Verizon covers just a few more remote areas than AT&T. If you’re a city slicker, however, the coverage will generally feel the same across the country.

Aside from decent coverage, AT&T offers an average download speed of 28.9 Mbps. Users should have no problem downloading or streaming.

What we don’t like:

There are some spots in the country where the network isn’t as reliable (read: Nebraska).

Before you sign up, we recommend taking a look at AT&T’s coverage map.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile has the third-best coverage, but the fastest upload speeds.

What we like:

What T-Mobile lacks in coverage, it makes up for in other areas, like super-fast data speeds.

Its 62% coverage is significantly lower than Verizon’s 70% 4G coverage, but current users aren’t complaining. 

With a 12.9 Mbps upload speed and 32.7 Mbps download speed, it is the fastest wireless option out there.

What we don’t like:

Folks who spend a lot of time out in rural areas or camping in the wild might run into dead spots on T-Mobile’s network. If you live in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, or Nevada, avoid T-Mobile altogether – the spotty coverage can be quite annoying.

Conclusion: You get what you pay for – if you want access to reliable coverage (Verizon), you have to be ready to pay the higher-than-average price.