Best AT&T plans in 2023: Pricing, phone options, and more

AT&T remains the second-largest carrier in the United States, with around 200 million subscribers as we near the end of 2022. There’s never a wrong time to switch to Big Blue, especially with its prices and perks. In this helpful guide, you’ll find everything there is to know about AT&T plans and phones. We also take a look at the competition, including cheaper prepaid alternatives. 

The best AT&T plans at a glance

AT&T keeps things simple with three postpaid plans, all built around unlimited data. Wondering which plan is right for you? 

• Unlimited Starter is perfect for individuals or families looking for unlimited data on the cheap. Unlimited Starter is a great way to get all-you-can-eat data for a family. A single line will run $65 a month, but adding more lines brings that down to as low as $35 per line for 4. Unfortunately, you don’t get hotspot access and are always at the mercy of deprioritization during peak congestion times. This plan could also be great for those looking for a shared plan, as the rates get much better the more lines you add. 
• Unlimited Extra is best for families and individual users that demand more. Starting at $10 more per line than Starter, you get higher prioritization with 50GB of premium data. There’s also 15GB of hotspot use included. If you’re looking for better prioritization and need hotspot access, this is a great option and probably the best choice for most users. 
• Unlimited Premium is best for travelers and heavy data users. Need tons of premium data and use your hotspot a lot? This is the plan for you. Starting at $85 per line, this isn’t a cheap option but you get 100GB of premium data and 30GB of hotspot access. Carriers like T-Mobile throw in perks like free Apple TV and Netflix on their most expensive plans, but unfortunately you won’t find extras like that here. Honestly, unless you use a lot of data, we don’t recommend this plan for most users.

Of course, AT&T has more plans through its Prepaid service, including those with limited data if don’t need an unlimited option. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• AT&T Prepaid 5GB is for single users with limited data needs. For just $30, you’ll get unlimited talk and text, as well as 5GB of high-speed data (LTE and 5G). For single users or those who just need two or three lines, this can be a very affordable plan. Families will be better off going postpaid or opting for the 16GB plan.
• AT&T Prepaid 16GB is perfect for those who don’t mind paying a lot upfront for a discount.  If you can afford to prepay $300, this is the plan to get. That works out to be the equivalent of just $25 a month! You’ll get 16GB of data a month, which is more than enough for most average users, especially if you use Wi-Fi most of the time. 
• AT&T Unlimited is perfect for single users looking for unlimited data. 
• AT&T Prepaid Unlimited is great for single users looking for unlimited. At $50 a line with auto pay turned on, this unlimited plan is actually $15 cheaper than the postpaid Unlimited Starter plan. Unlike T-Mobile, AT&T prioritizes its prepaid unlimited and Starter plans the same way, so you’re essentially getting the same service minus a few extras like better customer service. For families, Starter will prove to be a cheaper option as line discounts bring things down to just $35 a line. 

AT&T Prepaid vs Postpaid: What’s the difference? 

The line between prepaid and postpaid can be pretty blurry. So what’s set AT&T prepaid and postpaid apart? To help answer that, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of prepaid service: 

Which of AT&T’s plans do we recommend?

In our quick glance, we broke down each plan to give you a better look. As for which ones I’d recommend personally? If you’re looking for the most balanced plan, we’d stick to the Unlimited Extra plan. It has 50GB premium data and 15GB hotspot use, plenty for an active family. On the other hand if you are just a single user and don’t mind some deprioritization, the Prepaid Unlimited plan will save you a lot.

Below we go into more detail about AT&T’s best plan options. 

AT&T Unlimited Starter

Like Verizon and T-Mobile, AT&T kicks off its unlimited lineup with a solid introductory plan. Unlimited Starter is a great way to dip your toe into the network with unlimited talk, text, and basic 4G LTE data starting at $65 for one line. A second line will save you $5; a third line drops the cost to $45 per month or $35 for four lines.

There’s not much else to say for Unlimited Starter — it doesn’t include a fun video streaming perk, and there’s just 3GB of hotspot per month, but it does have 5G access now. None of those things are necessary for good phone service, though, and Unlimited Starter’s best selling point is saving some money.

AT&T Unlimited Extra

If you’re looking for the best AT&T plan, Unlimited Extra is the most sensible option for many people as you get hotspot access and better prioritization with 50GB of premium data for use on LTE or 5G networks. One line of Unlimited Extra service costs $75, while a second line is $65. Lines three and four cost $50 and $40 each. 

Besides your premium data boost, each line on your Unlimited Extra plan comes with 15GB of hotspot data. You’ll only be able to stream your shows in standard definition, but the perks outweigh the plan’s extra $10 per month cost.

AT&T Unlimited Premium

The final unlimited plan — and the one with the most bells and whistles — goes by Unlimited Premium. As you might expect from such a lofty name, the plan offers unlimited premium data that AT&T won’t slow down and 50GB of mobile hotspot per line. It comes at a cost, though, as one line is $85 and two lines are $75 each. A third and fourth line will make the plan $60 per line and $50 per line.

Once again, 5G access is included as long as you have a capable device, and Signature Program members can save $10 per month on Unlimited Premium. New customers will get 50GB of hotspot data instead of the 40GB with Unlimited Elite. For those that hate restrictions on streaming, you’ll also be happy to know this plan supports up to 4K streaming. 

AT&T Prepaid Limited

Technically there are two plans with limited data, but I’m going to lump them all together here and quickly address the differences. First, we have the default 5GB plan, which will run you $30 a month, plus taxes and fees. In addition to the 5GB of data you’ll get unlimited talk, text, and mobile hotspot access. Any data you don’t use will roll over automatically to the next month. 

Now let’s talk about the 16GB plan, which is a bit different. Unlike the other plan you don’t pay monthly and instead pre-pay $300. That works out to $25 a month, making it cheaper than the 5GB option if you’re willing to pay up front. You’ll also get more than triple the data. Beyond that, the two plans are identical.

AT&T Prepaid Unlimited

Although this prepaid option comes with unlimited data, you’ll definitely experience deprioritization during congested times. Aside from unlimited talk, text, and data you’ll also get 5GB of hotspot access and full support for 5G. 

If you’re just one user this plan will cost you $15 less than the postpaid starter plan, at just $50 a month. On the flipside, families will find a postpaid option to be much cheaper, thanks to discounts for extra lines. 

AT&T vs the competition

If you’re serious about leaving your old carrier behind, it might help to make a head-to-head comparison. We’ve done our best to simplify things with a simple table that compares the best unlimited plans from the big three. All of our plans come right from our list of the best unlimited data plans in the US if you want to research further.

Verizon

If you stop at nothing less than the biggest, fastest, most powerful plan Verizon offers, you must pick the 5G Get More plan. From 720p streaming to 75GB of premium 4G data and 30GB of 4G hotspot, 5G Get More is the powerhouse of the plans.

Get More isn’t just a data beast either — it also adds Apple Music permanently to the mix along with the Disney Plus bundle. 500GB of cloud storage is back, as is the half-off tablet offer. As with all plans, you can feel free to text to more than 200 countries too.

Highlights:

• 75GB of premium 4G data and 30GB of 4G hotspot
• Apple Music and Disney Plus
• 5G access with capable devices

T-Mobile

The smallest of the Big Three, T-Mobile, is one year past its merger with Sprint. Magenta Max is the best post-paid plan you can get, with unlimited talk, text, and data for your money. Plans are all about perks, though, and Magenta Max offers unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi and texting. You’ll be able to access both the 4G LTE and 5G networks without fear of being throttled.

As far as streaming options go, Magenta Max comes with HD options and Netflix Standard. Each line has up to 20GB of 4G LTE hotspot access, although it’ll drop to 3G speeds afterward.

Highlights:

• Netflix Standard included
• Unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi
• 5G access and HD streaming

Best AT&T phones

AT&T has quite a few phones, but to make things easier, I’ve recommended three: a flagship and two mid-rangers. Keep in mind these aren’t necessarily the best phones available in each class (as that’s pretty subjective). Instead, we made our selections based on pricing and promotions. These are the phones we feel are the best deals currently on AT&T.

Don’t like our picks? Check out AT&T’s phone section directly. You can also use an unlocked phone with AT&T. For more unlocked options, check our best Android phones and best cheap phones guide.

Samsung Galaxy S23 series

Samsung is back to start 2023 in a big way, launching its Galaxy S23 series at the February edition of Galaxy Unpacked. It again includes three models — the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Note-inspired Galaxy S23 Ultra. The sizes and prices haven’t really changed, but there are a few upgrades worth digging into.

There are some standard features these AT&T phones share as well. All three rely on the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, run on Android 13 with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 skin, and feature dust and water resistance. Their dynamic 2x AMOLED screens are among the best in the industry, and the camera arrays are tough to top.

The few differences are in the battery, cameras, and size. Samsung kept the upgrades on its smaller Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus the same as last year but brought the massive 200MP Isocell HP2 to its Galaxy S23 Ultra. All three also offer 12MP selfie cameras — an upgrade for the S23 and S23 Plus and more of a sidestep for the top-of-the-line Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

Budget premium phones were all the hype in 2020, and now Apple is hoping that lightning can strike twice. It’s back with an updated iPhone SE and is easily one of the best AT&T phones to get on a budget.

 It includes the familiar glass and metal design we saw on the iPhone 8 and has a solid single-lens camera. Users will also love that Apple didn’t skimp out on the processor, as the iPhone SE uses the same Apple A15 Bionic processor we see in iPhone 13 handsets. Other benefits include wireless charging and an IP67 rating, two features that have become standards on midrange devices.

Google Pixel 6a

Want AT&T’s service on a budget?

AT&T plans aren’t as expensive as Verizon’s options, but there are certainly cheaper ways to take advantage of its network. An MVNO is a great way to start, and luckily there are plenty of choices when it comes to Big Blue. There’s the wholly-owned Cricket Wireless, or you can go truly independent with options like Straight Talk and Consumer Cellular. Check out the table for our top picks:

Cricket Wireless

Unlike the other MVNOs on this list, Cricket is wholly owned and operated by AT&T. The top-end plan, Cricket More, offers unlimited everything and a 15GB hotspot included. You can even take your phone abroad in North America for free if it’s less than 50% of your service.

Consumer Cellular

Consumer Cellular is a network designed for users over 55. You can have up to three lines on an account, and an AARP membership can help you nab a discount. Plans offer unlimited talk and text, though it’s up to you to decide on data. There’s no international access or roaming, though, to help protect against extra fees.

Straight Talk

Straight Talk is a popular MVNO, and signing up is as easy as going to Walmart. You can also sign up online and choose from various plans with limited and unlimited data. Like many MVNOs, you can pay monthly and reload your account as you need more data. Best of all, basic plans start at just $30 per month.

Red Pocket

Red Pocket is unique among MVNOs in that it works on all of the major carriers. However, you’ll choose your carrier at signup, and then you’re locked in for the duration of your service. Once again, there are limited and unlimited options, and it’s easy to bring a phone along, thanks to the network choices.

Tracfone

Tracfone is one of the oldest and best-known MVNOs on the market, and its staying power speaks volumes. You can choose from several plans with limited or unlimited talk, text, and data. Add-ons are another great way to flesh out your service for an added cost.