Straight Talk vs. Cricket Wireless – Which is the more economical mobile carrier?

Are you looking to get an affordable line to use for calls, SMS and data and are wondering where to look? Straight Talk and Cricket Wireless are pretty affordable, but which one is better?

For a long time, the four main mobile carriers – AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon – were the go-to choices in case you needed to get a phone line to use on a regular basis. The truth is that they are deemed more expensive than others, and it is largely because they offer better internet speeds and have their own network towers. Straight Talk and Cricket Wireless are ideally budget mobile carriers, but they come with different features.

When to use Straight Talk

Seeing as Straight Talk only comes with plans that are ideal for individuals only, it is bets suited for people who are looking to buy just one line and reduce their expenses as far as calls, SMS and data go. It comes with decent data plans, making it ideal for people who like to stream content, but who are keen o spending only little money.

When to use Cricket Wireless

This mobile carrier is best suited for families that need more than one line on a budget. It comes with a good deal of discounts, allowing for multiple users for a significantly reduced price. In addition, it comes with multiple individual plans that see to it that you can access data, call and SMS plans that are pretty cheap.

Straight Talk vs. Cricket Wireless Features Comparison

Straight Talk vs. Cricket Wireless -What criteria did we use to evaluate them?

To determine which mobile carrier is the better one of the two, we looked into the number of plans they offer, and the amount of money spent on subscriptions for every month. We also sought to find out the one that offered the best plans for family settings, and which one has the best internet speeds.

Straight Talk vs. Cricket Wireless – A Detailed Review

Straight Talk Wireless Review

As one of the most commonly used mobile carriers in the country, Straight Talk manages to provides its users with some of the best and most comprehensive plans to use on a regular basis.  It is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) meaning that it des not come with its own network towers and has to depend on larger carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon for network coverage.

One of the main features on this mobile carrier is that it is incredibly cheap, especially when compared to larger mobile carriers. When it comes to data plans, Straight Talk only comes with individual plans and does not have any for family or for multiple lines. For individual use, this mobile carrier comes with three main plans, and each one comes with a unique combination of call, SMS and data as indicated below.

When it comes to mobile hotspot, you will realize that it is not available with the exception of the largest plan which comes with 100 GB data. However, if you are using a line supported by AT&T, you will not gain access to the same. In addition, users experience data speed capping which causes internet speeds to drop from 4G to 2G when the provided data limit is exceeded.

  Pros

• Comes with multiple individual plans
• It is pretty affordable
• Comes with excellent coverage

Cons

• No family plans
• Limited hotspot support

Cricket Wireless Review

This mobile carrier has long been known to be an incredibly affordable source of calls, SMS and data bundles, and it was the fifth largest budget mobile carrier around at some point. One of the features that stands out about it is that it comes with a large list of plans from which to choose, allowing people to choose that which works best for them.

Just like Straight Talk, it comes as an MVNO that depends on larger mobile carriers for coverage. Cricket Wireless was bought out by AT&T in 2013 and has been using their mobile towers since. This is largely why it has managed to remain pretty affordable over time.

One of the reasons it is a preferred network is that it comes with both individual and family plans, allowing you good variety from which to choose. They are distributed as such;

Cricket Wireless Individual Plans

Cricket Wireless Family Plans

This is a clear indication the Cricket Wireless has some of the most elaborate plans that make sure that everyone in the family gets what they need.

Pros

• It is pretty affordable
• Comes with many plans
• Ideal for families and individuals as well

Cons

• Mobile hotspot is limited to one Plan

Straight Talk vs. Cricket Wireless – How do they compare?

Number of Available Plans

Straight Talk is an incredibly reliable budget mobile carrier, but it only comes with 3 individual plans for its users. Cricket Mobile, on the other hand, is also pretty reliable and cheap, and it comes with 8 plans to choose from, both for family and individual use.

Cricket Wireless makes a better mobile carrier than Straight Talk because it comes with both individual and family plans. 

Data Prices

With Straight Talk, you get 3 GB data for $30 and a maximum of 100 GB for $100, and with Cricket Wireless, the lowest plan comes with 2 GB data for $30 and unlimited data for $60 per month.

Cricket Wireless comes with more data at significantly lower prices, making it better than Straight Talk.

Mobile Hotspot

In case you are looking for a mobile carrier that provides mobile hotspot, you might want to check with Cricket Wireless. It comes with 15 GB mobile hotspot on the Cricket More plan. Straight Talk, however, does not come with the same.

Cricket Wireless comes with mobile hotspot on one plan, making it better than Straight Talk.

Conclusion

After making a detailed comparison, it is quite clear that Cricket Wireless makes a more accommodative mobile carrier since it comes with more plans and is much cheaper, making it ideal for most people. These features make it better than Straight Talk.

FAQs

1. Does Cricket TV come with speed capping?

Yes, when the provided limit is exceeded, you will experience speed capping.

2. Can I access multi-month plans with Straight Talk?

Yes, you can.