Here are the best mobile hotspot plans right now - Android

Mobile hotspots, either in standalone devices or included as a feature inside smartphones, let people share their connection to a carrier’s cellular network with others via Wi-Fi. It’s pretty handy if you are on the road where Wi-Fi internet access might not be available. It’s also important to find the best mobile hotspot plans for those devices as well.

Also read: How to setup a mobile hotspot on Android

The nation’s biggest wireless carriers all sell standalone mobile hotspots, at least to some degree. If you buy one from them, you can go and sign up for a mobile hotspot plan. If you own a smartphone, carriers also offer a way to turn your phone into a mobile hotspot in their regular data plans. Here’s a look at the best mobile hotspot plans that are currently available.

The best mobile hotspot plans

Editor’s note: We will update this post when changes are made to these mobile hotspot plans.

Mobile hotspot plans from the big five carriers

1. Verizon Wireless

The nation’s largest carrier actually sells three standalone mobile hotspot devices. If you just have that postpaid mobile hotspot on your Verizon account, with no other devices, you can get service starting as low as 1GB a month for $15, with a way to add more data if needed. For example, you can get 10GB of data for your standalone mobile hotspot for $60 a month, all the way up to 100GB of data for $710 a month. If you already have a Verizon smartphone, you can add a standalone mobile hotspot to your plan for $20 a month. 

If you’ll only use a hotspot every now and then, such as if you are on a business or family trip, Verizon has some prepaid plans as well. Verizon’s prices start at $35 a month for 3GB. You can also get 15GB of data for $45 a month. The other prepaid mobile hotspot plan offers unlimited data for $65 a month.

Verizon recently launched its first 5G mobile hotspot, the Verizon Inseego 5G MiFi M1000.  Verizon customers who already own a smartphone with an unlimited smartphone plan can add a 5G MiFi M1000 to their account and get 50GB of 5G data per month, along with 15GB of 4G LTE data for $30 a month. If they just want the 5G hotspot, 5G data plans start at $85 a month. Business customers can get the hotspot, with a $45 per month unlimited plan, for an additional $15 per month with 35GB of combined 4G/5G data.

2. AT&T

The second biggest carrier in the U.S. also sells three mobile hotspots. If you buy one. you can sign up for the carriers DataConnect mobile hotspot plans, which offer 10GB of data for $50 a month. If you own an AT&T phone, you can add a hotspot to your account for $20 a month, and with two plan options. One offers 3GB of data for $50 a month, and the other offers 9GB of data for $60 a month. You can get a $10 discount for either of those plans if you use AutoPay and paperless billing.

You can also sign up for prepaid mobile hotspot plans, starting at $25 a month for 3GB of data. There’s also a $50 monthly plan with 10GB of data and $75 a month with 18GB of data.

AT&T has also launched its Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot, which is the first hardware device that supports AT&T’s mobile 5G networks that are currently available in parts of many U.S. cities. It allows smartphones and other Wi-Fi devices to access 5G cellular speeds through the mobile hotspot. At the moment, AT&T is not selling this mobile hotspot to the general public, but when it does, the price will be $499. The AT&T mobile hotspot plans for its 5G network will be priced at 15GB of 5G data for $70 per month, when the carrier starts selling it to the general public.

3. T-Mobile

The nation’s third-biggest carrier currently does not sell a stand-alone hotspot. However, it does sell a pre-paid mobile hotspot plan if you already one one. The cheapest plan is $10 a month for 2GB of data, and it goes up to 6GB if you pay $25 a month. $40 a month gets you 10GB, $55 a month offers 14GB and $70 a month will give your hotspot access to 18GB. Finally, the most expensive plan gives you 22GB of data for $85 a month.

4. Sprint

Sprint sells three mobile hotspots, including the HTC 5G Hub. That’s for people who have a lot of money and can access 5G speeds on Sprint’s network. If you choose to buy one of these devices and use it on Sprint’s network, you have three plans to choose from. One offers 10GB of data for $30 a month, another sells 50GB of data for just $50 a month and finally, you can get one with 100GB of data for a mere $60 a month.

5. US Cellular

The nation’s fifth-largest cellular wireless carrier offers just one mobile hotspot for sale. If you purchase it, you can choose from several mobile plans. They begin at $10 a month with 1GB of data, all the way to $40 a month with 10GB of data. There’s also an unlimited data plan for $90 a month.

Mobile hotspot plans from no-contract and other carriers

6. Boost Mobile

This prepaid subsidiary of Sprint sells a standalone mobile hotspot. If you purchase it, you can get a mobile hotspot plan that offers 50GB of data for just $50 a month. There’s also a mobile hotspot plan for $25 a month, but only offers 1.5GB of data.

7. Metro by T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s recently renamed no-contract subsidiary carrier offers a mobile hotspot. If you buy it, you can get a mobile hotspot plan with 10GB of data for $35 a month. You can go up to 15GB of data for $45 a month, 20GB of data for $55 a month, and 30GB of data for $75 a month.

8. Cricket Wireless

Cricket Wireless recently launched its own Wi-Fi hotspot device. It also launched new Cricket Wireless mobile hotspot plans just for data. Paying $25 a month gives you 3GB of data, while $35 a month boosts that cap to 10GB of data. If you pay $70 a month, or $65 with Auto-Pay, you can get 30GB of data. Keep in mind that Cricket limits download speeds to 8Mbps.

9. NetZero

This prepaid carrier currently sells one mobile hotspot. You automatically get 200MB of free high-speed data every month when you buy it. Paying $17.95 a month gives you 1GB of data, and $27.45 a month increases that cap to 2GB. $45.95 a month gets you 4GB of data for NetZero’s mobile hotspots, while $63.95 a month increases it to 6GB, and $89.95 a month sees it going up to 8GB. If you want to get a mobile hotspot with a certain amount of free data every month, this might be for you, but its paid plans are not nearly as competitive as other carriers.

10. Net10 Wireless