AT&T has owned Cricket since 2014, and Cricket runs on AT&T's 5G and LTE network. Coverage is the same. The real differences are priority data on the cheaper tiers, hotspot size, international use, and the fact that Cricket's prices include taxes and fees while AT&T's are charged on top.
The short version
- Cheapest way onto AT&T's network → Cricket 12-Month Unlimited at $25/mo.
- AT&T priority data for less → Cricket Supreme at $55/mo with AutoPay, taxes included.
- Big hotspot, travel to Latin America, or a financed phone → AT&T Premium 2.0 at $90/mo.
Plans and prices, one line
| Cricket Wireless | AT&T | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Sensible 10GB $30/mo | Value 2.0 $50/mo |
| Unlimited | Select $35/mo · Smart $45/mo | Extra 2.0 $70/mo |
| Priority unlimited | Supreme $55/mo | Premium 2.0 $90/mo |
| Prepay | 12-Month Unlimited $25/mo · 3-Month $15/mo | None |
| Taxes and fees | Included | Extra |
| Credit check | No | Yes |
Cricket's Smart and Supreme prices need AutoPay; the first month is $5 more. AT&T's AutoPay discount needs a bank account, and paying by debit card costs $5 more a month.
Priority and hotspot
| Cricket Supreme | AT&T Premium 2.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $55/mo, taxes included | $90/mo plus taxes |
| Priority data | Yes, unlimited | Yes, unlimited |
| Hotspot | 50GB | 100GB |
| Video | SD on cellular | 4K on cellular |
| International | Mexico and Canada | 20 Latin American countries |
Families
Four lines of Cricket Smart Unlimited are $110 a month and four lines of Supreme are $130, both with taxes included. On AT&T, four lines cost $120 on Value 2.0, $160 on Extra 2.0 and $200 on Premium 2.0, plus taxes and fees.
Bottom line
Pick Cricket if you want AT&T coverage at a lower, tax-included price, especially Supreme if you need priority data. Pick AT&T if you want a hotspot over 50GB, 4K video, coverage across Latin America, or a phone on a 36-month installment deal.
Cricket, AT&T Prepaid and the MVNOs on AT&T towers.
Best AT&T MVNO plans →Frequently asked questions
Is Cricket the same as AT&T? +
Is Cricket cheaper than AT&T? +
Does Cricket have priority data? +
Can I keep my number switching from AT&T to Cricket? +
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Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.