Google Fi is Google's phone service, and its primary network is T-Mobile's, with failover to partner networks where Fi supports it. In most places coverage is the same. The differences are in how you pay for data, what you get abroad, and what each carrier bundles in.
The short version
- Light data users → Google Fi Flexible at $20/mo plus $10 per GB.
- Frequent international travel on one line → Google Fi Unlimited Premium at $65/mo with 50GB of high-speed data in 200+ countries.
- Hotspot, streaming perks, or four lines → T-Mobile.
Plans and prices, one line
| Google Fi | T-Mobile | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | Flexible: $20/mo + $10/GB | None |
| Entry unlimited | Unlimited Essentials $35/mo (30GB high-speed) | Essentials Saver $50/mo (50GB premium) |
| Mid unlimited | Unlimited Standard $50/mo (50GB) | Experience More $85/mo |
| Top unlimited | Unlimited Premium $65/mo (100GB) | Experience Beyond $100/mo |
| Credit check | No | Yes |
| Taxes and fees | Extra | Extra, plus $5.49/line regulatory fee from Oct 12, 2026 |
Fi Flexible costs $30 at 1GB, $40 at 2GB and $50 at 3GB. Past about 1.5GB a month, Unlimited Essentials at $35 is cheaper.
Top tiers compared
| Fi Unlimited Premium | T-Mobile Experience More | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $65/mo | $85/mo |
| High-speed data | 100GB, then 256 kbps | Unlimited premium data |
| Hotspot | 50GB, from the 100GB | 60GB |
| Abroad | 50GB high-speed in 200+ countries | High-speed data in 215+ countries |
| Perks | 100GB Google One, 6 months YouTube Premium | Netflix Standard with ads |
| Price guarantee | None | 5 years |
Families
Fi Unlimited Premium drops to about $50 a line at four lines. T-Mobile Essentials is $25 a line at four ($100 total), and Experience More also gets cheaper per line on multi-line accounts. For a family of four that doesn't travel much, T-Mobile is usually cheaper.
Bottom line
Pick Google Fi if you use little data, travel abroad often on one or two lines, or want no credit check. Pick T-Mobile if you tether a lot, want Netflix included or a five-year price lock, or are paying for four or more lines.
Fi and T-Mobile mostly share the same map. How to read it.
T-Mobile coverage map →Frequently asked questions
Does Google Fi use T-Mobile's network? +
Is Google Fi cheaper than T-Mobile? +
Which is better for international travel? +
Does Google Fi require a credit check? +
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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.