What is Ting Mobile? Ting Mobile plans, prices, and more

The prepaid market has dozens of options anymore, though not all MVNO carriers are actually good deals. There are many factors to consider, including throttling, extra features, coverage maps, and pricing. In this guide, we take a closer look at one of the lesser-known carriers, Ting Mobile.

So what is Ting Mobile, and is it worth it? Let’s take a look.

What is Ting Mobile?

Ting began its life under the ownership of Tucows in 2012 but was sold to Dish Network in 2020. That makes Ting one of the few carriers owned by Dish, including Boost Mobile.

So what is Ting Mobile coverage like, and what towers does it use? Good question. Ting is a T-Mobile MNVO, which means it runs on T-Mobile’s network exclusively, though it could also use Dish’s spectrum in the future. 

Most MVNOs offer similar services to the big three carriers but with a few caveats like reduced priority during times of congestion. Some carriers employ more aggressive throttling practices than others. Ting falls somewhere in the middle. Based on my research, you’ll usually find speeds in the 10-20Mbps range outside of major periods of congestion. Even during more congested times, speeds of at least 5Mbps are typical. In comparison, we’ve seen more aggressive throttling from a few others out there, like Visible (the base plan) and Tello, which can easily fall into the 1-3Mbps range during peaks. Expect better than this with Ting, though you’ll still get better speeds from prepaid carriers like Google Fi and Visible Plus. 

There are five different  Ting Mobile plans to choose from, including two different unlimited options and a flex payment system that only charges a base fee for unlimited talk and text and then $5 per gig.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect:

• The Flex plan is best for those who mostly just use Wi-Fi. This plan works similarly to Google’s Fi Wireless Flex plan but is actually a bit cheaper. You pay just $10 monthly for unlimited talk and text, then $5 per gig used.  This plan is best if you plan to do all your data-intensive tasks like downloads and streaming from a Wi-Fi connection.
• The 5GB plan is good for those who don’t use tons of mobile data. For $25 a month, you get 5GB of data and the same unlimited talk and text as the Flex plan. If you consistently use less than 5GB of data but more than 2GB, this plan is better for you than the Flex plan.
• The 12GB plan will set you back $35 a month. This plan works the same as the 5GB offering; you just get more data. One thing to note is that you can only use 8GB of hotspot data.
• The Unlimited Plans probably aren’t worth it. There are two Unlimited plans, one with a cap at 22GB of data and another with 35GB. At $45 and $55, respectively, there are cheaper unlimited plans with similar deprioritization and more data. In other words, there are better unlimited plans, so it’s hard for us to recommend either of them to most users.

Prepaid carriers often have less impressive phone options than Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile do, though a few options like Google Fi offer just as much variety. Ting falls somewhere in the middle.

There aren’t a lot of Ting Mobile phones for sale by the carrier, but there are at least a few flagships in the form of the Galaxy S23 and S22 family. The rest of the selection is mostly mid-range and budget devices. Apple fans will have just one choice: the iPhone SE. Can’t afford to pay for your phone upfront? Ting also offers monthly payment plans through Affirm, though you must pass a credit check.

You can check out the current list of Ting phones via their website. If you wish Ting had a bigger variety of phones, the good news is any unlocked phone that works with T-Mobile will also work with Ting. Check out our guide to the best phones and the best cheap phones for even more options.

Ting Mobile has quite a few competitors, and you can learn more about some of the best options in our prepaid phone plan guide. That said, let’s take a quick TL;DR look at three of our favorite recommendations:

• Visible: Visible utilizes Verizon’s network and gives you unlimited data for just $25 a month, the same price as Ting charges for 5GB. That said, Visible is known for its spotty data connections for its base plan. Still, you get unlimited data at speeds of around 3-12Mbps on average and unlimited hotspot access at speeds of 5Mbps. Want better prioritization, faster speeds, and extra perks? Visible Plus offers all that for just $45 a month.
• Google Fi Wireless: There’s a lot to like about the T-Mobiled based Fi network. Though its Flex plan costs double at $20 a month and $10 per gig, you also get unlimited data at this same rate, better prioritization, and a few other premium perks. There are also great unlimited plans that start at $50 per month and drop as low as $20 per line for a family of six. Like to travel? Fi is the best prepaid carrier for this, and honestly, even one-ups the three big main carriers here too.
• Mint Mobile: The Ryan Reynolds-owned carrier runs on T-Mooile’s network and offers aggressive pricing, especially on its unlimited plans. The only catch is that the best deals on Mint require you to pay for a full year’s service simultaneously. You can get 12 months of service for $360 (paid at once), or what works out to the equivalent of $30 a month. There are also plans for those who prefer limited data that offer equally competitive pricing. 

Overall, Ting has some decent options, but there’s also a lot of competition out there that offers the same or more for an even better value. For unlimited plans, we’d absolutely pick Google Fi over Ting or perhaps Visible if you don’t mind relying on Verizon’s network. For limited plans, the Flex plan is probably the most unique and a great deal for those with very limited internet usage. However, if you need more data than 2GB, you will likely find cheaper limited data plans from Mint Mobile and a few other cheap prepaid carriers like US Mobile.