AT&T, on the other hand, offers super-fast data speeds, high data caps, a bunch of perks, and relatively consistent prices. However, the starting price is higher than Reach. We’ll go over everything you need to know about both carriers in this Reach vs. AT&T review. But if you’ve already heard everything you need to know, you can easily sign up for Reach or AT&T online.
Data: Know how much data you need. Not everyone needs an unlimited plan. And be sure you’re getting the data speeds you need for work, games, and streaming. Price: Use comparison tools, like the WhistleOut charts in this article, to make sure you’re getting the best price on the market. Coverage: There are really only three options for coverage: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Even smaller companies use these networks, so figure out which one has the best coverage in your area. Features: There are plenty of great perks—like hotspot data, international benefits, and HD video streaming—that don’t come standard. Get a plan that has all the features you need.
For one, Reach’s prices go up after three months. And AT&T’s data speeds are much faster. We’ll dive into the details of all these plans right now, beginning with Reach. But $70 a month doesn’t sound so bad when you realize that Reach is giving away some of that money to amazing charities. Reach will give a chunk of its profits to help women all over the globe get cell phones and get connected to a cellular network. “Get a plan, give a plan,” is one of the company’s mottoes. You can even use the Reach Mobile app to see just how much you’ve contributed to charity through your subscription! But with Reach Mobile, it’s a lowly 20 GB! After reaching the cap, your speeds can be reduced, making it hard to stream your favorite jams or play a match of Fortnite. And that’s not the only problem with Reach’s data. The company is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which means that it doesn’t own its own cellular towers. Instead, it uses T-Mobile’s network. When that network gets busy, T-Mobile can (and will) slow down data speeds for Reach customers. It’s called data deprioritization.
Unlimited Starter: This is AT&T’s lowest-tier unlimited plan. Your video streams will be throttled at 1.5 Mbps (no HD), you won’t get any hotspot data, and you can have your data deprioritized (slowed down) at any time. Unlimited Extra: With this plan you’ll no longer have to worry about data deprioritization, but your video streams will still be throttled. You’ll get 15 GB of hotspot data and a generous 50 GB data cap. Unlimited Elite: This is the top-shelf plan from AT&T and it gives you everything you could want, from HD quality streaming to 30 GB of hotspot data. The data cap is a ludicrous 100 GB, plus AT&T will hook you up with a free HBO MAX subscription!
When it comes to performance, all three of these unlimited data plans are more powerful than Reach’s unlimited data plan. AT&T has also rolled out its 5G network across the country and offers a 5G Plus option that is available in 38 cities so far. Of course, they cost more too, unless you’re a first responder. Take a look. AT&T skips the warm feelings in favor of cold, hard performance: its plans have faster data speeds, more perks, and higher data caps. But they cost more too. Take a look at these WhistleOut charts of Reach Mobile and AT&T’s 4-line family plans. If you want an unlimited data plan for your family through Reach Mobile, the pricing doesn’t change when you add additional lines. The unlimited data plan normally costs $45 a month for a single line and costs the same with four lines. For example, the Unlimited Extra plan normally costs $75 for a single line, but when you get four lines it’s just $160 meaning you save $140 a month! Wowza. You can see how each carrier’s coverage looks in your neighborhood using this interactive map. AT&T tends to focus on flagship phones, like the iPhone 13 mini and the Galaxy S22. Reach, on the other hand, likes to sell cheaper devices, like the awesome iPhone SE (2020). These WhistleOut charts will show the most popular new phone deals from both companies. We then used our own proprietary data from over 100,000 mobile customers, and online user reviews, to determine the performance of AT&T and Reach. We used our plan evaluations and performance data to make recommendations for different kinds of mobile users. When it’s all said and done we spent over 12 hours researching and writing this piece. If you want to know more about our review process you can read this article. We hope that this article has helped you find the perfect phone plan! But if you’re looking for a plan with a ton of data or high-performance then Reach isn’t the best carrier. AT&T, or another major carrier, like T-Mobile, would be better. And if you just want the cheapest plan around, Mint and Visible offer more bang for your buck.
