Cox Mobile vs T-Mobile: Plans Compared

T-Mobile is a major carrier that offers a wide selection of plans aboard the company’s own national 4G and 5G networks. Cox Mobile is a small niche carrier that offers a limited number of plans to its Cox Internet customers, operating on Verizon’s network. In this article, we’ll compare the two providers to help you decide which makes the most sense to go with for your next cell phone plan. 

Cox Mobile vs T-Mobile: Similarities

• Both offer unlimited plans. 
• Both offer multi-line discounts, bringing the monthly per-line cost down for additional lines.
• Both offer trade-in deals for current flagship phones, from Samsung devices to Apple iPhones.

Cox Mobile vs T-Mobile: Differences

• Cox Mobile plans are limited to current Cox home internet subscribers, whereas T-Mobile is open to anyone.
• T-Mobile offers a selection of unlimited data plans, while Cox Mobile only has one.
• T-Mobile’s unlimited plans come bundled with perks like free Netflix, whereas Cox doesn’t offer any equivalent add-ons. 
• T-Mobile’s unlimited plans include travel perks like free in-flight WiFi, whereas Cox Mobile doesn’t include any. 
• T-Mobile’s unlimited plans come with mobile hotspot data allotments; Cox Mobile’s single unlimited offering doesn’t feature this. 
• T-Mobile’s plans tend to be fairly steep in price, while Cox Mobile’s are very affordable. 
• T-Mobile includes taxes and fees in its advertised prices, while Cox Mobile does not. 

Cox Mobile vs T-Mobile: Coverage

T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G LTE and 5G networks blanket the country, allowing customers to take advantage of the carrier’s fast and reliable cellular service. Cox Mobile, meanwhile, subleases network space from Verizon, providing its customers with similarly solid coverage. 

It’s important to note that while T-Mobile’s customers are able to enjoy fast coverage straight from the source, Cox Mobile’s reliance on subleased network space from Verizon can in some instances result in slightly inferior service. Major carriers tend to prioritize their customers ahead of those who use their networks via smaller carriers like Cox Mobile, at least in times of network congestion. 

These differences tend to be relatively minor, however. In all likelihood, you’ll be able to enjoy good coverage regardless of whether you’re with T-Mobile or Cox Mobile. 

What Is an Unlimited Plan?

Let’s quickly define what an unlimited plan is. First, you should know that all unlimited plans include unlimited data. However, keep in mind that not all data plans necessarily offer high-speed data. 

Lower-priced unlimited plans tend to include unlimited deprioritized data (or data that slows down when networks are busy). Some plans include a small amount of high-speed data, while others don’t. Mid-level unlimited plans typically include a mix of high-speed data, capped to a certain amount, and unlimited deprioritized data. 

Premium unlimited plans tend to offer premium, high-speed data all the time, with no limit.

What Is a Capped Plan?

Capped plans—also sometimes called “By the Gig” plans—offer customers a set amount of data to use per month, instead of unlimited data. All the data on capped plans is deprioritized, which means you may experience data slowdowns when the network is congested.

Capped data plans are sometimes a more cost-effective alternative to unlimited plans. If you don’t mind deprioritized data and you know how much data you use in a typical month, it makes sense to only pay for the data you’re going to use.

Cox Mobile vs T-Mobile: Unlimited Plans

T-Mobile has done away with its capped plan offerings, opting to go all-in on unlimited. As a result, the carrier now sells five different unlimited data plans: Essentials Saver, Essentials, Go5G, Go5G Plus, and Go5G Next. 

Essentials and Essentials Saver both include unlimited 3G mobile hotspot data allowances, while Go5G, Go5G Plus, and Go5G Next feature varying amounts of decidedly faster 5G hotspot data. Additionally, the latter three of these unlimited plans come bundled with streaming perks like free Netflix and AppleTV subscriptions, and data in 210+ countries. 

Cox Mobile, by contrast, only sells one unlimited plan, the $45/month Gig Unlimited. Gig Unlimited, while cheap, is a more stripped-back offering, since it doesn’t include bundled hotspot data or additional perks. However, it does guarantee you 20GB of non-deprioritized data to use each month, allowing you to get the best out of Verizon’s powerful coverage speeds. 

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Cox Mobile vs T-Mobile: Capped Plans

As mentioned, T-Mobile has axed its capped plan offerings in favor of unlimited data plans. Cox Mobile, on the other hand, offers capped data by way of its Pay As You Gig plan. 

As its name indicates, Pay As You Gig charges customers a flat rate per gig of data they plan to use each month. Each gig costs just $15/month, so it's ideal for customers who don’t consume a lot of data, primarily relying on WiFi for streaming and browsing. If that describes you, Cox Mobile’s Pay As You Gig may be exactly what you’re looking for. 

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What if I Don’t Have Cox in My Area?

As mentioned, Cox Mobile plans are limited to Cox Internet subscribers. However, Cox isn’t the only national broadband internet provider to offer mobile service. Xfinity, Spectrum, and Optimum all do a similar thing, via Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, and Optimum Mobile, respectively. All three sell high-value, low-cost unlimited talk, text, and mobile data plans that you can bundle with your internet service. 

The Bottom Line

Comparing T-Mobile and Cox Mobile to each other is a bit of an apples-and-oranges situation, since the former is a major carrier that operates its own national network, while the latter is a smaller provider that subleases space from a bigger carrier (in this case, Verizon). That said, if you live in an area where both are available to you, it’s helpful to be aware of the differences. 

Put simply, T-Mobile is the way to go if you’re interested not only in reliable coverage, but add-ons like free Netflix and international usage privileges. Cox Mobile, on the other hand, is a good option if you’re already a Cox Internet customer and are willing to sacrifice some extras in favor of saving some money on your cell phone plan. 

Ready to check out the best cell phone plan deals on the market? Check out Navi’s industry-leading free and unbiased Plan Finder tool.