Google Fi vs Verizon: Plans Compared

Verizon Wireless is one of the biggest carriers in the country, with national 4G LTE and 5G networks that stretch from coast to coast. Google Fi is a much smaller prepaid provider (or MVNO) that rents space on T-Mobile’s network.

If you’re deciding between Google Fi and Verizon, this guide walks you through what each carrier’s plans offer. Read on for the comparison.

Google Fi vs Verizon: Similarities

• Both offer multiple unlimited plans.
• Both Verizon and Google Fi have plans that include international travel perks.
• Both sell a range of mid-range and flagship smartphones, from Samsung devices to Apple iPhones to Google Pixel phones.
• Both Verizon and Google Fi let you add multiple lines of service (also known as family plans), which lowers the cost per line.
• Neither includes taxes and fees in its advertised prices.

Google Fi vs Verizon: Differences

• Verizon’s plans are postpaid, while Google Fi’s are prepaid and paid for in advance.
• Verizon includes dedicated hotspot data with Simplicity, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate. On Google Fi’s unlimited plans, hotspot data comes out of your monthly high-speed data allowance.
• Verizon operates its own nationwide wireless network, while Google Fi runs mainly on T-Mobile’s network.
• Verizon’s plans generally cost more than Google Fi’s, though Simplicity is a lower-cost way in than Verizon’s traditional unlimited plans.

Google Fi vs Verizon: Unlimited Plans

Verizon now offers four main postpaid unlimited plans: Simplicity, Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate. Simplicity is the carrier’s new build-your-own plan. It starts at $30/month for one line with Auto Pay and a switcher discount, and includes unlimited premium data, 10GB of hotspot data, and the option to add services as you need them. Unlimited Welcome is Verizon’s basic traditional unlimited plan. Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Ultimate add progressively bigger hotspot allowances and more premium features.

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Google Fi offers three unlimited plans: the $35/month Unlimited Essentials, the $50/month Unlimited Standard, and the $65/month Unlimited Premium.

Unlimited Premium is the way to go if you want lots of high-speed data (100GB) and international perks, including data in 200+ destinations. It also includes a 50GB mobile hotspot allowance, plus 100GB of Google One storage and six months of YouTube Premium.

Unlimited Standard is the middle option, with 50GB of high-speed data, 25GB of hotspot data, and international data in Canada and Mexico.

Unlimited Essentials is Google Fi’s most affordable unlimited plan, with 30GB of high-speed data and no hotspot or international extras.

On all three plans, data slows to 256 kbps after you hit your high-speed limit. Bring a Pixel phone and you can get 50% off for 12 months.

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What Is an Unlimited Plan? An unlimited data plan is a phone plan that includes unlimited data, but not all of that data is necessarily high-speed. Lower-priced unlimited plans tend to include unlimited deprioritized data, which slows down when networks are busy. Some entry-level plans include a small amount of high-speed data as well, while others don’t. Mid-level unlimited plans usually combine a capped amount of high-speed data with unlimited deprioritized data. The priciest unlimited plans are where you’ll find truly unlimited premium data.

Google Fi vs Verizon: Capped Plans

Verizon used to offer capped, or limited-data, postpaid plans, but it has dropped them in favor of unlimited. Google Fi sells one capped plan: Flexible.

The Flexible plan costs $20/month for unlimited talk and text, plus $10 for each GB of data you use. That makes it a good option if you’re on Wi-Fi most of the time. The plan also includes hotspot tethering and international data in 200+ destinations, though any data you use counts toward your monthly bill.

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What Is a Capped Plan? Capped plans, sometimes called “By the Gig” plans, give you a set amount of data each month instead of unlimited data. Capped plans can cost less than unlimited plans if you know roughly how much data you use in a typical month. The key is staying under your cap, because going over can get expensive.

Google Fi vs Verizon: Coverage

Verizon’s 4G LTE network has long been regarded as one of the best in America, and its 5G network keeps expanding as the company adds more towers. Together, those networks give Verizon some of the best coverage in the country.

Google Fi uses T-Mobile’s national 4G and 5G networks, giving its customers generally reliable coverage. Because Google Fi relies on T-Mobile’s network, though, its service can be a bit slower in some cases. Major carriers tend to put their own customers first when the network is congested, ahead of customers on smaller carriers like Google Fi, Mint Mobile, and Visible.

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