With nearly 140 MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) in the USA alone and some 1,300 worldwide, there are a lot of competitors out there hoping to be your (lower-cost) cell phone provider.
We've detailed some of the intriguing things about MVNOs and their popularity – especially among the thrifty crowds.
We love them. Aaron is on Tello, Charlie is with Republic Wireless and Matthew, uses Ting. We've all been with these providers for over two years time now and saved hundreds.
I thought we would have a closer look at some of these providers and start comparing them one-to-another. Almost like a face-off.
Today, we look at Twigby and Ting.
| MVNO | Line Fees | Texts Free (Unlimited) | Back-up Network | Data Caps | Overage Protection | Shared Plans |
| Ting | $6 | $5+ | Yes (Verizon) | No | Users can set limits on lines via alerts | Yes |
| Twigby | No | Yes | Yes (Verizon) | Yes | Free overage protection | No, each user has an individual plan |
Plan rates
Twigby
- Unlimited Global texting = free
- Minutes
- 300 = $6.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $9 (after 6 months)
- 500 = $8.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $11 (after 6 months)
- Unlimited = $9.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $13 (after 6 months)
- Data
- 200MB = $2.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $3 (after 6 months)
- 1GB = $4.50 (with 25% off 6 months), $6 (after 6 months)
- 2GB = $7.50 (with 25% off 6 months), $10 (after 6 months)
- 3GB = $11.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $15 (after 6 months)
- 5GB = $15 (with 25% off 6 months), $20 (after 6 months)
- 10GB = $22.50 (with 25% off 6 months), $30 (after 6 months)
Ting
- Line fee = $6 per line
- Texting
- 1-100 = $3
- 101-1000 = $5
- 1001-2000 = $8
- 2001-4800 = $11
- 4800+ = when you send or receive above 4800 texts you pay $11 plus 25cents for each additional text
- Minutes
- 1-100 = $3
- 101-500 = $9
- 501-1000 = $18
- 1001-2100 = $35
- 2100+ = when you use above 2100 minutes you pay $35 plus 1.9cents for each additional minute
- Data
- 1MB-100MB = $3
- 101MB-500MB = $10
- 501MB-1GB = $16
- 1GB-2GB = $20
- 2GB+ = when you use above 2GB of data you pay $20 plus $10 for each additional gigabyte
Specific Twigby plans compared to the closest Ting plans
Unlimited text, 300 minutes, 200MB
- Twigby = $9 (with 25% off for 6 months), $12 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 100MB, $6 line fee = $29
Unlimited text, 300 minutes, 1GB
- Twigby = $11.25 (with 25% off for 6 months), $15 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 1GB, $6 line fee = $42
Unlimited text, 300 minutes, 2GB
- Twigby = $14.25 (with 25% off for 6 months), $19 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 2GB, $6 line fee = $46
Unlimited text, 300 minutes, 3GB
- Twigby = $18 (with 25% off 6 months), $24 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 3GB, $6 line fee = $56
Unlimited text, 300 minutes, 5GB
- Twigby = $21.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $29 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 5GB, $6 line fee = $76
Unlimited text, 300 minutes, 10GB
- Twigby = $29.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $39 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 10GB, $6 line fee = $126
Unlimited text, 500 minutes, 200MB
- Twigby = $10.50 (with 25% off 6 months), $14 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 100MB, $6 line fee = $29
Unlimited text, 500 minutes, 1GB
- Twigby = $12.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $17 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 1GB, $6 line fee = $42
Unlimited text, 500 minutes, 2GB
- Twigby = $15.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $21 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 2GB, $6 line fee = $46
Unlimited text, 500 minutes, 3GB
- Twigby = $19.50 (with 25% off 6 months), $26 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 3GB, $6 line fee = $56
Unlimited text, 500 minutes, 5GB
- Twigby = $23.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $31 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 5GB, $6 line fee = $76
Unlimited text, 500 minutes, 10GB
- Twigby = $30.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $41 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 500 minutes, 10GB, $6 line fee = $126
Unlimited text, unlimited minutes, 200MB
- Twigby = $12 (with 25% off 6 months), $16 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 2100 minutes, 100MB, $6 line fee = $55
Unlimited text, unlimited minutes, 1GB
- Twigby = $14.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $19 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 2100 minutes, 1GB, $6 line fee = $68
Unlimited text, unlimited minutes, 2GB
- Twigby = $17.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $23 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 2100 minutes, 2GB, $6 line fee = $72
Unlimited text, unlimited minutes, 3GB
- Twigby = $21 (with 25% off 6 months), $28 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 2100 minutes, 3GB, $6 line fee = $82
Unlimited text, unlimited minutes, 5GB
- Twigby = $24.75 (with 25% off 6 months), $33 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 2100 minutes, 5GB, $6 line fee = $102
Unlimited text, unlimited minutes, 10GB
- Twigby = $32.25 (with 25% off 6 months), $43 (after 6 months)
- Ting = 4800 text, 2100 minutes, 10GB, $6 line fee = $152
What are your thoughts on Ting and Twigby? Have you had experience with either provider?
Thanks to Twigby for consolidating this data. All information is subject to change. Rates as of 1/28/19. TTG may earn a commission off any plans purchased via links on this page, at no cost to you. Thanks for helping to support the site.
Comparison of other MVNOs
| MVNO | Network Used | Plan Price (Min. available) | Calls to Mexico & Canada Included in Plan | Customer Service | Plan Friendliness (Ability to uprade / downgrade at will) | Free Tethering |
| Boost | Sprint | $35 (Unlimited / 3GB data) | $5 extra | Fair | 1 month notice | No |
| Consumer Cellular | AT&T, T-Mobile | $15 (250 min / no data) AARP members can get 15% discount. | International direct dial | Good | Anytime | - |
| Cricket | AT&T | $30 (Unlimited Talk / Text Plan/5GB) | Smart / Pro Plans only | Fair | 2x per billing cycle | Yes |
| Gen Mobile | Sprint | $5 (Unlimited text) | Yes (over 101 countries) | Good | Yes | Yes |
| Republic Wireless | Sprint, T-Mobile | $15 (Unlimited talk / text), + $5/GB | No | Fair (Most CS logged to community) | 2x per billing cycle | Yes |
| Straight Talk Wireless | AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon | $35 (Unlimited text/talk + 2GB) | Add-on | Good | Anytime | No |
| Tello | Sprint | $7 (100 min / Unlimited text/Unlimited data) | Yes (texts and MMS only) | Good | Anytime | Yes |
| Ting Free $50 credit through this link | Sprint, T-Mobile | $10 (Unlimited text/talk / $5/GB Data. Plans based on what you use). Free $50 credit with signup through this link | Yes | Good | Okay | Yes |
| TracFone | Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US, Sprint Corporation, and U.S. Cellular | $14.25 for auto-renew (200 min / 500 texts / 500mb) | No | Fair | Okay | No |
| Twigby | Sprint, Verizon | $5 (Unlimited Text/Talk, 1GB Data) | Yes (and China) | Good | Yes | Yes |
| UNREAL | Sprint | $15 (Unlimited text + talk + data - up to 1GB) | No | Fair | Yes | No |
| Visible | Verizon (Visible is not considered a traditional MVNO) | $40 (unlimited talk,text and data) | No | Good | Only one plan offered | Yes |
32 Comments
While I’ve been happy with Twigby initially, I have found that with every referral (they promote their referral bonus heavily) they do not fulfill their commitment and ever pay the referral bonus. They simply lie and say the person you referred did not submit your information with the order. For one of my friends I actually did the process myself, entering my account information to ensure this step happened. Same result – They still lied and said that the referral information was never included. You and the new customer never receive a confirmation email to help backup that your referral was made either, so you do not have the paper trail toreference.
Seeing the comment above I am even more concerned when the time comes to cancel my plan (it’s coming). The commenter above is right that Twigby only allows chat (no phone) and they do not really help you at all. Somehow it is the only option for customer service.
Also wanted to mention that Twigby’s network in the NE is Sprint, not Verizon.
I tried Twigby because it was one of the cheapest out there. What a mistake. 10 months later and numerous complaints to the BBB they are still charging my credit card every month. Promise to cancel and next month they charge again. Customer service is nonexistent and available by chat only. They will just cut/paste an irrelevant answer that has nothing to do with your inquiry and if you call them out on it or ask for your query to be escalated they become abusive and downright rude.
Do not even consider Twigby, you will regret it.
I am very interested in Twigby because of the cost, as I am a light data user. My only concern is that one comment was about poor call quality and coverage. Has this been a problem for others?
Twigby call quality is very poor, connections are weak with both parties having a tough time hearing each other. Also, if you travel, expect dramatic drops in service or just plain no service, especially in the western US. Finally, with major players coming in with $40/50 unlimited plans these days, how is twigby, ting and the rest of these services even a viable option especially with their less than crystal service? Reading the comments you can see even money savers regularly pay more than $40/50 a month using twigby and ting.
The low-cost providers aren’t for everyone – esp if you travel a lot, and rely heavily on data (where no WiFi is available). For city-dwellers – I think Twigby, Ting, Tello and others are great. World travelers, not so much.
My wife and I have two lines with Ting and average right at $40/month for the two of us. We’re light texters, so we fall into the 101-1000 text/month range and stay under 500 minutes by using FaceTime and Skype for a lot of family calls. We also keep our mobile data off and strictly use wi-fi unless we need it, so we usually stay under 100 MB of data as well. It doesn’t take being a data hawk or anything else really to stay really cheap. Plus they have great customer service. Have never had a bad experience with them. Twigby might be cheaper for us, but honestly, we have saved more than $50/month ever since I switched to Ting from Credo and I really don’t miss the unlimited data/texts at all.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Ting, Josh.
I have been with Ting for 5 years now and has been great! However those months where i am text heavy or accidentally bumped my data usage too high resulting in $60-75 monthly bills have been frustrating. I mean after all trying to save money doesn’t mean I need to be a scrooge with my phone usage :) But I’ll be switching from Ting to Twigby just because of the reasonable baseline data costs but will miss Ting and their customer friendly service and resources.
I was looking at both. Thanks for the article We switched three lines this week. Kept one of our verizon phones since it still worked with twigby and then two newer iphones. so far the best decision I have made in a while. Plus twigby has 25 percent off for half a year!
Great – glad to hear you are happy with the switch!
Your comparisons don’t do Ting justice when you consider a family that has several phones that SHARE their usage. Even though there is a line fee for each, you don’t pay for separate service on each phone. So if I have three phones that share 1 GB of data, 500 minutes and 500 text messages (around $32), it still comes out cheaper than on Twigby (around $42). Plus Ting is just run by awesome people with the best customer service you could ever imagine. Twigby sounds nice, but it would take a lot to get me to leave Ting.
I’m a satisfied Ting user with multiple (5) lines on our account, but I’m getting really tired of watching my data like a hawk. (I downloaded a 90 minute HD movie once from home, but because I had inadvertently disabled Wi-Fi., it cost me $10!) I might consider Twigby for my line but leave the others on Ting. The others are light data users (two are dumb flip phones!), which seem perfect for Ting.
We use Pix Wireless for our lines. They have sprint, Verizon, and Atnt. We use the Verizon service and get 2gb for $20/month tax included.
I’ve not heard of Pix, Marlon. Will have to check them out.
We have been with Ting for years. We have 3 phones, we are heavy texters and don’t count minutes for calls and heavy data usage. Our highest bill was $75. We usually cap at $65. Ting brings with them the best service we have ever got and good connectivity where we live. Are they cheapest? Maybe, maybe not. There is more to a carrier that is important to us than just $. And no, we are not employees. We are solid current customers.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Ting, Lisa.
how about a comparison with less than 4800 texts?????? I don’t know maybe 500???? Cowards
here is no way twigby would not be cheaper. We switched from Tello to Twigby during their black friday sale. We are light users. Just no comparison. My guess is that these comments who save work for Ting. Nice TRY!!
Our family are pretty light users, so for us, the ability to share a plan on Ting provides us with savings even after including the line fees. Not clear what the Twigby “overage protection” is; if it’s just the ability to set a hard cap, Ting does have that. Also, contrary to your chart, Ting does not charge a tethering fee. (That was the reason I signed up with them in the first place.)
Thanks for alerting us to the free tethering at Ting. We’ve changed that.
Tello have full pay as you go like pay per minute that no other providers seem to do with similar rate
Ting uses a backup network (Sprint is primary, Verizon is secondary) on their CDMA plans and on their GSM plans (T-Mobile is primary and AT&T is secondary). This is a huge selling point for Ting that you have stated incorrectly in the summary table at the top of this article. https://help.ting.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360000808468-When-is-ting-going-to-over-service-on-verizon-network-
Thanks Jim – we’ve made the correction to the chart as a result.
Looks like it USED to be a selling point JiM. More like overpriced tablestakes now.
I like TINGs pay what you use plan. Does Twigby require you to choose a data amount in advance?
Hey Gary. Yeah, that’s a good offering. With Twigby, you do have to select an initial data plan (of course, you could select just WiFi for $0) and then you can move up from that based on usage.
Gary – your not really doing that. They force to pay $6 to have a phone period. We left for Twigby and have never looked back. Just my two cents.
Twigby doesn’t use Verizon in Northeast Nebraska. I plugged in my address and it said “No Coverage”. Can’t figure it out, because Verizon is the only reliable coverage in Northeast Nebraska.
Hi – according to their rep, “Twigby customers use two of the largest nationwide cellular networks covering over 270 million people. Twigby primarily operates on the Sprint network for talk, text and data. However, if a customer ever finds themselves outside Sprint coverage, they are able to use the Verizon network for talk and text at no additional charge.”
Twigby is the best. No issues at all. Cheap date all the way around, saved tons of money switching from Sprint.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Lisa.