5G home internet, without the cable company
A flat monthly price, no annual contract, and a gateway you plug in yourself. For millions of homes it's now the easiest — and cheapest — way to get online.
Who 5G home internet is right for
It's not for everyone — but when it fits, it's hard to beat on value.
T-Mobile vs. Verizon vs. AT&T vs. Mint vs. Tracfone vs. Total Wireless
The six national 5G home internet plans, head to head — three postpaid, three prepaid.
The catch worth knowing
5G home internet rides the same towers as your phone, so performance varies with your distance to the tower and how many people are online nearby. Two houses on the same street can get different speeds. Because carriers manage capacity, they only sell it where there's room — which is why an address check matters more here than with any other type.
Mint is the odd one out: it's prepaid, so you pay for a year of service up front instead of monthly, and there's no credit check. The $40 above is internet only; $45 adds an unlimited phone line, which is the whole reason to consider it. That buys one of the two lowest effective prices here, but your money is committed before you know how the signal performs at your address. See prepaid vs. postpaid for the full trade-off, or our full Mint review.
Tracfone is the other prepaid option, and the cheapest here if you qualify: $49/mo with auto-refill and promo code GETHOME, or $39/mo for AARP members. It rides Verizon's network at up to 200 Mbps with no credit check and a three-year price guarantee — but you pay month to month, so there's none of Mint's up-front commitment. Full breakdown in the cheapest 5G home internet under $50. Our full Tracfone review has the measured speed ranges.
If you want the deeper trade-offs against wired options, read our fiber vs. 5G breakdown.