Is a Google Fi Wireless family plan worth the switch?

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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority





Multi-line discounts were once reserved for postpaid plans from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Thankfully this practice has caught on in the prepaid world as well, with a variety of carriers offering family plans. One of the better-known options is the Google-owned Fi Wireless. In this guide, we take a look at the Google Fi family plan to see if it’s a good deal versus the competition.

What is included in a Google Fi family plan?

Google offers three main plans: Flexible, Simply Unlimited, and Unlimited Plus. All three options can be added to a family plan, but there is no mixing and matching. In other words, all family members must be on the same plan type in order to qualify for family plan pricing. Be aware that in early 2024 Google Fi raised its pricing for the first time in a while for Simply Unlimited families greater than 3 members in size, though even with the higher pricing it remains arguably the most flexible and affordable carrier in the US.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the prices, features, and extras included in each Fi Wireless plan:

Cost	$20/mo + $10/GB per month for 1 line $35/mo + $10/GB per month for 2 lines $50/mo + $10/GB per month for 3 lines $65/mo + $10/GB per month for 4 lines $80/mo + $10/GB per month for 5 lines $95/mo + $10/GB per month for 6 lines	$50 per month for 1 line $80 per month for 2 lines ($40 per line) $90 per month for 3 lines ($30 per line) $100 per month for 4 lines ($25 per line) $125 per month for 5 lines ($25 per line) $150 per month for 6 lines ($25 per line)	$65 per month for 1 line $110 a month for 2 lines ($55 per line) $135 per month for 3 lines ($45 per line) $160 per month for 4 lines ($40 per line) $200 per month for 5 lines ($40 per line) $240 per month for 6 lines ($40 per line)
Talk & Text	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Data	$10 per GB used until you reach limit	Up to 35GB of free, unmetered data	Up to 50GB of free, unmetered data
Hotspot	Full-speed at $10 per GB rate	5GB of Wi-Fi hotspot tethering per person	Full-speed included
International	Free calls from US to Canada and Mexico. On an iPhone, when you travel outside of the US, tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot options are not available.	Free calls from US to Canada and Mexico No international calls, texts, and data outside the US, Canada, and Mexico	Free calls from US to over 50 countries. Unlimited data and texts in over 200 countries or regions.
Extras	Data free after per-month limit	None	100GB of Google One storage for each group plan member. One year of YouTube Premium per user at no additional cost.

Although all three plans support family discounts, we highly recommend Simply Unlimited for most. Four lines are just $100 a month, and you can have family plans with up to 6 lines (still $25 per each). Many prepaid family plans cap this at 3-4 members, so it’s nice that Fi Wireless is suited for larger families. This gets you unlimited talk, text, and data, but after 35GB of data per user, you’ll see speeds of 256Kbps for the rest of the billing period. 

Want more? Fi Wireless Unlimited Plus also adds unlimited hotspot tethering, 50GB of high-speed per line before slow down, a year of YouTube Premium, 10)GB of storage with Google One, and extremely impressive international calling features starting at $65 per line for one user or as little as $40 per line for four users or more. 

Is a Google Fi family plan a good value?

Fi Wireless has changed its features a bit over the years, but it remains one of the best choices for families in terms of raw value. It also remains one of the choices for international travelers, too. Of course, it really depends on what you’re looking for.

For those that prefer limited data, Google Fi offers four lines for just $65 a month (or $16.25 a piece) for unlimited talk and text, with data costing $10 per gig. That’s not bad, but it’s not the best. Mint Mobile’s limited data plans are better for families, working out to just $15 a month. The only catch is that you have to pay ahead in quarterly intervals of $45 a piece per line. 

The situation flips significantly when you look at Unlimited data. Google Fi Simply Unlimited runs as little as $20 per line for four lines or more, up to six lines. You won’t find a cheaper rate for unlimited data on the postpaid or prepaid side. 

Google Fi family plan alternatives

As we said, you’ll be very hard-pressed to find a better value for family plans. Of course, not everyone puts value first. There are other factors including customer service, extra features, and more.

Post-paid options: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile at a glance





Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority





Google Fi has great pricing and some very intriguing international features, but it also has some sacrifices. Since it’s an MVNO and uses T-Mobile’s network (and US Cellular for roaming), it is also subject to throttling and deprioritization during times of congestion. Postpaid carriers also tend to have better extras like streaming perks, domestic roaming, and more. 

Here’s a quick look at how Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile compare in terms of features:

Cost	$65 for one line $60 for two lines $45 for three lines $35 for four lines	$85 for one line $75 for two lines $60 for three lines $50 for four lines	$65 for one line $55 for two lines $40 for three lines $30 for four lines $27 for five lines	$80 for one line $70 for two lines $55 for three lines $45 for four lines $42 for five lines	$50 for one line $40 for two lines $30 for three lines $25 for four lines	$90 for one line $75 for two lines $50 for three lines $46 for four lines
Talk & Text	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Data	Unlimited basic 4G LTE 5G access with compatible device	100GB premium 4G LTE Unlimited basic 4G LTE 5G access with compatible device	Unlimited 4G LTE 5G Nationwide	Unlimited 4G LTE 5G Nationwide Wideband 5G	Yes, but might slow down during congestion after	Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 100GB of Premium Data
Hotspot	Not included	30GB per line	None ($10 add on exists, however)	30GB 4G LTE or 5G	Unlimited 3G	50GB of hotspot data
International Service	Unlimited texting to 120 countries	Unlimited texting to 120 countries	Talk & Text in Mexico and Canada Texting in over 200 countries	Talk & Text in Mexico and Canada Texting in over 200 countries	Unlimited text in 215+ countries Unlimited talk/text in Canada/Mexico, just 128Kbps data	5GB of data and unlimited talk text in over 215+ countries 15GB of data and unlimited talk/text in Mexico/Canada
Extra Perks	Device security and spam risk alerts Standard definition streaming	Device security and spam risk alerts High definition streaming	480p streaming Can add perks for $10 each, including 100GB hotspot data, Apple Music, Apple One, Disney Plus bundle, and more	480p streaming Can add perks for $10 each, including 100GB hotspot data, Apple Music, Apple One, Disney Plus bundle, and more	480p streaming	Netflix Basic, one SD screen Apple TV Plus

Check out T-Mobile

Check out Verizon

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