Reach Mobile vs. AT&T Cell Phone Plans Review

Let’s cut to the chase here: Reach Mobile is a great option for those who want to know their money is going to a good cause. But there are some drawbacks that will drive many customers away, like slow data speeds and price increases.

AT&T, on the other hand, offers super-fast data speeds, high data caps, a bunch of perks, and relatively consistent prices. However, the starting price is higher than Reach.

We’ll go over everything you need to know about both carriers in this Reach vs. AT&T review. But if you’ve already heard everything you need to know, you can easily sign up for Reach or AT&T online.

Not all cell phone plans are right for all types of users. Here are a few tips for finding the cell phone plan that’s just right for you.

• Data: Know how much data you need. Not everyone needs an unlimited plan. And be sure you’re getting the data speeds you need for work, games, and streaming.
• Price: Use comparison tools, like the WhistleOut charts in this article, to make sure you’re getting the best price on the market.
• Coverage: There are really only three options for coverage: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Even smaller companies use these networks, so figure out which one has the best coverage in your area.
• Features: There are plenty of great perks—like hotspot data, international benefits, and HD video streaming—that don’t come standard. Get a plan that has all the features you need.

The chart above compares all of AT&T and Reach’s plans. While it may look like an obvious choice—Reach’s unlimited data is half the price of AT&T’s—the truth is more complicated.

For one, Reach’s prices go up after three months. And AT&T’s data speeds are much faster.

We’ll dive into the details of all these plans right now, beginning with Reach.

Reach keeps its plans simple. There are just five options: 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB, 15 GB, and unlimited data. All five plans come with mobile hotspot data, HD video streaming, and unlimited talk and text. Take a look.

As you can see, Reach’s most powerful plan costs just $35 a month. But keep in mind our warning above: these are just promotional prices. After your first three months, the prices will double, making that unlimited data plan cost $70 a month!

But $70 a month doesn’t sound so bad when you realize that Reach is giving away some of that money to amazing charities.

Probably the biggest selling point for Reach Mobile is the company’s charitable giving.

Reach will give a chunk of its profits to help women all over the globe get cell phones and get connected to a cellular network. “Get a plan, give a plan,” is one of the company’s mottoes.

You can even use the Reach Mobile app to see just how much you’ve contributed to charity through your subscription!

But for all the good work Reach does afar, it still has a few problems back home. Specifically, Reach’s data has some issues.

Most carriers cap the data usage of their customers, even on unlimited data plans. Usually the cap is around 20-50 GB a month.

But with Reach Mobile, it’s a lowly 20 GB! After reaching the cap, your speeds can be reduced, making it hard to stream your favorite jams or play a match of Fortnite.

And that’s not the only problem with Reach’s data. The company is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which means that it doesn’t own its own cellular towers.

 Instead, it uses T-Mobile’s network. When that network gets busy, T-Mobile can (and will) slow down data speeds for Reach customers. It’s called data deprioritization.

AT&T is one of the Big 3 in the mobile industry. If you’re looking for a powerful plan with tons of data and perks, you’ve come to the right place. AT&T sells four main postpaid plans, one 4 GB plan and three unlimited data options. Here’s a look at the prices.

Aside from the 4GB plan, each of these plans comes with unlimited talk and text, and they all give you access to AT&T’s 5G network. But there are some major differences between the three unlimited data plans that we’ll cover right here.

• Unlimited Starter^® SL: This is AT&T’s lowest-tier unlimited plan. Your video streams will be throttled at 1.5 Mbps (no HD), you won’t get any hotspot data, and you can have your data deprioritized (slowed down) at any time.
• Unlimited Extra^® EL: With this plan, you’ll no longer have to worry about data deprioritization, but your video streams will still be throttled. You’ll get 30 GB of hotspot data and a generous 75 GB of high-speed data.
• Unlimited Premium^® PL: This is the top-shelf plan from AT&T and it gives you everything you could want, from HD quality streaming to 60 GB of hotspot data. The high-speed data cap is infinite, plus AT&T will hook you up with unlimited talk, text, and data in 20 Latin American countries.

When it comes to performance, all three of these unlimited data plans are more powerful than Reach’s unlimited data plan. AT&T has also rolled out its 5G network across the country and offers a 5G Plus option that is available in 38 cities so far.

Of course, they cost more, too, unless you’re a first responder.

AT&T wants to thank frontline workers for all the hard work they do. So the company is offering some pretty steep discounts for first responders, nurses, military families, and teachers.

Take a look.

Reach offers a variety of decently priced plans that give you a warm feeling in your heart (because some of your money is going to charity).

AT&T skips the warm feelings in favor of cold, hard performance: its plans have faster data speeds, more perks, and higher data caps. But they cost more too.

Reach offers plans that involve adding up to 6 lines, but the discounts aren't much to write home about. Meanwhile, AT&T has some of the best family plans on the market.

Take a look at these WhistleOut charts of Reach Mobile and AT&T’s 4-line family plans.

Now you can technically add additional lines with Reach. But you'll only receive a discount if you choose the 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB, or the 15 GB plan.

If you want an unlimited data plan for your family through Reach Mobile, the pricing doesn't change when you add additional lines. The unlimited data plan normally costs $45 a month for a single line and costs the same with four lines. 

AT&T’s unlimited data family plans will give you all of the features and perks of an individual plan while saving you a boatload of cash.

For example, the Unlimited Extra^® EL plan normally costs $75.99 for a single line, but when you get four lines, it’s just $164, meaning you save over $140 a month! Wowza.

Reach and AT&T both offer great coverage. But, since Reach actually uses T-Mobile’s nationwide network, it will give a slight edge when it comes to 4G coverage in rural areas.  

You can see how each carrier’s coverage looks in your neighborhood using this interactive map. 

Remember, even if Reach has better coverage in your area, your data speeds will likely be much slower than what you’d get with AT&T due to deprioritization.

If you want to get the best price on a brand new phone then the best time to buy is when you’re switching plans. Both AT&T and Reach Mobile have some sweet deals to check out.

These WhistleOut charts will show the most popular new phone deals from both companies.

That’s the end of our in-depth Reach vs. AT&T review. Now it’s up to you to decide which carrier is a better fit. We hope this quick recap will help you make up your mind.

• Plans: Reach offers a range of relatively affordable plans, from 2 GB to unlimited data. But the real appeal is Reach’s charitable giving. Meanwhile, AT&T’s plans cost a bit more, but they offer much faster data speeds, more robust features, and better overall performance.
• Family Plans: AT&T is clearly the better option for those who want a family plan. You can get steep discounts when you bundle up with your family. Reach Mobile doesn’t give you any discounts or perks for an unlimited family plan.
• Coverage and performance: Reach is powered by T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network. AT&T’s network isn’t half-bad, either, but it’s slightly less reliable in rural areas. But AT&T’s customers will get better data speeds and more coverage for 5G.

We started this article with a full day of research. We looked at every single plan offered by Reach and AT&T. We used WhistleOut charts and the companies’ own websites to evaluate these plans based on price, features, coverage, and perks.

We then used our own proprietary data from over 100,000 mobile customers, and online user reviews, to determine the performance of AT&T and Reach. We used our plan evaluations and performance data to make recommendations for different kinds of mobile users.

When it’s all said and done we spent over 12 hours researching and writing this piece. If you want to know more about our review process you can read this article. We hope that this article has helped you find the perfect phone plan!

Still wondering about Reach vs. AT&T? Here are some frequently asked questions that might help.