AT&T is undoubtedly the best and most used cellular network carrier around the US. However, it is also one of the most expensive carriers. If you are one of those people who believe that good things have a price that you must pay, then AT&T is the best choice for you. However, if you are concerned about the budget, you must know that multiple budget carriers are offering their services across the US that you can opt for. Cricket is one such budget carrier that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T.
Being a budget carrier, cricket offers prepaid services only with limitations and you can choose it if you are on a budget and want to have the optimal coverage of AT&T. If you are considering to make a switch, or simply want to compare the features for both, here is a comparison for your ease.
Cricket vs AT&T Prepaid
Cricket
Cricket being a subsidiary of AT&T uses its network and towers all over the US so you can expect the same quality features with them. But to have a better look on top features that matter for a cellphone subscriber, you need to understand the following
Coverage
Coverage is pretty much great with Cricket as you get to enjoy the best-proven network over the US, AT&T. Not to mention that they are a subsidiary using their towers that provide you the best signal strength and coverage even in the most remote areas of US and rural areas. However, you might feel a bit of noise, disturbances, and connectivity issues if you are in some remote areas over the cricket network due to some reasons that no-one is sure of.
Tariffs
Being a budge network, Cricket does fairly as they have plans that go super-cheap compared to other cellphone carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. However, you can find a lot of less expensive budget carriers than Cricket. But, if you are comparing Cricket with AT&T, you can find lots of differences in prices. You can save tons if you opt for a Cricket family plan and you get to choose from a wide range of off-budget smartphones as well, which will save you lots of money in the longer run.
Speed
If you are someone who does not use the mobile internet much and prefer WiFi, Cricket would do fairly well with you. But, if you want a cellphone carrier that does well with the internet, you should not consider Cricket at all. Cricket is notorious for its slow internet speed and low network quality of their internet service. Their internet speed is not reliable at all and can die on you even if you are standing right beside a cellular tower.
Freedom
Unlike AT&T, Cricket is compatible with a large number of carriers and you can bring in your own phone if you are converting to Cricket. You get the freedom of keeping your own phone if it is compatible with the cricket network. Although, there is not much to worry at that part, because cricket is compatible with most carrier protocols.
AT&T
AT&T has earned a fairly nice reputation being the best cellular service provider across the US for good reasons. They are growing in numbers each day and are used by most people for their day-to-day communication needs. Some top comparable features of AT&T are:
Coverage
The coverage of AT&T requires no introduction. If you are a US citizen, you must know that AT&T has the broadest and strong coverage spanning all over the US. They are offering the top level of communication in all the remote and rural areas so you no matter where you go, you will be connected to a reliable service provider.
Tariffs
Tariffs of AT&T are a bit expensive. People might call them the most expensive carrier in the US, but good things come at good prices too. If you are willing to spend some extra bucks to not have to comprise on the quality of the services you will be getting. AT&T is the perfect choice for you.
Speed
Internet Speed at AT&T is unbeatable. According to speed tests conducted by independent researchers, AT&T has the fastest 4G speed among all the internet carriers providing cellular broadband and internet services in the US.