There are a lot of telecom providers to choose from these days, giving customers a wide range of options based on their particular needs and requirements. That said, when you’re presented with so many choices, it can be rather easy to get confused when deciding which is the right one.
In this article, we’re comparing Google Fi to Verizon, two big telecom providers in the US and comparing their plans, pricing and other benefits to help you decide which is the one for you.
Coverage
Network coverage is perhaps the most important deciding factor when picking a telecom carrier, and for good reason — you can’t really get anything out of a carrier, no matter how good their plans are, unless you’re getting a strong signal. While both carriers cover a majority of the US landscape, Verizon wins over Google Fi here thanks to its massive network and time in the telecom industry.
Verizon’s network covers nearly 70% of the US. Additionally, while their mmWave 5G isn’t without drawbacks, it does offer some of the fastest 5G speeds in the country at the time of writing. Should mmWave 5G fail you, the network also has a new nationwide 5G network that’s far more reliable and accessible.
Google Fi, on the other hand, has come a long way from where it used to be a few years ago in terms of coverage. What it does is that it bundles T-Mobile, US Cellular and Sprint to create a network, combining the three carriers’ networks to get the best reach possible. It isn’t as expansive as Verizon’s network, but it does work rather well as long as your phone can handle switching between networks. 5G devices on Google Fi can use T-Mobile’s nationwide network for 5G connectivity as well.
Also read: How to fix ‘Couldn’t register in Google Pay’?
Perks and Benefits
If you’re looking to save money on streaming service subscriptions, Verizon wins hands down. The telecom provider offers multiple subscriptions to streaming services like Disney Plus, Apple Music, Hulu, ESPN Plus and Discovery Plus to name a few, with its unlimited plans.
Google, on the other hand, throws in a Google One subscription that includes 100GB of cloud storage, discounts and support for Google products. That said, these benefits are only included in the Unlimited Plus plans. The Flexible and Simply Unlimited plans don’t have much except bill protection. That said, you do get a free VPN service, seamless international usage and pay only for the data you use.
Verizon beats Google at promotions too. While Google Fi will give you significant savings on supported devices like Samsung’s S22 lineup or Pixel devices via the Pixel pass, the selection ends at just a few flagships. Verizon, however, is happy to give you a significant amount off of most new flagships and can even get you one for free based on the device you trade in, provided there’s a promotional offer going around.
Device support
As long as you’re rocking a CDMA device, Verizon’s network will most likely support your phone. In a similar fashion to competing US carriers, Verizon has a massive phone library to choose from and will support universally unlocked devices as well as most 5G devices that you bring along.
Google Fi used to have a rather small selection just a few years ago but has since massively expanded its device library. You can get anything from Samsung or Apple to even Xiaomi and Huawei devices on the network as well. Of course, there’s the entire Pixel family of devices to consider as well. Universally unlocked devices are also supported, giving the user more choices.
Also read: Why is my XFI gateway offline?
Customer Service
Both companies do well when it comes to providing customer service. While Verizon has been in the game longer and understands how to deal with customers looking to get their network problems resolved, Google by the virtue of being a software company has some pretty good tools to track usage and contact customer support if needed.
Verizon’s websites and forums are rather helpful when it comes to looking for solutions to usual problems like random network drops. Its suite of tools for tracking data usage, monitoring your plans and looking out for any outages is pretty good as well.
Google’s Fi lets you manage pretty much everything you need using the app, so there’s little chance that you might actually need to contact customer support. However, in case you do, you can do that over text, email or phone with a support representative straight from the app.
Plans and Pricing
Both carriers offer competitive pricing, but Google Fi will save you money thanks to its pay-as-you-use model. Verizon on the other hand is among one of the costlier telecom providers in the US.
Here’s a table to help you understand the different plans.
| Plans | Verizon | Google Fi |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level unlimited plan | Start Unlimited $70 for one line $60 per line for two lines $45 per line for three lines $35 per line for four lines Perks Disney Plus and Apple Music for 6 months Discovery Plus for 12 months | $60 for one line $45 per line for two lines $30 per line for three lines $30 per line for four lines Perks Bill protection |
| Mid-tier unlimited plan | Play / Do More Unlimited $80 for one line $70 per line for two lines $55 per line for three lines $45 per line for four lines Perks Disney Plus and Apple Music for 6 months Discovery Plus for 12 months | Unlimited Plus $70 for one line $60 per line for two lines $50 per line for three lines $45 per line for four lines Perks Google One membership with 100GB cloud storage |
| High-tier unlimited plan | Get More Unlimited $90 for one line $80 per line for two lines $65 per line for three lines $55 per line for four lines Perks Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Apple Music included Discovery Plus for 12 months | – |
| Others | – | Flexi Plan $20 for one line $18 per line for two lines $17 per line for three lines $17 per line for four lines $10 per GB of data used after the limit Perks Bill protection |
Google Fi or Verizon: Which one should you pick?
If you’re more interested in the perks being offered and are looking to get a hefty discount off of a new flagship, Verizon might be the right network for you. However, if you don’t use that much mobile data and don’t want to end up paying extra, Google Fi is the better choice. Additionally, if you’re looking to get your hands on any of the Pixel flagships, the Pixel Pass plans offer great ways to save money on a phone purchase and offer easy upgrades when the next flagship comes around.
