VS.

With the massive number of prepaid MVNOs and carrier options, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all and even harder to compare and decide which company is the right one for you. So, every once in a while we’re going to go through and do a Face-off of two popular companies, comparing plans and services to help you better decide. Today, we’ll look at Sprint MVNOs RingPlus, and FreedomPop, both of which offer free services with premium upgrades and wifi options. Here’s how they compare:

Plan Prices – Price range? What is included?

RingPlus – Plans range from Free – $50

RingPlus has three different free plans with varying amounts of data, minutes and texts. The paid plans range from as little as $2 for light services to unlimited offerings for $50. Wifi calling is included on some plans, and overages are allowed. Check out RingPlus plans here.

FreedomPop – Plans range from Free – $25.99

FreedomPop is built on a freemium plan which offers 200 minutes, 200 texts and 500 MB of data to its customers for free, with options to upgrade for additional data, voice and text. There are also add-ons and premium services that customers can purchae. To check rates and options, you’ll have to make an account on FreedomPop’s website.

Unlimited Talk/Text – Is it offered? What is the lowest price?

RingPlus – Yes; $20 is the cheapest plan. It also includes 1 GB of data and unlimited Wifi calling

FreedomPop – Yes, $11 gets you unlimited talk and text with 500 MB of data and unlimited WiFi services.

Data Ranges – What is the most and least data available?

RingPlus – Data ranges anywhere from 10 MB to 5 GB depending on the plan chosen. MMS is not included, and there are constantly promotions for customers to get additional data, especially for the free plans.

FreedomPop – FreedomPop has limited data options. Users can get 500 MB with the free and first tier plan, or 1 GB with the more expensive plan. The $5.99 add on will allow users to have rollover data, but otherwise data expires at the end of the month. If users run out of data before the end of the month, it can be purchased at the rate of $10 per GB or 2.5 cents pr MB.

Pay-As-You-Go Rates – What are the pay-as-you-go per minute rates?

RingPlus – Pay-as-you-go is not offered

FreedomPop – Pay-as-you-go is not offered

International Calling – What options are available? What does it cost?

RingPlus – International calling is allowed at an additional rate per minute which varies per country. There are no specific international calling add-ons or deals at this time. International texting is charged at the rate of $0.03 per text. You can find the rates for making international calls here.

FreedomPop – There are a number of international add-ons which range from free to $10 per month. The packages include limited international calling to select countries including Mexico, UK, Canada, India and other countries. There is also an option for a global virtual number so that international callers can easier reach you. FreedomPop also offers country-specific plans.

Activation Fees – How much do they cost?

RingPlus – $6 activation fee may be charged

FreedomPop – FreedomPop phones have no activation fee, but if you activate your own device, a fee may be charged. Fees vary from phone to phone but average around $20.

BYOD – Can you activate your own device?

RingPlus – Yes, provided the phone is an eligible Sprint device. Some unactivated Virgin or Boost devices may work as well. Check if your device is compatible here.

FreedomPop – Yes, provided the phone is an eligible Sprint device.

Network/Coverage – What network does it use?

RingPlus – Sprint | Coverage Map

FreedomPop – Sprint | Coverage Map

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