Get a free government phone
Lifeline pays for a $0 plan if your income is low or you get certain benefits. Some providers include the phone. We list who serves your state and what each one gives.
See if you qualifyIndependent guide · Updated October 2026
Get a phone and a plan for free, or close to it.
If your household gets SNAP, Medicaid or SSI, a free phone plan is probably waiting for you. If not, we found plans from $0 to $15 a month and wrote down every catch.
- $0a month: the lowest ongoing price on our list
- 17plans checked on the carriers' own pages
- 51Lifeline guides, one for each of the 50 states and DC
- Every claim links to the official source
- A "last checked" date on every page. How we check
- Not a carrier, a provider or a government agency
- Some links pay us a commission. How that works
Start with the one that fits you
Three things people mean by "free wireless". Each has its own guide, its own catches, and its own way to apply.
Find a free or cheap plan
One US plan is still $0 a month. Several more cost $3 to $15. We show the price after any promo, the data you really get and the catch in each.
Compare 17 plansStay safe on free Wi-Fi
Cafe, airport and hotel Wi-Fi is fine for most things if you follow six rules. We explain them, when a VPN is worth paying for, and which free VPNs to avoid.
Read the six rulesOur picks this month
Chosen from each carrier's published terms on October 19, 2026, with the reason written down. We have not tested these plans ourselves.
| TextNow FreeBest free plan$0/month | Red Pocket EssentialsBest under $15$10/monthAnnual option: $100 for the first year, renews at $110/year (equiv. $9.17/mo) | Visible Free TrialBest free trial15 days free | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | 550 MB, select apps | 3 GB | Unlimited |
| Network | Not stated | Your pick: AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon | Verizon |
| Talk and text | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| The catch | Ad-supported; a physical SIM costs $3.99 one-time (eSIM is free) and data is capped at 550 MB for select apps, with no hotspot. | None beyond what is listed here. The big number is the month-to-month price; the annual option is paid up front. Expect taxes and fees on top unless the carrier says they are included. | Needs an eSIM-capable, Visible-compatible phone; no credit card, but you cannot have been a Visible member or used the trial in the past 12 months. |
| Why we picked it | The only plan on our list that costs $0 a month with no end date. Ads pay for it. Talk and text are unlimited in the US, but 550 MB of data for select apps is only enough for a backup line. | $10 a month for 3 GB, and you choose the AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon network, so you can pick whichever has signal where you live. Tello is also $10, with 2 GB on T-Mobile only, but it lets you use all of it as a hotspot. | Test Verizon's signal at home for 15 days, with unlimited data and no credit card. If you stay, Visible's base plan is $25 a month. US Mobile's trial is longer, but you must move your number and AutoPay is on by default. |
| Sign up | See plan at TextNowPlain link. TextNow pays us nothing. | See plan at Red PocketPlain link. Red Pocket pays us nothing. | Start the trial at VisiblePlain link. Visible pays us nothing. |
Swipe sideways to see every plan
Who writes this
One person, not a content farm. Every page says when it was last checked and links to the carrier's own page or to USAC. If a provider changes an offer, the page changes. If we get something wrong, tell us and we fix it and say so.