T-Mobile Magenta vs. Magenta Plus

T-Mobile’s Magenta Plus plan comes with a high price tag and a few extra features. For most people, I recommend saving some cash and opting for the regular Magenta Plan. The Magenta Plus plan is unlikely to be worth the extra expense unless you’re a heavy user of mobile hotspot data.

Pricing

Both the Magenta and Magenta Plus plan include taxes and fees in their advertised prices. T-Mobile prices the plans based on the number of lines on an account. The table below shows the monthly price per line for each plan.

LinesMagentaMagenta Plus
1$70$85
2$60$70
3$40$47
4$35$43
5$32$40
6$30$38
7$29$37
8$28$36

Mobile hotspot

The Magenta Plus plan comes with 20GB of full-speed hotspot data each month. The Magenta plan only comes with 3GB of full-speed hotspot data. After full-speed allotments run out, subscribers on
either plan can continue to use mobile hotspots at a sluggish 600Kbps. Most people will find that speed excruciatingly slow for hotspot use.

Streaming subscriptions

The Magenta plan comes with Netflix Basic. With Netflix’s Basic plan, subscribers can stream in standard definition to one device at a time. The Magenta Plus plan comes with Netflix Standard. Netflix’s Standard plan allows streaming in high definition from two devices simultaneously.

Subscribers on either plan can opt-out of Netflix and instead receive access to the streaming service Quibi.

Other stuff

International data speeds

T-Mobile’s Magenta and Magenta Plus plans include some of the most customer-friendly international roaming policies on the market. While data is available in about 200 countries at no extra charge, T-Mobile throttles international data speeds on the Magenta to 128Kbps. Speeds on the Magenta Plus plan are twice as fast at 256Kbps. Both of these speeds are extremely slow, but the Magenta Plus plan has a real edge.

In-flight Wi-Fi

On flights with Gogo Wi-Fi, Magenta subscribers get free texting and one hour of free Wi-Fi access. Magenta Plus subscribers get free texting and free Wi-Fi access without a time restriction.