Compare Cell Phone Carriers in Canada
Here's what you'll actually pay at cell phone carriers across Canada: the advertised price, any carrier fees, and the sales tax for your province. Most budget brands run on the same towers as Bell, Rogers and Telus, so the cheapest phone plan is rarely the one with the biggest ads.
All-in prices fold carrier recovery fees and taxes into a carrier’s cheapest standard single-line plan. Where a plan’s taxes aren’t already in the price, we add an estimated tax and mark the figure with a ~ and “est.” Where a carrier’s fee data is not yet confirmed, it is held out of this ranking rather than estimated.
The Value Score, in plain terms
Every carrier is scored on five things we can verify from published data — not on advertising, and never on who pays us. Value for the dollar carries the most weight, because at identical coverage the price gap between a major carrier and a budget brand on the same network is usually the biggest decision you’ll make.
Read the full methodologySame network, lower price
Canada has three national networks, run by Bell, Rogers and Telus. Most budget brands run on one of them, so a cheaper brand can give you the same coverage as the big carrier that owns the towers. If you were about to sign up with one of the Big 3, look at its column first.
Same towers as Bell — identical coverage, lower price.
Belloperator from $30.00/mo
Same towers as Rogers — identical coverage, lower price.
Rogersoperator from $20.00/mo
Same towers as Telus — identical coverage, lower price.
Telusoperator from $20.00/moWhat you give up on a budget brand is narrow: your data can be slowed before the network’s own customers when a tower is congested, there’s often no retail store, and most don’t finance phones. Where you get signal does not change.
23 Cell Phone Carriers & Companies in Canada
The complete directory of phone carriers and companies in Canada, from the national and regional networks to budget brands. Filter by network, contract type, or search by name.
Not sure where to start?
Our team breaks down the plans worth considering across every network, budget, and use case.
How to choose a cell phone carrier
Four things decide whether you’re overpaying. Read past the advertising and the choice gets simple.
Carriers advertise the base price, before the autopay discount you may not qualify for and before sales tax, which adds 5% to 15% depending on your province. A few carriers also add a small monthly fee. We show the advertised price and the cost with tax for your province, so the price you compare is closer to the price you’ll pay.
Fido, Koodo, Virgin Plus, Public Mobile, Lucky Mobile and others run on Bell’s, Rogers’ or Telus’ towers, so your coverage is usually the same. The tradeoffs are narrow: lower data priority when a tower is congested, fewer (or no) retail stores, and sometimes no phone financing.
Prepaid means no contract and no credit check, and it’s usually cheaper for the same data — but most prepaid-only carriers won’t finance a phone or run a family account. Postpaid runs a credit check and bills after the fact, but bundles perks and device payments. We tag carriers that are prepaid-only.
Keeping your number is free, and CRTC rules require carriers to transfer it. Don’t cancel your old line first; let the new carrier port it. Phones sold in Canada since December 2017 come unlocked, older ones can be unlocked for free, and if you leave a contract early the most a carrier can charge is what you still owe on the phone.
Figure out which of the three networks covers your home, work, and commute — ask neighbours, or check whose major carrier people around you use. Then pick the cheapest, highest-value brand on that network. You keep the coverage and drop the bill.
It depends on what you weigh most. For pure value, a budget brand like Public Mobile, Fido or Koodo, or a regional carrier like Freedom Mobile, often wins: similar coverage for noticeably less. If you want premium perks, roaming add-ons, or the widest rural footprint, Bell, Rogers and Telus still lead. Our ranking sorts every carrier by cost and overall value, so the top of the table is our answer to “best” for most people.
For coverage, mostly yes. A budget brand runs on Bell’s, Rogers’ or Telus’ actual towers, so where you get signal is close to the big carrier it uses, though some brands leave out rural areas or roaming. The one real difference is during congestion: budget customers’ data can be slowed when a tower is busy, which you may notice in crowds or dense city blocks. Support and retail presence are usually thinner, too.
Prepaid means you pay up front, with no contract and no credit check — good for capping spend or avoiding commitments, and usually cheaper for the same data. Postpaid bills you after the fact, runs a credit check, and tends to bundle perks and phone financing. Many of the cheapest carriers are prepaid-only, which we tag, because it means you generally can’t finance a phone or run a traditional family account with them.
Mostly. Bell, Rogers and Telus run the three national networks, and regional carriers such as Freedom Mobile, Videotron and SaskTel run their own. Almost every other brand, including Fido, Koodo, Virgin Plus, Public Mobile and Lucky Mobile, uses one of those networks rather than building its own. We label the host network on every carrier so you can match coverage you already trust to a cheaper brand on the same towers.
The ranking shows each carrier’s monthly price before tax, because the order is the same in every province. Sales tax depends on where you live: GST, HST, PST or QST adds 5% to 15%, and a few carriers add a small monthly fee. Each plan page shows the cost with tax for your province, so a $30 plan shows as about $34 in Ontario.
Usually yes on both. Phones sold in Canada since December 2017 come unlocked, and older ones can be unlocked for free. Most recent phones work on all three national networks; check your phone’s bands against the new carrier’s. Your number is yours to keep, for free: start the switch with the new carrier and let them port it over (don’t cancel the old line first), using your old account number.
Carriers can't pay for a better ranking.
To ensure accuracy, this page has been reviewed and fact-checked by Carl Perlas, Jon Stone and Branden S. as part of our editorial review process. Learn how we score.