Brandwave

Consumer Cellular vs Metro by T-Mobile:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Metro by T-Mobile had more branded searches than Consumer Cellular among prepaid phone carriers in the United States. Metro by T-Mobile had about 1.2 million branded searches, while Consumer Cellular had 673,000. Metro by T-Mobile made up 16% of all prepaid phone carrier searches we track, and Consumer Cellular accounted for 8.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about prepaid phone carriers, neither Consumer Cellular nor Metro by T-Mobile appeared in any of the five answers.

Among prepaid phone carriers in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Metro by T-Mobile, about 81% more searches than Consumer Cellular

Metro by T-Mobile 1.2M searchesConsumer Cellular 673K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 0 of 5 answers.

Consumer Cellular in 0 of 5Metro by T-Mobile in 0 of 5

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Top prepaid phone carriers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Consumer Cellular nor Metro by T-Mobile showed up in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Mint Mobile1st
  2. US Mobile2nd
  3. Visible3rd
  4. T-Mobile Prepaid4th
  5. Total Wireless5th
  6. Tello6th
  7. Cricket Wireless7th
  8. Straight Talk8th
  9. Boost Mobile–
  10. +1 more
  11. Consumer Cellular–
  12. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Mint Mobile5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Visible5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • US Mobile3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • T-Mobile Prepaid3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Straight Talk1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Cricket Wireless1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Total Wireless1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tello1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Boost Mobile0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Consumer Cellular0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about prepaid phone carriers

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.

Is Consumer Cellular or Metro by T-Mobile more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Consumer Cellular and Metro by T-Mobile by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 prepaid phone carriers we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Consumer Cellular and Metro by T-Mobile among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Metro by T-Mobile, Consumer Cellular. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBoost MobileMetro by T-MobileStraight TalkCricket WirelessConsumer CellularMint MobileTotal WirelessUS MobileGoogle FiT-Mobile PrepaidTelloVisible
Oct 202524.4%16.3%16.3%13.3%7.3%8.9%6%2.7%2.7%1.2%0.66%0.29%
Nov 202525.2%13.7%16.9%13.7%6.2%9.3%6.2%3.4%3.4%1%0.68%0.31%
Dec 202525.2%13.7%16.8%13.7%6.2%9.2%7.6%2.8%2.8%1%0.68%0.37%
Jan 202623.2%15.5%15.5%12.7%7%10.4%7%3.1%3.1%1.1%0.77%0.51%
Feb 202624%16%16%13.1%7.2%8.8%7.2%2.2%2.6%1.2%0.8%0.65%
Mar 202626.9%14.6%14.6%12%8.1%8.1%6.6%2.4%2.9%1.3%0.89%1.6%
Apr 202623.7%15.8%15.8%12.9%7.1%8.7%7.1%2.6%2.6%1.4%0.78%1.4%
May 202623.5%15.7%15.7%12.8%7.1%8.6%7.1%3.2%2.6%1.4%0.95%1.4%
Jun 202622.6%18.5%15.1%12.3%6.8%8.3%6.8%3%3%1.4%1.1%1.1%
Jul 202621.7%17.8%14.5%11.9%8%9.8%6.5%3.6%2.9%1.3%1.1%1.1%
Aug 202621.4%17.6%14.3%11.7%7.9%9.6%6.4%4.3%3.5%1.3%1.1%0.87%
Sep 202619.6%16%16%13.1%8.8%8.8%7.2%3.9%3.2%1.4%0.97%0.97%

How has the Consumer Cellular and Metro by T-Mobile comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States prepaid phone carriers in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Consumer Cellular overtook Mint Mobile to rank 5th among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, with 8.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Metro by T-Mobile lost share of searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, from 17.6% to 16%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Consumer Cellular’s and Metro by T-Mobile’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Consumer Cellular

1 branded search term

  • consumer cellular

Metro by T-Mobile

1 branded search term

  • metro by t-mobile

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among prepaid phone carriers

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