Brandwave

Consumer Cellular vs Tello:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Consumer Cellular had more branded searches than Tello among prepaid phone carriers in the United States. Consumer Cellular had about 673,000 branded searches, while Tello had 74,000. Consumer Cellular made up 8.8% of all prepaid phone carrier searches we track, and Tello accounted for 0.97%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about prepaid phone carriers, Tello appeared in one of the five answers and Consumer Cellular in none.

Among prepaid phone carriers in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Consumer Cellular, about 9 searches for every 1 for Tello

Consumer Cellular 673K searchesTello 74K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Tello, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, Consumer Cellular in 0

Tello in 1 of 5Consumer Cellular 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, Tello was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Consumer Cellular did not appear 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

Not named in any answer:

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 Tello more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Consumer Cellular and Tello 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 Tello among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Consumer Cellular, Tello. 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 Tello 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. Estimated monthly branded searches for Tello in the United States rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 60.5K to 74K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Consumer Cellular’s and Tello’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

Tello

1 branded search term

  • tello mobile

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among prepaid phone carriers

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