Brandwave

Cricket Wireless vs T-Mobile Prepaid:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cricket Wireless had more branded searches than T-Mobile Prepaid among prepaid phone carriers in the United States. Cricket Wireless had about 1 million branded searches, while T-Mobile Prepaid had 110,000. Cricket Wireless made up 13.1% of all prepaid phone carrier searches we track, and T-Mobile Prepaid accounted for 1.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about prepaid phone carriers, T-Mobile Prepaid appeared in three of the five answers and Cricket Wireless in one. T-Mobile Prepaid was mentioned before Cricket Wireless in two out of three answers that named either.

Among prepaid phone carriers in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cricket Wireless, about 9 searches for every 1 for T-Mobile Prepaid

Cricket Wireless 1M searchesT-Mobile Prepaid 110K searches

Who does AI mention more?

T-Mobile Prepaid, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Cricket Wireless in 1

T-Mobile Prepaid in 3 of 5Cricket Wireless in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

T-Mobile Prepaid, named ahead of Cricket Wireless in 2 of 3 answers

T-Mobile Prepaid first in 2Cricket Wireless first in 1

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Top prepaid phone carriers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, T-Mobile Prepaid was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Cricket Wireless was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. T-Mobile Prepaid was listed before Cricket Wireless in two out of three answers that named either.

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. Metro by T-Mobile–
  11. +2 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
  • Metro by T-Mobile0 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 Cricket Wireless or T-Mobile Prepaid more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cricket Wireless and T-Mobile Prepaid 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.

Cricket Wireless and T-Mobile Prepaid among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Cricket Wireless, T-Mobile Prepaid. 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 Cricket Wireless and T-Mobile Prepaid comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

1 change

  1. In September 2026, Cricket Wireless gained share of searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, from 11.7% to 13.1%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cricket Wireless’ and T-Mobile Prepaid’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.

Cricket Wireless

1 branded search term

  • cricket wireless

T-Mobile Prepaid

1 branded search term

  • t-mobile prepaid

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among prepaid phone carriers

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