--- title: "Metro by T-Mobile vs Straight Talk: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Metro by T-Mobile or Straight Talk more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Prepaid phone carriers set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/metro-by-t-mobile-vs-straight-talk" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Metro by T-Mobile vs Straight Talk: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Metro by T-Mobile or Straight Talk more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Prepaid phone carriers set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Metro by T-Mobile and Straight Talk - **Competitive set**: Prepaid phone carriers - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Metro by T-Mobile Share of Search**: 16% - **Straight Talk Share of Search**: 16% ## Is Metro by T-Mobile or Straight Talk more popular in search? - In September 2026, Metro by T-Mobile and Straight Talk were level in searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, with an estimated 1.2M branded searches each, at 16% of the total each. - The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Metro by T-Mobile took it in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Metro by T-Mobile’s share of searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States moved from 16.3% to 16%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.5M to 1.2M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Straight Talk’s share of searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States moved from 16.3% to 16%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.5M to 1.2M. ## Top prepaid phone carriers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Straight Talk was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Metro by T-Mobile did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mint Mobile | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | US Mobile | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Visible | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | T-Mobile Prepaid | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Total Wireless | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Tello | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Cricket Wireless | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Straight Talk | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Boost Mobile | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Metro by T-Mobile | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Consumer Cellular | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Google Fi | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about prepaid phone carriers - Asked ChatGPT "Which prepaid phone carrier should I switch to in the US?": 1. US Mobile, 2. Visible, 3. Mint Mobile - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best prepaid phone carriers in the US?": 1. US Mobile, 2. Visible, 3. Mint Mobile, 4. Cricket Wireless, 5. T-Mobile Prepaid - Asked ChatGPT "What's the cheapest good phone plan in the US for one person?": 1. US Mobile, 2. Tello, 3. Mint Mobile, 4. Visible - Searched Google, AI Overview "prepaid phone plans": 1. Mint Mobile, 2. Total Wireless, 3. Visible, 4. T-Mobile Prepaid, 5. Straight Talk - Searched Google, AI Overview "best prepaid phone plans": 1. Mint Mobile, 2. Visible, 3. T-Mobile Prepaid Not named in any answer: Boost Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Consumer Cellular and Google Fi. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States prepaid phone carriers in September 2026? - In September 2026, Straight Talk gained share of searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, from 14.3% to 16%. - In September 2026, Metro by T-Mobile lost share of searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, from 17.6% to 16%. ## Month by month | Month | Metro by T-Mobile estimated searches | Metro by T-Mobile Share of Search | Metro by T-Mobile rank | Straight Talk estimated searches | Straight Talk Share of Search | Straight Talk rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.5M | 16.3% | 2 | 1.5M | 16.3% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 1.2M | 13.7% | 4 | 1.5M | 16.9% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 1.2M | 13.7% | 4 | 1.5M | 16.8% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 1.2M | 15.5% | 2 | 1.2M | 15.5% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 1.2M | 16% | 2 | 1.2M | 16% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 1.2M | 14.6% | 2 | 1.2M | 14.6% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 1.2M | 15.8% | 2 | 1.2M | 15.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | 1.2M | 15.7% | 2 | 1.2M | 15.7% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 1.5M | 18.5% | 2 | 1.2M | 15.1% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 1.5M | 17.8% | 2 | 1.2M | 14.5% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 1.5M | 17.6% | 2 | 1.2M | 14.3% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 1.2M | 16% | 2 | 1.2M | 16% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Metro by T-Mobile’s and Straight Talk’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. - **Metro by T-Mobile**: Measured on the search term “metro by t-mobile”. - **Straight Talk**: Measured on the search term “straight talk”. - [Metro by T-Mobile profile](/demand/us/brands/metro-by-t-mobile) - [Straight Talk profile](/demand/us/brands/straight-talk) - [All prepaid phone carriers in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-prepaid-phone-carriers): The set both shares are measured inside, 12 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Metro by T-Mobile or Straight Talk more popular in search? In September 2026, Metro by T-Mobile and Straight Talk were level in searches among prepaid phone carriers in the United States, with an estimated 1.2M branded searches each, at 16% of the total each. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Metro by T-Mobile vs Straight Talk: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/metro-by-t-mobile-vs-straight-talk This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/metro-by-t-mobile-vs-straight-talk. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.