Tello mobile plan
Hacker ApprovedRanked 6 of 9 mobile phone plans by recommenders
People recommend Tello as a cheap prepaid US mobile plan that works well as a second line or eSIM, with service running on the networks of larger carriers.
People recommend Tello as a cheap prepaid US mobile plan that works well as a second line or eSIM, with service running on the networks of larger carriers.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 91%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 10 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Cheap monthly plan
“I can get all the data/minutes/texts I need for $15 a month on a service like Tello”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “iPhone Duo” “the cheapest $5 Tello plan as a second line is great for business use like this”
Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1” “Tello is $5/month and you can activate online.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Price of a bot army revealed across online platforms” - Comment from 23 Jul 2026 in “What just happened to TheNumbers.com should worry us all”
Works well as second line
“the cheapest $5 Tello plan as a second line is great for business use like this”
Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1” “My friend's eSIM experience with Tello was pretty good.”
Comment from 29 Dec 2025 in “I switched to eSIM in 2025, and I am full of regret” Same networks as big carriers
“they are just a t-mobile MVNO, so the numbers are part of t-mobile's pool”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “Show HN: I built an international calling platform for the past 6 months” “Same carrier networks, same quality of service.”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “Verizon starts requiring 365 days of paid service before it will unlock phones”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Price marked up on minutes
“a 5+ times mark up is pretty rich”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “Show HN: I built an international calling platform for the past 6 months”
Other mobile phone plans people recommend
The four most recommended other mobile phone plans, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mobile | 31 | 2 | 94% | 9 | 1 yr6 owners | Approved |
| Google Fi | 26 | 20 | 57% | 9 | 9 yrs3 owners | — |
| Cape mobile cell service | 19 | 10 | 66% | 7 | — | — |
| Airalo eSIM | 16 | 9 | 64% | 5 | — | — |
| Tello mobile planThis page | 10 | 1 | 91% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
All 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“tello gets you close in the US, a few dollars a month minimum”
“I can get all the data/minutes/texts I need for $15 a month on a service like Tello”
“the cheapest $5 Tello plan as a second line is great for business use like this”
“Tello for $10 plan for voice/text”
“It's been working pretty seamlessly and means that, like, my US login.gov two factor tokens still get to my number.”
“Same carrier networks, same quality of service.”
“a 5+ times mark up is pretty rich”
“Mytello is 0.05CAD / minute.”
“they are just a t-mobile MVNO, so the numbers are part of t-mobile's pool”
“My friend's eSIM experience with Tello was pretty good.”
“Tello is $5/month and you can activate online.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.