Freedom Mobile buyer’s guide: Plans, prices, and more

If you’re gearing up to make the switch to a new phone carrier, sometimes it pays to look outside of the Big Three. In Canada’s case, those three are Bell, Rogers, and Telus. However, Freedom Mobile sits right there in fourth place with its base of nearly two million subscribers. Luckily for you, there’s a lot to like about Freedom — from reasonable prices to solid data caps. Here’s everything you need to know to switch to Freedom Mobile’s plans.

See also: These are the best Canadian phone plans

As you work your way down the page, we’ll take you through key topics like post-paid and prepaid plans, as well as the best phones to complete your Freedom Mobile experience. If you’re working with limited funds, we’ll also dip into a few MVNOs to consider and even options for Canada’s best networks. Ready to experience Freedom? Let’s get started.

Freedom Mobile at a glance

Globalive launched Freedom Mobile as Wind Mobile back in 2008 as part of an initiative to encourage competition among Canadian carriers. That’s right, the carrier you now know as Freedom Mobile only took that name when Shaw Communications bought it up back in 2016. As we said, Freedom is the fourth-largest carrier in Canada, boasting a subscriber count of 1.8 million as of August 2020. Part of the name change stems from increasing royalty fees, but it’s tough to argue with a fresh start.

Freedom moved to LTE back in 2017, moving its calls to VoLTE shortly afterward in 2018. Now, the carrier’s network extends through much of southern Canada, with the best coverage in cities like Toronto and Ottawa. You’ll bounce between Freedom, Variable, and Nationwide networks depending on your location, with Freedom as the main network.

Check out even more about your local Freedom Mobile coverage on their map right here.

Post-paid Freedom Mobile plans

Big Gig Unlimited

If you want unlimited talk and text as well as a large pool of data, then Big Gig Unlimited is the place to be. Not only do you get unlimited talk and text on the core Freedom network, but you’ll also get a healthy cap of high-speed data on top. Once you use up your high-speed data, the Big Gig plan reverts to slower speeds, but you’ll never run out. The Big Gig Unlimited plans start at CA$50 per month.

Big Gig Unlimited is also the way to go if you plan to roam from your home area. It offers unlimited nationwide talk and text, and you can make the most of up to 2GB of Nationwide data. It’s even your best option if you plan to travel to the United States — you can add unlimited incoming and outgoing US calls on a CA$85 per month plan.

Highlights:

• Unlimited talk, text, and data in your home network
• Nationwide roaming access and US access available

Best for:

• Users with larger budgets who want to do it all

Freedom Plan

The Freedom Plan is your best bet if you’re light on your phone usage and you’re looking to save some cash. You can’t opt for unlimited data, but you should have no problem picking your cap and tapping into unlimited text and mostly unlimited talk. Options start at just CA$15 per month, though you’ll need to jump to CA$25 per month for unlimited talk and text.

Just like the Big Gig plans, you can add select extras to your plan when you’re set to travel, or you just need some extra access. Freedom Mobile also lumps Apple Watch and tablet plans with the Freedom Plan, though they only include data rather than talk and text. Options top out at CA$55 per month, but a tablet won’t run you any more than CA$15.

Highlights:

• Very affordable at lower caps
• Plenty of Freedom data, limited Nationwide options

Best for:

• Users with low phone usage looking to save money

Prepaid Freedom Mobile plans

Text

Like many Canadian mobile providers, Freedom keeps things pretty simple with its prepaid plans. The first option, the Text plan, only guarantees unlimited texting throughout Canada. If you need talk or data, you’ll have to pay based on the amount you use. Each minute of talk costs CA$1.50, and each gig of data you burn through will run you CA$15. The plan works well if you’re able to limit your usage, but you might see your bill grow quickly with just a few calls or scrolls through social media.

Highlights:

• Lowest monthly cost
• Unlimited texts throughout Canada

Best for:

• Users who mainly text and want to save money

Talk and Text

If you already know that you’re going to spend plenty of time on the phone, the Talk and Text plan is a better choice. For just CA$5 more per month, you can dial to your heart’s content with unlimited talk and text. You’ll still have to pay per Gig of data used, but it saves you from racking up expensive calls. If you know you’re going to stick around for a while, the Talk and Text plan is one way to lock up a whole year of service for one low rate. You can grab 12 months of service for CA$129, which works out to less than CA$11 per month.

Highlights:

• Annual rate option
• Unlimited talk and text

Best for:

• Users who expect to need a lot of talk and text with reliable Wi-Fi

Text, Talk, and Data

The last Freedom Mobile plan serves as a junior version of the Big Gig plan. It’s the only way to grab talk, text, and data without paying for the expensive per-Gig rates. You won’t get a whole heap of data — just 1.5 or 3GB — but that could potentially save you CA$45 over the cost of the Talk and Text plans. The 3GB plan is also the only prepaid option that offers Freedom Mobile’s fastest Freedom network access. Unfortunately, there’s no annual option for the Talk, Text, and Data plan.

Highlights:

• Small pool of data included
• Limited access to the fastest Freedom network

Best for:

• Users who want talk, text, and data with fewer fees

Which plan is right for you?

If you’re eyeing a move to Freedom Mobile, you’re probably wondering which plan is truly the best. After all, we’ve broken them all down, and it can start to sound like too many numbers. Well, the answer is that the best plan depends on your personal needs. If you don’t need data or don’t need to talk on the phone, it’s very easy to go for a prepaid text plan. However, most people need either one or both of those things, and then it becomes much easier to go for a post-paid plan.

The Big Gig Unlimited plans offer the most access by far, though you’ll pay more for it. You can grab unlimited talk, text, and data, or stick to the lowest tier with per-use calling. Freedom Mobile’s Freedom plans work well, too, if you know that you need more data than the prepaid options can match.

How does Freedom Mobile compare against the competition?

Because Freedom Mobile is an owned division of Shaw Communications, it makes the most sense to compare it to other wholly-owned subsidiaries. With that in mind, we’ll stack Freedom against top options from Bell, Rogers, and Telus to see who comes out on top.

Fido Solutions

While Fido sticks to simplified names compared with Freedom, the general structure should feel familiar. Fido’s data caps are slightly lower than the Big Gig Unlimited line, though it compares fairly well to the Freedom Plan. Most of the challenge comes down to which network you prefer and what you’re expecting in customer service. However, Freedom Mobile uses a mix of Rogers, Telus, and Bell for roaming, so there’s plenty of overlap involved.

Highlights:

• Low prices, decent data caps
• Rogers’ large nationwide network

Virgin Mobile Canada

Owned by Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile takes a simple when it comes to plans. Everything is built for the millennial subscriber, right down to the MyBenefits and MyPeeps perks. MyBenefits allows you to rack up discounts and benefits on food, clothing, and more, while MyPeeps is all about you and your friends. You can set up multiple lines of service on the same bill, and you’ll get unlimited calling between them all.

Highlights:

• MyBenefits and MyPeeps perks
• Similar prices, slightly larger network

Koodo Mobile

Over in the Telus umbrella, Koodo Mobile operates as yet another MVNO sibling. We call it a sibling since it follows essentially the same midrange, millennial-focused structure as Fido, Freedom, and Virgin Mobile. You’ll find solid customer service, and Telus and Bell actually rely on the same LTE network for coverage. Your best perk is the shock-free data, which means that Koodo will send you helpful reminders as you get closer and closer to your data cap.

As for Koodo’s plans, there are two main ways to price out your service. You can save some money by bringing your own device, or you can pay into your Tab, which is essentially a piggy bank for buying new devices after a certain period of time. If you don’t upgrade often, then you can pay into a small Tab, or you can really pour some funds in there to get ready for a flagship release.

Highlights:

• Same LTE network as Virgin Mobile
• Tab helps you save up for a new phone

Want a full-service alternative to Freedom Mobile?

We’ve already compared Freedom Mobile to top MVNOs, but what if you want the full-size experience? If you want even more options and coverage, then it might be even easier to go for one of Canada’s largest providers. In this case, we’ve chosen Rogers, Bell, and Telus because each is the owner of one of our popular MVNO picks. Let’s see what each has to offer.

Rogers Wireless

Rogers is the way to go if you want service almost everywhere. It’s also the parent company to competitor Fido Solutions. You can take advantage of Canada’s largest 5G network, and you can even get a free tablet over the course of a two-year agreement. Even better, Rogers Infinite offers a large pool of sharable data at reasonable prices, and you can save an extra CA$15 per line every time you add a device.

Bell Mobility

If you’re looking at Bell, the first thing you might notice is that it offers a ton of plans. You can go Unlimited or choose to Connect Everything, and then there are even promotional plans on top of that. Depending on what you choose, you’ll either get unlimited access to Canada’s fastest 5G network, or you’ll get a nice pool of data to share between your accounts. Bell also offers a long list of connected device plans so you can connect your whole house to the internet.

Telus Mobility

The last competitor to consider is Telus Mobility. Like we mentioned with Koodo, it shares the same nationwide LTE network as Bell, so you at least know that you’re getting great service. All plans also include unlimited talk and text, so it really comes down to how much you want to share your data. If you go for either Peace of Mind or Peace of Mind Connect, you’re pretty much able to keep your data to yourself and your own devices. However, if you head for the Simple Share plan, you can split a pool between your family and friends.

What phones can I use?

Like most other Canadian mobile providers, Freedom has a pretty solid list of available devices. You’ll find pretty much every new flagship available for purchase, including the iPhone 12 family, Galaxy S21 and Note 20 ranges, and the Google Pixel lineup. Freedom Mobile doesn’t just aim for the big spenders, though — you can also find a mix of mid-range Galaxy A devices and affordable alternatives from LG and Motorola.

See also: Best phone deals

If you don’t want to cough up the funds for a brand-new device, you can always opt to bring your own. Freedom Mobile relies primarily on LTE and HSPA Plus for band support, so you’ll have to make sure that your phone is properly equipped. You can check here for bring your own device support, or hit the table below for a full breakdown of Freedom Mobile’s bands.