Free Government Phone Providers Compared
14 major Lifeline carriers, ranked by how much of the country each is licensed to serve. Every one of them is free if you qualify — what differs is the network, the coverage and the handset.
See which ones serve your ZIPRanked by national footprint
Coverage figures come from USAC's public register of approved Lifeline providers. A carrier approved in a state still only serves the ZIP codes it is licensed for, so the last column matters more than the state count.
| # | Provider | Network | Service | States | ZIPs covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TruConnect | T-Mobile | Mobile & home | 44 | 34,113 |
| 2 | SafeLink Wireless | Verizon | Mobile | 43 | 33,988 |
| 3 | Life Wireless | AT&T | Mobile | 41 | 12,132 |
| 4 | Assurance Wireless | T-Mobile | Mobile | 40 | 28,227 |
| 5 | Gen Mobile | T-Mobile and AT&T | Mobile | 39 | 27,866 |
| 6 | AirTalk Wireless | T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon (varies by market) | Mobile | 38 | 30,658 |
| 7 | Access Wireless | T-Mobile | Mobile | 37 | 24,828 |
| 8 | enTouch Wireless | T-Mobile | Mobile | 29 | 10,432 |
| 9 | SafetyNet Wireless | T-Mobile | Mobile | 26 | 6,909 |
| 10 | Frontier Communications | Frontier wireline and fiber | Home | 24 | 4,490 |
| 11 | StandUP Wireless | T-Mobile and Verizon | Mobile | 20 | 3,111 |
| 12 | TAG Mobile | T-Mobile | Mobile & home | 17 | 13,133 |
| 13 | CenturyLink | CenturyLink wireline | Home | 17 | 4,353 |
| 14 | TerraCom Wireless | T-Mobile | Mobile | 12 | 1,138 |
Head-to-head comparisons
The matchups people search for most, each decided on coverage overlap and network rather than marketing claims.
Stop comparing — check what is actually available
Every provider here is free if you qualify. The only question that decides it is which ones are licensed for your ZIP code, and that takes about two minutes to answer.
Check my eligibilityFour questions, about two minutes. Runs entirely in your browser — we do not store your answers or send them anywhere.