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AT&T vs. US Mobile: iPhone 18 Pro Max for 5 lines
For 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max over 36 months, US Mobile's Unlimited Starter beats AT&T's Elite 2.0 by $9,052. The monthly plan price is the single biggest driver of that gap. Both sides are backed by confirmed plan pricing.
US Mobile already bakes taxes and fees into the plan price shown.
AT&T
Elite 2.0 · Buy unlocked (Apple financing)
$111.41/mo per person, 5 lines
$20,053 over 36 months · $557.03/mo household
$647.80/mo for 24 months, then $377.15/mo once the device is paid off.
How we calculate thisUS Mobile
Unlimited Starter · Buy unlocked (Apple financing)
vs. AT&T unlocked (Apple financing) over 36 months
$61.12/mo per person, 5 lines
$10,801–$11,001 over 36 months · $300.02–$305.58/mo household
$395.65/mo for 24 months, then $125.00/mo once the device is paid off.
- Activation fee unconfirmed
Resolves once US Mobile's activation fee is confirmed.
$180 more than your current bill over 36 months — for 5 lines on Unlimited Starter
Plus 5 new phones and setup: $6,301–$6,501, net of trade-in/resale credit.
Plan $25.00/mo + device $54.13/mo + $40.00 upfront − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
US Mobile's per-line activation fee isn't confirmed — shown here as $40.00 (worst case, based on the highest verified activation fee in this dataset); best case assumes $0.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $25.00/mo + device $54.13/mo + $40.00 upfront − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
US Mobile's per-line activation fee isn't confirmed — shown here as $40.00 (worst case, based on the highest verified activation fee in this dataset); best case assumes $0.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $25.00/mo + device $54.13/mo + $40.00 upfront − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
US Mobile's per-line activation fee isn't confirmed — shown here as $40.00 (worst case, based on the highest verified activation fee in this dataset); best case assumes $0.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $25.00/mo + device $54.13/mo + $40.00 upfront − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
US Mobile's per-line activation fee isn't confirmed — shown here as $40.00 (worst case, based on the highest verified activation fee in this dataset); best case assumes $0.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $25.00/mo + device $54.13/mo + $40.00 upfront − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
US Mobile's per-line activation fee isn't confirmed — shown here as $40.00 (worst case, based on the highest verified activation fee in this dataset); best case assumes $0.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Data verified September 10, 2026.
AT&T's provider fee: $5.43/line (PA label; varies by state). US Mobile's provider fee: $0.00/line.
Frequently asked
Which is cheaper for 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max: AT&T or US Mobile?
US Mobile's Unlimited Starter costs $11,001 over 36 months for 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max, $9,052 less than AT&T's Elite 2.0 at $20,053.
What's the effective monthly cost of iPhone 18 Pro Max on AT&T vs. US Mobile?
AT&T works out to $557.03/mo and US Mobile to $305.58/mo, each the 36-month total divided evenly by 36 — not necessarily the bill you'd see in any single month.
Are these AT&T and US Mobile prices confirmed?
AT&T's total is not yet independently verified, and US Mobile's is a computed worst/best estimate, pending a promo or fee confirmation. See the confidence badge on each card, and our methodology page, for what that means.