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Understanding the options available to you when choosing a new mobile carrier is definitely an important part of the decision-making process.
In this comparison, we place 3 entry-level or discount carriers side by side to help you decide which carrier will best suit your needs.
We’ll compare Lucky Mobile, Public Mobile and Chatr Mobile.
Overview
| Lucky Mobile | Public Mobile | Chatr Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepaid | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit Checks | No | No | No |
| Contracts | No | No | No |
| Sim Card Fee | $10 | $10 | $10 |
| Phone Support | Yes | No | Yes, processing fees may apply |
| Parent Company | Bell | Telus | Rogers |
Coverage & Network
Since all 3 of these carriers run on large, well-built out networks, overall coverage is strong nationwide, comparable and in a high-level view, almost equal.
Coverage will differ individual by individual, based on exactly where you are, if you spend majority of your time on the ground floor of your home or the basement, or high up in an office building or condo.
We suggest you look at the coverage maps on the carrier websites to see exactly what the coverage is in the areas in which you spend most of your time: Lucky Mobile Coverage Map, Public Mobile Coverage Map, Chatr Mobile Coverage Map.
If you are bringing your own device, you’ll want to know the frequencies each of these carriers operates on and ensure the phone you’re bringing is able to operate on one of these frequencies along with being unlocked.
| Lucky Mobile | Public Mobile | Chatr Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSPA | 850 MHz/1900 MHz | 850 MHz/1900 MHz | 850 MHz/1900 MHz |
| LTE | 1700 MHz (AWS) | 1700/2100 MHz (AWS) | – |
| LTE Advanced (LTE-a) | 700 MHz | 2600 MHz and 700 MHz | – |
Phones
Since all 3 of these carriers are discount carriers, they do not carry the latest high-end smartphones.
Public Mobile actually carries no phones.
Lucky and Chatr offer entry-level devices from a variety of brands.
This doesn’t mean that high-end smartphones won’t work, most will (phone by phone basis based on above network frequencies) however the target market these carriers are appealing to aren’t looking to spend tons of money on a phone along with the fact that these carriers do not have contracts or ‘tabs’.
Below are the brands that these carriers currently carry.
Alternatively, you can purchase a used phone to use on any of these networks.
All iPhones for example will work, so even older models are fine to use.
Plans
Below we’ll compare 5 different types of plans across all 3 carriers that will cover most types of users.
This should help you get a side by side view of the differences in price for the same or very similar offering from each carrier.
Please note the below plan prices may vary in Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Cheapest Plans
All 3 have removed their super cheap $10 plans.
| Lucky Mobile | Public Mobile | Chatr Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $15 per month | $15 per month | $15 per month |
| Talk | 100 Minutes Canada Wide | 100 Minutes Canada Wide | 100 Minutes Canada Wide & Unlimited Incoming Calls |
| Text | Unlimited International Text | Unlimited International Text & Picture | Unlimited International Text |
| Data | Data bonus of 250 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 250 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up |
| Features | Voicemail & Call Display | Voicemail & Call Display | Call Display included however $0.40 per minute to retrieve Voicemail |
Plans with lots of talk & text
These plans have tons of talk and text included however they don’t have a lot of data so it’s good for those that are in places where wifi is usually available.
| Lucky Mobile | Public Mobile | Chatr Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $25 per month | $25 per month | $25 per month |
| Talk | Unlimited Canada Wide | Unlimited Canada Wide | Unlimited Canada Wide |
| Text | Unlimited Canada Wide & International | Unlimited Canada Wide & International | >Unlimited Canada Wide & International |
| Data | 500 MB at 3G | 500 MB at 3G | None |
| Features | Voicemail & Caller ID | Voicemail & Caller ID | Voicemail & Caller ID |
| Note | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up |
Plans with lots of Data
These plans feature the highest amount of data possible for those who like to browse while they are out or commuting and there is no access to wifi.
| Lucky Mobile | Public Mobile | Chatr Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $50 per month | $50 per month | $50 per month |
| Talk | Unlimited Canada & US | Unlimited Canada & US | Unlimited Canada & US |
| Text | Unlimited Canada & International | Unlimited Canada & International Text & Picture | Unlimited Canada & International |
| Data | 8 GB at 3G speed | 8 GB at 3G speed | 8 GB at 3G speed |
| Features | Voicemail & Caller ID | Voicemail & Caller ID | Voicemail & Caller ID |
| Note | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up |
Best Overall Value Plans
Editor’s Picks: The plans that provide a combination of talk, text and data at a reasonable price.
| Lucky Mobile | Public Mobile | Chatr Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $40 per month | $40 per month | $40 per month |
| Talk | Unlimited Canada Wide | Unlimited Canada Wide | Unlimited Canada Wide |
| Text | Unlimited Canada & International | Unlimited Canada & International Text & Picture Messaging | Unlimited Canada & International |
| Data | 4.5 GB at 3G speed | 4.5 GB at 3G speed | 4 GB at 3G speed |
| Features | Voicemail & Caller ID | Voicemail & Caller ID | Voicemail & Caller ID |
| Note | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up | Data bonus of 500 MB with auto top-up |
Similarities
Pricing is very competitive with one another almost exactly the same as per our review in April 2019 – In late 2018, Lucky Mobile and Chatr Mobile have gotten rid of their ‘Zone’ plans – After doing this, their plans align very closely to what Public Mobile was offering so all 3 carriers now have plan tiers that are almost identical.
Network coverage is good for all 3
No contracts
No credit checks
Bring your own phone
Differences
While we haven’t outlined them above, Public Mobile is the only one from the 3 that offers 4G LTE data service, so if the primary function of your phone is to use the Internet, especially for things like streaming video, you may want to look at their plans with 4G data – it’s obviously more expensive
Update: Public Mobile no longer offers 4G service on their talk and text plans.
Public Mobile does not offer phone support, so if you need to speak to someone to assist you, that’s not possible
Public Mobile does not sell any phones so you have no choice but to bring your own
Public Mobile does not have the ‘zones’ concept, while Lucky and Chatr do
Recommendation
There are definitely pros and cons to each carrier. Here is what you need to know.
Lucky Mobile
- Overall, plans are priced reasonably, however the real win with Lucky are there International Talk Add-Ons. If you’re going to be calling back home quite a bit, Lucky seems to have the best long distance rates out of the carriers in this comparison.
They have in-zone plans but also Province/Canada plans, be sure to think this through before picking an in-zone plan.- For more details, you can check out our full Lucky Mobile Review
Public Mobile
- Ability to build your own plan – Although we didn’t cover it in this comparison, Public Mobile lets you build your own plan and pick exactly what you want it. Details here.
- They offer a 4G LTE data only plan, so if you want to have fast connectivity only with no talk and text, this plan may be useful.
- They offer 4 ways to save, ways to actually bring your monthly phone bill down, so if you’re going to take advantage of them then this may be a deciding factor for you.
- There’s no phone support – as long as your good with online support, Public will work for you.
- For more details, you can check out our full Public Mobile Review
Chatr Mobile
- Plans are priced reasonably,
however Chatr is only available in certain zone cities, list here If you’re a keen data user, you need to know that data is ONLY available in-zoneThe ‘zones’ no longer exist and you can now use your data province wide or nationwide depending on the plan- For more details, you can check out our full Chatr Mobile Review
FAQs
Does Public Mobile have good reception?
Public Mobile is a prepaid cellular service provider in Canada. It operates on the Rogers Wireless network, which has good coverage in most parts of the country. That said, there are some areas where reception may be spotty. If you’re planning on moving to an area with poor coverage, it’s best to check with Public Mobile beforehand to see if they have any plans to expand their service in that area. In general, though, their reception is good.
Is Lucky better than Chatr?
When it comes to cell phone service providers, there are many options to choose from. Lucky and Chatr are two of the most popular providers in Canada. Both have their pros and cons, so it can be difficult to decide which is the best for you.
Lucky offers lower rates than Chatr, but their coverage is not as good. If you live in a rural area or an area with poor reception, Chatr may be a better choice. Lucky also offers unlimited talk and text plans, while Chatr has a limited amount of texts that can be sent each month.
Chatr also has some benefits over Lucky. They offer family plans that include more than one line, and they have a larger selection of phones to choose from. Their customer service is also considered to be better than Lucky’s.
Is Lucky Mobile the same as Public Mobile?
Yes, Lucky Mobile is the same as Public Mobile. Lucky Mobile is owned by the same company that owns Public Mobile. Both Lucky Mobile and Public Mobile offer prepaid phone plans in Canada.
Is Public Mobile slow?
Public Mobile is one of Canada’s smaller wireless carriers. It has been criticized by some for being slow, but is that really the case?
To test this, we did a speed test on two phones – an iPhone 6s and a Samsung Galaxy S7 – using the Ookla Speedtest app. We tested both phones in different areas of Toronto, including downtown, midtown, and the suburbs.
The results were surprising. While Public Mobile was noticeably slower than the major carriers in downtown Toronto, it was just as fast – or even faster – in the suburbs. In fact, in some cases, it was even faster than Rogers and Bell.
So is Public Mobile slow? In general, no. But it can be a bit slower than the big guys in downtown areas.
Whose towers does Public Mobile use?
Public Mobile, a Canadian telecommunications company, uses the towers of other major carriers in Canada. Bell and Telus are the two largest providers of mobile service in Canada, and both companies have towers in locations where Public Mobile does not. Rogers is also a major player in the Canadian market, with towers in locations where Public Mobile does not have service.