I have accounts with both. T-Mobile has "unlimited" for the phone, but for hotspots, there are no unlimited plans (this may not be true anymore; I think if you get the new One plan, and add the $25 international option, it includes unlimited 4G LTE data, even for hotspots). The unlimited plan for phones also de-prioritizes customers that use over a certain amount of data in a month; but it's never the device usage that is a problem for me.
Sprint is similar, only even more restrictive in their "unlimited" plans. After 28GB, they throttle the device. Hotspot usage is severely restricted (2GB in the default "unlimited" plan) unless it is specifically a plan for a hotspot (not a phone acting as a hotspot).
There was no unlimited hotspot plan on any carrier at the time I signed up for all of my plans.
Sprint was the best deal per-GB when I hit the road this time around, so I have a 40GB plan on a hotspot from Sprint, and 16GB from T-Mobile spread across two devices (a hotspot and a phone that can act as a hotspot). I end up using all 56GB most months. Each provider gets about $125/month from me.
T-Mobile further complicates things by offering Binge On, which allows me to watch Netflix without burning as much data (the video itself doesn't use data, but all of the meta data, and browsing Netflix does, so once I'm out of data, it's impossible to actually watch anything, even with Binge On).
Data over 3G/4G is complicated as hell, is what I'm trying to say, and it's going to cost a fortune if it's your primary method of getting on the internet. I need to actually confirm with the T-Mobile folks that the One plan plus the International add-on provides actual unlimited data. If it does, it'll allow me to shrink my Sprint plan by a bunch, and stop running out of data.
Also worth noting: T-Mobile used to have a smaller network than Sprint (so much so that when I was traveling in the past, even though I had a grandfathered in unlimited plan on T-Mobile, that they finally made me switch off of a few years ago, I had a Clear hotspot, as well, to fill in the coverage gaps). But, the reverse is true now. T-Mobile's network is also faster in most locations. With the new bands they've put online, T-Mobile reaches further into out-of-the-way places.
In short, "unlimited" is a lie (or was; T-Mobile may actually have an unlimited data plan, now, though I wouldn't be surprised if it still de-prioritizes heavy users...and if "heavy" means some ridiculously small number like 28GB in a month).
Edit: It used to be possible to use a tethering app on a rooted phone to work around such limits. Both networks detect hotspot usage (somehow), even with a rooted phone.
I have accounts with both. T-Mobile has "unlimited" for the phone, but for hotspots, there are no unlimited plans (this may not be true anymore; I think if you get the new One plan, and add the $25 international option, it includes unlimited 4G LTE data, even for hotspots). The unlimited plan for phones also de-prioritizes customers that use over a certain amount of data in a month; but it's never the device usage that is a problem for me.
Sprint is similar, only even more restrictive in their "unlimited" plans. After 28GB, they throttle the device. Hotspot usage is severely restricted (2GB in the default "unlimited" plan) unless it is specifically a plan for a hotspot (not a phone acting as a hotspot).
There was no unlimited hotspot plan on any carrier at the time I signed up for all of my plans.
Sprint was the best deal per-GB when I hit the road this time around, so I have a 40GB plan on a hotspot from Sprint, and 16GB from T-Mobile spread across two devices (a hotspot and a phone that can act as a hotspot). I end up using all 56GB most months. Each provider gets about $125/month from me.
T-Mobile further complicates things by offering Binge On, which allows me to watch Netflix without burning as much data (the video itself doesn't use data, but all of the meta data, and browsing Netflix does, so once I'm out of data, it's impossible to actually watch anything, even with Binge On).
Data over 3G/4G is complicated as hell, is what I'm trying to say, and it's going to cost a fortune if it's your primary method of getting on the internet. I need to actually confirm with the T-Mobile folks that the One plan plus the International add-on provides actual unlimited data. If it does, it'll allow me to shrink my Sprint plan by a bunch, and stop running out of data.
Also worth noting: T-Mobile used to have a smaller network than Sprint (so much so that when I was traveling in the past, even though I had a grandfathered in unlimited plan on T-Mobile, that they finally made me switch off of a few years ago, I had a Clear hotspot, as well, to fill in the coverage gaps). But, the reverse is true now. T-Mobile's network is also faster in most locations. With the new bands they've put online, T-Mobile reaches further into out-of-the-way places.
In short, "unlimited" is a lie (or was; T-Mobile may actually have an unlimited data plan, now, though I wouldn't be surprised if it still de-prioritizes heavy users...and if "heavy" means some ridiculously small number like 28GB in a month).
Edit: It used to be possible to use a tethering app on a rooted phone to work around such limits. Both networks detect hotspot usage (somehow), even with a rooted phone.