TextNow vs. Helium Mobile: Which Is Right for You?

Helium vs. TextNow: The short answer

Plenty of budget phone carriers offer cheap phone plans that work just as well as options from the big guys. But what’s harder to find is phone service for free — which is what TextNow offers. Helium Mobile, on the other hand, has ended its promise of free service in favor of plans running $15 or $30 a month. 

Both carriers are MVNOs — mobile virtual network operators that piggyback on a major carrier’s network — and are online-only, which lets them keep costs down. They both partner with other brands to offer discounts and promotions as well.

But TextNow is clearly the better choice, offering $0 service that includes some things that Helium now requires paid add-ons to access.

Summary: TextNow vs. Helium Mobile  

Both TextNow and Helium offer a phone number, nationwide phone service, and a choice of data levels. Key differences include:

• TextNow offers a $0 Free plan with unlimited talk & text, plus 1GB data for your most-used apps (email, finance, maps, rideshare, and iHeartRadio). Users can add unlimited data at affordable rates by the day, week, or month — and drop back to the free level at any time without losing service.
• Helium Mobile no longer has free service, instead offering two plans: $15 a month (10GB data) or $30 a month (36GB high-speed data, then unlimited at lower speeds). Parents can add up to six kids plans, starting at $5 a month (3GB data).
• TextNow’s free plan is supported by ads, and through those partnerships, TextNow also provides discounts and free offers from a variety of brands. It also offers TextNow Rewards, letting customers earn points they can use to unlock additional services like number lock-in or number look-up.
• Helium Mobile offers Cloud Points users can earn by using data, referring friends, answering surveys and other actions. They can be redeemed for various offers in its Cloud store after 90 days of service.

TextNow vs. Helium Mobile: Feature comparison

TextNow vs. Helium Mobile: Detailed review

TextNow’s $0 Free plan comes with unlimited talk & text, plus 1GB of data that can be used for email, maps, finance, rideshare (Uber & Lyft) and iHeartRadio. If you use up your allotted 1GB, there are no fees or “re-up” charges, you will simply not have data for those apps for the remainder of the 30-day service cycle. If you want, you can purchase additional data passes by the day ($1.99-$2.99), week ($4.99-$8.99), or month ($18.99-$35.99). You get a free local phone number and can download an eSIM or get a physical SIM card. Once the SIM is activated, you have access to TextNow's nationwide 5G network to use when away from Wi-Fi.

Helium Mobile no longer offers its Zero Plan, having moved to two paid tiers that offer unlimited talk & text in the U.S. The $15 Air plan caps data use at 10GB, with the ability to add more starting at $5 per GB. The $30 Infinity plan offers 36GB high-speed data and then unlimited at slower speeds. With both plans you can purchase add-ons to get international calling and texting, international roaming, or a scam blocker. Helium Mobile offers a free SIM or eSIM, and once activated you can use the T-Mobile 5G network to access service off Wi-Fi.

Experience: TextNow vs. Helium Mobile

TextNow’ provides texting and calling through the TextNow app rather than your phone’s native dialer and messaging app. The app also stores your number and lets you manage your plan, add data if you want, find support, and check out deals and promos.  

The free TextNow service is supported by in-app ads, which you can turn off by subscribing to the Ad-Free+ plan or purchasing a weekly or monthly data pass.

Helium Mobile also has an app, but it’s only used for activating a SIM, keeping track of your voice minutes and texts, managing your reward points in the Cloud store, and upgrading your plan. Otherwise, you use your phone normally. If you need more data, you can purchase add-ons starting at $5 per GB.

Since it moved to paid service only, Helium no longer requires mandatory anonymized location-sharing by users. But during the sign-up, you will be required to pass identity verification, which involves uploading a picture of your government-issued I, as well as a selfie.  

Data plans

TextNow includes 1GB data for select apps in its free service, and lets you add unlimited data in day, week, or month increments.

Helium Mobile's monthly plans have a choice of a capped amount of data or an unlimited plan.

You can see how these plans compare below:  

Coverage

Both carriers use leading nationwide 5G networks for cellular and data coverage. Check the coverage maps found on the companies' websites directly if you’re unsure about strength of coverage in your location.  

Reliability

Most customers report confidence in their phones working while out and about, being able to complete tasks without lagging or lack of service.  

Data speeds

This is where the two differ. TextNow’s Free Flex Plan only allows up to 75 Mbps, whereas the Helium Mobile plans provide up to 418 Mbps. An important distinction to make here is that TextNow’s Free plan only allows data for email, maps, finance (Venmo, select banking apps), rideshare, iHeartRadio, and its own app. None of those apps require high speeds for function, so their small limit makes sense. The TextNow Data Pass add-ons include high-speed data.

Helium Mobile's data plans offer a set amount of high-speed data as well, with the option to add more for a relatively expensive $5 per GB.

Note that for both providers, any additional data you purchased does not roll over to the next service period.

Customer support

Both carriers offer customer support online via a support page with helpful articles and tips, and live chat.  

TextNow’s live representatives are available 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Eastern, seven days a week. Helium Mobile’s Terms & Conditions say live representatives are available "during normal business hours" but do not defined that.  

TextNow’s live chat support is AI-powered, with an AI bot speaking with you originally, before it gets transferred to a live representative if the problem isn’t solved. I also found that I could just type in “speak to a real human,” and be given the option to wait for an agent right away.  

Helium Mobile’s live chat support is also AI-powered, with common support FAQs. However, it appears live chat is through the app only, not the website. It also offers an email address for seeking help.

Recap: Which carrier is better?

TextNow still offers truly free phone service, using ads to save you money by providing you with deals and offers from leading brands. There is no complicated process for signing up, it takes is an email address to create an account. You only need to enter credit card information if you order a physical SIM card so your phone can access the network off of Wi-Fi — but compatible iOS and Android devices can get a free eSIM. Otherwise, once activated, you just use your phone without any hidden requirements.  

Helium Mobile, on the other hand, no longer offers free service, instead charging $15 or $30 monthly (plus taxes and fees). While that seems in line with other low-cost phone plans at first glance, you'll need to pay for expensive add-ons to get things other providers include, such as calls or text outside the U.S.

If you’re looking to save money by switching to a free phone plan, TextNow is the better choice.

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