Here’s everything you need to know about Google’s Project Fi

Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T may get the most attention of the U.S.’s smartphone carriers, but they aren’t the only game in town. In 2015, Google launched Project Fi, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) compatible with the internet search giant’s Nexus– and Pixel-branded smartphones. Just like the incumbents with which it competes, Project Fi offers data, voice, and texting service for a flat rate, and boasts a robust network that reaches most of the contiguous U.S. But that’s where the similarities end.

Project Fi is one of the only carriers in the U.S. to refund you for the data you don’t use, meaning that if you churn through 3.5GB data in one month on a 4GB plan, you’ll get credited the remaining 0.5GB. Fi’s network relies on a combination of U.S. Cellular, T-Mobile, and Sprint’s network for coverage, and compatible phones switch between the three depending on network congestion and signal strength.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Project Fi is, as the name implies, an ongoing experiment, and it’s constantly being improved with new benefits and features. Here’s everything you need to know about Project Fi, including plan pricing, phones compatible with Project Fi, and more.

Project Fi phones and tablets

Carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile offer a broad swatch of smartphones and tablets from which to choose, but Project Fi is a bit different. Because its network-switching technology requires special software and wireless radios, not every phone qualifies as “fully compatible.” As of now, the (very exclusive) group of Project Fi-certified phones includes Google’s Nexus and Pixel lines. Google says it’ll add more phones in the near future, but right now, there’s not much choice.

Here’s a full list of phones compatible with Project Fi:

• Pixel XL
• Pixel
• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6P
• Nexus 6

Project Fi phones also take advantage of Wi-Fi Assistant, a background service that automatically connects to “more than a million” public hotspots. It’s a seamless transition between the networks — calls aren’t interrupted when the phone switches from cellular to Wi-Fi — and the connection is secured through a virtual private network that routes traffic through Google’s servers.

Fi works with more than just smartphones, but it’s not quite the same experience. A data-only SIM that lacks calling and texting features works on select iPad models and Android tablets, but only a handful as Project Fi users can add up to nine data-only SIMs to a single plan.

Here’s a full list of tablets and iPads compatible with Project Fi:

• Nexus 7 (with a nano SIM to micro SIM adapter)
• Nexus 9
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Mini 4
• iPad Pro
• Galaxy Tab S (with a nano SIM to micro SIM adapter)

Project Fi customers aren’t necessarily restricted to Google’s list of compatible devices. The SIMs work with all devices that (1) are unlocked, (2) have a GSM radio, and (3) work with T-Mobile, but there’s a caveat. Non-compatible phones can’t tap Sprint or U.S. Cellular’s network for coverage, and data-only SIMs can’t route calls and texts across the cellular network.

Project Fi plans

People
Line cost
4G LTE data
Total
1
$20
$20 w/2GB

$40 w/4GB

$80 w/8GB

$40

$60

$100

2
$20 + $15
$20 w/2GB

$40 w/4GB

$80 w/8GB

$55

$75

$115

3
$20 + $15 x 2
$20 w/2GB

$40 w/4GB

$80 w/8GB

 $70

$90

$130

4
 $20 + $15 x 3
$20 w/2GB

$40 w/4GB

$80 w/8GB

 $85

$105

$145

5
 $20 + $15 x 4
$20 w/2GB

$40 w/4GB

$80 w/8GB

 $100

$120

$160

In terms of pure, plain-and-simple pricing, Project Fi definitely isn’t the cheapest prepaid plan on the block. Republic Wireless, for example, offers talk, text, and up to 5GB of 4G LTE data for $50 per month — a whopping $20 per month cheaper than the equivalent Fi plan. Cricket Wireless’s $55 plan has unlimited talk, text, and data. FreedomPop’s 4GB tier starts at $35 per month.

But while Project Fi’s plan isn’t the cheapest, it comes with a lot of perks. Pricing starts at a flat $20 per month for unlimited calls and texting and $10 for 1GB of data, but money for unused data is credited back to the user’s account. Overages result in a charge of $10 per GB used. Fi also doesn’t levy a fee on mobile hotspots — data used while tethering is deducted from a Fi user’s monthly allotment.

Fi’s Group Plans let users add other people to their subscription for an additional $15 per user per month. Group Plans let plan managers view data usage by member, set data notifications, add monthly allowances, and pause members’ data usage. A more recent feature, Group Repay, automatically calculates each of the members’ individual shares of the monthly bill, and allows payments in (1) fixed amounts based on an individual’s total usage, or (2) only for data usage above the standard allotment.

Fi subscribers can use 4G LTE data in more than 135 countries around the world, including Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and more (see Project Fi’s support page for the full list of supported carriers and countries). International data costs a flat $10 per GB — the same rate as Project Fi data in the U.S. — and text messaging is free. Calls start at 20 cents per minute.

Recommendations: 

• Project Fi can be a good deal if you don’t use a lot of data, but if you use more than 4GB of data a month ($60 per month), you might want to consider Sprint’s comparably-priced unlimited data plan ($60 per month), which won’t penalize you for overages.
• Project Fi may technically support phones that work on T-Mobile, but at the cost of U.S. Cellular and Sprint coverage. You’re better off sticking to a handset from Google’s approved list.

The perks of Project Fi:

• Strong service in rural areas.
• Savings for light data users.
• High-speed international data at no extra charge.
• Tethering at no extra charge.

The downsides of Project Fi:

• Small number of supported tablets and smartphones.
• Pricier plans than T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon, and some MVNOs, depending on the data allotment.

Phone payment plans

Device
Off-contract price
Pay over 24 months
Pixel – 32GB
$650
$27.04/month for 24 months
Pixel – 128GB
$750
$31.20/month for 24 months
Pixel XL – 32GB
$770
$32.04/month for 24 months
Pixel XL – 128GB
$870
$36.20/month for 24 months

Project Fi-compatible phones tend to be expensive, but there’s an alternative: Monthly installment plans. Fi offers the Pixel and the Pixel XL starting at $27.04 per month and $32.04 per month, respectively. Payments are over a 24 month period, but you can pay off the remainder of your balance at any time.