Freedom Mobile

Freedom Mobile is a Canadian cell phone provider that services urban areas in Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia. Offering prepaid and postpaid plans, Freedom Mobile bills itself as an affordable alternative to Canada’s top-tier carriers, also known as the Big Three—Bell, Rogers, and TELUS. It is currently the fourth-largest carrier in the country, and is the only provider outside of the Big Three that owns its network.

Freedom Mobile Coverage

Freedom Mobile has consistent coverage in major metropolitan areas across Alberta, BC, and Ontario. This means that the most populated parts of the provinces are blanketed by Freedom’s network. Although Freedom Mobile’s network covers at least one-third of the population, its network reliability ranks well below competitor networks, such as TELUS. Venturing outside of Freedom’s coverage while in Canada will connect you to a partner’s network, so long as you have roaming enabled.

Domestic Roaming

Keep in mind that data can only be used when you’re within range of Freedom’s network unless you have roaming enabled. If you travel outside of Freedom’s network while in Canada, you’ll be redirected to a partner’s network via Freedom Nationwide. You’ll know whether you’re connected to Freedom or a partner network, as your phone will list “Nationwide” as your network provider if you’re roaming.

While roaming, you will have access to your “Freedom Nationwide” part of your plan, which typically includes fewer capabilities than your main Freedom portion. For example, you may be on a Freedom Unlimited Plan that includes 15GB of data, but you may only have access to 2GB while roaming on a partner network. Every plan is different, so you will have to check the specific details of your Freedom plan.

For more information on where Freedom’s network is available, check the coverage map below.

Freedom Mobile Coverage Map

Freedom Mobile Postpaid Plans

An advantage of signing up for a Freedom Mobile plan is the extensive range of options—there’s pretty much something for everyone.

You have the choice of either a Freedom Plan or an Unlimited Plan with most plans under either category offering unlimited talk and text. The main difference between the two is how much data is included:

• Freedom Plan data: 500MB to 10GB
• Unlimited Plans: 10GB to 30GB.

Moreover, Freedom’s Unlimited plans also include global text, picture, and video messaging, a perk that isn’t offered from any other Canadian carrier. As a result, Freedom Mobile’s Unlimited Plans tend to be more expensive than the Freedom Plans.

Freedom Plans

Unlimited Plans

Freedom Mobile Phones

Freedom Mobile offers a wide variety of phones, including the latest devices by premium brands. Whether you’re interested in purchasing a phone by Apple, Samsung, Google, LG, Motorola, Alcatel, Huawei, or ZTE, Freedom has a vast selection so you can be sure you’ll find the one that’s right for you.

Freedom Mobile also allows you to choose how much you pay for your phone upfront versus in your monthly bill with MyTab Boost. Paying less for your phone upfront means that you will pay a higher monthly rate, while paying more for your device upfront will result in a lower monthly bill.

Absolute $0: Device Payment Plan

Absolute $0 is a payment plan available for certain devices on Freedom Mobile Unlimited Plans. You pay $0 on any new Unlimited Plans upfront, $0 extra monthly, and $0 extra after two years. While you can’t purchase the latest premium devices under this payment plan, you can buy previous-generation premium phones and current mid-tier smartphones. If you’re looking for an affordable way to pay off a cell phone, you may want to consider Absolute $0.

Freedom Mobile Reviews

Unfortunately, Freedom Mobile isn’t very well-renowned for their customer service. According to a 2019 Canada Wireless Customer Care Study by J.D. Power, Freedom Mobile’s customer service falls nine points below the industry average. While this may not seem like a considerable difference, its ranking is significantly lower than industry leaders like Virgin Mobile and Koodo Mobile. It does, however, rank higher than Bell and Rogers, two of Canada’s largest cell phone carriers.

Common complaints about Freedom Mobile are related to lack of coverage outside of major cities, poor reception in areas where their network should be accessible, and substandard customer service. That said, Freedom Mobile offers more affordable plans than the Big Three, so you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons. If you have family members or friends with Freedom Mobile, you might want to ask about their experiences before making a final decision.