Net10 phones come with 300 to 600 free minutes when you activate them. The Net10 phones that show a phone card with them will come with 300 activation minutes and also you will get the minutes and service time from the Net10 card shown. Tracfone phones normally only come with 20 free minutes. Many Tracfones come with DMFL already included. I would try to purchase a Tracphone with DMFL.

Monthly Minimum Charge

The minimum you can keep a Tracfone in service for as little as $6.66 per month. It will cost at least $15 every thirty days to keep your Net10 phone service. This is a lot less than the $45 a month for most contract phones.

Pictures of the LG 200c and the Samsung R451c

Cost per Minute

Net10 minutes will cost 10 cents. You can only get Net10 minutes for less than 10 cents if you purchase them in $400 chunks.

Tracfone Minutes will cost between 33 cents each and 6.6 cents. Check out how to get Tracfone Minutes for 6.6 cents each at Best Yearly Cell Phone Plan.

Texting Costs with Net10 vs Tracfone

Net10 texts will cost you 5 cents to send and receive. Tracfone texts will cost you .3 units so if you are buying 33 cent minutes it will be 11 cents to receive and send and if you are buying 6.6 cent minutes it will be 2.2 cents per text. Net10 has just released the Samsung R451c and the Samsung 401g which only charge 3.3 cents per text.

Tracfone DMFL

Tracfone has the DMFL (Double Minutes for Life) option to make their minutes competitive in price with Net10. Do not add minutes to a Tracfone that does not have DMFL installed. For a full explanation check out Tracfone vs Tracfone DMFL.

Various Phone Prices with Net10 vs Tracfone Prepaid

You can purchase Tracfone phones for as little as $9.99. Net10 phones start at $20 but remember you get $30 in free minutes with your Net10 phone purchase. You almost always get the Net10 phone for less than the Tracfone phone after buying matching minutes from Tracfone. Tracfones must have DMFL installed to be comparable to Net10 prices also.

Nicer Phone Availability

Net10 is offering some nicer Qwerty Keyboard phones and Tracfone does not. Usually Net10 has phones with more features available.

Tracfone Yearly Plan

The Tracfone yearly plan that gives you 3,000 minutes on DMFL phones for $200. This is the most minutes per dollar than you can get with Tracfone or Net10. Check out more information on Tracfone Annual Plans. For many people the 6.6 cents a minute $200 yearly Tracfone plan will work well.

Normal Minute Purchases

If you normally buy $30 cards and get 300 minutes and two months of service with Net10 you can purchase $40 cards with Tracfone and DMFL and pay 10 cents a minute and get three months of service. If you buy the $20 Tracfone card you will pay 17.5 cents a minute with DMFL or 33 cents a minute without DMFL.

Summary of Net10 vs Tracfone

Net10 phones are usually cheaper to purchase when you figure in the 300 minutes. If you buy in large chunks Tracfone minutes are cheaper. You can get nicer phones with Net10.

Buy your Net10 Phone at Net10.com and use Net10 Purchase Discount Code 34567 .

Buy your Tracfone at Tracfone.com to get the best price and selection. Be sure to use Tracfone Purchase code 23444.

Benefits of Net vs Tracfone

Both Net10 and Tracfone phones will roam onto different networks without a roaming charge. You will get better cell phone coverage with Net10 and Tracfone than any other prepaid cell phone.

Both Net10 and Tracfone have phones available in every zip code in the US.

No credit check required with Net10 or Tracfone.

Neither Net10 or Tracfone has an activation fee and neither has a reactivation fee if you run out of service time or use all of your minutes.

You can transfer your current phone number to Tracfone or Net10.

Magic Jack is a new Voip phone service provider. Check out this Magic Jack Voip Review.

How can I use my Tracfone as a Pager and how much would this cost?

Text messaging has become very popular with both kids and Adults what does Tracfone Text Messaging cost?

Tracfone and Net10 are two of the largest Prepaid phone providers in the US.  They are actually the same company but they have different pricing strategies.  Here is a simple comparison.

Tracfone Advantages

• The Phones can be very inexpensive
• You can call Mexico for the same price as calling in the US.
• DMFL card will double all minute cards you put on your phone.
• If you buy the 1500 minute card for $200 and you have DMFL you will get 3000 minutes for $200 or 6.6 cents a minute.
• You can spend as little as $6.67 per month to keep your phone active.

Net 10 Advantages

• The Phones always come with 300 minutes and two months service on activation
• The minutes are always 10 cents or less.
• The phones are very inexpensive (or Free) when you account for the 300 minutes you get on activation.
• Their phones will roam without having to pay extra.
• The top of the line phones from Net10 are cheaper than Tracfone.
• The top of the line Net10 phones are nicer than Tracfones.
• Remember to subtract $35 from the price of a Net10 phone to compensate for the 300 minutes included with the phone.

Tracfone Disadvantages

• The minutes can be very expensive if you buy $20 cards and do not have DMFL.
• Minutes are more expensive with Tracfone unless you spend $80 for three months and you have DMFL on your phone.

Net 10 Disadvantages

• You will spend at least $15 a month to keep your phone active.

Summary Tracfone vs Net10 Prepaid Cell Phones

If you only use your phone for emergencies then Tracfone is the best deal at $6.66 per month including 20 to 40 minutes per month.

If you will use your phone more than 30 minutes a month then you are probably better off with a Net10 phone at $15 a month including 150 minutes per month.

If you want to buy your minutes in $30 chunks Net10 is a better deal.

If you purchase minutes in $200 chunks you will get more minutes per dollar with Tracfone.

My Summary Opinion

Buy the Net10 phone because they are very simple and even at $15 a month it is really cheap to own and use. If you know that the user will almost never use the phone Tracfone is cheaper to keep active.

The first Net10 Purchase Discount Code is 34567 and will save you $3 on any 19.99 or larger Phone purchase.

When Buying a Tracfone or Net 10 Phone

If you are comparing prices remember that Net 10 phones come with 300 minutes so subtract $35 from the price of the Net10 phone to compare prices.

Adding Tracfone and Net 10 Minutes

It is really easy to add either Tracfone or Net10 minutes online.  There are often purchase codes or discount codes from Tracfone  Bonus Codes.

The Tracfone Purchase code is 23444 and will get you $3 off any $19.99 or larger phone purchase.

I have found this link to Net10 Purchase discount Codes.