Freedom Mobile Canada network review

Freedom Mobile was founded in 2008 as Wind Mobile and is one of the most visible discount mobile brands in Canada.

Having said that, it also has pretty limited coverage. Freedom is refreshingly candid about its shortcomings though. The company recognizes it's not perfect, but offers an affordable alternative to the Canadians that can use it.

Their strategy focuses on low rates, flat monthly fees, protection from data overages, and cheap phones and payment plans.

Let's have a look at what you get when you sign up with Freedom Mobile.

Freedom Mobile network

Freedom has been upgrading its LTE network for the last year across Canada.

The company also boasts it's the only Canadian provider to provide coverage in all TTC subway stations in Toronto, with some tunnel coverage as well — so that's great if you're in the biggest city in the country.

That said, a quick Google search will give you a sense of how people feel about the coverage they get. It can be a bit spotty as you leave dense urban areas, though some report better indoor coverage in big cities like Toronto than with Rogers or Bell.

Freedom Mobile plans

Freedom's regular plans can save you some major coin. It's also got occasional special, limited-time offers, too, so it's a good idea to check in from time to time.

A basic talk and text plan gets you 250 minutes of Canada-wide talk, unlimited incoming calls, and unlimited texts to anywhere in Canada and the U.S., all for $25 per month ($20 for a limited time).

For an extra $5 per month, you can bump that up to unlimited Canada-wide calls and get 250MB of data.

For $40, you can make that unlimited global text and get up to 2GB of data.

There are less conventional options too, like a bare-bones $50 plan. Interestingly, it doesn't come with any plain old calling included. Instead, you get 10GB of data, unlimited texting globally, with calls in Canada and the U.S. priced at $0.05 per minute. That seemed weird to me at first, but then I remembered how infrequently people make calls these days. I mostly only make voice calls for work-related interviews (which certainly isn't a universal need), otherwise I text and email (or use any number of web-based apps like Skype, and Google Hangouts). Options like this might make Freedom pretty appealing to some.

If you want that extra data without losing out on calls, no worries. Freedom offers 10GB plus unlimited talk and text in Canada and the U.S. for $60 per month. Bringing the data with your talk and text down to 5GB will run you $50 per month.

Freedom Mobile MyTab phones

Need a new phone? Freedom offers MyTab plans — basically payment plans for new devices. It saves you a few dollars on a phone by upping your monthly phone bill.

Freedom's language is a little misleading, suggesting you can get a free phone with your plan. In reality, there's clearly price tag on each device.

You can get a Samsung Galaxy S9 for "$0" with a MyTab. At least, that's how it's advertised. To get that deal, you actually have to add $20 to your monthly bill, which has to be on a plan that costs $50 or more, for 24 months.

So not only are you locked in for two years, you're also paying an additional $480 for that "free" phone. It's still a huge savings, but it's a little misleading.

Final thoughts

Freedom is an obvious choice if you want to save money on your phone plan, and you're likely to save big if what you're after a lot of data — the bigger providers tend to gouge you on plans with 10GB or more.

Coverage is good by most accounts, but that's still a sticking point for me. If you do a lot of travelling, or even live a little outside of a city center, you may find yourself with service that isn't quite optimal, which could be a deal breaker, depending on your needs.

Freedom Mobile plans are probably good for most urban users in Canada. The combination of price and quality is tough to match. You'll need to decide if it's right for you.

What are your thoughts? Any happy (or angry) Freedom customers want to sound off in the comments?

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