The terms "tethering" and "hotspot" are often used interchangeably. However, there are some differences. Generally tethering refers to the practice of connecting your phone to other devices to share its mobile data. You can tether your phone with a USB cable, Bluetooth, or wirelessly using a Wi-Fi connection.
On the other hand, a mobile hotspot is a portable router that lets you establish a Wi-Fi network virtually anywhere. Often, hotspots use mobile data, but some let you hook up an ethernet cable for a more traditional cable or fiber connection. While you'll find many standalone mobile hotspots, you can also turn your phone into a hotspot.
Let's explore the difference between hotspot and tethering, including a look at the best hotspot plans and best phones for hotspot.
What's the difference between tethering vs. hotspot?
Image: Moe Long | WhistleOut.com
Tethering and hotspots both let you connect to the internet on network-enabled devices like laptops, tablets, portable game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, and other electronics. However, there are some distinctions in hotspot and tethering. For instance, if you're traveling and stuck at an airport terminal or coffee shop without Wi-Fi, you can broadcast an internet signal using cellular data from your phone or another device, like a portable router.
What is tethering?
Tethering is a process that lets you connect a device with internet access like your phone or a portable hotspot to other devices, like a laptop, tablet, Steam Deck, or other gadget. For instance, you can tether your phone to share its mobile internet connection over Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi, or even ethernet. So there's wireless or wired tethering.
What is a hotspot?
A mobile hotspot is a portable router offering a Wi-Fi network that other devices can wirelessly connect to. Most often, hotspots use mobile data—the same 5G or 4G LTE as your phone receives—but some like the TP-Link AC750 instead rely on an ethernet connection. While there are plenty of standalone mobile hotspot devices, you can use your cell phone as a hotspot. In sum, you tether a hotspot to share internet access with other electronics.
How to connect your phone with tethering and as a hotspot
You can easily use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot, wirelessly or by tethering. Here's how to transform your phone into a mobile hotspot (note that these directions might vary slightly based on your phone's manufacturer and software):
- To use your iPhone as a personal hotspot, head to Settings > Personal Hotspot and enable Allow Others to Join.
- For using your Android handset as a portable Wi-Fi router, head to Settings > Connection & sharing > Personal hotspot and toggle on Personal hotspot.
Mobile hotspot vs. Bluetooth tethering
When comparing Bluetooth tethering vs. Wi-Fi hotspots, both options share a wireless network, but one uses Bluetooth whereas the other establishes a Wi-Fi connection. It's essentially accomplishing the same objective—providing mobile data to a network-enabled device—with different methods. Essentially, when comparing Bluetooth tethering vs. hotspot, one used Wi-Fi whereas the other relies on Bluetooth.
Here's how to use Bluetooth tethering to provide internet from your phone to other devices:
- On iPhone: Navigate to Settings > Bluetooth and make sure your iOS device is discoverable. From your laptop, tablet, game console, or another gadget, locate your iPhone in the Bluetooth menu and connect to it.
- With Android: Head to Settings > Connection & sharing > Personal hotspot and toggle on Bluetooth tethering.
USB tethering vs. hotspot
When looking at Bluetooth tethering vs. Wi-Fi hotspot usage, both wirelessly share an internet connection. However, USB tethering lets you use a wired cable to transmit a network signal, usually to just one device at a time:
- In iOS: Hook up your iPhone to your laptop or desktop with a USB cable. If you get a notification asking, "Trust this Computer?" select Trust. Go to your computer's network preferences and select iPhone.
- Over Android: Connect your Android smartphone to your computer with a USB cable, then visit Settings > Connection & sharing > Personal hotspot and enable USB tethering.
Best phone plans with hotspots
If you want to tether your phone, you'll want a cell phone with a mobile hotspot allowance, or at least support. The best overall phone plan with hotspot is US Mobile's Unlimited Premium package. It offers a sizable 50GB of hotspot data, alongside unlimited full-speed priority data. Chances are, most folks won't exceed anything close to 50GB of data while tethering each month. Its generous high-speed hotspot allocation makes US Mobile's Unlimited Premium package one of the best hotspot plans for gaming.
US Mobile Unlimited Premium Plan
| Carrier | US Mobile |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Current Deal | Get this monthly plan for only $39 for 6 months of service using promo code ONLY39 OR $5 off per month for 6 months OR 30 Days FREE Trial |
| Total Price |
$39 per month
|
| View Plan |
We also like Visible Wireless' Visible+ plan. You'll enjoy unlimited hotspot data, but capped at 10Mbps. For reference, 10Mbps is enough to stream Netflix in 1080p high-definition, but not for 4K ultra-high-definition streaming. For people who just want to stream albums on Spotify, watch YouTube videos, and play the occasional game of Diablo III on your Nintendo Switch, Visible+ is a solid choice.
Visible $35 Visible+ Plan
| Carrier | Visible |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Total Price |
$35 per month
Taxes & Fees included
|
| View Plan |
Although it doesn't include a separate hotspot allowance, we recommend Google Fi's Unlimited Premium offering. It allows for unlimited hotspot tethering, although mobile data usage pulls from your total monthly pool. Unlimited Premium provides a buffet of data with no overages or extra fees, but once you exceed 50GB, your data may be deprioritized or slowed down until your next billing cycle. However, Google Fi gives you a free, optional data-only SIM card. So, you can use the data SIM card in a pocket Wi-Fi standalone mobile hotspot.
Google Fi Wireless Unlimited Premium for 1
| Carrier | Google Fi Wireless |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Current Deal | Get 50% off this plan for 12 months when you bring your own Pixel phone and activate a new line on Unlimited Premium plan |
| Total Price |
$32.50 per month
|
| View Plan |
Looking for more plans with hotspot support? Here are most popular plans that allow for phone tethering:
|
#1
|
Visible
$25 Visible Plan
$25.00/mo
Taxes & Fees included
|
|
#2
|
Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$25.00/mo
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
|
#3
|
XFINITY Mobile
Mobile Select Plan
$0.00/mo
(for the first year of service) <br>Regular rate of $30/mo. thereafter
|
|
#4
|
T-Mobile
Essentials Saver
$60.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees NOT included
|
|
#5
|
US Mobile
Unlimited Starter Plan
$25.00/mo
$20/mo. for 6 months; $25/mo. thereafter
|
Best pocket Wi-Fi devices
Although most folks can get by simply using a phone as a hotspot, a standalone portable Wi-Fi router is great for replacing your home internet or connecting to multiple devices on the go. The Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro is the best pocket Wi-Fi device overall, with its 5G mmWave support, Wi-Fi 6E, and international roaming capabilities. We also recommend the Verizon Orbic Speed 5G, T-Mobile 5G Hotspot, and Simple Mobile Moxee.
Best phones for hotspot tethering
The best phone for hotspot tethering is the one you've already got. If you have a recent phone released within the last three years, chances are it already has mobile hotspot capabilities. That said, new phones like the iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S24 offer excellent hotspot tethering features and can transmit data even faster.
For more information, check out our hands-on phone reviews and best-of guides:
Hotspot vs. tethering: FAQs
Does USB tethering use hotspot data?
Yes, USB tethering does use hotspot data since your phone is being used as a mobile hotspot with a hardwired connection transmitting the internet signal.
Do you get charged for using hotspot if you have unlimited data?
If you have unlimited data, you probably won't be charged for using hotspot. Many unlimited data cell phone plans include a dedicated mobile hotspot allowance. However, most unlimited plans that don't have a separate hotspot allocation support tethering. Your usage just pulls from your total data pool. Additionally, overage charges are essentially a thing of the past, with most carriers simply deprioritizing or throttling your data rather than charging you more money or cutting off your data. If you're worried about using lots of mobile data, you can always enable data saver.
Is a mobile hotspot faster than phone tethering?
Tethering with a USB cable can be faster than wireless mobile hotspot connectivity. However, whether a hotspot or tethering is better depends on the cable, phone, and mobile data you're using. For instance, using a USB-C cable on the fastest-possible mmWave 5G, USB tethering is faster than a wireless hotspot. But on a 4G LTE signal with lower bandwidth than 5G, there's little difference between a cable or wire-free hotspot.
Can I use a hotspot instead of home internet?
Yes, you can use a hotspot instead of home internet. However, most phones and even standalone mobile hotspot routers don't let you connect as many devices as a home internet router. Therefore, we recommend 5G home internet from T-Mobile, AT&T, or Verizon if you need wireless internet at your house.
Moe Long
Senior Writer
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