Koodo vs Fido vs Virgin Plus vs Public Mobile vs Lucky

Key takeaways

Telus owns Koodo and Public Mobile; Bell owns Virgin Plus and Lucky; Rogers owns Fido and chatr
Fizz and Freedom Mobile belong to Quebecor (Vidéotron)
Prepaid, no credit check: Public Mobile, Lucky, chatr and Koodo prepaid
Postpaid with stores and phone financing: Koodo, Fido and Virgin Plus
Public Mobile gave the most data at $35: 50 GB on 5G

Who owns which brand

Brand	Owner and network	Type	Support
Koodo	Telus	Postpaid and prepaid	Stores, phone, online
Public Mobile	Telus	Prepaid only	Online and community forum
Virgin Plus	Bell	Postpaid	Stores, phone, online
Lucky Mobile	Bell	Prepaid	Retail partners, online
Fido	Rogers	Postpaid	Stores, phone, online
chatr	Rogers	Prepaid	Retail partners, online
Fizz	Vidéotron (Quebecor)	Online plans	Online and community
Freedom Mobile	Quebecor	Postpaid and prepaid	Stores, phone, online

A brand on a parent’s network usually has similar coverage in cities. Speeds and features can differ: for example, the prepaid plans from Lucky, chatr and Koodo were 4G LTE in our snapshot, while Public Mobile’s 50 GB plan was 5G.

Prices on October 5, 2026

Brand	Plans we confirmed on the brand’s site
Public Mobile	$22 / 1 GB, $24 / 5 GB, $28 / 10 GB, $30 / 35 GB (4G), $35 / 50 GB (5G), per 30 days
Koodo prepaid	$21 / 1 GB, $25 / 5 GB, $30 / 15 GB, $35 / 30 GB, $39 / 75 GB, with automatic top-up (less data without)
Koodo postpaid	Bring your own phone: 10 GB plus a free perk from $40 a month
Lucky Mobile	$25 / 5 GB, $30 / 15 GB, $35 / 30 GB with auto top-up (4, 10 and 25 GB without)
chatr	$21 / 1 GB, $25 / 5 GB, $30 / 15 GB, $35 / 30 GB, plus Auto-Pay bonus data; $159 a year for 40 GB
Fido	60 GB for $50 a month; Talk & Text from $25 with automatic payments
Virgin Plus	20 GB for $45 a month ($40 in Ontario until October 13), Autopay credit included, bring your own phone
Fizz	Not confirmed: we could not open Fizz’s plan page

Prices are a snapshot from each carrier’s own website on October 5, 2026, before tax. Many offers change every few weeks, and several promotions on this list were set to end on October 5. Always confirm the price, the data amount and the conditions on the carrier’s site before you sign up. We do not accept payment for rankings.

Koodo vs Public Mobile (Telus network)

Public Mobile is prepaid only and runs online. It had the best data-per-dollar in our snapshot, and eSIM is free. Support is mostly through an online community, which can be harder if you are new or prefer to talk to someone.

Koodo has stores, phone financing (called Tab) and postpaid plans, plus a prepaid line. A physical SIM costs $15. Choose Koodo if you want in-person help or to buy a phone; choose Public Mobile if you want the lowest price and are comfortable online.

Virgin Plus vs Lucky Mobile (Bell network)

Virgin Plus is postpaid with stores and phone payment plans. On phone offers it listed a one-time $40 device handling charge, the same kind of charge the CRTC is reviewing at Bell. Lucky Mobile is prepaid, 4G LTE only, with a $10 physical SIM (eSIM free). After you use your data, Lucky slows your speed to 128 kbps instead of charging overage.

Fido vs chatr (Rogers network)

Fido is postpaid with stores, travel passes (from $3 a day to 180+ destinations) and phone financing. Its 60 GB for $50 offer is close to what Koodo and Virgin Plus charge for less data. chatr is prepaid and 4G, with no credit check and no contract. Its $159 yearly plan with 40 GB is the cheapest option for light users who are mostly on Wi-Fi. chatr also sells small add-ons, such as 300 minutes to China and Hong Kong for $5.

Fizz and Freedom Mobile

Fizz is Vidéotron’s online brand. It started in Quebec and now sells mobile plans in other provinces too. Plans are managed in an app, with no stores. Check prices on Fizz’s site.

Freedom Mobile is not a flanker of the big three. It is owned by Quebecor and competes on large data plans, such as 175 GB for $50 after the Digital Discount, with roaming in many countries included. See best plans for newcomers.

Which brand should you pick?

No credit history, lowest price: Public Mobile, Lucky or chatr.
Want a store and a person to help you: Koodo, Fido or Virgin Plus.
Want to finance a phone: Koodo, Fido or Virgin Plus (postpaid; a credit check is likely).
Mostly on Wi-Fi: chatr yearly plan, or a 1 GB plan.

Check coverage where you live and work: all of these brands publish coverage maps. Then work out your real cost with tax in the mobile plan cost calculator, or see every tier in cheapest phone plans.

Coverage, speed and support differences

Because flanker brands use their parent’s network, a phone on Koodo or Public Mobile usually gets signal wherever Telus does, and Virgin Plus and Lucky go where Bell does. Differences come from the plan, not the towers:

Speed caps. Some plans are limited to 4G LTE, or to a maximum speed such as “up to 1 Gbps” at Virgin Plus and Koodo.
After your data runs out. Many plans slow you down instead of charging extra. Lucky slows to 128 kbps.
Roaming. Prepaid brands often have limited or no roaming outside Canada. Postpaid brands sell travel passes.
Support. Online-only brands can be slower to fix problems such as a lost SIM.

Before you choose, look up the brand’s coverage map for your home, work and school, and ask friends which network works best in your building.

Switching between brands

You can move between brands and keep your number. Sign up with the new brand and ask it to transfer your number; do not cancel the old plan first. Moving between two brands of the same parent (for example chatr to Fido) can be quick, but it is still treated as a new account. Since June 12, 2026, providers may not charge activation fees, and the old provider may not charge a cancellation fee unless you had a subsidized phone. See the activation fee ban.

Common questions

Which network does Public Mobile use?

Telus. Public Mobile and Koodo are both Telus brands.

Is Lucky Mobile the same as Bell?

Lucky Mobile is owned by Bell and uses Bell’s network. Its plans were 4G LTE only in October 2026.

Who owns Fido and chatr?

Rogers owns both. Fido is postpaid; chatr is prepaid.

Is Fizz available outside Quebec?

Fizz, owned by Vidéotron, now sells mobile plans in other provinces as well. Check its website for your area and current prices.

Are flanker brands slower than the big carriers?

Some are. In our October 2026 snapshot, the prepaid plans at Lucky, chatr and Koodo were 4G LTE, while the big three and Public Mobile’s 50 GB plan offered 5G.

Sources

Checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Koodo vs Fido vs Virgin Plus vs Public Mobile vs Lucky vs chatr vs Fizz