Freedom Mobile vs Fizz (2026): Which Cheap Carrier Actually Wins?

Start with the fact nobody advertises: Freedom Mobile and Fizz are the same company. Freedom’s own website is copyrighted “Videotron Ltd., doing business as Freedom Mobile,” and Fizz is Videotron’s other discount brand. So this isn’t Coke vs Pepsi. It’s two labels on one Quebecor-owned network, and choosing between them comes down to your province, your tolerance for 4G, and whether you want rollover data or included US-Mexico roaming.

The short answer

In Quebec, it’s Fizz or nothing — Freedom doesn’t sell there at all, because Quebecor sells Videotron instead. In Ontario, BC, Alberta and Manitoba you can buy either, and Freedom generally wins on data per dollar and on roaming, while Fizz wins on the lowest possible bill and on data rollover. In Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada, neither is an option — look at Public Mobile instead.

Current plans

Where each one actually sells

This is the first filter, and it eliminates most of the country.

Freedom sells in four provinces — AB, BC, MB, ON — and not in Quebec. Fizz adds Quebec and stops there. Between them, Quebecor’s discount brands cover five provinces and skip eight provinces and territories entirely.

Network: the same towers, mostly

Videotron acquired Freedom Mobile in April 2023 and now runs both brands. In practice that means:

• In Quebec, Fizz rides Videotron’s own network — the strongest thing Quebecor owns, built out over years in its home market.
• In Ontario, BC, Alberta and Manitoba, Fizz and Freedom draw on the same Freedom infrastructure, topped up with roaming onto incumbent networks where Freedom’s own signal runs out. Quebecor’s own reporting describes the two brands expanding their service areas together — including into Manitoba — under the CRTC’s MVNO framework.

So outside Quebec, “which network is better” is largely the wrong question; they’re the same coverage footprint. The real question is what each brand sells you on top of it. Freedom advertises 5G+ access on every monthly plan and coast-to-coast coverage it says reaches 99% of Canadians — a figure that leans heavily on roaming, not on Freedom-owned towers. Freedom’s own network is an urban network. If you regularly drive rural highways, that matters more than the $5 gap between these two brands, and Public Mobile on the Telus network is the safer buy.

One clear technical difference: in Manitoba, Fizz is 4G only. With the region set to Manitoba, fizz.ca offers no 5G option and never mentions it, where an Ontario shopper gets an explicit 4G/5G toggle. Freedom sells 5G in Manitoba. If you’re a Manitoban comparing a Fizz price against a Freedom price, you are not comparing like with like.

Where Freedom wins

• Canada-US-Mexico data is built in. Freedom’s Total Freedom plans include US and Mexico usage at no extra cost, plus a recurring Roam Beyond allowance usable in 120+ destinations. If you cross the border even twice a year, this is worth more than a few dollars of monthly savings.
• More data at the mid-tier. Freedom’s entry-value tier costs $40/mo^† and is competitive everywhere it sells. The same $40/mo^† buys 125GB in Alberta and 100GB in Manitoba — more than Fizz’s tracked tier at a comparable price.
• The Price Freeze Promise. Freedom commits to holding your plan price rather than raising it annually. Fizz has no equivalent commitment.
• 5G in every market it serves, including Manitoba.

Where Fizz wins

• The floor is lower. Fizz’s ladder starts well below Freedom’s cheapest monthly plan — it sells talk-and-text-only and small-data tiers that Freedom simply doesn’t offer. If you use 2GB a month, Freedom has nothing for you and Fizz does.
• Data rollover. Unused data carries into the next month. Freedom’s doesn’t. If your usage swings between 5GB and 40GB, that’s real money.
• It sells in Quebec. Freedom doesn’t. For most of Quebec this comparison ends here.
• My Rewards. Perks that grow the longer you stay, plus referral credits.

The catches that apply to both

1. Advertised prices are discounted prices. Freedom’s tiers assume its Digital Discount, and most assume an ongoing monthly credit on top. Fizz’s headline numbers frequently reflect a limited-time “Discovery” promotional discount. Miss the condition — or let the promo window close — and the number you signed up for isn’t the number you pay.
2. Freedom prices the same tier differently by province. $40 does not buy the same data in Toronto as it does in Calgary. Always shop with your own province selected; a national roundup can only tell you the floor.
3. Neither has a real support channel. Fizz is app-and-forum only. Freedom has stores, but its cheapest pricing is online-only and tied to digital billing.
4. Both are urban-first outside Quebec. Check your home address, your workplace, and your commute on the coverage map before you port a number.

Money-saving angle

• Bring your own phone. Both brands are BYOP-friendly, and it sidesteps the in-store device charges the Big 3 introduced this summer — see our device handling fee explainer.
• Switching costs nothing now. The CRTC’s 2026 decision eliminated activation and cancellation fees, so testing a cheap carrier no longer carries a penalty. Details in our CRTC fee ban explainer.
• Don’t buy roaming twice. If you’re on Freedom, US and Mexico data is already in your plan. Buying a travel pass on top is money thrown away.
• Use a Freedom quote as leverage. Even if you don’t switch, a live Freedom or Fizz price is the strongest thing you can bring to a retention call. Our lower-your-phone-bill guide has the script.
• Right-size the data first. Most people over-buy. Run your habits through the data calculator and your bill through the overpaying analyzer.

Who should pick which

• Quebec: Fizz. Freedom isn’t sold there, and Fizz on Videotron’s own network is genuinely strong in-province.
• Ontario or BC, moderate-to-heavy data, any cross-border travel: Freedom. Included US-Mexico data and the Price Freeze Promise decide it.
• Alberta: Freedom, comfortably — $40 buys 125GB there, more than either brand offers in most markets.
• Manitoba: Freedom if you want 5G. Fizz only if you’re optimising purely for the lowest bill and can live with LTE.
• Light user anywhere Fizz sells: Fizz. Freedom has no answer under $35.
• Rural, or you drive between cities often: neither. Public Mobile on Telus. See our Freedom vs Public Mobile comparison.
• Saskatchewan or Atlantic Canada: neither is available. Start with Public Mobile vs Fizz for context, then Public Mobile.

FAQ

Are Freedom Mobile and Fizz the same company? Effectively, yes. Both are Videotron brands under Quebecor. Videotron completed its acquisition of Freedom Mobile on April 3, 2023, and Freedom’s own website carries the copyright line “Videotron Ltd., doing business as Freedom Mobile.”

Does Fizz use the Freedom Mobile network? In Quebec, no — Fizz runs on Videotron’s own network. Outside Quebec, Fizz and Freedom draw on the same Freedom-side infrastructure plus roaming partners. We could not read this off fizz.ca directly, so treat the outside-Quebec detail as well-supported rather than carrier-confirmed, and check the coverage map for your own address either way.

Which is cheaper, Freedom or Fizz? Fizz, if you compare the cheapest plan each sells — its ladder starts lower and includes tiers Freedom doesn’t offer. Freedom is usually better value per gigabyte once you need real data, and it includes US-Mexico usage that Fizz charges for separately.

Is Freedom Mobile available in Quebec? No. Freedom sells in Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Ontario only. In Quebec, Quebecor sells Videotron and Fizz instead.

Does Fizz have 5G? In most of its markets, yes. Not in Manitoba, where its own site shows no 5G option at all. Freedom sells 5G in every province it serves.

Can I keep my number when switching between them? Yes, and since the CRTC’s June 2026 decision there are no activation or cancellation fees on either side. The only thing that can tie you down is an unpaid device balance.

Last verified

Prices and availability last verified August 28, 2026. Plan prices come from our own tracked dataset and carry their own verification dates in the table above.

Verified today: Freedom’s four-province footprint (AB, BC, MB, ON), its site-wide copyright line “© 2026 Videotron Ltd., doing business as Freedom Mobile,” and Freedom’s February 24, 2026 newsroom release announcing the Total Freedom lineup — the source for pricing starting at $35/mo after digital discount, 5G+ on every monthly plan, Roam Beyond in 120+ destinations, coverage described as reaching 99% of Canadians, and the Price Freeze Promise. Freedom’s per-province plan ladders were verified across both the bring-your-own-phone and get-a-new-phone lineups on August 21, 2026.

Prices update from our database and can change without notice. Always confirm on the carrier’s site before signing up.