Getting the right cell phone family data plan matters. If you’ve got kids, then you know how much those little munchkins love Nickelodeon or their daily dose of Cartoon Network. Do they use 3G on their phones in school for texting, gaming, or just plain goofing around a bit for fun? The right cell phone family data plan can make sure you don’t burn a hole in your pocket.

A good cell phone data plan for the family should at least allow sufficient data usage for a family of four. It comes with unlimited calling, texting, and no caps on data usage.

Of course, these are the best of the best we are talking about. For you and your family’s convenience, here are the popular two cell phone data plans in the market right now. Keep in mind that these plans do not include taxes, insurance, fees, and the price of the phone.

Cricket Basic With Group Save:  The Cricket Basic With Group Save plan comes with a monthly limit of three gigabytes of data per line. A fifth line can be added and the plan is very affordably priced at $100 a month. This plan is ideal for a family of four.

A fifth line can be added at no additional cost. The fifth line is also packed with 3 GB of data making it convenient for buyers of this plan. There is a total of four lines in general with 3GB of data in each. That makes it 12 GB of data for $100 only. It is a deal you can’t get anywhere else in the market for your family. Additionally, you get unlimited calling minutes and there’s no cap on the number of text messages you can send, which makes the plan pretty useful. Cricket’s plan is pre-paid and the carrier is owned by AT&T and uses their network. There’s a $25 in-store activation fee for first-time customers opting their plan.

Sprint better choice:  One of the best wireless plans in the market, Sprint’s Better Choice plan includes 12 GB of data for a family of four. Although a bit on the pricey side, Sprint offers an automated discount of up to $5 for every member of the family. The plan originally costs $160 but with the automated discount when considering a four-model family comes down to $140 making it a steal deal. Like Cricket’s plan, Sprint also offers unlimited text messaging facilities, and there are no bars on the calling minutes per user. Sprint charges a $30 activation fee for every line. This plan is ideal for those looking for something cheap but not unlimited data in the process.