While we increasingly rely on smartphones and tablets in every moment of our daily lives, slow Wi-Fi and mobile Internet dead zones are more than a minor annoyance, they can spell frequent interruptions and lost productivity. At the same time, carriers impose restrictive data caps that make enjoying streaming movies and music impossible without worrying about overage charges.

Of course, as with any pervasive problem, there are other folks out there trying to solve the issue of fast, seamless connectivity on mobile devices with varying results. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the interesting approaches being taken by other companies, and see how they stack up against Speedify Mobile.

Name: Download Booster
Company: Samsung
What They Say: Download Booster is a feature that will allow your device to download large files (over 30 megabytes in size) faster by using a Wi-Fi connection and a mobile data connection simultaneously.
How it Works: This feature works as a “download manager” to allow large files being downloaded in the background to be split across Wi-Fi and mobile connections. It doesn’t help other apps, or even regular web pages, just the background downloads.
Limitations: Only available on certain Samsung Galaxy models; Can only speed up downloads; No cost-awareness; Feature removed by Verizon and other carriers.

Name: Opera Max
Company: Opera
What they Say: Opera Max is a data-management and data-savings app that shrinks videos and photos on almost any app on mobile data connections, as well as Wi-Fi.
How it Works: The app focuses on compressing video, images, and other high-bandwidth media to speed up browsing and save on mobile data.
Limitations: Android only; No seamless failover between Wi-Fi and mobile networks; Does not bond Internet connections; Cannot speed up Facebook, Twitter, or other apps that use https protocol

Name: Wi-Fi Assist
Company: Apple
What They Say: With iOS 9, you can use Wi-Fi Assist to automatically switch to cellular when you have a poor Wi-Fi connection.
How it Works: When activated, this iPhone feature automatically detects slow or unreliable Wi-Fi networks (based on signal strength only) and automatically moves your device’s Internet traffic to LTE in order to keep you going.
Limitations: iOS 9-only feature; Does not offer speed boost via Wi-Fi and mobile data bonding or otherwise; Is not cost-aware and can end up using all your data; Does not automatically move traffic back to Wi-Fi when it becomes available again

Name: Speedify
Company: Connectify
What They Say: Speedify lets you combine mobile data and Wi-Fi on your iOS or Android device to deliver blazing fast speeds and unbreakable connectivity.
How it Works: Speedify keeps you online all the time. When Wi-Fi becomes slow and unreliable, Speedify seamlessly moves you onto LTE until your Wi-Fi network becomes available again. Need a speed boost? Combine your device’s mobile data with the coffee shop Wi-Fi for up to 95% of their combined throughput. Enjoy faster HD streaming, uploads, downloads, and web browsing.
Limitations: Free tier optimizes up to 2 GB per month; Requires iOS 9 or Android 4.4+;

Taking a look at the basics above, it’s clear that each smartphone app that touts increased speed and reliability has some unique strengths and drawbacks. The best way to see how they really stack up is by looking at a side-by-side comparison of features.

Looking at the features in the chart above, one thing becomes abundantly clear: Speedify Mobile offers the most holistic, cross-platform approach for fast, unbreakable connectivity while also helping users stay below their expensive mobile data caps. While Samsung’s Download Booster is great if you’re only concerned with faster download speeds, and Wi-Fi Assist can certainly move you onto LTE when the Wi-Fi goes kaput (but offers no solution for getting you back onto the Wi-Fi), Speedify Mobile does all that and more, intelligently maximizing speed and reliability, while minimizing your mobile data usage.

Speedify for iOS and Android is the world’s first mobile service that gives you fast and seamless mobile Internet by combining Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Add the speed of your iPhone’s 4G LTE to the coffee shop Wi-Fi and stream HD videos, transfer large files, or just browse the Internet faster. Speedify even intelligently uses both networks to minimize the cost of your mobile data plan.

When you’re on-the-go, Speedify ensures seamless hand-off between your mobile Internet and any available Wi-Fi networks so that YouTube videos keep streaming, podcasts continue playing, and all your apps stay connected all the time.