Think holiday shopping is daunting? Try parsing out cellphone plans.

Fulfilling your gift list seems like a sleigh ride compared to finding the perfect combination of coverage areas, anytime minutes, texting and data plans for you or your family.

We looked into some of the hundreds of cellphone options from the four major carriers -- Verizon (VZ), Sprint (S), AT&T (T) and T-Mobile -- to figure out which plans make the most sense for different types of users, including those who love to text, heavy talkers and families.

To select the best plans we enlisted the help of two free online tools: BillShrink.com, a service that makes plan recommendations based on an analysis of your cellphone bill, and LetsTalk.com, a comparison site that evaluates wireless plans and devices. Both sites track hidden surcharges and other extras that can make their way onto cellphone bills and even take early termination fees into account. BillShrink places a premium on coverage areas calculating the strength of service at your home and work addresses and adding that into the equation when compiling plan recommendations. LetsTalk lets you shop by cellphone, and then suggests plans that it determines fit best.

But no matter how good a plan may look on paper -- or on a web site -- if the service doesn't work where you need it most, then it doesn't make sense to sign on. Check service maps, or talk to friends who are signed up with a provider you re interested in using to see how reliable the service is. Better yet, invite friends who have phones from various plans to your home and then test them out. Not even tools like BillShrink will be able to tell you that there s a dead spot smack in the middle of your favorite couch.

Also see this story for more tips on slashing your phone bills.

The Text Message Junkie

If text messaging is your primary form of communication, then you're probably wasting money on a cellphone plan that gives you more than 1,000 anytime minutes or unlimited data. To make sure you're not paying for services you don't need, look for packages that offer unlimited text messaging and conservative phone use.

BillShrink recommends T-Mobile s Individual Basic plus an add-on of unlimited texting, which includes 300 anytime minutes, unlimited weekends and unlimited texting for $44.98 a month. Sprint s Basic 200, plus an extra of unlimited texting, is five dollars more at $49.99 a month and offers fewer anytime minutes (just 200), but subscribers receive unlimited night and weekend minutes -- so there's less chance that you'll exceed your limit.

The Heavy Talker

If it s a constant struggle to stay within your monthly minutes limit, then figuring out when you talk is just as important as how much you talk, says Samir Kothari, BillShrink s co-founder.

Do you place most of your calls after the sun sets? Try a plan with unlimited nights and weekend minutes like T-Mobile s Individual Value plan with 600 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekend for $39.99 a month, says Kothari.

But if you're on your phone throughout the day, look for a plan with unlimited anytime minutes. All four major carriers now offer $99 unlimited plans. Just keep in mind that Verizon and AT&T's plans only include unlimited minutes -- texts and data cost extra. T-Mobile's plan, however, offers unlimited calling and texting for $99, while Sprint does all of them one better by also throwing in unlimited data as part of the deal.

The Data Diva

Do you type on your phone more than you talk on it?

All major American carriers charge roughly $30 extra a month for basic data service (in addition to charges for your regular plan), says BillShrink's Kothari. T-Mobile offers unlimited data as an add-on to any of its Individual plans, so a simple Basic plan with 300 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends ($45.48) should suit the needs of anyone who emails all the time and only uses the dial pad to call Mom on Sunday nights.

Both Sprint and Verizon have unlimited data plans that offer unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited text messages and 450 anytime minutes for $69.99.

The Family Clan

If there are more than two cellphone users in your home, signing onto a family plan makes good financial sense.

When figuring out the best plan, take into account the networks called by all users in the household so you can determine which carrier will give you the best deal on free mobile-to-mobile calling.

BillShrink recommends AT&T s FamilyTalk family plans, which offer unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling and a rollover feature, which means that unused minutes at the end of each month will accrue to the next. Prices vary depending on the number of minutes the family signs up for which range from $59.99 (550 minutes) to $199.99 (unlimited). Prices are based on two lines, with each additional line costing just $9.99.

The All-Around User

For those who make ample use of all of the services their phone has to offer -- a little texting here, a little web browsing there -- try picking a basic service and adding options.

T-Mobile offers Basic plans that offer a variety of add-ons, says Kothari. Its Individual Prime plan costs $44.98 a month for 1,000 anytime minutes plus 400 text messages. One thing to note: Data isn t included and there are no nights and weekends or mobile-to-mobile minutes.

The Media Maven

Streaming video has yet to pick up a lot of traction in the mobile device world. In fact, there s not enough demand for BillShrink to even list it as a variable on their site. But if you're one of the early adopters of this technology, you re primarily limited to two providers: Verizon and Sprint.

Verizon's vCast, which provides streaming video straight to your phone, costs $14.99 a month as an add-on to any plan that uses a video-enabled phone. Sprint's NFL Mobile Live, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile and Premier offerings are included in the carrier s Simply Everything ($99 a month for unlimited calling, texting and data) and Everything Data ($69.99 to $89.99 a month for 450 or 900 anytime minutes, unlimited texting and data) plans.

Clarification: In our original version of the story we indicated that only Verizon offered unlimited nights and weekends in its unlimited data plan. In fact, Sprint does as well.