Which carrier should you pick?

• Visible
  

  
  Cheap and unlimited
  

  Visible is a prepaid carrier with only two simple unlimited plans with no added fees or taxes. If you want worry-free unlimited data on your phone with Verizon’s vast LTE and 5G coverage, Visible is a strong pick. Visible, however, lacks flexibility for heavier users or users that need high-speed hotspot data.

  
  Pros
  

  • Cheap Unlimited data on the Verizon network
  • Taxes and fees are included in the plan price
  • Unlimited hotspot usage (5Mbps)

  
  Cons
  

  • Lower priority data than postpaid Verizon plans
  • Low-resolution video streams (480p)
  • No multi-line discounts

• 
  

  Verizon
  

  
  Streaming services included
  

  Verizon is one of the Big Three carriers in the U.S., with a massive LTE and 5G network and multiple unlimited plans. In addition, Verizon has geared its plans around some included extra perks such as Apple One, Disney+, cloud storage, and more. Verizon’s plans are expensive for a single line but are eligible for big discounts when you bring multiple lines.

  
  Pros
  

  • Full access to Verizon’s vast LTE and 5G coverage
  • Plans eligible for multi-line savings
  • Verizon home internet discount with some plans

  
  Cons
  

  • Expensive plans
  • Taxes and fees are extra
  • 5G Ultra Wideband isn’t included with all plans

Trying to make heads or tails of Verizon’s plans and pricing can be daunting between a smattering of promotional prices, multi-line discounts, piles of add-ons, and hard-to-predict fees. Visible’s plan simplicity, by contrast, almost feels like a direct criticism of Verizon’s pricing obfuscation. Visible’s plans cost the same whether you’re a new customer, bringing your own phone or not — or whether you have a whole family to bring. Visible also bakes in its taxes and fees, giving you a better idea of how much phone service will actually cost before you go through the trouble of creating an account.

Visible is, without a doubt, the simpler and cheaper pick, but Verizon offers many more bonus perks with its plans. If you’re willing to do the math and bring a few lines with you, you can get some competitive rates. Also, heavier users may find Verizon’s higher speeds in congested areas and high-speed hotspot data worth the extra cash.

Mobile carrier features

Visible has managed to stand out in a sea of other prepaid carriers thanks to its low price, simple billing, and unlimited data. For example, other prepaid carriers advertise unlimited plans with a high-speed cap, usually around 35GB. Visible doesn’t do this and instead implements a rather generous 200Mbps speed limit on nationwide 5G and LTE, which is much quicker than most people can realistically utilize on the phone. If you want a little more network performance, you can upgrade to Visible+, which comes with 50GB of premium data and Ultra Wideband 5G support.

One of Visible’s best features is that it includes taxes and fees in the price of the plan. That means you know how much your bill will be from the moment you sign up. You also don’t need to enroll in auto-pay or sign up for multiple months to get Visible’s best rates.

Verizon’s postpaid plans have a lot more going on with numerous bundled services, premium data allotments, and high-speed hotspot data. While Verizon’s plan and pricing complexity can make picking the right one more challenging, it could still be the right choice for many. Verizon also offers a discount on its home internet service on its more premium plans, so if you can get both, the Verizon bundle could save you some money.

It’s worth noting that Verizon’s best prices require paper-free billing and auto-pay to be enabled. Speaking of billing, Verizon offers multi-line discounts on its postpaid plans. The more lines you get, the lower the per-line price, with the best prices for five or more lines.

Mobile coverage and reception

Verizon and Visible share the same network, so coverage is very similar. That, however, does not mean performance will be the same. Verizon and other big carriers prioritize data connections so that the most important data gets through first; however, Visible’s base unlimited plan is a lower priority than Verizon’s postpaid plans. Head-to-head, a Visible+ plan should outperform a Visible plan in an area with many Verizon users.

Premium data is like being in the first boarding group for a flight. You get on sooner and don’t need to spend as much time waiting around, but eventually, everyone is getting on the same plane. In other words, a side-by-side simultaneous speed test on Visible and Verizon will show faster speeds on Verizon, but done one after another, the speeds should be much more equal.

Data prioritization is less of an issue on Verizon’s latest Ultra Wideband 5G coverage. If your phone supports Verizon’s latest C-band 5G coverage, the extra capacity can smooth over these priority differences. Overall, the impact of network prioritization depends heavily on where you live and how strong Verizon’s network is in that area. If you’re unsure if Visible’s base plan will be fast enough, you can start with it and upgrade to Visible+ if needed.

Phone compatibility

Visible works with a wide range of smartphones, including iPhones and Androids. While there can be some compatibility issues with carrier-branded devices for things like visual voicemail, there’s a good chance you can bring your current unlocked phone to Visible. You can check

Visible’s BYOD compatibility tool

before joining to be sure. As Visible uses Verizon’s network, any phone that works on Visible will work on Verizon without issue. You can check

Verizon’s BYOD tool

to be sure.

If you’re ready for a new phone, you can buy one from the carrier or purchase a new device unlocked and bring it to the carrier. Any of the best Verizon phones should work on either carrier, so you have several options. One thing to keep in mind is that most of Verizon’s phone deals require a 36-month payment plan. So remember that if you sign up for one of these payment plans and want to leave Verizon, change your plan, or upgrade your phone, you may need to pay off the remaining balance.

Visible also sells a solid range of phones, but Visible doesn’t offer payment plans on phone sales, though you can sign up for a payment plan using Affirm. If you want an unlocked phone on a payment plan, some of the best Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 or Google Pixel 7 can be financed directly from the manufacturer. And to your carrier, it looks like any other unlocked phone.

To get the most out of Verizon’s 5G network, your phone should support multiple 5G bands, including bands n2, n5, and n66 for nationwide 5G. For Ultra Wideband 5G, band n77 (C-band) makes up most of the carrier’s fast 5G footprint. In some cities and other venues like sports arenas and airports, you may be able to connect to mmWave 5G bands at n260 and n261.

Keep in mind that to get the benefits of Ultra Wideband, you’ll need a plan that supports it, such as Visible+, Verizon 5G Do More, 5G Play More, 5G Get More, and One Unlimited for iPhone.

Plans

When it comes to plans, Visible takes the crown in simplicity, but Verizon has a ton more features. Visible keeps things simple with its plans focusing on unlimited data, while Verizon’s postpaid plans most differentiate themselves with different subscription perks. Verizon also offers multi-line savings to encourage customers to bring the whole family to the carrier. Visible is much more focused on the single-user experience and, with one or two lines, can be a lot cheaper than a comparable plan at Verizon.

Visible’s plans

Visible has just two plans to choose from, and they both get unlimited data. The base plan, called Visible, comes in at $30 per month with taxes and fees included. This plan has unlimited talk, text, and data with unlimited hotspot data at 5Mbps. In addition, it comes with Spam Protection to help reduce the number of spam calls you get and includes unlimited calls and texts to Mexico and Canada.

Visible+ comes with all of the features of the cheaper plan but adds in faster 5G support with full-speed Ultra Wideband 5G access and 50GB of premium data per month. The international features also get a shot in the arm with unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada, as well as calling 30+ countries and texting 200+ countries. You can even save $10 per month on Verizon Home Internet with this plan.

Visible limits both of its plans to 480p video streaming. On the base plan, this limit is par for the course compared to other price-competitive plans, but with Visible+ advertising a “Premium Network Experience,” it feels quite basic.

If you have one of the best smartwatches, you can get unlimited data on it for just $5 per month with Visible.

If you’re looking to save with Visible, you can save $5 per month by

using PayPal when you sign up

. You can use this discount on either of Visible’s plans.

Verizon’s plans

Verizon, by comparison, has eight postpaid unlimited plans. Verizon’s two newest unlimited choices, Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Welcome, are included with Verizon’s myPlan feature. Launched May 18, 2023, these two plans resemble Welcome Unlimited and 5G Get More Unlimited, but instead of Verizon picking which bundled add-ons are included, you get to choose your own for $10 per month each.

Plan add-ons include options like a Disney bundle, Walmart+, and Apple One, plus add-ons like 100GB of mobile hotspot or data for your smartwatch. All of these add-ons come in at $10 per month, which is less than most would cost separately. It’s also worth pointing out that you can change or cancel these add-ons anytime, so you’re not stuck paying for a service you don’t use like with a traditional plan. These add-ons can also be added to older plans if you don’t want to switch, such as Welcome Unlimited.

It’s also worth noting that if you don’t want any add-ons, Unlimited Plus comes in at $10 less than 5G Get More Unlimited, which offers the same unlimited premium data, albeit with less hotspot data.

Moving on to the more traditional plans, with Welcome Unlimited, you get unlimited data on Verizon’s nationwide 5G network. This plan starts at $65 per month for a single line with auto-pay and paper-free billing enabled. The 5G Start plan comes in at $5 more and adds 5GB of high-speed hotspot data to the mix. Both of these plans are limited to Verizon’s slower nationwide 5G network.

Moving up, Apple users may be interested in the One Unlimited for iPhone plan. This unlimited plan starts at $90 per month for a single line and includes a subscription to Apple One, which includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+. While this plan isn’t ideal for Android users, you can still use an Android phone with it, so if the rest of your family is on iPhones, it could be a good deal. It comes with unlimited premium data with Ultra Wideband 5G, and your videos stream up to 720p. It also comes with 25GB of high-speed hotspot data.

Next up, 5G Play More and 5G Do More come in at $80 per month and have Ultra Wideband 5G access, 50GB of premium data, and 25GB of high-speed hotspot data. The 5G Do More plan is set up for productivity with 600GB of cloud storage, a TravelPass each month, and 50% off of a hotspot, watch, or tablet plan. The Play More plan swaps those perks for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and the choice between Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass.

The biggest 5G Get More Unlimited plan starts at $90 per month and includes unlimited premium network data and 50GB of high-speed hotspot data. It includes all of the perks of 5G Do More, 5G Play More, plus Apple Music, making it the ultimate package for streamers.

If you’re interested in Verizon Home Internet, signing up for One Unlimited for iPhone, 5G Do More, 5G Play More, or 5G Get More makes you eligible for the $25 Verizon Home Internet. It includes 5G Home, LTE Home, and Fios Home Internet plans, which means you can take part even if you don’t have fiber access.

Verizon’s plan can look expensive at first glance, but if you bring multiple lines, the price decreases rather quickly. Multi-line discounts apply to all postpaid plans, allowing you to save whether you want the top-of-the-line 5G Get More plan or Welcome Unlimited. For example, Welcome Unlimited is $65 per month with a single line, but bringing four lines is just $30 per line.

Which is right for you?

If you’ve only got one or two lines, Visible makes a lot of sense, as Verizon’s cheapest unlimited plan is still $5 more per month with two lines — and you have to pay taxes and fees on top of that. So unless you’re bringing three lines or more, Visible is cheaper. Even if you must pay for your Disney+, Visible still comes out ahead.

With the strength of the Verizon LTE and 5G network behind it, Visible is one of the best deals you can get anywhere with one or two lines. While some people are willing to pay a bit more for Verizon’s premium data and higher-resolution video streaming, most people will be happy to give up those features for Visible’s massive savings.

While Visible stands out with its simplicity and value, there are still some good reasons to sign up with Verizon. For one, Verizon consistently runs deals on new phones for those willing to sign up for a few years. While getting locked into a plan isn’t ideal for everyone, the savings on a phone can be worth it for some people. This also means you can get signed up and, more importantly, set up at a Verizon store. Verizon’s myPlan options also make signing up for add-ons easy with some discounts for signing up through the service.

One of the biggest reasons to choose Verizon over Visible is Verizon Home Internet. With one of Verizon’s premium unlimited plans, you can get Verizon Home Internet for just $25 per month. This includes both LTE Home and 5G Home Internet with discounts for those with Fios access. With Verizon’s 5G Home Internet delivering speeds close enough to a cable that most people wouldn’t even notice a difference, the savings could very well make Verizon a viable option.

If you’re bringing multiple lines with you, Verizon can make a lot of sense thanks to its multi-line discounts. Verizon also includes many more subscription service perks like Disney+ or Apple Music. If you’re already paying for these services, the price could work out in the end. Verizon’s top plans also include premium data, high-speed hotspot data, and 720p video streams.