Mint Mobile vs. Visible Wireless: Which Is the King of the Cheap Prepaid Carriers?
When it comes to cheap, value-for-money prepaid phone plans, two companies are really standing out right now: Mint Mobile and Visible Wireless. These two cheap mobile providers often compete each month in our guide to the best prepaid phone plans, and they’re both incredibly popular choices right now for data-hungry users on a budget.
Against each other, both excellent prepaid providers offer incredible value over the usual major providers. However, if you take one look at each service’s current plans, you’ll see that they are actually very different in how their subscription prices work and what each offers. If you are unsure between Mint and Visible, this is the right page for you. We compare these two providers here, taking into account value, speed and benefits. We’ve also just updated this page to reflect the various changes at each provider over the past year, including accurate estimates of service download speeds.
Two excellent prepaid plans
Coverage and prices
It’s worth noting that while both Mint Mobile and Visible market themselves as ‘low-cost’ prepaid providers, they operate on completely different networks and business models.
Key facts
Network
Currency: T-Mobile
Visible: Verizon
Prices
Currency: $15 to $40 per month
Visible: $24 to $45 per month
For example, Mint Mobile works on the T-Mobile network (check your coverage), and has a payment schedule where you pay in advance for more than one year of employment. Visible, on the other hand, works on the Verizon network (check your coverage) with a more traditional ‘pay per month’ model.
Why does this matter? Well, not all phones are compatible with both networks and you will also be billed in dramatically different ways. If you prefer to pay once and forget about it, Mint Mobile is the winner for you. On the other hand, if you’d rather avoid those big upfront costs and instead break them down into smaller installments, then Visible is probably your preferred provider. There are visible promotional codes that can also help you keep costs down.
Speed and benefits
Both Mint Mobile and Visible use fast national 5G networks. However, it’s worth noting that both, being prepaid providers, are subject to ‘deprioritization’ when the parent networks are subject to heavy traffic. This might not be a dealbreaker depending on your location, but it’s worth keeping in mind that you might not get consistently fast speeds compared to major carriers’ plans.
Key facts
5G speed
Currency: no limit (unless not a priority)
Visible: no cap
Mobile hotspot
Currency: 10 GB (with unlimited subscription)
Visible: unlimited (at 5Mbs)
Stream
Currency: 480p video (unlimited)
Visible: no cap
Both Mint Mobile and Visible are listed as 5G networks, although only the latter has access to the parent network’s most ‘premium’ service, ensuring the best possible speeds.
In this case, Visible’s more expensive Plus plan offers access to Verizon’s Ultra Wideband 5G service, currently the carrier’s best possible mobile network.
On paper, Visible’s Plus plan should offer more reliable speeds and service than Mint’s usual plans, as the latter are subject to deprioritization. In this regard, things even out when you compare Mint’s plans to the ‘standard’ Visible unlimited plan, which doesn’t have ‘priority’ access to Verizon’s 5G networks.
One thing we will say about Mint Mobile’s speeds is that there is a ‘soft cap’ for heavy users. Visible Wireless, on the other hand, will never slow down your connection based on usage alone. More on this topic in the section below.
As for benefits, both carriers offer unlimited calling and texting (as you’d expect), plus free mobile hotspotting. However, you only get 10GB of mobile hotspot space on Mint Mobile’s unlimited data plan, while Visible offers unlimited usage. Visible also offers extensive international calling options, but only if you invest in the more expensive Plus plan.
For families and multi-line users, Mint Mobile is currently the only provider offering something similar a family planalthough we wouldn’t say it’s the best on the market right now. It’s essentially a benefit that allows you to bundle lines and reduce the associated administration rather than the large per-line savings often found with the major airlines. However, it automatically registers each line at the cheapest (usually annual) rate, which can help add a level of flexibility.
Unlimited data wars
On paper, both carriers offer unlimited data plans for a particularly low price. That said, there are always a few limitations in the fine print that can be easily glossed over at first glance.
The amazing thing about comparing cell phone plans in 2024 is that each carrier usually displays an FCC-mandated “Broadband Facts” page under each plan that tells you exactly what speed range you can expect.
Visible’s Standard plan has an average speed of 34-149 Mbps, while the Visible Plus plan offers speeds of up to 215-702 Mbps, according to the FCC. The latter is quite a range, but clearly you should opt for the Plus plan if you’re really looking for those fast downloads. You get 50 GB per month on the Verizon Wide Band network, which is not slowed down under any circumstances if the local infrastructure supports it.
Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan runs at an average speed of 79-357 Mbps, which is a very solid offering considering the price. However, keep in mind that Mint’s unlimited plan has a clear ‘soft’ data cap of 45GB of 5G data per month, meaning your speeds could be throttled all the way down to 128Kbs if you go over your allowance. That’s the biggest caveat here with Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan.
Mint Mobile vs. Visible Wireless: The Bottom Line
Visibly has Mint Mobile beaten on most of the criteria we’ve laid out on this page, but we’d hesitate to call it the winner by any stretch of the imagination. Both prepaid providers are currently leading the way in terms of value, offering incredibly competitive options for those looking to save some money and ditch those pesky contracts.
Firstly, we recommend Mint Mobile to anyone who is a single-line user who will be using small amounts, or a multi-line user who wants to reduce administrative hassle. If you’re going to use less than 15GB of data per month, it’s hard to beat something like Mint’s $20 per month plan. If you’re not going to hit that data limit every month, you might as well save some money and go with Mint.
However, if you are an unlimited data user, then the 50GB of priority data offered by the Visible Plus plan is something that Mint cannot match. Visible’s latest price cut on its Standard plan ($25 down from $30) also means it’s arguably ahead of the curve in terms of value for unlimited data users on a budget. It’s likely that Mint Mobile will respond with its own changes at some point, but right now Visible Wireless really seems dominant in the cheap unlimited plan market.
Either way, both prepaid providers are fantastic and will definitely save you a ton of money over the usual big carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T.