Which carrier-owned prepaid service is the better value

• 

  Verizon unlimited

  Visible

  With two affordable unlimited plans and every simple pricing, Visible can be a great way to save with a single line that needs totally unlimited data. Visible also has annual plans available for even more savings.

  Pros

  • Truly unlimited data on Verizon
  • Monthly and annual plans available
  • Taxes and fees are included

  Cons

  • No family plan savings
  • Not a ton of international features
  • Base plan doesn?t get full 5G speeds

• 

  AT&T unlimited

  Cricket Wireless

  Cricket Wireless has a structure similar to a big postpaid carrier with multiple plan sizes to choose from and multi-line discounts, but its prices are low enough that it’s a competitive option for a lot of people looking to save.

  Pros

  • Truly unlimited data on AT&T is available
  • Multi-line and multi-month savings
  • Taxes and fees are included

  Cons

  • Monthly plans are expensive for a single line
  • Hotspot not available on all plans
  • AT&T 5G coverage still needs some work

Both Visible and Cricket Wireless are prepaid carriers owned and operated by one of the Big Three carriers. Visible is owned by Verizon and uses the Verizon LTE and 5G networks for all of its coverage. Cricket, on the other hand, is owned by AT&T with access to that network. When it comes down to it, the biggest difference between these two carriers will be the network, which means that the best carrier for you can be highly dependent on coverage.

For most people, either carrier will provide data with usable speeds and strong coverage, even in rural areas. Both carriers offer $25 per month service, but Visible does so a bit more simply with no need for multi-line deals, multi-month deals, or auto-pay discounts. Still, if Cricket works better for you, you can get a great deal on service with a 12-month plan or by bringing four lines with you. There are a few compromises with these plans, so make sure you’re getting the features you need before committing to a new carrier.

Mobile carrier features

Visible’s most impressive feature is its totally unlimited data on both of its plans. A lot of prepaid carriers, like Mint Mobile or Xfinity Mobile, offer unlimited plans that actually have a high-speed data cap. Visible’s data is totally unlimited, so if you need 100GB in a month, you can use it without getting your speed cut.

Visible also offers unlimited hotspot data, though it does have a speed cap of 5Mbps on the base Visible plan and 10Mbps on Visible+. While it will take a prohibitively long time to download something large like a game on Steam at these speeds, for browsing the web and watching SD streaming video, it’s adequate.

Both Visible plans have 5G access, though Visible+ comes with Ultra Wideband access. Ultra Wideband is Verizon’s fastest 5G coverage with mid-band and mmWave coverage. While both Visible plans may connect to these towers, Visible+ will get the full speed of the network.

When it comes to international usage, Visible includes unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada on both plans, but Visible+ comes with roaming in those countries with 2GB of high-speed data per day. Visible+ also gets calling to 30+ countries and texting to 200+ countries. If you have an Apple Watch, you can also get that connected at Visible.

Cricket matches many of Visible’s features, starting with access to unlimited data. Like Visible, there’s no high-speed data cap in place, so if you want to use a ton of data on a Cricket plan, you can.

Unlike Cricket, however, there are two fixed data plans with 5GB or 10GB of data. If you’re looking to save on an unlimited plan with a single line, you can pay for three months or 12 months upfront with prices that work out cheaper month-to-month. These annual plans lack hotspot data, or the ability to add hotspot data.

If you’ve got multiple lines, however, you can save on multiple Cricket plans. For example, the standard unlimited plan starts at $55 per month for a single line, but with four lines, the plan is just $100 per month or $25 per line. While this plan lacks hotspot data, it comes with usage in Mexico and Canada, so it could be a better fit than Visible’s best plan for some.

Coverage and reception

Since Visible is owned by Verizon, it uses the Verizon LTE and 5G networks for all of its coverage. For most Americans, that means excellent coverage in rural and suburban areas with fast Ultra Wideband 5G in many cities and towns. Ultra Wideband is made up of mid-band 5G and mmWave 5G.

AT&T’s network is similar with a bit more low-band 5G coverage thanks to its dedicated chunk of spectrum at 850MHz. In more populated areas, AT&T also has faster 5G, called 5G+, using mid-band and mmWave spectrum. When it comes to available 5G spectrum, AT&T and Verizon have a lot in common.

As for rural coverage, Verizon and AT&T trade blows, so it really comes down to your area and how far away the nearest tower is. For the most part, both carriers offer strong rural coverage, but in these areas, a lot of factors can affect signal quality, from dense tree cover to a hilly landscape. Check Cricket’s coverage map or Visible’s coverage map to make sure you’ve got coverage in your area.

You can also try Visible for free for 15 days or Cricket for free for 14 days to be sure what kind of coverage you can expect. You will need an unlocked phone to try out a new network.

Phone compatibility

Overall, AT&T-based Cricket has stronger phone compatibility with support for a wide range of phones, including some less common models like Nothing Phone 2. That being said, for the vast majority of phones sold in North America, Verizon’s network will also be compatible.

If you’re looking at one of the best Android phones, there’s a good chance you can use it on either carrier. To check to make sure your phone will work, you can check your IMEI on Visible’s BYOD page and on Cricket’s BYOD page.

If you’re bringing your phone to Visible, it should support bands n2, n5, n66, and n77 to work well on Verizon’s low and mid-band 5G. On AT&T, you similarly, want band n5, and n77 for 5G coverage. Both carriers also offer mmWave 5G using band n260 in some dense areas. Support for mmWave 5G isn’t that important to most people, but the latest flagships like the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Galaxy S24 Ultra come with support.

Plans

If you’re looking for unlimited data on a network with a lot of coverage and quick 5G in cities, both Visible and Cricket have a plan for you.

While Cricket offers smaller plans for lighter users, Visible’s low price makes its cheapest plan the best bet for most light users, even if they don’t need much data. Before making your decision, figure out how many lines you’re bringing with you and how much you use features like mobile hotspot or international calling to make the best decision.

Visible’s plans

Visible has only two plans, both of which come with totally unlimited data.

The cheaper plan, simply called Visible, gets 5G data speeds, but no Ultra Wideband speeds. This plan also lacks premium data, but if your area isn’t too congested, you’ll more than likely still get plenty of speed with this plan. You get unlimited hotspot data, though it’s limited to just 5Mbps. Still, for light work or browsing on your tablet, it’s a nice feature to have. Calling to Mexico and Canada is also included.

Visible costs $25 per month if you pay for it one month at a time. If you’re willing to pay for the whole year, it will cost you $275, which is a savings of $25 compared to paying monthly.

Moving up, Visible+ adds support for Verizon’s fastest Ultra Wideband 5G speeds. It also comes with 50GB of premium data to keep speeds high in times of congestion. Hotspot data speeds are doubled to 10Mbps, and still unlimited. This plan gets a few international features added as well, including talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada with up to 2GB of high-speed data per day. You also get calling to 30+ countries and texting to 200+ countries.

Visible+ costs $45 per month if you pay month to month. If you pay for a year, it comes in at $395, which represents a fairly steep $145 in savings. If you can afford to pay for the year in advance, this is an excellent plan that gives up very little to reach its low price.

If Verizon Home Internet, Fios, or 5G Home, is available in your area, you can save on your bill with Visible. Visible customers can save $5 on Verizon Home Internet while Visible+ customers can save $10 per month.

Cricket’s plans

Cricket has just four plans that come with talk and text. The smallest and cheapest plan is 5GB with unlimited talk and text. This plan costs $30 per month and has no multi-line savings. There’s no hotspot usage permitted and usage in Mexico and Canada isn’t included with this plan. This plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when Visible’s base plan exists at $25 per month with hotspot data.

Moving up, the 10GB is similar to the 5GB plan, except it supports multi-line discounts. New accounts do get usage in Mexico and Canada with this plan. At three lines, it’s the same cost as the 5GB plan. At four lines, however, the 10GB plan costs more than the unlimited plan.

Cricket’s base unlimited plan, sometimes referred to as Unlimited Core, has no data caps, but completely lacks hotspot data. Usage in Mexico and Canada is included, as well as texting to 37 countries. This plan starts at $55 per month, which is a bit steep, but if you bring four lines, that price comes down to just $100, or $25 per line per month. You can also save on this plan with a three-month plan for $40 per month, or a 12-month plan for $25 per month.

Note, however, that the multi-month plans don’t get the option for a hotspot add-on.

At the top is the Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot plan starting at $60 per month for a single line. With four lines, the cost comes down to just $130, or around $32.50 per line. With this plan, you get higher-priority data than the other unlimited plan, plus 15GB of high-speed hotspot data. Max with Ads, the video streaming service, is also included with this plan.

Like Visible, taxes and fees are included in the plan price with Cricket, so you know what you’re paying before your bill arrives. It’s also important to remember that you’ll need to bring a phone for the multi-month and annual plans.

Which should you buy?

Both of these carriers are close in value and if you’re looking for a $25 unlimited plan with taxes and fees included, you can find it on either. Visible stands out for the simplicity of its pricing, with the $25 plan now requiring multi-month or multi-line options to hit its lowest price. Even if you’ve just got one line and want to pay for a single month, Visible always starts at $25 per month.

Visible is also nice thanks to its unlimited hotspot data, which can be perfect for keeping a laptop or tablet connected from the road. Visible+ is also a worthwhile upgrade for heavier users, though compared to Cricket’s Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot plan, it’s not quite as good a value as the base plan.

While Visible comes out on top, Cricket still has some excellent value, especially for those bringing multiple lines; its plans bake in taxes and fees, too, so the price you see is the price you get.

Cricket’s base unlimited plan is competitive with Visible’s cheapest plan with multiple lines or a year of service, but the bigger Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot plan stands out on the high end. With three or more lines on this plan, it’s a better value than Visible+, so long as you don’t need an Apple Watch plan, that is.