Visible vs. Mint vs. US Mobile: which cheap unlimited plan to get

Three of the cheapest unlimited plans, on three different networks. What each costs over a year, how they slow your data, and who should pick which.

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Prices are for one line and come from each carrier's site and the sources listed. We haven't run our own network tests.

Black Friday 2026: carrier offers change weekly in November. We track them on our Black Friday phone plan deals page.

At a glance

The three carriers look alike at first: unlimited data for $25 to $30 a month. They differ in network, how you pay and what slows your data.

Mint prices are its regular 12-month and 3-month rates; Mint's intro deals change often.

Mint is running its own holiday offer; see Mint Mobile Black Friday deals for the current price.

Which one to get

Start with the network that works best where you live and work, then let price and payment style decide.

• Get Visible if Verizon is the strongest network where you live and you want one flat monthly price with taxes in. Visible+ at $35 adds premium data and Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband. See Visible plans.
• Get Mint if T-Mobile covers you well and you don't mind paying for several months at once. Mint is the only one of the three with cheap small-data plans, and its intro deals are often the lowest first-year price. See Mint plans.
• Get US Mobile if you are not sure which network works best, or you want to switch later. You pick Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile per line and can change it in the app. Start the free trial.

Price over a year

Monthly prices hide the real gap. Visible and US Mobile both cost $300 for a year at the monthly $25 rate, or $270 to $275 if you pay up front. Mint Unlimited costs $360 for a 12-month plan before taxes and fees. Buy Mint three months at a time and Unlimited is $40 a month, $480 a year.

The exception is Mint's intro pricing. Between Oct 8 and Oct 22, 2026, every 6-month Mint plan was $10 a month, and earlier in 2026 every plan was $15 a month for the first year. During those deals Mint is cheapest for the first term; renewals go back to the regular rates.

Networks and speeds

Each carrier uses the same towers as its host network, so coverage matches Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T. Speeds differ because the cheapest plans get lower priority. Visible's $25 plan and US Mobile Starter are slowed first when a tower is busy; Mint may slow you after 50GB in a month. Mint also streams video in standard definition.

US Mobile's network choice is its main advantage. On Unlimited Starter, Dark Star (AT&T) has no high-speed data cap and 20GB of hotspot, while Warp (Verizon) is the only one that supports cellular smartwatches. Our US Mobile review covers the three networks in detail.

Hotspot, travel and extras

Beyond the price, these are the features that most often decide between the three.

• Hotspot: Visible includes unlimited hotspot on every plan, capped at 5 Mbps on the base plan and faster on Visible+ and Visible+ Pro. Mint Unlimited includes up to 20GB. US Mobile Starter includes 10GB on Warp and Light Speed or 20GB on Dark Star.
• Mexico and Canada: all three include calls to Mexico and Canada on their main plans. Visible+ adds roaming in both countries.
• Families: Mint and US Mobile price each extra line the same as the first. Visible is one line per account.

Want a new phone with your plan instead? See this month's best phone deals. Shopping at Walmart? Our Straight Talk review covers Verizon's in-store prepaid brand.

Heading north or south of the border? See phone plans that work in Canada and Mexico. For longer trips abroad, a travel eSIM is often cheaper than a carrier pass, and a mobile hotspot can share one plan with a whole family.

Questions