Visible vs. Mint Mobile: Which should you get?

When comparing Visible vs. Mint Mobile, it's easy to see why they're two of the best MVNO carriers available around. However, if you're trying to choose one from them, it's largely going to depend on what you really want from a wireless service provider. On the one hand, Visible seems to be the ideal choice if you need lots of data (more than 40GB) per month. On the other hand, Mint Mobile can be the perfect option if you're not a data-heavy user and don't mind paying upfront for the service in bulk.

Mint Mobile also gives you more ways to save with multi-month discounts and 'Mint Family' plans. If you're looking for the best 5G coverage, T-Mobile's network (which is what Mint Mobile uses) is still the leader. That said, Verizon's network (which is used by Visible) is getting better, especially with the carrier's deployment of the C-band. It is also worth noting that Mint Mobile is now owned by T-Mobile, so its plans might get even more enticing in the future.

But of course, there are a lot of other factors to consider when making a decision, so let's take an in-depth look at Visible and Mint Mobile and see how the two alternative carriers compare with each other.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket

Visible vs. Mint Mobile: What are Visible's plans?

Visible keeps things exceedingly simple with just two plans. The base plan costs $25 per month and is the closest to the carrier's old plan that we looked at in our Visible review. You get unlimited data on Verizon's LTE and nationwide 5G networks, with enough speed for just about anything you could want to do on a smartphone. It goes without saying that the plan includes unlimited talk and text, as well as hotspot data at a speed of 5Mbps.

If you find that the starter plan — called Visible — isn't enough for your needs, you can go for the higher option. Dubbed Visible Plus, this plan upgrades your 5G access to Verizon's high-speed 'Ultra-Wideband' network and adds 50GB of premium data. This plan costs $45 per month and keeps your speeds high even when the network is congested, by prioritizing your data. You also get unlimited talk and text, while your hotspot data speed is upgraded to 10Mbps.

Visible Plus also offers unlimited roaming with unlimited data in Mexico and Canada, and 2GB of high-speed data per day. For international use, you get 500 minutes for making calls to over 30 countries, and texting support to more than 200 countries.

Visible vs. Mint Mobile: What are Mint Mobile's plans?

Mint Mobile does things a little differently. Instead of having monthly plans, it offers service in chunks of three, six, or 12 months and requires you to pay upfront for the chosen duration. Although this does mean you pay more in advance, you can save a lot of money when it comes to monthly prices.

Mint Mobile offers four plans with 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, and unlimited data (capped at 40GB), having monthly costs of $15, $20, $25, and $30, respectively. Each plan comes with unlimited talk and text, access to T-Mobile's LTE and nationwide 5G networks, free calls to Mexico and Canada, and mobile hotspot usage (capped at 10GB for the unlimited plan). The carrier also runs promotions from time to time, allowing you to get the higher plans at the price of the base plan.

If you need more data, the same can be added to your existing plan at a rate of $10 for 1GB and $20 for 3GB. You can also upgrade mid-cycle by paying the price difference if you find that you run out of data regularly.

You can buy plans in chunks of three, six, or 12 months, as discussed above. In our Mint Mobile review, we noted that 40GB of data should be enough for most users. Mint Mobile has a plan for just about everyone.

The monthly rate comes out to be lower as you buy more months in advance. For example, if you got 20GB of data with the 12-month plan, you'd spend $300 upfront, with that working out to $25/month. For comparison's sake, a three-month plan for 20GB of data retails at $45 per month (although it's currently discounted to $15 per month). Mint Mobile also allows for much more customization than Visible, and the monthly rates are lower for almost all its plans.

Mint Mobile also has a family plan of sorts with 'Mint Family'. It allows you to pay for multiple plans from one account. To add to that, Mint Family plans can get 12-month pricing even though they only need to pay every three months.

As far as international usage is concerned, you get free texting to over 190 countries and low calling rates to more than 160 countries. To stay connected while traveling abroad, all you have to do is purchase a credit add-on called 'Minternational Pass'. It is available at $5, $10, or $20, and each add-on includes a combo of data, talk time minutes and text messages that are added to your international roaming balance.

Mint Mobile charges $0.05 per text message sent, $0.25 per minute for calls, and $0.20 per MB for quite a few countries. In Mexico and Canada, prices are lower at $0.02 per text, $0.06 per minute for calls, and $0.06 per MB. Although Mint Mobile's international pricing is pretty competitive, it might be worth considering Google Fi over Mint Mobile. if you travel a lot.

Visible vs. Mint Mobile: Coverage

If you compare Visible vs. Mint Mobile, you'll see that both have interactive coverage maps that let you see what's best for your area. Both have 5G coverage, though T-Mobile's 5G network is quite a bit larger and faster than Verizon's. It's still nice to see Visible customers can access 5G as the carrier continues to expand its network.

Verizon is well known for having some of the best rural coverage so if you drive a lot or just live far away from a city, Visible may prove to be the better option. It's worth mentioning that Visible doesn't support 3G and doesn't offer you access to Verizon's roaming partners. If you're currently on Verizon and have great coverage, it's worth double-checking the map anyway.

Mint Mobile exclusively uses the T-Mobile network as it's now fully owned by the un-carrier. T-Mobile's network has improved significantly in the past few years and is now better than it's ever been, but there are many places where Verizon's network is still superior. If you're only looking at 5G coverage, though, T-Mobile is the winner. It is also worth mentioning that most modern phones support T-Mobile's LTE network, but it might be time to upgrade if you're still using an older device.

Visible vs. Mint Mobile: What phones can you get?

A great carrier isn't so great if you can't use your phone on it, and unfortunately, that is where Visible takes a stumble.

Visible's network is all digital, which means that all of your calls on Visible use VoLTE. While VoLTE has been around for years now and is the norm for new phones, some unlocked models won't play nice with Visible. Your best bet is to check your IMEI on Visible's site to determine if your phone model has been greenlit for the network. Luckily, Visible supports many of the top models like Samsung's Galaxy S24 Plus and the Google Pixel 8 smartphones.

Mint Mobile shines when it comes to supported phones. As it's a GSM network that also supports VoLTE, you can bring over virtually any unlocked Android phone and have it work perfectly fine. Of course, Mint Mobile does sell devices, but if you have one already, and would like to use it, you can get a SIM card or activate an eSIM. You can also buy nearly any of the best Android phones to bring over to Mint Mobile.

For the best 5G performance, you're going to want a phone that supports band n41 on Mint Mobile and band n77 on Visible.

Visible vs. Mint Mobile: Which should you get?

Visible is a great fit for many people and with Verizon's network backing it up, pretty much everyone will have solid coverage except for its 5G offering, which is a bit on the spotty side. Even compared to Verizon, Visible is a strong choice with plenty of speeds for most people. However, Visible is let down a bit by its more limited phone support. Still, few prepaid options come close in terms of value if you need unlimited data with an unlimited hotspot.

Mint Mobile takes the lead as a better pick thanks to massive phone support, a wide range of plans, and international options. While its plans are more complex, they're still simpler than those offered by most carriers and offer a straightforward way to save. With the growth of T-Mobile's network, including full 5G support, Mint Mobile is the better choice for most people.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket