Visible and US Mobile are well known prepaid carriers that offer several features and excellent deals with their service plans. Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s put them head to head and see which brand comes out on top.
In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:
Visible and US Mobile are mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs. This means that they purchase service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile – giving customers service at a much cheaper price. Visible and US Mobile are both MVNOs of Verizon.
Often, the quality of coverage comes down to your area. One carrier’s coverage may be better in New York, while another’s coverage may be better in California. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.
Like most plans you’ll see on the market, both carriers offer unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Visible offers premium data, which does not slow down no matter the amount of network traffic. Both companies deprioritize data, meaning you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and sports arenas.
Visible only offers 2 plans – Visible Base and Visible +. Visible + offers more features as well as premium data. Both plans offer a hotspot, with the data coming from your overall plan data. As an MVNO on Verizon’s network, Visible is on QCI tiers 8 and 9. Visible + has higher priority for its 50GB of premium data, tier 8, which will be further explained below. Visible Base is on tier 9.
It’s also important to note that Visible is a single line carrier – meaning you can only have one phone on an account. If you’re buying a plan for your family or with your significant other, you need to make separate accounts with separate plans for everyone.
If you purchase your phone from Visible, your device will be locked for the first 60 days after activation. Both plans they offer renew monthly, and taxes and fees are included with the advertised price.
Like most plans you’ll see on the market, Visible’s base plan has unlimited talk and text.
Visible Base also has unlimited data with no cap – meaning you have truly unlimited data that never slows down no matter how much you use. However, the Visible base plan is always deprioritized. Your data and connection will slow down at any point of high traffic in your area.
The plan also includes unlimited mobile hotspot data. Again, your data is deprioritized and may slow down in times of high network traffic.
The plan costs $30 per month, and the first month gives you a $5 welcome discount.
Visible + gives you access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, which is their network for premium data. As such, the 50GB of premium data you get with this plan will not slow down no matter how much network traffic in your area. After you use the 50GB, your data is unlimited – but subjected to the same deprioritization as the other plan. The mobile hotspot is also premium data for the first 50GB, then deprioritized after.
At this rate, you get the 50GB of premium data at $0.90 per GB.
The plan costs $45 per month, with a $10 welcome discount for the first month.
US Mobile offers a variety of plans, including several unlimited and limited data plans. They also offer a plan with customizable data, where you buy as much data as you use. You can have an unlimited number of lines with your phone plan. US Mobile’s QCI tier on T-Mobile is 7 and tier 8 on Verizon.
Image courtesy of US Mobile’s website.
US Mobile offers premium data with their plans, which means your data will not slow down in times of high traffic or network congestion.
Image courtesy of US Mobile’s website.
Their plans all include unlimited talk and text, except for the 500MB plan. This plan includes 500 minutes of voice and 500 text messages.
Image courtesy of US Mobile’s website.
If you purchase your phone from US Mobile, your device will be sold to you already unlocked.
Image courtesy of US Mobile’s website.
The plans they offer renew monthly, and taxes and fees are included with the advertised price.
This plan doesn’t offer data. As such, users do not have hotspot access or the ability to stream video without WiFi.
The plan costs $7.50 per month.
This plan gives you 500MB, or 0.5GB of premium data. Your data will stop after this allotment is used. It can be used as hotspot data, but stops at the same cap.
The plan costs $5 per month. At this rate, you get 500MB at $10 per GB.
Like other US Mobile plans, you get premium data with this plan. Data stops after 2GB. You can use all of your plan data as hotspot data.
The plan costs $10 per month, so $5 per GB.
This plan, like the others US Mobile offers, gives you premium data. Data then slows to 2G speeds. This plan also includes hotspot access with all plan data.
The plan costs $18 per month. At this rate, you get 6GB at $3 per GB.
12GB of premium data is included with this plan, and then data access stops at that cap. Hotspot access is also available.
The plan costs $25 per month. At this rate, you get 12GB at $2.08 per GB.
With US Mobile’s shared data plan, users can choose the exact amount of data they use and buy. After you run out of data, your speeds will slow to 2G speeds. This allows for browsing the internet and sending texts or emails, but streaming video or playing games will be difficult. The amount of data you purchase can also be used as hotspot data, and stops once you run out of your specific data allotment.
The plan costs $9 per line per month, and $2 per GB. After you buy 30GB, this plan costs $16 per 10GB.
The Unlimited Starter plan that US Mobile offers gives users 20GB of premium data to work with before slowing down to 2G speeds until the next month. This plan does not include hotspot access.
The plan costs $25 per month. At this rate, you get 20GB at $1.25 per GB.
The Unlimited Essentials plan is a slight upgrade from Unlimited Starter, which offers 50GB of premium data each month. Speeds slow to 2G after the cap. You also get 5GB of hotspot data, and that access stops once you hit your limit.
This plan costs $40 per month for one line. You get 55GB per month for $0.73 per GB.
As US Mobile’s biggest plan, this plan gives users 100GB of premium data. After 100GB, data slows to 2G speeds. This plan also gives you 50GB of hotspot data, which stops after the cap. Plans with 3+ lines also have access to several perks that US Mobile offers, such as streaming services and music subscriptions. Only one perk can be chosen at a time, but plans with 4+ lines can choose an additional perk.
The plan costs $45 per month. At this rate, you get 150GB at $0.30 per GB.
If you’re looking for a plan with more included features, such as international connection or domestic roaming data, it’s best to compare carriers with what they offer.
Visible offers domestic roaming data on their plans. US Mobile offers domestic roaming on all plans except their No Data plan.
Visible offers talk and text in Mexico and Canada. However, Visible does not include roaming data for Mexico and Canada with Visible Base. Visible + includes roaming data that slows down to 2G speeds after 0.5GB each day. US Mobile offers talk, text, 1GB of data in Canada and 3GB of data in Mexico for their Unlimited Premium Plan. They also offer call and text in their Unlimited Starter, Unlimited Essentials, and Shared Data plans. The rest of their plans require additional add-ons for connection in Mexico and Canada. Unlimited Starter, Essentials, and Shared Data also have access to these add-ons.
Visible does not give you international roaming data. However, Visible + gives you international talk and text. Visible Base does not offer this feature. US Mobile offers international talk, text, and 10GB of data on Unlimited Premium plan. Their Unlimited Starter, Essentials, and Shared Data plans include international calling and texting. All other plans require additional add-ons for international connection. Unlimited Starter, Essentials, and Shared Data also have access to these add-ons.
Visible’s plans stream at 480p Standard Definition. All US Mobile plans stream at 720p High Definition.
Visible does not offer this feature. US Mobile allows you to choose between a subscription to Apple TV+, Netflix Standard, Max, or a bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ if you have not chosen another perk on a 3+ line plan of Unlimited Premium.
US Mobile allows you to choose between a subscription to Slacker Plus LiveXLive, Pandora Plus, Audible, Spotify Family, or Apple Music Family if you have not chosen another perk on a 3+ line plan of Unlimited Premium. Visible does not offer this feature.
US Mobile allows you to choose between a subscription to Playstation Plus, XBox Live Gold, Stadia Pro, and Apple Arcade if you have not chosen another perk on a 3+ line plan of Unlimited Premium. Visible does not offer this feature.
Visible and US Mobile do not offer this feature.
Visible and US Mobile do not offer this feature.
Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception.
Visible offers spam protection on both of their plans, which blocks spam calls and protects you from potential fraud. US Mobile does not offer this feature.
Visible offers a 15 day free trial. US Mobile offers a 100 day free trial.
Visible and US Mobile are digital-only carriers, meaning they only offer customer support online. Visible offers 24/7 chat support from a live agent. US Mobile offers 24/7 support over the phone at 1(878)-205-0088, and over email at help@usmobile.com.
As US Mobile offers 100GB of premium data and 50GB of hotspot data with their biggest plan, they offer the best deal between the two carriers. However, if you’re looking for more included features and don’t need more than one or two lines on your plan, Visible offers a better deal for single-line users. And since Visible doesn’t offer limited data plans, US Mobile obviously offers the better deal between the two carriers. Ultimately, though, both carriers offer excellent deals for their users.
We’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.
Are you still unsure which carrier to choose, or which phone plan to pick? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!
Yep, we offer premium wireless service on the T-Mobile® 5G Network, the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network. If you are in our dewi coverage areas, you’ll also get access to our decentralized phone network powered by the people which will give you even faster speeds and better coverage.
Nope, it’s pay as you go.
Yeah! You put your card on file and prepay each month so that you never experience any disruption.
Yep, but it’s super easy to unlock your device as long as it’s paid off. Chat with us and a real human can help you here.
We have some recommendations on what we think you should get, from iPhones to Droids. Check out our list here which includes affordable places online to get a good deal.
It means we are building a phone network that is powered by the people. Your neighbors put small radios on their roof and help extend the phone network to cover deadzones™ and get even faster speeds. Right now our DeWi network is available in Austin, but we’ll be expanding to other cities REALLY soon. Learn more about DeWi here.
Great question. If you’re in Austin, TX, you’ll install 2 new SIMs. The REALLY nationwide SIM as your first SIM, which will give you voice / text & data on the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network powered by T-Mobile®. Your 2nd SIM will give you access to the REALLY DeWi network in Austin, TX, which you’ll prioritize when available so that you get even faster speeds and better coverage. Depending on your device, you may be able to install eSIMs via a QR code.
Yep, we are powered by T-Mobile®, the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network. If you are in Austin, TX you’ll also get access to our decentralized phone network powered by the people which will give you even faster speeds and better coverage.
The plan is unlimited, but once you reach 20GB you may experience slower speeds depending on network usage.
You get 10GB of hotspot data per month, but can add more if you need to.
You can chat with us, text us, or login to your account to top off. It only takes a few seconds.