Visible vs. Mint Mobile: Which should you get?

While they're certainly two of the best MVNO carriers around, which of the two is a better choice when you compare Visible vs. Mint Mobile side by side? Well, that really comes down to what you're looking for from a wireless service provider. On the one hand, Visible is the ideal choice if you need more than 40GB of data per month. On the other hand, Mint Mobile is the clear winner if you don't need that much and are okay with paying in bulk.

Mint also gives you more ways to save with multi-month discounts and Mint Family plans. If you're looking for the best 5G coverage, the T-Mobile network that Mint Mobile uses still has a significant lead over Verizon, even if Verizon is making quick progress on C-band deployment. It's also worth noting that Mint Mobile was formally acquired by T-Mobile recently, so the prepaid MVNO carrier's offerings might get even more enticing in the coming months.

But of course, the decision gets more complicated than that, so let's take a deeper look into the two alternative carriers.

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

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

Visible updated its plan offerings with two new plans in 2022, with the cheapest unlimited plan starting at just $25 per month. This plan is closest to the old Visible plan 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 can do on a smartphone. Naturally, you get unlimited talk, text, and hotspot data at 5Mbps speed on either plan.

If you find Visible's base speeds aren't keeping up well with your needs, Visible Plus upgrades your 5G access to Ultra-Wideband and adds 50GB of premium data for an extra $20 per month. Premium data keeps connection speeds higher even when you are in congested areas by prioritizing your data over cheaper plans, which will be most significant in congested and densely populated areas.

Visible Plus also has unlimited roaming with unlimited data in Mexico and Canada. For international usage, you get calling (capped at 500 minutes per month) to 30+ countries and texting to 200+ countries.

Visible vs. Mint Mobile: Mint Mobile's plans

Mint Mobile has a different way of doing things. It offers its plans in bulk rather than selling monthly plans, similar to what you do with just about every other provider. Although this means you pay a higher upfront price, but you save up a lot of money if you look at the monthly rate.

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

You can buy plans in 3, 6, and 12-month increments with choice of 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, or Unlimited data. Unfortunately, the Unlimited plan is slowed if you exceed 40GB of usage. As we saw in our Mint Mobile review, 40GB of data should be sufficient for most people. Unlimited is also limited to 10GB of high-speed hotspot data. Even so, Mint Mobile has a package that will work for just about anyone.

The monthly rate is cheaper as you buy more months in bulk. For example, if you got 15GB of data on a 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 for $45 per month (although it's currently discounted to $25 per month for your first three months). Mint Mobile allows for a lot more customization than Visible, and the monthly rate is lower for almost all of the plans.

Mint 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 get 12-month pricing though they only need to pay every three months.

When it comes to international features, Mint has quite a few solid options. To stay connected while you're traveling abroad, all you have to do is purchase an UpRoam credit of $5, $10, or $20 that's 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 megabyte in 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 megabyte. Mint Mobile's international pricing is pretty competitive as well, even with other carriers though if you're traveling a lot, it may be worth considering a carrier like Google Fi over Mint.

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 at this point. 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 does not support 3G and does not get access to Verizon's roaming partners. If you're currently on Verizon and have great coverage, it's worth double-checking the map anyways.

Mint Mobile exclusively uses T-Mobile's network and was recently acquired by the un-carrier. T-Mobile's network has improved a lot 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, though, T-Mobile is a clear winner. Majority of the modern phones support T-Mobile's entire 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 S23 and the Google Pixel 8 smartphones.

Mint Mobile shines when it comes to supported phones. Since 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 already have one, you'd like to use, 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'll 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, 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. Though Visible is let down a bit by its more limited phone support, very few prepaid options come close in 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 most carriers with a straightforward way to save. With the growth of the T-Mobile network, including 5G, and the addition of an unlimited plan, Mint Mobile is the better choice for most people.

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