AT&T vs. Visible: Which unlimited carrier fits your needs?

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  AT&T

  Multi-line discounts for the family

  AT&T is known for strong LTE coverage across the country with strong phone compatibility and plenty of data on its unlimited plans. AT&T also offers a wide range of discounts with Signature Program discounts, as well as discounts for 55+, military, first responders, and more. AT&T also offers multi-line discounts for families looking to bring multiple people to the carrier.

  Pros

  • Excellent nationwide network coverage
  • Tons of discounts available
  • Solid new device savings

  Cons

  • AT&T?s 5G network Is still playing catchup to T-Mobile
  • SD video streaming on all but the most expensive plan
  • Taxes and fees are extra

  From $50/month

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  Visible

  Simply unlimited

  Visible is a prepaid carrier that keeps its plans as simple as possible with just two unlimited options, low prices, and taxes and fees included. The base Visible plan is just $25 per month with a single line making it an excellent choice for a young adult looking to save. Visible is owned by Verizon and uses that carrier’s network for all of its coverage, with 5G Ultra Wideband available to the Visible+ plan.

  Pros

  • Unlimited data on all plans
  • Excellent Verizon coverage with 5G
  • Taxes and fees included

  Cons

  • Only Visible+ can access Verizon Ultra Wideband 5G speeds
  • SD video streaming on both plans

  From $25/month

If you’re a heavy data user, you’ve probably been shepherded toward the most expensive plans carriers offer with tons of premium data, hotspot data, and international features you don’t really need. Visible stands out for these users by offering totally unlimited data with no speed caps and a low price. Visible cuts costs in all of the right ways for most people by dropping premium data on its base plan, cutting the speed of hotspot data, and keeping its international offers minimal.

AT&T, on the other hand, is quite a bit more expensive in general with its cheapest unlimited plan coming in at $5 more per month, plus taxes and fees, for a single line. AT&T makes up some ground with its premium unlimited plans offering more and faster hotspot data. AT&T’s top plan is also one of the best plans for those who travel to Latin American countries with unlimited high-speed data in 20 countries.

Mobile carrier features

At first glance, AT&T looks prohibitively expensive compared to Visible, but upon closer inspection, it’s not such a complete victory. AT&T offers more premium features than Visible starting with international coverage with support for unlimited usage in 20 Latin American countries as well as Mexico and Canada.

AT&T also offers high-speed hotspot data on its top three plans while all Visible hotspot usage is limited to just 5Mbps. On AT&T’s top Unlimited Extra EL plan, you get 60GB of high-speed hotspot data per month. You also get the option for unlimited premium data on AT&T’s top plan so you can be sure your speeds will never be slowed, even when you use a ton of data.

If you’ve got access to AT&T Fiber home internet or don’t have wireless access and have AT&T Internet Air availability, you can save $20 per month on service. If AT&T fiber is available at your house and you’ve been sticking with cable for the price, you could save money overall by bundling with AT&T. Fiber also has better upload speeds than cable or 5G internet providers typically offer.

AT&T also has a Signature Program with plan discounts through your work or organization. If your work is part of the program, you can save $10 per month on AT&T’s top plan. AT&T also offers discounts for military members, teachers, nurses, and physicians, so you may be able to save even more with your work. If you qualify, make sure to sign up for the discount to get the savings you deserve on wireless.

Visible is much simpler and keeps its extra features to a minimum by design. To start, all Visible plans come with unlimited hotspot data at 5Mbps. This isn’t really fast enough for HD streaming, but if you’re fine knocking the resolution down to 480p, this hotspot can be a great way to catch up on your shows on your tablet or laptop. You could also use it for larger downloads in a pinch, but you’ll be waiting hours if you’re trying to download something large like a game on PS5 or Steam. Still, it’s nice to have the option when you’re away from your home internet connection.

Speaking of home internet, Visible customers can save on Verizon home internet, 5G or Fios, with either Visible plan. The base Visible plan gets $5 off per month while Visible+ takes the savings up to $10 per month. If Fios is available, that’s the better choice, though Verizon 5G Home Internet also offers plenty of speed for HD streaming and multiple people using the internet at once.

When it comes to international features, Visible is weaker than AT&T, though it still has unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada is inlaced in the base plan, while Visible+ has unlimited talk and text in Mexico and Canada with 0.5GB of data per day. This isn’t nearly as much as AT&T, but can still get you by if you’re just leaving the country for a quick trip and will have access to Wi-Fi.

Mobile coverage and reception

AT&T builds and maintains its own LTE and 5G network filling with excellent nationwide coverage. AT&T’s network is known for strong rural coverage, even if it relies on roaming in some areas. When it comes to 5G, AT&T is lagging behind T-Mobile and Verizon for performance and coverage, but its LTE network, sometimes called 5GE, is plenty fast for HD streaming, browsing, and downloading apps. While 5G is nice to have, the truth is that most of us can get by just fine on well-built LTE while AT&T works to catch up.

AT&T has low-band, mid-band, and high-band 5G with band n5 making up most of its nationwide coverage, n77 adding some speed in more populated areas, and n260 offering a ton of capacity in dense areas like sports arenas. AT&T’s low-band 5G offers speeds similar to LTE much of the time. If you’re looking for AT&T’s best 5G speeds, look for 5G+ coverage on AT&T’s coverage map, and check for the 5G+ icon on your phone.

Visible uses Verizon’s network and as such, has Verizon’s excellent coverage. This includes some roaming coverage as well, so you won’t find too many dead zones in the countryside. Verizon’s 5G performance is still outpacing AT&T’s according to market analysis from Ookla. Still, you’ll need the more expensive Visible+ plan to take advantage of the extra speed. Check Visible’s coverage map to see if Ultra Wideband 5G is available in your area.

Visible 5G uses Verizon’s bands n2, n5, n66 for low-band 5G coverage, band n77 for mid-band coverage, and n260 and n261 for mmWave coverage. Verizon calls coverage with band n77, n260, and n261 ‘Ultra Wideband 5G’, and it comes with the best speeds. The base Visible plan doesn’t have access to the extra speed available with this network, so if you need the best speeds on Visible, you’ll need the pricier plan.

If you want to try out these networks, Visible offers a 15-day trial if you have an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone. While AT&T doesn’t offer a trial, you can try out its prepaid carrier Cricket running on the same network for 14 days.

Phone compatibility

Phone compatibility on AT&T is generally strong with AT&T, with the carrier working with most phones released for the U.S. market — even some that you might not expect. AT&T supports phones like the latest OnePlus 12R, as well as more niche phones like the Asus Zenfone 10. If the phone supports AT&T’s 5G bands, it should have no issue connecting to 5G. If you’ve got a taste for uncommon Android phones, you can check AT&T’s compatibility list (PDF) to be sure it will activate properly.

If you’re ready for a new phone, AT&T offers strong deals for new customers bringing their lines. Some phones, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, are available with big discounts when you trade in your old phone. Keep in mind that these discounts are applied via 36 monthly bill credits when you buy your phone on a payment plan. If you want to upgrade before your 36 months are over, you’ll need to pay off the phone or use AT&T’s Next Up program for $6 per month, which allows you to upgrade after paying off half of the value of the phone.

Visible similarly works with most phones released for the U.S. market. For the most part, if it will work on Verizon, it should work on Visible. You can use Visible’s compatibility tool to check your phone to be sure. In the past, Visible was much more restrictive about the phones it supports, but its current network configuration is much more open to BYOD devices.

If you’re ready for a new phone with Visible, you can certainly buy one from the carrier, but you don’t get the same sort of discounts. Visible offers some discounts on new phones, such as a monthly bill credit adding up to $240 for those who buy a new phone and sign up for Visible+.

For many people, buying one of the best Android phones unlocked will be a more desirable choice. You can even choose one of the best budget Android phones to save some cash. If you don’t want to pay for the whole thing upfront, you can often get savings by buying directly from the manufacturer. If you buy a OnePlus 12 from OnePlus, for example, you can save with a trade-in and get a payment plan with no interest. Samsung and Google both offer similar financing options as well.

Plans

AT&T and Visible couldn’t be more different when it comes to their plans and pricing. Visible keeps things simple with just two plans, no added fees or taxes, and no auto-pay requirements. To get AT&T’s best prices, on the other hand, you’ll need to sign up for both paperless billing and auto-pay. AT&T also adds taxes and fees later on so you’ll need to factor in a few extra bucks per line. AT&T’s plans will mostly appeal to heavier users with multiple lines while Visible takes the cake for single-line users.

AT&T’s plans

AT&T has five main postpaid plans, four of which have 5G access and unlimited data. The outlier, a 4GB plan, is a relic from a bygone era of phone plans. It lacks 5G support and doesn’t even support rollover data. The 4GB plan can still be a solid option for lighter users with Signature Program savings available. If that’s not you, you should start with AT&T Value Plus VL. This plan is the most similar to Visible’s base plan with unlimited data that’s not prioritized, no hotspot data, and SD streaming. For a single line, it’s expensive at a penny shy of $51, but with four lines that comes down to just $30.99.

Moving up, AT&T Unlimited Starter SL comes with the same sort of unlimited data as Value Plus but adds 5GB of high-speed hotspot data. If you need the hotspot data, this plan is a good option without going overboard. All of AT&T’s unlimited plans come with full 5G access including 5G+ coverage, with unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada. Video streaming is limited to SD resolutions on this plan. For a single line, it’s expensive at $65.99, but better value for families at $35.99 per line with four lines.

The next plan, Unlimited Extra, is the sweet spot for many families thanks to its 75GB of premium data and 30GB of hotspot data. Premium data, sometimes referred to as high-speed data, is set as high-priority data keeping your speeds higher than prepaid customers, or those on cheaper plans when a tower gets congested. If you spend a lot of time in a dense environment where mobile data speeds can suffer, this could be worth it to you. Like the above, videos stream at just SD resolution, which is a disappointment for a plan this expensive. This plan starts at $75.99 for a single line and comes down to $40.99 with four lines.

At the top, AT&T Unlimited Premium EL takes the premium data up to unlimited, so you can use as much data as you want with no speed penalty. Hotpot data is doubled to 60GB, and video streaming resolution is unlocked to 4K. While T-Mobile and Verizon both offer HD streaming on some of their cheaper plans, it’s worth noting that between AT&T and Visible, this is the only plan with HD streaming. Unlimited Premium EL also gets unlimited talk, text, and hit-speed data in 20 Latin American countries.

If you want to save with AT&T, the best way is with multi-line discounts. The more lines you bring, the better your savings on each one. It’s also worth checking to see if your employer is part of AT&T’s Signature Program discount program. Finally, if you’re in the military, a veteran, teacher, nurse, or physician, you can get a discount on your AT&T service. If you’re looking to sign up for AT&T or already have AT&T, make sure you’re getting all of the discounts you deserve.

Visible’s plans

Visible has only two wireless plans and they’re both unlimited. The base plan is simply called Visible and comes with totally unlimited data, 5G access, and unlimited hotspot data at 5Mbps. Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada is included, so you can feel free to talk to friends or family over the border — if you haven’t switched to a messenger app, that is.

Visible+ adds 50GB of premium data and full access to the 5G Ultra Wideband network. Ultra Wideband 5G uses mid-band and high-band spectrum to deliver faster speeds in areas with coverage. While 5G on the base plan is plenty fast for most people, the extra speed could come in handy for those who do a lot of browsing, especially when it comes to downloads. If you want to take a trip to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands, you get unlimited talks, text, and 0.5GB of data per day with Visible+.

On Visible, both plans are limited to 5Mbps hotspot data, and videos stream at only SD quality. If you’re looking for HD videos on your phone, you’ll need to use Wi-Fi or download them before watching.

Which is right for you?

For most people, Visible is all-round better value thanks to its unlimited data, simple pricing, and full 5G support. Visible’s base $25 per month plan offers plenty of speed for most people on Verizon’s nationwide 5G and LTE network. Unlimited hotspot data is great for those that carry a tablet or laptop, with enough speed for light streaming, browsing, and messaging. If you get stuck away from Wi-Fi, having some hotspot data available is a definite advantage.

Visible+ manages to be more than a faster plan, though the 50GB of premium data and Ultra Wideband 5G support are nice to have. Visible+ is a solid choice for those that travel to Mexico, Canada, or Puerto Rico with unlimited talk, text, and 0.5GB of data per data. Visible+ also gets international calling to 30+ countries and texting to 200+ countries.

Visible

Visible makes data simple with only two plans, both offering unlimited data. The base plan is plenty for most people, but if you want faster speeds, Visible+ gets the full Verizon 5G network and 50GB of premium data. With Verizon Home Internet savings available on either plan, Visible is a great choice for the data-hungry user on a budget.

From $25/month

AT&T is still a solid pick for many with its strong rural coverage, unlimited plans, and multi-line savings. AT&T also offers high-speed hotspot data for those that need to share data without limits. It’s also worth noting that except for the 4GB plan, all AT&T plans get full 5G access including 5G+ speeds. Finally, if you want HD video streams on your phone, AT&T is the only one of the two to offer it.

AT&T

AT&T can still be a great pick with high-speed hotspot data, multi-line savings, and strong international perks, especially in North and South America. AT&T customer can use their phones in Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico without issue, and on the top plan, usage in 20 Latin American countries is includes. If you’ve got multiple lines and AT&T’s coverage works well for you, AT&T can be still be the right choice for wireless.

From $50/month