Thinking of switching to Visible? Here’s what you need to know.

Visible is one of the best values for people that need a lot of data. Not only that, but Visible’s simple plan, unlimited hotspot data, and 5G support make it an easy choice for someone trying to make the most of one of the best new Android phones. Utilizing Verizon’s LTE and 5G network, most people will have great coverage as well.

Visible isn’t for everyone since it lacks roaming support and doesn’t have many international calling options. It’s also not a good fit for people that need to travel abroad. Visible customers also don’t get the highest priority data connection, so the connection may be slower than expected in congested areas. Still, for many people, Visible is a great fit. Here’s our comprehensive Visible buyer’s guide, containing everything you need to know before signing up.

Just one plan

Visible

From $40/mo. at Visible

Unlimited talk, text, and data

Visible gives you great Verizon coverage with no limits, including 5G with truly unlimited high-speed data plus a 5Mbps hotspot.

Visible Read the full review

It’s all well and good reading about megabits and looking at coverage maps, but you can only truly know how good a carrier is by using it. Check out our full Visible review to see our experience using the carrier. We look into the performance and coverage of the unlimited carrier on both LTE and 5G, including data speeds and latency results.

Visible makes a lot of sense to a lot of people, and it’s clear by how many copycats have sprung up that people like the concept. Most of the weaknesses with Visible’s service will be resolved in time as more phones come with full support for Visible’s digital network and 5G eases the burden on the data network. When it comes down to it, Visible allows you to make the most of your new phone by allowing your data usage to become an afterthought.

Visible One unlimited plan

Visible has the simplest set of plans of any carrier. It’s $40 per month for unlimited talk, text, and data in the U.S. on Verizon’s network. Unlike some other prepaid unlimited plans, it’s truly unlimited with no fine print or data caps. In reality, Visible is an all-digital carrier meaning all of its service work over the data network. This means that even your calls and texts are routed through LTE or 5G. While many other carriers are moving towards this setup, Visible has gone all-in on the concept.

Visible is also unique for including an unlimited hotspot. It’s unlimited in the sense that you don’t need to worry about how much data you actually use. It is limited in the sense that your maximum download speeds will only ever be 5Mbps. For this reason, Visible isn’t a good replacement for a home connection. Still, it’s a fantastic companion to a great Chromebook or Android tablet when you’re away from your home Wi-Fi connection. 5Mbps is enough for basic streaming and web browsing but don’t expect large files to download or upload quickly.

Speaking of streaming, Visible will often limit your streaming quality to SD quality (480p) from sources it recognizes. This means no 720p or 1080p on YouTube or Twitch. For most people, this is hardly noticeable, and it’s a very common practice on budget-oriented unlimited plans. Keep in mind that if you like to watch a lot of gaming content on the go, this often means a 30fps max for videos.

Visible $25 per month with Party Pay

Visible’s Party Pay is one of the easiest ways to save on your monthly bill. If you join a party for four or more people, your bill comes down to $25 per month. That’s $5 off per party member you join up to four. With Party Pay, it’s hard to find any reason why a heavy data user shouldn’t give Visible a shot.

When Party Pay first launched, you could find a party to join on sites like Reddit or in Facebook groups, but Visible has since cut out the middle man with its new community forum. Once you have your Visible account, you can join the community forum through Visible.com and easily find a party to join. With this new feature, there’s really no reason not to join a party and save.

Visible Coverage and 5G

Visible is an all-digital carrier meaning it uses a data connection for everything. It also only uses LTE and 5G with VoLTE and VoNR for calls. This isn’t as bad as it seems at first, as Verizon has been able to deploy LTE to most of its towers. Still, if you live in a rural area, it’s worth double-checking Visible’s coverage map to ensure you’ve got solid coverage everywhere you go.

Visible also includes 5G at no extra cost, including Verizon’s nationwide 5G and the incredibly fast Ultra Wideband mmWave network. 5G speeds are limited to 200Mbps, but realistically, this is more than most people will ever need, for the next few years at least.

All of this means that Visible customers will have no access to Verizon’s old 3G network or even older analog network. For most people, that’s not an issue as LTE has been the main focus of cellular expansion for years now, but it can affect some rural areas. You also don’t get access to Verizon’s roaming partners. While Verizon’s network covers most people, it still buys some coverage from other carriers to fill in a few gaps. Visible customers will have no service in these areas.

Visible does not limit the speed of its connection, though Visible customers will be deprioritized compared to Verizon customers. This means that when the network gets crowded, your data speeds will drop much lower than you might expect. This will affect people living in dense areas more than suburban customers, but if your main tower sees a lot of traffic at specific points during the day, you may notice your speed tanking. This is noted in Visible’s terms, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Visible Phone support

Visible requires your phone to support digital services like VoLTE, so support for older phones is quite limited. Still, most iPhone models released after the iPhone 6 will work without issue. iPhones with eSIm support, iPhone 8 and later, can also be activated without ordering a SIM with the Visible app. Android eSIM support is due later but hasn’t been released yet.

Visible supports most of the most popular Android phones as well as iPhones. The same requirements exist with a VoLTE as a requirement. Still, some unlocked Android phones that would seem to work won’t have compatible software and won’t be compatible. When you sign up for service, Visible will help you check your phone by IMEI to be sure you can use the service.

If you want to use 5G on Visible, there are currently only a few phones that will work. The Samsung Galaxy S20 and S21 series are compatible though the base S20 won’t work with Ultra Wideband mmWave 5G. The Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 both work as well as Visible’s ZTE Blade X1 5G. You may need to update your phone’s software to enable the feature. The iPhone 12 also has 5G support.

Visible also sells a large number of phones with something that should work for everyone, from cheap but good Androids to high-end Galaxy phones and Pixels. If you have an older phone that’s not compatible with Visible, you can also take advantage of Visible Swap to get a free and compatible Android phone when you sign up. You’ll need to send in your old phone within 15 days of receiving your new one so don’t forget.

Visible Visible vs. the competition

Visible isn’t the only unlimited plan around and not even the only unlimited prepaid carrier on Verizon. There are a ton of plans to consider, including Visible vs. Verizon postpaid. Verizon offers premium data and a slightly larger network with roaming but is much more expensive. Visible vs. Verizon Prepaid is a bit closer but has a much greater focus on lighter users with smaller data plans.

If you have good T-Mobile coverage, Visible vs. Mint Mobile is worth considering, thanks to large data packages that work for most and great multi-month savings. Mint will also work with more unlocked phones. Similarly, Visible vs. Metro by T-Mobile offers plenty of data on the T-Mobile network with competitive rates with a family plan. Visible vs. Boost Mobile shows what’s possible with the T-Mobile and Sprint network with a wide range of plans and great support for calling and roaming in Mexico and Canada.

Visible vs. Google Fi showcases Google Fi’s unparalleled international roaming options and impressive network switching in the United States. Finally, Visible vs. Cricket Wireless demonstrates how a prepaid unlimited plan on the AT&T network stacks up with more multi-line options.

Just one plan

Visible

From $40/mo. at Visible

Unlimited talk, text, and data

Visible gives you great Verizon coverage with no limits, including 5G with truly unlimited high-speed data plus a 5Mbps hotspot.

Visible Deals

When you bring your number to Visible, you can get a prepaid Visa or Samsung credit card from $50 up to $200. If you bring your own phone, you can get a $100 prepaid Mastercard virtual account. If you purchase a phone like the Pixel 5 from Visible, you can get a $200 prepaid Mastercard virtual account. Samsung phones like the Galaxy S21 also come with $200 though it’s delivered as a Samsung Gift Credit.

Not all phones are included in the promotion, so make sure the phone you’re considering is on the list before checking out. Visible will show you this information during your sign-up and checkout.

If you’re already a Visible customer and want to reduce your monthly bill, you can refer other people to Visible. If they sign up using your code, your next bill will be just $5. You can refer up to 12 people at once so if you can sign up enough people, you can get the whole year for just $5 per month.