Visible vs. AT&T Prepaid: Which carrier is better?

‍Visible Wireless is an excellent option for cheap wireless coverage on Verizon’s 4G LTE and 5G networks. They are an MVNO that only has a few plans, but those plans provide a ton of value and are priced very competitively with other unlimited MVNO plans. They sell a service that is much more affordable than what is offered by Verizon, with a small catch, of course. Like all MVNOs, visible users are deprioritized when there is high data usage in the area. If you are willing to part with priority data that comes with a major wireless provider, you will be hard-pressed to find a better deal than the ones available at Visible. 

AT&T is one such major wireless provider, but their prepaid options are much closer to MVNOs in their pricing and high-speed data allocations. Prepaid plans from major wireless networks are a good way to get service from a major provider without paying the full price of their flagship plans. In terms of cost per GB, MVNOs often have lower prices, but you retain high priority data and it is certainly easier to switch to their postpaid plans while already owning an account. 

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:

• What the coverage of both carriers looks like
• How prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans 

Coverage & Reception - Visible vs. AT&T Prepaid

Visible is on the Verizon network, while AT&T is one of the major phone networks. 

Visible is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. 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 is an MVNO of Verizon. AT&T Prepaid is a branch of AT&T, which is one of the major phone networks.

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.

However, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. 

Who Has Better Plan Options, Visible or AT&T?

Visible offers premium data, and both carriers offer truly unlimited deprioritized data. 

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 Plans

Both Visible plans offer unlimited data. 

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. Want some more info on Visible? Check out our Visible Wireless Pros and Cons article for a longer look into this awesome MVNO.

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. 

Visible Base

Visible’s base plan offers unlimited talk, text, and data on Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE networks for just $25 per month. There are no data caps, but your speeds may be deprioritized during times of network congestion. For most users, this is a great option that balances affordability and reliable performance, especially if you're not in a high-traffic area. The plan also includes unlimited mobile hotspot usage, with speeds capped at 5 Mbps—perfect for basic tasks like browsing and messaging.

The plan costs $25 per month. 

Visible+

For $45 per month, the Visible+ plan provides all the perks of the base plan, plus 50 GB of premium data, ensuring faster speeds without deprioritization even during busy times. This plan also grants access to Verizon’s ultra-fast 5G Ultra Wideband network. In addition, Visible+ includes international calling to over 30 countries and texting to 200+ countries, making it ideal for frequent travelers or those who need enhanced connectivity.

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.

Does Visible sound promising? We’re glad to hear it! If, however, you are more interested in a major wireless network, many offer prepaid and postpaid options. There are various pros and cons of prepaid and postpaid plan options. 

Prepaid and postpaid plans each offer distinct advantages and drawbacks. Prepaid plans are ideal for those seeking flexibility, as there are no contracts, and they don’t require credit checks. With prepaid, you pay upfront, which gives full control over spending and eliminates the risk of surprise bills. However, these plans often come with fewer perks, such as streaming subscriptions or device financing, and often come with limited high-speed data. Paying upfront is definitely a drawback for prepaid plans. 

On the other hand, postpaid plans provide access to premium features like device financing, priority customer support, and bundled perks. These plans often offer higher data caps and better speed tiers, along with family plan options to reduce total costs. However, they usually require a credit check and may lock users into long-term contracts. It is important to look into the meat of any plan, be it prepaid or postpaid, to find the one that makes the most sense for you. 

Want a quick look into the difference between prepaid and postpaid plan options? Check out our article discussing the differences between AT&T and AT&T Prepaid for more info!

AT&T Prepaid Plans

AT&T prepaid offers several monthly plans, as well as 3 month and annual options.

AT&T offers 5 plans, varying between limited and unlimited data offerings. Their plans are deprioritized, which means your data will slow down during high traffic. All plans include unlimited talk and text, and all but 1 plan allows for up to 10 lines. Their limited data plans are on QCI tier 8, while their unlimited monthly plan is on QCI tier 8. 

If you purchase your phone from AT&T, your device will be locked for 6 months after activation. The plans they offer renew monthly, except for two plans, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

5GB

This plan offers 5GB per month. 

This plan gives you 5GB of data. This connection then slows to 128 kbps, or 2G speeds. With these speeds, you can send texts and emails or browse the internet. However, playing games or streaming video will be difficult. This plan also includes mobile hotspot access, which users can use all plan data with. This access stops after 5GB. It also features rollover data, which means any data you don’t use rolls over to and is added to the next month of service. For example, if you use 2GB of data one month, the last 3GB of unused data will be added to the next month. 

The plan costs $30 per month. At this rate, you get 5GB at $6 per GB. 

8GB for 3 Months

This plan gives you 8GB per month for 3 months. 

This plan requires you to purchase 3 months of service, and it gives you 8GB per month. Data slows to 2G speeds once again after you hit this limit. You get mobile hotspot access for 8GB, then access stops once you hit the 8GB limit. Your data is also able to rollover to the next month of service. 

The plan costs $33 per month when you pay $99 for 3 months. At this rate, you get 8GB per month at $4.13 per GB.

This plan gives you 15GB per month of service. 

This plan gives you 15GB and allows you to pay monthly. Again, data slows to 2G speeds after the 15GB cap. This plan also gives you mobile hotspot access, which stops after the 15GB data allotment.

The plan costs $40 per month. At this rate, you get 15GB at $2.67 per GB. 

Unlimited Annual

This plan gives you 16GB, requires you to sign up for a year of service, and only allows one line. 

This plan gives you 16GB of full speed data before slowing to 2G speeds. You do not get hotspot access with this plan. This plan also requires a new single line upon sign up, and you can only have one line on this plan.

The plan costs $25 per month. At this rate, you get 16GB at $1.56 per GB. 

Unlimited

This plan gives you a $15 Autopay discount. 

As their biggest plan, AT&T prepaid’s unlimited monthly plan gives you unlimited deprioritized data. Your data will slow down during times of congestion. You also get 5GB of hotspot data, which stops once you reach this cap.  

The plan costs $65 per month before the Autopay discount, and $50 after.

The Features - Visible vs. AT&T Prepaid

Visible and AT&T Prepaid offer similar features included with their plans. 

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. Both Visible and AT&T Prepaid offer several of the same features with their plans. 

Domestic Roaming Data

Visible and AT&T Prepaid both offer domestic roaming data on their plans. 

Mexico & Canada Connection

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. All AT&T prepaid plans include talk, text, and data abilities in Mexico and Canada, except for their 5GB prepaid plan. Data in Mexico and Canada may be slowed to 2G.  

International Connection

Visible does not give you international roaming data. However, Visible + gives you international talk and text. Visible Base does not offer this feature. AT&T Prepaid plans include international texting, but international talk and data requires an additional add-on. 

Video Streaming Quality

Visible’s plans stream at 480p Standard Definition. AT&T Prepaid offers 720p High Definition on their annual unlimited plan and 3 month 8GB plan, and 480p Standard Definition on every other prepaid plan. 

Streaming Services

Visible and AT&T do not offer this feature.

Cloud Storage

Visible and AT&T do not offer this feature.

Device Financing

Visible and AT&T do not offer this feature.

WiFi Calling

Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception. 

Spam Protection

Visible offers spam protection on both of their plans, which blocks spam calls and protects you from potential fraud. All AT&T prepaid plans include Active Armour with their plans, which blocks spam and fraud calls and secures WiFi connections. 

Free Trial

Visible offers a 15 day free trial. AT&T Prepaid does not offer this feature.   

Customer Service 

Visible does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support. AT&T offers thousands of store locations across the country.

Visible is a digital-only carrier, meaning they only offer customer support online. Visible offers 24/7 chat support from a live agent. AT&T offers thousands of brick-and-mortar stores across the country, and you can find one near you with their store locator. For help specifically prepaid plans, you can text “prepaid” to 75421 on Mon. to Sat. at 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET and on Sundays at 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET. You can also call (800) 901-9878 on Mon. through Sat. from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. 

The Verdict

Visible offers better unlimited plans.  

Both carriers offer unlimited, but deprioritized, data with one of their plans. However, Visible has AT&T Prepaid beat both with price and with the number of features included. However, if you’re looking for a limited data plan, AT&T Prepaid offers many great options. Their Unlimited Annual plan is great for those who use a little less data than average. 

We’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.

Want to compare other carriers?

Really.com helps users compare between features, coverage, price, reviews, and more!

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!

MVNO Pricing Categories: Where Visible Shines

U.S. MVNOs generally fall into four categories: low-cost, mid-tier, premium, and pay-as-you-go. Visible stands out in the mid-tier category, offering unlimited data with simple, competitive plans that make it one of the best MVNOs available. Let’s see how Visible compares across these categories.

Low-Cost MVNOs

• Mint Mobile: Plans start at $15/month for 4 GB of data, but only if you pay for several months upfront. Great for light users, but data is throttled once the cap is reached.
• Visible ($25/month): Unlimited data with no bulk payment requirements or throttling caps. For users who need more data flexibility, Visible offers better value without the hassle.

Mid-Tier MVNOs

• Cricket Wireless and Total by Verizon: These providers offer unlimited plans starting around $55/month but may slow speeds during congestion. Want some more info? Check out our Total by Verizon vs. Visible Pros and Cons article for all the information you need. 
• AT&T Prepaid: Offers 8 GB for $35/month but lacks unlimited options at a comparable price.
• Visible ($25/month): Provides truly unlimited talk, text, and data at half the price of many mid-tier competitors.
• Visible+ ($45/month): Includes 50 GB of premium data and access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband—features that other mid-tier carriers charge more for or restrict.

Premium MVNOs

• Google Fi: Unlimited plans start at $50/month with multi-network access and global roaming in 200+ countries. Ideal for frequent international travelers.
• Visible+ ($45/month): 50 GB of premium data and international calling at a lower price. While Fi excels globally, Visible+ offers better value for U.S.-based users who occasionally travel abroad.

Pay-As-You-Go MVNOs

• Ting: Pay only for what you use, which works well for ultra-light users. However, costs can spiral if data usage increases.

Visible ($25/month): Unlimited data with predictable pricing makes it a safer choice for anyone using more than a few gigabytes per month.