Mint Mobile vs Visible vs US Mobile (2026)
In short
- Mint runs on T-Mobile and Visible runs on Verizon. US Mobile sells three networks and is the only one that lets you pick.
- For the lowest bill, US Mobile's 2 GB plan is $10 a month with taxes included. Mint's $15 6GB price needs a 12-month plan paid up front.
- For unlimited data, Visible+ at $35 a month with taxes included and premium data is the strongest everyday deal at full price.
On this page
Mint Mobile, Visible and US Mobile look alike from a distance. Up close they are built differently. One sells you months in bulk. One runs on a single network and bundles the taxes. One lets you pick your network and change it later.
Everything below comes from each carrier’s own site, opened on October 19, 2026. Prices and promo codes change often. Check the plan page before you buy.
The networks, in each carrier’s own words
Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile. Its coverage page says so: “Mint runs on T-Mobile.” Its fine print says unlimited customers who use more than 50GB in a month “may notice reduced speeds for the rest of the monthly cycle in certain locations when our network is busy.”
Visible runs on Verizon. The plans page says “Visible is powered by Verizon.” The base plan carries this footnote: “In times of traffic, your data may be temporarily slower than other traffic.” Visible+ and Visible+ Pro get what Visible calls premium data, defined as “no data slowdowns due to prioritization.”
US Mobile sells three networks it calls Warp, Dark Star and Light Speed. Its site says they cover “all three major US networks” but does not name the carrier behind each one, so we will not either. Warp is listed with “Priority Data on 5G Devices.” Dark Star has high-speed data with an optional prioritized data add-on. Light Speed has high-speed data only. Unlimited Starter can slow after 70 GB a month on Warp or Light Speed.
The practical difference: the base plans at Mint and Visible sit behind the carrier’s own customers when towers are busy. Visible+ and US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium promise priority data.
Comparison table
| What we compared | Mint Mobile | Visible | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network | T-Mobile | Verizon | Three networks, not named |
| Cheapest plan | 6GB, $15/mo intro for 3 months, then $25/mo; $15/mo on a 12-month plan | Visible, $25/mo | By the Gig 2 GB, $10/mo |
| Unlimited, intro | $30/mo for 3 months; $10/mo for 6 months on the current promo | Visible+ $30/mo with a port-in code | Unlimited Starter $10/mo for 6 months with a port-in code |
| Unlimited, full price | $40/mo on 3-month renewal; $30/mo on a 12-month plan | $25, $35 or $45/mo | Starter $25/mo; Premium $44/mo |
| Hotspot | Free on all plans; up to 20GB on Unlimited | Unlimited at up to 5, 10 or 15 Mbps by plan | Starter 20 GB on Dark Star; Premium unlimited on Dark Star |
| Taxes and fees | Extra | Included | Included on unlimited; some plans add a $2 service fee and a $1 to $5 recovery fee |
| Multi-line pricing | Mix and match, 2 to 5 lines; new-customer offer from $10/mo per line for 3 months | Not stated | No multi-line discounts; By the Gig adds lines at $8 each |
| International | Free calls to Mexico, Canada and the UK; free roaming in Canada; passes from $5 | Mexico and Canada talk and text on all plans; roaming there on Visible+; Global Pass from $5/day | Premium includes 20 GB roaming in 180+ countries; $15/mo add-on otherwise |
| Trial | None listed; 7-day money-back guarantee | 15 days free, no card, eSIM required | 30 days for new port-ins on Dark Star or Warp, 30 GB |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The price details the table hides
Mint Mobile
Mint sells plans in 3, 6 or 12 month blocks, paid up front. The 3-month price is an intro rate. Mint’s Broadband Facts labels say so: 6GB is $15 a month for 3 months, then $25. 17GB is $20, then $35. 23GB is $25, then $45. Unlimited is $30, then $40.
The 12-month plans are different. The label for the 12-month 6GB plan says the $15 price “is not an introductory rate.” That $15 is real only if you pay $180 for a year. Unlimited is $30 a month, or $360 up front.
On November 5, 2026, Mint had a promo: every plan for $15 a month for new customers on a first 3-, 6- or 12-month term ($45, $90 or $180 up front). The 6-month plans then go to their regular $20 to $35. Taxes and fees are extra on every Mint plan. The labels list a recovery fee of $1.88 to $2.58 a month plus government taxes.
Visible
Visible has three flat prices: $25, $35 and $45 a month, taxes and fees included. Annual plans are $275, $375 and $450, or about $23, $31 and $38 a month. On November 5, 2026 the site offered new members $6 a month off with promo code HOLIDAYHACK: $19 for the Visible plan for up to 12 months, $29 for Visible+ for up to 36 months, and $39 for Visible+ Pro for up to 60 months. It is a limited-time offer with no end date given, and it does not apply to annual plans.
US Mobile
By the Gig starts at $10 for 2 GB, $15 for 5 GB, $20 for 10 GB and $35 for 20 GB. Unused data rolls over. Extra lines are $8 each and share the pool.
Unlimited Starter is $25 a month at full price. Unlimited Premium is $44. Both had a port-in promo on the day we checked: $10 and $20 a month for 6 months, then full price.
Annual plans cut deeper. Starter is $199 the first year and renews at $270. Premium is $299, then $390. Unlimited Flex, with 10 GB of high-speed data and 5 GB of hotspot, is $210 a year. Taxes and fees are included on the unlimited plans.
Hotspot, family lines and travel
Hotspot. Mint says every plan includes free hotspot and Unlimited includes up to 20GB. It does not state a separate cap for the smaller plans. Visible gives unlimited hotspot but caps the speed: 5 Mbps on Visible, 10 on Visible+, 15 on Visible+ Pro. US Mobile ties hotspot to the network: Starter gets 20 GB and Premium gets unlimited, both on Dark Star.
Family lines. Mint’s family plan lets 2 to 5 lines mix and match any plan, with a new-customer offer of $10 a month per line for the first 3 months. Visible’s plans page does not mention multi-line pricing. US Mobile says plainly that it has no multi-line discounts, though three lines on Unlimited Premium unlock a $15 a month streaming credit for a year.
Travel. Mint includes free calling to Mexico, Canada and the UK, plus free roaming in Canada with 3GB of high-speed data. Elsewhere it sells passes: $5 for one day with 1GB, $10 for three days with 3GB, $20 for ten days with 10GB. Visible includes talk and text to Mexico and Canada on every plan. Visible+ adds roaming there plus one Global Pass day a month. Visible+ Pro adds two Global Pass days and calling to 85+ countries. US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium includes 20 GB of roaming in 180+ countries. Other plans add roaming for $15 a month.
Trials and eSIM
Visible has the only true free trial: 15 days, no credit card, on a temporary number through eSIM. See free phone plan trials.
US Mobile gives new customers who transfer a number to Dark Star or Warp 30 days with 30 GB. The line then renews on monthly Unlimited Premium unless you change it first.
Mint lists no trial. It offers a 7-day money-back guarantee instead: cancel within 7 days of activation for a full refund, including taxes and fees.
All three support eSIM. Your phone must be unlocked for any of them. See how to switch carriers and keep your number.
How we chose
This verdict compares published prices and terms. It is not a hands-on test. We did not buy or try any of these plans. We used each carrier’s own pages as they read on October 19, 2026. We judged on the full price after any promo, and on whether taxes and fees are included. The number that decides each answer is in the verdict below.
Verdict: three people, three answers
You want the cheapest possible bill. US Mobile’s 2 GB By the Gig plan at $10 a month, taxes included, is the lowest full-price line here. Mint’s $15 6GB plan beats it on data per dollar, but only on a 12-month plan paid up front, with taxes extra. Compare both on our plans page.
You want the best unlimited value. Visible+ at $35 a month, taxes included, with premium data is the strongest everyday deal at full price. US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter is $10 cheaper but can slow after 70 GB on two of its networks. Mint’s Unlimited is $30 a month only if you pay $360 for a year.
You want to pick your network. Only US Mobile lets you choose. The first two network transfers are free, then $2 each, and transfers are free on Unlimited Premium. A $10 a month Multi-Network add-on puts a line on more than one network at once.
For the full list, start at the plans hub. If money is the real problem, see genuinely free mobile plans and the Lifeline free phone program. If you stretch a small plan with public Wi-Fi, read our Wi-Fi safety guide first.