Tello vs. Visible: Which is best for you?

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Tello

Customizable and cheap

Tello uses T-Mobile’s network to offer several prepaid plans that let customers save money by paying for only what they need. You have the option of customizing your plan starting as low as $5 per month, or picking one that includes 1GB up to unlimited data, and comes with unlimited talk, text, and free mobile hotspot.

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Visible

Simple and unlimited

Visible is a plan that’s perfect for heavy data users who want Verizon coverage. This prepaid plan doesn’t include hidden contracts or fees, and comes with nearly unlimited everything, including data, text, talk, and mobile hotspot. To top things off, you can save even more by signing up for Party Pay discounts.

Tello and Visible each have one of the best cell phone plans available today. While both carriers have many similarities, the most striking difference between them is the network.

Tello uses T-Mobile, while Visible uses Verizon to offer 4G LTE and 5G across the country. Coverage should be right at the top of your carrier priority list, but if both have coverage for you, Visible’s truly unlimited data is a compelling feature. If you prefer to customize your plan and avoid spending money on data you don’t need, Tello makes more sense.

Tello vs. Visible: How do these carriers compare?

Tello and Visible both offer unlimited plans at an affordable price, and are great options if you’re able to sign up for a prepaid plan. Tello offers service on T-Mobile’s network, while Visible uses Verizon, and both carriers offer plans at a much lower price than you would get if you signed up directly with T-Mobile or Verizon.

For less than $30 per month with either Tello or Visible, you can get a plan with unlimited talk, text, data, and mobile hotspot data. While Visible offers one unlimited plan only, Tello gives you the option to either build your plan, or purchase a premade data plan that fits your needs.

	Tello	Visible
Network	T-Mobile	Verizon
5G	Included	Included
Hotspot data	Included	Included (5Mbps)
Minimum term	1 month	1 month
Maximum term	1 month	1 month
Minimum data	No data	Unlimited
Maximum data	Unlimited (25GB)	Unlimited
Multi-line discounts	No	Yes (Party Pay)

With both Tello and Visible, no contract is required, and you can cancel anytime. Likewise, if you need more or less data with Tello, you can also make those changes at any time. But keep in mind that Visible includes all taxes and fees, unlike Tello. Of course, you’ll need to sign up with Party Pay on Visible to get its lowest $25 per month rate, though this only takes a couple of minutes to do on Visible’s site.

Tello vs. Visible: Tello’s plans

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Divinemercy)

As we saw in our Tello review, the carrier has some of the cheapest cell phone plans out there today, starting as low as $5 per month. This prepaid carrier has a plan for everyone, and lets you either build your plan or pick from ready-made options, including 1GB, 2GB, 5GB, and unlimited options.

If you don’t need many minutes but use an average amount of data, a 5GB plan with 100 minutes will only cost $16 per month. Unfortunately, this doesn’t include taxes and fees, but it’s still an excellent deal.

Source: Tello (Image credit: Tello)

Each Tello plan comes with free mobile hotspot, and its unlimited plan for $29 per month includes unlimited talk and text. As long as you purchase minutes, texting is free. Thankfully you don’t need a contract, and can cancel or make changes to your plan at any point.

If you want the unlimited plan, keep in mind that once you’ve consumed 25GB of data, you’ll see slower 2G speeds. This plan is $10 less than it was a few months ago, making the plan much more appealing even with its lower high-speed data cap.

Unlike core T-Mobile plans, Tello doesn’t offer any international roaming. This means that you’ll need to purchase a new SIM card if you plan to travel abroad. However, you can call more than 60 countries abroad, including Canada, Mexico, China, and Romania.

If you need to call another destination, you’re able to do so via Pay As You Go, as long as you purchase credits. If you use a service like WhatsApp or Telegram for voice calls though, you will only use a bit of data.

Though Tello may not have all the perks or international features of another cell phone plan, it can offer inexpensive service on a fantastic network. With several plan options, Tello makes it easy to pick a plan that is a good fit, and won’t lure you into paying for more data than you need. Building your plan can also be a great way to save money down the line.

Tello vs. Visible: Visible’s plans

Visible is a prepaid carrier on Verizon’s network, and offers one unlimited plan at $40 per month before any discounts are applied. While your data is a lower priority than other Verizon customers, speeds should still be adequate for most people. Our Visible review saw lower speeds than other carriers, but still had enough speed for everyday usage.

This plan comes with totally unlimited data, so there’s no fine print data cap with 2G speeds. You’re free to download as much as you want. You also get free calls to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

(Image credit: Visible)

Even though $40 per month is already a pretty good deal, Visible offers a way to reduce your monthly bill even further via Party Pay. While you used to have to find your own party, Visible has added a community page to its website to make finding a party to join the work of a minute or two.

One caveat with Visible is that it offers no roaming, whether that be domestically or internationally. While the Verizon LTE network is massive and will have coverage in most places, there will be a few more dead zones with Visible. Visible doesn’t have access to Verizon’s 3G towers, nor does it let you roam while traveling abroad.

All that aside, it’s still an excellent plan for a heavy data user who wants great Verizon coverage, without being overcharged.

Tello vs. Visible: Which phones will work?

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Divinemercy)

Before signing up with either carrier, you should decide whether you plan to bring your device or purchase a new one. If you want to use your current device, you should make sure it’s unlocked, supports VoLTE, and is compatible with the respective network.

Tello vs. Visible: Which should you get?

Even among the best cell phone plans, If you’re looking to save money and find that you don’t use that much data, Tello is the better choice for you. A plan with 5GB of data and unlimited talk and text will cost you only $19 per month. You can also build your plan with the amount of data or minutes that works for you, starting as low as $5 per month.

If you’re someone that consumes lots of data and gets great Verizon coverage, Visible offers better value. There’s no data cap on the unlimited plan, unlike Tello, meaning that you won’t have to ever worry about streaming too much.

Also, if you’re able to sign up for Party Pay, you’ll be able to save even more on your monthly bill. With a simple and cheap unlimited plan on a network with fantastic coverage, Visible is an easy choice for many.

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Tello

Build your own plan to save

Tello offers some of the cheapest plans, and you can even build your own to meet your data needs. It’s a great way to save without sacrificing T-Mobile coverage.

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Visible

No data limits

Visible’s plan comes with unlimited talk, text, data, and hotspot data on Verizon’s network, without any data caps. You can save further by signing up for Party Pay.

Tags: Tello Visible

Tello

Visible

Tello vs. Visible: How do these carriers compare?

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