Review: Visible by Verizon (Cellular Data Plans)

Visible is Verizon's own prepaid brand for smartphones offering unlimited data, including mobile hotspot use.

Plan Information

Visible's app-based phone plans offer customers unlimited high-speed on-device data, with unlimited mobile hotspot data (for a single device at a time) throttled to 5 Mbps. Video is reduced to 480p resolution for all plans (SD/DVD quality).

Visible data usage can be network-managed, depending on the plan.

The Visible+ plan offers limited roaming in Canada and Mexico, but Visible Basic plan does not.

Top Pick Notes: Visible is one of our Top Pick Data Plans because it is so affordable and offers unlimited mobile hotspot use off of a smartphone. It does have some limitations, such as mobile hotspot data being limited to one device and capped at 5 Mbps, high ping times (depending on the plan), low priority, and video throttling. So while it's not ideal as a primary internet option for someone with high demanding or reliable needs - the plan can definitely play a role in a mobile internet arsenal. 

Currently Available Plans:

• Visible+: $45/month
• Visible Basic: $30/month

Retired Plan: 

• Unlimited: $40/month
  • Party Pay - Party Pay has been discontinued for new customers.  Introduced in October 2019 and expanded in February 2021, you get a $5/month discount for each person that joins your party. Grandfathered Party Pay customers may continue to change parties and keep their discounts as long as Party Pay Terms and Conditions are met.

Plan Specifications:

• Carrier Networks Used: Verizon
• Carrier Relationship: Direct subsidiary
• Plan Types Available: Phone
• Device Types Permitted: Compatible smartphone models
• Unlimited: Yes
• High-Speed Mobile Hotspot Use: Yes, for one device at a time and throttled to 5 Mbps
• Throttling: No (except for hotspot data)
• Network Management:
  • Visible+: All 5G UWB data is premium. 50GB of premium data per month on 5G NW and LTE
  • Visible Basic: All data use is deprioritized and subject to slowdowns in times of congestion
  • Unlimited (retired): All data use is deprioritized and subject to slowdowns in times of congestion
• Video Streaming Resolution: 480p
• 5G Access:
  • Visible+: 5G UWB and 5G NW
  • Visible Basic: 5G NW
  • Unlimited (retired): 5G NW
• eSIM: Yes, for iPhones and select Android devices
• Device Purchase Required: No
• Plan Period: Monthly
• International Roaming:
  • Visible+: 0.5 GB/day high speed roaming in Canada and Mexico, unlimited at 2G speed
  • Visible Basic: none
  • Unlimited (retired): none
• Domestic Roaming: None
• Data Roll Over: None
• Overage Charges: None
• Lines permitted per account: One
• Extras:
  • Visible+
    • Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada
    • 500 minutes of International calling from US to 30+ countries per month
    • Unlimited texting from US and 200+ countries
  • Visible Basic
    • Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada.
  • Unlimited (retired)
    • Plan is activated and terminated via the Visible app.
    • Referral discount - each time you refer a new member, you get one month of service for $5.
    • Visible offers a 15-day free trial to those with eSIM capable iPhones for testing out the service. 
    • Scam Protection - Visible's robocall blocking service. 

News, Videos & Status 

Testing Status

We are currently testing the new Verizon plans against the retired Visible Unlimited Plan.

Members can follow along in our Testing In Progress Forum: Visible+ versus Visible Legacy | Testing In Progress.

Visible Videos

News Updates

• Visible Revamps Plan Lineup And Retires Party Pay Posted on: August 17, 2022
• Visible Now Offers 15 Day Trial of Smartphone Plan via eSIM Posted on: January 6, 2022
• Yahoo! Mobile Announces Shut Down - All Service to End Before August 31, 2021 Posted on: June 17, 2021
• Visible Makes Changes to Party Pay, Referral Codes, and International Calling/Texting Posted on: February 9, 2021
• Visible Enables 5G Support - Verizon's 5G Network For As Little As $25/mo Posted on: December 15, 2020

Alternatives to Consider

Also consider some of our other top pick data plans:

All of our Top Pick Plans

Selecting Data Plans

Data Plan Spreadsheet

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Visible | Walmart

You can purchase a device directly from Visible, or bring your own compatible device.

If you'd like to try Visible out, every customer gets a referral code to share - and here is ours. Using this will save you $20 off your first month, and gives us a $20 credit - which helps us offset the cost of keeping our lines in service for continued testing:

Referral code - Save $20, we get $20: tG8RD