Best unlimited data plans in 2023: from Verizon to Visible and beyond

If you’re looking for the best unlimited data plan, you might be tempted to just hop over to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The big three are solid options with good unlimited plans, but they aren’t your only option. There are many prepaid options out there that come close to matching or even exceeding what you’ll get from a mainline carrier. Of course, for some, a postpaid carrier really is the best option.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the best unlimited plans for all types of users: those looking for budget options, those looking for prepaid, and those who want to stick to a postpaid plan from one of the big three carriers.

Best cheap unlimited plans

There are a lot of cheap phone plans out there, but we most recommend a plan from Boost, Visible, or Mint Mobile. Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes each plan stand out and who it’s best suited for:

Boost Mobile Unlimited is the best value

It’s hard to believe you can get unlimited data for just $25 a month, but that’s exactly what you get from Boost. The network uses T-Mobile for its coverage and gives you 30GB of prioritized data. After that, you’ll still have unlimited data but will see deprioritization in times of congestion.

While there’s a lot to love about this service, it is worth noting that you don’t get hotspot access. Boost offers a plan that adds on 12GB of hotspot access, but it’s $15 more expensive ($40 total).

Visible is best for those that use a TON of data

The average unlimited customer probably only consumes around 10-40GB of usage each month, but what if you rely on your phone’s connection as your primary means to get online? If that sounds like you, Visible could be a good fit. Years ago, I wrote a feature about using Visible as my only means of getting online and how I was able to use 100GB+ without any issues in a month. Even better, you get unlimited (capped at 5Mbps) hotspot access! 

For those that use a lot of data, Visible is hard to ignore. The only downside is the deprioritization on the base plan can be pretty heavy. While it never becomes unusable for me, Visible often hovers around the 2-8Mbps mark in congested cities or during peak hours. Outside of the city or in less busy hours, I can often get true LTE speeds. If you care more about how many gigs you can use than your actual speeds, Visible will suit you perfectly.

Mint Mobile is a good deal for those that don’t mind paying ahead

Mint’s pricing slots in somewhere between Visible and Boost at $30 a month. Of course, there’s a catch, you have to pay 12 months of service in advance to get that rate. That’s $360 upfront, but at least it means you don’t have to worry about a bill for a while. For those that get big tax refunds, this could pair wonderfully with that — get your refund, pay your phone, and forget about it for another year. 

As for the actual service quality? Mint has some of the best customer service in the prepaid world, almost rivaling the bigger postpaid networks. It also gives you 40GB of high-speed data, which is more than enough for most. That said, if you use over 40Mbps, you still get unlimited access, just at 600Kbps. That’s basically enough to check email and not much more than that. 

Best prepaid unlimited plans

The best three prepaid unlimited plans are well-rounded as they represent each of the big three networks. In fact, only Google Fi is independently owned. Visible is the property of Verizon, while AT&T owns Cricket Wireless. Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes each plan stand out and who it’s best suited for:

Visible Plus is the best for individuals

While Visible’s base plan is great, Visible Plus is amazing. You get truly unlimited prioritized data and while there is still some deprioritization during major peaks, it’s no more than you’d get from many other Verizon plans. You’ll definitely still get fast LTE and 5G speeds nearly around the clock. You also get unlimited hotspot access.

If you are looking for a plan that can also replace a home internet connection in a pinch, this could be it. We don’t recommend pushing Verizon’s “unlimited” boundaries to the test, but this service could be perfect if you mostly stick to your phone but need to use Visible for some streaming or work from a laptop. 

Google Fi Simply Unlimited is best for families

Visible Plus is our best pick for individuals, but what if you have a big family or want to share a plan with some friends? Google Fi Unlimited gets extremely affordable the more people you bring along with you. For example, you’ll pay just $120 a month for 6 lines; that’s the equivalent of $20 a piece. Even our best affordable pick, Boost Mobile, costs more than this, and yet Fi gives you more for that buck.

With Simply Unlimited, you get up to 35GB of prioritized data, free calls from the US to Canada or Mexico, and 5GB of hotspot access. Need even more? Unlimited Plus adds Unlimited data and texts in over 200 countries, 100GB of Google One storage per member, and a year of YouTube Premium for $65 per line for one user or as little as $40 per line for 6 lines. 

Cricket Wireless is great for those that want AT&T coverage

We won’t mince words; if you live in an area with equally great service from all three big carriers, we’d pick Google Fi or Visible over Cricket. That said, Cricket is a close third and is perfect if you live in an area with strong AT&T coverage. It’s a bit more expensive for families and individual users than either of the two other plans, and that’s without factoring in the costs to add hotspot access — something the other two plans offer for free. 

On the plus side, Cricket has some of the best customer service around. In fact, it rivals conventional carriers as it has a brick-and-mortar presence across the country. That’s in addition to phone or online support options. 

Best postpaid unlimited plans

The big three carriers offer a variety of plans. In the list below, we’re focusing on the base plans for all three. Why’s that? Honestly, that’s what we recommend for most users. Unless you know that deprioritization is going to be too much for you or you have special needs like unlimited hotspot access, it’s much easier to start at the bottom and see what works for you.

Doesn’t meet what you want? It’s easy enough to upgrade to a better package. This section is a bit different from the other two because, really, none of these plans are really much better than one another. It’s more down to the network. Now, putting that aside, T-Mobile’s pricing is the most affordable and so if you just want one of the big three and don’t want to spend as much, we’d start there.

Care about the largest footprint for LTE and 5G access? Verizon might be your best bet. And finally, if you live in an area with strong AT&T coverage, you’ll want to go that route. It’s not that AT&T is worse than the other two; it’s more like a middle ground between the two. 

T-Mobile Essentials is the best value from a postpaid carrier

The Essentials plan from T-Mobile is a cheap option that gives you a way to try T-Mobile’s postpaid service. You get great family line discounts, as the price for four lines is yours for as little $25 per line. There are also other postpaid perks like device installment plans, better customer service, and other small perks you wouldn’t get from a prepaid carrier.

Unfortunately, Essentials also isn’t prioritized as highly as other T-Mobile plans. If you’re in a congested area, the Essentials customer will see deprioritization first over other T-Mobile customers. If that sounds like a deal breaker to you, the next best choice is to upgrade to the T-Mobile Go5G plan. 

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome is the best Verizon plan.. and maybe the best period now?

Verizon is actually the simplest of the postpaid carriers anymore, as it just has two plans: Welcome and Plus. For most users, Welcome will do the job. It starts at $65 a line but scales down to as cheap as $27 a line for five lines.

That’s pretty affordable, but there are a few downsides, such as you aren’t given any premium data. This means you won’t always get the fastest speeds during times of congestion. That said, my wife personally uses this and has never had an issue. Another downer is you are limited to SD streaming unless you’re willing to pay $5 extra to upgrade to HD streaming.

You still get unlimited access to 4G LTE with 5G Nationwide access, but there is no wideband, which is the faster city-only version of Verizon’s 5G service. You also get unlimited talk and text, and that includes international locations like Mexico and Canada.

As with all Verizon plans in 2023, there are no included perks, but you can add on a perk for $10 a month. These can be easily switched through the app at any time and are cheaper than if you’d get the services directly. Some of the perks included a Disney Plus bundle, a Walmart Plus membership, Apple Music Family, premium hotspot access, and more. 

AT&T Starter is a good place to start with AT&T if your needs are more basic

AT&T Starter is a good introductory plan for those that aren’t sure what they need out of their postpaid plan. You get unlimited talk, text, and LTE/5G for just $65 for one line. A second line will save you $5; a third line drops the cost to $45 per month or $35 for four lines.

There aren’t any special perks or extras with Starter. You also don’t get any premium data, similar to T-Mobile Essentials. 

There are more options where that came from

There are a lot of good unlimited plans out there. This is especially true in the prepaid space. In fact, some of the best prepaid options are found directly from T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. There are also options like Telo, US Mobile, and the list goes on. We highly recommend checking out our guide to the best prepaid phone plans for more details, as well as our breakdown to the differences between postpaid vs prepaid coverage.

For more buyers advice we also recommend checking out our guides to the best phone plans for seniors and best phone plans for families. 

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