Visible or Cricket: How to Pick the Best Prepaid Carrier for You

Trying to decide between Visible and Cricket Wireless for your prepaid cell phone plan? I‘ve done the nitty gritty research and I‘m here to help explain the key differences between these two top budget mobile carriers.

By the end, you‘ll know whether Visible or Cricket is the smarter choice for your specific wireless usage needs and budget. Sound good? Let‘s dive in…

Here‘s What We‘ll Cover:

• Quick overview of Visible and Cricket Wireless prepaid plans
• Network coverage and speeds: Verizon vs. AT&T
• Plan pricing and options: limited, unlimited, family discounts
• Phone compatibility and purchase options
• Extras like mobile hotspot data and media perks
• Detailed recommendations: is Visible or Cricket best for you?

First up, here‘s how Visible and Cricket Wireless stack up across some key attributes:

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This gives you a snapshot of how Visible and Cricket Wireless prepaid plans differ across some key categories…

Diving Deeper: Network Coverage & Speeds

When choosing any wireless carrier, an essential question is – how‘s the network coverage and speeds in my area?

Since they run on the Verizon and AT&T networks respectively, Visible and Cricket offer solid coverage nationwide. But there are some subtle differences that could impact your experience:

Network footprint: Verizon edges out AT&T when it comes to covering rural areas across the U.S. So if you live outside major cities, Visible may deliver better overall coverage via Verizon‘s network.

5G availability: AT&T has focused heavily on expanding their 5G network over the past two years. They now cover 250+ million people with 5G – above T-Mobile and Verizon. So Cricket likely provides better next-gen speeds, especially in urban metros.

But how do the actual real-world speeds compare for Visible and Cricket Wireless customers?

I checked out the latest RootMetrics metro area tests, and here is how Verizon (Visible) and AT&T (Cricket) compare in average download speeds for the 2nd half of 2022:

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Based on these latest speed tests, Visible on Verizon‘s network outperforms Cricket Wireless on AT&T in most major cities. The speed difference is likely due to prioritization of AT&T postpaid customers before Cricket prepaid subscribers when networks are congested.

However, both Visible and Cricket deliver very solid LTE speeds nationwide for streaming, web browsing and normal usage. Unless you are a highly data hungry user streaming 4K video constantly, real-world speeds will meet or exceed your needs.

Plan Options & Pricing

In addition to network performance, a key factor is the cell phone plan pricing and options offered by Visible vs Cricket.

As you saw in my earlier overview table, Cricket Wireless offers both limited data amounts (5GB, 10GB) as well as unlimited plans:

• 5GB – $30/month
• 10GB – $40/month
• Unlimited – $55/month
• Unlimited More (15GB hotspot + HBO Max) – $60/month

Additional lines on Cricket‘s 10GB or Unlimited plans are just $25/month per line when you have 5+ lines.

By contrast, Visible only offers unlimited data plans:

• Visible Plan – $30/month
• Visible+ Plan – $45/month (50GB hotspot, int‘l calling)

And Visible currently does not offer any multi-line or family discounts. Each unlimited line is $30 or $45.

So if we compare single line and family pricing, here‘s how monthly costs shake out:

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For single line usage, Visible provides unlocked data for as low as $30/month. But light data users may want to consider Cricket‘s 5GB plan for $30.

For multiple lines however, those multi-line discounts make Cricket very affordable. With 4 lines, Cricket is $40+ less expensive monthly!

One additional bit of pricing fine print to note – taxes and fees are included in the monthly plan costs for both Visible and Cricket Wireless. So the advertised prices are what you end up paying monthly.

Phone Compatibility & Purchase Options

When switching wireless carriers, being able to bring your existing smartphone or buy something new that works on the network is key. How do Visible and Cricket compare on device compatibility and available purchase options?

Leveraging Verizon’s massive network, Visible offers wide compatibility for unlocked phones – including iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel and most major brands. Unless your device is locked or tied specifically to another carrier, it will likely work fine with Visible.

Comparatively, Cricket Wireless tends to be more restrictive on BYOD devices. Due to AT&T’s tight device certification requirements, fewer existing unlocked phones work with Cricket service. I recommend checking your device IMEI number on their site to confirm compatibility before switching.

As for new phones available for purchase when you sign up, Visible and Cricket both offer attractive iPhone and Samsung Galaxy deals. Specific models align with the latest devices available from their parent networks, Verizon and AT&T. You’ll also find cheaper Android device options under $200.

One difference is that Cricket sells phones in-store at retail locations which Visible does not. But otherwise, solid selection of budget to top-tier devices from both carriers.

International Calling, Mobile Hotspot & Other Perks

Beyond core plans, networks and devices, a few extra features may help tilt you towards Visible or Cricket…

For international calling, Visible includes talk & text to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam and 30+ other countries on their $45/month Visible+ plan. Nice for folks with friends and family abroad!

Cricket focuses primarily on Canada and Mexico talk & text which is included with their two unlimited plans.

When it comes to mobile hotspot data, Visible+ has a leg up with 50GB of high-speed hotspot before throttling to unlimited 3G speeds. Cricket provides 15GB hotspot on their top Unlimited More plan.

And if you’re an entertainment buff, Cricket also bundles in an ad-supported HBO Max subscription with their Unlimited More plan.

So in summary – want unlimited calling to lots of countries? Go with Visible+. Need more hotspot data when traveling? Visible+. Are you a big HBO Max watcher? Cricket has you covered.

Bottom Line: Visible or Cricket For You?

Hopefully this detailed feature-by-feature comparison has helped highlight the main differences that matter when choosing Visible vs Cricket Wireless for your prepaid cell plan.

Here‘s a quick recap along with my recommendations on which carrier fits best depending on your profile and use cases:

To make it easy, I’ve also put together this quick quiz to identify whether Visible or Cricket is a better fit based on how you answered the questions:

Hope this helps provide some guidance as you weigh Visible vs Cricket! Let me know if any other questions come up in the process. Happy to chat more about prepaid wireless options and help point you in the right direction.

All the best,

Dan