Tello vs. Visible: Which budget carrier is right for you?

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Tello Mobile and Visible Wireless offer some of the best cheap cell phone plans on the market as budget carriers running on T-Mobile's and Verizon's networks, respectively. They're not only perfectly suited for individuals but, in some cases, are more affordable than premium carriers for multi-line families.

Both Tello and Visible offer superb value, but they are designed for different users. Tello has more inexpensive options with customizable, limited data plans and a nominally unlimited plan, all subject to deprioritization behind T-Mobile's customers. Visible is a better option for those who want or need unlimited data, as it offers two plans with truly unlimited data, including a premium plan, Visible Plus, with 50GB of prioritized data on Verizon's network. 

Tello, Visible, and most budget carriers come with compromises, the most notable of which is deprioritized data, which means data speeds can be significantly reduced if the host carrier is particularly busy at a certain time and location. 

Plan offerings and flexibility

Tello offers the most options and flexibility with its four most popular plans and the ability to create a custom plan with varying combinations of data and call minutes. Overall, Tello's lower-tier options are ideal for those looking to spend as little as possible and are willing to put in the time to figure out how much data (and voice minutes) they actually need.

With Tello's customizable "Build Your Own" plan, you could pay as low as $5 a month for either 1GB of data with no voice minutes or 100 minutes with no data. A more realistic budget plan includes 1GB of data and 100 voice minutes for just $6 monthly. The carrier also offers set plans with more data, as well as an unlimited option.

Visible takes a simpler approach with two plans, each with unlimited data. No plan is less than $25 a month, but Visible offers an annual option where you'd pay the yearly amount up front in return for a discounted monthly rate.

Multi-line discounts and family plans: Neither Tello nor Visible offer multi-line discounts, so each line costs the same as an individual line. Not to worry, though, as Tello and Visible plans are so affordable that most, if not all, premium carrier plans still cost more, even with five lines or more. 

Rollover data: Tello offers rollover data and voice minutes, a rare feature that could allow you to stay on less expensive plans. The caveat is that you have to manually renew (or update your plan) at least 24 hours before the end of a monthly billing cycle. It's a little tedious, as it requires some active management and organization, but the option is there. 

Visible doesn't offer rollover data. 

Mobile hotspot: For hotspot connectivity, Tello pulls data from your plan at the same speeds you'd experience on your phone. So, in Tello's 10GB plan, you share those 10GB with your phone and hotspot connectivity. However, hotspot data is limited to 5GB on the unlimited plan, which is a little strange. 

Visible doesn't have a data limit for hotspot connectivity, but the base plan's data speeds are limited to 5Mbps. That's sufficient for sending emails, light web browsing, music streaming, and perhaps some video streaming at lower resolutions. The Visible Plus plan offers faster 10Mbps data speeds, which gives you more freedom to do almost whatever you want except streaming video at 4K. 

On the other hand, both Tello and Visible offer WiFi calling through their apps, so you can still place calls over WiFi during cellular congestion. 

Smartwatch connectivity: If you're looking for cellular access to a smartwatch, Visible supports all models, including the Apple Watch. Tello does not support the Apple Watch but is compatible with others, including Samsung's Galaxy Watch line.  

With Visible, you can pay $10 a month extra for cellular smartwatch connectivity with the base Visible plan, or it comes included with the Visible Plus plan. Visible used to limit smartwatch connectivity to Apple Watches, but it's now compatible with all smartwatches that support cellular connections. 

For Tello, you'll have to get a separate plan for your smartwatch from the same set of offerings as its phone plans. That means you could get an inexpensive custom plan with no voice minutes for your smartwatch. 

Read our full Tello Mobile review and Visible Wireless review for more detailed breakdowns of the carriers' respective offerings. 

Coverage and data speeds

While Tello has the same LTE and 5G coverage area as T-Mobile, and Visible has the same coverage area as Verizon, customers on either budget carrier won't get the same experience as T-Mobile or Verizon customers. 

Neither Tello customers nor Visible base customers get access to the major carriers' prioritized premium data or super-fast mmWave 5G networks. Data speeds on these plans can be artificially reduced if their host networks are experiencing particularly heavy use.

Visible's Plus plan is the lone exception. It grants you access to Verizon's super-fast mmWave 5G network and gives you 50GB of premium prioritized data that won't be artificially reduced, even when Verizon's network is busy. However, as with premium data on any of the best cell phone plans, speeds on Visible's Plus plan can still be affected by the sheer volume of traffic if the network is particularly busy.

For most people, LTE and standard 5G are perfectly fine for even strenuous data loads, like streaming videos. Super-fast mmWave 5G networks have huge capacity and reduce the potential for slower data speeds when there's a lot of traffic on the network. They're especially useful in crowded places with extremely high network traffic, like a city center or a stadium. 

Tello is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that runs on T-Mobile's network while being operated independently by Tello. While Visible technically functions like an MVNO, running on Verizon's network, it's owned by Verizon.  

In general, Verizon's network has wider coverage that extends further into rural areas than T-Mobile's. T-Mobile specializes in urban areas and along major highways, and its data speeds tend to be extremely fast and reliable in these areas. 

However, coverage and reliability can vary wildly across the country. Tello's T-Mobile-backed coverage map can offer better service in certain areas, even if Visible's Verizon-backed map generally has wider coverage. You should compare coverage maps between the two carriers and check with neighbors, friends, family, or even social networks like Nextdoor to see whether T-Mobile or Verizon offers the best coverage. 

Customer support

Both Tello and Visible have straightforward apps that let you manage your plans and services, shop for new devices, and contact customer support.  

Tello has a notable advantage on the customer service front, as it offers the option to connect you to support over the phone and through text-based chat in the app. In contrast, Visible only has a text-based chat option without any option to call or any listed customer service number. 

Which should you sign up for?

As Tello and Visible both offer superb value, coverage should be your primary determining factor between the two budget carriers. It won't make sense to go for Visible if Verizon has bad coverage in your area; likewise, for Tello and T-Mobile's coverage. 

If both Verizon and T-Mobile have good coverage in your area, your best overall value may be Visible's $25/month base plan for access to Verizon's wider-reaching coverage and truly unlimited (though deprioritized) data. That way, you'll not worry about reaching a data limit, and you'll potentially worry less about coverage if you occasionally (or frequently) travel between urban and rural areas. Visible's annual payment option makes its plans even more affordable, even if it's not by much (around $23/month).

If T-Mobile has better coverage in your area, you're better off opting for any of Tello's set plans, up to the $25/month Unlimited plan for 35GB/month of deprioritized data, or the customizable "Build Your Own" plan, which can get you single-digit phone bills if you don't need much data or voice minutes.

If you want or need data that won't be subject to deprioritization, your lone option between the two carriers is the Visible Plus plan, which guarantees 50GB of premium monthly data.