Best 5g Network on Prepaid

If you’re like me, you might want flexibility in your cell phone plan, but without compromising quality. That’s the balance I strive for in most things: affordability and quality. With my cell phone plan, that means getting the best 5G network with a prepaid plan. 

Having tested different prepaid plans over the last ten years, here’s what I’ve found:

1. Visible by Verizon is the best for unlimited data and mobile hotspot
2. Total Wireless is best for cheap family plans (up to 5 lines)
3. Straight Talk is best for single users, with just 1 line, and a Walmart + membership
4. T-Mobile Prepaid is good for city dwellers who want 5G, hotspot, and international benefits with AutoPay
5. Mint is best for cheap prices at prepaid (think 12 months in advance) prices (but not so great on data)
6. Metro by T-Mobile is best for a lot of streaming perks with T-Mobile 5G

Let’s compare their important tidbits, pros, and cons. 

#1: Visible

Visible by Verizon is my top pick for anyone who needs unlimited data or uses their phone for Hotspot data. They make their bread and butter by providing access to unlimited talk, text, data, and mobile hotspot offerings for all of their plans, not just the top-tier plans.

They really stood out because their pricing seemed to be much the same as a lot of the other competitors with 5G access, but in the fine print, you realize that Visible is truly unlimited, unlimited talk, text, data, and Hotspot usage for the top-tier plans. This makes them the best option for anyone who wants all-in-one pricing with unlimited everything, even Apple Watch integration.

However, I will say that they don’t give discounts for family plans or multiple lines, so if you are trying to find something that’s affordable for a family, you’d be better off looking at Total Wireless, which also uses Verizon’s 5G towers.

Important Tidbits:

• Speed: Top-tier plans get you Verizon’s “Ultra Wideband” 5G for maximum speeds (up to 600+ Mbps).
• Price: Base plans are around $25/mo (Base) or $45/mo (Visible+)
• Data: Truly unlimited data usage with no hard caps.
• Network: Verizon.
• Perks: Unlimited mobile hotspot usage (speed capped at 5–10 Mbps) and smartwatch support for some of their top-tier plans.

Pros:

• Base plan is $25/month with unlimited talk, text, data, and unlimited hotspot (at 5Mbps).
• They are one of the few prepaid 5G carriers that offer unlimited everything from data to talk to text and hotspot usage.
• Everything is included in their base price, with a 5-year price guarantee.
• They are one of the only prepaid options that offers Apple Watch service for free with the highest tier plan (or for $10 per month with other plans).

Cons:

• They don’t have physical stores, so as a digital-only option, customer service has to be done via social media or the help center.
• Sometimes the mobile hotspot is capped for some of the lower-level plans.
• They don’t offer family plan discounts, so the price is the same no matter how many lines you add.

#2: Total Wireless

Total Wireless is another Verizon subsidiary, one that uses the Verizon 5G and 5G Ultra wideband towers, giving you fast, reliable talk, text, data, and mobile hotspot options with some of the cheapest prices for multi-line discounts.

The downside is they have a maximum of five lines per plan, so if you have more than five people in your family, you might be forced to pick your favorite children once and for all.

Otherwise, you get discounts for every line you add, and once you reach three, the fourth one is free. You also have legitimately unlimited data without any slow speeds during congestion or in busy areas, which is really great when you consider that most prepaid plans are very low priority. 

Important Tidbits:

• Speed: You get prioritized 5G data that doesn’t slow down during congestion on high-tier plans.
• Price: Prices get better with more lines, up to 5.
• Data: No monthly high-speed caps, unlimited data
• Network: Verizon.
• Perks: Includes Disney+ Premium on select unlimited plans and unlimited hotspot (capped at 5Mbps). 

Pros:

• They have some of the cheapest prices for family plans, especially if you have four lines.
• You won’t have any slowdown for your data.
• Includes Disney+ Premium subscription with certain unlimited plans.

Cons:

• The maximum you can have on a single plan is five lines. Limited to a maximum of 5 lines.
• The cheap prices that are displayed on the website, the lowest prices they offer, only work if you enroll in autopay.
• They have limited high-speed Hotspot data, particularly for the base 5G Unlimited plan. 

#3: Straight Talk

Straight Talk is sold via Walmart, and they use Verizon’s 5G and 5G ultrawideband connection, depending on where you live and what the availability is in your area. As they are a subsidiary, you can still expect some throttling during heavy congestion, because Verizon prioritizes data, especially video streaming, for contract customers and then direct prepaid customers first.

Their plans are pretty affordable if you get the unlimited plans, and those are the ones that guarantee the 5G connection, but if you go for some of the cheaper plans like the bronze and silver packages, your coverage might fluctuate.

Straight Talk comes with benefits like unlimited hotspot data, cloud storage, and a Walmart Plus membership. The longer you stay with them, the more you earn annual anniversary credits that you can apply toward things like a new phone as well. Otherwise, things are pretty basic, and I would argue that if you use a lot of data, you can find better plans at the same, if not cheaper prices, with competitors like Visible or Total Wireless. 

Important Tidbits:

• Speed: Best plans give 5G speed, or 5G UW, using Verizon, at four times faster than traditional 5G. 
• Price: Very flexible, with basic plans at $35, but if you want 5G, expect to pay for their highest tier at $65.
• Data: Unlimited plans have unlimited data, with likely slow speed during congestion or in crowded areas.
• Network: Verizon
• Perks: Walmart+ Membership with top-tier plans, international calling unlimited to Mexico and Canada with higher-tier plans, and device protection. 

Pros:

• Higher to your plans give you things like Disney Plus subscriptions and 100 GB of cloud storage, which can be good for families
• You can buy phones and SIM kits at Walmart and get customer service assistance in person
• They have access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband Network, so you get reliable, consistent coverage, especially in rural areas.

Cons:

• Some people report challenges porting their phones.
• Unless you pay for the Platinum tier, your data gets deprioritized behind other Verizon customers, and video streaming takes the biggest hit.
• They have a lot of purportedly free phone deals, but it can be complicated to get the phone moving. 

#4: T-Mobile Prepaid

T-Mobile’s prepaid option comes with a lot of benefits, namely the fact that you are still a non-contractual T-Mobile customer, so you kind of get priority status when there is congestion. You also benefit from the magenta status, which gives you things like 15% off Hilton hotels, fuel discounts, and cheap movie tickets if you use the T-Mobile Life app.

T-Mobile’s prepaid option still gets access to 5G speeds, but also locks in a 5-year price guarantee, so if you are taking out a new plan, you can budget for the next 5 years without any changes. You also have access to the weekly reward program they offer through T-Mobile Tuesdays. 

For me, the downside is the data policy. Even though you get 5G network access with a prepaid plan, which can be great in big cities, they will still slow down even the unlimited plus plans during congestion, and if you have anything other than the unlimited plan, they will throttle your speeds down to 2 gigabytes once you reach your monthly limit or stop your data entirely.

Important Tidbits:

• Speed: 5G download speeds range from 144–561 Mbps, while 4G LTE typically ranges from 13–69 Mbps.
• Price: Best for low-cost single lines, starting at $15/mo for 5GB, but unlimited with access to 5G speeds is around $60 per month
• Data: For unlimited plans, speeds may be temporarily slowed after 50GB of usage during network congestion, with throttling on fixed-data plans, and data service stopping entirely for hard caps on the “connect” plans.
• Network: T-Mobile.
• Perks: T-Mobile Tuesdays with weekly giveaways and rewards, 15% off things like Shell gas and Hilton hotels, a 5-year price guarantee, and unlimited talk + text to Mexico and Canada. 

Pros:

• T-Mobile prepaid data is usually prioritized the same as contract customers, so it’s less likely that you will have slower speeds if you are in an airport or stadium, or during heavy congestion.
• The prepaid plans run directly on the ultra capacity Network so you don’t see any third-party throttling, either with pretty impressive 5G speeds usually exceeding over 500 Mbps.
• They offer flexible connect plans that have a hard data cap for people who don’t need a lot of data but also don’t want to spend a lot of money.

The Cons:

• The hard data cap plans are just that; as soon as you go over, they cut off all your data for the rest of the month.
• You don’t get the same streaming bundles as contract T-Mobile customers.
• There aren’t significant discounts for multiple lines like with Total Wireless.
• They have strong hotspot restrictions. Bummer. 

#5: Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile runs off T-Mobile’s network and has some of the cheapest prices for 5G. I love, love, love that they also let you not just use your phone as a mobile hotspot for wifi, but share it with others. Basically, if you are sitting around with a group at your favorite Phở place, but they don’t have wifi, your phone can connect everyone with no additional fees or hassles. 

Good on you, Ryan. 

And on the off chance that you’ve never happened upon a Ryan Reynolds commercial on YouTube or wherever, then I’ll quickly clarify that their pricing model is based on reduced costs for the more months you buy up front. You can buy 3, 6, or 12 months at varying levels of GB. 

It’s pretty cool that the plans are so simple, without a lot of complicated perks or throttling, different levels of data or GB that you have to understand. It’s plain and simple, based on the amount of data you buy. 

Again, good for you, Ryan (I say this like we are friends and I’m patting him on the back). 

However, they have pretty limited data packages, and you’ll be throttled for sure if things get busy. But that’s not the part I dislike the most; the majority of their discounts and benefits only apply to new customers, so basically, as soon as you sign up, you’re really never going to see another big discount again. I.e. if you buy 6 months worth of phone coverage for an unlimited package, at a sale price of $15 per month, by month 7, your price goes back up to $35, and it will stay there for the rest of your time with Mint. 

Important Tidbits:

• Speed: Offers high-speed 5G (up to 350+ Mbps) 
• Price: Best for low-cost single lines, starting at $15/mo for 5GB, BUT those low prices are based on prepaid options; the more months you buy at once, the cheaper your “monthly” rate.
• Data: Unlimited plans are capped at 40GB of high-speed data before throttling.
• Network: T-Mobile.
• Perks: Includes 10GB of hotspot data, options to use your phone for hotspot shareable with others, and free calls to Mexico and Canada. 

Pros:

• There are very attractive discounts for new customers, so if you can purchase 12 months in advance, you can maximize your discounts
• There will always be high value when you bulk buy, 12 months at a time or even 6 months at a time.
• You get free mobile Hotspot data, and you can use your phone to share your Hotspot data with other people around you.

Cons:

• The majority of their discounts don’t apply once you’ve already become a customer.
• There’s a pretty high upfront cost compared to other prepaid 5G options.
• You have no physical storefronts and difficult customer support.
• Mint users are deprioritized compared to T-Mobile’s customers, especially during peak hours or in crowded areas. 

#6: Metro by T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile is best for people who are on a budget, especially people who are looking for one line and really want the benefits of the T-Mobile name and app. With Metro by T-Mobile, users are definitely the lowest priority for the T-Mobile network, which means that you get deprioritized in a crowded area, and since T-Mobile’s 5G networks are best in large cities, that basically means they are most common in crowded areas. 

So, it’s no contract and prepaid with the ability to add things like Amazon Prime and take advantage of discounts through the magenta status, but it’s not going to be your best option if you want very fast 5G speeds.

Important Tidbits:

• Speed: Metro by T-Mobile is deprioritized, so even those speeds range between 127 and 455 megabits per second for 5G, you’re basically the smallest fish in the T-Mobile pond.
• Price: Lowest prices for unlimited data with no hotspot is around $30 per month, but if you want any Hotspot data, you’re going to pay around $60 per month.
• Data: Speeds will slow down during network congestion with reduced video quality
• Network: T-Mobile.
• Perks: Their most expensive plan includes Amazon Prime and 100 GB of Google One membership, magenta status through the T-Mobile Life app, a 5-year price guarantee, and scam shield.

Pros:

• You can get really affordable plans, even cheaper than the T-Mobile prepaid plans, especially if you bring your own device.
• Select plans come with valuable perks like an Amazon Prime membership and 100 GB of Google One Cloud storage.

Cons:

• Metro has some of the worst data deprioritization on the T-Mobile network
• Get ready for a lot of issues with customer service
• There are significant limits on the device options and upgrades

Summing Up

My top picks are all Verizon prepaid options simply because they have better coverage across America with fewer deprioritization issues. Visible by Verizon is my top pick for heavy data users because you get unlimited data and unlimited hotspot options with your phone without having to pay for the most expensive plan. But they don’t give family discounts. 

So, for that, Total Wireless though, gives you affordable family plans with some of the best discounts and guarantees that your data won’t be deprioritized.

If you live in a city, T-Mobile might have the better 5G coverage, in which case Mint Mobile is going to be your best option if you can afford to pay for several months in advance and want to pay for several months in advance as well but if you don’t want to do that, the basic T-Mobile prepaid plan can give you 5G access with benefits like hotspot data.