Best Prepaid Service in 2026: 7 Phone Plans Compared

Mint Mobile sells wireless online with no stores and no salespeople, focusing on savings through multi-month payment. Its homepage highlights premium wireless plans from 15 USD per month, a 3-month 6GB plan at 45 USD upfront for new customers, and a year of unlimited for 15 USD per month when buying a new phone with a 12-month unlimited plan at 180 USD upfront. Unlimited customers using more than 50GB per month may notice reduced speeds for the rest of the cycle in certain locations when the network is busy, and video streams in SD.

Mint suits budget-conscious users who can pay for three or twelve months upfront and want low prices without a store visit. Its 55+ plan is a bonus for older customers. The trade-off is the renewal price: introductory offers end after three months, so check the full-price plan before committing to a year. For low upfront cost and solid service, Mint is a leading prepaid pick.

Visible offers simple unlimited wireless on Verizon's network, with one plan structure and no hidden fees. Its homepage title promises unlimited 5G starting at 19 USD per month for one year, with hotspot speeds up to 5 Mbps on the Visible plan, 10 Mbps on Visible+, and 15 Mbps on Visible+ Pro. Visible+ and Visible+ Pro give unlimited premium data on Verizon's 5G and 4G LTE networks when 5G Ultra Wideband is unavailable, meaning no slowdowns due to prioritization, and streaming quality reaches up to 1080p on Visible+ and up to 4K on Visible+ Pro with Ultra Wideband.

Visible suits users who want one simple unlimited price without multi-line complexity or store visits. Its premium data tiers suit heavy users in busy areas, while the base plan suits light to moderate users. The trade-off is congestion: base-plan data may slow when traffic is high, so heavy users should consider Visible+. For simplicity on a strong network, Visible is a top choice.

Cricket Wireless offers affordable no-contract phone plans with nationwide 5G, a plan-finder quiz, and stores across the US for in-person help. Its homepage lists Sensible 10GB at 30 USD per month with Auto Pay, Select Unlimited at 35 USD per month with Auto Pay for new lines, Smart Unlimited at 45 USD per month with Auto Pay, and Supreme Unlimited at 55 USD per month with Auto Pay. It also offers a 3-month unlimited plan at 15 USD per month for the first three months for new single-line accounts with your own device, and a 12-month unlimited plan at 25 USD per month when prepaying 300 USD.

Cricket suits users who want a store nearby for setup and support, plus flexible prepaid options from 10GB to unlimited. Its 12-month unlimited deal is competitive for long-term prepaid users. The trade-off is video quality and deprioritization: most plans stream in SD and may slow when the network is busy. For in-store prepaid service, Cricket is the most established pick here.

Metro by T-Mobile offers prepaid phone plans on T-Mobile's network with taxes included in the monthly price and no yearly contract. Its homepage shows broadband facts labels with a best-value unlimited plan at 30 USD per month for one line, a plan with 10GB of hotspot data at 35 USD per month for one line, and plans with Mexico and Canada included at 40 USD per month for one line. Its 5-year price guarantee means Metro will not change the price of talk, text and 5G smartphone data on eligible plans for at least five years while you stay on that plan.

Metro suits users who want price certainty and T-Mobile's 5G network without a contract. Its taxes-included pricing makes the bill predictable, and its stores offer in-person help. The trade-off is in-store fees: online activation is free, but in-store activation costs 25 USD per line. For long-term prepaid users who hate price hikes, Metro's guarantee is unique here.

Boost Mobile offers no-contract unlimited plans with a fixed ongoing price, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Its homepage promises 10 USD per month for the first six months, then 25 USD per month forever for new customers on its unlimited plan, with unlimited talk, text and data and 30GB of premium data. Its Global Connection plan at 40 USD per month adds global talk and text plus 1GB of global roaming, while Unlimited+ at 50 USD per month and Unlimited Premium at 60 USD per month add more premium data and device deals.

Boost suits users who want a low, stable price after the introductory period, without multi-month prepayment. Its 25 USD forever price is easy to understand and compare. The trade-off is the first-six-months hook: the real ongoing price is 25 USD, not 10 USD, so budget for that. For a fixed low unlimited price, Boost is a strong prepaid pick.

US Mobile offers prepaid phone plans with a premium experience, strong international features and an app for tracking usage, analytics and line management. Its homepage highlights roaming in more than 180 countries, international calls and texts to more than 200 destinations, perks from more than ten audio, streaming and gaming services with a 15 USD per month credit on three lines of Unlimited Premium, and 24/7 customer service where real people help within seconds. It offers 30 days free when you bring your number.

US Mobile suits travelers and multi-line families who want international roaming without a postpaid contract, plus streaming perks. Its app and service reputation, featured by Wirecutter, PCMag and CNET, add confidence. The trade-off is pricing transparency: its homepage does not show plan prices, so you must visit its plans page to compare. For travel and perks, US Mobile stands out.

Google Fi Wireless reimagines wireless with ultra-reliable 5G coverage, industry-leading security and perks at no extra cost. Its homepage lists Unlimited Essentials at 35 USD per month for one line, Unlimited Standard at 50 USD per month, Unlimited Premium at 65 USD per month, and a Flexible plan at 20 USD per month plus 10 USD per GB of data. Premium includes international data in more than 200 destinations, connectivity for tablets and laptops, full connectivity for select smartwatches, six months of YouTube Premium and 100GB of Google One storage, while Standard includes international data in Canada and Mexico.

Google Fi suits travelers, Pixel owners and Google ecosystem users who want international data, VPN and spam blocking built in. Its Flexible plan suits very light data users who mostly use Wi-Fi. The trade-off is price: Fi costs more than Mint or Boost for basic unlimited, and its best deals favor Pixel owners. For travel and Google integration, Fi is the most complete prepaid option here.