Mint Mobile has become one of the most recognizable MVNOs in the game, and Verizon has always been a huge name in mobile carriers. But how does Mint Mobile compare to Verizon?
Plans on Mint offer the best 5G coverage and incredibly low prices, but Verizon has the best 4G LTE coverage and access to loads of premium data. Comparing the two carriers isn't exactly pitting a tiny carrier against a behemoth—and Mint can usually hold its own due to its attractive pricing.
Still, there will always be glaring differences when comparing an MVNO to a major carrier. We'll take a close look at Mint Mobile and Verizon to see how they compare.
Mint Mobile vs. Verizon: At a glance
Mint Mobile offers incredible value for its affordable prices. Thanks to its support from T-Mobile's network, it offers the best 5G coverage in the country. Verizon offers the best 4G nationwide coverage, along with extras like completely unthrottled data and discounted perks and services.
Still, we think most folks don't need all of those bells and whistles and would be better served by skipping the premium prices and opting for Mint Mobile instead of Verizon.
Mint Mobile plans
- Cheap multi-month plan prices
- Best nationwide 5G coverage
- 4G can be spotty in rural areas
- Less hotspot data for remote workers
Verizon plans
- Best nationwide 4G coverage
- Unlimited premium data available
- Very expensive
- Perks no longer included in plans
How we compared Mint Mobile and Verizon
- Price & value We ensured you’re getting the most bang for your buck without sacrificing on the essentials to keep you connected.
- High-speed data We looked at whether the amount of guaranteed “premium” data was reasonable for the plan price, and flagged if you’re being overcharged for data you likely don’t need.
- Coverage & network reliability We evaluated each carrier’s nationwide 4G LTE and 5G coverage to predict your service quality (no dropped calls allowed!).
- Plan extras and perks If you get free Netflix or a hefty hotspot, we factored those in relative to the cost of the plan.
You can read more about our detailed methodology below.
Compare Verizon and Mint Mobile plans and pricing
| Plan | Starting price | Inclusions | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
5GB plan 15GB plan 20GB plan Unlimited plan |
$15/month $20/month $25/month $30/month ($15/month for 12-month plan) |
Unlimited talk/text/5GB data Hotspot (up to plan limit) Mexico/Canada calling Unlimited talk/text/15GB data Hotspot (up to plan limit) Mexico/Canada calling Unlimited talk/text/20GB data 30GB premium data Hotspot (up to plan limit) Mexico/Canada calling Unlimited talk/text/data 50GB premium 5G data, then 3G Up to 20GB hotspot data Mexico/Canada calling |
 |
Unlimited Welcome Unlimited Plus Unlimited Ultimate |
$65/month $80/month $90/month |
Unlimited basic 5G (deprioritized anytime) Hotspot access Mexico/Canada talk/text/data HD streaming (480p) Add-on perks available Unlimited premium data Fastest 5G UW speeds 30GB hotspot Mexico/Canada talk/text/data HD streaming (720p) Add-on perks available Unlimited premium data Fastest 5G UW speeds 60GB hotspot Mexico/Canada talk/text/data International roaming in 210+ destinations UHD streaming (1080p) Add-on perks available |
Verizon is one of the most expensive carriers in the country. It recently announced that it's raising the prices of its plans and reducing the autopay discount from $10 to $5. This is in stark contrast to Mint Mobile's goal to reduce phone plan pricing and stop users from overpaying. Mint currently offers some of the most affordable mobile plans on the market.
How does Mint Mobile's pricing work?
You can initially sign up for any plan in a 3-month package, which will be priced at its lowest rate for that plan. For example, Mint's Unlimited plan is currently available for just $30/month for the first 3 months for new customers. That means you'll prepay $90 for 3 months of service at the promo price. After your first 3 months are up, you can renew for another 3 months at the standard $30/month rate, or you can increase your renewal to 6 or 12 months (remember, you'll prepay for the entirety of whichever plan you choose).
The 3- and 6-month plans will now be more expensive—for the unlimited plan, the 3-month renewal rate is $40/month, while the 6-month rate is $35/month. However, if you opt for the 12-month plan off the bat, you will only pay $15/month, which equals a prepayment of $180 for a full year of service. While you're paying more upfront, you're saving money in the long run.
Let's compare that, though, to a full year of Verizon's most basic unlimited plan at $65/month. Even if you did 3-month increments for the rest of the year at Mint's most expensive price, the most you'll pay for 12 months is $450. With Verizon, you'll pay $780. And since the differences between each plan's offerings are slim, it's clear that Mint is a much better value.
Mint also offers more variety than Verizon in terms of data options. Most people don't actually need an unlimited plan, and Mint has three other data options that, once you assess your data usage habits, could be a better fit and save you a bundle.
Verizon's post-paid plans require a minimum two-year contract. If you want to switch service before the two years are up, you'll have to pay an early termination fee of $175 (or more if you purchased a device). As a prepaid carrier, Mint Mobile doesn't require contracts. Instead, you'll purchase data in increments, making it easy to switch if your needs change.
As we'll outline below, both carriers offer hotspot access but with different approaches. Both also offer international privileges with all of their plans. Verizon outshines Mint with its available discounted add-on perks, something Mint lacks overall.
Mint beats Verizon when it comes to prices, but you would choose Verizon for perks, not savings.
Not ready to leave Verizon's network, but hate the premium price?
Many people don't realize that you can get the exact same coverage as you would from a major carrier plan by going with a much cheaper MVNO like Mint Mobile. But what if you want to stay on Verizon's network?
Other Verizon network carriers include Visible, which offers unlimited everything with Big Red's 4G and 5G coverage for just $25/month. We especially love that you can opt for unlimited premium data at 5G speeds and global calling benefits, for just a few bucks more.
High-speed data
Compare Premium data
|
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | Premium Data | Plan | Premium Data |
| Unlimited Welcome | None | 5GB | 5GB |
| Unlimited Plus | Unlimited | 15GB | 15GB |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 20GB | 20GB |
| Unlimited | 50GB |
Mint offers 50GB of premium data per month, then unlimited data at lower speeds. Verizon's premium data limits are all or nothing. Its cheapest plan offers no premium data while its other options have unlimited allotments. It's also important to note that if you use more than 50GB of data per month, you may experience slow speeds at high-traffic times. When you reach Verizon's limits, speeds will also only be slow during heavy network congestion, meaning you could theoretically never even see slower speeds.
Operating its own network gives Verizon the advantage of offering its customers the most access to full-speed data. Mint does not have that option as it operates on T-Mobile's network and could face congestion deprioritization. That said, I personally only use around 10GB of data on my phone per month, even when I'm traveling and not often connected to my home Wi-Fi. I cannot fathom a scenario where I would need unlimited unthrottled data. So, while we suppose Verizon technically wins because of its premium data availability on its own network,it's not something we recommend most users pay for—and in fact, you can find a gargantuan amount of premium data for half the price of Verizon elsewhere.
Mobile hotspot data
Mint Mobile offers 20GB of dedicated mobile hotspot data on its unlimited plans. For the rest of its plans hotspot usage counts against your plan's overall data limit. The Verizon Unlimited Plus plan includes 30GB of hotspot data. Verizon also has a 100GB hotspot perk for an extra $10/month.
Compare hotspot data allowances
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|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | Hotspot | Plan | Hotspot |
| Unlimited Welcome | n/a | 5GB | n/a |
| Unlimited Plus | 30GB | 15GB | n/a |
| Unlimited Ultimate | 60GB | 20GB | n/a |
| Unlimited | 20GB |
The big carriers like Verizon will almost always beat out the smaller carriers when it comes to mobile hotspots, and that is certainly the case here. The 30GB allowance on Verizon's Unlimited Plus is bigger than anything Mint can offer. Plus, the fact that you can expand that allowance by an extra 100GB for an extra $10/month is a pretty solid deal for anybody who values high-speed hotspot data.
Perks and Extras
Where Mint has the upper hand on Verizon regarding price, Verizon only has a slight edge regarding perks.
The fact is, neither carrier includes enticing extra perks with its plans. However, Verizon at least gives you the chance to purchase some pretty attractive perks for an extra $10/month for each perk. You could add things like Apple Music (Family), Disney+ bundle, and more. You can't get these things with Mint, even if you are willing to pay a little more.
While we aren't thrilled with having to pay extra for perks, the fact that it's even an option with Verizon does mean that they get the win here.
Family plans
For some time now, the general rule with major carriers has been the more lines you have on your account, the less you pay per line. MVNOs haven't had quite the same history with family plans—they were already offering discounted rates to begin with. However, more MVNOs now offer family plans (or multi-line discounts). Mint Mobile is one of the MVNOs leading the way with its Modern Family plans. But how do Mint's multi-line discounts compare to Verizon's family plans?
First, we must consider this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. Verizon and Mint tackle multi-line discounts in different ways. As hinted, Verizon decreases the rate per line as more lines are added to the plan. Mint's per-line discount remains static on multi-line plans. To better understand how family plans work for each carrier, check out the following table, which compares the price per number of lines.
Compare monthly rate per line
| Plan | 2 lines | 3 lines | 4 lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Unlimited Plus | $55 | $40 | $30 |
| Mint Unlimited | $30 | $30 | $30 |
Note: Both carriers allow you to mix and match plans.
Verizon technically offers bigger per-line discounts compared to its original single-line prices; however, it's important to remember that Verizon's single-line prices start much higher than Mint’s offerings. You'd still be paying less with Mint than you would with Verizon until you have a four-line plan. We think the two carriers are tied in this category because you get bigger discounts with Verizon but lower bottom lines with Mint.
Mint Mobile vs. Verizon Coverage
Verizon has had the leading network coverage in the country for several years. Mint is on T-Mobile’s network, trailing behind Verizon and AT&T for some time. It's simple to say that Verizon has better coverage, and while that is especially true for 4G LTE coverage, it's only one part of the story.
On the other side of the coin, we see the T-Mobile network has some serious bragging rights because it jumped to a commanding lead in the 5G race. As more people are purchasing 5G phones, 5G networks are going to factor into overall coverage ratings much more, but for now, we're still putting a lot of the weight on 4G LTE networks. Still, if 5G is a big deal for you, the T-Mobile network, and, therefore, Mint's network is the way to go.
Mint Mobile Coverage Map
Image source: Mint Mobile
Verizon Coverage Map
Image Source: Verizon
Which carrier has better coverage where you live?
To get a better idea of whether Mint Mobile or Verizon has stronger coverage in your neighborhood, use our interactive coverage map. Select a network (remember, Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile's towers) and zoom in to compare carriers.
Bottom Line: Is Verizon or Mint Mobile better for you?
To be sure, Verizon has several advantages over Mint Mobile. It has more premium data, more dedicated mobile hotspot data, stronger overall coverage, and a long history of being one of the most recognizable names in the mobile industry. However, in most respects, we simply don't think the extra bells and whistles are worth the premium Verizon is asking you to pay. As a reminder, when looking at comparable plans, you'll pay $330 less per year with Mint Mobile than you would with service from Verizon.
Mint offers excellent coverage, including the best 5G service in the country. Their most expensive plan prices are still cheaper than Verizon's. And since most folks barely use 20GB per month, unless you are a serious streamer, gamer, or remote worker, you'll unlikely need unlimited premium data and massive hotspot allowances that would justify one of Verizon's upper-tier plans.
If you value premium data and added perks and don't mind the high price tag, you should go with Verizon. If you're looking for a cheap unlimited plan and want 5G coverage, switching to Mint Mobile is the move. That's why Mint is our pick for the winner of this showdown. Learn more about the T-Mobile MVNO in our hands-on Mint Mobile review.
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#1
|
Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$25.00/mo
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
|
#2
|
Verizon
Unlimited Plus
$70.00/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
|
#3
|
Verizon
Unlimited Ultimate
$85.00/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
|
#4
|
Mint Mobile
5GB Data Plan
$10.00/mo
$30.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $10.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
|
#5
|
Verizon
Unlimited Welcome
$55.00/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
|
#6
|
Verizon
Unlimited Plus Prepaid Phone Plan
$60.00/mo
$70 without AutoPay | AutoPay discount applies after 1st month
|
|
#7
|
Verizon
15GB Prepaid Phone Plan
$35.00/mo
$45 without AutoPay | AutoPay discount applies after 1st month
|
Methodology: How WhistleOut rates cell phone plans
WhistleOut evaluates phone plans based on the following criteria:
- Price & value: Not all cheap plans are “bad,” and not all expensive plans are worth it. We look at everything a plan includes and compare it both to other plans from the same carrier, as well as similar plans from competitors in the market, to determine whether the value is consistent with the price.
- High-speed data: Also called “premium” data, this is how much data you get at full 4G/5G speeds before they can or will slow down. The more guaranteed high-speed data the plan includes, the better experience you’ll generally have—but there’s also usually a limit to how much you actually need, and we ensure that you’re not overpaying for data that will go unused.
- Coverage & network reliability: The breadth of each carrier’s 4G LTE and 5G networks determines your reception and service. Particularly in the case of 5G, some carriers offer far more robust coverage than others, which affects how their phone plans perform in different parts of the country.
- Plan extras and perks: In addition to the basics—talk, text, and data—some plans throw in freebies like hotspot allowances, cloud storage, entertainment subscriptions, or service discounts.
Our mobile experts leveraged proprietary data and real-world customer feedback to evaluate Mint Mobile and Verizon. We compared the two carriers by analyzing their coverage, cost, and plan options. We considered plan-specific elements, including perks, premium data allowances, and mobile hotspot allocations. After performing hands-on testing and extensive research, including customer feedback, we picked the best carrier we feel meets the needs of most people. We only compared Mint Mobile vs. Verizon—no other carriers, big or small, were included in our examination.
Visit our guide to choosing a phone plan to dive deeper into a cell phone carrier or plan to find the one that best meets your specific needs.
Lauren Hannula
Managing Editor
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