This guide will walk you through the best unlimited data plans for your needs, whether you want the most perks or you want the cheapest unlimited data plan.
- Best Cheap Unlimited Plan: Sprint Unlimited Kickstart, $35/month
- Best Prepaid Unlimited Plan: Visible $40 Unlimited Plan, $40/month
- Best Unlimited Plan with Best Coverage: Verizon Get More Unlimited Plan, $90/month
- Best Unlimited Plan with Extra Perks: Sprint Unlimited Premium Plan, $80/month
- Fastest and Slowest Speeds by State
Best Cheap Unlimited Plan: Sprint Unlimited Kickstart Plan
Right now no major carrier can compete with Sprint for the least expensive unlimited data plan. For just $35/month you can get unlimited data, talk, and text, plus global roaming benefits. Although this unlimited plan has jumped in price since it was first made available (it used to be $15/month then $25/month) it’s still the cheapest unlimited data plan available right now.
This unlimited data plan is great if you just want the basics—data, talk, and text. If you need additional benefits like entertainment perks, mobile hotspot, or international calling benefits, you’ll need to spend a little bit more on a different plan.
Sprint Unlimited Kickstart Pros
- Unlimited high-speed data
- Free global roaming (texting and 2G data)
- Cheapest unlimited data plan available
Sprint Unlimited Kickstart Cons
- No mobile hotspot
- New customers only
- Coverage can be spotty depending on your area
- Speeds may be slowed during congestion
Best Unlimited Prepaid Plan: Visible Unlimited Plan
Generally, if you’re looking for a cheaper plan, you’ll want to go with a prepaid plan. For unlimited plans, prepaid isn’t necessarily the cheapest, since Sprint’s Unlimited Kickstart plan is the cheapest. However, if you’re wanting better coverage and better value, this is your best unlimited data plan option.
Visible’s $40 Unlimited Plan, the only plan the carrier offers, includes mobile hotspot data (at 5Mbps speeds only), the best coverage on Verizon’s network, and for a limited time, new customers will pay just $25 for the first month.
So while this plan may not be the cheapest, it’s our pick for the best unlimited data plan when it comes to value for money.
Visible Unlimited Plan Pros
- One of the cheapest unlimited plans
- Great coverage
- Unlimited mobile hotspot (@5Mbps)
- Your first month is discounted
Visible Unlimited Plan Cons
- No global roaming benefits
- Speeds may be slowed when network is busy
Best Unlimited Data Plan with the Best Coverage
If coverage is the most important thing to you, then Verizon is the way to go. With the most nationwide coverage, Verizon’s unlimited plans are sure to give you everything you need when traveling from coast to coast.
Verizon has 5 core unlimited plans to choose from—1 prepaid, and 4 postpaid. On top of that, there are discounted options starting at just $60/month for:
- Military and veterans
- Nurses
- First responders
- Teachers
If you want the cheapest option, then Verizon’s prepaid unlimited plan is the way to go. At just $65/month, you’ll get a basic unlimited data plan that also includes unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada.
If you’re wanting the best unlimited data plan that Verizon has to offer, then go for Verizon’s Get More Unlimited Plan. It not only comes with mobile hotspot data and 75GB of guaranteed high-speed data before your speeds could be slowed, but you also get a year of Disney+ for free! Note that this is one of the most expensive unlimited data plans on the market, but if it’s premium you want, it’s premium that you’re going to get!
Verizon Get More Unlimited Plan Pros
- Best coverage in the U.S.
- Free year of Disney+
- Free Apple Music subscription
- 5G capable
- Guaranteed 75GB of high-speed data before network congestion could affect your speeds
- 30GB high-speed mobile hotspot data
- Unlimited talk and text to and from Mexico and Canada
- Discounts for military, first responders, nurses, and teachers
Verizon Get More Unlimited Plan Cons
- Most expensive unlimited data plan
- Taxes and fees not included
- Senior plan discounts only offered to Florida residents
Best Unlimited Data Plan with Perks: Sprint Unlimited Premium Plan
The best unlimited data plans include more than just unlimited data, talk, and text. These days, unlimited plans come with additional perks and benefits, such as:
- High-speed mobile hotspot data
- Entertainment subscriptions
- International travel benefits
- High deprioritization threshold
Get Free Entertainment Subscriptions with Your Plan!
Our pick for the best unlimited data plan with all the perks is Sprint’s Unlimited Premium Plan at $80/month. Already cheaper than Verizon’s premium plan (at $90/month), this plan includes more mobile hotspot data, an Amazon Prime subscription, a Hulu subscription, and global roaming benefits. All of these make it our pick for one of the best unlimited data plans with perks.
There are a few downsides to this plan however. First, you’ll be on Sprint’s network, which is quite lacking compared to Verizon’s. Second, Sprint used to advertise a huge 100GB deprioritization threshold (i.e., guaranteed high-speed data before you could be slowed down during congestion) but recently changed that to say your speeds may be slowed down at any time during congestion.
With all of that considered, we still think Sprint’s Premium Plan takes the cake for best unlimited data plan with perks.
Sprint Unlimited Premium Plan Pros
- Least expensive premium plan compared to other major carriers
- Free Amazon Prime subscription
- Free Hulu subscription
- Free TIDAL subscription
- Free Lookout subscription
- 100GB of high-speed mobile hotspot
- Unlimited talk, text, and 4G data in Mexico and Canada
- Unlimited texting and 2G data in many other countries
Sprint Unlimited Premium Plan Cons
- Coverage may be a problem for some
- Hulu subscription isn’t commercial free
- Global roaming data is only at 2G speeds
How We Choose the Best Unlimited Data Plans
Each month we take a look at all of the unlimited data plans offered across carriers in the U.S., including prepaid and postpaid plans. We look at what we think are the most important factors when choosing a cell phone plan, including:
- Amount of high-speed data (as well as deprioritization thresholds)
- High-speed mobile hotspot data allowance
- Entertainment perks
- Monthly price
- Coverage
Taking all of these factors into account, we handpick the unlimited data plans that provide the most value depending on what your needs are when it comes to a cell phone plan.
Which States Offer the Fastest (and Slowest) Mobile Data Speeds?
It’s good to live in the northeast if you rely heavily on your phone for browsing, streaming, shopping, and other internet-related activities. Test results indicate that New Hampshire has the fastest cellular data speeds in the country, followed by Rhode Island and Connecticut. Iowa, West Virginia and Arkansas are home to the slowest speeds (respectively).
New Hampshire’s 28.9 megabits-per-second average download speeds are a full 3.5 megabits faster than Rhode Island’s. Rhode Island (25.4), Connecticut (25.1) and New Jersey (24.4), meanwhile, are far closer to one another. South Dakota is the only non-northeastern city to make the top five.
States with the Fastest Mobile Data
| State | Average Download Speed (Mbps) | Rank |
| New Hampshire | 28.9 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 25.4 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 25.1 | 3 |
| New Jersey | 24.4 | 4 |
| South Dakota | 23.3 | 5 |
States with the Slowest Mobile Data
| State | Average Download Speed (Mbps) | Rank |
| Montana | 6.7 | 1 |
| Mississippi | 8.1 | 2 |
| Arkansas | 9.6 | 3 |
| West Virginia | 10.5 | 4 |
| Iowa | 10.8 | 5 |
How Let’s Talk Collected the Data
The Let’s Talk team analyzed data from ~100k mobile speed test results taken on HighSpeedInternet.com and ranked the states according to that data. Vermont and North Dakota were excluded from the ranking because of insufficient data.
Download vs Upload Speed
Uploading constitutes a relatively small fraction of our overall internet activities; downloading is what we’re mostly doing when we load a web page, stream a video, or play a game. That’s why download speeds are important to consider when analyzing cellular data, and why we’ve highlighted them in our report.
About Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk simplifies the search for the perfect cell phone plan—say goodbye to reading fine print, comparing dozens of plans side by side, and interpreting confusing language. Our experienced team of writers take a fine-tooth comb to all of the phone plans and phone deals out there to discern what the best cell phone plans are. We compile the top results in highly-organized and easy-to-read articles that we update on a regular basis according to market changes. When you land on one of our pages you can rest assured that you’re getting timely information.
