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Hotspot data with no hard cap
Best value
4
Price:
$35/mo.
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Unlimited hotspot data (with speed limits)
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Unlimited talk, text, and data
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5Mbps Max speeds
Most high-speed data
4
Price:
$90/mo.
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60GB high-speed hotspot data
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5G Premium data
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A little pricey
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Best for travelers
4
Price:
$90/mo.
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50GB of high-speed hotspot data
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4K-quality streaming
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Pretty pricey
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Best for security
4
Price:
$85.99/mo.
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60GB of high-speed hotspot data
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Built-in hotspot security
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A little pricey
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Best value alternative
4
Price:
$30.00/mo.
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10GB of high-speed hotspot data
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Get 50% off your first three months
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Slower speeds
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Best value alternative
4
Price:
$25.00/mo.
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5GB of high-speed hotspot data
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No contracts or fees
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Significantly slower speeds
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By Tyler Abbott
Jan 19, 2024
6 min read
Technically, every unlimited cell phone plan includes unlimited hotspot data, but there’s a catch. Once you run out of high-speed hotspot data, your data slows to an absolute crawl. We’re talking kilobits-per-second, people, which we haven’t talked about since the days of dial up internet.
In this roundup of the best unlimited hotspot data plans, we’re highlighting options that give you tons of high-speed hotspot data, and one plan (Visible) that gives you truly unlimited hotspot data capped at 5Mbps. As you can see from the table above, Visible costs significantly less than the premium plans from the big carriers, but you won’t get fast enough speeds to run a Zoom meeting with your hotspot data. If you want the premium hotspot data, you need to opt for a pricier plan.
Quick guide to this article:
- Visible Wireless $35 Plan: Best value hotspot plan
- Verizon Unlimited Ultimate: Best hotspot data speeds
- T-Mobile Go5G Plus plan: Best unlimited hotspot for travelers
- Other affordable options
- Recap
Visible Wireless $35 Plan: Best value
Unlimited hotspot data with speed limits
We constantly recommend Visible wireless due to the fact that it offers awesome coverage on Verizon’s network and costs way less than your typical unlimited plan. In this case, Visible makes our top recommendation for the best unlimited hotspot plan because it’s the one option that truly offers unlimited hotspot data.
Your hotspot speeds will be limited to 5Mbps with Visible, but you can use as much as you want. You can’t stream high-def movies, or effectively play Call of Duty at such slow speeds, but you can write emails, Google things, and stay active on Slack on your laptop all day long. It’s perfect for folks who want to work remotely outside of the house but don’t have many video calls. Feel free to take your laptop to a pretty spot outside, connect to your Visible hotspot, and work as long as you want without stressing about hitting a data cap.
Verizon Unlimited Ultimate: Most high-speed data
Most high-speed hotspot data possible
Sitting at 60GB of high-speed hotspot data, Verizon currently holds the championship belt for the most high-speed hotspot data possible. If you want the closest thing to high-speed hotspot data, the Unlimited Ultimate plan from Verizon is as close as you will get. Every month you’ll get 60GB of high-speed hotspot data, which roughly equates to about 60 hours of streaming HD video, or 60 hours of Zoom meetings (yikes), or 60+ hours of online video games fueled exclusively by hotspot data. If you’re the type of person who frequently connects to your phone’s hotspot point and needs high-speed data, this Verizon plan gets our top recommendation.
If you somehow run out of high-speed mobile hotspot data before the month ends, you can add another 100GB (!) of data for an extra $10. Usually that extra hotspot data would cost $45, but you get a major discount with this data plan.
On top of the hotspot data, you also get a free subscription to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ with this data plan. Feel free to use your hotspot data to stream some Simpsons on your laptop while you’re working at the park.
T-Mobile Go5G Plus: Best unlimited hotspot for travelers
Hotspot data that travels
T-Mobile’s Go5G costs more than any other cell phone plan, but it does give you 50GB of high-speed hotspot data and unlimited 4K UHD video streaming. While we’d love it if that translated to unlimited streaming with a hotspot connection, you’ll still be limited to 50GB of high-speed hotspot data every month. But even if you run out of hotspot data, you can always stream stuff directly on your phone (and it should look amazing). It’s also worth mentioning that you get a free Netflix subscription with this plan, which comes in handy now that Netflix ended the golden era of password sharing.
If you’re a frequent traveler who uses hotspot data, this plan was made for you. You automatically get unlimited data coverage in over 215 countries (including 5G speeds throughout North America), along with unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on US-based flights.
AT&T Unlimited Premium: Best unlimited hotspot with security features
Make sure no one messes with your hotspot connection
The data plan comes with 60GB of high-speed hotspot data every month and comes with AT&T’s mobile security program called ActiveArmor. Here’s everything that comes with the extra security features:
- Public Wi-Fi protection
- Identity monitoring
- Reverse number lookup
- Caller ID
- Safe browsing
- Blocking spam calls
- Securing personal data
- Theft alerts (Android only)
- Email alerts for multiple failed PIN attempts
As a frequent hotspot user, the public Wi-Fi protection stands out here. If you like to work remotely outside of the house, you’ll either be connecting to your own Wi-Fi hotspot or a public Wi-Fi spot. Either way, you’ll want an extra layer of security from creeps who might try to steal your information. This is especially true if you work with confidential information, like tax documents or payroll databases. We’re not saying that every neighborhood park has some hacker in the shadows waiting to hack into your Wi-Fi hotspot, but the extra security never hurts.
Other affordable options
Mint and Tello, like Visible, are MVNOs (carriers that piggyback off existing networks) offering plans with unlimited hotspot data for less than half the price of plans from Verizon, T-Mobile, or . Tello and Mint are even a tad bit cheaper than Visible, with unlimited plans priced at $30 a month or less.
Mint Mobile
All of Mint's plans come with unlimited hotspot data, but we recommend the Unlimited Data plan to get the most high-speed data. At $30 a month (after promo price), this plan comes with 40GB of high-speed data, siphoning 10GB of it for your hotspot. Once you've used that 10GB, your speeds slow to 128Kbps, but you can pay $15–$20 for 5GB–10GB more.
Mint users will experience slower speeds when the network is busy since Mint is only renting T-Mobile's towers, and T-Mobile customers are the network's priority. It's not as much high-speed hotspot data as bigger names or even Visible, but you save money while still enjoying unlimited hotspot data with a good chunk of premium speeds.
Mint Mobile Unlimited plan
Tello
Tello's Unlimited Data plan is similar to Mint's. Your high-speed hotspot data (5GB) is pulled from your regular premium data allotment (35GB), users can purchase more high-speed data (at 1GB increments), and Tello is an MVNO operating on T-Mobile's network.
Tello offers 5GB less overall data and 5GB less hotspot data than Mint, but you save $10 a month. At , we recommend Tello for those interested in a super affordable and customizable plan with enough high-speed hotspot data for occasional use.
Tello Unlimited plan
Recap: What’s the best unlimited hotspot plan?
While unlimited high-speed hotspot data doesn’t exist (yet), these plans will get you as close as possible.
- Best value hotspot plan: The Visible Wireless $35 Plan technically gives you unlimited hotspot data, but your speeds won’t pass 5Mbps. You’ll probably be able to work with no problem, but you can’t stream and game reliably with just this hotspot connection.
- Best hotspot data speeds: The Verizon Unlimited Ultimate plan gives you 60GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data every month. If you run out of high-speed hotspot data, you can add another 100GB of data for just an extra $10.
- Best unlimited hotspot for travelers: The T-Mobile Go5G Plus plan gives you 50GB of high-speed hotspot data and tons of travel perks, like international data and in-flight Wi-Fi. It’s perfect for frequent hotspot users who travel for business.
- Best security features for unlimited hotspot: The gives you 60GB of high-speed hotspot data every month and comes with extra security features to ensure your hotspot connection can’t get hacked.
- Best value hotspot runners-up: The Tello Unlimited Data Plan and the Mint Mobile Unlimited Plan offer unlimited data and hotspot plans at affordable prices. You save $10 more a month with Tello than Mint but get 5GB less regular and hotspot data. You can purchase more hotspot data with both providers.
Methodology
At Reviews.org, we follow a specific process to recommend the best unlimited hotspot plans. Below is a detailed breakdown of our process:
- Thorough Research: We research all of the unlimited mobile hotspot offerings in the market. On top of the research, we use other sources, including industry reports, customer reviews, and reputable comparison websites like WhistleOut.com, to get the most up-to-date and accurate information about cell phone providers and their hotspot services.
- Coverage Assessment: Hotspot data only works if you have cell coverage, so naturally coverage played a big role in recommending the best mobile hotspot carriers. Our analysis focuses on combing through coverage maps and our own proprietary data (collected from over 100,000 users) to gauge data speeds and overall performance of mobile hotspot services.
- Value Analysis: We determine value by considering cost, hotspot data allotments, additional perks, coverage quality, and data speeds.
- Perks and Features Evaluation: Beyond core services like talk, text, and data, we consider other features and capabilities of cell phone plans, mobile hotspot data in particular.
- Recommendation Compilation: Based on our comprehensive analysis, we compile a curated list of the unlimited hotspot plans. Our recommendations provide detailed insights into each provider's hotspot coverage, pricing, features, and network coverage.
Best unlimited hotspot plans: FAQ
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about unlimited mobile hotspot plans.
Sort of! If you have access to unlimited data on your cell phone plan, you technically have unlimited hotspot data as well. But here’s the rub: once you pass your monthly hotspot allotment, your carrier throttles your hotspot speeds to a point where the service is barely usable. There are a few exceptions, like Visible wireless, which gives its users unlimited hotspot data but allows speeds up to 5Mbps.
You’ll need to check the details of your cell phone plan to see how much hotspot data you get every month.
Verizon does offer unlimited hotspot data, but after you run out of your high-speed hotspot data monthly allotment, your speeds will slow down significantly.
All T-Mobile unlimited plans technically include unlimited hotspot data, but after you use your designated high-speed hotspot data, your data speeds slow down so significantly that you can barely use your hotspot data at all.
Technically, all AT&T unlimited plans have unlimited hotspot capabilities, but what really matters is how much high-speed hotspot data you get every month. Once you surpass that allotment, your Wi-Fi hotspot’s speeds will be extremely slow.
Cricket does offer unlimited hotspot data, but your hotspot speeds will slow down dramatically after you pass your monthly allotment.
Straight Talk technically offers unlimited hotspot data, but your hotspot speeds will slow down after you pass your monthly allotment.
Metro by T-Mobile technically includes unlimited hotspot data, but your hotspot speeds will slow down after you pass your monthly allotment.
Written by
Tyler Abbott
Tyler has been obsessed with watching sports as efficiently as possible since the creation of the DVR. He is always on the lookout for the best tech in TV and wireless so he can watch all the sports and still have enough time to hang out with his baby. He has written about streaming, wireless, and TV for over three years. He hopes the Lakers will eventually get better.
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