Pricing, phone selection, and more

There are quite a few prepaid carriers available in the United States, though all of them are MNVOs. An MVNO — or mobile virtual network operator — is a carrier that runs on another company’s network by buying capacity in bulk. That said, many of the most popular prepaid MVNOs are actually owned directly by Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile. Looking for something independent? There are several options, including Google Fi and Mint Wireless, but let’s not forget about smaller players likeTwigby. This network runs on Verizon but is completely independent of it. Let’s jump right in and take a closer look at Twigby’s plans and services. 

Twigby keeps things simple and offers pretty much the same benefits across all of its plans, the only difference is how much data you get. Don’t need any data at all? Twigby’s Wi-Fi-only plan is just $10 a month, and you can get it for half of this during your first three months with Twigby.

Aside from unlimited talk, text, and o-20GB of data, Twigby also offers free calling from the United States to over 80 other countries, as well as free unlimited global texts. For those that need a cheap way to talk or text friends and family outside of the States, the no-data plan could be a perfect choice here too. 

So what’s the best Twigby plan? Honestly, if you want limited data, I’d stick to the 5GB plan. At $20 a month ($10 for the first three), you are in the sweet spot in terms of value, and 5GB is enough for most casual users but also gives wiggle room for light users that the 2GB or Wi-Fi plan wouldn’t.

If you need more data? I feel like paying $6 more for the 8GB plan isn’t worth it, and would instead recommend paying the $35 a month for the “unlimited” package. Just be aware that unlimited to Twigby is just 20GB, though this should be more than enough unless you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection at home to offset your data use. 

MVNO vs postpaid: How do Twigby coverage, customer service, and priority compare? 

Twigby might run on Verizon’s network, but can you expect the same experience? Yes and no. Let’s be upfront, Verizon is going to have better customer service, better phone selection, and higher data priority for its devices. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Twigby over Verizon directly: 

As you can see, money really is the only advantage, but it’s an important one. The question is whether the downsides are worth the sacrifice. For customer service, think about your own interactions with your current carrier. How often did you need a lot of customer service, and was it something that would have been over your head? If the answer is yes and a lot, then the self-serve and online nature of Twigby might not be best suited for you. If you are fairly tech-savvy, it’s probably a non-issue. 

One bigger issue might be deprioritization. Every prepaid carrier is different here, and some are more aggressive with throttling than others. I’ll admit I just started using Twigby as a test over the last few days and am still forming an opinion here, but overall it seems data should be more than good enough in most situations, though it got down to as little as 2Mbps when I was recently visiting in St Louis during rush hour. If you can handle occasional hiccups like that, you’ll find Twigby a good match.

What is the Twigby phone selection like? While some prepaid carriers have selections that rival the big carriers, Twigby doesn’t. In fact, you won’t find any new flagships at all, with its few new phones made by either Nuu, Blu, or they are entry-level Samsung devices. There are some slightly newer refurbished devices, but even those are far from recent and include options like the Pixel 5 and iPhone 12. You can see the official list of phones on their website. For most users, we’d recommend getting an unlocked phone to bring to Twigby unless you have really, really basic needs. 

Twigby vs the competition

As we mentioned in the beginning, Twigby is one of many prepaid carriers so we recommend shopping around to ensure the best fit. If you’re looking for something that runs on Verizon’s network, we recommend Visible, US Mobile, and Ting, depending on what you’re looking for. Visible is the best choice for unlimited data, US Mobile offers a bit of both, and Ting is primarily a good deal for those with very basic needs. You can learn more about all three in our Verizon MVNO guide.

Don’t care what network your prepaid service runs on? Google Fi Wireless is worth a look if you care about international calling and data; Mint Mobile is perfect for those who don’t mind paying for a year upfront to save big cash, and Cricket Wireless is perfect for those wishing for a decent choice that works on the AT&T network.

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