I ditched for Verizon for three months for unlimited data at a fraction of the cost — here's how it went

Turning to a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, has proven to be a dependable way to lower your monthly wireless bill without compromising service and connectivity. And Twigby Mobile is one of the many MVNOs vying for your wireless business with the best prepaid phone plans.

MVNOs offer wireless service through the networks of other carriers — in Twigby's case, that's Verizon's nationwide network. Because MVNOs don't have to maintain those towers, they can offer lower rates than what you might have to pay at a larger carrier, though some perks and extras might be scaled back.

The question you have to ask yourself when considering any MVNO is whether those sacrifices justify the lower monthly bill. In this Twigby Mobile review, based on my use of the service over the last three months, we'll answer the question of whether the carrier delivers enough in exchange for its low rates.

Twigby Mobile review: What you'll pay

Twigby currently lists four plans with talk, text and data on its site, with options starting at 2GB and ranging all the way up to an unlimited pool of data. There's also a talk-and-text-only plan that costs $10/month.

Each of Twigby's plans comes with a three-month introductory rate before the real rate kicks in — think of it as a way to try Twigby's service at a discount. The introductory rate is usually $10 less than what Twigby regularly charges. For instance, you'll pay $5/month for the first three months of Twigby's 2GB plan before the regular $15 monthly rate goes into effect.

In addition to the 2GB offering, you'll pay $20/month for 5GB of data and $25/month for the 10GB plan. Twigby's unlimited data plan costs $35/month.

Hit your data cap, and Twigby will slow down your speeds to 64 Kbps with data protection enabled on your account. Otherwise, you get moved to the next tier of Twigby's plans. You also have the option of buying additional data if you hit your limited. Unlimited plan customers get 20GB of high-speed data before their speeds are slowed.

Each plan comes with hotspot data that draws from your regular allotment. You also enjoy unlimited texting to other countries with free calling to 80-plus countries. Otherwise, there are very few perks, which is common for plans from low-cost carriers.

Twigby does offer phone service for families, though there's no discount as you add extra lines to your account. You are able to mix and match different plans, though — unlimited data for parents, for examples, while your kids get a lower-cost plan with less data.

Unlimited data for $35/month @ Twigby Mobile
Twigby's most generous data plan offers unlimited ata for $35/month, though you only have to pay $25/month for the first three months of service. Your plan comes with 20GB of high-speed data; after that, data is slowed for the rest of the billing cycle. Twigby's unlimited data plan costs a fraction of the Unlimited Welcome plan from Verizon, which provides Twigby's LTE and 5G coverage.

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Twigby Mobile review: How Twigby's rates compare

Twigby's rates are certainly competitive when compared to what larger carriers charge, especially for unlimited data. Among the best Verizon phone plans, for example, the entry-level Unlimited Welcome plan starts at $65/month for one line — $30 more than Twigby's unlimited data rate. AT&T's bare-bones Value Plus VL plan is one of the cheaper postpaid unlimited data options at $51/month, and even that's more expensive than what Twigby charges.

It's when you broaden your search to other discount carriers that Twigby's low rates lose some of their luster. You'll also pay $15/month for the cheapest plan at Mint Mobile, but that carrier will give you 5GB of data — double the amount in Twigby's plan. The catch, though, is that T-Mobile-owned Mint requires a year's worth of payment upfront for its best rate, as opposed to Twigby's month-by-month service.

But not every discount carrier requires the same commitment as Mint. Tello charges $19/month for its 10GB plan, a savings of $6 from Twigby's rate. And one of the best unlimited data plans I've found comes from Visible, another carrier that uses Verizon's network, where you'll pay the same $35/month for unlimited data as you would at Twigby, but it's eliminated its cap on high-speed data. Visible has an even cheaper unlimited data plan that costs $25/month, though data speeds can be slowed at any time.

In other words, Twigby's rates are certainly competitive. But you can find similarly priced plans with more data if you know where to look.

Twigby Mobile review: Setting up service

You can buy a phone directly from Twigby, though selection is limited, even compared to other discount carriers. The only iPhones in stock at the time of this writing — the iPhone 16, iPhone 15 and iPhone SE (2022) — are certified used models. The selection of Android models are all new, with the focus on midrange and budget devices like the Google Pixel 9a, Moto G 5G and Samsung Galaxy A16.

Honestly, you're more likely to bring your own device to Twigby, which is what I did for the purpose of this review. Twigby has a compatibility checker on its website where you can enter your phone's IMEI number. If your phone supports eSIM technology, you can activate a device instantly.

Indeed, that's how I got started with my Twigby service. It was simply a matter of creating an account with Twigby, getting a notification that the eSIM was ready to set up and following the instructions. I found the setup process to be very simple. That said, if you're more comfortable with having your phone service set up in person at a carrier's store, that's not an option with Twigby — getting your service here requires some comfort with handling things like setup yourself.

Twigby Mobile review: Performance

To reiterate, Twigby doesn't operate its own cellular network. As an MVNO, it turns to someone else's towers — specifically, Verizon's — to offer wireless coverage.

That's potentially good news for Twigby subscribers, as Verizon's network is extensive, with both LTE and 5G coverage across the U.S. Third-party testing firms like Ookla and Opensignal believe T-Mobile has the fastest network, but in OpenSignal's testing, Verizon provides the most consistent coverage. And another third-party testing firm, RootMetrics, says that Verizon has the fastest and most reliable 5G coverage.

But how much benefit does that prove to be to Twigby customers in real-world use? After all, a risk you take with MVNOs is that your traffic can be deprioritized in favor of the parent network's own subscribers.

In my experience with Twigby, though, that hasn't been the case. In fact, when I ran the Speedtest.net app on my test iPhone 14, I often registered faster speeds than with my everyday device, an iPhone 12 with service directly from Verizon. While there are some caveats there — the iPhone 14 is going to benefit from a faster modem and my Verizon coverage is on an Unlimited Welcome plan, which is subject to slower speeds when the network is busy — but it's still an impressive look for Twigby.

In one instance, I was sitting in a restaurant where my Twigby phone posted a very impressive download speed of 294 Mbps, compared to 101 Mpbs for my Verizon device. And the Twigby device posting faster speeds was the rule, not the exception. A few times, my Verizon phone did pull ahead in testing, but I was impressed by what I saw from Twigby's service.

Phone calls made through Twigby sounded just fine on my iPhone 14, and texting went off without a hitch. Basically, anywhere Verizon offers coverage, you can expect similar performance with a Twigby service plan.

Twigby Mobile review: Customer service

Because Twigby doesn't have physical brick-and-mortar outlets, the only customer support is available online through the Twigby website. Annoyingly, the Twigby mobile app (Android, iOS) doesn't appear to have any tech support features; you simply use the app to manage your account by doing things like paying your bill or ordering more data if you've run out.

There's a fairly extensive FAQ section on the Twigby website to field questions about Twigby's service, billing and some phone basics. That does require some troubleshooting moxie on your part to track down the correct topic.

There is a live chat feature on the Twigby website, which proved pretty responsive when I posed a question about using my Twigby account overseas. The support agent noted that Twigby doesn't offer that kind of coverage, but did walk me through how to set up Wi-Fi calling on my phone so that I could make calls when connected to a wireless network. On TrustPilot, the majority of user reviews praise the customer service from Twigby.

Twigby Mobile review: Verdict

If you live, work or travel in an area with strong Verizon coverage — and given Verizon's reach, you probably do — Twigby is a strong alternative as a wireless carrier. Service proved reliable in my testing, and you'll definitely pay less for Twigby's service than you would at a larger carrier.

The comparisons become less compelling if you look at other lower-profile operators, especially Verizon's own Visible service. In those cases, Twigby's price edge is either minimized or overtaken entirely.

Even with the pricing edge, Twigby won't be for everyone. If you want the comfort of being able to turn to in-person troubleshooting help, you should look elsewhere. But if you're comfortable handling your own phone setup and aren't looking for a lot in the way of perks, Twigby's low prices and extensive coverage may fit your wireless needs.