Boost Mobile Review

Boost has gotten a lot of things right with its current line up of unlimited data plans. Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty details of what we love.

As many consumers have been tightening their budgets, discount phone carriers have been racing to lower prices. But Boost takes the gold.

At $25, Boost’s unlimited data plan is the cheapest around, period. While Mint Mobile and some other carriers do offer promotional prices that get their unlimited data plans down below $20 a month, those prices always go up after a few months.

Boost has come out and said that they will keep the same $25 price for customers “forever,” as long as they stay enrolled in autopay. That’s quite a promise.

The biggest drawback to most discount unlimited plans is the low data cap. Boost’s $25 unlimited data plan gives you a full 30 GB of unthrottled data before you start seeing reduced data speeds. That’s more than many other carriers, like Twigby.

Boost Mobile can’t compete with major providers like Verizon Wireless when it comes to perks. But it does offer a few add-ons that could benefit certain users.

First of all, you can use your high-speed data allotment with Boost as hotspot data. That means you can tether your computer or other device to your phone when you’re stuck at the Greyhound station or highway rest stop and still have a decent internet connection.

If you’re stoked to watch the next season of House of the Dragon or The Witcher on your phone, you can add HD video streaming quality to your plan for $10 a month.

For those who spend a lot of time north or south of the US border, you can add Todo Mexico PLUS for $5 a month. It gets you unlimited calls to and from Mexico and Canada, plus unlimited worldwide text messaging.

The biggest feature that separates Boost Mobile’s unlimited data plans from higher end (and more expensive) plans is the data cap. Here’s what you need to know.

Since Boost Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), it doesn’t actually operate its own cell phone towers. Instead, it leases bandwidth from T-Mobile (and in select areas, AT&T). That’s part of why it can offer such cheap plans.

The downside to this arrangement is that T-Mobile can “deprioritize” the data of customers who are using MVNOs or customers who use too much data.

So, even when you buy an “unlimited data” plan from Boost, you’re actually only going to get a certain amount of full-speed data. With the carrier’s $25 unlimited plan, that’s 30 GB. After you use that amount you’ll see your speeds plummet. Even before you hit that cap you might notice speeds that are slightly slower than T-Mobile customers.

The best way to find out which mobile plan is best for you is with a side-by-side comparison, which we happen to have right here! You can see how Boost Mobile’s unlimited data plan compares to other popular discount carriers’ offerings.

When it comes to price, Boost is definitely at the lower end of the spectrum—it's the third cheapest.

But when it comes to popularity, Boost is also pretty competitive, with only Visible and Mint outranking them.

Not everyone needs an unlimited data plan. Whether it’s for your kids (who shouldn’t be scrolling through Tik Tok all day), your parents (who use their smartphones like glorified landlines), or yourself, Boost Mobile has tons of low-data plans to choose from. Here’s what we like about these plans.

All of Boost’s plans come with unlimited talk and text. Then you can get anywhere from one to 15 GB of high-speed 4G/5G mobile data on top of that. Those lower data plans are great for those who just need to use a few apps, like Google Maps and WhatsApp, while the higher data plans offer enough for those who want to scroll through Instagram and do a little online gaming.

Boost’s data plans range in price from just $5 a month up to $35 a month. At these low prices, Boost’s offerings easily rank among the best cheap plans on the market.

Boost doesn’t require you to sign a contract when you sign up for a plan. This is great for those who want to try out a lower-data plan. You can always upgrade to (or downgrade) on a month to month basis if you find that you need more. 

However, it is worth noting that you’ll get the best prices when you prepay for a year of service all at once.

It would be unfair to expect a bunch of fancy features or perks on plans that cost about as much as a burger and fries at the drive-through. So we won’t spend a lot of time nitpicking about what Boost Mobile’s low-cost plans don’t offer.

It basically just comes down to this: if you’re a social media influencer or gamer or serious streamer, you’ll want to find another carrier that offers more full-speed data.

If you’re still skeptical about how good Boost’s prices are, just take a look at this side-by-side comparison. We’ve included Boost’s 5 GB plan and similar plans from other top carriers. There’s a clear winner …

Boost recently launched a separate phone service called Boost Infinite, that's basically the opposite of Boost Mobile. Instead of offering a variety of prepaid plans, Boost Infinite offers three postpaid plans.

Another main difference between Boost Infinite and Boost Mobile's unlimited plan basically boils down to how you pay your bill. Boost Infinite customers will pay for service at the end of the month (postpaid), and Boost Mobile customers pay at the beginning of the month (prepaid). And rather than offering many limited-data plans like Tello or other MVNO services, Boost Infinite only offers unlimited data.

Here's a quick rundown of three different plans from Boost Infinite.

Boost Infinite Unlimited: This plan gives you unlimited talk, text, and data with 5G coverage available on either AT&T or T-Mobile’s networks, depending on your location. You'll have a 30 GB high-speed data limit, and once you pass that threshold, your wireless speeds will significantly decrease until the start of the next billing cycle.

Boost Infinite Unlimited+: This plan provides the same core services as the base plan, with the added benefit of access to Boost Wireless' exclusive 5G network (in addition to AT&T and T-Mobile's networks). Users can expect faster speeds when connected to Boost's network, but as always, your experience depends on your location.

Both plans allow you to use your unlimited service in Canada and Mexico, and you can also make calls and send texts to over 200 other countries. You can also trade in your old phone and get a free iPhone 15 from Boost.

Infinite Access for iPhone: This package bundles together all the features of the first two plans, plus it allows you to upgrade to the latest iPhone model every year. You don't even need to trade in your current phone to get started; Boost will just give you a new iPhone 15 if you sign up for this plan. As long as you keep your existing Boost Infinite plan active and make your payments, you can trade in your "older" phone for the newest iPhone model each year. This is a pretty unique benefit from Boost Infinite, as most other cell phone carriers typically require you to keep a device for at least two years before being eligible for an upgrade.

We’re big fans of family plans. Bundling up with your spouse, kids, aunts, uncles, second cousins, and anyone else you can find will really pay off when you get your monthly bill. The best family plans out there can save you hundreds every year.

Boost Mobile’s family plans are … not great. We’ll talk more about what we don’t like below, but first here are the deets on what Boost does right.

Managing bills for your family can be a hassle, especially when everyone has separate devices and accounts. If you go with Boost you can simplify your phone bill by adding up to four lines to a single account. That way you can manage your lines and make payments for everyone in your family.

Now let’s talk about the significant problems that Boost Mobile’s family plans have.

One annoying thing about Boost’s family plans is that you can’t sign up online. You can easily sign up for a super discounted unlimited data plan on the company’s website. But if you want to add additional lines you have to do it at a brick and mortar store.

The biggest drawback to Boost’s family plans is that they don’t actually offer any discounts. While other companies, like Verizon, will give you significantly cheaper rates when you add second, third, and fourth lines to your account, Boost just keeps the price the same for each line.

Boost Mobile is an MVNO, which means that it doesn’t run its own cellular network. Instead, it uses T-Mobile’s, which is good news for potential customers. T-Mobile’s nationwide coverage is really strong. You can see how it looks in your area with this interactive map.

Boost Mobile’s coverage isn’t quite as good as Verizon (and Verizon-backed MVNOs) in rural areas. But it does use the biggest 5G network in the country that boasts some of the fastest data speeds around. As long as you’re using unthrottled data, Boost Mobile should work great for gaming or Facetiming with your relatives.

Ready to retire that old iPhone 8 with the cracked screen? Want to upgrade to the latest Galaxy model? Boost Mobile has you covered. You can pick up a new phone, often at a steep discount, when you sign up for a plan.

Right now Boost has smart phone deals on the Samsung Galaxy A03s and iPhone 12 64GB.

Of course, if you’re happy with your current device, you can always bring your old phone to Boost. You can also port over your old number to avoid all the “new phone who ‘dis” texts. 

If you were to just look at the online reviews, you might get a negative picture of Boost Mobile’s customer service. There are plenty of complaints about bad service, unsolved errors, and faulty billing. But, let's be honest, that’s true for every phone company.

We’ll also note that the company’s mobile apps have 4.4/5 stars on the Google Play store and 4.7/5 stars on the Apple store, which means you shouldn’t have too many issues managing your account and bill using the app.

Alright friends, that wraps up our glorious Boost Mobile review. Before we sign off, we’ll leave you with a short recap. Here are the most important deets about Boost.

• Unlimited plans: Boost Mobile has the cheapest unlimited data plan on the market right now. You can get unlimited talk, text, and data for $25. What else do we need to say?
• Regular data plans: If you don’t need unlimited data you can still get a deal on a regular data plan. Choose from plans with one to 15 GB of data for a reasonable monthly price.
• Coverage: Boost uses T-Mobile’s mobile network, which means good coverage, lots of 5G, and fast data speeds.

For this Boost Mobile review we looked at a number of different sources, including customer reviews, the company’s website, third-party performance and coverage data, and our own proprietary data from over 100,000 mobile customers.

Ultimately, we evaluated Boost Mobile based on several key factors:

• Price
• Data speeds
• Perks (like hotspot allowance and HD streaming)
• Network coverage
• Customer service

Still got some burning questions about Boost? Well we got answers.