Boost Mobile Review

Review Boost Mobile's features, pricing, and coverage to compare it to the top prepaid competition.

Prepaid mobile plans offer big perks that mobile contracts don't, like lower prices and flexibility.

And Boost Mobile is no exception. They have a competitive range of prepaid data plans with nationwide coverage starting at just $15.

But is Boost Mobile right for you? Review their plans, phone selection, and pricing before signing up.

What is Boost Mobile?

Boost Mobile entered the United States market in 2001 and has since become one of the most recognizable brands in wireless services.

Boost is what is known as a "mobile virtual network operator" (MVNO). This means that they do not actually own the wireless network infrastructure they use to provide service to customers. Instead, Boost virtually "piggybacks" on the infrastructure of another wireless service provider.

Boost was previously owned by Sprint and ran on the Sprint network. Then, they were acquired by Dish Network when T-Mobile and Sprint merged on April 1, 2020. Boost will operate on the T-Mobile network until 2027.

Long story short: Boost sells you T-Mobile service and coverage at a discount.

The Pros and Cons of Boost Mobile

Every major wireless provider comes along with strengths and weaknesses, and Boost Mobile is no exception.

Pros:

• Largest 5G network in the U.S.
  
• Excellent phone pricing
  
• Flexible and obligation-free prepaid wireless service

Cons:

• Poor customer service
  
• Lack of the latest phone models
  
• More expensive data plans than some other providers

Now, let's take a look at the plans and pricing, phone selection, network coverage, and customer reviews of Boost Mobile.

Is Boost Mobile Any Good? The Full Overview

Before signing up with Boost Mobile, take extra care to review their pricing, features, and plans. Decide which factors are most important to you to know if Boost is a good fit.

Prepaid Plans and Pricing: 3 Stars

Boost offers pricing and data packages that are right in line with its top prepaid wireless competitors, as can be seen below.

While Boost plans tend to be a little more expensive for the same amount of data, all Boost plans come with Mobile Hotspot and unlimited talk and text, unlike the other carriers. As a result, Boost gets a respectable 3-star rating in this category.

Keep in mind: The average American uses only 7GB of data per month, according to allconnect. Make sure that you're not overpaying for unlimited data if you don't actually use it.

Phone Selection and Pricing: 4.5 Stars

A strong point for Boost is its competitive phone pricing and selection. Boost currently sells 34 devices and recently launched a Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program.

An analysis of identical phones sold by Boost, Verizon, AT&T, and Mint Mobile found that popular Android models tend to be significantly cheaper when purchased from Boost compared to the other networks.

However, iPhones sold by Boost Mobile tend to be priced about the same as their competitors.

Here are four examples (as of December 21, 2021):

Boost loses half a star in this category because it does not always offer the most up-to-date phones. For example, you may need to wait a couple of months to see the latest model from Apple.

Network Coverage: 3.5 Stars

As we mentioned above, Boost currently runs on the T-Mobile network, allowing Boost to lay claim to "America's Largest and Fastest 5G Network," according to the company website.

In terms of nationwide data coverage, however, the T-Mobile network ranks third (below Verizon and AT&T), as noted by Reviews.org.

Boost Mobile still gets a 3.5-star rating in network coverage because the vast majority of the United States (62%) has 4G data access. Boost also has the most expansive 5G network currently available.

You can check Boost Mobile's coverage in your local area with their coverage map.

Customer Reviews: 3.5 Stars

Boost comes with mixed reviews online. Customers tend to have either no issues with the company or appear completely fed up.

Here are two representative reviews:

Representative Positive Review:

Representative Negative Review:

It should be noted that cellular companies, in general, have notoriously bad ratings from customers, typically due to bad customer service. For example, AT&T has a 1.3-star Trustpilot rating, which is even worse than Boost.

Also, some negative reviews of Boost appear misleading. For example, on Trustpilot, a reviewer complained that they never had a prepaid plan with limited data before Boost (which is highly unlikely given the fact that almost all prepaid plans come with finite data limits).

The Bottom Line: Is Boost Mobile Worth It?

If you're looking for a prepaid phone plan to cut down on your monthly bills, Boost Mobile is a decent option.

Boost offers a solid range of phones at excellent prices, good coverage across the country, and competitively priced data plans. Plus, Boost's network will likely become one of the fastest in the country once 5G becomes more common with next-generation devices.

But if you're set on getting the most up-to-date phone models, or want the cheapest service possible, you may want to look elsewhere.