Best Boost Mobile plans in 2021: What's the best option for you?

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Boost Mobile's best plans at a glance

1. Best unlimited data plan: Go unlimited
2. Best family plan: Mix & Match
3. Best value prepaid: Shrink-it 15GB

You'll find the best Boost Mobile plans among the main options available for smartphone owners in the U.S. But is Boost the right option for you?

It could will be. Boost plans are affordable, flexible and family friendly. If you're all right with prepaid carrier service, Boost certainly merits some consideration, especially if you want to save money on your monthly phone bill.

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Boost is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, that offers its service through T-Mobile's network. Boost used to be owned by Sprint, but was sold to Dish as a condition of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, with the idea that Dish will eventually build a wireless network of its own.

While it isn't going to be the biggest name in your search for the best cell phone plans, Boost will stand out for its varied collection of prepaid cell phone plans and for anyone looking for the best family cell phone plans since Boost offers discounts for additional lines.

Boost sits somewhere in the middle of available phone plans — not as expensive as the likes of Verizon or AT&T, but more than what Mint Mobile, T-Mobile or Tello charge for some of their plans. We've picked out the best Boost Mobile cell phone plans, and can answer key questions you might have about the service.

Best Boost Mobile unlimited data plans

Boost Mobile offers two versions of the same unlimited plan, with the main difference being a higher cost and increased mobile hotspot cap on one of them. Boost also just added a perk to its $60/month Unlimited Plus plan that includes free health care advice through K Health. (Other Boost customers can get that feature for $7.99 a month on top of their other plans.)

While you can get Boost's unlimited plans for just one phone line, the best value will be seen when you sign up for a family plan. The first line of unlimited data will cost you $50 a month but after that, each new line will cost just $30 a month (or $40 per extra line on Unlimited Plus). Under this pricing, a family of four pays $140 each month for unlimited data.

Boost also offers a $10 a month discount for six months if you bring your own phone to the plan.

Boost | Go Unlimited | $50/month + extra lines for $30/line -
Boost's best value unlimited plan
Boost Mobile's best unlimited plan is the cheaper option. For $50 a month, you get unlimited calls and texts and 35GB of high-speed LTE data. (Go over that cap, and Boost slows your speeds down to 2G for the rest of the billing cycle.) Boost also offers a 12GB mobile hotspot with this plan. For an extra $10 a month, you can upgrade to a plan with 30GB of hotspot data. You can add additional lines for just $30 a month or $40 if you want the added hotspot data.

Pros: 12GB mobile hotspot; Great family discount
Cons: Restricted to 2G after 35GB of data

Boost Mix & Match plans

Not everyone needs unlimited data, which is where Boost's Mix and Match plans come in. Boosts offers five such options in total, and as the name implies, you can have a family plan mixing the different plans.

You can also get these prepaid plans on your own but they can be quite expensive this way. Using the mix-and-match offer, you can get five lines of data for less than $50, which is a great price.

Boost | Prepaid Plan | $10/month | 1GB data - Boost's cheapest plan
This is the cheapest plan you can get from Boost. It will cost you just $10 a month, but you will find yourself capped at just 1GB of data. This will obviously be quite limiting for a lot of people but if you just use your phone for the occasional internet search and emails, or you want a plan for your child, this can be a cheap alternative. For another $5 a month, you can add an extra 1GB of data.

Pros: Low cost
Cons: Only for new customers; Low data cap

Boost | Prepaid Plan | $25/month | 5GB data -
Boost's best value prepaid plan
Upping your monthly rate up to $25 can get you an increased 5GB of data with Boost. That is going to fit quite a lot of people's needs, offering a bit of light streaming, social media and more. Plus, like all of Boost's plans, you get mobile hotspot data. But like the above plan, this is only for new customers signing up to Boost.

Pros: Best overall value from Boost prepaid plans
Cons: Only for new customers; More affordable options out there

Boost | Shrink-It Plan | $45/month, then $35/month after 6 on time payments | 15GB data - A unique promotion from Boost
This offer works a little bit differently than the rest of Boost's plans. You pay $45 a month for 15GB of data. Make six on time payments, and you'll see your bills drop to $35 a month — the same price as the 10GB plan above. This obviously makes this great value but only if you're willing to stick with Boost.

Pros: Good data cap; Discounted price after six months; 5G ready
Cons: Expensive; Best price requires long commitment

Is Boost a good carrier?

Boost Mobile makes it into our list of the best phone carriers. Of course, it isn't going to compare to the likes of Verizon or AT&T when it comes to coverage, speeds, or included perks. But for the price, Boost does have something to offer budget-minded customers.

On all of the best Boost Mobile plans, there are no service contracts, and Boost includes taxes and fees. You also get unlimited calls and texts even on tiered data plans. Boost also offers a reward program known as Boost Perks, giving you competitions to enter, discounts at shops and restaurants and exclusive perks.

As for coverage, Boost uses the T-Mobile network. That means leading 5G coverage (at least in select cities) great speeds and 4G coverage spanning the entirety of the US.

However, as an MVNO using T-Mobile, Boost can be subject to slowed speeds if the network becomes congested, though that's common practice for MVNOs. 5G isn't fully available for all Boost customers at this time — another thing to consider if you're looking at Boost as an option.

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Alex is an editor at Future with a focus on phones and broadband. With an eye on the best prices across both of these areas, Alex is bringing you the must-have bargains right now.