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Boost Mobile vs. Verizon Prepaid: Which carrier is better?

December 18, 2023

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Boost Mobile and Verizon Prepaid are popular brands that offer several plans for users to get the best deal. Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s put them head to head and see which brand comes out on top. 

In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:

  • What the coverage of both carriers looks like
  • How prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
  • The features each carrier offers for their plans 

Unsure of what you need out of a plan? Check out our guide on how to choose the best phone plan. 

Coverage & Reception

Boost Mobile is on several networks. 

Boost Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. This means that they purchase service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile – giving customers service at a much cheaper price. Boost Mobile is an MVNO of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Dish.

Often, the quality of coverage comes down to your area. One carrier’s coverage may be better in New York, while another’s coverage may be better in California. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.

However, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. 

Plan Options

Verizon Prepaid offers premium data, and Boost Mobile offers both unlimited and limited data plans. 

Like most plans you’ll see on the market, both carriers offer unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Boost Mobile offers both limited and unlimited data plans at varying month renewals and data amounts. Verizon Prepaid offers premium data, which does not slow down no matter the amount of network traffic. Both carriers deprioritize data, which means your connection may slow down during times of high traffic, such as a concert or a crowded parking lot. 

Both companies deprioritize data, meaning you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and sports arenas.

Boost Mobile Plans

Boost Mobile offers monthly, 3 month, and annual plans. 

Boost Mobile offers several plans with varying data caps and lengths of service. Some plans will allow you to pay for several months of service up front at a cheaper price – either 3 or 12 months ahead.

Image courtesy of Boost Mobile’s website.

All plans at Boost Mobile are deprioritized. Boost Mobile’s QCI tier is 7 on T-Mobile, 8 on AT&T, and 9 on Dish. 

Image courtesy of Boost Mobile’s website.

Some of Boost Mobile’s plans are for new customers only, so make sure to read the fine print.

Image courtesy of Boost Mobile’s website.

You can have up to 4 lines on one plan. If you purchase your phone from Boost Mobile, your device will be locked for up to a year after activation. The plans they offer renew their data monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

1GB Per Month Annual Plan

This plan is for new customers only.

This plan is the smallest Boost Mobile offers at 1GB of data per month. You can use all plan data as mobile hotspot data. Data stops after the cap, and you lose hotspot access. 

The plan costs $8.33 per month, and $100 annually.

5GB Monthly

This plan is for new customers only.

This plan gives you 5GB of data, and stops after this cap. You get hotspot access and can use all plan data as hotspot data. 

The plan costs $15 per month. At this rate, you get 5GB at $3 per GB. 

Boost Mobile also offers this plan for $45 per month for 3 months, which is the same rate as their monthly plan. Both versions are for new customers only. 

5GB Annual 

This plan is for new customers only. 

Like its other 5GB plan, you get 5GB of data per month that can also be used as hotspot data. Once you hit the cap, data and hotspot access stop. 

The plan costs $14 per month, and $168 per year. At this rate, you get 5GB per month at $2.80 per GB. 

15GB Annual Plan

This plan gives you 15GB per month for a year of service. 

With the 15GB plan Boost Mobile offers, you can use all data as hotspot data. Data stops at 15GB, and you lose hotspot access at this data cap.

The plan costs $20 per month, and $240 per year. At this rate, you get 15GB per month at $1.33 per GB. 

Unlimited $25 Monthly

Autopay is required with this plan.

This plan gives you 30GB per month of full speed data, which slows to 3G speeds after this cap. You can use up to 30GB of the plan on hotspot data, and access stops after. 

Image courtesy of Boost Mobile’s website.

The plan costs $25 per month. At this rate, you get 30GB at $0.83 per GB. Boost Mobile also offers 50% off for the first month of service with this plan. 

Unlimited $40 Monthly

This plan is for new customers only.

This plan is similar to the 3 month Unlimited plan, as it offers 30GB of full speed data before slowing to 3G speeds. The plan also gives you 12GB of hotspot data. 

The plan costs $40 per month. At this rate, you get 42GB per month for $0.95 per GB. 

Unlimited 3 Month Plan

This plan gives you 30GB before slowing down.

Your unlimited data resets at the beginning of every month, and you have up to 30GB of full speed data. Afterwards, data slows to 512 kbps, or 3G speeds. This is standard for the industry. You can still send texts and emails or scroll through social media without issue, but streaming video will be slower. This plan also gives you 12GB of hotspot data, which stops after the cap. 

This plan costs $90 every 3 months, or $30 per month. You get 42GB per month for $0.71 per GB. 

Unlimited Annual

It’s important to note that this plan requires you to buy a year worth of data.

This plan offers the best price out of all of Boost Mobile’s plans. Here, you get 30GB full speed data before your speeds slow to 3G. At 3G, you can still send emails and texts or scroll social media, but streaming video or playing games on your phone may be more difficult. This plan also comes with 12GB of hotspot data, which stops at that limit. 

This plan costs $300 per year, and $25 per month. At this rate, you get 42GB per month for $0.60

Unlimited Plus

This plan gives you 30GB of full speed data and 30GB of additional hotspot data. 

Unlimite Plus is Boost Mobile’s biggest plan. You get 30GB of data at full speeds before it slows to 3G speeds. The plan also gives you 30GB of hotspot data. 

Image courtesy of Boost Mobile’s website.

The plan costs $60 per month. At this rate, you get 60GB at $1 per GB.

Verizon Prepaid Plans

Verizon offers prepaid plans with several amounts of data.

Verizon’s Prepaid section offers 1 no data plan, 1 limited data plan, and 2 unlimited plans. Their data plans include deprioritization, and their Unlimited Plus plan includes premium data. Premium data does not slow down, even in times of high network congestion and traffic.

Image courtesy of Verizon’s prepaid website

They also offer a plan with no data, which means you cannot access social media, email, or the internet without a WiFi connection. 

Image courtesy of Verizon’s prepaid website

A Verizon Prepaid plan can have up to 10 lines. If you purchase your phone from Verizon, your device will be locked for 60 days after activation. The plans they offer renew monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. All plans come with an Autopay discount that is applied after the first month. 

No Data 

This plan does not offer data included with the plan, only unlimited talk and text. 

This plan includes unlimited talking and texting, but does not include data or hotspot access. The plan costs $35 per month normally, and $30 per month with the Autopay discount.

15GB 

This plan gives you 15GB before slowing down your data. 

This plan gives users 15GB of deprioritized data which slows down to 2G speeds after this cap. You will still be able to send texts and emails or browse the internet, but streaming video or playing video games will be very difficult. This plan also gives you mobile hotspot access with the 15GB, which stops after the 15GB cap. 

The plan costs $45 per month normally, and $35 per month with the Autopay discount. At this rate, you get 15GB at $2.33 per GB. 

Unlimited

This plan gives you unlimited, but deprioritized, data. 

This plan offers unlimited data without a cap, which means your data will not slow down because of the amount you use. However, this plan is deprioritized and will face slower speeds during high network connection. This plan also gives you 5GB of full speed data for hotspot access, which is then slowed to 600kbps, or 3G, speeds after this cap. 

The plan costs $60 per month normally, and $50 per month with the Autopay discount. 

Unlimited Plus 

This plan gives you 50GB of premium data, then deprioritized data. 

As Verizon’s biggest prepaid plan, this plan offers 50GB of premium data included. After the 50GB cap, this plan becomes deprioritized. This plan also offers 25GB of premium hotspot data, which is also deprioritized after the cap. 

The plan costs $70 per month normally, and $60 per month with the Autopay discount. At this rate, you get 75GB at $0.80 per GB.  

Features

Boost Mobile offers add-ons for an additional fee.

If you’re looking for a plan with more included features, such as international connection or domestic roaming data, it’s best to compare carriers with what they offer. Verizon Prepaid offers domestic roaming, but Boost Mobile offers add-ons for their plans to include more features for an additional fee. 

Domestic Roaming Data

Verizon Prepaid offers domestic roaming data on their plans. Boost Mobile does not include this feature. 

Mexico & Canada Connection

Boost Mobile offers an add-on, where you get unlimited talk and text to both Mexico and Canada as well as 1.5GB of data in Mexico for $5 per month. This add-on is included with the Unlimited Plus plan. Verizon Prepaid plans include talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada. However, their No Data plan requires users to pay $5 per day to use these capabilities. 

Image courtesy of Boost Mobile’s website

International Connection

Boost Mobile does not offer international data, but texts are $0.10 per message. There is also an add on available for unlimited plans to include international talk. All Verizon Prepaid plans include international text.

Video Streaming Quality

All plans from Boost Mobile stream at 480p Standard Definition, except for Unlimited Plus. That plan streams at 1080p High Definition. Verizon Prepaid’s 15GB and Unlimited plans stream at 480p Standard Definition, and their Unlimited Plus plan streams at 4k Ultra High Definition. Both carriers offer No Data plans that require WiFi to stream video. 

Streaming Services

Boost Mobile and Verizon Prepaid do not offer this feature.

Cloud Storage

Boost Mobile and Verizon Prepaid do not offer this feature.

Device Financing

If you buy a phone from either carrier, they allow you to pay for your device in installments over time. 

WiFi Calling

Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception. 

Spam Protection

Verizon Prepaid offers protection from spam and fraud calls with the app Digital Secure. Boost Mobile does not offer this feature. 

Free Trial

Boost Mobile and Verizon Prepaid do not offer this feature.

Customer Service 

Both carriers offer several stores across the country. 

Boost Mobile offers several physical locations, and you can find the closest store to you with their store locator. They also offer support over the phone at (833)-502-6678 at 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.on Mon. through Fri. PST and 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST on Sat. and Sun. Verizon offers thousands of locations across the country, and you can find the closest store to you with their store locator. For support over the phone on prepaid plans with Verizon specifically, users can call 1-888-294-6804 on Mon. through Sat. at 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST on Sunday.  

The Verdict

Boost Mobile offers a better price per GB. 

When you look at the price breakdown, Boost Mobile offers a better price per GB on their plans. If you’re looking for additional hotspot access and premium data, though, Verizon Prepaid is also a great option. 

We’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.

Want to compare other carriers?

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Boost Mobile 1GB Annual

1GB Annual
data
1GB/mo
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 1GB)
Best for:
Light data users
More Details

Boost Mobile 5GB Annual

5GB Annual
data
5GB/mo
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 5GB)
Best for:
Light data users
More Details

Boost Mobile 15GB Annual

15GB Annual
data
15GB/mo
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 15GB)
Best for:
Light to average data users
More Details

Boost Mobile 5GB Monthly

5GB Monthly
data
5GB
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 5GB)
Best for:
Light data users
More Details

Boost Mobile 5GB 3 Months

5GB 3 Months
data
5GB/mo
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 5GB)
Best for:
Light data users
More Details

Boost Mobile Unlimited Plus

Unlimited Plus
data
35GB
Hotspot access
30GB
Best for:
Heaviest data users
More Details

Boost Mobile Unlimited Annual

Unlimited Annual
data
35GB
Hotspot access
12GB
Best for:
Heavy data users
More Details

Boost Mobile Unlimited 3 Months

Unlimited 3 Months
data
35GB
Hotspot access
12GB
Best for:
Heavy data users
More Details

Boost Mobile Unlimited $25 Monthly

Unlimited $25 Monthly
data
30GB
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 30GB)
Best for:
Average to heavy data users
More Details

Boost Mobile Unlimited $40 Monthly

Unlimited $40 Monthly
data
35GB
Hotspot access
12GB
Best for:
Heavy data users
More Details

Verizon Prepaid 15GB

Prepaid 15GB
data
15GB
Hotspot access
All plan data (access stops at 15GB)
Best for:
Light to average data users
More Details

Verizon Prepaid No Data

Prepaid No Data
data
None
Hotspot access
Not included
Best for:
Those who don’t use data
More Details

Verizon Prepaid Unlimited

Prepaid Unlimited
data
Unlimited deprioritized data
Hotspot access
5GB
Best for:
Average to heavy data users
More Details

Verizon Prepaid Unlimited Plus

Prepaid Unlimited Plus
data
50GB premium
Hotspot access
25GB premium, deprioritized after
Best for:
Heavy data users
More Details

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