Google Fi vs. Boost Mobile: Count your lines

• Impressive international features

  Google Fi

  Google Fiber is known for its international features, but with its multi-line pricing it could still be a solid option for folks that stay closer to home. If you do want to head overseas, however, Google Fi is still one of the easiest ways to get international data without a travel SIM.

  Pros

  • Strong T-Mobile coverage with 5G
  • Free smartwatch plan
  • Excellent international features

  Cons

  • Network switching isn't as significant as it once was
  • Taxes and fees are extra
  • iPhone support is still lacking

  From $20/month

• Bundle in a new phone

  Boost Mobile

  Boost Mobile has had a new lease on life since shedding Sprint’s shackles. It’s working to become a significant fourth carrier with its own 5G network with AT&T filling in the gaps while it proceeds at pace. Boost even has some of the best new phone offers of any carrier.

  Pros

  • Solid 5G coverage with AT&T as a backup
  • Strong savings on a new phone
  • Price guarantee on some plans

  Cons

  • Native coverage still lags behind the Big Three (for now)
  • Taxes and fees are extra on some plans
  • No family plan savings

  From $25/month

Google Fi and Boost Mobile aren’t as different as they may seem, with both offering international travel options and solid deals on new Android phones. While Google Fi skews toward the Pixel series and multi-line discounts help keep its pricing competitive, Boost Mobile has locked in two plans with either an iPhone or Galaxy included. Boost still sells other phones and, but if you’re looking for a good bundle, Boost Mobile could be the best option.

For a lot of folks, especially those with Android phones, Google Fi is still a strong option thanks to multi-line discounts and solid features like free smartwatch connectivity. This is especially nice considering another carrier with free smartwatch support, Visible, only supports Apple Watches. If you have Fi’s Unlimited Plus or Flexible plan, you can even get a dedicated SIM for another device, like a tablet or laptop.

Mobile carrier features

Google’s plans come with a lot more than basic talk, text, and data, with strong international features on two plans, hotspot data on all plans, and even a data-only SIM to share with other devices. For smartwatch users, all Fi plans come with full connectivity, so you can keep using your watch features even if your phone is out of Bluetooth range. While the data-only SIM isn’t available with every plan, all of Fi’s plans at least come with some hotspot data.

Google Fi also supports family discounts with multi-line discounts that scale up to four lines. If you’re looking for a cheap and basic unlimited plan, for example, Google Fi’s Simply Unlimited plan is as cheap as $25 per month with four lines. Boost Mobile also has a $25 unlimited plan, and while it has less high-speed data than Fi’s plan, it is available at that price for just a single line.

Speaking of single-line users, Boost Mobile can be a great carrier for those looking for their first solo carrier. All of Boost’s plans come with plenty of data for most people with 30GB of high-speed data on the cheapest plan. People ready for a new phone can also get this basic plan bundled with a new iPhone or Galaxy phone, and can even upgrade from within the phone lineup if you’re willing to pay the difference for more storage or a higher-end model.

When it comes to fees and payments, Boost Mobile requires auto-pay to be enabled or the carrier charges $5 extra. Taxes and fees are extra on Google Fi as well as Boost’s base unlimited plan. This includes the iPhone and Galaxy plans. Boost’s two top unlimited plans, however, include taxes and fees. These fees aren’t extravagant but are still worth keeping in mind when you get your first bill.

Mobile coverage and reception

Google Fi primarily uses T-Mobile and US Cellular for its coverage with full access to 5G. Fi can also use some Wi-Fi access points for coverage in some dense areas. For the most part, you'll be on the T-Mobile network, which generally means strong 5G speeds and solid nationwide coverage. You’ll need a phone that’s approved for Fi’s network for this automatic switching to work, and all other phones will simply use the T-Mobile network.

While Boost Mobile is building its own 5G network, and has reached quite a few cities across the country, it still lags behind the Big Three, especially in rural coverage. That’s why Boost is using AT&T’s coverage to fill in the gaps in the meantime. AT&T has some of the best rural coverage in the country, so Boost should provide generally strong coverage across the country.

While it remains to be seen just how far Boost will get with its 5G coverage in the next few years, its progress is promising.

Phone compatibility

Google Fi, thanks to its T-Mobile coverage, works with most modern unlocked phones. That being said, the level of support between different models can differ, with some models being "Designed for Fi" while others are only "Compatible with Fi." Long story short, some models, like the Galaxy S24 and Google’s own Pixel 9 are designed for Fi and work with all the carrier's network features, such as network switching.

Others that can still technically connect to the network are compatible with Fi. For the most part, either will be fine for most people, with network switching being less important now that Fi only has a couple of partners and some Wi-Fi coverage to manage. Check Google Fi’s compatibility tool to see how well your phone is supported.

Over on Boost Mobile, phone support is a bit more limited, but most of the best Android phones should still work without too many issues. Since Boost uses a combination of its own low-band and mid-band spectrum, you’ll need a phone with fairly modern 5G support, as well as support for AT&T, Boost’s backup network. Check your phone’s IMEI to see if it will work on Boost.

You can also pick up a new one from the carrier with discounts included with most plans and, of course, the Infinite Access plans with either an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy.

Plans

Google Fi and Boost Mobile have substantially different approaches to plans, with Google sticking closer to the status quo with multi-line discounts and discounted devices, while Boost is acting more like a prepaid carrier with three unlimited plans and two versions with phones included. If you’re looking for a new phone and a plan at the same time, Boost’s bundles could be the perfect pick, especially with plenty of data for most people, and annual upgrades.

Google Fi’s plans

Google Fi’s first plan is called Flexible, and while it was a fairly good value when it came out, it’s not the best at much these days.

This plan comes with unlimited talk and text for $20 per month, with data coming in at $10 per gigabyte. If you use 6GB, your data is free until 15GB of usage, then it’s throttled. For data-heavy users, this plan gets too expensive too fast to make sense. For light users, however, it could be a solid option, especially since it includes international roaming in 200+ destinations. This plan could also be a bit cheaper with multiple lines.

Next up is Simply Unlimited, which drops most of the international features for a fairly simple domestic unlimited plan. It comes with 35GB of high-speed data, which should be fine for most users, with 2G speeds if you use it all. You also get 5GB of hotspot data to share with other devices, and like all Google Fi plans, smartwatch connectivity is included for free.

While Simply Unlimited doesn’t get full international roaming, it does at least get usage in Mexico and Canada. This plan is a little pricey for a single line at $50 per month, but if you bring four lines to the carrier, that cost comes down to $25 per line.

Unlimited Plus is Google Fi’s top plan with 50GB of high-speed data, all of which can be shared as a hotspot. You could also share it with a separate data-only SIM. On the software side, you get six months of YouTube Premium for free plus a 100GB Google One plan. When it comes to international features, this plan has Fi’s best with calling to 50+ destinations, free roaming data in 200+ destinations, plus free texting while abroad.

Keep in mind that Google Fi adds taxes and fees at the end, so your final bill will be a few dollars more than the advertised price.

Boost’s plans

Boost has a handful of unlimited plans available with more high-speed data, international features, and device savings with the more expensive plans.

Boost’s cheapest plan still has a solid set of features that makes it competitive. This is helped by the fact that you don’t need a family plan to get this price like you would with Google Fi. You will, however, need to sign up for auto-pay, or it will cost $30, and taxes and fees are extra on this plan. That price is locked in as long as you keep the plan though. With this plan, you get 30GB of high-speed data, which is enough for most users.

Built off this plan are the Infinite Access plans, which come with 30GB of data, unlimited talk and text, and North American Connect for usage in Mexico and Canada. They're expensive for the data, but they come with new phones, so they could be a good pick. Infinite Access for iPhone gets $1,000 off an iPhone 16, while Infinite Access for Galaxy gets $800 off — enough for an iPhone 16 Pro or a Galaxy S24. You also get a new phone every year.

Moving up, Boost’s Unlimited+ plan takes the high-speed data up to 40GB and comes with global talk and text, hotspot usage, and up to $300 off a new device. This plan is a solid pick for those that need a bit more data, and maybe a new phone. Keep in mind that while taxes and fees are included, you'll need to sign up for auto-pay to save $5 on this $50 plan.

At the top, Unlimited Premium takes high-speed data up to 50GB with a hotspot included. Global talk and text and included as well as North America Connect for usage in Mexico and Canada. Like Unlimited+, taxes and fees are included, but you’ll need to sign up for auto-pay, or pay an extra $5.

Which should you get?

If you’ve got just a single line, Boost Mobile makes a lot of sense with its solid unlimited plans and savings on new devices. While the Boost 5G network is still very much a work in progress, that progress has been reasonably swift with the carrier working fast to cover a lot of cities and towns across the country. If you spend a lot of time in rural areas, it’s also nice to know that you have AT&T coverage as a backup to keep you connected.

Boost’s base unlimited plan is also a solid pick for someone simply looking for a cheap plan to get connected. While there are a few options for unlimited data at $25 per month, Boost is still a solid choice with good coverage and the ability to buy phones on payment plans, unlike many prepaid carriers.

Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile not only wants to sell you wireless service, but a phone to use with it as well. Boost offers solid coverage on its own network with AT&T used for backup.

From $25/month

Boost doesn’t win a total victory over Google Fi — if you’ve got a few lines to bring, the prices start to level out. Google Fi is known for its international roaming capabilities, but even if you stick to domestic usage with its Simply Unlimited plan, you’re getting more high-speed data and hotspot data than Boost. The only catch is you need to bring four lines to match the cost.

While Boost stands out for its phone bundles, Google Fi also offers strong savings on new Android phones like the Google Pixel phones and Galaxy S24 series of phones. Google Fi is also one of the few carriers to still offer 24-month payment plans, so you’re not stuck paying for a phone for three years like you are on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Google Fi

Google Fi is still a solid option for those that need international data, as well as those with multiple lines thanks to Fi's savings.

From $20/month