Comparison of Sprint to Boost Cellphone Services

Sprint service is postpaid, meaning that after you sign up you use the service for a month before getting your first bill. All of your bills come after you use the service first. Boost Mobile is the opposite, as you must pay for your service before ever using it. Sprint service also requires a credit check and a contract upon signing up. If you cancel the service before the contract ends, you have to pay a fee. Boost Mobile doesn't require you to sign a contract, so you can end service whenever you want.

Sprint offers five different monthly plans in 2011. The Basic plan is 200 minutes for $30 per month. The Talk plan is $40 per month for 450 minutes or $60 per month for 900 minutes. The Everything Messaging plan is $50 per month for 450 minutes or $70 per month for 900 minutes. Both options have unlimited messaging. The Everything Data plans come with unlimited messaging and data. This plan is $70 per month for 450 minutes or $90 per month for 900 minutes. The Unlimited plan is $100 per month for unlimited calling, messaging and data. Boost Mobile offers unlimited service for $50 per month with standard phones and $60 per month with BlackBerry devices as of June 2011.

Sprint also offers family plans for multiple lines, while Boost Mobile offers a daily option. The Talk For Family plan is $70 per month for 700 minutes as of June 2011. The Everything Messaging Family plan includes unlimited messaging and is $100 per month for 1,500 shared minutes or $150 per month for 3,000 shared minutes. The Everything Data Family plan, which comes with unlimited messaging and data, is $130 per month for 1,500 minutes and $170 per month for 3,000 minutes. The Simply Everything Family plan is $190 for unlimited minutes, data and messaging. All family plan minutes are shared between two lines and additional lines cost more. With Boost Mobile, you can pay $2 per day and have unlimited calling, messaging and data. If you don't use your phone on a given day, you pay nothing.

Sprint has a broader selection of mobile phones than Boost Mobile, though both offer simple and high-end devices. Boost Mobile carries touch-screen phones such as the Samsung Prevail and Samsung Seek. Full keyboard phones include the BlackBerry Curve 8530 and Motorola Theory. Sprint offers touch-screen phones with additional features such as the HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G. Other phones that Sprint has that aren't available to Boost customers are the BlackBerry Style and Sanyo Zio.