Both lineups hide the same catch in the same place. Boost and Cricket each sell four or more tiers, each advertise hotspot somewhere in the lineup, and each withhold it from exactly the plans their advertising leads with. Where the two differ is what they tell you: Cricket publishes its allowances to the gigabyte, and Boost does not publish one at all.
Cricket hotspot by plan
Cricket publishes exact hotspot allowances, and the spread across the lineup is wide. Two of the six plans have a real high-speed allowance; the rest have nothing usable.
| Plan | Price | Hotspot | After the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Unlimited | $55/mo | 50GB high-speed | 125 Kbps |
| Smart Unlimited | $45/mo | 15GB high-speed | 128 Kbps |
| Select Unlimited | $35/mo | Paid add-on only | — |
| Sensible 10GB | $30/mo | None, no add-on | — |
| 12-Month Unlimited | $25/mo | Max 3G speeds | No high-speed allowance |
| 3-Month Unlimited | $15/mo | Max 3G speeds | No high-speed allowance |
The two term plans are the trap for tethering. Their unlimited hotspot is capped at 3G speeds, which reads as generous and behaves like nothing. Sensible 10GB is at least honest about it: no hotspot, no add-on.
Boost hotspot by plan
Boost splits its lineup cleanly in half. The two cheaper tiers have no hotspot and no way to buy one; the two above them include it.
| Plan | Price | Premium data | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Premium | $60/mo | 50GB | Included |
| Unlimited+ | $50/mo | 40GB | Included |
| Global Connection | $40/mo | 40GB | None, no add-on |
| Unlimited | $25/mo | 30GB | None, no add-on |
Which one to pick for hotspot
Cricket Smart Unlimited at $45 is the cheapest plan across both lineups with a published high-speed allowance: 15GB, taxes included. Boost Unlimited+ at $50 includes hotspot but does not say how much, which makes it hard to compare and hard to rely on.
At the top, Cricket Supreme at $55 carries 50GB and is the only Cricket plan with priority AT&T 5G. Boost Unlimited Premium is $60 with 50GB of premium phone data. For tethering specifically, Cricket is the clearer buy at both price points, mostly because it tells you the number.
Cricket is the better tethering buy at both price points, and the reason is as much disclosure as capacity. Smart Unlimited at $45 gives you a number you can plan around; Boost Unlimited+ at $50 gives you a feature bullet. Below those two, neither carrier has anything worth tethering on.
Ranked by what you can tether at full speed, not by what the plan is called.
See the hotspot roundup →
Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.
Frequently asked questions
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