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Cricket Wireless vs. Boost Mobile: iPhone 18 Pro Max for 5 lines
For 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max over 36 months, Cricket Wireless's Smart Unlimited beats Boost Mobile's Unlimited+ by $2,234. The difference in provider fees is the single biggest driver of that gap. Both sides are backed by confirmed plan pricing.
Cricket Wireless already bakes taxes and fees into the plan price shown.
Cricket Wireless
Smart Unlimited · Buy unlocked (Apple financing)
vs. Boost Mobile unlocked (Apple financing) over 36 months
$61.00/mo per person, 5 lines
$10,981 over 36 months · $305.02/mo household
$400.65/mo for 24 months, then $130.00/mo once the device is paid off.
How we calculate this$360 more than your current bill over 36 months — for 5 lines on Smart Unlimited
Plus 5 new phones and setup: $6,301, net of trade-in/resale credit.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Boost Mobile
Unlimited+ · Buy unlocked (Apple financing)
$73.42/mo per person, 5 lines
$11,701–$13,215 over 36 months · $325.02–$367.08/mo household
$457.15/mo for 24 months, then $186.50/mo once the device is paid off.
- Activation fee unconfirmed,
- Provider fees unconfirmed
Resolves once Boost Mobile's activation fee is confirmed and Boost Mobile's provider fees are confirmed.
Data verified September 10, 2026.
Cricket Wireless's provider fee: $0.00/line. Boost Mobile's provider fee: provider fee not yet confirmed.
Frequently asked
Which is cheaper for 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max: Cricket Wireless or Boost Mobile?
Cricket Wireless's Smart Unlimited costs $10,981 over 36 months for 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max, $2,234 less than Boost Mobile's Unlimited+ at $13,215.
What's the effective monthly cost of iPhone 18 Pro Max on Cricket Wireless vs. Boost Mobile?
Cricket Wireless works out to $305.02/mo and Boost Mobile to $367.08/mo, each the 36-month total divided evenly by 36 — not necessarily the bill you'd see in any single month.
Are these Cricket Wireless and Boost Mobile prices confirmed?
Cricket Wireless's total is not yet independently verified, and Boost Mobile's is a computed worst/best estimate, pending a promo or fee confirmation. See the confidence badge on each card, and our methodology page, for what that means.