Boost vs Telstra: Mobile plans compared

The Telstra vs Boost Mobile showdown is like a battle between siblings. In the blue corner, there’s Big T. And in the orange corner, there’s smaller upstart Boost Mobile. If I wanted to be dramatic, I’d say there can be only one, but the reality is there’s plenty of space for both telcos. Plus, Telstra and Boosts have different areas where they excel over the other.

Before we delve into the Telstra vs Boost comparison, have a gander at a daily updating list of popular mobile plans from our comparison engine.

Telstra offers its customers SIM Only (Upfront) and Prepaid plans, while Boost Mobile operates exclusively with Prepaid plans. Here’s a look at the cheapest Prepaid plans from Boost and Telstra, both of which expire after 28 days.

For comparison, here’s a daily updating list of Prepaid plans from our database with at least 15GB of data.

As is the trend with Prepaid telcos, Boost and Telstra also offer Prepaid starter packs. At the time of writing, both cost $13 for seven-day plans. Boost’s Prepaid starter pack comes with more data, though.

The Boost $13 Prepaid plan comes with 5GB of data, unlimited calls and texts and access to the Telstra 5G network. It's currently only available as an eSIM but if you sign up before 6 October 2025 you'll get an extra 2GB per recharge for the first three 7-day billing cycles.

By comparison, the Telstra $13 Prepaid Mobile SIM Starter Kit comes with 3GB of data, unlimited calls and text and access to the Telstra 5G network with speeds of up to 150Mbps. This plan comes with 7-day expiry but includes 200GB of data rollover if you recharge before the deadline.

Next up are two more 28-day Prepaid plans with 25GB from Boost and 15GB from Telstra. Both plans currently come with an extra 25GB and 30GB of monthly data if you sign up before 6 October 2025, though Boost Mobile still ultimately comes away with the larger data allowance.

For a sense of how these plans compare, see the widget below for a snapshot of popular Prepaid plans from our comparison engine with at least 30GB of data.

The next 28-day plan from Boost and Telstra comes with 35GB and 25GB, respectively, with the cheaper option coming from Boost. Again, there's bonus data for those who sign up before 6 October 2025 but the overall winner doesn't change. You can compare these two plans in the widget below.

To compare these plans, check out the widget below for a look at the cheapest prepaid plans from our database with at least 40GB of data that cost a minimum of $40.

Moving on, the next Telstra 28-day prepaid plan on offer is the $59 Prepaid Mobile plan. It includes 35GB of monthly data, unlimited calls and texts with access to the Telstra 4G network at speeds of up to 250Mbps. If you sign up before 6 October 2025, you'll get an extra 50GB of monthly data for the first three recharges.  

This Telstra plan also includes 1000 minutes of international calls to Zone 1 countries, 150 minutes of international calls to Zone 2 countries and 15 minutes of international calls to Zone 3 countries plus 200GB data rollover if you recharge prior to expiry.

Naturally, Boost Mobile has an answer to this offering in the form of the $59 Prepaid Plan. This plan comes with 45GB of monthly data, unlimited calls and texts with access to the Telstra 5G network at speeds of up to 250Mbps. It also includes unlimited international calls to 20 selected destinations and 100 minutes of calls to another 30 destinations. If you sign up before 6 October 2025, you'll get an extra 25GB of monthly data for the first three recharges. You can compare these two plans in the widget below.

The final pair of 28-day expiry prepaid plans available from Telstra and Boost Mobile offer more of the same. The Telstra $69 Pre-Paid Mobile plan comes with 70GB of data as standard, plus another 40GB of data per month for the first three recharges if you sign up before 6 October 2025. This plan also includes unlimited local calls and texts, access to the Telstra 5G network with speeds of up to 250Mbps, 1500 minutes of international calls to Zone 1 countries, 250 minutes of international calls to Zone 2 countries and 20 minutes of international calls to Zone 3 countries plus 200GB data rollover if you recharge prior to expiry.

 Meanwhile, the Boost Mobile $74 Prepaid Plan comes with comes with 90GB of monthly data, unlimited calls and texts with access to the Telstra 5G network at speeds of up to 250Mbps. It also includes unlimited international calls to 20 selected destinations and 300 minutes of calls to another 30 destinations. If you sign up before 6 October 2025, you'll get an extra 25GB of monthly data for the first three recharges. You can compare these two plans in the widget below.

When it comes to long-expiry Prepaid plans, Telstra offers one six-month Prepaid plan where Boost Mobile offers none. This plan comes with 70GB of data, but you'll get an extra 80GB on the first recharge. It also includes unlimited local calls and texts, access to the Telstra 5G network with speeds of up to 250Mbps, 3000 minutes of international calls to Zone 1 countries, 350 minutes of international calls to Zone 2 countries and 50 minutes of international calls to Zone 3 countries.

Boost and Telstra also offer 12-month Prepaid plans, which include 240GB and 165GB, respectively. Both plans come with unlimited local calls and texts plus 5G coverage. Boost customers get speeds that cap out at 150Mbps while Telstra customers go all the way to 250Mbps.

The main area where they differ is in their international call inclusions. Boost Mobile's big data plans comes with unlimited international calls to 20 selected destinations and 3600 minutes of calls to another 30 destinations. Meanwhile, Telstra's top-of-the-line prepaid plan comes with 6000 minutes of international calls to Zone 1 countries, 800 minutes of international calls to Zone 2 countries and 100 minutes of international calls to Zone 3 countries. You can compare these two plans in the widget below.

For comparison, below is a daily updating list of popular long-expiry Prepaid plans from our comparison engine.

While the 165GB plan mentioned above is the end of the line for Telstra, Boost also has another 12-month Prepaid plan with 365GB of data. The Boost Mobile $365 Prepaid Plan comes also includes unlimited calls and texts with access to the Telstra 5G network at speeds of up to 150Mbps but no international calls.

Your max potential plan speeds are determined by the Prepaid plan you choose from Telstra or Boost. For Telstra, most of its Prepaid plans have a 150Mbps download speed cap on Telstra 4G and 5G. The only exception is the priciest 28-day plan, which includes uncapped download speeds.

For Boost, it’s a mostly similar affair. Most of Boost’s Prepaid plans have a familiar 150Mbps download speed cap. But the 45GB Prepaid plan has a 250Mbps download speed cap while the 90GB plan has uncapped download speeds.

Boost is the only Telstra mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that has bragging rights to accessing the full Telstra network. This means both Telstra and Boost customers use Australia’s largest mobile network, which offers coverage to 99.7% of the population. Use the interactive map below for an indication of Telstra 4G and 5G coverage in Australia.

As a Prepaid provider, Boost Mobile doesn’t offer any Postpaid plans that bundle a new handset with a mobile plan. That said, you can always buy a refurbished iPhone through the provider.. It won't save you any money but Boost Mobile also lets customers bundle select refurbished mobile phones with 12-month Prepaid plans.

Conversely, Telstra offers SIM Only and Postpaid mobile plans that let customers bundle a new mobile phone with a Telstra Upfront plan. Check out some popular mobile phones that you can pair with a Telstra plan below.

Most Boost Mobile prepaid plans have international inclusions for standard calls and text. All but one of Boost 28-day prepaid plans come with unlimited minutes of standard calls to 20 selected countries, plus 300 minutes of calls to 30 more countries plus unlimited texts to any country in the world. Sign up to the chheaper of Boost 12-month Prepaid plans instead and you'll get unlimited standard international calls to 30 selected countries plus 3,600 minutes of calls to 20 selected countries plus 3,600 international texts.

Telstra Prepaid international inclusions change based on the plan. The seven-day starter pack comes with 100 texts to any country. Here’s how the other Telstra Prepaid plans look in terms of international call inclusions alongside 100 texts to any country:

If you're a prepaid customer looking to roam with Telstra you've got three travel packs to choose from.

• $10 for 400MB of data, 15 texts and 15 minutes of calls with 3-day expiry
• $15 for 2GB of data, 25 texts and 25 minutes of calls with 7-day expiry
• $25 for 4GB of data 50 texts and 50 minutes of calls with 14-day expiry

Boost offers a similar trio of add-ons, which offer on-the-go connectivity for Boost customers in 40 different countries.

• $20 gets you 1GB of data, 15 minutes of calls and 15 texts with 3-day expiry
• $30 gets you 3GB of data, 30 minutes of calls and 30 texts with 7-day expiry
• $40 gets you 5GB of data with 60 minutes of calls and 60 texts.

Prepaid plans don’t tend to be big on contracts or extras. Telstra and Boost aren’t exceptions to this norm.

On the contracts front, don’t expect any for a Telstra or Boost Prepaid plan. As for extras, Boost doesn’t have any. Telstra Prepaid customers can sign up to the Telstra Plus program, which offers a rewards store, plus some ticket-based deals: cheap movies, presales for events and discounted sports matches.