Cell phone boosters help improve a weak signal, whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road, by amplifying the existing signal where you are. It can be somewhat intimidating to decipher all the technical differences between each model, so we’re here to help you find the best booster for your needs. PCMag has been covering the category for well over a decade. Among those we’ve tested, the SureCall Flare 3.0 earned our Editors’ Choice award for homes, thanks to its easy setup and reliable performance. But one of the other selections on our list could be a better fit for you, depending on the size of your space and how much boost you need. For more details to keep in mind while you shop, scroll down past our picks for a thorough buying guide.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
November 3, 2025: With this update, we removed the WeBoost Drive Sleek because it has been discontinued. Otherwise, our lineup of recommended cell signal boosters remains unchanged. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability.
(Credit: SureCall)
(Credit: SureCall)
Pros & Cons
Simple setup
Flexible placement
Boosts multiple carriers
Doesn’t boost T-Mobile bands 41 and 71
Why We Picked It
The SureCall Flare 3.0 is affordable, supports AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and combines a directional outdoor antenna with an omnidirectional indoor antenna. That means you can fiddle with the outside antenna to get the strongest possible signal, place the inside antenna anywhere you want, and still get coverage. In our tests, it worked across three indoor rooms.
Who It’s For
This signal booster is ideal if you are looking to improve cell coverage in a small-to-medium-size house. It’s also quite easy to configure, which adds to its appeal.
Learn More
SureCall Flare 3.0 Review
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Pros & Cons
Improves 4G and 5G performance
Works with multiple carriers
Helpful LCD
Includes mounting hardware
Impractical setup distance recommendations for small spaces
Why We Picked It
The HiBoost Sidekick is a two-piece booster that can improve 4G and 5G reception throughout smaller houses and apartments. We like its low price, and its understated design means it can blend into most homes’ decor. The installation process is somewhat tedious, but HiBoost includes all of the necessary mounting hardware and a comprehensive guide that expertly explains each step. Most importantly, we found it provided a good in-home boost.
Who It’s For
If your home is under 2,000 square feet, a single HiBoost Sidekick booster can provide enough signal improvement to cover the entire area. Importantly, it works with all major US carriers.
Learn More
HiBoost Sidekick Review
(Credit: Cel-Fi)
(Credit: Cel-Fi)
Why We Picked It
Cel-Fi’s devices can get you 100dB of signal improvement because they boost the frequencies of only one carrier. Just keep in mind that its premier Go+/Go X home boosters cost much more than other consumer models, and this approach means you can’t switch carriers without switching your booster.
Who It’s For
If you need more of a boost than most consumer models offer (around 70dB of improvement), you should check out Cel-Fi’s specialty products. That extra bit of signal can make for a massive improvement, especially in rural areas.
(Credit: HiBoost)
(Credit: HiBoost)
Why We Picked It
Most consumer signal boosters cover a few thousand square feet at most, but the HiBoost 15K Smart Link covers several times that amount. HiBoost’s devices also have a unique and cool feature: LCDs on the front that show signal strength for each of the bands they cover. You’re probably going to want to use a splitter and additional panel antennas for a large home installation—one panel won’t cut it for 15,000 square feet.
Who It’s For
If cost isn’t a concern and you need to cover an extremely large space, you won’t find a more suitable consumer option than the HiBoost 15K. If you’re just looking to get cellular connectivity in a traditionally sized home, however, the SureCall Flare 3.0 above is a more reasonable choice.
(Credit: SureCall)
(Credit: SureCall)
Why We Picked It
RV boosters are a sort of hybrid between car boosters and in-home boosters. SureCall’s Fusion2Go 3.0 RV, for instance, uses an omnidirectional outdoor antenna—useful because your RV is always moving around—and offers two antenna options inside. It works with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, so you can pick it up no matter which carrier you prefer.
Who It’s For
Although this model isn’t as powerful as a home booster (it offers just 50dB of gain), it’s still better than regular car boosters. If you own an RV, you just need to make sure to place the indoor and outdoor components far enough apart and in the proper direction.
(Credit: weBoost)
(Credit: weBoost)
Why We Picked It
The weBoost Installed Home Complete solution provides the same 72dB of signal improvement as most other boosters, but with the guarantee of absolutely optimal indoor and antenna placement—after all, WeBoost installs everything for you.
Who It’s For
If the prospect of DIY work scares you, weBoost’s professional installation package might be worth the hefty price. It’s also suitable if you just want to ensure the best possible performance.
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Buying Guide: The Best Cell Phone Boosters for 2025
What Are the Best Cell Phone Booster Brands?
Booster manufacturers have to use various tricks to detect the best signal from surrounding towers and amplify it without messing up the carriers’ systems. That’s why you must stick with boosters primarily from the big four companies: Cel-Fi, HiBoost, SureCall, and weBoost. Cheaper boosters available from Amazon often aren’t FCC-certified, which means they can cause trouble with surrounding cell sites and networks.
Do Cell Phone Boosters Really Work?
Boosters help the most when you have a weak signal, not when there’s none at all. Whereas your phone shows bars, wireless industry folks measure signal in -dBm. A number higher than about -90dBm (like -80 or -70) is a strong signal. Anything below -110dBm is definitely weak, and you might not hold onto any signal below -120dBm. Services like CellMapper can show you the signal you’re receiving on your phone.
If you’re hesitant to invest in a home booster and primarily need coverage to make phone calls, be sure to try Wi-Fi calling. All of the major carriers support this feature, and you can often get better call performance over your home’s Wi-Fi connection.
How Do Cell Phone Boosters Work?
The basic principle behind signal boosters is simple: A big antenna is better than a small one. Instead of relying on the tiny antenna in your phone, boosters capture a cellular signal using a large antenna in your window or outside your home (or car), pass that signal through a device that cleans and amplifies it, and send it out through a rebroadcaster inside your home.
Boosters generally have three main components: an external antenna that sits outside your home, a booster that cleans and amplifies the signal, and an antenna you keep inside. A coaxial cable connects them all.
Some products combine the booster and indoor antenna in one unit, making them easier to install and place. But if you own a larger home and are willing to run some coax cable, you can significantly extend the booster’s range with some splitters and several panel antennas. This can get complicated, so at this point, you might want to get a professional installer to set the system up (especially to reduce interference between multiple in-home antennas).
Most boosters handle bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 17, and 66, which include the base coverage bands for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Most home boosters also boost between 64 and 71dB of signal. Once again, that’s due to FCC regulations. If you need more of a boost than that, you need to move up to Cel-Fi’s single-carrier booster line, which can get to 100dB by boosting only the frequencies from one wireless carrier at a time.
The booster store Waveform has a comprehensive guide to how boosters work on its site.
What Is the Best Cell Phone Booster for Cars?
Boosters for your car are similar to in-home boosters, with one exception: You can only get single-device, in-car cradle boosters. These are much less powerful than in-home boosters (the ones we tested boost by 23dB instead of between 65 and 75dB), but are less expensive, take seconds to install and remove, and don’t radiate beyond the cradle that grips your phone.
The little fin on top of the car marks a cell signal booster (Credit: Sascha Segan)
RV owners and people who need to boost multiple devices in a vehicle can get in-car boosters with small radiating antennas that handle several devices. These can be tricky, though, because the output antenna is so close to the input antenna.
How Do You Install a Cell Phone Booster?
You can install all retail cellular boosters by yourself without any drilling, although ideally, you should hide the cables against your baseboards. You also need to find the optimal antenna position outside your home.
Recommended by Our Editors
Currently, only weBoost has an option that lets you lean on a professional installer to handle the tricky bits, like sticking the antenna on your roof and orienting it properly. It sells a specific product, the $1,499.99 Home Complete Installed, which includes the installation fee. If you want to do the setup yourself, the standalone Home Complete booster is $999.99.
Can You Boost 5G Signal?
Cellular boosters generally can’t boost the “good parts” of 5G networks. AT&T and Verizon carry some 5G on the old cellular bands 2 and 5. Boosters handle that, so a booster may summon you a 5G icon, but that signal doesn’t give you an experience that’s much different from 4G. The fastest 5G networks for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are currently on bands n41, n77, n260, and n261; no consumer boosters support those bands reliably.
There is a sneaky way around this. Although no powered boosters work with these bands, passive antennas can still improve the signal. They may only get you 10dB to 20dB of gain instead of 70dB, but that isn’t insignificant (and even the fact that the antenna is outside can help).
If you are willing to take on a bit of an installation project, the Waveform’s Griddy parabolic antenna and MIMO panel antennas improve signal on the 5G band n77. Connecting an outdoor cellular antenna to a Wi-Fi hotspot with a TS9 connector, such as the Netgear Nighthawk M7 Pro, can also turn an outdoor cell signal into an indoor Wi-Fi signal.
Don’t Forget to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal
TP-Link AC1750 WiFi Extender (Credit: TP-Link)
Cellular signals aren’t the only ones that can benefit from a boost. Check out these quick tips to improve the wireless signal from your router, extend and optimize your Wi-Fi coverage, and speed up your surfing. You can also go right to our roundups of the best range extenders.
