UPDATED ON: 04/18/2019
Cost to Unlock an iPhone
The final cost to unlock an iPhone is affected by many factors.
Typically, unlocking an iPhone requires two basic steps:
- Find out what kind of lock your iPhone has
- Choose the right unlocking service
At the final cost we will not include the actual payment of the iPhone, because they, especially the locked ones, have a wide range of prices.
Below we will explain the cost of an accurate check of your iPhone, what information you should get and how to choose the cheapest and most convenient service to unlock your iPhone.
How to find what is locking your iPhone
Do you know what is locking your iPhone?
The first and absolutely necessary step you have to do before trying to unlock your iPhone is to learn what kind of locks your iPhone has.
To choose the right iPhone unlocking service (and the cheapest) you should know the following:
- If your iPhone has a locked SIM on some provider
- In which provider your iPhone is locked to
- If it is reported as stolen or lost
- If its contract bills are fully paid
- If it is still in contract with some provider or account
The only service that can instantly and accurately find your mobile status is the iPhone IMEI Check service.
Getting a proper iPhone IMEI Check service
Getting the right iPhone IMEI Check service
We have audited more than 50 companies that are “specialized” in IMEI Checking and many of them are mistakenly using local data bases that are neither accurate nor have their data up to date.
Of all these iPhone IMEI Checking companies, only four use GSX & GSMA databases. This means their results are accurate and up-to-date.
Our list contains the companies below:
- iPhoneUnlock.Zone
- DoctorSIM
- UnlockSpector
- IMEI-Index
iPhoneUnlock.Zone:
It is the ideal service for people who want to learn the current status of their iPhone in a few seconds.
Currently it is the only instant IMEI Check solution in the market, which is the reason we suggest it and it is the most popular online IMEI Check tool.
Simply fill in the IMEI number and your email and with only $10 you will learn if your iPhone is locked in 5-6 seconds.
- Instant Delivery,
- Accurate & Up to date reports
- Customer support through ticketing platform
- Does not include IMEI Replacement check (Extra payment)
DoctorSIM.com:
This company also has access to GSX & GSMA databases and offers many kinds of checks. You will have to buy their IMEI Checks separately because they do not have a complete SIM-Lock, Network Identification, Blacklist, iCloud, Contract & Financial check package.
The total price for SIM-Lock, Network Identification, Blacklist & iCloud pricing is about $12. Average delivery time of their report is between 5 to 15 minutes.
- Cheap individual prices
- Accurate & Up to date reports
- Does not support full iPhone IMEI Check package
- Does not offer IMEI Replacement Check
Choose one of the following link:
SIM-Lock Check – Network Identification Check – Blacklist Check – iCloud Check
UnlockSpector.com:
This company offers an extra check, the replacement IMEI check. Also, through this company you can unlock your iPhone by sending a SIM Unlock request to the provider who has locked your mobile (They take care the whole process with an extra payment).
The report will be delivered to your email between 5 minutes to 8 hours. Typically, between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM (GMT +0) they send it within 5 minutes. Their price is $19.95 (+$5.95 for SIM Unlock Request).
- They support IMEI/Serial Replacement Check
- They offer a SIM Unlock request service
- Price is higher
- The reports are not instant
IMEI-Index.com:
At $19.98, the IMEI-Index report includes results from 50 public, private and paid databases (GSX & GSMA). Their report comes in PDF format and you can use it as a Certificate of iPhone Status to sell it.
- They offer a full iPhone IMEI Check package
- They support IMEI/Serial Replacement Check
- They provide an easy to read and understand PDF report
- Price is a bit high
- The IMEI Check report results are not instant
Conclusion on iPhone IMEI Check prices:
Average iPhone IMEI Check cost
In case you know exactly the status of your iPhone you do not need to spend anything on iPhone IMEI Check services.
If you’re not 100% sure of your iPhone, then the cost to check it out will be $3.5 for a specific check, up to $19.98 for a full IMEI Check package.
How much does it cost to Unlock an iPhone: Choose the right service
Picking the best iPhone unlocking method based on cost
Before analyzing the cost of unlocking an iPhone, you need to find out the ideal and most suitable method for your iPhone.
If you chose one of the previous iPhone IMEI Check services, you will have already been suggested which is the best method to unlock it (iPhoneUnlock.Zone, UnlockSpector & IMEI-Index include the best method for unlocking your iPhone based on their IMEI Check results).
If you already know your iPhone’s status, then there are 3 solutions to unlock your iPhone:
- Through the carrier that is currently locking your iPhone
- With an iPhone IMEI Network Unlock Method
- With a Hardware Network Unlock SIM Card – UnlockMySIM
1 – How much does it Cost to Unlock your iPhone through your Network
REQUESTING A SIM LOCK REMOVAL THROUGH CARRIER
All providers are obligated to provide ways to their customers for requesting a network unlock for their mobile phones (It is not only limited to their customers).
Typically, the whole process is free, but some providers may charge up to $20 – $25 to complete unlocking.
A very good example is the AT&T USA device unlock online form. You can very quickly and freely request to unlock your mobile via an online form and within a few hours (If your iPhone meets AT&T’s unlock policies) your mobile will get unlocked.
The first step is to find out which provider is locking your iPhone, communicate with them and ask them to unlock it.
If you are in this category, then you will be able to unlock your iPhone completely free of charge.
2 – How much does it Cost to Unlock an iPhone with an IMEI Network Unlock service
Cost of iPhone IMEI Network Unlock services
This service can only be found in Online iPhone Unlock Companies or in some local repair shops.
You need to know the following:
- Your iPhone model
- The lock carrier of your iPhone
- The Blacklist status
- The Financial status
The average cost of unlocking your iPhone with the IMEI Network Unlock service can not be accurately calculated because it is affected by the above list.
It can cost you from just $20 up to $200. A reasonable average is around $100, but this average is a bit arbitrary because the parameters are too many in order to find the exact iPhone unlock cost with the IMEI Network Unlock method.
If you know the above information of your iPhone, then choose one of the following tested and trusted iPhone Unlock providers to see how much it will cost you to unlock your iPhone.
Online iPhone IMEI Network Unlock Providers: We suggest iPhoneUnlock.Zone and DoctorSIM.com
3 – How much does it Cost to Unlock your iPhone with Hardware Network Unlock
HARDWARE IPHONE UNLOCKING COSTS
If the iPhone IMEI Network Unlock service is pretty expensive for you then unlocking your iPhone with the UnlockMySIM card is the best solution.
Its price is only $27.95 (+ shipping costs about $8.5) and delivery is usually done within a few days (maximum is 7 days).
The unlocking results are permanent and it supports all iPhone models, all providers and all iOS versions.
How much does it cost to Unlock an iPhone: Conclusion
As you have already figured out, the final unlocking cost of an iPhone is from $0 (Free) to $200 (For an iPhone IMEI Network Unlock service).
However, it is possible to unlock your iPhone permanently with less than $50.
Best Case Scenario: Total Cost to Unlock an iPhone
- If you already know which network is locking your iPhone and you meet their unlocking policies, unlocking your iPhone will cost you nothing.
Worst Case Scenario: Total Cost to Unlock an iPhone
- In the worst case scenario, the total unlocking cost of your iPhone will be $10 (IMEI Check) + $27.95 (UnlockMYSIM) + $8.5 (Shipping costs) = $46.45.
- Shipping costs may be as high as $12, so the iPhone’s unlocking price will have a slight deviation (only extra $2-$3).
- So, following this detailed guide we’ve created, you can check and unlock your iPhone at a cost of only ~$47.
We strongly recommend first to “spend” $10 for a report which will include your iPhone’s full history or at least an IMEI Blacklist Check.
Having this information, you will be able to see if there is a cheap iPhone IMEI Network Unlock service available.
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30 comments
Can you unlock iPhones with StraightTalk Locked Policy? Thanks
Hello Christian,
We do not provide iPhone Unlock services.
You can go to the following link and find how to Legally request a SIM-Lock removal for Straight Talk USA Locked iPhones
Can you unlock my iPhone 7 for international use?
It currently says ” US GSM Default Policy”
Hello Srikanth,
We do not provide iPhone Unlock services.
You can go to the following link and find how to Legally request a SIM-Lock removal for your device.
From my experience, the US GSM Default Policy locked devices, are very difficult to get unlocked, because they are not locked to a specific carrier. Most likely, a third party iPhone Unlock service will be needed.