Airalo or Ubigi: which is the best travel eSIM in 2026?

The core difference fits in one sentence: Ubigi sells its own eSIM, Airalo sells other carriers' eSIMs. Everything else follows from that model.

In most cases, go with Ubigi. If you use more than 60 GB in a month, or if you need 20 GB or 50 GB in Australia, go with Airalo.

Ubigi is a mobile virtual network operator. It signs its own international roaming agreements with local carriers, which lets it give you a single eSIM that works in more than 200 destinations. You install it once, then add a plan for each trip from the app, even with no Wi-Fi and no data left.

Airalo works like a store. Each plan has an in-house name that changes with the destination: Moshi Moshi in Japan, Jang in South Korea, Yes Go in Australia, Discover for the whole world, with a local partner carrier behind it. So each destination has its own eSIM. You can top it up for a second stay in the same country, but a trip somewhere else means a new installation. That's the main drawback of the Airalo model for a multi-stop trip.

The other differences worth knowing:

• Calls: in some destinations, Airalo sells plans with minutes and texts. Ubigi only sells data.
• Devices: Ubigi sells plans for eSIM-compatible laptops running Windows 10 and 11, which you can use with the same eSIM as when you travel. Airalo's help center only has instructions for iOS and Android.
• Subscriptions: Ubigi sells monthly and annual plans, Airalo only sells one-off plans.
• Loyalty: Airalo gives back 5% to 10% of every purchase in Airmoney, a credit you can spend later, and also rewards referrals.

To learn everything about each brand, also read our full Ubigi review and our Airalo review.

We checked the prices shown on both official websites on October 22, 2026, the ones you actually pay, in US dollars, without any promo code, and we added a voilà eSIM column so you can see where the market stands. The two brands don't always sell the same tiers: when one of them doesn't have the plan, the cell says so. All the data was read from the product pages on the day we checked.

Ubigi and Airalo prices in Japan

In Japan, Ubigi is cheaper on every plan both brands sell, the one-month unlimited plan included. Airalo is also the only one of the two to sell a 20 GB plan, a handy tier for three weeks.

Ubigi and Airalo prices in South Korea

In South Korea, Ubigi wins wherever both brands sell the same plan. You'll find every offer for the country on our South Korea eSIM page. On the one-month unlimited plan, the gap reaches $20.00. Ubigi also sells a 20 GB monthly plan there at $14.00 a month, the same price as its own one-off 10 GB plan.

Ubigi and Airalo prices in Australia

In Australia, Airalo only pulls ahead on large fixed-data plans: it's $10.00 cheaper on 50 GB, and the only one to sell a 20 GB plan. Ubigi keeps the edge on 10 GB and on unlimited plans, from one week to one month. To compare every offer, open our Australia eSIM page.

Price per GB: which one offers the best value for money?

The price per GB is the fairest way to compare two price lists that don't have the same tiers. The lower it is, the less you pay for each GB you'll actually use.

On 10 GB, Ubigi offers the better value for money of the two in all three countries. On 50 GB in Australia, Airalo pulls ahead. Either way, voilà eSIM goes lower.

When choosing an eSIM for Japan, the real question is the network, and how much time you'll spend outside the big cities. Ubigi relies on Japan's three major carriers: NTT Docomo, KDDI and SoftBank. Airalo goes through SoftBank and KDDI, with 5G advertised on both.

This matters outside the big cities. The travel blog Where and Wander, which compared the two in Japan, found Airalo faster in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and Ubigi more reliable in rural areas, in Hokkaido or in the Chubu mountains, thanks to the Docomo network, which the blog describes as the most extensive in the country.

When it comes to plans, it all depends on how long you stay:

• A one-week trip with lots of video: Ubigi's 8-day unlimited plan ($25.00) gives you 5 GB a day at full speed, versus 3 GB a day on Airalo's 7-day unlimited plan ($26.50).
• A two-week trip: Ubigi, cheaper on the 15-day unlimited plan ($39.00 versus $48.00).
• A three-week trip with average use: Airalo, the only one of the two to sell 20 GB for 30 days ($25.00).
• A one-month trip with heavy use: Ubigi is cheaper on the one-month unlimited plan ($65.00 versus $69.00), but Airalo gives you more full-speed data if you go over 60 GB.

For a trip to Japan with no coverage surprises, voilà eSIM also runs on NTT Docomo, with 10 GB for $9.60 over 30 days. You'll find every offer on our Japan eSIM page.

Neither one is fast by nature: speed depends on the local network used in each country, and on how many people are connected to the cell tower. Both eSIMs work on 4G and 5G wherever the partner network offers it, whichever app you use.

The website Travel eSIM Expert tested both eSIMs in the same spots in several cities, using Ookla's Speedtest app. In Madrid, for example, the Airalo eSIM ran on the Orange 5G network. The site's download results, meaning the speed at which data reaches you, the one that matters most when traveling (upload, the speed at which you send data, is lower on both):

On download speed, Ubigi wins three cities out of four in these tests, and the website names it the winner on speed. These tests were done in cities: in rural areas, speed depends above all on the nearest cell tower. But the gap in Lille clearly shows that it all comes down to the local carrier: Ubigi was running on the Free network there, and Airalo on a network the test doesn't name.

In our three destinations, the networks are known. In South Korea, Ubigi uses LG U+ and SK Telecom, and Airalo uses SK Telecom. In Australia, both use Optus. In Japan, Ubigi has one more network, NTT Docomo.

The best eSIM plan for travel depends on two things: how long your trip is and how much data you use per day. Before you choose, you need to understand how each one caps its unlimited plan.

How Ubigi and Airalo cap their unlimited plans

• Ubigi gives you a total amount of full-speed data for the whole plan: 20 to 25 GB over 7 days depending on the country, 30 GB over 15 days, 60 GB over 30 days. Beyond that, speed drops to 2 Mbps until the plan ends.
• Airalo gives you 3 GB a day at full speed. Beyond that, speed drops to 1 Mbps until the next day, then the counter resets. Over 30 days, that's up to 90 GB at full speed, but never more than 3 GB on the same day.

In short: Ubigi's unlimited plan suits people who use a lot of data one day and almost none the next, while Airalo's suits people who use a lot of data every day on a long trip. Either way, the connection keeps working after the cap, just more slowly.

Three travel scenarios, with prices

To estimate how much data you'll use, count on about 500 MB to 1 GB a day for everyday use (maps, messaging apps, social media). If you'll be watching video every day or working remotely, plan for 2 to 3 GB a day instead. For a two-week trip, 10 to 15 GB is enough for most travelers.

Both apps are well rated on the App Store in France, and each app is easy to use: 4.6/5 for Ubigi (4,584 ratings) and 4.5/5 for Airalo (9,323 ratings), as of October 22, 2026. The Airalo app is available in 53 languages.

Setup works the same way with both, in a few minutes, before you leave:

1. Check that your phone is eSIM-compatible and unlocked.
2. Download the app, create your account and buy your plan.
3. Install the eSIM from the app, or scan the QR code you receive by email.
4. When you arrive, turn on data roaming for the eSIM line: your phone will connect to the local network within seconds.

The difference shows up on your next trip. With Ubigi, you keep your eSIM and add a plan in the app, with no connection needed, in a few seconds. With Airalo, you buy a new eSIM for each new destination, unless you're going back to a country you've already visited. For a multi-stop trip, or a regional plan covering several countries, Ubigi takes less time and fewer steps. Either way, take the time to check that the eSIM works before you leave: it should show up in the settings of your iPhone or Android phone.

Yes, both are established players. Ubigi is reliable by design: it's the brand of a carrier from the NTT group. Airalo claims more than 30 million customers. The real difference in reliability shows in their refund terms.

With Airalo, you have a 14-day cancellation right, which ends as soon as the eSIM is activated. If the service doesn't work, you have 30 days to report it, and Airalo refunds or replaces the plan if it can't restore access within 10 days, prorated for what you haven't used. The refund can be made in Airmoney or to your original payment method.

Ubigi is stricter: a plan can only be refunded if you haven't scanned the QR code yet, and the request must be sent within 14 business days of purchase. A phone locked to its carrier doesn't qualify for any refund.

Either way, only scan the QR code once you're sure about your trip and your phone's compatibility. If the eSIM doesn't work when you arrive, the problem is most often that data roaming is still turned off.

When it comes to customer support, Airalo is easier to reach: its website shows 24/7 assistance, in several languages, by chat and WhatsApp. Ubigi has a help center (FAQs, video tutorials), but you contact it through an online form, with no live chat.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's slower. Travel eSIM Expert measured about 9 minutes for a reply on WhatsApp at Airalo, and about 1 minute by email at Ubigi. But on the day your connection won't work at the airport, a chat open day and night is more reassuring than a form, especially with the time difference. Real-time help matters more than the average response time.

User reviews are almost neck and neck, and satisfaction was measured across nearly 50,000 reviews on each side. On October 22, 2026, Airalo has a 4.2/5 rating on Trustpilot from 48,158 reviews, 16% of them one-star. Ubigi has 4.1/5 from 49,257 reviews, 12% of them one-star.

What recent reviews and feedback say:

• On the Airalo side, positive reviews mainly praise the support team, which walks customers through setup step by step when they get stuck. Negative reviews mention weak coverage in some countries and the unlimited plan slowing down after 3 GB in a day, for example in South Korea.
• On the Ubigi side, positive reviews praise a stable connection on long trips, including three weeks in Japan. Negative reviews mention the unlimited plan being throttled once the total allowance is used up, and how hard it is to get a refund.

To choose between Ubigi and Airalo, start with your destination, then your traveler profile.

• You're going to South Korea: Ubigi, cheaper on every comparable plan.
• You're spending one or two weeks in Japan, between Tokyo and Kyoto: Ubigi, unless you want 20 GB for 30 days.
• You're spending a month in Japan or Australia and you'll use more than 60 GB: Airalo, for its 3 GB a day at full speed. Below that, Ubigi's unlimited plan costs less.
• You need to make calls or send texts: Airalo, the only one of the two that sells minutes.
• You're a digital nomad spending several months abroad: Ubigi, for its monthly plans and its eSIM that works in all its destinations.
• You work on a Windows laptop and want to use a single eSIM everywhere: Ubigi.
• You often travel within one region, with a regional plan: Ubigi and its monthly plans.
• You're going around the world: Airalo and its Discover eSIM, or Ubigi and its global plan, depending on how you use it.
• You want a human you can reach by chat at any hour: Airalo.

To see how Ubigi compares with the other big brands, also read our Holafly vs Ubigi and Saily vs Ubigi comparisons.

If you're looking for the best price above all, voilà eSIM beats Ubigi and Airalo on every plan compared in this article, in Japan, South Korea and Australia:

What makes the difference with voilà eSIM:

• Excellent value for money: plans from 1 to 50 GB in more than 190 countries, with no subscription and no auto-renewal, and the price you see is the final price.
• An easy-to-install eSIM and an easy-to-use app: you buy, install and track your data usage in one place, in a few minutes.
• 24/7 human customer support: a real person answers you, wherever you are in the world.

In Japan, voilà eSIM runs on NTT Docomo, in South Korea on SK Telecom and LG Uplus, and in Australia on Optus. To buy at the best price, go through our promo code page. If you're still weighing it up against Holafly, our Holafly vs Ubigi comparison runs the same comparison on unlimited plans.