Airalo vs Ubigi

At a glance

Whole-catalog figures — every active plan each provider sells today.

Price check in popular destinations

The cheapest plan each provider sells for two realistic trip sizes, in the destinations both cover that travelers check most. Every price is a live plan you can buy.

Plan types on offer

AiraloUbigi

Unlimited data ✓ Yes ✓ Yes

Regional bundles No ✓ Yes

Global bundles (50+ countries) No ✓ Yes

Cruise / at-sea plans No No

Pay as you go No No

Comparison by eSIMKart

Policies compared

Confirmed from each provider's own site — see the trust card on each provider page for the verification date.

Airalo Ubigi

ID verification

Airalo: Required for some countries (passport/ID)

Ubigi: Not required

Refund policy

Airalo: Self-service refund request from your account (My eSIMs > Package History > Request Refund) for wrong purchase, changed plans, installation issues, or a non-working eSIM — expired or fully-used eSIMs aren't eligible. Wrong-purchase/changed-plans refunds go to Airmoney (their in-app credit) only; installation-issue/not-working refunds can go to Airmoney or your original payment method, taking 7-10 business days (up to 30 depending on your bank).

Ubigi: Refunds only for unused plans — a plan can't be refunded once you start using it. Requests within 14 business days of purchase, processed within 10 business days to the original payment method.

Validity starts

Airalo: Validity starts either when the eSIM connects to the destination network or at the moment of installation, depending on the specific plan — check 'Additional Information > Activation Policy' on the plan page before buying to see which applies.

Ubigi: Smartstart: the plan's validity countdown begins when you first connect at your destination, not at the moment of purchase. Preloaded eSIM QR codes must be redeemed within 6 months of purchase or they expire unused.

Fair-use limit

Airalo: Unlimited plans default to a 3GB-per-day full-speed allowance before throttling to 1 Mbps for the rest of that 24-hour period (counted from activation, not purchase); a different daily threshold is stated on the specific plan's page when it applies instead of the 3GB default.

Ubigi: Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a threshold, then drop to 2 Mbps: about 15–25 GB on 7-day country plans and 60 GB on 30-day regional plans, depending on the destination.

Top-ups & rollover

Airalo: Only plans marked 'rechargeable' (checkable under Additional Information before buying) can be topped up, via the My eSIMs > Top Up option in the app — a non-rechargeable eSIM or one that changed carriers requires buying a new eSIM instead.

Ubigi: Existing Ubigi eSIMs can be recharged with a new data plan directly through the Ubigi app or ubigi.me account — even without Wi-Fi or remaining data — without installing a new eSIM.

Lost device / reinstalling

Airalo: Most Airalo eSIMs can't be reinstalled once deleted -- the app checks each plan under My eSIMs > 'Deleted your eSIM?' and walks you through reinstall if allowed, otherwise you'll need a new eSIM or Support.

Ubigi: Reinstalling a deleted Ubigi eSIM profile is limited to 5 times via the app's 'Re-install my Ubigi eSIM' button -- if the old device is lost or broken and can't be deleted first, contact Ubigi Customer Service for help.

Billing currency

Airalo: Airalo lets you check out in 16 real currencies (USD, AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY, PLN, SGD, NOK, DKK, SEK, CHF, NZD, MXN, ZAR, THB) — not just a USD default; if your currency isn't listed, your bank handles the conversion at checkout.

Ubigi: Charge currency is set by the country of residence on your Ubigi account: EUR for the euro zone, GBP for the UK, JPY for Japan, CNY for China, CAD for Canada, AUD for Australia, USD everywhere else.

Support

Airalo: Live chat · Help center · 24/7

Ubigi: Live chat · WhatsApp · Help center

Payment

Airalo: Card · PayPal · Apple Pay · Google Pay · Alipay

Ubigi: Card · PayPal · Apple Pay · Google Pay

Headquarters

Airalo: Singapore

Ubigi: Paris, France

Legal entity

Airalo: AirGSM Pte Ltd

Ubigi: Transatel

Founded

Airalo: 2019

Ubigi: 2017

Comparison by eSIMKart

Discount codes

Airalo No live code

Ubigi -10% ESIMKART10

Airalo vs Ubigi — common questions

Figures on this page come from both providers' live catalogs and are re-checked automatically every day.

Compare Airalo and Ubigi by destination

Head-to-head prices for the destinations travelers check most.