Airalo vs Ubigi: one owns the network, one owns the catalogue

At a glance

Price, in Australian dollars, which both of them offer

This is one of the few comparisons in the category where a straight table is honest, because both companies will bill an Australian in Australian dollars.

Ten gigabytes over thirty days:

Ubigi is cheaper on six of nine. Airalo holds Japan, Thailand and regional Asia, and its regional Asia advantage is substantial.

The Europe line is the one to look at twice. A$26 against A$44.50 is not a rounding difference, and Europe is where most Australians buy their first travel eSIM.

If you are going to Thailand or buying a multi-country Asia plan, Airalo. If you are going to Europe, the UK or the USA, Ubigi, on price alone.

The throttle, where Ubigi is simply better

Most of this category converges on the same shape: a few gigabytes a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. Airalo is at the transparent end of that norm.

“when you use more than 3GB in a day, we’ll slow down (or ‘throttle’) your internet speed to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day.”

Ubigi does something different, and publishes it on the product page next to the price:

“Your unlimited data plan includes 25GB of full speed data, then optimized to 2 Mbps — this Fair Use Policy ensures a stable and fair connection for all users on the network.”

That is the Europe seven day plan. The USA fifteen day plan publishes 30GB, and the thirty day plan publishes 60GB, both at 2 Mbps after.

Two things about that are genuinely better.

The allowance is per plan, not per day. Twenty five gigabytes across seven days is a lot more usable than three gigabytes a day, because it lets you have one heavy day without losing the rest of the week.

Two megabits is twice one megabit. Ubigi makes the point themselves, and it is fair: “While most eSIM providers limit users to very low speeds … Ubigi delivers a far superior experience with throttled speeds of up to 1000 Kbps (2 Mbps).” At 2 Mbps a standard-definition video call actually works. At 1 Mbps it mostly does not.

One caution. Ubigi’s explainer FAQ gives a wider range than the product pages do, saying speeds drop after “around 15GB to 25GB” on seven day country plans depending on the country. Read the number on the plan you are buying, not the FAQ. The SKU page is the one that is contractually in front of you at checkout.

Our international daily high-speed eSIM guide explains how daily allowances and reduced speeds work across plans.

The refund policy, where Ubigi is the worst in the category

We do not say that lightly, and it is not about generosity. It is about the fact that Ubigi publishes two different refund tests at the same time, on two live pages, and they produce opposite outcomes for the same customer.

Ubigi’s Terms and Conditions:

“the refund of your preloaded eSIM profile is only possible if you have not scanned the QR code received by email after your purchase. If you have already scanned the received QR code, your refund request will be denied.”

Ubigi’s Help Centre:

“The refund of your preloaded eSIM profile is only possible if you have not used any of the data plan(s) that you purchased. If you have already started using your data plan, your refund request will be denied.”

Under the first rule, installing your eSIM at home the night before you fly ends your refund rights before you board. Under the second, you keep them until you use data. Ubigi’s own pre-travel guidance tells you to install before you travel. So following their advice can forfeit your refund under their terms.

There is a second contradiction of the same kind on carrier-locked handsets. The Terms say refunds “are not possible” for locked devices. The Help Centre says a refund “may be possible” if a lock stops you using the plan. Opposite answers, both live.

And the Terms carry a blanket line that swallows most of the detail: “Once purchased, the Data Plan cannot be refunded.”

The claim window is 14 business days from purchase, which is short, and you must attach the payment receipt.

Airalo’s is not generous either, but it is at least singular. Fourteen days or activation, whichever is first, for the withdrawal right; a fault route that runs thirty days from the problem with a ten day fix window for Airalo. And Airalo’s pushes you toward Airmoney on two of its four self-service reasons.

One point in Ubigi’s favour that nobody mentions: Ubigi does not offer store credit at all. If you get a refund, it goes back to your card, in ten business days. Airalo’s fastest option is store credit and its card route can run to thirty business days.

We have written both up: how an Airalo refund works and how a Ubigi refund works.

Practical rule for Ubigi buyers: if there is any chance you will want to cancel, do not scan the QR code. Buy, check compatibility from the plan description, and install only when you are committed.

Deleting the eSIM, where Ubigi has a real advantage

Airalo:

“No, eSIMs typically can’t be reinstalled. We highly recommend you don’t remove any eSIM that you still intend to use.”

Ubigi:

“All Ubigi eSIM profiles can be re-installed up to 5 times max after being deleted (NB: other providers usually allow the installation only once and re-installation is not possible).”

Five reinstalls, and a persistent profile that stays alive as long as you use a plan at least once every eighteen months. If you travel regularly, that is a genuinely nicer model than buying a fresh disposable profile each trip.

Two warnings on the Ubigi side, both from their own pages.

Ubigi still tells you not to delete when troubleshooting: “In case you encounter any issue with your eSIM profile, do not delete it and just contact our Customer Service for more help.”

And deleting your Ubigi account is destructive in a way deleting the profile is not: “In case you have active data plans on your Ubigi account, they will all be deleted. Data plans refund, retrieval, replacement, or transfer to other Ubigi account(s) are not possible after an account deletion. All requests of this kind after an account deletion will be systematically declined.”

On either provider: disable the line rather than deleting it while you troubleshoot. Our sequences are here for Airalo and Ubigi.

Hotspot

Airalo states it plainly: “There is no limit on tethering or the number of devices you connect.”

Ubigi permits it, publishes how-to guides for iPhone, Android and Windows, and states that “multiple devices can connect simultaneously.” No cap is published, but no explicit “no limit” either.

Both have the same iPhone trap, and both document it: if your hotspot toggle is greyed out, you need to enter the APN first, including in the Personal Hotspot field. Ubigi’s APN is mbb.

Support, where Airalo is ahead

Airalo publishes chat and email, 24 hours a day. No phone.

Ubigi publishes a contact form, an AI chat assistant, and a WhatsApp line that connects to the same AI. Their own description of the WhatsApp channel is worth quoting because it sets expectations correctly: the assistant “can access information from our website, but cannot access your customer account or personal data.”

Ubigi publishes no support hours and no response time commitment anywhere. The strongest language on the site is “We’ll get back to you shortly.”

Ubigi’s own recommendation is to skip the chat for anything real: “we strongly recommend using the contact form for faster, personalized support.”

Where Ubigi wins is the thing that matters when you are stuck. You can check your balance and top up your account “even without Wi-Fi or a valid Data plan”, and their terms confirm that when your plan runs out “You still have access to the Ubigi selfcare.” That is a real advantage over almost everyone in this category, Airalo included, whose offline mode covers installation details but not buying more data.

One last thing worth knowing before you rely on Ubigi’s documentation: a lot of it is old. Their core iPhone troubleshooting article is dated 2022, the APN article is dated 2022, and the profile validity rules are dated 2020. The content may still be correct. It has not been reviewed in a while.

The Australian angle

Neither is Australian.

Airalo contracts through a Singapore entity, under the laws of England and Wales with exclusive English jurisdiction, and caps total liability at US$100.

Ubigi is blunter: “You are subject to French laws and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Paris.” No Australian entity, no acknowledgement of Australian Consumer Law.

Australian consumer guarantees apply to services supplied to Australian consumers regardless of what a contract says, and a term cannot exclude them. Ubigi’s clause does open with “Unless provided otherwise in applicable laws”, which is at least a hook. In practice neither jurisdiction clause is something you would test over a thirty dollar data plan, and that is the point of them.

Which one for an Australian traveller

Choose Ubigi if you are going to Europe, the UK or the USA and price matters, you are a heavy data user who wants a real allowance and a usable throttled speed, you travel often and want a profile you can reinstall, you want card refunds rather than store credit, or you want to be able to top up with no connection.

Choose Airalo if you are going to Thailand, Japan or buying a multi-country Asia plan, you want one refund policy rather than two contradictory ones, you want published support hours, you want tethering permission in writing, or you want current documentation.

Choose neither if you would rather buy in Australian dollars from an Australian company with one refund policy, one published data allowance, and someone answering the email in your own time zone. That is what we do, and our destination pages show the current plans and prices.

Questions people actually ask

Is Ubigi cheaper than Airalo?

On six of the nine destinations we priced, yes, and the Europe gap is large: A$26 against A$44.50 for 10GB over 30 days. Airalo is cheaper in Thailand, Japan and on regional Asia plans.

Is Ubigi a real network or a reseller?

Ubigi is a brand of Transatel, part of NTT, and operates with its own network identity rather than purely reselling. Airalo is a marketplace that buys wholesale from carriers and resells under one app.

What speed does Ubigi throttle to?

2 Mbps, after a per-plan allowance published on each product page: 25GB on a 7 day Europe plan, 30GB on a 15 day USA plan, 60GB on a 30 day plan. Airalo throttles to 1 Mbps after 3GB a day. Ubigi is the more generous of the two on both numbers.

Does scanning the QR code stop me getting a Ubigi refund?

Ubigi’s Terms and Conditions say yes. Ubigi’s Help Centre says only using data does. Both pages are live and they contradict each other. If there is any chance you will cancel, do not scan the code.

How long do I have to ask Ubigi for a refund?

14 business days from purchase, with the payment receipt attached. Refunds go to your original card within 10 business days, and Ubigi does not offer store credit as an alternative.

Can I reinstall a Ubigi eSIM?

Yes, up to five times, and the profile stays alive as long as you use a plan once every 18 months. Airalo treats a deleted eSIM as unrecoverable.

Which has better support?

Airalo publishes 24/7 chat and email. Ubigi publishes a contact form and an AI assistant, with no support hours and no response time commitment stated anywhere. Ubigi’s advantage is that you can check your balance and top up with no data connection at all.

Do both price in Australian dollars?

Yes. Both will bill an Australian in Australian dollars, which makes this one of the few straight price comparisons in the category.

Sources

Airalo pricing from their own Australian dollar rate card, and policy from their Terms of Use (last updated July 2026), Unlimited Data Plans Fair Use Policy and Help Centre. Ubigi pricing from their own Australian dollar store, and policy from their Terms and Conditions and Help Centre articles on refunds, fair use, reinstallation and account deletion. All retrieved 17 to 20 August 2026. We re-check every price in this article monthly.

Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.