If you have used a travel eSIM before, there is a good chance it was an Airalo one. They were early, they are the biggest name in the category, and for a lot of people Airalo simply is what a travel eSIM means.
So this is not a hit piece. Airalo works. The question worth asking is narrower: are you getting the same thing for the money, and if not, how much is the name costing you?
I checked, plan by plan, on the same day, in the same currency, from the same country. Here is what came back.
Every price in this article was read off each provider’s own website on 25 August 2026, in US dollars, from a US connection. Providers change prices often, so check the live page before you buy. Where the other provider is the better choice, this article says so.
Is MegaEsim actually cheaper than Airalo?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. A 5GB plan lasting 30 days in Japan costs $3.78 with MegaEsim and $11.00 with Airalo. That is $7.22 more for the same data, on the same networks.
Japan, read from both providers’ own sites on 25 August 2026, in US dollars. Only plans we both sell in the same size and duration appear here.
Why is Airalo more expensive if the networks are the same?
One note on the table above. It only lists plans where both providers sell the identical size for the identical number of days. Anything we do not sell in that exact shape is left out rather than compared against something different, because that is how comparison tables end up flattering whoever wrote them.
Airalo also sells 1 GB / 3 days at $4.00, 3 GB / 3 days at $7.50, 3 GB / 7 days at $8.00, 5 GB / 7 days at $10.00 and 4 more in Japan. We do not offer those exact sizes there, so they are left out of the table rather than compared against something different.
Because you are not paying for different data. You are paying for a different business. Both providers buy wholesale access to the same local operators, and in Japan that means the same masts either way.
What differs is what sits on top. Airalo spends heavily on brand, sponsorships and app development, and that spending has to come out of the plan price. It is a legitimate way to run a company. It is just worth knowing the extra is not buying you a better signal.
We explain where our own margin goes on the why our plans cost less page, including the parts that are less flattering.
What does Airalo do better than MegaEsim?
Several things, and pretending otherwise would be insulting. Airalo has a larger catalogue of destinations, a more polished app with a longer track record, and a far bigger support team. If you travel constantly and want one account for everything, that matters.
They also have more unlimited options in more countries. Our unlimited range is narrower, and in some destinations we do not have one at all.
And there is trust. Airalo has been doing this since 2019 with millions of customers. We are smaller and newer. If you would rather buy from the established name, that is a rational choice, not a mistake.
Is the coverage the same?
In the destinations we both sell, usually yes, because we are buying from the same wholesale operators. The honest difference is breadth. Airalo lists more destinations than we do. We cover 197 countries and territories, which is enough for the overwhelming majority of trips but not all of them.
Before you buy from anyone, check which local network the plan actually uses. Every one of our country pages names the operators, for example on the Japan eSIM page. If a provider will not tell you which network you will be on, that is worth noticing.
Is Japan a one off, or is the gap the same everywhere?
Japan is a fair test because both providers sell it and the networks are good. But one country proves nothing on its own, so here is what our 5GB 30 day plan costs across a spread of popular destinations.
In writing, so it is searchable: Turkey is $3.22 with us against $10.00 with Airalo. Italy $3.33 against $12.00. Thailand $3.78 against $8.00. Albania $5.52 against $13.00. Georgia $5.35 against $17.00. Morocco $7.03 against $22.00. The multiple ranges from 2.1 times in Thailand to 3.6 times in Italy.
Prices differ by country because wholesale data genuinely costs different amounts in different places. Anyone charging the same everywhere is averaging, which means somebody is overpaying. We publish the whole picture in the eSIM Price Index, including the countries where data is expensive and we cannot do much about it.
What does the difference add up to over a year of travelling?
One plan is a rounding error. A habit is not. Six trips a year with a 5GB plan each time costs $66.00 on Airalo and $22.68 with us. That is $43.32 for identical data.
For a family it multiplies again, because everyone needs their own eSIM. Four people on one trip is four plans, not one.
None of that is an argument for buying the cheapest thing on the internet. It is an argument for checking, once, whether the brand you default to is charging you two or three times what the same connection costs elsewhere.
Will the speed be the same, or is the cheaper plan throttled?
On a standard per gigabyte plan, neither provider throttles you until the data runs out. You get whatever the local network gives you, which in Japan means 4G or 5G on Softbank or its partners. The plan does not decide your speed. The mast you are standing under does.
Where throttling genuinely enters the picture is unlimited plans, and this is the part the marketing tends to skip. Airalo's unlimited plans and Saily's both apply a fair use policy, after which speed drops sharply. Saily publishes theirs plainly: 5GB a day at full speed, then up to 1 Mbps.
1 Mbps is enough for maps and messaging. It is not enough for video calls. So an unlimited plan is really a large daily allowance with a slow safety net underneath. We wrote about this in what unlimited actually means on a travel eSIM.
Which one is easier to install?
They are close to identical, because the underlying process is a GSMA standard rather than anything either company invented. You buy, you get a QR code, you scan it in your phone settings, and you switch on data roaming when you land.
Airalo pushes you towards their app. We email the QR code and also keep it in your account, so you can install without downloading anything. Our setup guide walks through both iPhone and Android.
What happens when something goes wrong?
This is where the two companies feel most different. Airalo has a large support operation and an in app chat. We are small enough that an email reaches a person who can look at your actual eSIM, and we answer within 24 hours.
Being small is not automatically better. A bigger team covers more hours. But there is no queue to escalate through, and nobody has to ask permission to fix something.
If your Airalo eSIM is playing up right now, we wrote a full Airalo troubleshooting guide that fixes it in most cases, whether or not you ever buy from us.
Do either of them give you a phone number?
Neither gives you a normal phone number as standard. Both are data plans. You can use WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram and any calling app, but you cannot receive a bank text sent to your home number, and you cannot dial emergency services on the plan.
Saily sells a US number as an add on. Airalo has trialled numbers in some markets. We do not offer one at all, and we say so plainly on every product page rather than burying it. Keep your home SIM in the phone for texts and emergencies.
Is Holafly a better alternative than either?
Only if you want genuinely unlimited data and are willing to pay for it. Holafly sells unlimited only, with no per gigabyte plans, starting at $3.90 per day for Japan.
For most travel it does not work out. A week in Japan on Holafly costs $27.50. The same week on our 5GB plan is $3.78, and 5GB is more than most people use in a week of maps, messaging and the occasional video.
Work out roughly what you actually use before paying for unlimited. Our guide on how much data you need has real numbers rather than guesses.
What about Saily, since it comes from NordVPN?
Saily is a serious competitor with a good app and security features built in. On price it sits almost exactly where Airalo does. Their 5GB 30 day Japan plan is $10.99, one cent under Airalo and $7.21 more than ours.
If you want the ad blocking and virtual location features, that is a real reason to pick them. If you just want data, you are paying for a bundle you may not use.
What should you check before buying any travel eSIM?
Whoever you buy from, these are worth thirty seconds each. They catch nearly every bad purchase.
Which network you will be on. A plan is only as good as the local operator behind it. If a provider will not name it, ask.
Whether the displayed price is the checkout price. Put the plan in the basket and look at the total before entering card details.
When validity starts. On most plans, including ours and Airalo's, the clock starts when the plan first connects, not when you buy. Some providers start it at purchase, which quietly costs you days.
What happens when the data runs out. Some plans stop dead, some slow down, some let you top up without reinstalling. All three are fine, but know which you bought.
The refund terms for an eSIM you never install. Ours can be refunded for six months if the QR code was never scanned. Check what the other provider offers rather than assuming.
How do I switch from Airalo to MegaEsim?
There is nothing to cancel. A travel eSIM is prepaid, not a subscription, so an Airalo plan simply runs out and stops. You do not need to close an account or tell anyone.
Delete the old profile once it has expired, buy the new plan, scan the new QR code, and turn on data roaming. Both profiles can sit on the phone at once if you prefer to keep the old one until the new one is working.
So what is the honest answer?
If price is what you care about, we are meaningfully cheaper and the data is the same. $7.22 saved on one Japan plan, and the gap widens on bigger plans.
If you want the biggest catalogue, the most polished app and the largest support team, Airalo has all three, and there is no shame in paying for that.
What we would ask is only this: check the price on both sites before you buy, in your own currency, for the exact plan you want. That takes two minutes and it is the only way to know what the brand is costing you.
What happens when you cross a border?
A country plan stops at that country’s edge. Buy a Japan eSIM, take the ferry to South Korea, and you have no data until you buy something else. That surprises people every summer in Europe, where borders arrive quickly.
Both providers solve it the same way, with regional plans covering a group of countries on one profile. If your trip touches more than two countries, a regional plan is almost always cheaper and considerably less hassle than buying each one separately.
The trap is assuming a regional plan covers every country in the region. They rarely do. Read the country list before you buy, not after. Ours are printed in full on the Europe and Southeast Asia pages, including the countries that are not included.
How were these prices checked?
Worth explaining, because comparison articles have a reputation for quoting whatever number flatters the author.
Every figure here was read off each provider’s own live website on 25 August 2026, from a United States connection, with the currency set to US dollars. That last detail matters more than it sounds. On a United Kingdom connection Airalo’s Japan 5GB plan displays as 8.50 in pounds. On a United States connection the same plan displays as 11.00 in dollars. Quote the first number as if it were dollars and you understate their price by a third.
The MegaEsim figures come from the same database the checkout reads, which is the whole point of how our pricing works. Nothing here is a recommended retail price or a launch offer.
Prices move. If you are reading this months after publication, treat the shape of the comparison as the useful part and check the current numbers yourself.
What do people get wrong when they switch?
Three things, over and over.
Deleting the old eSIM too early. There is no need to remove an Airalo profile before installing a new one. Modern phones hold several. Keep the old one until the new one is connected, then tidy up.
Installing on airport wifi at the destination. Install before you fly, while you have reliable internet at home. The profile download needs a connection, and the moment you need it most is the moment you are least likely to have one.
Leaving the home SIM’s data roaming switched on. This is the expensive one. The eSIM handles your data, but if your normal carrier’s roaming is still enabled, the phone can quietly fall back to it and bill you at full rate. Switch roaming off on the home line and on for the eSIM line.
Our guide to which roaming switches to use has the exact steps for iPhone and Android, and it applies whichever provider you buy from.
Who should buy which?
| If this is you | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want the lowest price for the same data | MegaEsim | The gap is $7.22 on one Japan plan and grows on larger ones |
| You travel constantly and want one app for everything | Airalo | Bigger catalogue, longer track record, larger support team |
| You want genuinely unlimited data on a short trip | Holafly | Unlimited only, from $3.90 a day in Japan |
| You want security features bundled in | Saily | Ad blocking and virtual locations, priced like Airalo |
| You need a phone number for bank texts | None of them | Keep your home SIM active alongside the eSIM |
That table is deliberately not five rows of us winning. Different people want different things, and a comparison concluding the author is best at everything is not a comparison.
- ✓197 countries, plans from $1.29
- ✓Hotspot included on your normal allowance
- ✓The price on the page is the price charged
- ✓Unused eSIM refundable for 6 months
Frequently asked questions
Is MegaEsim a real company?
Yes. We trade as Soha Trading LLC-FZ, registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the full address is on our terms page. Payments go through Stripe.
Why is MegaEsim so much cheaper than Airalo?
We spend almost nothing on advertising, sponsorships or influencers, and we run a small team. The data is bought from the same wholesale operators either way, so the saving comes out of overheads rather than out of the connection.
Does MegaEsim work on the same networks as Airalo in Japan?
In most destinations, yes, because both providers buy from the same local operators. Each of our country pages lists the networks the plan uses so you can compare before buying rather than after.
Can I keep my normal phone number while using either one?
Yes. Both are data only eSIMs that sit alongside your existing SIM. Keep your home line active for calls and texts, switch off its data roaming so your carrier cannot bill you, and use the eSIM for internet.
Is the price I see the price I pay?
On our site the figure on the page is read from the same database as the checkout, so it does not change at payment. Always confirm this on any provider before you buy, because teaser pricing is common in this category.
What if the eSIM does not work when I land?
Nine times out of ten it is data roaming being switched off, or the phone using the wrong line for data. Our eSIM troubleshooting guide works through the fixes in order, whichever provider you bought from.
Airalo is a trademark of its owner. MegaEsim is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Airalo. Prices were read from each provider's own website on the date stated above and are shown in US dollars.
