Ubigi is different from most names in this category, and the difference is worth understanding before comparing prices. Their own site states plainly that Ubigi is a brand of Transatel, which means you are buying from a carrier operation rather than a reseller sitting on top of one.
That shows up in the product. Ubigi supports eSIM in cars and laptops as well as phones, and in Japan their own coverage data lists KDDI and NTT Docomo. It is a serious operation.
It is also two to two and a half times our price on the plans we both sell, and their plan sizes are unusual enough that most of them have no equivalent on our side at all.
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.
Japan, read from both providers’ own sites on 25 August 2026, in US dollars. Only the two sizes both companies sell in the same duration are shown.
Is MegaEsim cheaper than Ubigi?
Yes, on both plans where a true like for like exists. A 3GB plan for 15 days in Japan is $2.38 with us and $7.50 with Ubigi. A 10GB plan for 30 days is $6.58 against $16.50.
Only two rows appear above, and that is deliberate.
Why does the table only have two rows?
Because Ubigi builds its plans to different shapes than we do, and comparing across different shapes would be misleading.
Ubigi sells a 5GB plan lasting 15 days at $10.00. Our 5GB plan lasts 30 days. Ubigi sells 1GB for 3 days at $3.50 and 1GB for 30 days at $4.00. Ours is 1GB for 7 days. Ubigi sells 10GB for 7 days at $14.00, we do not sell that at all.
It would be easy to line up our 5GB 30 day plan next to their 5GB 15 day one and claim a bigger win, because ours is both cheaper and longer. It would also be a comparison between two different products. So those rows are left out.
If your trip is exactly 15 days and you want 5GB, price both directly rather than trusting any article, including this one.
What does Ubigi do better than MegaEsim?
Several things, and the first one is structural.
They are a carrier brand, not a reseller. Transatel operates its own mobile core, which means fewer intermediaries between you and the network. In practice most travellers will not notice, but it is a real difference in how the service is built.
Connected cars and laptops. Ubigi ships as the built in data provider in some vehicles and Windows laptops. If your car or laptop offers Ubigi natively, that is a convenience nothing else here matches.
Monthly and annual plans. Alongside one off travel plans they sell recurring options, which suits long stays and expatriates better than a series of prepaid top ups.
Which networks does each provider use in Japan?
Ubigi's own coverage data lists KDDI and NTT Docomo for Japan, both on 4G and 5G. Those are two of the three national carriers and the coverage is excellent.
We publish the operators our plan uses on the Japan eSIM page. Check both before buying, because in a country with several strong carriers the practical difference is usually small, and in a country with one dominant carrier it can be the whole decision.
Any provider that will not tell you which network you land on is asking for more trust than it has earned.
Does Ubigi sell unlimited data?
They sell limited unlimited style options in some markets. In Japan their site listed an unlimited 8 day plan at $25.00 when we checked.
Against that, our 10GB plan lasting 30 days is $6.58. Unless you expect to use well over 10GB inside those eight days, the fixed plan is better value and lasts far longer.
As always with unlimited, find the fair use threshold before you pay for the word. We wrote about it in what unlimited actually means on a travel eSIM.
Who should buy which?
| If this is you | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your car or laptop offers Ubigi built in | Ubigi | Nothing else here integrates that way |
| You want a carrier operation rather than a reseller | Ubigi | Transatel runs its own mobile core |
| You need a monthly or annual plan for a long stay | Ubigi | We sell one off travel plans only |
| You want the lowest price on a normal trip | MegaEsim | Two to three times cheaper on matching plans |
| Your trip is exactly 15 days and you want 5GB | Check both | Different plan shapes, price it directly |
| You need a phone number for bank texts | Neither | Keep your home SIM active alongside |
Ubigi takes half that table, and fairly. They are built for things we do not do at all.
What does the difference add up to over a year?
Six trips a year on a 3GB 15 day plan is $45.00 with Ubigi and $14.28 with us, a difference of $30.72 for the same data.
For a family it multiplies, because every person needs their own eSIM.
If you are using Ubigi because your car came with it, none of that applies and the convenience is worth paying for. If you are buying it on a phone for a normal trip, it is worth comparing before you renew out of habit.
Is the coverage and speed the same?
In the destinations we both sell, usually yes. Both Ubigi and MegaEsim buy wholesale roaming access from the same local operators, so in Japan that means Softbank and its partners either way.
Neither provider throttles a standard per gigabyte plan. Your speed comes from the mast you are standing under and the phone in your hand, not from the logo on the plan.
Before buying from anyone, check which local network the plan uses. Every one of our country pages names the operators, for example the Japan eSIM page. If a provider will not tell you, that is worth noticing.
Which is easier to install?
Near identical, because eSIM installation is a GSMA standard rather than anything either company invented. You buy, you get a QR code, you scan it in phone settings, and you switch on data roaming when you land.
The thing that matters more than the provider is timing. Install at home on wifi before you fly. The plan does not start counting until it first connects abroad, so there is no penalty for installing early and a real risk in leaving it until you land. Our setup guide covers iPhone and Android.
Do either give you a phone number?
Neither does as standard. Both Ubigi and MegaEsim sell data. Calls and texts work through WhatsApp, iMessage or any internet calling app, but a bank text sent to your home number will not arrive, and you cannot dial emergency services on the plan.
Keep your home SIM in the phone with its data roaming switched off. You keep your number for texts and emergencies, and the eSIM carries the internet.
What happens when you cross a border?
A single country plan stops at that country's edge, which looks identical to a fault. Buy a Japan eSIM, take the ferry to South Korea, and you have no data until you buy something else.
Both providers solve it 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 than buying each separately.
The trap is assuming a regional plan covers every country in the region. They rarely do. Ours are printed in full on the Europe and Asia pages, including the countries that are not included.
How were these prices checked?
Worth stating, because comparison articles have a reputation for quoting whichever number flatters the author.
Every Ubigi figure was read from their own live website on 25 August 2026, from a United States connection with the currency showing US dollars. That detail matters. On a United Kingdom connection several providers in this category display pounds, and quoting that number as dollars understates their price by roughly a third.
The MegaEsim figures come from the same database our checkout reads. None of these are launch offers or recommended retail prices.
Prices move. If you are reading this months later, treat the shape of the comparison as the durable part and check the live numbers yourself.
How much data do you actually need?
This decides more than the price comparison does, and most people guess badly.
Maps, messaging, a few searches, some scrolling and the occasional video comes to roughly 300MB to 700MB a day for most travellers. On that basis a week is about 3GB to 5GB and two weeks about 6GB to 10GB.
Streaming video daily or tethering a laptop changes it completely and pushes you towards a larger plan or an unlimited one. Your phone already knows the answer: settings will show last month’s usage at home, and travel use is usually lower because you are outside walking rather than on the sofa.
Our guide on how much data you need breaks it down by activity with real numbers rather than guesses.
What do people get wrong when they switch provider?
Three mistakes, over and over.
Deleting the old eSIM too early. There is no need to remove the old profile before installing a new one. Modern phones hold several. Keep the old one until the new one is connected, then tidy up.
Installing at the destination. Install before you fly, while you have reliable internet. 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 on. This is the expensive one. The eSIM handles your data, but if your normal carrier’s roaming stays 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 roaming switch guide has the exact steps.
What happens when something goes wrong?
We are small enough that an email reaches a person who can look at your actual eSIM, and we answer within 24 hours. There is no queue to escalate through and nobody needs permission to fix something.
Being small is not automatically better. A larger provider covers more hours and more languages, and on a bad day at an airport that matters.
Most problems are not the provider at all. Nine times out of ten it is data roaming switched off or the phone using the wrong line for data, which is fixable in under a minute once you know where to look.
What should you check before buying any travel eSIM?
Which network you will be on. A plan is only as good as the local operator behind it.
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 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.
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.
- ✓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 Ubigi cheaper than MegaEsim?
No. On the two plans both companies sell in the same size and duration in Japan, MegaEsim is lower. A 3GB 15 day plan is $2.38 with us against $7.50 with Ubigi, checked on 25 August 2026.
Who owns Ubigi?
Ubigi's own website states that it is a brand of Transatel, so you are buying from a carrier operation rather than a reseller. That is a genuine structural difference from most travel eSIM brands.
Which networks does Ubigi use in Japan?
Their published coverage data lists KDDI and NTT Docomo on 4G and 5G, which are two of Japan's three national carriers.
Does Ubigi work in cars and laptops?
Yes, and this is one of their real advantages. Ubigi ships as a built in data option in some connected vehicles and Windows laptops, which most travel eSIM providers do not offer.
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.
Can I keep my normal phone number?
Yes. A travel eSIM is data only and sits alongside your existing SIM. Keep your home line active for calls and texts, switch its data roaming off so your carrier cannot bill you, and let the eSIM carry the 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 with 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 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.
Ubigi is a trademark of its owner. MegaEsim is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ubigi. Prices were read from each provider's own website on the date stated above and are shown in US dollars.
