Simbye vs Airalo
On the 4 markets both currently price, Simbye is cheaper more often — 4 to 0 on cost per gigabyte. Neither wins everywhere, which is exactly why this page compares live prices per destination instead of crowning one. We earn commission from both — Simbye actually pays us more — so the only thing deciding each row is the price.
Both columns are LIVE feed prices, refreshed daily — Airalo last 2026-07-30. Simbye prices include the 1835TRAVEL15 code, which our links apply automatically.
Price, market by market
Cheapest metered plan each side, normalised to cost per gigabyte (bundle sizes differ, so headline prices aren't comparable). A dash means that provider has no metered plan in our comparison window for that market.
| Destination | Simbye (with code) | Airalo | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | $0.85/GB 20GB · 30d · $16.99 ($19.99 without code) | $1.2/GB 20GB · 15d · $24 | Simbye |
| Thailand | $0.85/GB 20GB · 30d · $16.99 ($19.99 without code) | $0.88/GB 20GB · 15d · $17.5 | Simbye |
| USA | $0.85/GB 20GB · 90d · $16.99 ($19.99 without code) | $1.8/GB 20GB · 15d · $36 | Simbye |
| Vietnam | $1.06/GB 20GB · 30d · $21.24 ($24.99 without code) | $1.4/GB 20GB · 15d · $28 | Simbye |
The fine print, head to head
| Simbye | Airalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Throttled after | Not published | 3 GB per day on unlimited plans, resetting every 24h from activation |
| Then capped at | Not published | 1 Mbps for the remainder of that day |
| Hotspot | Hotspot/tethering supported on most plans — flagged per plan in their feed; no cap published | No cap — unlimited tethering, unlimited devices |
| Top-up | Supported on most plans — flagged per plan in their feed | Only on eSIMs marked rechargeable — check before you buy, it is not universal |
| Unused data | Not published | Forfeited — unused data cannot be used after the validity period |
| Refunds | Not published | 30 days — but 'wrong purchase' and 'changed plans' refund only to in-app credit, not your card. Only a faulty eSIM gets cash back |
| Phone number | Data-only on most plans; 12 plans include a real phone number with a local dialling code | Data only on most plans. The USA and Thailand voice plans are the exceptions |
The honest asymmetry: Airalo publishes its fair-use, refund and throttle terms; Simbye largely doesn't yet. “Not published” isn't neutral — it means you can't know the rules before you buy. If certainty matters more than a few dollars, that's a real argument for Airalo despite the price gaps.
Which should you buy?
Choose Simbye if
Price is the decision and it wins your destination in the table above — with the code applied it is frequently the cheapest metered data we track. Also the only budget option we know with real-phone-number plans (12 of its 718), and most of its network line-up is 5G.
Choose Airalo if
You want published rules (fair use, refunds, throttling) and the biggest catalogue — 215 countries and regions vs Simbye's 157 — or uncapped tethering in writing. A known quantity, at sometimes slightly higher prices.
Simbye pays us 25% and Airalo 12%. Simbye paying more has not made it the recommendation — every row above is decided on the per-gigabyte figure, and the fine-print warning cuts against the higher payer.
Today's cheapest, both providers
Affiliate links — we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Each card is whichever provider is cheaper for that market today.