Airalo vs Ubigi for Japan in 2026.

Airalo vs Ubigi in one paragraph

Ubigi is cheaper than Airalo for Japan at two weeks and a month, $39 against $48 for 15 days and $65 against $69 for 30 days, and it is the one brand of the two on NTT Docomo, the network that reaches furthest outside the cities. The catch is in the word unlimited. Ubigi's 15 days is 30 GB at full speed and its month 60 GB, then 2 Mbps for the rest of the plan; Airalo gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps until midnight, so a heavy day on Airalo resets tomorrow and a heavy fortnight on Ubigi does not. Airalo is the only one of the two with a 3-day plan, at $11.50. Ubigi has the cheaper 10 GB bucket, $16.50 against $18, and its app is optional where Airalo's is required. Pick Ubigi for Docomo, for a bucket, or for the lower price over two weeks. Pick Airalo for a short trip or if you would rather have a daily allowance than one fixed amount. If the trip is two weeks or a month and you want unlimited, neither is the cheapest: Ringo Light sells 2 weeks at $26.99 and 30 days at $54.99, unlimited data at full speed.

Price: the same trip at each

Priced on 25 October 2026, in US dollars, from each brand's own site. For 3 days, Airalo asks $11.50 and Ubigi sells no 3-day plan. For about a week, Airalo asks $26.50 for 7 days and Ubigi $25 for 8 days at 5 GB a day. For 15 days, $48 at Airalo and $39 at Ubigi, where the $39 buys 30 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps. For 30 days, $69 at Airalo and $65 at Ubigi, 60 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps. Ubigi is cheaper at every length it sells; Airalo is the only one with 3 days.

Ringo Light sells three trips for Japan: 3 days at $9.99, 2 weeks at $26.99 and 30 days at $54.99. The 2 weeks costs less than Ubigi's 15 days at $39 and much less than Airalo's at $48. The 30 days costs less than Ubigi's $65 and Airalo's $69. Ringo Light sells no 7-day plan; for a week, Ubigi at $25 for 8 days is the cheapest of the three, Airalo at $26.50 next, and Ringo Light's 2 weeks at $26.99 costs a dollar or two more, with a week of days left over.

For a fixed amount of data, Ubigi is cheapest: 10 GB for 30 days at $16.50 against $18 at Airalo. For a bigger bucket, Airalo's 20 GB at $25 is cheaper than Ubigi's 25 GB at $32. Ringo Light sells no buckets. If 10 GB is all you need, both are cheaper than Ringo Light's $26.99, and we would rather you read that here than at checkout.

What unlimited means at each

Airalo's unlimited for Japan, the Moshi Moshi plan, gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then slows to 1 Mbps until midnight. That is enough for maps, messages and an hour or two of video; a long evening of streaming in HD will hit it, and tomorrow starts fresh. Ubigi does not sell unlimited by the day. Its 15 days is 30 GB at full speed and its 30 days is 60 GB, then 2 Mbps for whatever is left of the plan; its 8 days is 5 GB a day. Spread evenly, 30 GB over 15 days is 2 GB a day, less than Airalo's 3 GB, but Ubigi lets you spend it unevenly, a heavy day in Tokyo and a light one on the train, and 2 Mbps is a more usable slow speed than 1 Mbps. Ubigi's monthly plans renew unless you stop them; Airalo's do not. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed for the whole 2 weeks or 30 days. Fair use policy, see Terms.

Networks and coverage in Japan

Japan has three big networks: NTT Docomo, KDDI au and SoftBank. All three cover the cities and the Shinkansen lines well; Docomo reaches furthest into the mountains and rural Hokkaido. Airalo's own page names SoftBank, with one other network. Ubigi rides KDDI and NTT Docomo, which makes it one of the few travel eSIMs on Japan's largest network. Ringo Light rides a local partner network. For Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima, any of the three works. If you are heading for the Japan Alps, Tohoku or the back of Hokkaido, Ubigi is the one of these two with Docomo.

Installation, app and support

Airalo needs its app: you buy, install and top up inside it, and that is also where its support chat lives. Ubigi's app is optional; you can buy on its site and install from the QR code it sends, or manage the plan in the app, and support is through its site. Ringo Light needs no app; the eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan, and support is by email. Whichever you pick, install it at home before you fly and switch it on for data when you land at Narita, Haneda or Kansai.

The cheaper third option: Ringo Light

Ringo Light is our own data eSIM, sold to fund the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. For Japan it sells three trips, all unlimited data at full speed: 3 days at $9.99, 2 weeks at $26.99 and 30 days at $54.99. One payment, nothing renews, no app.

What it does not do: no buckets, no 7-day plan, no phone number, data only. Calls go over apps that use data. If you want 10 GB for a month, Ubigi at $16.50 or Airalo at $18 is the better buy. If you want a week, Ubigi at $25 for 8 days and Airalo at $26.50 are both cheaper than our 2 weeks at $26.99. For 3 days, two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light is the cheapest of the three.

The full six-brand comparison for Japan, with Holafly, Saily and Nomad priced the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-japan. The card to buy Ringo Light is further up this page, just after the side-by-side table.

Which to pick

• Ubigi, if you want a bucket or Docomo. 10 GB for 30 days at $16.50, on KDDI and NTT Docomo. Airalo is $18 and Ringo Light sells no bucket.
• Ubigi, if you want about a week. $25 for 8 days at 5 GB a day. Airalo is $26.50 for 7 days and Ringo Light sells no 7-day plan.
• Airalo, if the trip is 3 days or you want a daily allowance. $11.50 for 3 days; Ubigi sells none. 3 GB a day at full speed resets every midnight, where Ubigi's 30 GB or 60 GB does not.
• Airalo, if you want 20 GB. $25 for 20 GB against $32 for 25 GB at Ubigi.
• ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is 3 days, 2 weeks or a month. Unlimited data at full speed at $9.99, $26.99 or $54.99, cheaper than both at each of those lengths.

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