Published: 14 Feb 2025 | Last Updated: 8 Jun 2026 | By: Telecom Plans Team

Best 5G Prepaid Plans India 2026, Airtel vs Jio

Airtel and Jio are the only operators with active 5G networks in India as of June 2026. Jio 5G starts from Rs 239 for 28 days. Airtel 5G starts from Rs 349 for 28 days. Both apply a 300 GB commercial usage limit on 5G per billing cycle.

Verdict

Jio offers the cheapest 5G plan in India at Rs 239 for 28 days. Airtel matches Jio on coverage in major cities and adds stronger OTT bundling on its higher 5G plans.

Side By Side Comparisons

Cheapest 5G Plans, 28 Days

Feature
AAirtel
Rs 349
JJio
Rs 239
PriceRs 349Rs 239
Plan TypePrepaidPrepaid
Validity28 Days28 Days
Daily Data1.5 GB per day + Unlimited 5G1.5 GB per day + Unlimited 5G
5G AccessYes, Unlimited 5GYes, Unlimited 5G
Unlimited CallsYesYes
RoamingIncludedIncluded
SMS per Day100100
OTT SubscriptionsNoneNone
Additional BenefitsApple Music (6 months), Airtel Xstream PlayJioCloud
Cost Per DayRs 12.46Rs 8.54
Cost Per GBRs 8.31Rs 5.69
Circle AvailabilityAll 22 circlesAll 22 circles
Last Updated1 Jun 20261 Jan 2026

Best Price

Jio Rs 239

Best Data Value

Jio Rs 239

Best OTT Bundle

Tie between the selected plans.

Jio Rs 239 costs Rs 110 less than Airtel Rs 349 for the same 28 day validity and the same daily data. Choose Jio Rs 239 to save Rs 110. Choose Airtel Rs 349 if you prefer more validity.

Most Popular 5G Plans, 28 Days

Feature
AAirtel
Rs 379
JJio
Rs 299
PriceRs 379Rs 299
Plan TypePrepaidPrepaid
Validity28 Days28 Days
Daily Data2 GB per day + Unlimited 5G2 GB per day + Unlimited 5G
5G AccessYes, Unlimited 5GYes, Unlimited 5G
Unlimited CallsYesYes
RoamingIncludedIncluded
SMS per Day100100
OTT SubscriptionsJioHotstar Mobile (28 days)JioHotstar Mobile (28 days)
Additional BenefitsGoogle One 30 GB Cloud Storage, Apple Music, Free Hellotune, Airtel Xstream Play PremiumJioCloud
Cost Per DayRs 13.54Rs 10.68
Cost Per GBRs 6.77Rs 5.34
Circle AvailabilityAll 22 circlesAll 22 circles
Last Updated1 Jun 20261 Jan 2026

Best Price

Jio Rs 299

Best Data Value

Jio Rs 299

Best OTT Bundle

Tie between the selected plans.

Jio Rs 299 costs Rs 80 less than Airtel Rs 379 for the same 28 day validity and the same daily data. Both plans include JioHotstar Mobile. Choose Jio Rs 299 to save Rs 80. Choose Airtel Rs 379 if you prefer more validity.

84-Day 5G Plans

Feature
AAirtel
Rs 899
JJio
Rs 799
PriceRs 899Rs 799
Plan TypePrepaidPrepaid
Validity84 Days84 Days
Daily DataTruly Unlimited with 300 GB FUP1.5 GB per day + Unlimited 5G
5G AccessYes, Unlimited 5GYes, Unlimited 5G
Unlimited CallsYesYes
RoamingIncludedIncluded
SMS per Day100100
OTT SubscriptionsJioHotstar Mobile (3 months)JioHotstar Mobile (3 months)
Additional BenefitsAdobe Express Premium (12 months), Airtel Spam Alerts, Free HellotuneJioCloud
Cost Per DayRs 10.7Rs 9.51
Cost Per GBN/ARs 6.34
Circle AvailabilityAll 22 circlesAll 22 circles
Last Updated1 May 20261 Jan 2026

Best Price

Jio Rs 799

Best Data Value

Jio Rs 799

Best OTT Bundle

Tie between the selected plans.

Jio Rs 799 costs Rs 100 less than Airtel Rs 899 for the same 84 day validity. Both plans include JioHotstar Mobile. Choose Jio Rs 799 to save Rs 100. Choose Airtel Rs 899 if you prefer more validity.

Annual 5G Plans, 365 Days

Feature
AAirtel
Rs 3999
JJio
Rs 3999
PriceRs 3999Rs 3999
Plan TypePrepaidPrepaid
Validity365 Days365 Days
Daily Data2.5 GB per day + Unlimited 5G2.5 GB per day + Unlimited 5G
5G AccessYes, Unlimited 5GYes, Unlimited 5G
Unlimited CallsYesYes
RoamingIncludedIncluded
SMS per Day100100
OTT SubscriptionsJioHotstar Mobile (1 year)JioHotstar (1 year)
Additional BenefitsWynk Music (1 year), Airtel Xstream Play, Free Hellotune, Apollo 24/7 Circle (3 months)Gemini Pro AI (18 months), JioCloud 100 GB, International roaming on select packs
Cost Per DayRs 10.96Rs 10.96
Cost Per GBRs 4.38Rs 4.38
Circle AvailabilityAll 22 circlesAll 22 circles
Last Updated1 Jun 20261 Jan 2026

Best Price

Tie between the selected plans.

Best Data Value

Tie between the selected plans.

Best OTT Bundle

Tie between the selected plans.

Airtel Rs 3999 and Jio Rs 3999 are priced the same. Pick by network preference and OTT mix. Cost per day for Airtel is Rs 10.96 and for Jio is Rs 10.96.

Category Winners

Cheapest 5G Plan

Jio Rs 239

Best 5G OTT Bundle

Airtel Rs 379

Best Truly Unlimited 5G

Airtel Rs 899

Best Annual 5G Plan

Airtel Rs 3999

AAirtel

Choose Airtel 5G if

You live in one of the 500 plus cities Airtel 5G covers and you want OTT bundles like JioHotstar, Google One, Netflix, or SonyLIV with your 5G plan. Airtel also has Truly Unlimited 5G plans at Rs 399 and Rs 899 with no daily cap.

JJio

Choose Jio 5G if

You want the cheapest 5G plan in India or you live in a town that Jio 5G covers but Airtel 5G does not. Jio 5G is available in 6,000 plus towns using True 5G Standalone architecture, which often performs better in dense areas.

What is the 300 GB 5G FUP?

Both Airtel and Jio apply a 300 GB commercial usage policy on unlimited 5G data per billing cycle. This means once you cross 300 GB of 5G data in one cycle, your 5G speeds may be reduced. The vast majority of users will not hit this limit during normal mobile usage.

Airtel 5G vs Jio 5G architecture

Jio 5G uses True Standalone (SA) architecture, which runs on a dedicated 5G core. Airtel 5G uses Non Standalone (NSA), which runs on the 4G core. Both deliver fast speeds, but Jio SA is technically more future ready for advanced features like network slicing.

Coverage comparison

Jio 5G covers 6,000 plus towns including all major cities and many tier 2 and tier 3 towns. Airtel 5G covers 500 plus cities focused on metros and tier 1 urban areas. Check operator coverage maps for your specific PIN code before recharging.

All plans covered in this comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

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