Feature Articles

Which telco offers the best SIM-only plan in Singapore? (2021 Version)

By Glenn Chua & Liu Hongzuo - 27 Nov 2021

Value Plans (S$15 and under)

Note: This feature was first published on 24 November 2021.

Who has the best SIM-only plans for you?

Ever since our last SIM-only comparison, many providers have come and gone in the telco space. Zero Mobile, and more recently Grid Mobile, have left or are leaving the market. However, new players also showed up, catering to different audiences and demographics. Then, there's also the incumbent Big Three (StarHub, Singtel and M1) forming the backbone of many of these new MVNOs.

Following our last comparison, these plans are some of the best options for big bundles of data without having to lock yourself into a 24-month contract, on top of the flexibility of letting you change your phone whenever you want.

In the ever-changing landscape of telco providers, who has the ideal SIM-only plan right now? Here, we look at how each offering suits your usage, based on different price tiers.

Note 1: Plans featured in our SIM-only compilation are permanent and core offerings from each brand. Plans that are not featured are either promotional in nature (limited availability, indefinite or otherwise), and do not factor in temporary promotional prices in permanent offerings, indefinite or otherwise.

Note 2: Available plans are arranged from the lowest monthly price to the highest, first to last.

Note 3: Recommendations made do not take into account network performance/reach and is based on overall plan proposition/offerings and value.

Note 4: For eSIM provisioning, while M1, Circles.Life and MyRepublic offer such options, only M1 supports NumberShare for Apple Watch.

Note 5: The article makes extensive use of tables to present data and is best viewed on non-phone devices such as a tablet, notebook or desktop. Do bookmark and re-visit this page if you're on your phone.

Value Plans (~$15/month and under) Part 1

 

Circles.Life

redONE Changi Mobile  VIVIFI VIVIFI

Giga! (by StarHub)

Plan Name $5 Plan Amazing8 Flexi Value VIVIFI Lite VIVIFI Plus (6GB) $10 Plan
Price S$5/month S$8/month S$8/month S$8.80/month S$9.98/month S$10/month
Backbone Network M1 StarHub M1 Singtel Singtel StarHub
Monthly Data 2GB

5GB to Unlimited (Throttled to 128kbps)

8GB 3GB 6GB to Unlimited (Throttled to 256kbps) 6GB
Talktime 50 mins 300 mins 200 mins 500 mins 350 mins 500 mins
SMS 25 300 200 500 100 500
Add-ons 
(Monthly unless otherwise stated)
  • 1GB (S$8)
  • 2GB (S$12)
  • S$5 for 30 mins talktime
  • S$10 for 200 mins talktime and free incoming calls

 

  • 1GB data (S$1)
  • 5GB data (S$5)
  • 10GB data ($10)
  • 1GB (S$1.50)
  • 3GB (S$3)
  • 5GB (S$4)
  • 10GB ($6)
  • One Day Unlimited (S$3)
  • 100 mins talktime (S$1)
  • 250 mins talktime (S$2)
  • Unlimited (S$10)
  • 100 SMS (S$1)
  • 250SMS (S$2)
  • VIVIFI Lite Top Up: 1GB, 100 mins, 100 SMS (S$3.21)
  • Booster: 2GB (S$4.28), 4GB (S$5) 10GB (S$13.40), 80GB (S$20)
  • Booster: 200 mins (S$4.28),1,000 mins (S$8.56)
  • Booster: 100 SMS (S$3.00)
  • 4GB data (S$5)
  • 200 mins talktime (S$4.28)
  • 100 mins talktime (S$8.56)
  • 100 SMS (S$3.00)
  • 1GB Data pack (S$2)
  • Whatsapp data pack 1GB (S$1)
  • Insta 'n' FB data pack 1GB (S$1)
  • Talktime pack 100 mins (S$1)
  • 100 SMS pack (S$1)
Caller ID Free Free (until further notice) Free Free Free Free
Registration Fees S$38 S$30 (waived until further notice) + S$10 for SIM card fees Free Free Free Free
SIM Delivery Fees S$2 to S$6 based on time/date chosen Free (for Online Registrations) Free Free self-collection, or S$12 delivery fee (S$5 if you sign up through Singpass) Free self-collection, or S$12 delivery fee (S$5 if you sign up through Singpass) S$2
Notes

--

  • Talktime and data usable between SG and Malaysia
  • Minimum billing period of 2 cycles
  • Only eligible for seniors aged 60 and above, caregivers and individuals with special needs (DDR ID card holders), students under 25 and Full-time National Servicemen
  • Price is S$18 if you sign up after 31st Dec 2021
  • Data rollover with no cap until 31st Dec 2021
  • Free incoming calls
  • Free port-ins
  • Free roaming activation
  • Free incoming calls and SMS

See notes summary here

  • Free incoming calls and SMS
  • Data rollover for 2 cycles (Rollover cap is the plan's given amount of data)

 

Value Plans (~$15/month and under) Part 2

  MyRepublic Circles.Life TPG CMLink Zero1 VIVIFI
Plan Name Lite Plan $10 Plan 50GB for $10 6GB Plan 6u Plan VIVIFI Plus (10GB)
Price S$10/month S$10/month S$10/month S$10/month S$13.90/month S$14.98/month
Backbone Network StarHub & M1 M1 N/A Singtel Singtel Singtel
Monthly Data 6GB to Unlimited (Throttled to 384kbps) 5GB 50GB 6GB 6GB to Throttled Unlimited (speed not specified) 10GB to Unlimited (Throttled to 256kbps)
Talktime 300 mins 100 mins 300 fixed-line mins 100 mins 200 mins 350 mins
SMS 300 25 30 100 200 100
Add-ons 
(Monthly unless otherwise stated)
  • 1GB data (S$6)
  • 2GB data (S$10)
  • Unlimited incoming calls (S$2)
  • Unlimited outgoing calls (S$8)
  • None
  • 1GB cross-border data (S$2)
  • 10GB cross-border data (S$10)
  • 30GB cross-border data (S$18)
  • 300 mins local talktime (S$6)
  • 800 mins local talktime (S$10)
  • Full roaming details here
  • Calling Non-Display (S$5.35/month, S$10.70 one-time registration fee)
  • 4GB data (S$5)
  • 200 mins talktime (S$4.28)
  • 100 mins talktime (S$8.56)
  • 100 SMS (S$3.00)
Caller ID Free Free Free Free Free Free
Registration Fees Free S$38 Unspecified (free activation unless porting out, full details here) Free S$32.10 SIM card fee for new numbers or port-ins + S$10.70 registration fee Free
SIM Delivery Fees S$10.70 S$2 to S$6 based on time/date chosen Unspecified Free Unspecified (waived for a limited time unless otherwise stated) Free self-collection, or S$12 delivery fee (S$5 if you sign up through Singpass)
Notes
  • Free incoming calls

--

  • 1GB Roaming Data free to select countries including Malaysia and Indonesia
  • Unlimted mobile-to-mobile calls
  • Unlimited SMSes to TPG lines
  • Free incoming calls
  • Free incoming calls
  • Data can be shared across Singapore, mainland CN and HK
  • 100 minutes of outgoing international calls to select countries
  • Free incoming calls and SMS

See notes summary here

 

Analysis of plans

Gone is Circles.Life's previous $0 Flexi Plan, but it's not missed - it wasn't particularly practical for anyone due to its low data bundle and pricey add-ons.  That said, Circles.Life still holds the spot for cheapest plan overall with its S$5 Plan. The add-ons are still expensive when compared to other choices on this list.

The most attractive deal here for data-hungry users would be TPG's 50GB Plan, since other plans in this price bracket simply don't have as much data. The trade-off comes in limited SMSes, but that shouldn't affect users who mainly tap on WhatsApp or other online messaging services. TPG's plan has no add-ons, so what you see is what you get. Also, voice calls on TPG's network only work with VoLTE-supported handsets.

That said, TPG's network has also only just been upgraded to cover 100% of Singapore's underground MRT system, so if you want a more time-tested provider, there's StarHub's Giga! $10 Plan with 6GB of data, a cool 500 minutes of talk time and 500 SMSes, plus data rollover for 2 cycles.

Alternatively, if you're eligible for Changi Mobile's Flexi Value plan, S$8/month can net you 8GB of data, 200 minutes to talktime and 200 SMSes, along with a decent selection of add-ons. That is, if you sign up before 31st December 2021. After that date, new signees will have to fork up S$18/month instead, which makes it considerably less attractive.

CMLink’s unique offers are targeted at some expats. All of CMLink’s plans include 100 minutes of outgoing international calls to these countries: mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and the US. Despite online video calls being the norm, this plan may be handy for those calling overseas landlines or those who haven’t caught on with online messengers.

Our say

  • For best value and most data ► TPG's 50GB plan at S$10
     
  • For ample talk time and SMS  ► Giga! $10 Plan or Changi Mobile's Flexi Value plan for those eligible at S$8 before 31st Dec
     
  • For calling overseas landlines ► CMLink's 6GB plan at S$10
     
  • For those mostly staying at home and can rely on home Wi-Fi ► S$5 plan from Circles.Life (but beware of high registration costs)


Move on to the next page to see what more can the next tier of plans offer.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.