Airtel vs Glo Data: 8GB ₦2,965 vs AWUF 10.5GB ₦2,865, Which Wins?

Glo wins on price. Its AWUF monthly bundle works out at about ₦273 per GB. Airtel's best monthly rate sits near ₦371, so the same money buys you more data on Glo. Pick Airtel instead if you watch YouTube at night, want 5G, or get a weak Glo signal at home.

On the regular monthly menus, the Airtel vs Glo data gap stays wide. Glo charges ₦440 per GB at every regular size from 1GB up, but Airtel's rate jumps around from plan to plan, and its smallest monthly bundle is the dearest buy on either network.

Airtel vs Glo data plans side by side: cost per GB on every plan

One number makes these plans easy to compare: what you pay for each gigabyte. The table groups rows by how long the data lasts and rounds every rate to the nearest naira.

You can buy either network's data for your own line or someone else's: see the Glo data plans on AidaPay or the Airtel data plans on AidaPay.

Is Glo cheaper than Airtel?

Yes, at nearly every size. Line up the mid-size monthly plans and Glo comes out ₦660 cheaper for the same data.

One quirk catches people out. On the regular Glo menu, a gigabyte costs the same whether you buy small or big. So a bigger regular bundle never earns you a discount. The savings sit in AWUF, Glo's special-plan bundles, and because they live on a menu of their own, people scroll the regular list, don't see them and assume they've been scrapped. If you can't find them, check that you picked Glo AWUF and not plain Glo.

Heavy users feel the gap most. Glo's biggest AWUF monthly bundle costs less than Airtel's 8GB plan and still hands you more data.

Dial *127*0# to check your Glo balance. If you carry two SIMs, keep this list of data balance codes for every network close.

When is Airtel worth the extra naira? YouTube nights, 5G and 2-day plans

Airtel's extras close part of the gap. Every Airtel monthly plan in the table carries a 2GB YouTube night bonus, and most weekly plans do too, along with a small extra allowance for YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. You know the hour: the house goes quiet, the generator next door finally stops, and you start scrolling videos in bed. That bonus covers it. Your main bundle stays free for the daytime.

5G is the other draw. Airtel led every network on 5G availability in those same tests, though that only helps on streets where Airtel has switched it on.

Stop at 8GB, because the next plan up charges more for each gigabyte.

For a movie weekend, the two-day Airtel bundle beats every Airtel monthly plan on cost per GB. Social bundles work differently. They run apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok but won't open an ordinary web page, so read the plan name before you pay. Dial *323# for your Airtel balance.

Glo or Airtel, which is better for you: students, streamers, business, two SIMs

Students should start with Glo AWUF 2.6GB and fall back on the regular Glo 2GB plan when AWUF isn't showing.

Heavy streamers get the most data per naira from the weekly Glo AWUF 10GB bundle. If most of your watching happens on YouTube after midnight, Airtel's 8GB plan with its night bonus makes more sense.

A small business that lives on WhatsApp can get by on Airtel's weekly social bundle. Once real browsing creeps into your day, move to Glo's monthly 1GB. Light users can take Glo 500MB and forget about it.

Got two SIMs? Load Glo for bulk data, and keep Airtel for the rooms, offices and roads where Glo keeps dropping.

How to buy Airtel or Glo bundles for another number on AidaPay

1. Pick the network and plan from the table above. Glo AWUF plans sit on their own menu, separate from regular Glo.
2. Enter the number you're buying for: your own line, or your mum's line in the village.
3. Pay, and you get the cashback shown in the table.
4. Ask the person you bought for to dial their balance code, listed above, to confirm the data landed.

Before you settle the Airtel vs Glo data question for good, run a one-week test. Glo's weekly gigabyte costs ₦360. Airtel charges ₦790 for the same. Use both on your normal routine for seven days, then put your monthly money on whichever network held up where you live and work.

Frequently asked questions

Published 26 October 2026. Prices and codes change - if you spot one that has moved, tell us and we will fix it.