Singtel GOMO vs StarHub giga: Cost Comparison Guide 2023

Singtel GOMO and StarHub giga are pulling out all the stops in their clash for young mobile users, but which telco offers better value? 

With their bright colours and cartoonish aesthetics, you might think that GOMO and giga are trendy new start-ups in the popular contract-free, data-only mobile space. 

But, in fact, they were both launched by veteren telcos Singtel and Starhub respectively. 

In their tussle over the lucrative digital native market, where members need mobile data almost as much as they need oxygen, GOMO and giga have churned out some interesting offerings. 

But are GOMO and giga really that attractive? And how do they measure up against other popular SIM-only telcos? 

Let’s find out.

GOMO vs giga: side-by-side comparison

Subscription: giga offers lower-priced plans

With plans starting from just S$10 per month, StarHub giga is the cheaper option between the two. 

Hence, if you’re a budget user who only needs data very periodically (an increasingly likely scenario, due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions on going out), then you might want to switch to giga to save some money. 

Having said that, both telcos’ plans are quite affordable. GOMO’s plans cost S$20 or S$30 per month, while giga’s most expensive plan tops out at S$45 a month. 

Data: GOMO offers the best value, but giga has a larger data plan

Putting aside minute differences in network speed and coverage, both telcos offer competitively priced data plans. 

On a cost-per-GB basis, GOMO takes the win, with its S$20 for 50GB plan narrowly nudging out giga’s S$25 for 60GB plan. However, this plan is only available on a promotional basis, presumably to build market share. (GOMO’s regular plans are actually S$20 for 20GB, and S$30 for 60GB).

But if you have a high data requirement, then giga might be the better choice. Its most costly plan will provide you with up to 100GB of data each month, at a budget-friendly rate of S$0.45 per GB.

Talktime and SMSes: those who love talking will love giga

GOMO and giga bundle a decent amount of talktime in their plans, but most of us probably won’t be needing it very much. Besides, there’s always free incoming calls in case you need to deal with important matters over the phone. 

For those who love talking however, giga offers an unbeatable 10,000 minutes in talktime for its S$45 plan, so you can yak all day long - literally.

It’s a similar story with SMSes, which were once the hottest apps before apps were a thing. Today, however, you’ll probably not even care if any are included in your plan, because of messaging apps like Whatsapp and Telegram.

So it’s puzzling why giga offers up to 10,000 SMSes. Is anyone even using these anymore (apart from scammers and desperate salespeople)?

Other features: giga’s data rollover offers an advantage

Both GOMO and giga offer free incoming calls and free Caller ID across all their plans, so that’s a tie. 

However, giga allows you to roll over any unused data at the end of the month, helping you to squeeze out that little bit more value from your fee.

giga allows customers to roll over unused data from their giga plan for another two renewal cycles. Customers will be able to roll over any unused data to the next month, for the maximum of two months. Unused data from Month 1 will be rolled over to Month 2, and where still available, rolled over to Month 3. 

Benefits: GOMO offers upfront savings   

Both telcos provide very different benefits to their customers. 

GOMO offers savings for selected handsets. The first offer gives you S$200 off the iPhone mini 12, along with 100GB data, 12 months of iCloud and three months of Apple Arcade - all for free.

If you’re looking for an Android device instead, you can choose the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G for S$299. There’s 100GB data thrown in for free too. 

As for giga, you’ll need to do a little bit of work for your benefits. There’s a referral programme you can use to recruit your friends and family, which will earn you gigaBucks that you can use to offset your mobile bill. 

If that appeals to you, be sure to read and understand the rules to avoid any wasted efforts. 

Other SIM-only mobile plans to consider

Besides GOMO and giga, here are some other SIM-only mobile plan providers in Singapore. 

M1 Bespoke SIM-only: Build your own plan

If you find mobile plans with fixed allotments of data and talktime to be restrictive, then M1’s Bespoke SIM-only plan should put a smile on your face. 

While you can’t exactly choose any amount you fancy in talk-time and data (as the use of the term 'bespoke' would have you believe), you can nonetheless pick between several pre-defined options for mobile data and talk-time - all the way up to unlimited - to create a plan that best suits you.

Adding further flexibility is the ability to choose different data caps and talktime allocations from month to month, with corresponding adjustments to your bill. 

TPG: The cheapest data plan in Singapore

While giga’s S$10 for 6GB plan is a great option for light data users, those who truly desire cheap data will find the best value with TPG.

For just S$10 a month, you can get 50GB of data (or S$0.20 per GB), plus 300GB of talktime with free incoming calls.

TPG also runs promotions periodically, such as offering a bonus 50GB to subscribers, driving data cost down to an unbeatable S$0.10 per GB!

Circles.Life: Hassle-free unlimited data

Homegrown pioneer of the SIM-only, no-contract plan, Circles.Life maintains a strong standing despite the onslaught of competitors.

Its main value proposition is unlimited data for life, with no hoops to jump through. If you exceed your data cap this month, you’ll temporarily be downgraded to a lower-speed connection until the new month rolls around. If you have leftover data for the month, it’s automatically rolled-over on your behalf, no questions asked.

This hassle-free approach to unlimited data, plus its wallet-friendly prices, is an alluring combination. 

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