After the NCC-approved tariff hike in January 2025, both MTN and Airtel restructured their data prices — and the gap between them widened in some places and closed in others. Data costs increased by 15–30% depending on the bundle, so the old price assumptions no longer hold. This comparison uses current 2026 rates.
The short answer: MTN wins at the monthly level, Airtel is more competitive on weekly plans, and coverage still separates them outside major cities.
What MTN Is Offering in 2026
The cheapest MTN monthly plan in 2026 gives 2GB for ₦1,500, plus a free 2GB All Night streaming bonus and 200MB YouTube daytime data. That makes the effective data — if you count the bonuses — closer to 4.2GB for ₦1,500.
Other popular monthly bundles include 2.7GB for ₦2,000, 3.5GB for ₦2,500, 7GB for ₦3,500, 10GB for ₦4,500, and 16.5GB for ₦6,500.
The 45GB plan for ₦9,000 is considered the best monthly deal under ₦10,000, hitting a strong balance between price and volume. Heavy users and remote workers can go further: the 65GB monthly plan costs ₦16,000, and the 800GB yearly plan costs ₦125,000 — which works out to roughly ₦342 per day for over 2GB of daily data.
MTN updated its master USSD code to *312# in 2025, replacing the old *131#. All plans activate through this code.
What Airtel Is Offering in 2026
Airtel’s monthly pricing sits slightly higher for comparable volumes. Popular monthly bundles include ₦3,500 for 6GB, ₦10,000 for 40GB, and ₦20,000 for 100GB.
On weekly plans, the picture flips. Airtel offers 3.7GB total for ₦1,000 on its weekly plan — counting core data, YouTube Night bonuses, and 200MB for YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok — compared to MTN’s 2.6GB at the same price. That is a meaningful difference for anyone buying data weekly rather than monthly.
Airtel also offers a Pay As You Use plan that charges directly from your airtime balance at ₦4.60/MB — useful as a fallback when you run out of bundle mid-month.
Head-to-Head: Price Per GB
| Plan Type | MTN | Airtel | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly entry (₦1,500) | 2GB + 2GB night + 200MB YouTube | No direct equivalent | MTN |
| Weekly (₦1,000) | ~2.6GB total | ~3.7GB total (incl. bonuses) | Airtel |
| Mid-range monthly (₦3,500) | 7GB | 6GB | MTN |
| Heavy monthly (₦10,000) | 40GB | 40GB | Tie |
| Night data | Available | Available | Tie |
| Pay-as-you-go fallback | Airtime deduction | ₦4.60/MB | Airtel |
Prices verified against publicly available 2026 plan listings. Both networks adjust pricing periodically — confirm before subscribing.
Coverage: Where It Actually Matters
MTN is generally the fastest option for 5G, while Airtel is better known for social media bundles and YouTube Night bonuses.
MTN launched its commercial 5G network in August 2022, starting in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri, and has since expanded to Enugu, Kaduna, Benin City, Warri, Abeokuta, and over a dozen additional cities.
In cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, Airtel competes strongly. But in rural and semi-urban areas, MTN still leads on network reach.
If you travel regularly between states, that coverage gap matters more than a ₦200 price difference.
Which Plan Type Are You Buying?
Daily buyer: Both networks have daily options starting under ₦500, but the cost per GB is poor. Daily plans cost 3–5x more per GB than monthly bundles — buy monthly if you can.
Weekly buyer: Airtel gives you more total data at ₦1,000. Use Airtel here unless coverage in your area is unreliable.
Monthly buyer (budget): MTN’s ₦1,500 plan with its night bonus is hard to beat at the low end.
Monthly buyer (mid-to-heavy): MTN edges ahead on volume at most mid-range tiers.
Remote worker / streamer: MTN’s 45GB plan at ₦9,000 is the cleaner pick if you need consistent large data. Airtel’s equivalent requires spending more to match it.
The Verdict
MTN offers better value on monthly plans, particularly at the ₦1,500–₦6,500 range. Airtel is the better deal if you buy weekly. Coverage is the tiebreaker for anyone outside Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt — and MTN wins that by a wide margin.
One thing both networks need to fix: plan details change frequently, and data costs have already increased 15–30% since 2025, so the best approach is to confirm current pricing via the MyMTN or My Airtel app before subscribing — not from a cached blog post.
