Jio vs Airtel— After mobile recharge plans have become expensive in the Indian telecom market, common users are looking for such options which can keep their SIM active at a lower cost. The country’s two largest telecom companies, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, are offering special voice calling plans without data to their customers. The service validity of both these plans is 84 days. If you do not need daily data and are looking for an affordable recharge just for calling, then Jio’s Rs 448 and Airtel’s Rs 469 plans are great options for you. However, there are some subtle differences in the benefits of both that you need to know.

Jio vs Airtel: 84 days plan for voice calling only without data, know which one between Reliance Jio and Airtel is worth the money

Reliance Jio’s Rs 448 plan: Long validity at low price

Reliance Jio’s Rs 448 prepaid plan has been introduced keeping in mind those users who want to keep the secondary SIM active or who are only concerned with calling. In this plan, users get the facility of unlimited voice calling with a validity of 84 days. Apart from this, a total of 1000 SMS are available in this plan.

The thing to note is that no data bundle is available with this plan. Also, in this recharge you are not given access to Jio’s 5G network. According to Jio’s rules, to use unlimited 5G, it is mandatory to take a plan with at least 2GB daily data. However, as additional benefits it includes access to JioTV and JioAICloud. If you ever suddenly need internet, you can recharge a separate small data voucher.

Bharti Airtel’s Rs 469 plan: Expensive by Rs 21, but has extra benefits

Bharti Airtel is offering its customers a plan that is Rs 21 costlier than Jio, i.e. Rs 469. The service validity of this plan is also 84 days and no internet data is included in it. In this plan of Airtel, a total of 900 SMS are being given to the customers along with unlimited voice calling, which is 100 SMS less than Jio.

In exchange of slightly higher price, Airtel is giving some special additional benefits to its users. With this plan, customers get a free subscription to Adobe Express Premium for full 12 months (1 year). Along with this, support for Safe Network Service and free Hellotunes for caller tune is also bundled to keep the phone safe. Like Jio, Airtel users can also add separate internet packs through data vouchers if needed.

Impact on general public: Which of the two plans to choose?

Both these plans are in direct competition with those consumers who want to limit their monthly expenses amidst the increasingly expensive tariffs. Both the companies are offering long validity without data, which is a relief for the elderly or those who use the phone only for calling.

“If your main objective is just to save money and keep the SIM active, then Jio’s plan suits you better as it is Rs 21 cheaper. But if you are fond of designing or editing tools, then the free access to Adobe Express Premium available in the Airtel plan makes up for that extra Rs 21.”
— Telecom Market Expert, New Delhi

As a cheap option, Jio has the upper hand because it costs Rs 21 less and also gives 100 SMS more. At the same time, if you live in Airtel’s network area and want to use their value added services (like HelloDunes and security features), then spending Rs 469 can also prove to be a good deal.