Basic mobile tariffs: what Kyivstar, Vodafone and Lifecell offer in 2024

After the first summer rains, not only do plants grow, but so do communication prices. That’s why we’ve compiled mobile tariffs in a handy table and analyzed the latest changes. We also took into account possible nuances, such as «unlimited» and other tricks that operators use to lure customers to their side. From the past of the year not much has changed in tariffs, but prices have risen significantly.

The table shows only basic, general, standard tariffs without taking into account personal offers for the subscriber that cannot be connected in any other way.

Kyivstar mobile tariffs (2024)

Kyivstar tariffs 2024
Tariff / services	Mobile Internet, GB	Calls within the network, min	Calls to other networks, min	Superpowers**, pcs	Applications without traffic fees, pcs	Subscription fee, UAH
Contract
LOVE UA Magnet Contract	20	1200		1	19	175
LOVE UA Light Contract	20	Bezlim	150	2	19	175
LOVE UA Song Contract	25	Bezlim	250	2	19	230
LOVE UA Power Contract	50	Bezlim	300	2	19	300
LOVE UA Movement Contract	Bezlim* 100	Bezlim	350	2	19	350
LOVE UA Success Contract	Bezlim* ?	Bezlim	750	2	19	500
LOVE for parents	5	Bezlim	50	1	19	125
LOVE for parents Home	7	Bezlim	75	1	19	175
Subscription
LOVE UA to the max	15	Bezlim	150	1	19	175
LOVE UA Song	25	Bezlim	250	1	40	250
LOVE UA Power	50	Bezlim	300	1	40	330
SuperGig	Bezlim* 300	No			Bezlim	300

*After the traffic volume is exhausted, the speed drops to 0.8 Mbps.

**Dynamic bonuses from Kyivstar are a super power.

Kyivstar has the largest subscriber base, so it confidently raises its prices every year, even though it offers the best coverage. All tariffs of this operator have a clear division into «contract» and «prepaid». To use contract tariffs, you need to provide your passport data, and the contract also allows you to go into a small minus, etc.

Kyivstar’s peculiarity is the availability of «Superpowers», i.e. bonuses that a subscriber can use at his or her discretion. For example, if you have two superpowers, you can get more traffic, extra minutes, SMS messages, or something else.

«Unlimited» The Internet has a certain number of gigabytes of traffic at the maximum speed, and then the connection is limited to a speed of up to 0.8 Mbps. Some tariffs give 100, 200, 300 GB of traffic, and some are hard to find such information, but there are guaranteed to be limits.

It is also not yet known how the unlimited data for applications will behave. For example, a subscriber has used all 50 GB of traffic, but continues to watch online video in an application from the list specified by the operator. It is necessary to check in practice whether the speed will be limited to 0.8 Mbps (which is not enough for high-quality video) or not.

In general, Kyivstar’s tariffs look balanced, but prices have increased significantly. Compared to other operators, Kyivstar wins only because of better coverage and more stable connection, although not everywhere.

Vodafone mobile tariffs (2024)

Vodafone tariffs 2024
Tariff / services	Mobile Internet, GB	Calls within the network, min	Calls to other networks, min	Applications without traffic fees, pcs	Year without subscription fees, UAH	Subscription fee, UAH
Contract
Red Start	20 + 10	Bezlim	200	21	1925	175
Red Pro	30 + 10	Bezlim	250	33	2530	230
Red Max	50 + 10	Bezlim	400	43	3300	300
Red Unlim Plus	Bezlim* ?	Bezlim	500	Bezlim	3850	350
Red Unlim Max	Bezlim* ?	Bezlim	700	Bezlim	4950	450
Ultra	Bezlim* ?	Bezlim	1000	Bezlim	6600	600
Subscription
Turbo	Bezlim* 40	800 / Bezlim in the network		Bezlim	No	180
joiceStart	25 + 10	800 / Bezlim in the network		38	2200	200
joicePro	35 + 10	1200 / Bezlim in the network		38	2860	260
joiceMax	50 + 10	1600 / Bezlim in the network		38	3630	330

*After the traffic volume is exhausted, the speed drops to 0.8 Mbps.

Vodafone offers a lot of tariffs with «unlimited» Internet, although every tariff has its own traffic limits, just like all other operators. For some tariffs, there is no up-to-date information on how many GB a user gets with unlimited speed.

Another feature of Vodafone is the annual subscription fee, which allows you to save money and fix your tariff with the current price without unpredictable increases. The option «Year without subscription fees» is available for almost all tariffs and this is what allows us to successfully compete with the tariffs of other operators.

Lifecell mobile tariffs (2024)

Lifecell tariffs 2024
Tariff / services	Mobile Internet, GB	Calls within the network, min	Calls to other networks, min	Subscription fee 3*, UAH	Subscription fee 2**, UAH	Subscription fee, UAH
Universal tariffs
Powerful	40 + 20	800 / Bezlim in the network		100	150	165
Ringing Boundaries	0	Bezlim	250	75	120	130
Free Life. Region	Bezlim* 50	1600 / Bezlim in the network		150	250	275
Smart Life	25	800 / Bezlim in the network		120	175	225
Free Life	Bezlim* 50	1600 / Bezlim in the network		180	275	325
Prosto Life	8	300 / Bezlim in the network		90	140	160
Platinum Life	Bezlim* 150	3000 / Bezlim in the network		250	400	450
School Life	7+ limiter-free applications	Bezlim	Bezlim for 2 rooms	There are no discounts		150
Hitmaker	20+ limitless applications	750		180	210	250
Tariffs for other devices
Gadget Security	0.15 / day	15 / day	0	There are no discounts		90
Gadget Smart	0.5 / day	50 / day	0	There are no discounts		150
Gadget Tablet	50+ limitless applications	0	0	There are no discounts		275
Gadget Router	Bezlim * 100	0	0	There are no discounts		375
Family rates (jointly for 5 rooms)
Smart Family S	20	Bezlim	500 + 500 SMS	There are no discounts		375
Smart Family M	30	Bezlim	750 + 1000 SMS	There are no discounts		425
Smart Family L	50	Bezlim	1500 + 1500 SMS	There are no discounts		500

*Subscription fee 1 in case of number porting from another operator.

**Subscription fee 2 upon provision of personal passport data.

The smallest and most aggressive operator (in terms of its policy) Lifecell does not have a clear division into «contract» and «prepayment», but instead offers additional conditions for receiving discounts. And they are available only for universal tariffs (except for school tariffs).

Most Lifecell tariffs provide minutes common to all networks, just like Vodafone. Also, «yellow» the operator is generous with traffic in budget tariffs, although not all of them have unlimited data for popular applications. Service «Tariff subscription» allows you to pay in advance for several months with a 15% discount.

The main feature of Lifecell is its specific pricing policy for tariffs. If you port your number from another operator, this one offers serious discounts. These «tasty» prices are likely to go up over time – the main thing is to lure the subscriber to your side. You can save a small amount of money if you give the operator your passport details, but the discount is not so great.

There are separate tariffs for gadgets, although they are costly. For example, you will have to pay as much as 150 UAH/month for a watch, and 275 UAH/month for a tablet. With other operators, it’s cheaper to duplicate a SIM card for 50 UAH/month.

Lifecell family tariffs look especially favorable. The provided volumes of services are used jointly for five numbers, so it is relevant only for general use within the family, family or among friends. The traffic is low, but you get hundreds or even thousands of SMS messages.

Conclusions

It is not surprising that the cost of mobile communication is rising, but it is also offensive that its quality is not improving. Millions of subscribers complain about slow internet speeds during outages because operators have not invested enough in their infrastructure to withstand high loads for decades.

It is also unpleasant to see attempts to hide important information from consumers by offering fake «unlimited», and some operators resort to cunning steps to lure customers by offering temporary discounts.

By the end of 2024, tariffs may increase even more, so these tables are relevant only for the next few months. In a separate article, we looked at ways to save money on mobile communications, so be sure to check it out if you also think the current prices are too high.