Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
Alfa vs congstar
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Alfa |  congstar |
|---|---|---|
| Seller type | Network | Mvno |
| Price from | $1.50 | €2 |
| Reference plan prices | U-can: $1.5 per month, 1GB, 30 days; Alfa A+ Max: $15 per 30 days, 40GB, 30 days; Alfa Go Max: $17 per 30 days, 33GB, 30 days | Allnet Flat S: 20 EUR/month, 50 GB, monthly cancellable | No unlimited plan - max Allnet Flat L 200 GB | Prepaid wie ich will: 2 EUR/4 weeks, 1-15 GB, prepaid |
| 5G | No | YesHas it |
| EU roaming | Paid | Included |
| Host network | Not confirmed | Telekom |
| Wi-Fi calling | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Data rollover | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Mid-contract price rises | Not confirmed | No price rise - price stays as agreed |
| Multi-line discount | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Markets | LB | Not confirmed |
Same on both: SIM-only (Yes), eSIM (Yes).
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Key differences
- 5G: only congstar.
- Support channels: only Alfa offers Email.
- Support channels: only congstar offers Community.
Our verdict on each
Alfa
Alfa is a prepaid network run by Mobile Interim Company 1 SAL and based in Lebanon, and it suits readers who want short terms, rollover and cheap entry pricing in a single market. Entry pricing starts at $1.50, and the larger bundles cost more without any long commitment.
congstar
congstar suits anyone in DE who wants a low entry price, short terms and no renewal jump, on the Telekom network. Entry starts at €2, and the price rise rule keeps that figure as agreed, though the top data tier stops short of unlimited.
Score breakdown
| Area | Alfa | congstar |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.8HigherEntry pricing of $1.50 sits alongside short terms of 1 month, which is where the cost part comes from. | 9.7Entry price starts at €2, and No price rise - price stays as agreed means the agreed figure holds. Site median entry sits at €9.30. |
| Offer | 9.0A single market, LB, with rollover and an eSIM covers the offer part. | 9.1HigherBilling runs contract, rolling and prepaid, and terms run 1 month, with roaming at included and support across chat, phone and help centre. |
Licences and countries
| Country | Alfa | congstar |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Lebanon | Germany |
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | Alfa | congstar |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only deals | 56 of 416 | 59 of 416 |
| Prepaid phone plans | 54 of 367 | 57 of 367 |
| Phone plans with eSIM | 71 of 389 | 74 of 389 |
What we checked
Alfa
- alfa.com.lb: 14 facts, checked September 30, 2026
congstar
- congstar.de: 16 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Alfa | congstar |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Contract, Rolling, Prepaid | Contract, Rolling, Prepaid |
| Contract length | 1 | 1 |
| Legal entity | Mobile Interim Company 1 SAL | Telekom Deutschland GmbH |
| Headquarters | Lebanon | Germany |
| Support channels | Phone, Email, Chat, Help centre | Chat, Phone, Help centre, Community |
Pros and cons
Alfa
Pros
- Alfa sits at 26 of 258 brands on entry price, starting at $1.50.
- Terms of 1-month keep the commitment short for prepaid buyers.
- Data rollover is included, so unused allowance carries into the following period.
Cons
- Roaming is paid rather than included, so travel costs add to the bill.
- Coverage is limited to a single market, LB, so it suits local use rather than multi-country plans.
- yesss! lists an entry price of €0, which undercuts $1.50 at Alfa for anyone shopping on entry price alone.
congstar
Pros
- Entry pricing starts at €2, well under the €9.30 site median, with prepaid billing available through contract, rolling and prepaid.
- No price rise - price stays as agreed, so what you sign up for is what you keep paying at renewal.
- Terms run 1 month, short enough to leave without a long tie-in.
Cons
- The largest reference plan, Allnet Flat L, is a capped data allowance, so constant streaming or heavy hotspot sharing meets a ceiling.
- The entry figure of €2 belongs to a prepaid bundle, so the monthly contract option Allnet Flat S sits well above the €9.30 site median.
- Support reaches chat, phone and help centre, where email is not among the listed channels.
Who each suits
Alfa
Who it suits
- Readers in LB who buy direct from the network and want short prepaid terms.
- Light-data users who value rollover, so a quiet month is not wasted.
- Travellers who budget for roaming, since it is paid rather than included.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers watching entry price alone: yesss! lists €0, against $1.50 at Alfa.
- Readers who want roaming inside the monthly price, since Alfa's roaming is paid.
- Readers who need the newest mobile network generation, where Alfa lists 5G as no.
congstar
Who it suits
- Households wanting one bill option across contract, rolling and prepaid types, from prepaid to contract.
- Travellers in the EU who want roaming at included rather than paying per use.
- People on the Telekom network who would rather buy through an mvno than go direct.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs truly unlimited data, since the congstar reference plans stop at Allnet Flat L; GETESA, listed as a network, is worth reading if you prefer a direct network tariff.
- Those wanting a single monthly contract price, since the cheapest figure belongs to a prepaid bundle while Allnet Flat S costs more each month.
Country by country
| Country | Alfa | congstar |
|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | Yes | No |
Questions about each
Alfa
What is the cheapest Alfa plan?+
Prices start at $1.50. The published bundles sit in steps: an entry plan with a small data allowance, then mid and large plans that trade up for more data at a higher monthly price. Every plan runs on the same short rhythm, so the entry option is a low cost way to hold a line.
Is there an introductory price that rises at renewal?+
The published Alfa rates are monthly recurring figures that repeat each period, so there is no separate introductory and renewal pair to weigh. The bundles are listed on 1-month terms, and contract, rolling and prepaid covers how the line is billed. In practice the figure you read is the figure you keep paying while the plan is active.
congstar
How much does congstar cost to get started?+
Entry starts at €2, which sits below the €9.30 site median for this kind of plan. That figure belongs to the prepaid option, Prepaid wie ich will, on a short prepaid billing cycle. The contract option, Allnet Flat S, costs more each month, so the cheapest headline price and the monthly contract are separate products.
Will my monthly price go up when I renew?+
The stated rule is No price rise - price stays as agreed. Nothing in that rule allows the agreed figure to climb, which is the main thing to check before signing a contract option. Contrast that with typical market behaviour, where the €43 site median for a post-contract price sits well above the €9.30 entry median.