We tested 10 eSIM providers on real trips across Europe, Asia, and North America — measuring activation time, speed, and what happens when your flight lands at 2 AM and you need Uber.
We bought eSIMs for the same 8 destinations (US, UK, DE, FR, ES, JP, TH, MX) from each provider and activated them on two iPhones and one Pixel, then ran Ookla speed tests hourly for 48 hours per country.
How many countries the provider offers direct data for.
Median download from hourly Ookla runs over 48 hours per destination.
Time from purchase to first data packet — manual QR scans vs. one-tap.
Effective price after any fair-use throttle kicks in.
Whether you can renew without re-scanning a new QR.
Median response time on 3 support tickets per provider.
We buy every eSIM we test with our own cards. No provider gets warned before we run the tests.
The Swiss Army knife of travel eSIMs — not the cheapest, but the most likely to work the moment your plane lands.
Owned by Nord Security. Newer, cheaper, and the app is the best we've used.
The 'unlimited' plan is genuine for most users but the fair-use throttle is real and not clearly disclosed.
Transatel-backed, solid for business travel, but the consumer app lags the specialists.
Enough tenure now to include in the main table. Slots in as #2 overall behind Airalo.
Daily throttle now disclosed at checkout for most plans — credit where it's due, though the old buyers weren't notified.
| Service | Countries with direct data, not regional roaming fallback. | Calculated from the plan most travelers buy (5 GB / 7 days). Longer plans are usually cheaper per GB. | Median download across 48 hours of hourly Ookla tests in each destination. | One-tap (iOS 17+) or QR scan | In-app top-upRenew without re-scanning a new QR | TetheringAllowed on the base plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airalo | 200 | 4.5 | 48 | One-tap | Yes | Yes |
Saily | 150 | 3.2 | 52 | One-tap | Yes | Yes |
Holafly | 170 | 6.9 | 42 | QR scan | No | No |
Ubigi | 190 | 5.1 | 45 | QR scan | Yes | Yes |
Nomad | 165 | 4.1 | 46 | One-tap | Yes | Yes |
Speeds are median across hourly tests over 48 hours per destination. Price/GB is calculated from the most commonly purchased 5 GB or 7-day plan.
Any iPhone XS or later, and most Android flagships from 2020 onwards. Check 'Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM' on iOS or 'SIMs' on Pixel. If the menu exists, you're good.
For eSIMs, no — you're adding a new line, not replacing the existing one. Even if your primary SIM is locked to a carrier, you can add an eSIM on top.
Most travel eSIMs are data-only. You can still make calls and send messages via WhatsApp, iMessage, or any other data-based app. If you need a real phone number, Airalo and Ubigi sell voice-enabled plans on some destinations.
Most providers let you top up in-app — we note which ones require a full re-install in the table.
eSIM costs vary wildly by destination and data amount. This table normalizes to a 7-day European trip at 5 GB so you can compare apples to apples.
| Service | Total over 1 mo | Effective $/mo |
|---|---|---|
Nomad 3 GB Europe plan — cheapest for light use | $5.00 cheapest | $5.00 |
Saily 5 GB Europe plan — competitive per-GB pricing | $7.49 | $7.49 |
Airalo 5 GB Europe plan — pay per plan, no subscription | $8.00 | $8.00 |
Ubigi Monthly rolling — cheaper from month 2 | $12.00 | $12.00 |
Holafly Unlimited Europe 7-day — flat rate per trip | $19.00 | $19.00 |
Assumes list renewal pricing after any promotional period. Does not include taxes or currency conversion. Regional pricing may apply at checkout.
Tell us where you're going and how you use data — we'll find the eSIM that won't leave you rationing megabytes at the airport.
Every correction is logged publicly. Response within 10 business days.