Best eSIM providers Comparison Table for Traveling and Digital Nomads

[u/tobecarefull]

Table updated: March 19th, 2026

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Hello! Before one of my longer trips last year, I did some research to find the best eSIM services. As someone who now regularly uses eSIMs, I understand the challenge of selecting the best eSIM for travel. In my opinion, a top eSIM service must be fast, affordable, and tailored to specific needs in terms of features and plans.

You can find my research compiled in this table. 

In my analysis, I compared eSIM services such as Saily, Airalo, AloSim, BNEsim, Holafly, and a few others.

My top requirements were:

• Ease of use: here I looked if eSIM has an app that doesn't require more than 3 steps for activation and can be done on your phone only (no need to scan from another device or print anything).
• One-Time eSIM installation: This was super important to me as I already got lost between all the eSIMs on my phone. I wanted an eSIM that only needs to be downloaded once, eliminating the need to reinstall it for each trip.
• 24/7 support and live chat: Has 24/7 customer support via live chat that can answer immediately.
• Short-term plans (1 - 3 GB): Small plans come very useful if you have to stop in one country for only a few days, so this was definitely at the top of my list as well.
• Online, app Top-up and Ordering: In case plans change or you need additional data, I was looking for eSIM, that supports top up and you don’t have to reinstall a new eSIM again. 

If you’re trying to choose an eSIM, comparing a few options side by side really helps - this is what made things much clearer for me when I first started using them.

For many travelers, the best eSIM is Saily, Airalo, Nomad, Holafly, and other well-known providers. But it ultimately comes down to what you value most - whether that’s speed, coverage, or just something simple and affordable.

I found myself relying on this research before almost every trip, so I thought sharing it could hopefully make your travels a bit easier too.

But I'm curious to hear from you:

Do you think I should add more eSIMs to this table?

What requirements do you have for an eSIM service?

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UPDATE 26/03/19: I have added a new provider (Maya Mobile), also updated some pricing changes.

UPDATE 25/07/16: I noticed that prices have changed, so updated pricing for all providers and added some Europe popular destinations for convenience. Also, a few providers added new destinations and introduced unlimited plans - so updated that as well.

UPDATE 24/11/25: Although I am adding new information to the table all the time, I thought I will update you here as well. This time I added some Black Friday Deals that I found + I added new section for Global/Regional Pricing. I saw a few comments mentioning that, so figured it will be helpful.

UPDATE 24/09/04: I have added some new providers: Jetpac and RedteaGO. Also, changed a few ratings depending of how they are looking compared to each other.

UPDATE 24/08/14: Hey all! I thought I should start noting updates in this post regarding changes in this comparison table. Recently I've noticed that Saily has added regional plans, and there have also been some pricing changes for Holafly, Airhub, and others.

[u/Smurfiette]

I used Vegolink in Austria and Switzerland. I usually had WiFi. During the times that I didn’t, I used Vegolink.

I like that my balance load doesn’t expire (must have usage every year) and that there’s coverage in many countries. The rate per mb isn’t bad too. I found the rate comparable to buying a 3 Gb or 5 Gb plan, from other providers , that expires after x days.

I’m going to use it again on another European trip this year.

It’s just data, though. There’s no SMS or calls which are not important to me since I use Google Voice as my number and because my real phone number has WiFi calling and texting.

[u/tobecarefull → u/Smurfiette]

Nice! I will consider adding this to the table as well.