Best eSIM for International Travel in 2026 (Tested & Proven)

I’ve been testing travel eSIMs for over 45 months in 25+ countries across 5 continents. 

But instead of telling you what I think the best eSIMs for international travel are based on my opinion, I decided to do an actual experiment, run tests, gather data, and settle this once and for all. 

Note: Most eSIM companies have refer-a-friend bonuses built into their app. So if you want discounts/free credits for any of these eSIMs, feel free to use the codes in the corresponding section. 

TL;DR – Key findings

👉 All companies I tested worked, but some are definitely easier to use and have better features than others.

👉 For “Normie Vacationers” who use social media regularly, Holafly unlimited data eSIMs are the best option in most countries.

👉 For “Dainty Data Users” or “Super Budget Travelers who only use light data for the absolute essentials (maps, messages, Uber, etc), Airalo is my top pick. If you’d like to be able to make calls within the same app, look at Roamless instead (although they have smaller data plan variety).

👉 For “Nomads”, long-term travelers, or frequent travelers, it may be more convenient to switch your home line to one of the plans I recommend that includes international data — but there are some caveats.

👉 For free (but slow) emergency data, grab a Firsty eSIM.

10 Best eSIMs for International Travel, Tested & Ranked

The best international eSIM depends on your travel style, trip length, destination, and data usage.

Every situation is unique, and no one eSIM company offers the best deal in every single country. 

However, some companies consistently offer better prices, plan variety, customer service, and user experience. 

I hope this research saves you time, money, and hassle trying to find the best eSIM for your trip. 

Just remember that they are general recommendations based on the six popular regions I included in my investigation. 

There may be exceptions and outliers for certain countries and data needs. 

See full details on how I ran the experiment and assigned ratings. 

Holafly (⭐️ Best for “Normie Travelers”)

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️*
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: Completely customizable plan lengths (unlimited plans)
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes, with limits on some plans
Standout features: Unlimited plans, multilingual customer support
Last date I tested: 2026 (currently using long-term)
Read full Holafly review

Holafly is my top recommendation for “Normie” Travelers.

By that, I mean travelers who use social media (or other data-hungry activities like video calls) at least as much as the average person.

Holafly specialized in unlimited data plans, which makes them your best travel eSIM option if you’re the type of person who instinctively opens Instagram, TikTok, or Youtube whenever you’re waiting at a restaurant, riding on a bus, or lounging at the beach.

If you use this much data, the small 1-2GB plans that other companies offer aren’t gonna cut it. 

If you buy a small plan, you have to constantly monitor your usage and risk running out of data when you need it most. 

Not only that, but as a heavy data user, you’ll likely need to top up these small plans multiple times, which can be more expensive in the long run. 

*The more data you use, the cheaper Holafly ends up being per GB (but the opposite is also true — Holafly wouldn’t make sense for super light data users).  

Holafly ranks 5 stars for ease of setup because their app allows you to do “one button install” from right within the app (if you have the latest operating system on your phone).

If you have an older phone or operating system, you can still follow the instructions in their email (or app) to configure your settings.

These instructions are much clearer than most other companies, including a step-by-step video, so it’s pretty hard to mess up.  

Holafly customer service response times (web chat or WhatsApp) are usually within 60 seconds by a REAL HUMAN.

One slight downside to Holafly is that most of their normal unlimited data plans limit data sharing/hotspotting to 500mb/day.

This is super handy for digital nomads who want an emergency internet plan to work from their laptop in case their accommodation’s wifi goes out or isn’t working well.

But since it’s capped, I would consider it a good Plan B for extended internet use, not your main solution.

However, if you do want Unlimited data sharing, they recently released a new option called Holafly Plans, which I’ll cover more in a different section of this article.

Holafly is also unique in that you can purchase the exact number of days you need, from 1 to 90 days.

That means you’re not stuck paying for extra days that you don’t use, like you are with some other companies, which only have limited plan length options (7 days, 14 days, 30 days, etc).

Because you can buy the exact number of days you need, Holafly usually ends up costing less than unlimited plans with other eSIM companies.

Long story short — Holafly is your best option if you want an unlimited data plan.

Use discount code PROJECTUNTETHERED

Airalo (⭐️ Best for “Dainty Data Users”)

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 8 plan options
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Lots of plan variety, from tiny plans to unlimited plans
Last date I tested: 2026
Read full Airalo review

Airalo is my #1 recommendation for “Dainty Data Users”.

This is the type of person going on a trip for a week or two and only uses data for the essentials — maps, messages, Uber, etc.

In other words, you don’t blow through your data scrolling through IG, TikTok, Youtube, or other data-intensive things on your phone (there’s a better eSIM for these types of people).

Airalo tops the charts because they usually have the lowest (or at least competitive) prices in many destinations for their SMALL data plans. 

Their setup process used to be one of the easiest, but now most other eSIM companies have caught on and have equally easy setup processes.

They have a handy app, which allows you to buy, install, top up, and monitor plans all from within the app. 

In my previous eSIM study from 2 years ago, their customer service was abysmal. But in this 2026 test, it seems to have improved significantly (as have many other eSIM companies).

After using Airalo for many months in 10+ different countries, I’ve only had a few service hiccups — so it’s unlikely you’ll need to contact support anyway. 

The other downside is you have to install a new eSIM for every trip, while many other eSIM companies these days offer one eSIM that can be reused over and over with new plans, requiring less setup time (and fewer opportunities for tech issues). 

Note: You can also buy BIG data plans with Airalo, but since they only offer a few different fixed plan lengths, you often end up paying more for days you don’t actually need.

This is why I go with Holafly if I want more data, because you can choose the exact number of days you need, which usually saves money.

Use discount code MITCH9827.

Nomad (⭐️ Runner-up for “Dainty Data Users”)

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 6 plan options
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: App with easy setup, better plan variety in certain regions
Last date I tested: 2026
Read full Nomad eSIM review

Nomad is the runner-up choice for “Normie Vacationers” (AKA light data users).

They are honestly very similar to Airalo in most of my experiment criteria – app features, ease of use, customer service, etc.

In the past, it seemed like they had more plan options than Airalo in certain parts of the world, like Asia.

But now it seems like Airalo has caught up.

So the main difference is simply slightly different package options in each country.

After researching and comparing plan options across different countries, I found that smaller plans (1-2 weeks, 1-2GB) were on par with Airalo prices — either the same or within a dollar or two.

Bigger plans are also normally comparable.

But for the 6 countries I gathered data on, Nomad was often a few bucks cheaper for bigger plans than Airalo (with a couple of exceptions).

That said, it’s hard to compare prices because some companies offer frequent sales. So the company with the lowest price during my study may change according to these temporary sales.

By the way, you can see all the pricing data I gathered near the end of this post if you’re interested in digging into the numbers. I added asterisks next to prices that were sale prices and are more likely to fluctuate.

Similar to Airalo, customer service used to suck (50-minute response time), but nowadays it’s blazing fast — I got a human in the chat within 60 seconds.

Overall, if I were going on a digital detox (AKA light data use) trip, I’d just pop open Airalo, then pop open Nomad, then see which one has the best price for the amount of data I need. 

Or if you want to keep life simple, just choose one and stick with it for all your travels. The differences are usually minimal. 

Use discount code UNTETHER for free credits

Roamless (⭐️ Best for Local Calling)

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 6*
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Pay-per-use local calling credits and data
Last date I tested: 2026

Roamless is a pretty sweet newcomer to the travel eSIM scene.

They’re unique in that you can make local phone calls right from within their app, without even installing an eSIM.

Just purchase some credits, and use those credits to make phone calls.

To be honest, I RARELY ever have to make a local phone call. Most businesses and people you’ll deal with communicate via WhatsApp, social media, or other free messaging apps.

But if you ever do need to make an actual local phone call, it’s smart to be prepared with a tool that works.

Roamless makes most sense if you just want the ability to make the odd unexpected call here and there in case of emergency.

But if you plan to be making local calls all the time (ex. for work), then you’re better off using another app we’ll get to in a sec that allows you to buy actual calling plans (rather than pay-as-you-go credits).

Roamless also offers pay-as-you-go data plans as well as normal fixed data plans (similar to what other companies offer).

*At first glance, it seems like Roamless has a smaller plan variety, but that’s because ALL of their plans include 30 days (so there’s no option for a short 3- or 7- day plans).

Surprisingly, even their 30-day plans are usually priced competitively to similar short-term plans with Airalo/Nomad/Saily.

So overall, I actually prefer Roamless’ model — everything is a 30-day plan, so it’s less confusing when comparing options.

The pay-as-you-go data option could be used for emergency data. But usually it ends up more expensive if you use it as your main data source.

Plus, there’s a totally free emergency data plan that I’ll show you in a sec.

Use discount code UNTETHERED for free credits

Saily

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 8
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Extra security and privacy features built into app
Last date I tested: 2026

Saily has quickly become one of the most popular eSIM company names out there.

This is largely because they are owned by the same company as NordVPN, which gives them instant street cred and a huge marketing budget.

Thanks to their connection to NordVPN, the Saily app has some built-in security and privacy features that you don’t get with other eSIMs.

And unlike Airalo and Nomad, you only have to install one Saily eSIM on your device.

Then whenever you have a new trip, you just add a new plan from the app (vs. having to install new eSIMs every time).

All that said, I did have some hiccups with Saily during my tests.

The setup process was smooth. But when it connected, it was only 3G and showed an error message in the app.

I had to toggle airplane mode off/on and close/reopen the Saily app, then it finally connected to 5G and started working.

This wasn’t a huge deal for me since I’ve tested tons of eSIMs and know all the troubleshooting steps by heart.

But it would have been frustrating for a tech-challenged person setting up their eSIM for the first time.

Maybe it was just a fluke, YMMV.

I tested Saily in Brazil in our apartment balcony along the beach, in the airport, and in my Colombia apartment.

Admittedly, that isn’t a ton of testing time.

But in all of these testing scenarios, whenever I turned on the Saily eSIM, it would spend several minutes switching between 3G and 5G.

I didn’t have this issue with any of the other eSIMs I tested in the same locations.

Prices are usually comparable to Airalo and Nomad, within a few bucks — but it’s rarely the cheapest option.

Customer service had a fast response time in their app, but I didn’t see any website chat option.

That might not be a big deal if you don’t travel with a laptop anyway, but I personally find it easier to resolve my problems chatting from a computer.

Overall, Saily seems like a decent option, but based on my (limited) testing experience, I found more reliability with Airalo or Nomad (for small plans) or Holafly (for unlimited plans).

Use discount code UNTETHERED5 at checkout

AloSIM

Price: ⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 7
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Comes with Hushed virtual phone number to make local calls
Last date I tested: 2026

AloSIM offers a variety of international data plans, from small 1GB plans to a couple of unlimited options.

But what really sets aloSIM apart is that they partner with the Hushed app, and you get a free virtual phone number from Hushed when you buy aloSIM eSIMs.

This is a phone number from the US or Canada with the ability to make international calls.

The phone number is valid for the same length of the eSIM plan (you can extend if needed), and it comes with $3 of credit balance to make calls.

The annoying thing is, Hushed doesn’t publish their calling rates anywhere on their website, so I can’t give you a rough idea of how many minutes those $3 would equate to in different regions.

Probably a short phone call.

After that, you’d have to top up and buy more credits.

Overall, this calling partnership with Hushed is pretty neat in case you need to make an emergency local phone call (which, as I mentioned earlier, most travelers won’t need to do often).

That said, I still prefer Roamless for the calling feature because it’s all built into the same app, your credits never expire, and data prices are lower.

As you can see in my price graph below, aloSIM never had the lowest price for the 6 countries I gathered data for, and sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark.

Perhaps this is because they are adding in a bit of cushion to cover the cost of the virtual phone number you get.

Anyway, it worked perfectly fine. It’s just not my personal go-to setup at this time.

If someday they add the ability to choose a virtual number from ANY country (not just the US or Canada), that would be a game-changer.

Because then you could actually give your number to locals for them to call you back…

Or use it with local phone apps that require a local phone number for registration.

Hopefully, they add this someday!

Use discount code UNTETHERED for 15% off first purchase

GigSky 

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 13
Regions covered*: 200+
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Unique plans for cruises, in-flight, etc.
Last date I tested: 2026
Read full GigSky review 

GigSky has some cool features, and they’ve come a long way since my original test a couple years ago.

Back then, setup was a bit clunky with a web app that seemed completely separate from their phone app.

But things are a lot more streamlined now. I did get an error message when first setting up. But I just closed out and tried again, and it worked like a charm.

Customer service also used to be super slow, but now they responded within 2 minutes and were one of the only companies that didn’t send me through a chatbot first (this could a pro or a con, depending on what you need).

They also have some unique plans I haven’t seen with other providers, like Cruise data plans and In-Flight data plans.

I haven’t tested these particular plans though, so I can’t speak to how well they work.

As far as normal travel data plans go, my test was fine.

The problem is, GigSky’s pricing seems higher than the other companies I tested, which is why it’s not yet a top contender.

Use discount code MITC174 for free credits

Best Travel eSIM for Long-Term Travelers and Nomads

If you’re a long-term traveler, it might be worth looking into “normal” phone plans in your home country that include international data as part of the plan.

For example, two plans that come to mind for US citizens are Google Fi and US Mobile’s Premium Unlimited plan.

Google Fi costs $65/month for one person and includes international data.

The catch is that you’re not meant to spend more than 90 consecutive days abroad. If you do, you risk having your plan shut off.

US Mobile’s Premium Unlimited plan costs $44/month at the time of writing (or $32.50/month paid annually). They also run frequent sales.

According to their customer service, it does not have the same 90-day restriction as Google Fi.

The downside to US Mobile is that you’re limited to between 1GB and 20GB of data per month, depending on the country you’re in.

Their Unlimited Premium plan would be the best option for you if…

1. You don’t mind the hassle of switching your entire home phone line setup
2. You can limit your data usage to 20GB/month (slightly less than the average person).

If either of those things aren’t true, then you might wanna check out the new Holafly Plans monthly subscription instead.

Instead of buying a set number of days, this is simply a global data plan that renews every month.

You just install one eSIM, and it works everywhere you go, for as long as you need.

They offer a Light tier that gives 25GB of international data per month.

Or an Unlimited tier that gives unlimited global data and unlimited tethering. This is the plan I’ve currently been using personally for the past year.

Both of these plans are more expensive than the U.S. Mobile plans mentioned above, but they also give you more data so you won’t ever worry about running out.

And the coolest part is you can cancel anytime…

And when you do, they automatically put you on their completely free Always On plan that continues to give you 1GB of data of month…for free.

Use code PROJECTUNTETHERED at checkout for extra 10% off monthly rate

Methods and Procedures

Here’s the “long version” of how I gathered data and assigned rankings for this study.

Choosing International eSIM Providers to Test

For this study, I focused on eSIM providers that are already somewhat established.

To find these companies, I used a keyword research tool to measure the average number of times people search for the brand name in Google each month.

I chose the eSIM companies with the highest search volume I could find, and companies with zero search volume were automatically disqualified.

New eSIM companies are popping up every day, but most of them are so small (i.e. nobody is searching for them) that it’s extremely unlikely they would have the resources required to be the best travel eSIM in 2026.

Sample Countries

Each eSIM company offers different plans for different countries. To get a representative sample, I chose six of the top tourist destinations from different regions/continents around the globe.

🇫🇷 France (Europe)
🇲🇦 Morocco (Africa)
🇹🇭 Thailand (Asia)
🇨🇴 Colombia (South America)
🇲🇽 Mexico (North America)
🇺🇸 USA (North America)

These countries were used for gathering data on price and plan variety. 

Price

Not all companies offer the exact same GB+length plans, so it’s often challenging to compare apples to apples.

Also, some companies have cheaper small plans, but more expensive large plans. 

To add to the complexity, it’s hard to compare “regular” prices, because some countries run limited-time sales, while others have a “sale” price that never changes. 

So to determine pricing ratings, I gathered data on a small fixed plan (usually a 7-dau 1GB plan), a big fixed plan (30 days of whatever amount of data was most comparable across companies), and an unlimited plan (whichever size was most comparable across companies). From there, I marked the frequency at which each company had the cheapest plan.

You can see a spreadsheet of the raw data at the end of this section.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Highest frequency of cheapest plans
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Occasional cheapest plan, almost always in the ballpark.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Never the cheapest, but usually in the ballpark.
⭐️⭐️ = Never the cheapest, often not in the ballpark.
⭐️ = All plans are significantly more expensive than the norm. 

*I added an asterisk to Holafly because it is a special case. 

Holafly ranked 5 stars, but this is only true for average-to-heavy data users who actually take advantage of the unlimited data.

For light data users, Holafly plans are overkill.

The spreadsheet below makes it look like Holafly doesn’t have the cheapest unlimited plans, but that’s not quite true…

With Holafly, you can choose the EXACT number of days of your trip. Usually, this leads to the lowest price for an unlimited plan because you don’t pay for days you don’t need.

However, if your trip length happens to exactly match the unlimited plan duration offered by a different company (usually 10-day, 15-day, 30-days, etc), then sometimes it’s cheaper to go with the other company.

Please note that this sample data covers 6 of the most popular tourist destinations in different regions, but there may be many pricing exceptions in other countries not covered. 

To give you an idea of eSIM pricing info at the time I pulled the data in 2026, here is my research spreadsheet.

* = Plan was marked as on sale at the time of analysis

Plan Variety

To assess plan variety, I found the average number of local eSIM packages that each company offers per country, including unlimited plans.

I did not include regional or global plans that include the country in question, as this would complicate the data.

Customer Service

I reached out to each company’s customer service to ask a question about the eSIM I purchased, noting the time I reached out and the time I received a human response. 

Ratings were based on response times:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = less than 2 minutes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = 2 to 10 minutes
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = 10 to 30 minutes
⭐️⭐️ = 30 minutes to 24 hours
⭐️ = No response

Ease of Setup

Ease of setup is a subjective rating based on my experience setting up each eSIM. 

I imagined how likely it would be for me to get confused if I were setting an eSIM up for the first time with no prior experience or technical know-how. 

The main things I looked for were:

☑️ If the eSIM provider offered an app in addition to their website.
☑️ User-friendliness and functionality of the app and/or website. 
☑️ How hard it was to find the setup instructions. 
☑️ How clear the instructions were, and if they included screenshots and video guides.
☑️ How buggy the setup process was.

The ratings I used were:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Amazing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Pretty good
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Average
⭐️⭐️ = Harder than necessary
⭐️ = Sucky

Regions Covered

Overall, this metric does not mean much. 

Most eSIM companies state how many “regions” or “destinations” they cover, but this is not the same as the number of countries. 

I could not find a definition of what they consider a “region” or “destination”. 

Many eSIM providers state that they cover 200+ destinations, but there are only 195 recognized countries in the world.

Just know that most eSIM companies will cover most of the places you want to go.

Data Speeds

2024 study: I used the Speedtest app to test each eSIM in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2026 study: I used the Speedtest app to test each eSIM in either Vila Velha, Brazil, Cali, Colombia, or both.

You can find a screenshot of each speed test on the individual review pages for each eSIM. 

I decided not to include a speed test rating in this comparison because the actual speed usually doesn’t depend on the travel eSIM company — it comes down to the local carrier in a particular region. Since I only tested speeds in two cities, it’s not fair to generalize the results worldwide. 

Plus, I found that many eSIM providers use the same local carriers, so you may see similar plans across multiple eSIM companies.

In the end, all eSIMs had data speeds fast enough to stream Youtube videos, which is enough for most travelers.

How to Choose the Best Travel eSIM

Overall, I found Holafly the best option for Normie Travelers (or anyone who doesn’t want to worry about running out of data on their trip) and Airalo to be the best option for low data users.

If you want data and calling all in the same app, check out Roamless, which is the wild card of this study.

That said, you don’t need an eSIM with Roamless to use the calling feature. If you want, you can add calling credits to the Roamless app, and get your data from a different company.

If you’re a long-term traveler, consider using an Holafly Plans monthly subscription or changing your home phone line to the U.S. Mobile Premium Unlimited plan.

As I mentioned throughout this guide, there may be certain destinations where a different company has the best deal.

But in these cases, the price difference is usually minimal (with few exceptions).

And to me, it’s not worth the hassle of comparing prices across 10+ companies just to save a couple bucks. 

The whole point of using an eSIM is convenience. You save time not having to hunt down a physical SIM upon arrival.

But if you’re wasting an hour comparing eSIM prices, you lose that convenience factor. 

I recommend choosing one or two companies you like best and sticking with them. Many offer rewards points, so by staying loyal to one company, you can often earn discounts on future eSIMs. 

I hope you found this experiment helpful — it took months to put together, so if you want to say “Thanks, Mitch!”, I’d be thrilled if you purchased your eSIM using our affiliate buttons on this page. This helps support my nerdy travel experiments at no extra charge to you. 🤓

Travel eSIMs Tested in Previous Study

I tested the following eSIMs in my 2024 study, but did not retest in my 2026 study because they didn’t make the cut.

Since a lot has changed in the eSIM world in the past two years, some of the data below may no longer be accurate for these companies.

I kept them here in case you’re wondering about other companies that didn’t make the cut for this most recent study.

Drimsim

Price: ⭐️*
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 1 (charged per MB)
Regions covered*: 197 regions
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Pay per MB, eSIM or physical SIM, Global data with one eSIM
Last date I tested: 2024
Read full Drimsim review (coming soon)

Drimsim was part of my original study in 2024, but did not make it into the study for 2026.

Comments from previous study: Drimsim is a bit different than all the other eSIM companies tested. 

With other companies, you buy a data package that includes a data allowance, a time limit, and a destination (or region).

With Drimsim, you buy one eSIM (or physical SIM) that works in 197 regions, add credit to your account, then get charged per MB against your balance. 

In other words, you pay for what you use instead of paying for a set package.

Rates vary by country, and you can check them all out here. 

Your eSIM has no expiration date. But if you’re inactive for 360 days, it will start drawing €0.5 per month from your balance until you reach zero balance. You can extend this 360-day limit by switching the eSIM on and using a tiny bit of data. 

Per GB, Drimsim is more expensive than Airalo, Holafly, and most other companies on this list (hence the one-star rating).

However, it does have an interesting use case for hardcore travelers who frequently hop around different countries. 

Essentially, you could add some credit and use Drimsim as a “backup” data plan. 

That way, if you’re just on a long layover or passing through a country in a day or two, you could use your Drimsim credits instead of buying a whole separate eSIM. 

You also wouldn’t ever have to worry about installing a country-specific data plan on your phone before leaving on your trip. You could simply arrive in your destination, switch on Drimsim until you get to your accommodation, then buy a cheaper local eSIM once you’re settled in.

The minimum to get started with Drimsim is €35 (€10 for the eSIM and €25 for the minimum amount of credits). 

An alternative “backup” plan would be to get a global eSIM from Airalo. Their biggest global plan costs $69 for 20GB in 127 countries for 365 days. This annual global plan costs double and expires after one year, but you’d get roughly 10x more data out of it. 

Then again, if you’re just using it for short-term emergencies, you may not need that much data to begin with. 

Flexiroam

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 9 plan options
Regions covered*: 200+ regions
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Flexishare (send data to someone elses phone), frequent global plan discounts
Last date I tested: 2024
Read full Flexiroam review

Flexiroam was part of my original study in 2024, but did not make it into the study for 2026.

Comments from previous study: Flexiroam has some good things going for it, but one big flaw that makes it not worth it. 

Let’s start with the good — it has more plan variety than all other companies I tested. Many countries even have tiny 1-day 500mb plans for emergencies or if you’re just on a quick layover in a country. 

They also have huge discounts on global data plans every couple months. If you don’t buy with a discount, the plans are quite expensive compared to the competition.

The big downside is the user interface and setup process is super clunky and buggy. 

It worked for me well for a while. But at one point, it just stopped working, and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. 

Unlike our top international eSIM recommendations above, Flexiroam does not “just work”. It is finicky and frustrating.

SimOptions

Price: ⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 1
Regions covered*: 200+ regions
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Speed test results (for the plan I bought) was faster than average
Last date I tested: 2024
Read full SimOptions review (coming soon)

SimOptions was part of my original study in 2024, but did not make it into the study for 2026.

Comments from previous study: SimOptions had the lowest rankings of the companies tested. 

The installation instructions were decent. But prices seem more expensive, and there is no app. 

However, what bothered me the most was the website. On the surface, it looks professional. But once you start testing things, it starts to feel like a front. 

They claim 24/7 customer service, but my customer service inquiry NEVER got responded to. Out of all the companies, this was the only one that never got back to me. 

They claim they always sell at retail price and that you’ll never find a cheaper option, but in our price comparison research, SimOptions never had the cheapest prices. 

Lastly, they have star ratings listed for each eSIM package, but if you click through, it takes you to their general Reviews page (and doesn’t show anything specific to the package you’re interested in). 

I also searched packages in several different countries, and every single one had either a 4.9 or 5-star rating, so it all just feels a little fake.

MobiMatter

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 3 plan options
Regions covered*: 200+ regions
Data sharing: Yes (on most)
Standout features: Cheapest global plan I’ve seen (did not test though)
Last date I tested: 2024
Read full MobiMatter review (coming soon)

MobiMatter was part of my original study in 2024, but did not make it into the study for 2026.

Comments from previous study: MobiMatter ended up being a decent option with fair prices, but it wasn’t my favorite. 

They have some weirdly specific regional plans, like Singapore + Malaysia + Thailand (and tons more combinations like this). 

When you search for a country, at first glance it seems like there are a million different plan options to choose from. 

But in reality, they are tied for the worst variety in plan options (i.e. average number of local eSIMs for one specific country).

It just seems like a lot of options because they mix local, regional, and global plans all together.

This makes it significantly harder to sort through and compare options. 

They also completely forget to explain how to set up your eSIM the “manual” way (i.e. pasting in the activation codes to your settings). 

If you don’t have a second device to scan the QR code, you need to use the manual setup method. And if you’re a first-time eSIM user, this could be frustrating to figure out without proper instructions.

Maya Mobile

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️*
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 28 plan options
Regions covered*: 194 countries
Data sharing: Yes (apart from Lite unlimited plan)
Standout features: “Unlimited” plans with data sharing (on Standard and Max plans)
Last date I tested: 2024
Read full Maya Mobile review (coming soon)

Maya Mobile was part of my original study in 2024, but did not make it into the study for 2026.

Comments from previous study: Maya Mobile could have been one of the highest-ranked providers if it weren’t for a couple of annoying problems. 

They have the highest plan variety (average number of plan options) in the countries included in our sample — including both normal and unlimited plans. 

Prices are competitive — never the absolute cheapest, but usually within a fair range. 

There’s no app, but the website is clean and easy to use. Well, that assumes you can actually create an account…

I wasted an hour of my life trying to fill out a buggy sign-up form.

I tried on several different days using VPNs, incognito mode, Safari, Chrome, wifi, tethering to my phone…you name it. But whenever I clicked submit, I got the never-ending loading ball of death.

Maybe it was just a fluke, but be warned. 

I may give Maya another chance in the future. But since I wasted so many neurons trying (and failing) to log in, I prefer Airalo or Holafly, which have never given me such headaches. 

BNESIM

Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ease of setup: ⭐️
Customer service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avg. Plan Variety: 5 plan options
Regions covered*: 170
Data sharing: Yes
Standout features: Lifetime data plans
Last date I tested: 2024
Read full BNESIM review

BNESIM was part of my original study in 2024, but did not make it into the study for 2026.

Comments from previous study: BNESIM (AKA “Best Network Ever”) has a cute name, but I wasn’t impressed. 

Prices are in line with other eSIM providers and they have decent plan variety. 

But the website looks a bit sketch. I actually felt a little wary typing in my credit card number to buy my eSIM. Their app looks more professional, but it was a bit buggy and wouldn’t always load correctly. 

Speaking of which, there are actually two apps, which adds to the confusion. 

I also found the setup instructions quite confusing and contradictory. If you’ve installed eSIMs before, you could figure it out. But if it’s your first time, it might feel confusing.

Their customer service was surprisingly decent, responding within 3 to 10 minutes each time. 

Overall, BNESIM might have potential someday once they work out all the kinks. But for now, I’d stick with more established providers like Airalo (for light data users) or Holafly (for heavy data users).