Travel eSIM comparison: how to choose between providers
Short answer: Compare the exact plan you want — same destination, same data size, same number of days — not the “from” price on the homepage. Then check four things: whether the data is fixed or unlimited-with-fair-use, whether hotspot is allowed, whether you can top up, and what happens when the data runs out.
Travel eSIM pricing is hard to compare on purpose. “From” prices quote the smallest plan in the cheapest country, unlimited plans hide their real limit in a fair-use policy, and two plans with the same gigabytes can differ by three weeks of validity. This page is the method we would use ourselves, and it is written so you can apply it to us as readily as to anyone else.
Step one: fix the plan before you fix the price
Decide the destination, the data size and the trip length first, then price that exact plan everywhere. Comparing a 5 GB 30-day plan against a 3 GB 7-day plan tells you nothing, and comparing homepage “from” prices tells you less. Most travellers use between 1 and 5 GB on a trip — maps, messaging, email, occasional browsing — and streaming video daily is what pushes it higher.
Step two: work out which model you are buying
There are two, and they are not comparable on price alone.
Fixed data. You buy a stated number of gigabytes. When they are used, the plan stops. Nothing is throttled because there is nothing to throttle, and the number on the plan is the number you compare on. This is what we sell, and what Airalo, Nomad, Saily and Ubigi broadly sell too.
Unlimited with a fair-use policy. You buy unlimited data, and a published policy sets the point at which your speed drops. Past it you are usually throttled for the rest of the day rather than cut off. The threshold and the throttled speed are the numbers that matter, and they live in the terms rather than on the plan. Holafly is the best-known seller of this model; we compare it in detail here.
Neither is dishonest. If you use a few gigabytes on a trip, fixed data is usually much cheaper. If you stream daily or tether a laptop for work, unlimited can genuinely win.
Step three: the four details that change the answer
| What to compare | eSIM Ventures | What to check on any provider |
|---|---|---|
| What you are actually buying | A stated number of gigabytes. 6 sizes, 1 GB to 20 GB. | Fixed data or unlimited-with-fair-use? If unlimited, find the throttle threshold before you compare prices. |
| When the data runs out | The plan stops. Nothing renews and no further charge is made. | Does it stop, throttle, or auto-renew into another charge? |
| Hotspot / tethering | Enabled on every plan we sell. | Allowed, restricted, or disallowed? This is the one most often quietly limited. |
| Topping up | Available in the app for eligible fixed-data eSIMs, under My eSIMs. | Can you extend an active eSIM, or must you buy a whole new one? |
| Keeping your own number | Yes — the travel eSIM carries data; your usual SIM stays in place for calls and texts. | Same on most eSIMs, but confirm if you need your number reachable. |
| Price you compare on | From £1.49, shown in GBP, with the checkout price identical to the listed price. | Is the headline price the price at checkout, or does currency conversion and tax change it? |
The right-hand column is deliberately a list of questions rather than answers. any provider’s terms are theirs to state and they change; ours are above and come from the live catalogue. Check both before you decide.
What we sell, so you can check it against the rest
6 data sizes from 1 GB to 20 GB, across 202 destinations, plus 220 regional and global plans, starting at £1.49. Tethering is enabled on every plan. Nothing auto-renews. Validity is printed on each plan before you pay, and the listed price is the checkout price.
Worked examples at the 5 GB tier, live from the catalogue as this page was built:
- Spain — 5 GB for £4.99, valid 30 days
- Japan — 5 GB for £5.49, valid 30 days
- United States — 5 GB for £6.99, valid 30 days
Provider by provider
Each of these walks through one comparison properly, including the cases where the other provider is the better buy:
- Holafly — unlimited with a fair-use policy, and when it genuinely wins
- Airalo — the biggest marketplace, and how to price a route against it
- Saily — a data plan bundled with security features
- Nomad — fixed data, with validity and top-up as the deciding details
- Ubigi — carrier heritage, and where it does and does not matter
No competitor prices appear on this page or the ones it links to. They change, and a stale figure would be unfair to them and useless to you. Every figure on our side comes from our live catalogue. Last reviewed 4 November 2026.
