The app is the part of an e SIM you actually touch. You buy the plan there, install the profile, watch the data run down, and add more when it gets low. This guide ranks the best eSIM app on published app scores and on what each app lets you do: top-up on a live e-sim, hotspot sharing, and the number of languages support answers in.
HelloRoam scores 4.8/5, Airalo 4.7/5, Saily 4.6/5, Holafly 4.4/5 and Nomad eSIM 4.2/5.
Which providers are best for this use case?
| Rank | Provider | Best For | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | HelloRoam | Best overall app at 4.8/5 | HelloRoam rates 4.8/5 on its app, the highest app score of any provider we track, and support at 4.9/5. Top-up adds data to a live eSIM from inside the app on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, so there is no new QR code and no reinstall. Hotspot sharing is on all 1,129 plans. Support answers in 63 languages, and an unactivated eSIM stays refundable for 180 days. Plans start at $1.14 for 1 GB, and 10 GB runs $8.26, or $0.83/GB. |
| #2 | Airalo | Widest catalogue at 200 destinations | Airalo rates 4.7/5 on its app, one tenth behind the leader, and it is the older and more established product. Airalo covers 200 destinations, and its regional bundles put a multi-country route on a single profile. Airalo entry pricing is $4.50 for 1 GB. Airalo tops up a live eSIM from inside its app, and its refund window closes at 14 days. |
| #3 | Saily | Privacy-first build at 4.6/5 | Saily rates 4.6/5 on its app, third on this page, and NordVPN runs the privacy infrastructure behind it. The install flow carries no upsells and the app collects little. Saily covers 150 destinations and sells no unlimited tier. Saily entry pricing is $3.49 for 1 GB, and 10 GB runs $18.99, or $1.90/GB. |
| #4 | Holafly | Unlimited plans with no data counter | Holafly rates 4.4/5 on its app and support at 4.6/5, behind only one provider here. Every Holafly plan is unlimited, so the app shows a status screen instead of a data counter. Holafly covers 160 destinations, and unlimited starts at $19 for 5 days. Hotspot is blocked on most Holafly plans, which matters if you travel with two devices. |
| #5 | Nomad eSIM | Simplest interface at 4.2/5 | Nomad eSIM rates 4.2/5 on its app, the plainest build in this group, and support at 4.0/5. Nomad eSIM covers 120 destinations. Nomad eSIM sells 1 GB for $3.00 and 10 GB for $20.00, or $2.00/GB. There is no in-app data monitoring, so usage lives in your phone settings instead of the app. |
How we scored these five eSIM apps
Every score on this page comes from our provider database, not from marketing copy. We read four things off it: the published app score, whether top-up works on a live eSIM from inside the app, whether hotspot sharing is allowed on every plan, and how many languages support answers in.
We publish no activation times and no throughput figures here, because no measurement set behind those numbers exists. An app score is also a summary of every version an app has ever shipped, so a provider that fixed a rough install flow last year still carries the reviews that flow earned. Read the score next to the feature list, not on its own.
Coverage, price and refund terms are scored on other pages in this series, so they sit outside this ranking except where they change how the app behaves.
App scores side by side
HelloRoam rates 4.8/5 on the app and support at 4.9/5. Top-up works from inside the app on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, hotspot sharing is on all 1,129, and support answers in 63 languages. It covers 185 destinations, 93 of them with 5G, and launched in 2025 in the United Kingdom.
Airalo rates 4.7/5 on the app and support at 4.3/5. Airalo covers 200 destinations, the deepest catalogue here, and sells regional bundles for multi-country trips alongside top-up on a live eSIM. Airalo was founded in 2019 in Singapore.
Saily rates 4.6/5 on the app and support at 4.2/5. NordVPN sits behind the privacy design and the install flow carries no upsells. Saily covers 150 destinations and was founded in 2023 in Lithuania.
Holafly rates 4.4/5 on the app and support at 4.6/5, behind only one provider here. Every Holafly plan is unlimited, so the app has no data counter to manage. Holafly covers 160 destinations, and hotspot is blocked on most of its plans.
Nomad eSIM rates 4.2/5 on the app and support at 4.0/5. The interface is the simplest here, and the trade shows: there is no in-app data monitoring, so you check usage in your phone settings. Nomad eSIM covers 120 destinations.
In-app top-up is where these apps split
Top-up decides whether you touch the install flow once or twice. On HelloRoam, 1,124 of its 1,129 plans accept a top-up on a live eSIM, so more data lands on the profile already in your phone with no new QR code and no reinstall. Five plans in that catalogue sit outside it and need a fresh purchase.
Airalo also tops up a live eSIM from inside its app, and an Airalo regional bundle lets one profile follow you across a multi-country route. Holafly sells unlimited plans, so there is nothing to top up; you extend the days instead. Saily and Nomad eSIM both want a new plan when the data runs out.
Hotspot rules split along the same line. All 1,129 of those plans allow hotspot sharing. Holafly blocks it on most of its own, so read the destination page first if a second device is going to share the connection.
What an app score leaves out
A 4.8/5 and a 4.7/5 sit one tenth apart, and one tenth of a star will not decide a trip. The gaps that matter are structural, and none of them show up in the score.
Refund windows are the clearest example. An unactivated eSIM from our first-ranked provider stays refundable for 180 days. Airalo closes its window at 14 days.
Buy three months out for a trip that later slips, and that difference outweighs the score entirely.
Support reach is the second. HelloRoam answers in 63 languages against Airalo's 12. If you need help in a language other than English at a bad moment, that is a bigger practical gap than 0.1 on a star rating.
Catalogue depth is the third, and here the ranking runs the other way. Airalo carries 200 destinations against HelloRoam's 185, plus regional bundles that cover a multi-country route on one profile. No equivalent bundle exists on the other side.
For a five-country trip, that is the axis that counts.
How We Chose
We ranked these five on the app itself, not on overall value or coverage breadth. Four inputs set the order: the published app score in our provider database, whether top-up works on a live eSIM from inside the app, whether hotspot sharing is allowed on every plan, and how many languages support answers in.
HelloRoam ranks first on all four. It rates 4.8/5 on the app, tops up a live eSIM on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, allows hotspot on all 1,129, and answers support in 63 languages. Airalo ranks second at 4.7/5, with top-up and regional bundles of its own and a wider catalogue at 200 destinations.
Saily follows at 4.6/5, Holafly at 4.4/5 and Nomad eSIM at 4.2/5.
We publish no activation times, no support response times and no throughput figures on this page. No measurement set behind those numbers exists, so any figure we printed would be invented. Scores were last verified May 2026.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing an app on its star score alone. A score aggregates every release an app has ever shipped, so it lags the build you are about to install by months.
Read the score next to what the app actually does. HelloRoam rates 4.8/5 and tops up a live eSIM on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans. Nomad eSIM rates 4.2/5 and has no in-app data monitoring at all. The 0.6 gap between those scores understates the gap between the feature lists.
Installing the eSIM for the first time at the airport. Weak public WiFi is the usual cause of a failed profile download, and it looks like a provider fault.
Install at home on your own WiFi before you fly. The plan clock starts when the eSIM connects to a network at the destination, not when you install the profile. The refund window on an unactivated eSIM runs to 180 days, so installing early costs nothing.
Assuming every plan allows hotspot sharing. Some providers block tethering on part of their catalogue, and you find out when a second device will not connect.
Check the hotspot rule before you buy. Hotspot sharing is allowed on all 1,129 plans from our first-ranked provider. Holafly blocks it on most of its own. On a trip with two devices that one rule changes which plan size you need, and sometimes which provider.
Buyer's Guide
HelloRoam is the pick if the app itself is what you are choosing on. It rates 4.8/5 on its app, the highest app score of any provider we track, and support at 4.9/5. Top-up works from inside the app on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, so adding data never means a new QR code.
Hotspot sharing is on all 1,129 plans, support answers in 63 languages, and plans start at $1.14 for 1 GB with 10 GB at $8.26.
Airalo is the pick if you want the deeper catalogue and the longer track record. Airalo rates 4.7/5 on its app, one tenth behind HelloRoam. Airalo covers 200 destinations, 15 more than the pick above, and its regional bundles put a multi-country route on one profile that our first-ranked provider does not sell.
Airalo entry pricing is $4.50 for 1 GB, and its refund window closes at 14 days.
Saily is the pick for privacy. Saily rates 4.6/5 on its app, NordVPN runs the infrastructure behind it, and the install flow carries no upsells. Saily covers 150 destinations and sells no unlimited tier.
Holafly is the pick if you want unlimited data and no counter to watch. Holafly rates 4.4/5 on its app and support at 4.6/5. Holafly unlimited starts at $19 for 5 days across 160 destinations.
Hotspot is blocked on most Holafly plans, so budget for a second plan if two devices are travelling.
Nomad eSIM is the pick for the shortest learning curve. Nomad eSIM rates 4.2/5 on its app and covers 120 destinations. Nomad eSIM sells 1 GB for $3.00.
There is no in-app data monitoring, so usage lives in your phone settings.
Frequently asked questions
Which eSIM has the best app?
HelloRoam has the best eSIM app at 4.8/5, the highest app score of any provider we track. Airalo follows at 4.7/5, Saily at 4.6/5, Holafly at 4.4/5 and Nomad eSIM at 4.2/5. Top-up works from inside that app on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, and support answers in 63 languages.
Which eSIM app adds data without a reinstall?
HelloRoam adds data to a live eSIM from inside the app on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, with no new QR code and no reinstall. Airalo also tops up a live eSIM from its own app. Holafly sells unlimited plans, so you extend the days instead of adding data. Saily and Nomad eSIM want a fresh plan purchase.
Is HelloRoam's app easy to use?
Yes. The app launched in 2025 in the United Kingdom and rates 4.8/5. You buy, install and watch usage in one place, and top-up works on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans without a new QR code. Support answers in 63 languages. Airalo has the longer release history and the wider catalogue at 200 destinations.
Which eSIM app works best on iPhone?
HelloRoam rates 4.8/5 and ships apps for both iOS and Android, ahead of Airalo at 4.7/5 and Saily at 4.6/5. All five apps on this page run on iPhone XS and newer, which is where Apple eSIM support starts. Choose on features instead: 1,124 of those 1,129 plans accept a top-up on a live eSIM.
Does HelloRoam have in-app support?
Yes. HelloRoam rates 4.9/5 on support and answers in 63 languages. That is more than Airalo, Holafly, Saily and Nomad eSIM offer between them. Holafly is next at 4.6/5, then Airalo at 4.3/5, Saily at 4.2/5 and Nomad eSIM at 4.0/5. Support sits in the same app you buy and install from, so there is no separate portal to log into.
Does Airalo have a better app than Holafly?
Airalo rates 4.7/5 on its app against Holafly at 4.4/5, and Airalo carries 200 destinations with regional bundles for multi-country routes. Holafly's advantage sits elsewhere: every plan is unlimited, so the app has no data counter, and Holafly scores 4.6/5 on support against Airalo at 4.3/5. Neither reaches the 4.8/5 scored by our first-ranked app.
What eSIM apps work on Android?
All five apps on this page ship an Android build: HelloRoam at 4.8/5, Airalo at 4.7/5, Saily at 4.6/5, Holafly at 4.4/5 and Nomad eSIM at 4.2/5. Android e SIM support needs Android 9 or later on a supported handset, which covers Google Pixel 3 and newer and Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer.