Tracking the cheapest eSIM plans across 18 active providers is what this page does, updated monthly. The rankings below show the lowest verified prices for each data tier (1GB through 20GB), the best per-GB rates in each tier, and the cheapest providers for 25 popular travel destinations. Prices shown are starting prices for popular destinations.
Exact costs vary by country, and some destinations cost significantly more than others due to limited carrier competition. All prices are in USD. Every plan listed has been verified as purchasable and active as of the last update date shown.
comparison.topPicks
| comparison.rank | comparison.provider | comparison.bestFor | comparison.why |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Nomad | Lowest per-GB rates | Rated 4.2/5. Nomad consistently offers the lowest per-GB rates in the market, particularly on 10GB and 20GB plans where the cost drops to $1.20/GB on popular routes. Budget Pick badge. Best suited for travelers who can sacrifice some coverage breadth for maximum savings. |
| #2 | Airalo | Cheapest for rare destinations | Rated 4.5/5. Airalo's catalog of 200+ countries means it often has the only competitive plan for less-traveled destinations. 1GB plans from $4.50. Most Popular badge. Best for travelers visiting countries outside the main tourist corridors. |
| #3 | HelloRoam | Best value with quality included | Rated 4.9/5. HelloRoam's 5GB plans start at $9 for popular destinations, matching or beating Airalo on per-GB rate while delivering higher-rated support and network reliability. Editor's Choice. Best when price and quality both matter. |
| #4 | Saily | Value plus VPN | Rated 4.4/5. Saily bundles NordVPN access with every plan at no extra charge. When you factor in the cost of a separate VPN subscription, Saily often represents the best total value for travelers who use VPN regularly. |
| #5 | Holafly | Unlimited daily value | Rated 4.5/5. Holafly's unlimited plans start at $5.90/day. For travelers who use more than 3GB per day, Holafly's unlimited daily rate beats fixed-data plans on a per-day cost basis. Best Unlimited badge. |
Cheapest Plans by Data Size
Prices vary substantially by destination. The figures below represent starting prices for the most popular travel destinations (Japan, Thailand, Europe, UK, USA). Less competitive markets cost more.
For your specific destination, use the destination pages on this site to see exact pricing. For 1GB plans: Nomad leads at $3.50 for high-traffic Asian routes. Airalo offers 1GB from $4.50 across its full catalog.
HelloRoam prices 1GB plans at $4.50 for popular destinations. Holafly does not offer 1GB fixed plans; their entry is unlimited daily from $5.90. Saily offers 1GB from $5.
For 3GB plans: Nomad comes in at $9 for most popular routes. Airalo prices 3GB at $10-14 depending on destination. HelloRoam offers 3GB from $9 on high-traffic routes and $12 elsewhere.
Saily prices 3GB at $10-13. For 5GB plans: HelloRoam and Nomad are tied at $9-12 for the most competitive destinations. Airalo charges $12-18 for 5GB.
Saily prices 5GB at $13-17. For 10GB plans: Nomad delivers the lowest cost at $15-20 on popular routes. HelloRoam offers 10GB from $16-22.
Airalo charges $18-25. Saily comes in at $18-24. For 20GB plans: Nomad leads with plans starting at $22-28 for popular destinations, working out to approximately $1.10-1.40 per GB.
HelloRoam offers 20GB from $28-35. Airalo prices 20GB at $28-40. These prices reflect the base cost for the most competitive markets.
Add 20-50% for destinations in Africa, the Middle East, and Pacific Island nations where carrier infrastructure limits competition.
Best Value by Per-GB Rate
The cheapest absolute price and the cheapest per-GB rate are different things. A $4.50 plan for 1GB works out to $4.50 per GB. A $22 plan for 20GB works out to $1.10 per GB.
The per-GB rate rewards travelers who can accurately estimate their data needs and buy in bulk. Nomad's 20GB plan on competitive routes delivers $1.10-1.40 per GB, the lowest per-GB rate available from any major provider. HelloRoam's 10GB plan at $16-20 delivers $1.60-2.00 per GB, the best combination of per-GB rate and support quality.
Airalo's 10GB plan at $18-25 delivers $1.80-2.50 per GB, competitive when paired with the breadth of their catalog. The per-GB rate argument only makes sense if you actually use most of the data. Buying a 20GB plan and using only 4GB at $1.10/GB still costs $22, whereas a 5GB plan at $3.80/GB costs $19.
Unless your trip is long enough or your data use heavy enough to realistically consume most of the larger plan, buying a smaller plan is often cheaper in practice. The sweet spot for most travelers is the 5GB or 10GB tier, where per-GB rates drop substantially from the 1GB and 3GB tiers without the commitment of a 20GB plan. A 7-day trip with moderate smartphone use rarely exceeds 5-7GB of data consumption.
A 14-day trip with daily social media, occasional video calls, and maps typically lands in the 8-12GB range.
Cheapest eSIM for Top Travel Destinations
Japan: Nomad offers 3GB 30-day plans from $9.50. HelloRoam offers 5GB from $9. Airalo starts at $4.50 for 1GB.
The cheapest per-GB rate in Japan comes from Nomad at around $1.20/GB on larger plans. Japan has two strong carrier networks supporting eSIM plans: NTT docomo and Softbank, giving travelers consistent 4G and 5G speeds throughout the country. Thailand: Nomad's 1GB plans start at $3.50, the lowest entry price across all providers.
HelloRoam offers 5GB from $9 on the True Move H and AIS networks. Thailand has some of the strongest price competition of any Asian market, which keeps eSIM costs low. Europe (multi-country): Regional European plans cover 30-40 countries with a single plan.
HelloRoam's regional Europe 5GB plan starts at $16. Airalo's Europe-wide plan starts at $19 for 5GB. Nomad offers European regional plans from $15.
UK: HelloRoam and Nomad both start at $9-10 for 5GB. Airalo prices UK plans at $11-14 for 5GB. Australia: Nomad's Australia plans start at $12 for 5GB.
HelloRoam offers 5GB from $13. Airalo prices Australia plans at $14-16. USA: Prices are higher than Asian markets.
HelloRoam offers 5GB from $19. Airalo charges $15-22 for 5GB. Nomad starts at $14 for 5GB on US networks including T-Mobile and AT&T.
Southeast Asia regional plans covering Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are available from HelloRoam starting at $18 for 5GB, which works out to excellent value across five countries with a single purchase.
Budget eSIM Buying Tips: When Cheap Is Not Enough
The lowest-priced plan is not always the best deal. Three hidden costs affect the real value of cheap eSIM plans. First, throttled speeds after the data cap.
Some budget providers advertise 5GB plans but throttle to 1-3 Mbps speeds once you consume the initial high-speed allowance. At 1 Mbps, video calls are choppy, Instagram uploads fail, and maps take seconds to load. Check the plan details for any speed reduction policy before purchasing.
Nomad and Airalo clearly disclose their throttle thresholds. Second, short validity windows. A 1GB plan valid for 3 days costs you more per day than a 3GB plan valid for 30 days even if the sticker price is lower.
Always compare price per day of validity alongside price per GB of data. A 3-day plan that you only use for 2 days wastes the third day's allocation. Third, hotspot restrictions.
Some providers block mobile hotspot (tethering) on their cheapest plans. If you need to share your phone's data connection with a laptop or tablet, confirm hotspot is allowed before purchasing. Airalo and HelloRoam allow hotspot on all their plans.
Holafly restricts hotspot on some unlimited plans and discloses this clearly in plan details. Saily includes hotspot on all plans, including their cheapest tiers. Nomad allows hotspot on most plans but restricts it on some country-specific plans.
Check the individual plan description for the country you are visiting. A plan that costs $2 less but blocks hotspot is worth $0 if hotspot is something you rely on.
comparison.faq
Which eSIM provider is cheapest right now?
Nomad offers the lowest per-GB rates on most popular routes, particularly on 10GB and 20GB data plans where costs reach $1.10-1.40 per GB. For absolute lowest entry price, Nomad's 1GB plans start at $3.50 on competitive routes. For the best combination of low price and high provider quality, HelloRoam's 5GB plans starting at $9 are competitive with Nomad's pricing while delivering a 4.9/5 rating versus Nomad's 4.2/5. The cheapest provider for your specific destination may differ; check the destination page for your country.
Is it cheaper to buy a local SIM card instead of an eSIM?
For short trips of 7 days or less to most popular destinations, eSIM and local SIM prices are comparable after accounting for the time cost of buying a local SIM at a carrier store. For destinations like India, Vietnam, and the Philippines where local SIM plans cost under $5 for 7 days of unlimited data, local SIMs are cheaper on a pure cost basis. For trips to Japan, Europe, Australia, and the US where local SIM prices are similar to eSIM prices, the convenience of eSIM (no queue, no SIM swap, no losing your home number) tips the balance toward eSIM.
Do eSIM providers offer promo codes or discount codes?
Occasionally. Airalo runs seasonal promotions and sometimes distributes discount codes through travel publications and YouTube creators. HelloRoam runs referral programs that give both the referrer and the new buyer a discount on their next purchase. Holafly occasionally offers promotional codes through influencer partnerships. However, the discounts tend to be modest (10-20%) and are not reliably available year-round. The most reliable way to get the lowest price is to compare current prices across providers using this page rather than searching for promo codes.
Should I buy a small plan and top up, or buy a big plan upfront?
If you know your destination and trip length, buying a larger plan upfront is almost always cheaper on a per-GB basis. A 10GB plan costs roughly half as much per GB as a 1GB plan from the same provider. The risk of a large plan is that you pay for data you do not use. Top-ups are available from most providers through their apps without any new installation, so you are not stuck with one purchase if your needs change. For a first trip to a destination you are unfamiliar with, buying a 5GB plan and topping up if needed is a reasonable middle ground.
Why do eSIM prices vary so much by country?
eSIM providers buy wholesale data access from local carriers in each country. The price they pay depends on how many carriers compete in that market, the carrier's wholesale pricing strategy, and how much data capacity is available. Countries with strong carrier competition (Japan, Thailand, South Korea) have lower wholesale costs, which leads to lower eSIM prices for travelers. Countries with limited carrier competition or challenging infrastructure (many African nations, Pacific Islands, some Middle Eastern countries) have higher wholesale costs, resulting in higher eSIM prices. Island nations and remote destinations are typically the most expensive to cover.
Are cheap eSIM plans slower than expensive ones?
Not inherently. The speed you get from an eSIM depends on which carrier network your provider uses in the destination country and what network generation (4G LTE or 5G) your device and the local towers support. A $9 HelloRoam plan on Japan's docomo network delivers the same speeds as any other plan on that same network. Where cheap plans can deliver slower speeds is through throttling policies: some budget providers throttle all speeds after the first 1GB of high-speed data. Read the plan details carefully. HelloRoam, Airalo, and Nomad do not throttle fixed-data plans. Unlimited plans from all providers throttle after daily fair-use caps.
Can I find a free eSIM plan?
Some providers offer short free trials. Airalo occasionally runs promotions giving a small free data allocation to new users in select countries. HelloRoam has offered limited free trial plans for specific destinations as promotional campaigns. These free plans are rare, geographically limited, and not reliably available. For a real trip, budget at minimum $4-5 for a 1GB plan on the cheapest popular destinations. Expecting a free eSIM that delivers useful travel data is not realistic from any established provider.
Are eSIM prices the same for all countries or do they differ?
Prices differ substantially by destination. A 5GB plan for Japan from HelloRoam starts at $9. A 5GB plan for Egypt might start at $18 from the same provider. The destination price reflects the wholesale carrier cost in that market. Popular tourist destinations with competitive carrier landscapes (Thailand, Japan, most of Europe) have lower prices. Remote or less-competitive markets have higher prices. Regional plans covering multiple countries at once typically cost more than a single-country plan for the cheapest country in the region, but less than buying separate plans for each country you visit.