Europe is the region where one e SIM genuinely replaces a dozen. A single regional profile covers 33 countries from Lisbon to Helsinki, and 32 of those 33 carry a 5G partner, the highest ratio of any region in this comparison. Prices are also the tightest anywhere: 22 of the 33 sit between $0.61/GB and $1.10/GB.
This page compares four providers on published catalogue numbers, lists the operator behind each market, and names the European countries the 33-country plan leaves out.
Which providers work best in Europe?
| Rank | Provider | Best For | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | HelloRoam | Lowest per-GB rates across 33 European countries | HelloRoam rates 4.9/5, the highest overall score on this page, and its Europe plan covers 33 countries on 39 partner operators with 5G in 32 of them. Germany and France run $0.61/GB. Top-up works on 1,124 of its 1,129 plans, hotspot is on all 1,129, and an unactivated eSIM stays refundable for 180 days. |
| #2 | Airalo | 200 destinations, 15 more than any rival here | Airalo rates 4.5/5 across 200 destinations, and that extra reach is real: it covers European markets outside this 33-country plan. Its 5 GB country plans run $10 in Spain, $11 in France, $11.50 in Germany and $13 in Italy, all above the equivalent here. Refunds close after 14 days and support runs in 12 languages. |
| #3 | Holafly | Unlimited data for heavy streamers | Holafly rates 4.2/5 across 160 destinations and sells unlimited data only, from $19 for 5 days, dropping to $11.70 for 5 days in most of Western Europe. There is no small tier, so a 3 GB traveller pays for headroom they never touch, and hotspot sharing is not enabled on every plan. |
| #4 | Saily | Privacy-first data at $1.90/GB | Saily rates 4.4/5 across 150 destinations and comes from the Nord Security group with a verified no-log policy. Its 10 GB rate is $1.90/GB, and it sells 5 GB in Austria for $7.99, 5 GB in Bulgaria for $6.99 and 5 GB in Italy for $12.99. Coverage is the narrowest of the four brands here. |
| #5 | Nomad eSIM | Small first purchases | Nomad rates 4.2/5 across 120 destinations, the smallest catalogue on this page. Its entry tier is 1 GB at $3.00, and its 10 GB tier works out at $2.00/GB, more than double the $0.80/GB at the top of this table. It suits a single short trip and little else. |
Countries in Europe
One eSIM for 33 European countries
HelloRoam's Europe regional plan covers 33 countries on a single profile: Norway, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Denmark, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Croatia, France, Hungary, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Estonia, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Malta, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Spain, Austria, Cyprus, Czechia, Poland, Romania, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands. You install one profile, and the handset picks up a partner operator as you cross each border.
Three countries travellers often assume are included are not. Turkey sits inside the 11-country Middle East plan instead. Russia and Ukraine are sold only as country plans, at $1.19/GB and $1.20/GB, and neither belongs to any regional bundle.
Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro are all sold as country plans too, and all sit outside the 33.
A country plan is usually cheaper when you are visiting one place. Spain alone is $0.72/GB with 5 GB at $8.99. The regional profile earns its keep from the third border onward, when the alternative is managing three separate purchases and three separate expiry dates.
Every plan here is data only. There is no voice and no SMS on any of the 1,129 plans in the catalogue, so a European phone number still means a physical SIM bought locally.
European 5G coverage on eSIM plans
Thirty-two of the 33 countries in this plan carry a 5G partner. Bulgaria is the single exception, running A1, Vivacom and Telenor on 4G, and it is still one of the cheapest markets in the region at $1.07/GB with 5 GB at $6.99.
That 32 in 33 ratio is the highest of any region in this comparison. Across the whole catalogue, 5G runs in 93 of 185 destinations, so Europe is doing roughly twice the global rate. Africa manages 7 in 29.
Operator depth moves independently of the 5G badge. The United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Sweden and Luxembourg each carry 3 partner operators. Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Croatia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Slovakia, Czechia, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Romania, Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Malta, Iceland, Lithuania and Liechtenstein carry 2.
France, Ireland, Finland and Gibraltar run on a single partner, which means no fallback network in a gap.
To use 5G at all your handset needs the European sub-6 bands, n78 in particular. An iPhone 13 or newer, a Galaxy S21 or newer, or a Pixel 7 or newer carries them.
eSIM prices against US carrier roaming in Europe
US carrier day passes are the benchmark most American travellers actually compare against. AT&T's International Day Pass is $12 a day, Verizon's TravelPass is $10 a day, and T-Mobile charges $5 a day for its high-speed pass. Fourteen days on those runs $70 to $168.
A 10 GB HelloRoam plan is a different order of cost. Ten gigabytes in Germany is $13.99, in France $13.99, in Spain $13.99, in Austria $10.98, in Portugal $10.98 and in Poland $10.49. Ten gigabytes covers two weeks of maps, messaging, social use and moderate streaming for most people.
EU residents on EU plans already roam across the bloc at no extra cost under Roam Like at Home, so this is a product for visitors from outside the EU, not for people who live inside it.
One caveat worth pricing in: none of these plans include voice or SMS. If a hotel or a restaurant needs to reach you by phone, you either keep your home number active on a second profile or you buy a local SIM. Every provider on this page sells data only in Europe.
Switzerland, Gibraltar and the expensive corners
Switzerland is inside the 33-country plan and is not the outlier people expect. Sunrise and Salt both carry it on 5G, and HelloRoam prices Switzerland at $1.02/GB with 5 GB at $12.49 and 10 GB at $20.49. Airalo sells 5 GB in Switzerland for $14, so the gap on that size runs the other way.
Gibraltar is the genuine outlier inside the plan, at $2.81/GB on a single partner, GibTel, with 5 GB at $23.96. It is the only market of the 33 above $2.00/GB.
Iceland is the second most expensive at $1.37/GB with 5 GB at $10.49, on Nova and Síminn. Lithuania follows at $1.33/GB, Malta at $1.25/GB and Sweden at $1.20/GB, which is high for the Nordics because Sweden runs 3 partners rather than a cheap single deal.
Outside the regional plan the numbers get stranger. Monaco is the most expensive destination in the entire 185-destination catalogue at $22.52/GB, which is 37 times the German rate. San Marino, by contrast, is $0.92/GB on 4 partner operators.
Neither belongs to a regional bundle, so both need a country plan bought on its own.
Network partners behind the Europe plan
Thirty-nine distinct partner operators sit behind these 33 countries, which is the deepest operator bench in this comparison. The United Kingdom runs O2, T-Mobile UK and Three. Italy runs TIM, Iliad and Wind.
Belgium runs Proximus, Orange and Base. Bulgaria runs A1, Vivacom and Telenor. Sweden runs Three, Telia and Telenor.
Luxembourg runs Tango, Orange and POST.
Germany pairs O2 with Vodafone, Spain pairs Orange with Movistar, and the Netherlands pairs KPN with Vodafone. Poland pairs Play with Orange. Austria pairs Three with A1.
Switzerland pairs Sunrise with Salt. The Baltics run Tele2 alongside Telia or LMT.
Four markets run on one operator only: France on Orange, Ireland on Eir, Finland on DNA and Gibraltar on GibTel. A single partner is not automatically worse, since Orange covers France thoroughly, but it does mean there is no second network to fall back on when the first has a hole.
Operator count is the number most worth checking before a rural trip, and it moves independently of price. Bulgaria has 3 operators at $1.07/GB. France has 1 at $0.61/GB.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest eSIM for Europe at 10 GB?
Liechtenstein sells 10 GB for $8.26, the floor for that size across the whole 185-destination catalogue. Poland is $10.49, and Austria and Portugal both sit at $10.98. Germany, France and Spain all price 10 GB at $13.99. Airalo's European 5 GB plans start at $7 in Bulgaria, above the equivalent here.
Does a Europe eSIM work in the UK after Brexit?
Yes. The United Kingdom is one of the 33 countries in the regional plan, running 3 partner operators, O2, T-Mobile UK and Three, on 5G at $0.66/GB. Brexit changed roaming rules for UK residents travelling abroad on UK contracts. It changed nothing about a regional eSIM bought from an international provider.
How much data do I need for a 2-week Europe trip?
For maps, messaging and light social use, 5 GB covers 14 days for most travellers. In Spain that is $8.99 and in Germany $9.99. Streaming or hotspot use pushes you to 10 GB, which is $13.99 in Germany and $10.98 in Austria. Offline maps and hotel Wi-Fi cut real consumption sharply.
Can I share my eSIM data as a hotspot in Europe?
Yes. Hotspot sharing is enabled on all 1,129 plans in the catalogue, so one 10 GB plan can cover a phone and a laptop across all 33 countries. Holafly does not enable hotspot use on every plan, which matters if you buy its unlimited product at $11.70 for 5 days expecting to tether a second device.
Do Europe eSIMs include calls and texts?
No. All 1,129 HelloRoam plans are data only, with no voice and no SMS, and the same is true of the European plans compared here. Calls run through WhatsApp, FaceTime or any other app over data. If you need a European phone number, buy a local physical SIM on arrival instead.
Will my eSIM work on trains between European countries?
Yes. The profile hands over to a partner operator in each of the 33 countries automatically as you cross. Coverage on the TGV, ICE, AVE and Eurostar corridors is dense, with short drops in tunnels. Markets with 2 or 3 partner operators, including Germany, Italy and Belgium, recover fastest because the handset has an alternative.
Which European countries are missing from the 33-country plan?
Turkey sits in the 11-country Middle East plan instead. Russia and Ukraine are sold only as standalone country plans, at $1.19/GB and $1.20/GB. Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Monaco and San Marino are also country plans only. Check your route against the 33 before you buy one profile.
Which European countries have no 5G partner?
Only Bulgaria, out of all 33 countries in the regional plan. It runs A1, Vivacom and Telenor on 4G at $1.07/GB, with 5 GB at $6.99, so it is cheap despite the older radio. The other 32 countries all carry at least one 5G partner, the highest ratio of any region in this comparison.
Do eSIM plans work in micro-states like Monaco and San Marino?
They are sold, but not inside the 33-country regional plan. San Marino is $0.92/GB on 4 partner operators including TIM and Iliad. Monaco is $22.52/GB on Monaco Telecom, the single most expensive destination in the 185-destination catalogue. Both need a country plan bought separately from the Europe profile.
Is it better to buy a Europe eSIM before or after landing?
Before. You install the profile at home, and it connects to a partner operator on arrival with no airport queue. All 33 countries in the plan work the same way. If you run short mid-trip, top-up works on 1,124 of the 1,129 plans in the catalogue without a new QR code or a second purchase.