There is no single best travel eSIM, but there is a best one for each trip, and on published criteria Ubigi scores highest: 89 out of 100. It is the cheapest of the seven for 10 GB in Europe ($15), Japan ($16.50) and the USA ($14), and its unlimited plans allow 60 GB at full speed before slowing. Airalo (81) is the safest choice for unusual destinations, Saily (77) has the clearest unlimited terms and the best security features, Nomad (74) is the value pick for Japan, Yesim (71) the cheap regional bundle, Holafly (66) the heavy-data-on-one-phone option, and aloSIM (61) the one that gives you a phone number.
Verified first week of September 2026 · prices, throttle thresholds, networks and review counts read on the providers' own pages and Trustpilot
| Provider | Price | Plans | Unlimited | Networks | Reviews | Security | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | 20 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 89 |
| Airalo Affiliate | 11 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 81 |
| Saily | 12 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 77 |
| Nomad | 15 | 17 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 74 |
| Yesim Affiliate | 18 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 71 |
| Holafly | 8 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 66 |
| aloSIM | 12 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 61 |
How the scores are built. Price (20): the sum of each provider's 10 GB, 30-day price for Europe, Japan and the USA; Holafly, which sells unlimited plans only, is scored on its 15-day unlimited prices against the others' unlimited plans. Plan choice (20): fixed and unlimited options, regional and global bundles, destinations covered. Unlimited terms (15): whether the full-speed allowance and reduced speed are published, and hotspot policy. Network transparency (15): whether the plan page names the underlying operator in Japan, Spain, the USA and Kenya. Review evidence (15): Trustpilot score weighted by review volume. Security and ownership (15): audited security, jurisdiction, parent company.
Airalo and Yesim are affiliates of this site: commission on a purchase, no placement, scored on the same rubric as the other five. Ubigi, which tops the table, pays this site nothing.
For 10 GB over 30 days the cheapest provider is Ubigi in all three of the markets that matter most: Europe $15, Japan $16.50, the USA $14. The most expensive fixed-data plan for Europe is aloSIM at $36, with Saily at $35.99 and Airalo at $31 just behind. The spread between cheapest and dearest for the same allowance is 2.4 times, which is why the brand you know is not the brand you should buy without checking. Full pricing logic, including how fixed and unlimited compare at 5, 10 and 20 GB, is in the eSIM cost guide; if you are unsure how much you will use, the data estimator settles it in two minutes.
| Provider | Europe 10 GB | Japan 10 GB | USA 10 GB | Global 10 GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | $15.00 (37 destinations) | $16.50 | $14.00 | $59.00 (200+ destinations) |
| Yesim | $19.20 (33 countries) | $19.20 | $16.80 | $34.80 (83 countries) |
| Nomad | $23.00 (35 countries) | $16.00 (list $18) | $25.00 | $62.00 (123 countries) |
| Airalo | $31.00 (41 countries) | $25.00 | $22.50 | $57.00 (10 GB/180 days, 160 countries) |
| Saily | $35.99 (35 countries) | $17.99 | $22.99 | $56.99 (10 GB/180 days, 121 destinations) |
| aloSIM | $36.00 (35 countries) | $18.00 | $23.00 | $50.00 |
| Holafly | No fixed plan; 15 days unlimited $50.50 | No fixed plan; 15 days unlimited $50.50 | No fixed plan; 15 days unlimited $50.50 | No fixed plan; 15 days unlimited $96.90 (142 countries) |
Two cautions on the table. Yesim's and Nomad's displayed prices are discounts against a higher list price (Yesim's Japan 10 GB shows $19.20 against a $44.40 list; Nomad's Japan 10 GB $16 against $18), so they move. And Airalo's and Saily's global plans run 180 days, which suits a frequent traveller better than a 30-day plan at a similar price. The country guides carry the destination-specific detail: Europe, Japan, the USA, the Middle East, Africa on safari and multi-country Southeast Asia.
None of them at full speed, and only four of the seven tell you where the slowdown starts. Ubigi publishes 60 GB per 30-day plan before dropping to 2 Mbps, which at 2 GB a day is the most generous allowance on the market. Airalo publishes 3 GB a day then 1 Mbps, resetting every 24 hours. Saily publishes 3 GB a day in Europe and 5 GB a day in Japan and the USA, then 1 Mbps. Nomad publishes 2 GB a day then roughly 1 to 2 Mbps. Holafly and Yesim publish no threshold at all and defer to the local operator's fair-usage policy; Yesim's Trustpilot one-star reviews cite caps of 5 Mbps and third-party testers report 512 kbps.
| Provider | Full-speed allowance | Speed after | Hotspot | Europe 15 days | Japan 15 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | 60 GB per 30-day plan | 2 Mbps | Allowed on every plan | $35 (30 days $62) | $39 (30 days $65) |
| Saily | 3 GB a day (Europe), 5 GB a day (Japan, USA) | 1 Mbps | Allowed; terms forbid excessive multi-device sharing | from $49.99 | $48.99 |
| Airalo | 3 GB a day | 1 Mbps | Unlimited tethering within the daily allowance | $49 | $48 |
| Nomad | 2 GB a day | About 1 to 2 Mbps | Works on most plans | No 15-day plan; 10 days $34 | 14 days $41 |
| aloSIM | 2 GB a day (USA); varies by destination | Not published | Where the network allows | $49 | 7 days $27; 30 days $74 |
| Holafly | Not published; operator fair-usage policy | Not published; "no more than one day" | Capped at 1 GB a day | $50.50 | $50.50 |
| Yesim | Not published; partner operator policy | Not published; users report 512 kbps to 5 Mbps | Available on most plans | about $44.40 | $36 |
Hotspot is the second trap. Holafly caps sharing at 1 GB a day on its unlimited plans, which its own FAQ says is "to preserve network integrity"; for a couple sharing one connection that makes a fixed 20 GB plan from anyone else the better buy. Airalo places no limit on tethering within its daily allowance, Ubigi allows data sharing on every plan, and Saily markets unlimited hotspot on its unlimited Europe plan while its terms forbid "excessive tethering" across multiple devices. Sources: Airalo's fair-use policy, Saily's terms of service, Ubigi's Europe unlimited plan page, Nomad's unlimited-plan help article, Holafly's unlimited FAQ. One more: Nomad's unlimited plans are non-refundable under its refund policy; its fixed plans are refundable within 30 days if unactivated.
The network matters more than the brand, and six of the seven publish it on the plan page. In Japan the strongest combination is KDDI plus NTT Docomo, which only Ubigi and Yesim offer; Airalo runs on SoftBank. In Kenya the safari question is Safaricom (Airalo, Ubigi) versus Airtel (Holafly, Nomad, aloSIM), and Safaricom's rural footprint is the deeper one. Saily is the outlier: its plan pages name the network only for Japan and otherwise say "best local networks", which cost it seven points on this rubric. Check the network before you buy, every time; the Japan and Korea decision matrix and the Shinkansen connectivity guide show what that looks like in practice.
| Provider | Japan | Spain | USA | Kenya |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | KDDI and NTT Docomo | Orange | T-Mobile | Safaricom |
| Airalo | SoftBank and one other | Orange | T-Mobile and one other | Safaricom |
| Holafly | KDDI and SoftBank | Orange, Movistar, Vodafone, Yoigo | AT&T and T-Mobile | Airtel |
| Nomad | KDDI au and SoftBank | Movistar and Orange | T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon | Airtel |
| Yesim | NTT Docomo, SoftBank, KDDI | Telefónica and Orange | AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile | Not named |
| aloSIM | KDDI | Orange | T-Mobile | Airtel (5 GB maximum plan) |
| Saily | KDDI and SoftBank | Not named | Not named | Not named |
No travel-eSIM brand holds GSMA certification itself, because the certification is not designed for them. The GSMA's consumer eSIM standard, SGP.22, and its SAS-SM security accreditation attach to the SM-DP+ platforms that prepare, store and deliver eSIM profiles: Thales, IDEMIA, Giesecke+Devrient, Kigen, 1GLOBAL and a handful of others. A consumer app such as Airalo or Holafly resells profiles prepared on one of those platforms. None of the seven providers here names its SM-DP+ publicly, and the GSMA's compliant-products database is available to members only, so a traveller cannot verify the chain from the outside. The GSMA's own compliance process and its 2024 security analysis of SGP.22 are the primary sources; Kigen's guide to eSIM certification explains what SAS-UP and SAS-SM audit.
What a brand can hold is an audit of its own operation. Airalo is the only one of the seven with one: a SOC 2 Type II attestation announced in March 2025. Holafly's trust centre lists no certification and says several are planned. Saily's parent, Nord Security, runs a public bug-bounty programme and Saily bakes DNS-level ad blocking and web protection into the app, though its own blog is careful to say its "virtual location" feature does not provide end-to-end encryption. Yesim became a GSMA member in August 2026 and ships a VPN on iOS only. Nomad's security page says profiles use "GSMA-approved security protocols" and names no audit.
| Provider | Owner and jurisdiction | Audited security | Built-in extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | AirGSM Pte Ltd, Singapore (Delaware domicile); $220m Series C led by CVC, July 2025 | SOC 2 Type II, announced March 2025 | None |
| Saily | Nord Security; Saily UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania for EEA customers (GDPR) | None named; parent runs a public bug-bounty programme | DNS-level ad blocker and web protection; "virtual location" (not end-to-end encryption); optional US number $0.99 a month |
| Ubigi | Transatel, part of NTT Group, Paris (GDPR); operates its own mobile network code 901-37 | None published; responsible-disclosure policy | None |
| Yesim | Genesis Group AG, Baar, Switzerland | None published; GSMA member since August 2026 | VPN on iOS; virtual UK, US, Dutch and Canadian numbers from $3.60 a month |
| Holafly | Holafly Limited, Dublin, Ireland (GDPR) | None yet; trust centre says certifications are planned | "Always On" 1 GB a month backup data |
| Nomad | LotusFlare Inc, Santa Clara, California | None published; claims GSMA-approved protocols | None |
| aloSIM | AffinityClick Inc, Ottawa, Canada (PIPEDA; EU adequacy) | None published | Free Hushed US or Canadian phone number with eligible plans |
The caveats worth carrying. A travel eSIM is data-only, so it is not the line tied to your bank's SMS codes; the SIM-swap risk sits with your home number, which stays on your home carrier. Some providers route traffic through third countries, which affects privacy and geolocation more than security. A DNS-level ad blocker is not a VPN. And the residual risk in the GSMA's own analysis is a compromised SM-DP+, which is exactly why the platform's SAS-SM accreditation, not the app's branding, is the assurance that counts. If you travel to a country that restricts services, the international eSIM guide covers what works and what does not.
Airalo for most trips. It sells fixed and unlimited plans, publishes its 3 GB-a-day threshold, allows unlimited hotspot and covers more destinations. Holafly's case is a single heavy-data phone where you never want to think about allowances, and a 4.7 Trustpilot score from 110,554 reviews against Airalo's 4.1 from 42,099. Holafly's 1 GB-a-day hotspot cap and unpublished throttle are the two facts that decide it. The full case for and against Airalo is in Is Airalo worth it?.
Nomad on price for a fixed plan (Japan 10 GB $16 against Airalo's $25; Europe $23 against $31), Airalo for breadth, regional plans and a reusable global eSIM. Never buy Nomad's unlimited plans: 2 GB a day at full speed and no refund. Nomad names its networks in every market tested and its iOS app is the best rated of the seven at 4.8.
Yesim for a European regional trip on a budget (10 GB $19.20 against $31, and 33 countries is enough for almost every itinerary), and for a virtual UK or US number to receive banking codes. Airalo for anything outside Europe, for a published unlimited threshold, and for the deeper app ecosystem. Yesim's Swiss ownership is a plus; its 2,943-review Trustpilot base is thin next to Airalo's 42,099. The longer version is the Yesim vs Airalo head-to-head and Is Yesim worth it?.
Saily. Its unlimited Europe plan starts at $49.99 against Holafly's $50.50 for 15 days, publishes a 3 GB-a-day full-speed allowance, allows hotspot sharing, and its fixed 10 GB ($35.99) and 25 GB plans let a normal tourist avoid paying for unlimited at all. Holafly's advantage is the review base and the "Always On" 1 GB monthly backup; neither outweighs an unpublished throttle and a 1 GB hotspot cap.
| Your trip | Pick | Why | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two weeks in Europe, normal use | Ubigi 10 GB, $15 | Cheapest by a wide margin; Orange in Spain | Yesim 10 GB, $19.20 |
| Two weeks in Europe, heavy data | Ubigi 15-day unlimited, $35 | 60 GB at full speed before 2 Mbps; hotspot allowed | Saily unlimited from $49.99 |
| Japan | Ubigi 10 GB, $16.50 | KDDI plus NTT Docomo, 5G, hotspot allowed | Nomad 10 GB, $16 |
| USA from Europe | Ubigi 10 GB, $14 | T-Mobile; covers Hawaii and Puerto Rico, not Alaska | Yesim 10 GB, $16.80 |
| Several Southeast Asian countries | Airalo regional plan | Broadest regional coverage and the largest app ecosystem | Nomad regional plan |
| Safari in Kenya and Tanzania | Airalo (Safaricom in Kenya) | Safaricom has the deepest rural coverage; Ubigi also uses it at $42 for 10 GB | Holafly (Airtel), only if you want unlimited |
| Monthly business travel | Airalo Discover+ or Saily global | One reusable eSIM, top up per trip; Saily adds a US number for $0.99 a month | Ubigi World 10 GB, $59 |
| You need a phone number | Saily (US number) or Yesim (UK, US, NL, CA numbers) | Only two of the seven sell numbers; aloSIM bundles a free Hushed number | aloSIM |
| Unusual destination, thin coverage | Airalo | 200+ destinations and the most-tested app; check the network on the plan page first | Ubigi (201 destinations) |
Check the network on the plan page, buy fixed data unless you genuinely stream all day, and install before you fly.
Airalo plansYesim plansAffiliate links. Ubigi, Saily, Nomad, Holafly and aloSIM sell direct; this site earns nothing on those.
The buyer's guide walks through the same decision in plain steps, and if you are still weighing whether an eSIM beats your carrier's roaming pass at all, eSIM vs roaming and when an eSIM makes sense answer that first.
On this rubric Ubigi scores highest, 89 out of 100, because it is the cheapest of the seven for 10 GB in Europe ($15), Japan ($16.50) and the USA ($14), its unlimited plans allow 60 GB at full speed before slowing to 2 Mbps, and it names its networks (KDDI and NTT Docomo in Japan, T-Mobile in the USA, Safaricom in Kenya). Airalo scores 81 and remains the safest choice for unusual destinations; Saily scores 77 with the clearest unlimited terms and the strongest security features.
Airalo for most trips, Holafly only for heavy data on one phone. Airalo sells fixed-data plans (Europe 10 GB/30 days $31; Japan 10 GB/30 days $25) and unlimited plans with a published 3 GB per day full-speed allowance and unlimited hotspot. Holafly sells unlimited plans only (Europe, Japan or USA 15 days $50.50), publishes no throttle threshold and caps hotspot sharing at 1 GB per day. Holafly's Trustpilot score is higher (4.7 from 110,554 reviews against Airalo's 4.1 from 42,099).
Not at full speed, and Holafly does not publish the threshold. Its FAQ says some operators apply a fair-usage policy that may reduce speed after a certain amount of high-speed data, for no more than one day. Hotspot sharing is capped at 1 GB per day. By comparison Airalo states 3 GB per day then 1 Mbps, Saily 3 GB or 5 GB per day then 1 Mbps, Nomad 2 GB per day then about 1 to 2 Mbps, and Ubigi 60 GB per 30-day plan then 2 Mbps.
Yes. Saily is operated by Nord Security, the Lithuanian company behind one of the largest consumer VPN products; the contracting entity for European customers is Saily UAB in Vilnius. It has a 4.7 Trustpilot score from 30,582 reviews, publishes its throttle thresholds (3 GB or 5 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps), and builds DNS-level ad blocking and web protection into the app. Its weakness is that plan pages name the underlying network only for Japan (KDDI and SoftBank).
Ubigi, at $15 for 10 GB over 30 days across about 37 European destinations, then Yesim at $19.20 (33 countries) and Nomad at $23. Airalo charges $31, Saily $35.99 and aloSIM $36 for the same allowance. For 15 days of unlimited data in Europe the range is Ubigi $35, Yesim about $44.40, Airalo $49, aloSIM $49 and Holafly $50.50; Nomad's longest European unlimited plan is 10 days at $34.
Usually, but the unlimited plans differ. Airalo allows unlimited tethering within its 3 GB daily full-speed allowance, Saily markets unlimited hotspot on its unlimited Europe plan, Ubigi allows data sharing on every plan, and Nomad and aloSIM allow it where the local network does. Holafly caps hotspot sharing at 1 GB per day on unlimited plans, which makes it a poor choice for a couple sharing one connection.
Nomad is a legitimate provider owned by LotusFlare of Santa Clara, California, with a 4.3 Trustpilot score from 43,079 reviews and a 4.8-rated iOS app. It names its networks (KDDI au and SoftBank in Japan, Movistar and Orange in Spain, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon in the USA, Airtel in Kenya). Its unlimited plans allow only 2 GB a day at full speed before slowing to roughly 1 to 2 Mbps and are non-refundable, so buy fixed-data plans from Nomad rather than unlimited ones.
Not as brands. GSMA SGP.22 compliance and SAS-SM accreditation attach to the SM-DP+ platforms that prepare and deliver eSIM profiles (Thales, IDEMIA, Giesecke+Devrient, 1GLOBAL and others), not to the consumer app that resells them, and the GSMA's compliant-products list is available to members only. None of the seven providers compared here publishes which SM-DP+ it uses. Airalo holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation (March 2025); Holafly's trust centre lists no certification yet; Yesim joined the GSMA as a member in August 2026.
None of the seven compared here needs avoiding; the risk sits in the plan type, not the brand. Avoid unlimited plans where the provider does not publish its throttle threshold (Holafly and Yesim) if you need predictable speed, avoid Nomad's unlimited plans if you may want a refund, and avoid very small resellers with no published network, refund terms or review history. Check the underlying network for your destination before buying; that matters more than the logo on the app.
Prices, allowances and review counts were read on each provider's own site and Trustpilot in the first week of September 2026 and change without notice; every figure is quoted with its allowance and validity so you can check it against the plan page on the day you buy. Rankings are scored against published criteria. Partners are labelled.
We use cookies to improve user experience. Choose what cookie categories you allow us to use. You can read more about our Cookie Policy by clicking on Cookie Policy below.
These cookies enable strictly necessary cookies for security, language support and verification of identity. These cookies can’t be disabled.
These cookies collect data to remember choices users make to improve and give a better user experience. Disabling can cause some parts of the site to not work properly.
These cookies help us to understand how visitors interact with our website, help us measure and analyze traffic to improve our service.
These cookies help us to better deliver marketing content and customized ads.