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The Short Answer
There's no single cheapest eSIM — it changes country by country. For a typical two-week trip with 10 GB, the cheapest plan costs a median of $11.50 across the 73 countries we track. MobiMatter is the cheapest option most often, in 31 of them, and for a lighter week with 5 GB it's SimOptions (50 countries).
The big names are rarely the very cheapest. Sticking with Airalo, Saily, Nomad, or Ubigi costs a median of $1.76 more for the same two-week trip — often worth it, sometimes not. Find your destination in the country table below.
Which eSIM Provider Is Cheapest Most Often?
I picked four common trip types and found the cheapest plan that covers each one in every country we track. A plan counts if it has at least the data and days the trip needs, so a bigger or longer plan wins if it's cheaper. Here's who came out cheapest most often, and what the cheapest plan typically costs.
One week, light use
At least 5 GB, valid 7+ days
Median cheapest price
$5.90
Cheapest most often
- 1.SimOptions50 countries
- 2.MobiMatter18 countries
- 3.Nomad3 countries
Range: $3.50 in Austria to $66 in Cuba
Two weeks, typical use
At least 10 GB, valid 15+ days
Median cheapest price
$11.50
Cheapest most often
- 1.MobiMatter31 countries
- 2.Ubigi9 countries
- 3.GigSky8 countries
Range: $5.99 in Malaysia to $120 in Cuba
A month, heavy use
At least 20 GB, valid 30+ days
Median cheapest price
$20
Cheapest most often
- 1.MobiMatter29 countries
- 2.Nomad11 countries
- 3.Breeze10 countries
Range: $9.99 in Malaysia to $227.99 in Cuba
Unlimited for a week
Unlimited data, valid 7+ days
Median cheapest price
$19.99
Cheapest most often
- 1.Maya Mobile48 countries
- 2.Ubigi14 countries
- 3.GigSky4 countries
Range: $9.90 in Thailand to $195.99 in Cuba
Holafly, the best-known unlimited brand, is rarely the cheapest way to get unlimited data: it came out cheapest for an unlimited week in 1 of the 73 countries. It still has the most generous unlimited plans and 24/7 live chat, which some travelers will happily pay for.
The Cheapest eSIM in Every Country We Track
Each cell shows the cheapest plan that covers that trip, who sells it, and the plan's actual size. Tap a country to see every plan we track there, including the ones that cost a bit more but may suit you better.
Europe
Asia
| Country | 5 GB · 1 week | 10 GB · 2 weeks | Unlimited · 1 week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodia | |||
| China | |||
| Georgia | |||
| Hong Kong | |||
| India | |||
| Indonesia | |||
| Israel | |||
| Japan | |||
| Jordan | |||
| Laos | |||
| Malaysia | |||
| Maldives | |||
| Nepal | |||
| Philippines | |||
| Qatar | |||
| Saudi Arabia | |||
| Singapore | |||
| South Korea | |||
| Sri Lanka | |||
| Taiwan | |||
| Thailand | |||
| United Arab Emirates | |||
| Uzbekistan | |||
| Vietnam |
Americas
Africa
Oceania
| Country | 5 GB · 1 week | 10 GB · 2 weeks | Unlimited · 1 week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | |||
| Fiji | |||
| New Zealand |
What Sticking With a Big Name Costs You
Most travelers end up with one of four providers: Airalo, Saily, Nomad, or Ubigi. They have the most polished apps, the most reviews, and the most help articles when something goes wrong. They're just not usually the cheapest. For a two-week, 10 GB trip, one of them was the cheapest option overall in 15 of the 73 countries, and choosing the cheapest of the four instead of the cheapest overall cost a median of $1.76 more.
If you want one of the four, this is how often each was the cheapest of the group for that two-week trip:
Ubigi
42 countries
Nomad
23 countries
Airalo
7 countries
I've used three of them myself — Airalo on my honeymoon in Paris in 2023, Saily when I went back to Paris in May 2026, and Ubigi in London in September 2026 — and none gave me any trouble. For a short trip, the difference is often a few dollars, and I'd pay that for an app I already know. On a month-long trip, or anywhere the gap is large, it's worth checking the cheaper option.
When the Cheapest eSIM Isn't the Best Choice
The providers that top the table above are legitimate, and they connect to the same local networks as everyone else. But the cheapest plan often has a catch worth knowing about:
Short validity
Some of the lowest prices are for plans that only last a few days. SimOptions’ 10 GB plans, for example, last seven days. That’s why the one-week column is full of low prices that disappear from the two-week column. Check the days, not just the gigabytes.
Marketplaces and resellers
MobiMatter is a marketplace: the eSIM you buy is made by another company, sometimes a big name like Airalo, and support goes through MobiMatter. That’s fine for most trips, but it’s one more step between you and the network if something breaks.
Which network you get
In most countries every provider uses one of two or three local networks, and they aren’t equal everywhere. If you’re going somewhere remote, open the country page and check which network the cheap plan uses.
“Unlimited” with a speed limit
Most unlimited plans slow you down once you pass a daily allowance — often a few gigabytes a day. For maps, messaging, and social media you’ll rarely notice. For streaming or tethering a laptop, you might.
Promotional prices
Some providers, Yesim in particular, sell well below their list price. We record the price you’d actually pay today, but discounts like that can end without notice — which is one reason this page is recalculated every time we update prices.
Where I've Overpaid (and Nearly Did)
Before my honeymoon in Paris in January 2023, I looked at what Verizon's TravelPass would cost for the week: about $140. I bought an Airalo eSIM instead, and that gap is the reason I eventually built this site.
I still don't always get it right. On a Dublin and London trip in September 2026, I bought two eSIMs, one for Ireland and one for the UK, because I assumed Brexit meant one plan couldn't cover both. It could: regional plans like Airalo's EU + UK eSIM include both countries. The cheapest eSIM is often just the one plan that covers your whole trip.
How to Pay Less for an eSIM
Buy the data you'll actually use
The cheapest plan for a light week costs a median of $5.90; a heavy month costs a median of $20. Most travelers use 3–7 GB a week. Our data calculator will estimate yours, and you can always top up.
Don't default to unlimited
The cheapest unlimited week costs a median of $19.99, against $5.90 for 5 GB. Unlimited is worth it if you stream or tether, and rarely otherwise.
Use one regional plan for multi-country trips
Buying a separate eSIM for every country adds up quickly. In Europe, one EU-wide eSIM covers the whole trip.
Check for a promo code
Our country pages show the working discount codes we've verified next to each provider's plans. They're usually 10–20% off, and some only apply to your first purchase.
Skip your carrier's day pass
At $12 a day, two weeks of Verizon TravelPass or AT&T International Day Pass costs about $168, against a median of $11.50 for the cheapest two-week eSIM.
How We Calculate This
Every price on this page comes from our plans database: 8,607 plans from 14 providers across 73 countries, each one read from the provider's own website between Aug 30 and Oct 7, 2026. Prices are in US dollars, at the price you'd pay today, before any promo code.
We only count plans sold for that single country, not regional or global bundles. The one exception is Maya Mobile, which sells a single global unlimited plan at the same price everywhere it works.
For each trip type, the cheapest plan is the lowest total price among plans with at least the data and validity the trip needs. If two plans cost the same, the one with more data wins. This page is rebuilt every time we update our prices, so the numbers here always match our country comparison pages.
See every plan for your destination
The cheapest plan is a starting point. Compare every provider side by side — data, validity, network, and price.
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