Best eSIM for International Travel in 2026: Prices Compared
Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and SpendCrypto compared on real prices for Japan, Europe and the US, plus unlimited plans, hotspot rules and speed.
A travel eSIM is the cheapest, easiest way to get mobile data abroad. Picking one is harder than it should be, because the same 5GB in Japan can cost twice as much from one provider as from another, and the details that matter, like fair-use limits and hotspot rules, are rarely on the price page.
So we checked. On 14 October 2026 we priced the same trips across six providers, and read the fine print on unlimited data, hotspots and phone numbers.
One thing to say up front: SpendCrypto sells travel eSIMs, so we’re one of the six. We’ve tried to write the comparison we’d want to read anyway, which means pointing out where other providers beat us as well as where we’re cheapest.
The short version
| If you want | Best pick from our comparison |
|---|---|
| The cheapest fixed data in one country | SpendCrypto, on every trip we priced |
| The cheapest fixed data across Europe | SpendCrypto, followed by Ubigi |
| Unlimited data for a week | Ubigi, Airalo or Holafly |
| One plan for a round-the-world trip | Ubigi, Saily or Nomad, whose global plans cost less than ours |
| The fastest speeds in independent testing | Nomad and Ubigi |
| A phone number as well as data | Airalo, on some plans |
| To pay with crypto | SpendCrypto, or Yesim |
Most travellers don’t need unlimited data. A fixed plan of 5GB to 10GB covers a week or two of maps, messaging, social media and the occasional video call, and that’s where the price differences are biggest.
How to choose a travel eSIM
- Price for your actual trip. Work out roughly how much data you’ll use and for how long, then compare that plan, not the “from” price on the homepage.
- Country, regional or global. A single-country plan is cheapest. A regional plan, like Europe, is better if you’re crossing borders. A global plan is convenient but usually the most expensive per gigabyte.
- The fair-use limit on “unlimited”. Every unlimited plan slows down after a daily amount. The threshold and the speed afterwards vary a lot.
- Hotspot rules. If you want to share data with a laptop, check that the plan allows it, and whether it’s capped.
- Speed and routing. Many travel eSIMs route your traffic through another country, which adds delay. More on that below.
- Phone number or data only. Most travel eSIMs are data only. That’s fine for WhatsApp, iMessage and internet calls, but not for receiving normal calls or texts.
- When the plan starts. Most start when you first connect at your destination, but each provider has a window for activating, from 60 days to six months.
- How you pay and install. Some providers require their app or an account. Some accept crypto. Most don’t.
And before any of that, make sure your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked. Our eSIM compatibility guide shows how to check in under a minute.
Travel eSIM prices compared
All prices are in US dollars, checked on 14 October 2026. SpendCrypto prices are what checkout charges. Plans and prices change often, so treat this as a snapshot.
Japan, about 5GB for 30 days
| Provider | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SpendCrypto | 5GB, 30 days | $7.90 |
| Nomad | 5GB, 30 days | $10.00* |
| Ubigi | 5GB, 15 days | $10.00 |
| Saily | 5GB, 30 days | $10.99** |
| Airalo | 5GB, 30 days | $11.00 |
| Holafly | Unlimited, 30 days | $73.90 |
Europe, about 10GB for 30 days
| Provider | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SpendCrypto | Western Europe, 10GB, 34 countries | $11.50 |
| Ubigi | Europe, 10GB, 38 destinations | $15.00 |
| Nomad | Europe, 10GB, 35 countries | $23.00 |
| Airalo | Europe, 10GB, 41 countries | $31.00 |
| Saily | Europe, 10GB, 34 countries | $35.99** |
| Holafly | Europe, unlimited, 33 countries | $76.50 |
Our Western Europe eSIM also covers the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Turkey, which some Europe plans leave out.
United States, about 10GB for 30 days
| Provider | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SpendCrypto | 10GB, 30 days | $13.10 |
| Ubigi | 10GB, 30 days | $14.00 |
| Nomad | 10GB, 30 days | $15.00* |
| Airalo | 10GB, 30 days | $22.50 |
| Saily | 10GB, 30 days | $22.99** |
| Holafly | Unlimited, 30 days | $73.90 |
Unlimited data for 7 days
| Provider | Japan | USA | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | $25.00 (8 days) | $23.00 | No plan found |
| Airalo | $26.50 | $25.00 | $27.00 |
| Holafly | $27.50 | $27.50 | $27.50 |
| Saily | $28.99** | $28.99** | $28.99** |
| SpendCrypto | $34.00 | $36.40 | $28.70 |
This is where we’re not the cheapest. If you need unlimited data for a week, Ubigi, Airalo and Holafly cost less in Japan and the US.
Global and multi-region plans, about 10GB for 30 days
| Provider | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | Best World, 10GB | $39.00 |
| Saily | Global, 10GB | $44.99** |
| Airalo | Discover, 10GB for 180 days | $57.00 |
| Nomad | Global, 10GB, 123 countries | $62.00 |
| SpendCrypto | Global, 10GB, 104 countries | $75.50 |
Our global eSIM is the most expensive in this group. For a trip across several countries in one region, a regional plan is much cheaper. For a round-the-world trip, a global plan from another provider, or a separate eSIM for each leg, will usually cost less.
*Nomad showed prices in Australian dollars; we converted them at Nomad’s own exchange rate. **Saily’s website blocked our checks, so its prices come from the comparison site eSIMDB, updated in early October 2026.
Unlimited eSIMs: read the fair-use rules
No unlimited plan is truly unlimited. Each one slows you down after a certain amount of data per day:
| Provider | What happens on unlimited plans |
|---|---|
| SpendCrypto | Full speed for 2GB a day, then 2 Mbps |
| Airalo | Slows to 1 Mbps after 3GB a day in Japan, or 5GB a day in the US and Europe |
| Holafly | Unlimited, with possible short slowdowns from the local network, and hotspot capped at 1GB a day |
| Saily | Full speed for 5GB a day, then 1 Mbps |
| Nomad | Full speed for 2GB a day, then about 1 to 2 Mbps |
| Ubigi | Slows to 2 Mbps after a set amount, which varies by plan |
A speed of 1 to 2 Mbps is enough for maps, messaging and music, and slow for video. If you’ll stream or work online all day, the threshold matters more than the price. If you won’t, a fixed plan is almost always cheaper.
Hotspot, phone numbers and apps
| Provider | Hotspot | Phone number | App needed | Crypto |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpendCrypto | Every plan | No | No | Yes |
| Airalo | Yes | Some plans | No | No |
| Holafly | 1GB a day | No | No | Not listed |
| Saily | Some plans | No | Yes | Not listed |
| Nomad | Yes | Some plans | Optional | No |
| Ubigi | Yes | No | No | No |
Of the providers we checked, only SpendCrypto and Yesim say they accept crypto. SpendCrypto also lets you check out as a guest with just an email address.
Which travel eSIM is fastest?
In August 2026, Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, published an analysis of travel eSIM performance using Android speed tests from the second quarter of the year. Median download speeds were:
| Provider | Median download |
|---|---|
| Nomad | 80 Mbps |
| 1GLOBAL | 80 Mbps |
| Ubigi | 76 Mbps |
| Holafly | 57 Mbps |
| Airalo | 30 Mbps |
| Yesim | 6 Mbps |
Ookla’s most useful finding was about routing. Most travel eSIMs send your traffic back through a hub in another country before it reaches the internet. On the same Japanese network, Ookla saw delays ranging from 54 milliseconds with a local exit point to 543 milliseconds for traffic routed through Madrid. You’ll notice that on video calls and in games. Ookla’s advice is to choose an eSIM whose traffic exits close to where you are.
Ookla’s analysis didn’t include SpendCrypto, so we can’t tell you where we’d rank, and we won’t guess.
Is a travel eSIM cheaper than roaming?
Almost always. For US travellers in October 2026:
- AT&T International Day Pass costs $12 a day, so a week is $84.
- Verizon TravelPass costs $12 a day in most countries, also $84 a week, with 5GB of high-speed data per session.
The same week in Japan costs $7.90 for 5GB, or $34 for unlimited data, on a SpendCrypto eSIM. Some T-Mobile plans include a little high-speed roaming data, so check yours before you buy anything.
The best setup is to keep your home SIM switched on for calls and texts, with data roaming turned off, and let the travel eSIM handle data. Our guide to eSIM vs physical SIM walks through it.
Our picks by type of trip
A week or two in one country, normal use. A 5GB to 10GB fixed plan. On the trips we priced, SpendCrypto was the cheapest, at $7.90 for 5GB in Japan and $13.10 for 10GB in the US.
Two weeks across Europe. A regional plan. Our Western Europe eSIM was the cheapest 10GB option at $11.50 and covers 34 countries, including the UK and Switzerland. Ubigi was the next cheapest at $15.
Heavy data use for a few days. An unlimited plan, but read the fair-use limit. For a full week, Ubigi, Airalo and Holafly were cheaper than us. For a single heavy day, our one-day unlimited plans start at around $5 in Europe.
A round-the-world trip. Ubigi’s, Saily’s or Nomad’s global plans cost less than ours. Buying a country or regional eSIM for each leg can be cheaper still.
You want to pay with crypto. SpendCrypto accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Solana, Tron, BNB, USDT and USDC. Of the others we checked, Yesim is the only one that says it accepts crypto.
You need a local phone number. Look at Airalo’s plans that include calls and texts, or buy a local SIM.
Travel eSIMs by destination
SpendCrypto sells eSIMs for 192 countries plus regional and global plans. Some of the most popular:
How to buy a travel eSIM with crypto
- Pick your destination and plan on the eSIM page.
- Check out with your email address. You don’t need an account or an app.
- Pay with Bitcoin, USDT, USDC or another supported coin. For small plans, a cheap network like BNB Smart Chain or Polygon keeps the fee to a cent or less.
- Your QR code appears on the order page as soon as the payment confirms, and arrives by email.
- Install it at home on Wi-Fi using our guides for iPhone or Android. The plan doesn’t start until you first connect at your destination.
Common questions
What is the best eSIM for international travel?
It depends on the trip. For fixed data in one country or across Europe, SpendCrypto was the cheapest in our 14 October 2026 comparison. For a week of unlimited data, Ubigi, Airalo and Holafly were cheaper. For global plans, Ubigi, Saily and Nomad were. In Ookla’s independent testing, Nomad and Ubigi had the fastest median speeds.
Is Airalo or Holafly better?
They suit different travellers. Airalo sells fixed data plans in a wide range of sizes, and some include calls and texts. Holafly focuses on unlimited data, but caps hotspot use at 1GB a day. For a typical week of normal use, a fixed plan is usually cheaper than unlimited.
Which eSIM works in the most countries?
Most of the big providers advertise more than 200 destinations. For a single plan across many countries, Nomad’s global plan covered 123 countries and ours covers 104, while Airalo’s Discover plan covers more but is priced for longer trips.
Do travel eSIMs include a phone number?
Most don’t. They’re data only, which is enough for WhatsApp, iMessage, FaceTime and other internet calling. Airalo and Nomad sell some plans with a number. Keep your home SIM active if you need to receive normal calls and texts.
When should I install my travel eSIM?
Before you leave, while you’re on Wi-Fi. Installing needs an internet connection, and most plans don’t start counting days until you first connect at your destination.
Can I use my travel eSIM as a hotspot?
On most providers, yes. Every SpendCrypto eSIM supports hotspot. Holafly limits hotspot use to 1GB a day, and some Saily plans restrict it, so check before you rely on it for a laptop.