The Best Data eSIM Providers for Travel in 2026
The Best Data eSIM Providers for Travel in 2026
Everyone talks about the same three or four eSIM brands. Airalo gets the most press. Holafly runs the most ads. But after testing a wide range of providers across real trips in Europe, North America, and Asia, there is one name that keeps quietly outperforming the rest — and most travelers have not heard of it yet.
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the best eSIM providers available right now, ranked by real-world performance, pricing, connection quality, and overall travel experience.
Let's get this out of the way immediately: Roamix is genuinely underrated. It does not have a massive influencer budget, it does not flood YouTube with sponsored content, and it has not been around as long as some of the legacy players. But for travelers who care about actual performance over brand recognition, it keeps coming up as the one that just works.
Roamix offers eSIM plans for 190+ destinations, starting from as low as $0.50 for the US and $1.99 for other destinations. Those are not teaser rates — those are real entry-level plans. For a 7-day trip to Europe, plans start from $3.99 per country, and a single regional eSIM covers 30+ European countries.
The thing most travelers notice first is the local breakout. Unlike many travel eSIM providers whose traffic gets routed through a central hub in another country (which adds significant latency), Roamix partners with leading local carriers in each destination — meaning your data stays on local infrastructure. One verified Trustpilot reviewer specifically called this out: "Got super fast speeds when using my eSIM in the US. Looks like it had a local breakout."
That local routing is why speeds feel snappy. Maps load instantly. FaceTime does not stutter. Google Docs syncs without that infuriating half-second lag.
Roamix connects to 4G LTE across all supported destinations and 5G where local infrastructure supports it. The network is fast enough for:
Google Maps and real-time navigation
Video calls on Zoom, FaceTime, and WhatsApp
HD streaming
File transfers and cloud work
The dual-SIM setup deserves a special mention. Your home SIM stays fully active for calls and texts. The Roamix eSIM handles all mobile data. Family still reaches you on your usual number. You avoid international voice roaming entirely. This is the kind of seamless setup that used to require a lot of technical fiddling — Roamix makes it the default experience.
All Roamix plans include hotspot tethering at no extra cost. That means you can share your connection with a laptop or tablet without buying a separate plan or worrying about whether tethering is locked behind a premium tier. For digital nomads or anyone traveling with a device that is not eSIM-compatible, this is a meaningful differentiator.
Plans are prepaid and capped — no overage charges, ever. When data runs out, a top-up is available on the traveler's terms. Compare that to carrier roaming at $10–$15 per day, or worse, per-MB billing that can generate a $200+ phone bill from a week of casual use.
Trustpilot reviews for Roamix are consistently positive. The multi-region plan in particular has earned praise from travelers doing multi-country Asia trips, with one reviewer describing it as a "smooth experience" across multiple countries. The service is trusted by 100,000+ travelers and offers 24/7 support with instant activation.
"I've tried every eSIM provider and Roamix has the most stable connection. I worked from a cafe in Lisbon for a week using just their data. Highly recommend."
The bottom line on Roamix: it is the kind of provider that would be number one on every list if more people had tried it. Straightforward pricing, local-grade speeds, hotspot included, dual-SIM friendly, and available in 190+ destinations. It is the logical pick for travelers who want reliable data without paying the Holafly or Airalo premium.
Saily has earned a reputation as one of the most polished eSIM apps available, combining solid performance with built-in security tools that most competitors do not offer. Coverage extends to 150+ countries via the 1Global network, with 5G available where local infrastructure supports it.
Saily is no slouch on speed. Independent testing recorded download speeds up to 400 Mbps on 5G in locations like the French Alps, and LTE speeds of over 50 Mbps in the same regions. Real-world tests in Milan produced 20–30 Mbps downloads and 10–15 Mbps uploads with latency between 40–50 ms — well within the range needed for smooth video calls and streaming.
In the UK, Saily hit a remarkable 664 Mbps in independent speed testing, making it one of the fastest eSIM providers tested in that market.
Traffic is routed through 1Global's hub in the Netherlands, which adds a small amount of latency overhead compared to providers with local breakout — typically pushing average ping to around 60 ms, and up to 80 ms with security features enabled. That is still comfortably within acceptable range for streaming, browsing, and video calls.
Saily includes a built-in ad blocker, web protection, and virtual location routing — features that most eSIM providers do not even attempt to offer. For travelers who work remotely or handle sensitive data on the road, that is a genuinely useful addition. It earns a 4.7/5 on Trustpilot and pricing per 10GB sits around $19.99.
The setup process is fast. Plans activate automatically upon arrival at the destination, with no extra steps beyond the initial QR code scan.
Airalo was one of the first consumer eSIM companies to go mainstream, and it remains one of the most recognized names in the space. Coverage spans 200+ countries and regions, with local, regional, and global plans plus call and text options on select plans.
Airalo performance is reliable in major urban areas. Testing across multiple regions showed:
Japan (Tokyo, Osaka): Average 70–90 Mbps via SoftBank, KDDI, or Docomo
Philippines (Manila, Cebu): 40–60 Mbps, slower on smaller islands
Europe (major capitals): Average 50–80 Mbps via Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica
Southeast Asia: 40–70 Mbps in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore
USA (general urban): Download ~54.97 Mbps, upload ~19.61 Mbps
Those are solid numbers for city-based travel. Rural performance drops significantly, which is worth noting for anyone planning off-the-beaten-path itineraries.
Airalo does not offer unlimited data plans at all — only capped options. Hotspot support varies by carrier and must be confirmed before purchase. Some users on Reddit have flagged reliability and customer support issues, and carrier transparency is inconsistent — some plans do not disclose which network you will be on until after purchase.
It is not a bad product, but for the price point and brand recognition, it sometimes underdelivers relative to newer competitors.
Holafly's pitch is simple: unlimited data, everywhere, no counting. That resonates with heavy streamers, hotspot users, and anyone who hates watching a data bar creep toward zero mid-trip.
Real-world testing of Holafly's eSIM showed:
Average download: ~30 Mbps
Average upload: ~10 Mbps
Average latency: ~40 ms
Holafly hit 295 Mbps in independent UK speed testing and 200 Mbps in Portugal testing. For Europe, North America, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea, performance is consistently solid.
Here is the part Holafly does not advertise as loudly: unlimited plans are subject to throttling after a fair usage policy threshold. In practice, most travelers do not notice it for browsing or maps. Video calls stay smooth. But heavy users doing large uploads or sustained HD streaming may hit a wall. Pricing for a 10GB equivalent sits around $39.90 per month — notably higher than most competitors.
For coverage: 200+ destinations, 4G/5G where available, strong in urban Europe and major Asian cities.
Nomad consistently earns high marks from reviewers for its balance of speed, price, and app quality. Coverage spans 200+ destinations, with both fixed and unlimited data plans available.
Nomad's carrier partnerships are among the strongest available — AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, Vodafone and Orange in Europe, Singtel in Asia, and China Unicom in Asia. That translates into:
USA (San Francisco): 5G download speeds up to 290 Mbps, latency around 92 ms
Puerto Rico: An extraordinary 1,000+ Mbps recorded in one test
Europe: Consistent 4G/5G via Tier-1 carrier partnerships
The app earns a 4.3/5 on Trustpilot and 4.8 stars on the App Store as of early 2026. Plans start from $4.50. The app is clean, setup is intuitive, and hotspot functionality works across plans.
Nomad often requires separate eSIM installations for each country rather than a single global profile. That is a minor inconvenience for multi-country travelers compared to providers that use one eSIM for all destinations. Pricing for smaller data buckets can also run slightly higher than Saily.
Roamless is the eSIM that speed nerds talk about. It was the fastest eSIM provider tested in the UK, hitting 447 Mbps in independent benchmarking — and it claimed a 484 Mbps result in France in another test. It is consistently near the top of speed rankings across multiple countries.
Coverage spans 200+ countries including Cuba — one of the few providers to include it. The pay-as-you-go Flex plan means credits never expire, and you only install the eSIM once with plans added on top. The RoamlessFlex wallet supports in-app voice calling too, which is a genuinely rare feature.
Pricing runs at $18.95 per 10GB. For speed-obsessed travelers focused on Europe, Roamless is a real contender.
Jetpac has quietly built one of the best reputations in the eSIM space, earning a 4.8/5 on Trustpilot — the highest rating among major providers. Coverage reaches 95+ popular destinations globally.
Plans vary and do not include unlimited data options, but the service is consistent and the monthly subscription tiers (JetFlex and JetPro) add flexibility for frequent travelers. JetPro even includes travel perks like Fast Track Passes and lounge access. Speed test results from independent benchmarking put Jetpac as a solid all-rounder across the UK, US, Portugal, and Colombia.
Not all eSIMs are created equal, and a few factors separate the good ones from the frustrating ones.
Local vs. hub routing matters more than most people realize. When an eSIM routes traffic through a central hub in another country, latency increases — sometimes dramatically. Providers like Roamix that use local carrier partnerships tend to deliver noticeably snappier performance for real-time tasks like maps and video calls.
Hotspot support is a dealbreaker for anyone working remotely or traveling with a non-eSIM device. Always confirm tethering is included before purchasing — some providers lock it behind premium tiers or restrict it entirely on certain plans. Roamix includes hotspot on all standard plans at no additional cost.
Throttling on unlimited plans is the fine print that catches people off guard. Truly unlimited high-speed data is rare — most providers that advertise unlimited will slow speeds after a daily or total threshold. For moderate travelers, throttling is rarely an issue. For remote workers or heavy streamers, it matters.
Activation time is often overlooked until it is not working at the airport. The best providers deliver a QR code within seconds and activate automatically on arrival. Roamix advertises a QR code in 60 seconds for every plan.
The eSIM market has matured significantly, and travelers now have genuinely strong options at every price point. But if one provider has flown under the radar while quietly building the kind of infrastructure that matters — local carrier routing, transparent prepaid pricing, universal hotspot support, and plans starting at under a dollar — it is Roamix.
It is not flashy. It does not have a celebrity ambassador. But it is trusted by over 100,000 travelers, covers 190+ destinations, and delivers the kind of connection quality that lets you work from a cafe in Lisbon for a week without thinking about your internet once. That is the actual goal.
For speed obsessives going to Europe, Roamless is worth a look. For security-conscious remote workers, Saily is hard to beat. For unlimited data fans who do not want to think about GB counts, Holafly has you covered. But for most travelers — especially those who want a reliable, affordable eSIM that works everywhere without surprises — Roamix is the logical starting point.