BEST 2024 International eSIMs Compared (5 Continents, 21 Months)

[@ProjectUntethered]

I'd love it if you shared this video with your travel friends 😇 And if you're wondering about the other eSIM companies I tested or how I gathered data, check out the full write-up here: bit.ly/4aScvGA Also, hit the SUBSCRIBE button to get all the new travel hacks I discover to travel smarter for less See ya in the next one!

[@melgordon2490]

Can you hotspot?

[@markylon]

I used AIRALO in Japan, I bought and installed ahead of my visit (it doesn't activate until you connect) the second the plane landed I turned off airplane mode and turned on my data and it CONNECTED INSTANTLY. Data was fast and reliable. Couldn't have been any quicker or smoother. TOTALLY RECOMMEND

[@ProjectUntethered]

I’m glad you enjoyed it!! 🤓

[@jessied4210]

I think there are other ways to get tickets. For example TrainPal I just used?

[@mlgneo2855]

Airalo is so overpriced!

[@britney7034]

Did you have to unlock your phone first? Assuming if from us

[@markylon]

@@britney7034 Phones are not locked anymore

[@besberry]

I bought an Airalo 365 day eSim for a world cruise and there were only two countries I couldn't use it in (Mauritus and Namibia). I then used it in Malaysia and Thailand. I still have over 4gb left. I used to use it to tether too. I'll certainly stick with them. I did find it confusing to download it (QR code), but once it was there, it was really easy to use.

[@ayeshamanzoor1994]

How to get this one ?

[@r.otaviano]

One thing missing from this video is speed tests, especially when compared to local SIM cards. This is important because these global eSIMs are generally slow (sometimes, depending on the country, painfully slow). However, I do understand that making this kind of video is not easy, so I appreciate your work! It was very helpful. Cheers.

[@ProjectUntethered]

I did actually run speed test and will be including the screenshots in the individual written reviews I add to the website. But I'm not sure how applicable they'll be to the entire world since I ran all the tests in one city.

[@ljacobs357]

I haven't found esims being slower.

[@r.otaviano]

@@sailingvesseliara4077 Yes, eSIMs are similar to physical SIMs, but in the case of Airalo, their eSIMs route your traffic through other countries before reaching you, which can result in slower speeds. Additionally, there is the factor of prioritization by the local carrier in certain situations.

[@r.otaviano]

@@sailingvesseliara4077 I understand, and I'm not disagreeing with you. In my home country, I recently switched from a physical SIM to an eSIM and didn't notice any difference. And I shouldn't notice any difference. However, the purpose of this video is to compare these globally-oriented traveler eSIMs with local SIM cards, and in my experience, they are generally slower due to the issues I mentioned (I travel quite a lot). There are tons of posts on Reddit and other forums discussing this.

[@markgentles4928]

So true, I’ve used Airalo while visiting the US and while everything works fine, if you’re on video via WhatsApp or FaceTime, it throttles and cuts out the audio. The speeds are usually 5G but it drops to LTE and 3G when you initiate a video or audio call.

[@gregkotteakos633]

I’ve now used Airalo in 4 different countries across Europe & the Middle East in the past 4 months and it’s been fantastic. Very easy to install and very good packages. Like the video says there aren’t many options sometimes but for my usage it’s great.👍

[@robertjames-life4768]

Just used an E-Sim for the first time in South Africa in September. Went with Airalo is was great!

[@xanxusvaria8492]

Man Thank you, your video is 6Months old but the Promocode was still working and now I am ready for my trip

[@mrc6182]

I travel mostly in SE Asia, so buy Airalo Regional eSIM. Those now cover Singapore, so don't have to buy another for that area

[@Patrickjohnphotography]

Thank you for the video. I am right at the " pick an Esim" for an upcoming trip. Good timing.

[@ProjectUntethered]

I hope you found it helpful! :-)

[@frankhartley6777]

Same I'm leaving in 2 weeks

[@jaranbaica]

Just used Holafly in Morocco and the service was seamless. Visiting Latin American next and will buy their regional plan.

[@ProjectUntethered]

That's awesome! Que tengas buen viaje! 😎

[@jaranbaica]

@@ProjectUntethered Gracias 😎

[@MADHIKER777]

I simply call me carrier before going to Europe for a month. I give them the dates and country names. That's all and it works perfectly as usual. Don't need anything or do anything else. PIXEL android phone, BTW.

[@kevwwong]

Appreciate all the work you put into this Mitch! Purchased an Airalo regional plan for a cruise I was just on (good to have data "just in case"). It covered much of Central America so it was worth the multi-country premium to me. Canadians - as you know the mobile/media oligopoly here is terrible. Make sure you check and ensure that Rogers/Bell/Telus didn't sneak their expensive "Roam like home" add-on to your existing plan.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Nice! Did it work in the water or just on land?

[@ProjectUntethered]

Nice! Did it work in the water or just on land?

[@kevwwong]

@@ProjectUntethered We could get 3G in the water near the shore, which isn't great, but enough to send messages

[@catherinemori4496]

Phone your provider. I use Virgin. Tell them to take roaming off!

[@kevwwong]

@@catherinemori4496I have Virgin as well. I used the online chat to get them to take it off. Same difference, I guess. But annoying that you can't remove it yourself.

[@jstanovic]

I used Airalo in India 5 months ago. Worked everywhere I traveled. Streamed video one night. Sent videos and pictures home every day. I bought 10 GB but only used a little over 6 over 10 days. You can buy 1, 3, 5, 10 & 20GB packages. Easy to check on how much data left.

[@d9918]

Here is an update, Airalo is no longer working in India, I landed a week ago in Mumbai only to find the app wouldn't open, tried reinstalling etc but no use. Did a search and found out Airalo hasn't worked since around January. Contacted Airalo and they agreed to refund me. Airalo are total clowns for even selling a eSIM when they no longer work in India. They helpfully said I could keep the money I paid as credit!

[@SJ-qd7hm]

SUPER IMPORTANT TIP: It might be obvious for some but make sure your phone is UNLOCKED before you buy an esim. Many people buy their phones via their US phone carriers (i.e Verizon, ATT) which means you can NOT use an eSim unless they approve you to unlock your phone. If you can’t get your phone unlocked in time for whatever will just have to use their pricey phone service

[@696969bold]

T-Mobile has the international plans built in. Just add your VPN and local access to apps-here we come. 5GB of "high speed" and then throttled, unlimited text and 0.25/min calls in 215+ countries including 11 European Worth the comparison to eSiM

[@ProjectUntethered]

That sounds interesting! Is that 5GB per day or per month? And how much does that plan cost?

[@hdnjewl]

Arrived in Vietnam today and received a text from T-Mobile stating that the above mentioned was included in my plan. Was going to get an eSim at the airport but have been using my phone without any issues so far.

[@696969bold]

@ProjectUntethered TMK, the 5GB is until you hit the 5GB...by use, not by time. Some plans are 5GB, 10GB, or 15GB high speed. Bottom line is you get unlimited data no matter how you look at it. Caution, read your plan, and confirm with the provider to ensure the country of travel. Further, your home base must be US.

[@696969bold]

@hdnjewl if data is all you're worried about...enjoy your plan. If you need a local number for whatever reason...consider the local eSIM.

[@UtahSuka]

Very useful, I was wondering how I was gonna find the best solution e-sim for my needs. You've done all the legwork and brain work on this one, kudos mate.

[@twobicycles]

Extremely helpful information!! I appreciate you getting to the point with no unnecessary information. Very useful tips at the end (as advertised)!!

[@bethbaker7549]

Thanks for all the research❤

[@RichD2024]

Good video, thanks for the comparision, would love to see a speed comparison of the different carriers. I've only used Airlo and while generally happy with the service, in some places the speed was pretty bad.

[@ProjectUntethered]

I took speed tests for each one here in Thailand, but I’m not sure how useful they are since it really depends on the local carrier and would vary by destination. I plan to add the speed test results to my written reviews over the next couple weeks though!

[@davidspencer5668]

Fantastic and very well-informed video, thanks a lot buddy

[@drnik67]

this was both timely and helpful, appreciate you doing the hard yards!

[@michelleevans9869]

Fantastic overview. Well done . I now have a better grasp of which to chose . 👍🙏

[@ZenLyfeee]

this was super helpful!!! Going with Holafly, guess I'm a datahog lol

[@ProjectUntethered]

😂😂😂

[@BarbaraMukonyo]

Thank you for this.Going to Thailand and Bali and needed a good review

[@wilkowanders]

Thanks for this video. Super helpful as I am planning a year long round the world trip. Given me some providers to research further! 🙏🏼

[@qakbot100]

Very unique information in this video. Actual comprehensive testing. Thank you for the video!

[@ProjectUntethered]

You're very welcome! I'm glad you found it useful! 🤓

[@qakbot100]

@@ProjectUntethered one question I have is that in certain scenarios, even in developed countries like Switzerland you must have a way to call local numbers eg. The local family owned cab company in out of the way yet highly touristy city of Grindelwald. Which of these provide a local phone number. In thought it was just the Holafly one? But MOST IMPORTANTLY is there a global eSIM that offer a local number seamlessly in the supported countries?

[@ProjectUntethered]

@qakbot100 holafly offers this in Europe but I haven’t tested yet. I just load up a little bit of Skype credit for whenever I need to do this, but tif someone has discovered a better option, I’d be interested to hear! Up until now most places we’ve visited use WhatsApp, so it hasn’t been a huge issue.

[@qakbot100]

@@ProjectUntethered from what I’ve head on the HolaFly page, with their European eSims, you’ll get an Austrian phone number, regardless of whether you get an eSIM for Italy or Germany. That does help much as local folks in those countries will still have to make an international call

[@jgalt5731]

Bought a 30 day sim in Bangkok. Unlimited for 999 baht. Hard to beat.

[@cedriclloyd5571]

off lazada or from 7-11?

[@Sakuib]

Airlo is best. I buyed 2 esim cards 89$ each.20gb, 200 minutes call and 200 messages valid for 1 year valid worldwide. Airlo is best❤

[@michaelsuezo]

thanks for the effort. great detail with the advantages and disadvantages. almost bought airalo but i think were gonna end up datahogs

[@ProjectUntethered]

Haha in that case, better to be safe than sorry and get an unlimited plan

[@realmiso]

Dent. Not all countries in MEA, but lots of features, packages, marketplace. Global plan, 365 days, can win free data, etc! Not sponsored by Dent, but very satisfied!

[@ProjectUntethered]

Will test that for my experiment next year!

[@brytaniegovea8269]

I’m so glad I watched this video before I leave for my trip. I had no clue the phone had to be unlocked and recently purchased a new one 😅 looks like I’ll be using the new one for photos and the old one for the eSIM.

[@everythingdane]

Have you tried Global Yo e-sims? If so. Could you please let me know if you recommend or make a video review on it pretty please. Love your videos. They are so helpful. Keep up the great content. Cheers.

[@h629522]

I've used Airalo in EU but for some reason it didn't work in Germany and Spain. (I ended up using Nomad). This is very odd since my wife had no trouble with Airalo. We both used iPhone just a bit different generations..

[@ProjectUntethered]

So strange! I'm sorry it didn't work for you in those countries. I've used it in many countries over the past few years and I'd say it's worked 95% of the time, but I also run into an issue every once in a while.

[@FinalDriveTV]

Great video. I like the details that you provide. It shows that you have learned from previous mistakes. Thank you

[@yogabyaakaash]

This is so helpful... thanks! What would you suggest for a 30 day trip to UK with unlimited data on eSIM?

[@pearlsoriano610]

Thank you for all your help! I’ve used a solis hotspot but I want something a little cheaper if possible.

[@atatat54321]

I’m a Holafly user. By my reckoning it’s worth the extra one euro per day to have an unlimited plan and not have to worry about it.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Totally agree that it's nice not having to monitor your data and limit yourself all the time.

[@JohnCooke-nv5cm]

Hey mate, thanks for the info, I'm travelling to the US and Mexico for 2 months starting in August 2024. I usually hire a car and use WAZE to get around. I think Holafly would seem to suit my needs the best. Cheers

[@joannachoy7979]

Thank you for sharing the information and it is very helpful :)

[@michaelladouceur8894]

Man you are good! Love your detail and communication style.

[@cryptosnippets]

yes Bro... but i 'm planning to go in indonesia and check many solutions.... holafly 23 days 60 euro around 1 milion IDRupies then XL AXIATA an operator has the eSim too and cost me 70.000 IDR ofr 30 days with 186 GB.... no way....almost then 10 times left the money....

[@rohanpawar619]

For a short vacation, can you make a video on international roaming of your own country vs international sim comparison as an example

[@ProjectUntethered]

It seems like a common one people use is the international passes from Verizon and AT&T, which cost $10 per day. So if it were only a day or two, then it might be similar prices as an international esim. I’m not sure what the options are for carriers that aren’t from the US though

[@henningklages861]

I fully agree to your recommendations regarding Airola, Nomad.

[@musziknchocl8]

Such an informative video - clear and concise, thank you!!

[@user-zg7oq6tb8j]

Thanks for the video, Mitch! could you please tell if i can share my data with other devices with Nomad or Airlo?

[@ProjectUntethered]

On most plans you should be able to, but I always recommend reading the eSIM details while checking out just in case there are exceptions with certain countries/plans.

[@peterpvana]

Informative video! I have used Airalo on my previous two trips and it has worked well and is affordable.

[@mizhpai9625]

this deserves a subscribe, easy and concise. super helpful thank you for the clear clarification!

[@ProjectUntethered]

Thanks for the sub! 😇

[@jmaker8145]

Thank you for this video, very interesting and important information ❤

[@lamisalghouj7512]

This was very helpful!!! Thank you..

[@gray_man76]

Great video and information. Much appreciated!!

[@russelledonaire813]

So, I’m traveling to South East Asia in the near future (Japan, Philippines, Korea, Singapore, HK , etc) what do you suggest I use and what tips? Thanks and more power 🙏🏼👍

[@andrzejs6523]

Great advice. I do regret I didn't find your video earlier. Uk three charged me just for update maps 87£ in Shanghai.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Oh no!! I'm sorry to hear that 😣

[@markylon]

Noob, do your research!!

[@weareneedy]

Thank you for this info save me so much time looking around

[@karenwendt5514]

Did you test Vodafone?

[@AriellaMissick]

love your content! thanks so much!

[@scottcharette1744]

Have to look at average cost per user for intl from the biggies like AT&T. $10/day first phone, $5 all subsequent phones. So me and my wife avg $7.50 for unlimited data and no hassle. Took our family of 6 to Rome which averaged out to $5.83 per day per user. Again, not bad when it comes with unlimited data and zero eSIM hassle. Activate once and never have to fiddle with it again for future trips.

[@ProjectUntethered]

I guess it comes down to the convenience factor and how much data you all use. For example, if each person only used 2GB on a 15 day trip, Airalo would cost you $48 for the entire family, while AT&T costs you $524. But again, all comes down to priorities and budget!

[@scottcharette1744]

@@ProjectUntetheredgood point. Maybe I misunderstood how cheap Airlo is. I’ll take a deeper look at these options thanks

[@mstrathmore]

Great vid, thank you.

[@NaoKeysVT]

Thank you for the follow up video! I just got a phone that's esim compatible recently. Prior to this, I used data roaming for shorter trips but that gets expensive super fast.

[@froststrife6583]

I didn't know anything about us mobile having anything on international plans thanks for the information

[@ProjectUntethered]

I think it’s somewhat new! 😎

[@marxthe.2651]

How about Roamless? Seems like a good option, as they dont have any expiration on the money you top up.

[@JamesJones-kb2tw]

Tried Airalo in US and Phillipines. Worked fine but the instructions were not completely correct. Asked customer service about setup before traveling and they were a bit hit and miss. Having said that, esims are cheaper and beats the hell out of switching and swapping standard sims!

[@stephenjohnson-co2sc]

Great Video. Thanks for doing it. When comes to deciding on how many gigs to buy for our 45 day trip to western Europe. Last month in the US my phone says I used 337MB of "Mobile Data" and 27.27 gigs of "wifi data". Not sure how I translate this to an ESim plan. Thanks.

[@user-lu8cw5iv1r]

Don't be surprised if you make mistakes; locals are usually friendlier than you think. Use tools like Immersive Translate to overcome language barriers.

[@neglectedloves]

Extremely helpful and profound video, thanks a lot! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 One question: when you're abroad for your home line data roaming is logically switched off, but will a eSIM service automatically take over for apps like WhatsApp or iMessage? Thanks 🙏🏻

[@ProjectUntethered]

Yup! You can choose which SIM you want to use for iMessage, data, etc.

[@neglectedloves]

@@ProjectUntethered thanks! 🙏🏻 Am I right that the eSIM just provides data and not a new phone number? Or will WhatsApp just work with the new phone number. Nobody at home actually knows that number... I'm still confused 🙈

[@rlcwallpapers]

I believe my Samsung S22 is locked and as I gathered last year, I couldn't install an e-sim because of that, so just to confirm, the cellphone must be unlocked to be able to install an e-sim, am I right?

[@damienbates]

Yes

[@ricardoalfarogonzalez9419]

thanks for the information! What about for China, i am planning a trip there, which E-sim do you think could work properly there?

[@nannetteaustin2308]

Great video. Thanks so much!

[@bwsandy]

great video! any options if we want to use local calling? for example to talk to tourist guides/call a cab etx

[@ProjectUntethered]

We’ve found the WhatsApp, Fb messenger, or other messaging apps are used widely around the world, and we rarely find instances where we need an actual local number (although there have been a couple). In these cases, I just have some Skype credits loaded up in case of emergency.

[@bwsandy]

Thankew! Brother.

[@Nooblade]

Just get a local sim in each country, what's the point of international SIM? It's way too expensive.

[@Martina1192]

Thank you so much for this! I usually only use local WiFi spots and nothing else, but that can be limiting sometimes. Usually in Croatia, Germany and Italy. My husband is going to Ecuador in July. Any idea what’s best for there? Or the same as you already mentioned? And how do you know if your phone is compatible with eSIMs? How can you check that? Thanks!!

[@gabrieljoserodriguezartiga586]

Well deserved your thumbs-up nice video

[@NikolaosVogiatzakis]

For eu coutries you only need one aim it works everywhere and roaming is free

[@ninjajellydoughnut27]

Hello, I am a beginner eSIM user. I have Airalo and know how to download a new eSIM but I get into trouble once I start moving into the primary line, secondary line, etc. How do I get over the block of understanding the tech installation piece. I had to walk into a local network store and in two minutes the techie had me up and running. I can’t figure out where my block is. Yes, limited knowledge is part of it. Thank you.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Hey there! No need to beat yourself up. Just try to take the steps one at a time. After you figure it out the first time, it should be easy peasy going forward!

[@user-xw6iy5yy2b]

I recently found you and I love your scientific approach. Just subscribed! This seems like a basic question, but I can't find the answer. In a global plan that is 20G for 365 days- is that 20G each month or 20G total across all 12 months? Thanks for your help!

[@APOWER385]

20gb for 365 days. Not monthly total is 20gb

[@catherinemori4496]

We really like Airalo and they have sales!

[@liv-oi6vg]

you should've mentioned vegolink, which has reasonable pay as you go by the mb prices to use while you find one to buy for gigabytes

[@ProjectUntethered]

I'll have to test that one out in the future!

[@zockborges]

What about GLOBAL YO?

[@user-xc4eh4kp9n]

I plan to travel to Dubai from the US. I need celluar & internet connection since my iphone doesn't have the traditional sim card slot. What esim company do you recommend for 1 week?

[@moniquegoncalves1813]

Good job, thank you

[@ElaineLeon-qd5su]

_Beneficial, thanks for sharing!_

[@Hazox_x]

Im going thailand, I'm better off with the AIS eSim tourist package right?, that gives me a thai number to, and i can use all the social apps/messaging apps alongside my other physical sim to.

[@julioc4978]

Good summary, I like Mobi and Airalo... Cheers

[@kristie9262]

Doss it work while you are sailing on a cruise ship?

[@CC-rf1yg]

Travelling to Ghana for 2 weeks what do you recommend

[@normguindon9919]

Going to Cuba holguin for 2 weeks, what do you recommend as a sim card E sim thank you

[@rozannequintero5753]

What about cruise line ? 😊

[@AuthenticityAndPurpose]

Excellent video! Thank you!

[@SBinVancouver]

My experience with Airalo in Vancouver Canada was poor. Whichever cellular provider they contract with had inadequate signal in many common places, such as an underground parking lot where I was trying to pay for parking. Repeatedly.

[@KimYang]

What if the original SIM card doesn’t support international roaming… can an e sim work when I use the same phone in a different country? Do you get a local phone number from using an e sim?

[@marklaidlay6842]

What about travel to Europe where EU countries all use the same SIM but a couple of important destinations don't (think Switzerland), what's a good option there? And what about cruising the Carribean, multiple countries over a 10 day period? Mark in Melbourne (we don't all live in the US).

[@MaistorBG]

Very helpful video! Thanks a lot. 🙂

[@user-vp5fm3yc2l]

I’ve only used Airalo so far, but I’ve noticed that they never seem to cover 5G. This was only available via a local SIM or eSIM (at a similar price). Although 4G can be sufficient, 5G is of course faster and uses less battery on your phone.

[@ProjectUntethered]

I haven’t paid close attention to that in all the countries I tested, but here in Thailand it is 5G in many places. It should say if an eSIM includes 5G before you buy (in the Additional Information section).

[@geraintllywelyn-roberts4838]

Nord VPN have introduced country specific esims

[@MissKkidsfun-kid5b00k5]

Hello, I'm from the UK and will be working on a cruise through USA, Mexico and Alaska. Do you have advice for the best e-sim? Thank you in advance :)

[@26maria_ray]

Thank you very much 🎉

[@Singkik]

I'm travelling in europe for 44 days. As most plans have 30 or 90 days, I have a few questions. Airlo 10GB for 30 Days 37USD Nomad 10GB for 30 Days 22USD Holafly 44 Days Unlimited 90USD Am I able to buy a new nomad or airlo e sim if I run out of data?

[@middlepaths]

great bro. thanks

[@life4youtoenjoy]

great video . Thanks

[@rosenivanov7028]

Hi, i just tried to install esim Maya mobile from Bulgaria for Turkey, however it did not work. I called Apple and they could not find a reason. Asked me to request a refund and try with another network provider.

[@markwarren4093]

How does phone number work on Global talk with data plan. Does phone number remain constant or change as per country in?