Best eSIMs 2026: Top eSIM plans for travel, business & home use

As smartphone technology continues to innovate, SIM cards have long felt like a relic of an older time that doesn’t quite match the more modern sensibilities that we’ve become accustomed to. Thankfully, eSIMs offer a solution that makes far more sense for the digital age, doing away with the need to constantly swap between physical SIM cards between phones.

It’s no wonder then that with such a simple method of access – not much more than installing an app – eSIMs are now more popular than ever and are likely to eclipse physical SIM cards completely in the not-too-distant future. If you’re interested in picking up an eSIM for yourself, then here’s a quick rundown of all the benefits:

• Quick and easy to set up, typically with instant activation
• Supported by many Android phones and iPhones manufactured since 2018
• Work as a replacement for or in addition to your removable SIM card
• Make it easy to switch between providers to get the best value from your phone plan
• Multiple eSIMs can be supported on a single device, without taking up additional physical space
• Great for travel: Pay local fees for your mobile data and avoid roaming charges
• Great for business use: Manage personal and business plans on one device
• More secure: More difficult to lose, have stolen, or even break than a removable SIM card
• Remote app-based management: Easy to disable or transfer plans without access to your phone
• Privacy and security features: Some eSIMs now support virtual locations and ad/tracker blocking to keep you safe, unlock back-home entertainment services, and minimise your data usage abroad
• Eco-friendly: Less plastic; less waste

Depending on what you need, there might be a particular eSIM that’s better suited for you, which is exactly where our larger guide comes into play, showing you all the key information you need to know about eSIMs in general, and which vendors offer the best package.

Keep on reading to see our breakdown of the best eSIMs, or check out our run-through of the best phone networks to include physical SIMs and eSIMs alike.

What is an eSIM?

There is a lot of confusion among users over what is an eSIM and what it does, with the ‘e’ in eSIM often assumed to mean ‘electronic’. Actually, it is short for ’embedded’ and, just like the nano-SIM you are likely more familiar with, eSIMs rely on a hardware chip to operate. The difference here is that this chip is much smaller and not accessible to the user – you don’t remove and replace it like you would a nano-SIM.

Rather than it being preconfigured to work with a specific network operator, whereby switching operator would also require you to switch your SIM, you can configure an eSIM and select a suitable plan in your phone settings. So, it acts like a digital SIM, but it would be more accurate to think of it as a physical SIM with a digital plan.

eSIM is not just becoming more popular, but a necessity as certain phones, like iPhone and Pixel, in certain markets – namely the USA, don’t even support traditional physical SIM cards any longer. Eventually, SIM cards may become completely obsolete.

Do I really need an eSIM for travel – what about roaming?

It’s important to note that travel eSIM providers typically cover only mobile data. This will include any calls and texts sent over app-based messaging services, such as WhatsApp, but it does not (usually) include regular calls and texts that use the phone number assigned by your mobile operator.

Services like AloSIM can give you an international number, but not your usual phone number. Using your own mobile network abroad to make phone calls and send texts is what’s known as roaming, and it can incur some high costs – especially in the wake of Brexit. While receiving texts is usually free, sending texts or making and receiving phone calls will typically be chargeable.

However, there are still some UK mobile operators who offer free roaming for data, calls and texts – at least in Europe – with O2 notable for being the only one of the big four to offer free roaming up to 25GB/month, while BT Mobile, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Smarty, Lebara, Asda Mobile, Lyca Mobile and Talkmobile all have plans that offer free roaming, subject to fair-use policies and data caps.

For users of other mobile networks – and especially those who consume a lot of data or are travelling outside Europe – travel eSIMs are appealing because they typically beat the data roaming charges levied by mobile operators. And, if you can get by with WhatsApp and other app-based messaging services, you may not need to pay additional roaming fees for calls and texts.

Which eSIM providers offer free trials?

• Best: Nomad – 1GB of data, lasts 3 days, covers 81 destinations
• Runner-up: GigSky – 100MB-500MB of data, lasts 7-15 days
• Also consider: iRoamly – 500MB of data, lasts 1 day, covers 100+ destinations; Sim Local – unspecified amount of data, lasts 1 day

If you’re on a mission to save as much money as possible and your data needs are not huge, with a bit of legwork, you could sign up to every free eSIM offer and potentially cover your entire break without incurring any additional charges. Do note, however, that many of these eSIMs will kick in as soon as you arrive at your destination, which means you may need to wait until you are abroad to successfully line up the free trials.

In the interests of saving money on data, it’s also worth considering Saily. A unique feature of this eSIM provider is its additional features for blocking resource-heavy ads and trackers, which it says can reduce your mobile data usage by as much as 28.6% – that’s a significant saving when you’re paying by the gigabyte! While Saily doesn’t offer the cheapest data in every location we investigated, depending on your usage, this saving could easily tip the balance and make it cheaper overall.

Deal alert: For long weekend trips, many of Jetpac’s 1GB/4 day plans are currently on offer for just £1, including destinations such as Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Greece, as well as the European regional eSIM, Mexico, Japan, Thailand and New Zealand.

Best eSIM providers

Why use an eSIM and not a local SIM?

An eSIM is a trending choice for many reasons. For starters, there’s no need to wait for a physical SIM to arrive in the post. When you arrive at your destination, you won’t need to hunt around the airport or bus station to find, choose and purchase a local SIM card.

With a compatible device (of which there are now many), it’s effectively as simple as scanning a QR code and installing an app to get going. Many have the benefit of automatically starting when you arrive and connecting to a local network, so you can prepare before you even leave your home. Activation is usually instant, unlocking cheaper fees and avoiding roaming fees the second the plane touches down on foreign soil.

With no physical SIM cards to deal with it’s easier and cheaper for eSIM startups to get going, helping to create a competitive market for consumers with more choice and lower costs. Since multiple eSIMs are supported on a single device, you can jump between providers and take advantage of the best value plan for the given situation, or even swap between business and personal plans. In future, removing the requirement of a SIM tray altogether might free up hardware designers to create even sleeker smartphones.

eSIMs are also more secure and easier to move between phones than a traditional SIM card, especially when you don’t have a SIM tray removal tool on your person. Or you can use them alongside your existing SIM. Throw in the fact you can remotely manage an eSIM via a mobile app, making it easy to disable or transfer plans from one device to another, and it seems a no-brainer to us.

Does my mobile operator offer eSIMs?

Almost certainly, yes. All the big UK phone networks – EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone – offer eSIMs. In the US, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon all do as well.

Plenty of virtual networks also offer eSIM, including the likes of iD Mobile, Giffgaff, Smarty, Lyca Mobile, Talkmobile and Voxi in the UK, and Mint Mobile in the US. Tesco Mobile does offer eSIM functionality on select plans but customers need to visit a Tesco branch in order to access it.

There are a number of operators that don’t have eSIM support yet, including Asda Mobile and Ecotalk. This is likely to change over time as eSIMs become more popular.

Interesting fact: since iPhone 14, all Apple smartphones sold in the US are now eSIM-only, which means you have to use an eSIM to connect your phone plan.

This now applies to the Pixel 10 phones, again in the US, but the new iPhone Air (part of the iPhone 17 series really) is eSIM-only regardless of where you buy it.

Should I get an eSIM plan from my mobile operator?

On the one hand, it doesn’t make much difference whether you get an eSIM from your mobile operator or a specialist eSIM provider. You may feel like you’d be more comfortable sticking with the service provider you already know and trust, and this might also make managing monthly bills easier for you. Plus there may be additional perks such as discounts for existing customers.

There will be some differences between eSIM providers in terms of their coverage and access speeds (you’ll want 5G or 4G LTE for the fastest data speeds), but the major difference is going to be price.

It is often the case that a dedicated eSIM provider will offer you a cheaper price than the big-name networks, and likely also better value for short-term or multi-location usage. This is, of course, partly because they must work harder to attract new customers. It can also be easier to pay purely for the coverage and allowance you need from an eSIM provider. Do note, however, that prices change frequently – what is the best deal one day may not be the next.

Mobile data is often the most expensive part of your roaming costs while travelling, and so this may be your primary concern when looking for an eSIM provider. Most specialist eSIM providers offer only data, which will cover messaging apps such as WhatsApp, but no support for standard calls and texts. This is also true of many mobile operator’s travel eSIMs – if you want the whole package then purchasing a roaming add-on might work out better value.

How to choose the best eSIM plan

While eSIMs are quick and easy to purchase and start using, there’s a lot to consider before you buy one to make sure it’s the right choice. It’s not just about the data and price, so here are all the important things to factor when choosing an eSIM.

Where will you be using the eSIM?

As eSIMs are a popular choice for travel, the destination of your trip is an important factor here. We’ve listed the best eSIMs for lots of different places above.

Whether you should choose a country, regional or global eSIM depends on a few different factors, but primarily where you are travelling to. If you’re going to visit a lot of different countries then a global eSIM might be the best choice for compatibility, but it will nearly always be the most expensive option.

Regional eSIM deals cover entire continents, such as Europe and Asia, or areas like the Caribbean Islands. If you’re just visiting a single country, there’s no use paying for locations you won’t use. But if you need a local number while you’re there, a removable local SIM might be more appealing than an eSIM, unless you opt for AloSIM.

Which smartphone are you using?

Both Android and iOS (iPhone) operating systems support eSIM, but your specific phone or tablet model must also support eSIM for one to work. While many modern devices tick the box (every iPhone since 2018, for example), you’ll need to check your manufacturer’s spec sheet to confirm if it is eSIM-compatible.

How strong is the coverage in your travel destination?

If you are buying a regional or global eSIM plan, it’s worth checking that coverage in the destination you are visiting is strong. Check our advice above for the top destinations.

How much data do you need?

The other things you need to decide on are exactly the same as if you were buying a regular SIM card or phone plan. Make sure it has enough data for your needs. Since calls and texts are not usually included, also consider that you’ll likely want to use a messaging service such as WhatsApp to cover these.

If you’re unsure how much data you need, our advice is to underestimate: it’s typically very easy to top up if you run out and need more. Most networks and eSIM providers have an app and this is where you’ll be able to do things like add more data on the fly.

Is tethering supported?

Tethering allows you to turn your device into a Wi-Fi hotspot, letting other users (friends or children, for example) to piggyback your network connection, saving you paying for it twice. Do keep in mind that this will eat up your data allowance more quickly – especially if they tend to stream a lot of video. For the latter, the promise of 5G connections for the fastest data speeds will be appealing.

Are there hidden costs?

eSIM providers sell you data that lasts for a set time period. Free trials might only last one day, 1GB Jetpac plans last only 4 days, and many 3GB packages might only last 7 days. If you’re away for a longer period, your eSIM is either going to run out, or you are going to end up paying more than you planned.

As many modern phones support two active SIMs or eSIMs, consider whether you might want to pair an eSIM for data with a local SIM for cheap or even free calls and texts – roaming costs could come as a surprise if you think your eSIM is covering everything.

Do you want additional features?

If you need or want additional features such as virtual location (similar to a VPN) and ad/tracker blockers (which will help reduce your data usage), look to a provider like Saily.

Future of SIM technology: What is an iSIM?

Although eSIMs have been around for many years before gaining popularity, the next version is seemingly already on the way: eSIMs may eventually be replaced with iSIMs.

iSIM stands for Integrated SIM. Where an eSIM already saves space inside a device, the iSIM saves even more – it’s up to 98% smaller than an eSIM. 

This is because it will be built into the processor, which has the advantage of being more secure (thanks to a tamper-resistant element or TRE), as well as being more power efficient.

Common eSIM questions answered