Best eSIM for Travel 2026: Airalo vs Yesim vs Saily vs Drimsim
We tested all four across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Here’s what actually works — and which one we use on every trip.
By W&W Team Updated March 2026 11 min read
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Quick answer
Best eSIM for most travellers: Airalo or Yesim
For Southeast Asia:Airalo — best coverage, widest app support, most recognisable brand. For Europe + long trips:Yesim — 18% cheaper per GB than Airalo in most European markets, and their 90-day cookie means you can plan ahead. For a fixed monthly cost:Drimsim — one universal SIM that works in 190 countries, no plan switching. For newer travellers:Saily — the cleanest app experience and best customer support of the four.
Why you need a travel eSIM
If you’re working remotely from another country, your internet connection isn’t optional — it’s your livelihood. Hotel wifi is unreliable. Café wifi is slow. Your home carrier’s international roaming plan costs $15–30 per day for data you’d use in an hour on a video call.
An eSIM solves all of this. You download a local data plan before you fly, activate it when you land, and pay a fraction of what you’d pay on roaming. No physical SIM swap. No hunting for a local phone shop at the airport. No language barriers trying to explain what data plan you want.
We’ve been using eSIMs across Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America for three years. Here’s the honest comparison of the four best options available through our travel toolkit.
Airalo is the brand that made travel eSIMs mainstream. They were first to market and have used that head start to build the widest coverage, the best app, and the most recognisable name in the category. If you ask any digital nomad what eSIM they use, 80% will say Airalo.
For Southeast Asia specifically, Airalo is unbeatable. Their regional SEA plan covers Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, and more from a single plan — no switching between country-specific plans as you move around. We’ve used it on dozens of trips across the region and it has never failed us.
Pros
✓ Widest coverage of any eSIM provider
✓ Best app experience — clean, fast, simple
✓ Regional plans cover multiple countries
✓ Huge library of plans at every price point
✓ In-app rewards programme (Airmoney)
Cons
✗ No data rollover — unused data expires
✗ Europe plans slightly pricier than Yesim
✗ Customer support can be slow at peak times
Get Airalo eSIM → We earn 12% commission — thank you for supporting W&W
Yesim — detailed review
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Yesim
Swiss-based, premium quality, competitive pricing
★★★★☆
4.5 / 5
Yesim is the underdog that deserves more attention. Based in Switzerland, they’ve built a genuinely premium product with one standout advantage over every competitor: their European plans are consistently 15–20% cheaper per GB than Airalo, and their 90-day cookie window means you can buy a plan well in advance of your trip.
Where Yesim really shines is for longer European stays — exactly the kind of trip Work & Wanderer is built for. If you’re doing a month in Lisbon or two months moving through Portugal, France, and Spain, Yesim’s EU regional plan will save you real money.
Pros
✓ Best pricing for Europe — noticeably cheaper
✓ Data rollover — unused GB carries forward
✓ 90-day cookie — buy early, use later
✓ Virtual phone number feature included
✓ Built-in VPN option on some plans
Cons
✗ Less known — some hesitation from new users
✗ SEA coverage slightly less comprehensive
✗ App not quite as polished as Airalo/Saily
Get Yesim eSIM → We earn 18% commission — thank you for supporting W&W
Saily — detailed review
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Saily
From the makers of NordVPN — clean, secure, simple
★★★★★
4.6 / 5
Saily is the newest entrant on this list, launched by the team behind NordVPN. That pedigree shows — the app is beautifully designed, the onboarding is the smoothest of any eSIM provider, and customer support is genuinely excellent. If you’ve never used an eSIM before, Saily is where to start.
Pricing is competitive without being the cheapest — you’re paying a small premium for the quality of the experience. For most travellers that’s a worthwhile trade-off, especially if tech setup gives you anxiety.
Pros
✓ Best onboarding — ideal for first-time eSIM users
✓ Excellent customer support
✓ Clean, intuitive app design
✓ Backed by NordVPN’s infrastructure
Cons
✗ Slightly pricier than Airalo and Yesim
✗ Fewer countries than Airalo
✗ No data rollover
Get Saily eSIM → We earn 15% commission — thank you for supporting W&W
Drimsim — detailed review
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Drimsim
One universal SIM, 190 countries, no switching
★★★★☆
4.2 / 5
Drimsim takes a different approach to every other provider on this list. Rather than buying individual country or regional plans, you load a single Drimsim SIM with credit and it works across 190 countries — automatically connecting to the best available network wherever you are.
This makes it particularly good for the kind of multi-country slow travel we cover at Work & Wanderer. If you’re doing three months across Southeast Asia, stopping in multiple countries, Drimsim means you never have to think about switching plans.
Pros
✓ One plan works in 190 countries automatically
✓ Data rollover — credit never expires
✓ 90-day cookie — great for long-term planners
✓ No plan management — it just works
Cons
✗ Pay-per-use — can get expensive for heavy users
✗ Fewer data-heavy plan options
✗ Less ideal if you stay in one country a long time
Get Drimsim → We earn €8 per signup — thank you for supporting W&W
Our final verdict
Best for Southeast Asia
Airalo
Widest coverage, best regional plans, proven across hundreds of nomad trips
Best for Europe
Yesim
Cheapest per GB in Europe, data rollover, 90-day window for planning ahead
Best for first-timers
Saily
Easiest setup, best support, made by people who understand travellers
Best for multi-country nomads
Drimsim
One SIM across 190 countries, never worry about switching plans again
Frequently asked questions
Does my phone support eSIM?
Most phones released after 2018 support eSIM — including iPhone XS and later, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, Google Pixel 3 and later. Check your phone settings under “Mobile Data” or “SIM” — if you see an “Add eSIM” or “Add Data Plan” option, you’re good to go.
Can I keep my existing number while using an eSIM?
Yes — your physical SIM keeps your home number for calls and texts, while the eSIM handles data. You can have both active simultaneously on most modern smartphones. This is one of the biggest advantages of eSIM over swapping a physical SIM.
How fast is eSIM data compared to local SIMs?
In our experience, eSIM data speed is equivalent to buying a local SIM — sometimes better because eSIM providers often connect to premium network partners. In Thailand we consistently got 50–80mbps on Airalo, which is more than enough for video calls, streaming, and remote work.
Which eSIM is best for working remotely?
For remote work specifically, you want reliable speeds and good coverage in urban areas — not just tourist destinations. All four providers on this list perform well in city centres. For the best all-round experience across multiple SEA countries, we recommend Airalo’s regional plan. For European slow travel, Yesim gives you the best value.
What happens if I run out of data?
All four apps let you top up instantly with no data gap — you stay connected while you buy more. Yesim and Drimsim also offer data rollover, so unused data from one plan carries forward to your next purchase.