What is eSIMo eSIM?

eSIMo is part of the ALMA Technologies group and launched around three years ago. They provide digital mobile service through eSIM technology, built specifically for travel and short term use.

Their service includes Data and calls and works in 200+ countries. Most travel eSIMs only give you mobile data, but eSIMo functions more like a complete international mobile plan.

The main draw here is convenience. You buy it online, install it in a few minutes and you’re connected as soon as you land. No queues, no paperwork and no long term contracts. It’s also usually far cheaper than switching on roaming with your home carrier and hoping for the best.

We discovered eSIMo about a year and a half ago. Since then, we’ve tested their service in Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States. So this isn’t a one trip review, it’s something we’ve actually travelled with.

Speed wise, eSIMo sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. It’s not going to top our speed charts, but we’ve found it reliable. We’ve had no major connection issues and the setup has been consistently easy, which matters more on a real trip than chasing the highest possible speed. If you want to see how it performs in specific destinations, our country guides go into that in more detail.

You can use eSIMo through their website or mobile app. They also have a rewards program called eSIMoney, which lets you earn credit toward future purchases, handy if you travel fairly often.

Let’s break down how eSIMo actually works in practice.

The key facts

eSIMo service overview

eSIMo does a good job of keeping things simple without feeling limited. The setup is straightforward, but there’s still plenty of choice depending on how and where you travel. Toward the end of 2025, they expanded their offering to include calls, SMS and international phone numbers, which shifted eSIMo from being a data only option into something that feels much closer to a complete mobile service.

Here’s what eSIMo’s service actually includes.

Data plans

If all you need is data and you already have a rough idea of how much you’ll use and for how long, eSIMo keeps this part nice and easy. They offer three main types of data plans:

1. Local data plans
2. Regional data plans
3. Global data plans

The structure is the same across all of them, which makes things easy to compare. Whether you’re staying in one country or hopping between regions, you choose from five data amounts ranging from 1GB to 20GB, with validity periods between 7 and 30 days.

These plans are data only. If you need traditional calls, SMS, or a phone number, those are available as add ons, which we’ll cover later.

Let’s take a closer look at each data plan type:

1. Local data plans 

These are the best fit if you’re staying in a single country. Each plan is tied to one destination and they’re usually the most affordable option. If your trip is focused on one place and you don’t need coverage elsewhere, this is the simplest and cheapest route.

2. Regional data plans 

Regional plans are designed for trips that cover multiple countries within the same area, such as Europe, North America, or Asia. One plan works across all supported countries in that region, so you don’t need to buy or install anything new when you cross borders.

They do cost more than single country plans, but for multi country trips the convenience can be worth it. One thing to keep in mind is that eSIMo doesn’t offer a single eSIM setup where you install once and reuse it across multiple plans, so having one regional plan instead of juggling several local ones can be a lot easier.

Here’s how eSIMo’s regional coverage is structured:

3. Global data plans

If you’re moving around a lot or working remotely across several countries, eSIMo also offers global data plans. These work in up to 106 countries worldwide, which is good coverage, though it’s a bit lower than some other eSIMs that stretch closer to 120 to 140 countries.

Global plans are noticeably more expensive, so we’d really only recommend them in specific situations. They make sense if you value having one plan that just works everywhere and don’t want to think about swapping or managing multiple eSIMs. That said, for most trips, we’ve found local and regional plans offer much better value for money.

Here’s what’s included with eSIMo’s global plans:

Calls, SMS and international phone numbers

As we mentioned earlier, eSIMo has recently added calls, SMS and international phone numbers to its service. This is still a newer part of their offering, but it’s clear they’re trying to go beyond the usual data only travel eSIM.

What really impressed us is how widely this already works. Calling and messaging are available in a surprisingly large number of countries. That’s not something you see often in the eSIM space, where most providers either avoid calls completely or only support them in certain destinations.

These features sit separately from the data plans, which is actually nice from a flexibility point of view. You can manage everything in the app under the Phone tab and only add calls or SMS if you know you’ll actually need them.

Calls

This feature lets you call regular phone numbers directly from the app, just like you would with a normal mobile line. There’s no need to rely on internet based apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime, which can be handy when data is patchy or the person you’re calling doesn’t use those apps.

Calls are paid for using the balance in your eSIMoney wallet. You can top this up manually, or earn credits through eSIMo’s rewards program when you purchase plans.

We’ve actually found this useful more than once. For example, in the US, calling a hotel directly was the only way we could confirm whether an airport shuttle was really running or not. Just note that this calling feature is separate from having an international phone number, which we’ll explain next.

International phone numbers and SMS

This is where eSIMo really stands out from the average travel eSIM and it’s a genuine advantage of the service. Instead of just offering outbound calls, eSIMo lets you get an actual international phone number on your eSIM. That means a real number tied to a specific country, not just a calling add on.

The difference is simple but important. With the calls feature, you can dial out. With an international phone number, other people can call or text you as well, as long as your eSIM has coverage. That can make a big difference if you need to be reachable, not just connected.

At the moment, eSIMo offers international phone numbers for 30 different countries. You can choose between a number that supports calls only, or one that includes both calls and SMS. For now, numbers that support both calls and SMS are limited to the UK and Canada.

Just like their data plans, the setup is consistent across countries. You can pick a validity period of 1, 3, 6, or 12 months, and extend it later if you need more time.

eSIMo speeds and signal

We’ve tested eSIMo in 15 Countries, running it side by side with several other eSIM providers in the exact same locations and under the same conditions. That way, we’re not guessing or relying on isolated speed tests, we’re comparing like for like.

When we look at performance, we focus on two things:

• Speeds
• Signal and network reliability

Both are important and they don’t always tell the same story. A plan can look great on paper or hit high speeds once, but still be frustrating to use if the signal drops or struggles to stay connected.

eSIMo speeds

Here are the speeds we recorded for eSIMo in each country:

Looking at the results overall, eSIMo delivers speeds that are consistent and reliable, but it rarely sits at the very top of our speed rankings.

In our testing, eSIMo performed best in more developed markets like the UK and the US, where it landed comfortably above average compared to other providers we tested alongside it. In places like Hong Kong and Indonesia, results were closer to the middle or lower half of the pack. For us, that fits eSIMo’s wider approach. It feels designed as an all rounder rather than a service chasing the highest possible speed numbers.

It’s also worth saying that speed tests on their own don’t tell the full story. Day to day usability depends just as much on signal strength, network stability and how reliably you stay connected throughout the day. What counts as “fast” can also vary a lot from country to country, which becomes pretty obvious once you look beyond headline speed figures.

What eSIMo’s speeds mean in real life

eSIMo’s speeds consistently land in a range that works well for real world travel. Even in the slowest country we tested, performance stayed perfectly usable for everyday tasks.

Here’s how eSIMo’s speed range plays out in practice:

• Around 50 Mbps and above: This was eSIMo’s lowest recorded result and it’s already more than enough for maps and navigation, social media, video calls, streaming and uploading photos or short clips. For most people, this still feels smooth and responsive.

• Roughly 100 to 160 Mbps: This is where eSIMo landed most often in our tests. At these speeds, everything just feels fast. Apps load quickly, streaming is stable, cloud backups sync without fuss and switching between apps doesn’t slow things down.

• 200 Mbps and higher: This was eSIMo’s best result and it’s firmly in fast mobile territory. Larger downloads finish quickly, high quality streaming starts almost instantly and jumping between tasks feels easy.

Taken as a whole, eSIMo delivers dependable speeds across different regions. It doesn’t usually sit right at the top of the speed charts, but just as importantly, it avoids the opposite problem too. In none of the countries we tested did performance dip into genuinely slow or frustrating territory.

eSIMo signal and network reliability

When comparing eSIMs, it’s easy to focus on speed tests alone. Bigger numbers look better, but speed on its own rarely reflects how an eSIM actually performs once you start using it day to day.

As we mentioned earlier, eSIMo’s speeds can look more modest on paper compared to some other providers. In real world use though, the experience often tells a different story.

That’s because for travel, consistency matters more than peak speed. This is why we always look at three things together when scoring performance: speed, signal quality and the networks an eSIM can access.

Across most of the countries we’ve tested, eSIMo has delivered solid signal coverage and a stable connection. Dropouts have been rare and everyday use has felt reliable, even when moving between different areas.

Network access also plays a big role here. In many destinations, eSIMo doesn’t tie you to a single local network. Instead, it usually gives access to more than one international or local carrier, allowing the connection to switch if one network becomes weak or congested. In Hong Kong for example, we were able to connect to both the 3 and CSL networks.

This makes a real difference because no single network is strong everywhere. Coverage can change depending on the city, the neighbourhood, whether you’re indoors, or even the time of day. Having access to multiple networks increases the chances of staying connected as conditions change.

Colombia is a good example of this in practice. Some of the other eSIMs we tested there delivered much higher speed numbers than eSIMo, but suffered from frequent signal drops and unstable connections. eSIMo, despite being slower on paper, maintained a steady signal and reliable network access, which meant everyday tasks like calls, streaming, navigation and browsing worked without frustration.

To make this more concrete, below you’ll find a country by country breakdown of eSIMo’s real world performance:

eSIMo pricing

Pricing is another big factor in how we rank eSIMs and much like its speed performance, eSIMo tends to land in the middle of the pack. It’s not a bargain option, but it’s also nowhere near the most expensive. In some destinations, it does edge a bit higher than average.

What we’ve noticed is that pricing can vary quite a lot depending on the country. That’s true across all of eSIMo’s services, including Data and calls. So whether it feels like good value or not really comes down to where you’re traveling and what you actually need on that trip.

Below, we’ll break this down in more detail so you can see how eSIMo’s pricing looks in specific destinations.

Data plans pricing

When it comes to eSIMo’s data plans, pricing generally sits toward the mid to pricey end of the market rather than the budget side. At the time of writing, local plans start at around $3.90, regional plans from roughly $4.40 and global plans from about $14.90. As always, the exact price depends on the destination and how much data you choose.

That doesn’t mean eSIMo is always expensive. For local, single country plans, especially smaller data packages, pricing can be fairly reasonable in some destinations. It’s rarely the cheapest option available, but in many cases it blends in with the rest of the market rather than standing out as overpriced.

Things do start to change as you move into larger data allowances or wider coverage. Once you look at regional and especially global plans, eSIMo’s prices tend to rise faster than many alternatives. In those situations, it often sits above the main pricing group without offering extra data or longer validity to really balance that out.

In short, eSIMo’s pricing usually makes the most sense for short trips or single country travel, where it fits neatly into the market. If you’re shopping purely on price for regional or global coverage, eSIMo probably won’t be the obvious pick and that’s worth keeping in mind.

To make this a bit more tangible, let’s look at a few real examples from our comparisons:

Now that we’ve looked at how eSIMo’s plans and pricing stack up, below you’ll find a full breakdown of all available eSIMo plans. You can filter by country to see how prices change depending on where you’re traveling:

Calls, SMS and phone numbers pricing

As we mentioned earlier, only a small number of eSIM providers offer calls, SMS and international phone numbers, which is what makes eSIMo’s setup feel more complete than most. That said, these features aren’t bundled into the data plans. They’re sold as add ons, so they do come at an extra cost.

Calls pricing

Calls are charged per minute, with prices starting from around $0.01 per minute. That’s a very competitive rate, not just compared to other eSIM providers, but also versus traditional international calling services.

The exact price depends on the country you’re calling. Some destinations are very affordable, while others are noticeably more expensive, so it’s worth checking the rates in advance if you expect to make a lot of calls.

Here are a few example starting rates to give you a feel for call prices per minute:

• $0.01: United Kingdom, United States, Spain
• $0.02: France, Colombia
• $0.04: Portugal, Australia
• $0.06: Japan
• $0.09: India
• $0.25: Thailand

International phone numbers pricing

International phone numbers are priced as monthly subscriptions and costs vary quite a bit depending on the country. Prices can start as low as $1.90 per month, like for a US number, and go all the way up to $94.90 per month for certain destinations such as Paraguay.

One thing worth keeping in mind is that the longer you commit, the cheaper it works out per month. Paying for several months upfront reduces the effective monthly cost, which can make a big difference if you plan to keep the number active for a while.

Here’s an example of how pricing looks for a Philippines phone number (+63):

So is eSIMo expensive?

Short answer: it depends on what you compare it to.

• Compared to traditional roaming: No, not at all. In fact, it’s usually very affordable. In most cases, you’re paying a small fraction of what your home carrier would charge for roaming, often around 10% of typical roaming rates. From that angle, eSIMo is clearly good value.

• Compared to local physical SIM cards: Yes, it can be slightly more expensive. That said, you’re paying for convenience. You skip the hunt for a SIM shop after landing, avoid language barriers, and don’t have to swap physical SIM cards in and out of your phone. For many travelers, that saved time and simplicity are worth the difference.

• Compared to other eSIM providers: This is where eSIMo usually lands in the middle. Pricing varies by destination and by the type of service you choose. In some countries and for smaller data plans, prices are competitive. In others, eSIMo can be a bit pricier than certain alternatives. The trade off is that eSIMo offers extras like calls, SMS and international phone numbers, which not all eSIM providers include.

The bottom line: eSIMo isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it’s not overpriced either. If you value convenience and like having the option to add calling features, it can be a solid choice. If your only goal is the absolute lowest price, there are cheaper data only eSIMs available.

Our recommendations to save money with eSIMo

1. Get your data requirements right

This is the easiest way to avoid overspending. Buying too little data or far more than you need can both reduce the value you get.

Larger plans usually have a lower cost per GB, but that only helps if you actually use the data.

• Buy too little and you’ll likely pay more per GB when topping up.
• Buy too much and unused data still costs you money.

To make this easier, we built a Travel Data Calculator that helps estimate how much data your trip is likely to need based on how you use your phone, so you can choose a plan that actually makes sense.

2. Choose eSIMo Local plans over Regional or Global plans

For trips that stay within one or two countries, eSIMo’s Local plans usually offer the best value per GB. Regional and Global plans add convenience, but that wider coverage comes at a premium.

If you’re not crossing borders often, a Local plan will give you the performance you need without paying extra for coverage you won’t use.

3. Skip extra features if you don’t need them

eSIMo’s calls, SMS and international phone numbers are optional add ons and they’re priced separately from the data plans. If you’re already comfortable using apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, or Teams to stay in touch, you may not need anything beyond data.

In that case, keeping things simple with a data only plan is usually the easiest and most cost effective choice, and it helps avoid paying extra for features you’re unlikely to use.

4. Pay close attention to plan validity

eSIMo plans come with different validity periods depending on the package and destination. A plan that looks cheap at first can quickly become expensive if it expires mid trip and forces you to buy another one.

Often, choosing a plan with slightly longer validity works out better overall, even if the upfront price is a bit higher. It gives you some breathing room and avoids last minute top ups while you’re on the road.

5. Use eSIMo promo codes and the eSIMoney rewards program

eSIMo regularly offers promo codes and their eSIMoney rewards program gives you credits with each purchase. These won’t fix a poorly chosen plan, but they can help bring the final cost down.

If you use eSIMo fairly often, those small savings add up over time and are well worth taking advantage of.

eSIMo discount

We’ve teamed up with eSIMo to get our readers 20% off all their eSIM plans. It’s a verified discount that we check regularly to make sure it actually works and right now it’s one of the better eSIM deals out there.

All you need to do is enter the code TEE20 at checkout and the discount will be applied automatically.

If you want a quick step by step walkthrough, we’ve also put together a simple eSIMo coupon code guide that shows exactly how to apply the discount.

eSIMoney reward program 

eSIMo’s loyalty program is called eSIMoney. With each purchase, you earn credits worth roughly 8% of what you spend, which you can then use toward future plans.

It’s not a huge game changer on its own and you won’t see big savings right away. You do need a bit of time for the credits to build up. That said, if you travel regularly, they do eventually add up and help bring the overall cost down.

You earn eSIMoney across all of eSIMo’s products, so it works in the background no matter how you use the service.

Getting started with eSIMo: Our experience

Setup and installation

Before you get started with eSIMo, your phone just needs to tick a few basic boxes:

• Access to the App Store on iOS or Google Play on Android
• An unlocked device so it can connect to different networks
• eSIM compatibility

Most mid range and high end smartphones released over the last few years meet these requirements without any issues. If you’re not sure whether your phone supports eSIM, checking our eSIM compatibility guide can save you a bit of time and frustration later on.

As for the actual setup, installing eSIMo was genuinely easy. From start to finish, it took us about one to two minutes to download the app and install the eSIM. No complicated steps and no fiddling around in settings longer than necessary.

Here’s how the setup process went for us:

Purchase process

Once the app is installed, getting an eSIM plan for your trip only takes a couple of minutes:

The user experience: Website and app

We mostly use eSIMo’s app, but we also spent some time on the website to get a proper feel for the full experience.

The website experience

The website feels responsive and easy to use. Pages load quickly and getting around is straightforward. Finding plans, setup instructions and general information doesn’t take any digging.

Design wise, it’s functional rather than flashy. It’s not going to win any design awards, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. When you’re just trying to buy a plan and move on with your trip, it does the job. We also have to say, the moustache and loading animations are a nice little touch.

The app experience

The eSIMo app is available on both iOS and Android. We found it easily, installed it quickly and were up and running almost straight away.

After clicking through the welcome screens and setting our preferences, we landed on the main interface. First impression? It has a bit of a retro game feel to it, somewhere between old school Mario and modern mobile connectivity. The design is clean, colorful and easy to get around, with plans and key information exactly where you’d expect them.

The overall style clearly leans toward a younger crowd. If you’re Gen Z, this will probably feel right at home. That said, it’s intuitive enough that anyone can use it without thinking twice.

From a performance point of view, the app runs smoothly. Everything loads quickly, menus respond well and we haven’t run into crashes or bugs while using it.

The one feature we’d really like to see added is a single eSIM option. With providers that offer this, you install one eSIM profile at the start and it works across all their plans. When you travel to a new country, you simply buy a new plan and it activates automatically. No reinstalling, no new QR codes, no extra setup. With eSIMo right now, each new plan requires installing a fresh eSIM profile, which adds an extra step every time you travel.

Navigation

The app is organized into five tabs:

1. Store: Browse eSIM plans by country, region, or global coverage.
2. My eSIMs: View all your active and past eSIM profiles.
3. Phone: Buy calls, SMS and international phone numbers.
4. eSIMore: A gamified loyalty section where you earn rewards as you level up.
5. Profile: Account settings, language options, customer support, eSIM guides and other tools.

Key app features

• Real time data tracking: You can see exactly how much data you’ve used and how much is left. The app sends you notifications when you hit around 80% of your allowance.

• Buy and top up plans in app: You can purchase new plans or add data directly from the app whenever you need to.

• Manage multiple eSIMs: If you’re using different plans across multiple destinations, you can view and manage everything in one place.

• See past purchases: You can review your previous plans, which comes in handy if you want to rebuy something or track your history.

• eSIMoney rewards system: You earn credits on purchases that work as discounts on future plans.

• Built in video tutorials: Step by step videos walk you through setup and basic usage, helpful if you’re new to eSIMs.

• App available in 21 languages: You can use the app in your preferred language, making everything from setup to plan management easier to follow.

eSIMo customer support

• Response time: Around 5 minutes
• Support method: in app chat

Fortunately, we’ve never had any major issues with eSIMo. That said, we still put their customer support to the test so we could give you the full picture. Overall, our experience was positive, though there’s still some room for improvement.

Two things stood out to us:

• First, eSIMo offers multiple support channels and helpful resources across both the website and the app, which makes it easy to find answers on your own.

• Second, and more importantly, you can actually reach a real human if you need to. That matters a lot to us with any eSIM provider. When you’re traveling, especially just after landing, you don’t want to be stuck with a bot when something isn’t working and you need help quickly.

Support channels and availability

eSIMo’s customer support is comprehensive and works the same across both their website and app. In both you’ll find:

• Live chat: Connect with a support agent directly.
• AI chatbot: Get automated help with your query.
• Video tutorials: Visual guides for setup and common tasks.
• Setup and troubleshooting guides: Written walkthroughs for technical issues.
• FAQs section: Covers the most common questions with helpful answers.

The self service resources like the AI chat, guides and FAQs are available around the clock, so you can find answers whenever you need them.

Our experience with Sim Local’s customer support

We’ve used eSIMo’s live chat several times, including as recently as a few days before writing this review. The process usually starts with a chatbot that asks you to choose from a few predefined options. Sometimes that’s enough to solve the issue; other times, it isn’t. If needed, you can eventually request to speak to a human agent.

What works well

• The chat automatically translates to the language of the country you’re reaching out from, which is a nice touch in theory.

• When you do reach a human agent, they’re competent. Replies are quick and the answers are helpful.

• Live support appears to be available 24/7. We’ve contacted them at different times and from different time zones and consistently received a response in around 5 minutes.

Where it falls short

• You can’t jump straight to a human agent. You have to work through the bot’s questions first, which can feel slow when you’re in a rush. We ran into this ourselves coming out of an airport, needing internet immediately to book an Uber. We had a connection issue and needed human help fast, not a chatbot flow. Sometimes there’s just no time for that and this is where the experience could be smoother.

In conclusion

eSIMo offers live chat support and clearly invests in helping its users and for the most part, it shows. When you reach a human agent, issues are handled quickly and support is available when you need it.

The experience isn’t perfect, but it’s reliable, and even the occasional heart emoji at the end of a chat adds a small human touch.

Our eSIMo strategy: How to get the best value

eSIMo keeps things simple. There aren’t hidden catches or complicated plan tiers, which makes choosing a plan fairly intuitive. That said, after using it on our own trips, we’ve picked up a few patterns that can help you get better value depending on how you travel.

If you’re traveling in a single country

Stick with a local, single country plan. It’s cheaper than regional or global options and quick to set up. For most trips, this covers exactly what you need: maps, ride apps, bookings, sharing photos and staying in touch with people back home.

If you’re moving around within one region

If you’re visiting several countries in the same area, like hopping around South America or Europe, eSIMo’s regional plans make sense. You install one eSIM and it works across all supported countries in that region, automatically switching to the best available local network as you cross borders.

The trade off is that you need to plan a bit more upfront. You’ll want a rough idea of how long the trip will last and how much data you’ll need overall. It takes a bit more thought than buying plans country by country, but not having to reinstall eSIMs every few days usually makes it worth it.

If you’re constantly on the move

This is us. We’re often bouncing between countries and rely on our connection for pretty much everything.

In our case, we usually buy single country plans as we go. We tend to know how long we’ll stay in each place, which makes estimating data much easier. When we’ve tried global plans in the past, we’ve often got it wrong, either running out early and needing expensive top ups or finishing with a chunk of unused data.

If you’d rather set things up once and forget about it, and price isn’t a major concern, eSIMo’s Global plan can still make sense. You install one eSIM and you’re covered. Just be aware that depending on how you travel and use data, you’ll likely either waste some data or need to add more along the way.

If you need calls and SMS

This one’s straightforward. If you need traditional calls or texts, eSIMo covers that too. You can manage Data and calls all in one place.

Just remember that these features aren’t bundled with data plans. Calls, SMS and phone numbers are paid for separately on top of your data plan.

It’s also worth noting that if you already have data sorted with another provider, you can still use eSIMo purely for calls and messaging without buying a data plan at all.

eSIMo FAQs