With the rise of digital nomads and international travel, getting online and staying connected while traveling from country to country has become increasingly crucial for many. Thanks to the evolution of eSIM technology, travelers now have a significant number of different eSIM providers that make it easier than ever to stay connected, without the fuss of those small physical SIM cards.

Among them, Ubigi has been growing in popularity. This Ubigi review explores Ubigi’s features, advantages, the quality of service it offers and how it measures up versus the competition. For our other Ubigi resources, visit our Ubigi eSIM page.

Who and what is Ubigi?

Ubigi is an eSIM provider developed by Transatel and established in Paris, France. Ubigi offers eSIMs in over 200+ destinations with the mission statement of:

What does that mean in practical terms? If your phone is compatible with eSIMs (Check our compatibility guide here to confirm), you’ll be able to download the Ubigi app and have access to local plans from over 200+ destinations. That means you’ll avoid those dreaded roaming fees.

What is an eSIM? 

But before we dive any further into Ubigi, it’s important to understand what eSIM technology is and why it’s a game-changer for international travelers. Unlike traditional SIM cards, an eSIM (Embedded SIM) is a digital SIM that allows travelers to purchase and activate a cellular plan from a local carrier online, without needing a physical SIM card. This not only simplifies the process of buying a SIM and switching between networks but also reduces the physical waste associated with the traditional plastic SIM cards.

How does Ubigi work?

Ubigi is a mobile app that allows international travelers to purchase and activate eSIM data plans digitally for over 200 countries without needing physical SIM cards. To summarize, you simply download the Ubigi app, browse the available eSIM plan options for your destination(s), make your purchase, and install the eSIM profile – all from your phone. This gives you lower priced data overseas and avoids those dreaded roaming fees. The specific setup process is covered in more detail below.

Is my phone compatible with Ubigi?

There are a few requirements you’ll need to check on to ensure that you can use Ubigi. You’ll need a phone that is:

• Able to download apps from the App Store (iOS) or Play Store (Android)
• Compatible with eSIMs.
• Dual Sim compatible for the best experience (most phones with eSIM functionality will be).
• Unlocked, so that it can be used on foreign networks.

Most mid tier to top end phones built in the last 5 years or so should be both eSIM and Dual Sim compatible, especially phones from Google, Samsung, Apple etc. There are various ways to check this manually, but go ahead and save yourself some time and check out our eSIM compatibility guide instead.

Is Ubigi easy to install? The setup process

To expand on the summary above, let’s walk through the steps to get you started on Ubigi:

1. Download the Ubigi app to your phone. On Apple, you’ll need to use the App Store. On Google, you’ll need to use the Play Store.

2. Once downloaded, you’ll need to register with Ubigi by providing a few personal details.

3. Once you’ve registered and verified your phone number, you have to “link an eSIM”, basically install the Ubigi eSIM profile right from the beginning. This process is fundamentally different to how most other travel eSIM providers work. The reason is that unlike most others, Ubigi installs a single eSIM that is used globally, rather than a new eSIM profile for every country or region that you purchase. We actually prefer this way of working as you spend far less time installing eSIMs and it’s one less eSIM to add to the list within your settings (our list huge). 

Ubigi guides you through the installation step by step (iOS)

4. After installing Ubigi’s eSIM, browse for the right plan for you by country, region, data amount, duration etc.

5. Confirm the plan details and make your purchase via the app

6. The eSIM will activate as soon as it’s purchased, you are now able to use the Ubigi eSIM and it will show on the front page of the app.

7. To purchase a new plan in the future, you’ll simply need to repeat steps 4-7. You won’t need to reinstall the eSIM.

That’s it, you’re all set. From now on, when you open the app, you’ll land on a page called “My Data Plans”.

My Data Plans: Here, you have two options front and center. They are:

• One-off data plans – to purchase a new individual plan.
• Recurring data plans – to purchase monthly plans.

Press the Hamburger menu on the top right and you get all of your options. They are:

• My data plans
• Top up
• Orders
• Payment
• Refer
• Coupons
• Settings
• Contact

And that’s really about it.

What is the Ubigi app like to use?

Ubigi is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of ease of use. We think that overall, the app is a little “rough around the edges” but ultimately gives you everything that you need.

Let’s start from the beginning, when you first download the app, you’ll need to register with Ubigi. Unfortunately there’s no quick registration with Google/Apple/Facebook available here I’m afraid folks. 

There are a few app specifics that we think Ubigi needs to improve upon.

1. The Ubigi app lacks detail. There is no way to know what network your plan will be on and you won’t know whether it’s 4G or 5G.

2. The app regularly logs you out for no reason. There is no “Remember me” option, so get used to the login screen.

We think the Ubigi app is a little “rough around the edges”, but ultimately gives you everything that you need. Overall we’d say that the app is probably still Ubigi’s biggest weakness.

What countries can you use Ubigi?

You can purchase an Ubigi eSIM for over 200+ countries/regions worldwide, so there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll be able to use Ubigi on your next trip.

Ubigi offers a number of different types of eSIMs, split by…

Duration:

Location:

Country eSIMs: The right choice if you’re going to one country only, as generally you’re going to get the best price per GB of data.

Continent/Regional eSIMs: A better bet if you’re going to be moving around quite a bit on your travels and you don’t feel like purchasing a new eSIM in every country, or you don’t know roughly how much data you’ll use.

World eSIMs: For those really traveling to a lot of places, regularly. Prices are generally high so this is a tough sell, but at least validity is 30 days even on a 1 GB plan.

Price Comparison – Country eSIM vs Regional eSIM vs World eSIM

For a full list of countries available, check out Ubigi’s breakdown. 

How much does Ubigi cost?

The price you pay for Ubigi is going to come down to a number of different factors. Here we’ll break them all down for you so that you can make the right decision for you. We think the main factors to consider when purchasing your eSIM are..

1. Location
2. Validity
3. Data Amount

1a. Location

First and foremost, you’ll need to decide upon where you want your eSIM to be valid. This will ultimately come down to whether you’re heading to one country or many. If you’re heading to one country, this is a no-brainer, if you’re heading to many, you’ll want to compare country vs regional plans.

1b. Regional/Global plans vs Country plans

As shown in our comparison above, the cost of regional or global plans is quite substantially higher than a single country plan. As mentioned above, we think it makes sense to purchase a plan for each country you visit on your trip, but only if you’re fairly confident that you can use all of the data purchased in that country. If you were to leave any data unused in the country, the cost per GB of data will increase.

2. Validity

This should be a fairly easy process to navigate. Just make sure to choose a plan that covers the entire duration of your trip, if possible. Typically, options will look like a 1-day plan for low data or a 30-day plan for more substantial data needs. However, Ubigi also offers monthly and even annual plans with a full 12 months of validity, something we haven’t seen before! These long-term plans could be particularly useful for those staying in a country for several months or more (we’re looking at you, digital nomads). Additionally, Ubigi provides further discounts on these plans compared to one-off pricing.

3. Data Amount 

We’ll always say it, your data amount will be the most important decision in terms of usage and value for money. With data, the cost per GB decreases substantially the more GB you buy. To give you an example from Europe:

That’s 3 GB of data for $2.33 per GB or 50 GB for only $0.88 per GB!

$0.88 per GB is a great price but it’s only going to stay at that number if you use all of the data purchased, in this instance, 50 GB. If you purchase the 50 GB plan and don’t use all of the data, let’s say you use 30 GB of data, the cost per GB will be split by 30 and therefore come to $1.47. That’s a decent price, but it’s certainly not $0.88! Try to be certain that you’ll use at least most of the data you purchase.

On the flip side, we have been burned through our data in the past and ended up having to purchase another package. This is frustrating as purchasing higher data packages from the start would have netted us a cheaper cost per GB.

So how much data will I need?

As we’ve stressed, it’s best to have an idea of how much data you might need. This will always vary from person to person, depending on usage. From our research of various other sources, we think that you’re approximately looking at:

Try to bear this in mind when choosing a package for you. With time, you’ll become more familiar with how much data you use and this process will become a lot easier. Here at TEE, we end up shooting for higher data amount plans now.

Ubigi Pricing:

Let’s compare these prices against their competition in all of these countries in the below interactive live table. The best way for you to find relevant pricing is to filter by the destination or destinations that you’re heading to.

We’ve compared Ubigi’s pricing with the big players in the travel eSIM market and the outlook is generally positive, with some varied results. As with many travel eSIMs, it seems like Ubigi is definitely better suited to certain markets. Let’s dig into that further in a select few regions:

• European countries: In Europe, Ubigi’s pricing is very competitive for its service. For example, in France, Spain, the UK, Portugal, Italy, and others, Ubigi offers impressively low prices. It ranks number 2 in our ‘Best eSIM for Portugal‘ guide, thanks not only to its great pricing but also to offering the fastest speeds by far. A solid value offering overall.

• Asia: Ubigi is slightly cheaper than its equivalent competitors in Japan, but is quite a bit more expensive in China for example.

• Latin America: Ubigi is prohibitively expensive in Central and South American countries like Mexico, Brazil, Colombia etc.

• USA: Ubigi offers mid-range prices in the US. Pricing could be much more competitive.

• Globally, Ubigi’s plans do not offer value. We would steer well clear of 1 GB for $22.

In conclusion, Ubigi’s pricing is very much a mixed bag and depends on where you’re going and how long for. For example, in Europe pricing is competitive, in Latin America and other specific countries, pricing can be very expensive.

Price sensitive travelers should strongly consider Ubigi in countries like Japan and parts of Asia, USA and Europe, but check prices carefully in Latin America and China.

Check out our cheapest eSIMs page or our price comparisons if you’re interested in finding the absolute cheapest travel eSIMs available.

Ubigi discount

We have partnered with Ubigi to offer a Travel ESIM EXPERT Ubigi coupon code offering 10% off for new customers with code TEE10. Make sure you get your discount if you’re a new customer.

Is Ubigi high speed and what is Ubigi’s signal reception like?

The undisputed speed champion

Speed is where Ubigi excels. So much so, that Ubigi recently ranked number 1 in our “Fastest eSIM for Travel 2025” study, a result of 150+ speed tests, 22 providers, 10 countries and 3 continents. Ubigi has scored highly in 9 of the 10 countries that we’ve tested it in and comes highly recommended as a result.

To see exactly how it performed, below is the complete speed test data from our head to head tests. Ubigi is pre-selected here, but you can remove the filter to compare with other providers and filter by countries for full visibility, exactly the way you want it.

That being said, it can always depend on the country you’re in and a number of other variables that can influence speed. That includes:

1. 4G or 5G plan: 5G should usually be faster than 4G only plans and can offer better signal. Ubigi does not offer 5G plans in every country.
2. Location: Location plays a major part in determining whether you have strong signal, which influences speed.
3. Other variables: Such as network congestion, which can also vary depending on time of day.

Our breakdown is below:

The good:

• Speed: Very fast.
• Signal: Very strong. We traveled in and out of the cities as well as the countryside of the Alentejo region. 5G signal was strong in almost all places.

• Speed: Fast.
• Signal: Very good. We have traveled throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, including to some very remote desert areas and impressively, we always had signal. Ubigi uses Du on 5g.

• Speed: Fast
• Signal: Strong. We seemed to have 5G signal anywhere we went in Japan, which was a very typical tourist route: Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.

• Speed: Fast 5G speeds.
• Signal: Good. 5G signal was generally strong throughout our time in Houston and New York.

• Speed: Fast. Speeds have improved significantly since our last test.
• Signal: Good. 5G signal was generally available in and out of the cities in Southern England.

• Speed: Ridiculously Fast
• Signal: Very strong signal throughout the cities and on the move.

• Speed: Fast.
• Signal: Solid signal throughout the country, from North to South.

• Speed: Fast.
• Signal: Average. Unfortunately signal in Malaysia wasn’t great across the board, Ubigi uses My Maxis like most and signal is pretty inconsistent in and out of the cities.

• Speed: Relatively fast.
• Signal: Good for the most part, but understandably signal across all networks dropped in more rural areas.

The Underwhelming:

We couldn’t get Ubigi working properly during our time in Hong Kong. This was evident in our speed test of 1 solitary Mbps from a 4G signal. It may have been a one off, but from our own testing in a week in HK, we can’t recommend Ubigi.

For more specifics from each country like networks available and if you can Hotspot, check out our Country Guides.

Does Ubigi have a loyalty scheme?

Ubigi does not have a loyalty scheme, so you won’t receive any credits from your purchases to use against future purchases. This is quite disappointing and definitely an area for improvement as most other travel eSIM providers do.

What is Ubigi’s customer service like?

Though we’re yet to really experience it, things can and do go wrong with travel eSIMs, and when you’re relying on them in a foreign country, fixes need to be swift and comprehensive. There can be a range of problems: purchases not working, eSIMs not activating, speed issues, connectivity issues, the list goes on.

We think that problems can always happen, it’s about how a company responds to and fixes problems. Like most travel eSIM providers, we haven’t had any real major issues with Ubigi but have asked some minor questions, so are able to give our two cents on how Ubigi handles them.

Forms of communication: To get customer service from Ubigi, you’re going to have to follow a link from their app that goes to their website FAQ page. Once you’ve finally scrolled to the bottom of the page, you’ll be able to leave them a message. We’d much prefer live chat here.

Response time: After you send a message to Ubigi, their response time can be disappointingly slow. We’ve seen it take about 16 hours to receive a reply. This is an area that really needs improvement.

Answers and problem solving: Though we’ve only had a number of small issues, we’ve been happy with the responses received, once we received them.

What do other Ubigi users think? Ubigi reviews on Reddit and elsewhere

Sometimes it’s good to have a second opinion as experiences really can differ. Here’s a breakdown of some of the key platforms where Ubigi has been reviewed.

• iOS App Store: 4.6/5
• Google Play Store: 3.5/5
• TrustPilot: 4.1/5

The ratings reveal quite a contrast in user experience between Android users on the Google Play Store and iOS users.

Reddit can also be a useful resource for user reviews. General sentiment on Reddit is positive, with reports of good signal and speed, especially in Japan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ubigi used for?

Ubigi is a travel eSIM app that offers data plans for international travelers, usually at the same or similar prices to local networks, without the need for physical SIM cards.

Is Ubigi any good?

We’ve given it 4.5 stars at the top of this Ubigi review, so we think it’s one of the best!

How safe is Ubigi?

So far, our experience with Ubigi has been secure. We’ve encountered no problems regarding payment or privacy. Although eSIMs have access to your data usage patterns, as is the case with all SIM plan, we have not seen any signs that our data is at risk with Ubigi. Registration is required, but it involves sharing only a little personal information.

Is Ubigi Trustable?

We’ve found Ubigi to be trustable in terms of service, activations and billing, so we’d generally say that Ubigi is trustable. We would like to see customer service improve a little however.

Can I use WhatsApp with Ubigi?

You will be able to use Whatsapp with Ubigi. Ubigi will get you online and you’ll be able to retain the same Whatsapp number from your home plan.

Does Ubigi give you a phone number?

Ubigi’s plans are data-only; you won’t receive a phone number or be able to make calls or send SMS.

What countries does Ubigi eSIM cover?

Ubigi offers travel eSIMs in over 200+ countries and regions. If you’re going there, Ubigi most likely has a plan available.

Is Ubigi eSIM legit?

We think that Ubigi eSIM is legit. We have used it extensively over the past couple of years and would happily recommend it. Don’t just take our word for it however, Trustpilot scores it 4.2/5 from over 9000 reviews.

How do I avoid roaming charges on Ubigi?

When you arrive at your destination, make sure to activate your Ubigi eSIM and turn off Data Roaming on your home carrier. You can see the iOS screenshot below:

What are the disadvantages of Ubigi?

Disadvantages of Ubigi could include slow customer service response times, sometimes expensive plans and the fact that plans are generally data only.

Does Ubigi use your phone number?

Ubigi does not use your phone number and doesn’t offer phone numbers either.

Does Ubigi include calls?

Ubigi’s plans are data-only. Voice calls are not included, but you can make voice calls using your VOIP apps such as Facetime, Whatsapp etc.

Is there better than Ubigi?

Ubigi is amongst our top, 5 star rated eSIMs. When pricing is reasonable, Ubigi usually offers great speeds and signal.

Can Ubigi hotspot?

We’ve been able to hotspot on Ubigi in every country that we’ve been to so far.

Can Ubigi receive SMS?

Ubigi is unable to receive SMS.

Who created Ubigi?

Ubigi was created by Transatel in Paris. It is now a part of NTT Communications, an international Japanese telecommunications company based out of Tokyo.