Airalo Review 2025: The Best eSIM Option for Your Next Trip?

An eSIM is the best way to get affordable prepaid data without the hassle of a physical SIM. One of the biggest providers in this industry is Airalo, and despite its positive reputation, we still decided to put it through its paces in this Airalo review.

In this post, we’ll explore what features Airalo brings to the table and determine if it is the right eSIM service for your next trip and help you look past the hype.

Website	Airalo.com
Pricing	Starts at $4.50 for 7 days
Platform compatibility	Android and iOS
Number of countries	190+
Supported mobile networks	3G, 4G, and 5G
Are phone calls allowed	Yes but with the Discover+ Global eSIM only
Is mobile hotspot supported	Yes

Key takeaways from testing Airalo

• Airalo eSIM provides seamless connectivity across multiple countries, supporting travelers in Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America.
• Setting up an Airalo eSIM is a breeze. With their intuitive mobile app, you can buy, install, and top up data in just a few taps – no tech expertise required.
• Airalo doesn’t require a physical SIM card, making it very convenient for travelers who want data but would rather avoid dealing with local companies. 
• Basic plans are data-only, but users can opt for a Discover+ eSIM that supports traditional calls and SMS.
• Check out Airalo's pricing page for the latest deals and discounts on eSIM data plans.

What is Airalo eSIM?

Airalo is a straightforward eSIM provider with affordable data plans covering multiple regions and over 190 countries. The company has been doing this since 2019, and it quickly established itself as one of the most popular eSIM services, claiming to have supported more than 5 million customers. 

However, we mentioned in the intro that the point of this Airalo review is to help you look beyond just reputation. So, what does Airalo bring to the table?

Like other top eSIMs, Airalo makes life easier. With just a few taps on their website or app, you can skip the hassle of hunting down a physical SIM abroad.

Airalo is also flexible with its data plans, catering to travelers of different needs. Whether you need a data plan that will work in multiple countries over a month-long excursion or just a few GBs for a weekend trip, this eSIM has got you covered.

To see if it’s a good fit for you, we’ve outlined the pros and cons below (with more details coming up):

Key features of Airalo

Although it seems high-tech, Airalo is generally simple enough for travelers who don’t consider themselves all that tech-savvy. As you can see in the screenshot below, the main window allows you to see both the amount of remaining data and top it off if you’re running low. 

Because it’s undemanding and doesn’t have any hidden bells and whistles, we’ll primarily address the three points in this section: 

• Available data plans
• Pricing
• Coverage

First, let's take a look at the data plans and explore what’s on offer.

Data plans

Airalo categorizes its plans according to the travel destination (i.e. needed coverage). The cheapest ones are local eSIMs that cover only a single country – perfect if your trip will only take you across one or two countries. 

Next up, there are regional plans that, as the name suggests, cover a whole region like Latin America, Asia, or Europe. These eliminate a lot of trouble if visiting multiple countries in a short period is on your itinerary. 

The largest plan is the global one, which pretty much covers the entire globe (or disc, for our flat-earther readers) – just check if your intended destinations are supported as not every country is covered. 

In addition to choosing the scope of the coverage, you can pick the amount of data and the availability. Plans include 7, 15, 30, and up to 180 days. You can purchase as little as 1GB of data to as much as 100 GB. 

Pricing

Airalo’s pricing can only be described as flexible, catering to light data users and those who require more gigabytes out of their plan. 

The prices shown are for the basic eSIM, which is data-only and doesn’t support traditional calls and texts. Do note that Discover+ is available globally and is on average $10 more expensive when compared to the data-only eSIM. To make your time reading the Airalo review more palatable here's a quick breakdown of the pricing.

Region	Data amount	Duration	Price
Global	1GB	7 days	$9
Global	5GB	60 days	$35
Global	20GB	365 days	$69
Europe	1GB	7 days	$5
Europe	5GB	30 days	$20
Europe	50GB	180 days	$100
USA	1GB	7 days	$4.50
USA	5GB	30 days	$16
USA	20GB	30 days	$42

See the latest Airalo prices and deals here >

Global coverage

With a coverage of over 190 countries, Airalo represents a versatile option for travelers. If you need connectivity in popular travel destinations like Spain, Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, Japan, and so on, you’ve got it. 

How does Airalo manage to achieve such a wide coverage?

Simple – partnering up with local cellular networks. For example, in the US, Airalo works with T-Mobile and AT&T, whereas, in the UK, Telefonica O2 is in charge of providing coverage.

How to set up and use Airalo eSIM

For what Airalo offers, the setup process is surprisingly simple, not different from any other mobile app.

1. Purchasing an Airalo eSIM

First, download Airalo on the Google Play or Apple App Store, which allows you to access the web store where you can purchase eSIMs. Launch the app, choose the region or country you want to travel to and decide on a plan that fits your traveling needs.

Click ‘Buy’ and you’ll be prompted to create an account. Once you get that into order, you’ll be redirected to a checkout page where you can complete the purchase. Airalo accepts all major payment methods like debit and credit cards, Paypal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. 

2. Installing your Airalo eSIM

The hard part is over, which tells you everything you need to know about the simplicity of most eSIM solutions. Go to the ‘My eSIMs’ section of the app, click on the eSIM you purchased, and hit ‘View Instructions’ under the ‘eSIM Installation’ window. 

You’ll get three options for installation – we recommend choosing ‘Direct’ as it’s the fastest. Tap ‘Install eSIM’ at the bottom of the screen and let Airalo do its magic.

Make sure to have a stable Wi-Fi connection to avoid any issues. 

After about a minute, your new eSIM will be available in your SIM options. To activate it and start using data, you’ll need to wait until you arrive at your destination. Then, navigate to ‘Network & internet’ settings on Android devices (Cellular settings on iOS).

Tap on ‘SIMs’ and you’ll see Airalo listed under the options. Upon tapping on it, turn on the eSIM, enable roaming and mobile data, and you’re good to go. 

3. Managing data usage

Using Airalo is straightforward, as you can easily keep an eye on how much mobile data you have remaining and top it off through the app. Managing your data usage ensures unimpeded connectivity throughout your travels. 

Our personal experience with Airalo

It’s not that surprising that Airalo is one of the highest-rated eSIM apps out there. The design of the app is sleek and clean, and you can do everything within a few swipes and taps – from purchasing plans and checking your data expenditure to contacting customer support. 

The overall experience is more than positive, with the crowning feature being a fast installation process, especially when you opt for the ‘Direct’ or automatic method. It’s also super easy to keep track of your standing in the loyalty program as you can check your ‘Airmoney’ amount in the ‘Profile' section.

Customer support experience

You can usually tell how good a company is based on its approach to customer support. So, how does Airalo hold up in this department?

In short, its customer support may not reach the standards set by the likes of Saily or GigSky, but it’s solid nevertheless. During our tests, we got in touch with a live agent within two minutes, which is extraordinary, to say the least. The general vibe we felt from Airalo’s support is that they’re heavily banking on most users resolving small issues using the self-help resources in the help center. Thus, live chat is a sort of last resort. 

To test how well customer support responds to queries, we used the live chat feature in the app (navigate to the ‘Profile’ section, open ‘Help Center’, and scroll down until the chat icon pops up). We had to make up an imaginary issue with topping up data to justify us seeking a live agent: 

You can safely conclude that the chatbot probably would have been able to help us resolve an actual issue. After about ten minutes, we connected to a live agent who was very professional:

Saily and GigSky set the bar really high, so these ten minutes seem excessive. However, this is completely acceptable and in line with what we’ve seen with most other eSIM providers.

Connection quality

Some users reported connection issues, and we simply had to check the validity of these claims in our Airalo review. 

It’s important to note that doing this isn’t easy. Speed tests for eSIMs can be inconclusive as the quality of the connection ultimately depends on local carriers and their infrastructure.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (where we tested this solution), the largest carrier is BH Mobile, and other reliable providers we tested also rely on this network. Despite this fact, our download speed was quite inconsistent. Here’s an example:

Note that we conducted quite a few tests, some inside and some outside (walls can be thick so we simply had to eliminate them as a factor), and they ranged from as little as ten Mbps to the one in the screenshot.

Credit where credit is due, we experienced no dropouts. 

Does all of this prove that the minority of users complaining about Airalo’s connection issues is right, though?

The low download speeds may be limited to the country plan we used, sure, bur it’s rather concerning because some of the other eSIMs we tested also relied on the same local network provider and had higher download speeds. Thus, it’s reasonable to conclude that the limiting factor here may be Airalo itself and not the local provider.

Compatible devices for Airalo eSIM

Most modern devices are compatible with eSIM technology, including iPhone models (iPhone 11 and up), newer Samsung Galaxy models, and Google Pixels starting from Pixel 3. In addition, the latest smartphones from other manufacturers like Xiaomi, Honor, and OPPO (to name a few) also support eSIM technology. 

In case you’re not sure if your phone supports this “space age” technology, google your model or check if you have eSIM as an option in your device’s settings.

Advantages of choosing Airalo eSIM

In many ways, Airalo eSIM blows a regular local SIM out of the water. Not only does it provide the necessary peace of mind when abroad, but it also comes with unique advantages over other methods of getting mobile data.

Convenience

In addition to physical SIM cards being the very definition of finicky, you can’t beat the ability to purchase an eSIM from the comfort of your own home before embarking on the trip. You won’t have to chase down a local SIM vendor, which is a godsend. 

With Airalo, you can connect to the internet as soon as you land, take in the sights, and relax instantly. 

If you plan on traveling through different countries on your vacation, an eSIM will save you so much time. Simply purchase a regional plan and you won’t have to manage multiple physical cards – phew!

Eco-friendliness 

Since it’s a physical product, the physical SIM you get at an airport will have some sort of packaging. These are two pieces of plastic you’ll eventually have to discard. While it may not seem to matter in the grand scheme of things, opting for an electronic SIM will reduce your overall CO2 footprint – something that Mother Earth will surely appreciate. 

Flexibility

As mentioned earlier, Airalo’s many pricing plans allow you to custom-tailor the service around your traveling plans and data consumption needs. Ultimately, this flexibility will enhance your trip and allow you to focus on what’s actually going on around you instead of worrying about data or looking for Wi-Fi hotspots. 

Loyalty program

One of our favorite things about Airalo is its loyalty program, through which you can rack up points with each eSIM you buy that can later be redeemed for discounts. Rather useful if you’re traveling all the time, and you can also refer friends to get even more points.

Potential drawbacks of Airalo eSIM

To keep this Airalo review fully objective, we should inform you about a few potential drawbacks. These don’t erase any of the positives, but it’s still worth knowing what to expect when you sign up for Airalo. 

Signal and connectivity issues

Many users report connectivity and signal issues in certain regions. This is the nature of the beast, though. Since the service relies on local providers, some hitches are expected (especially in rural areas). 

Other travelers reported a bug where their connection speed was slow because the data was routed to distant servers – which you can solve easily by switching networks. 

Limited voice and SMS support

Save for Discover+ which is only available for global plans (at a significant upcharge), Airalo is primarily a data-only eSIM, meaning you won’t be able to make SMS or voice calls – bummer if you still text. 

For those who prefer messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber, and FaceTime, this isn’t such a big issue. 

Cybersecurity concerns

Despite offering a powerful package, Airalo appears to be experiencing security issues. We have observed a few users on social media reporting their accounts were hacked and numerous charges being racked up as a result.

While Airalo has not yet offered a clarification, one possible explanation is that Airalo suffered a security breach and hackers simply exploited accounts that had saved payment methods. Users also shared screenshots that showed transactions reaching as high as $500, with some even claiming this occurred on accounts protected by MFA.

So far, Airalo hasn’t shared any details about the data breach and has been unhelpful in rectifying the issue in most cases, according to user reports on Reddit.

For the time being, we are no longer recommending Airalo. As an alternative, you can consider using Saily (currently 5% off), which is recognized for its top-notch security and also comes with extra VPN features free of charge. 

Comparing Airalo with other eSIM providers

New eSIM companies keep popping up all the time, so Airalo is not the only cat in the biz. Let’s see how the titular service compares with its competition, so you can have an easier time determining if another eSIM is a better match for you. 

Provider	Voice call support	Extra features	Price
Airalo	Global plan only	Loyalty and referral program	$4.50 for 1GB
Saily	No	Ad blocker, VPN, web protection	$1.99 for 1GB
Nomad	No	Discount for bundle purchases	$4.50 for 1GB
AloSIM	Yes	/	$4.50 for 1GB
Holafly	Yes	Unlimited data	$6.90 per day for unlimited data

Airalo’s loyalty program, which allows you to earn points and save money on future eSIM purchases, may help offset the higher price, making it a more attractive option if you’re constantly traveling.

However, other providers such as Saily not only offer lower pricing but come with a slew of security features that unlock even more value.

Summary – Affordable data for the on-the-go traveler

When compared to traditional SIM cards, Airalo eSIM is a far more convenient, cost-efficient, and eco-friendly solution for getting data on the go. It also offers flexible global, regional, and local plans, allowing you to pick the option that meets your budgetary and data needs. 

As stated in this Airalo review, the service is more expensive than some of its competitors and lacks voice and SMS support, it more than makes up for it with the loyalty program that can help you save money in the long run.

Have fun traveling and post often – after all, you’ll have more than enough data to do so! 

Other eSIM guides:

• Saily Review
• Nomad Review
• Jetpac Review
• aloSIM Review
• Holafly Review
• Ubigi eSIM Review
• Best eSIM Providers
• Best eSIM for Europe
• Best eSIM for Japan
• Best eSIM for USA
• Best eSIM for International Travel

Airalo eSIM FAQ

This Airalo eSIM review was last updated on April 11, 2025.