eSIM data & research
League tables and audits computed straight from our price database — the same dated snapshot that powers every comparison on this site. The headline numbers as of the latest check:
Every number in this section is computed, not written. The league tables below are rebuilt from the same dated snapshot of real prepaid plans that powers our country comparisons — 50 destinations, 8 providers, thousands of plans, one sort.
That matters because most eSIM rankings you’ll meet online are marketing copy wearing a table skin: one affiliate feed, republished with different fonts. We re-collect list prices from each provider, normalize them into dollars per gigabyte and dollars per day, and quote fair-use fine print verbatim rather than paraphrasing it away. When a provider quietly caps an unlimited plan, that fact ends up in the fair-use audit, not under a rug.
Use it the way you’d use any reference shelf — start from the question you actually have. The price index answers where data is cheapest, the fair-use audit answers what unlimited really means, and the unlimited data study answers what a day of data should cost. Travelers who want one number for their own dates can jump straight to the trip calculator; anyone who wants to see the plumbing can read how we collect prices.
Right now
The cheapest eSIM data in the world right now
A live top five by best $/GB — the same sort that powers the price index, recomputed on every price check. Click through for each winner's full country table.
France
$0.30/GB
Italy
$0.32/GB
Austria
$0.36/GB
Greece
$0.36/GB
Croatia
$0.36/GB
vs priciest Kenya$1.65/GB
The spread is the story — identical gigabytes cost 6× more in Kenya than in France at each country's best rate. Where you travel sets what you pay far more than which provider you pick.
Regional picture
How eSIM prices compare by region
The average of each country's best $/GB rate, grouped by region — a fair proxy for how competitive the local carrier market is. Each region's best country links to its full table.
Start here
The questions this data answers
Which country has the cheapest eSIM data?
Right now France at $0.30/GB — the full league table ranks every destination by its best rate.
Is unlimited eSIM data really unlimited?
4175 unlimited plans audited with every fair-use cap quoted verbatim from the plan terms.
What should unlimited data cost per day?
Best daily rate right now is $0.17 in United States. Daily-rate rankings plus the break-even analysis against fixed plans.
How much data will my trip need?
Estimate usage app by app, then see the real plans that cover it for your dates.
Which provider wins where I'm going?
Country tables and head-to-head matchups, every verdict computed on the same price snapshot.
Where do these prices come from?
Collection, normalization and ranking rules documented in the open.
The research
eSIM research recomputed with every price check
Research
Best Unlimited eSIM Plans 2026
50 countries with unlimited · cheapest $0.17/day in United States
Best unlimited eSIM plans compared: eSIM Sift ranks daily rates for every country with unlimited data, plus the fair-use catches.
Read the research →
Research
eSIM Fair Use Audit 2026
4175 unlimited plans audited · every fair-use note quoted verbatim
What unlimited eSIM plans really throttle: eSIM Sift audits the fair-use policy of every provider we track, plan by plan, verbatim.
Read the research →
Research
eSIM Price Index 2026
median $0.55/GB · cheapest France at $0.30 · 50 countries ranked
eSIM prices by country, ranked by best $/GB across every destination in the eSIM Sift database — regional averages and league table.
Read the research →
FAQ
eSIM research questions people ask
How often are eSIM prices checked?
Every plan in the database carries a dated snapshot — the badge at the top of this page shows the latest check date, and each research page restates it. We re-collect and recompute rather than republishing stale feeds.
Where do the eSIM prices come from?
Straight from each provider's own listings — official websites and apps — then normalized into $/GB and $/day so different plan shapes compare honestly. The collection and normalization rules are documented in our methodology.
Why do eSIM prices differ so much between countries?
Local carrier competition sets the floor. A market with several aggressive providers prices data far below a market dominated by one or two incumbents, and travel eSIMs pass that difference through almost one-to-one — the regional table on this page makes the pattern visible.
Is unlimited eSIM data really unlimited?
Usually unlimited in volume but not in speed. Most unlimited plans hold full speed for a daily or total allowance, then throttle. The fair-use audit quotes each provider's own fine print so the real cap is visible before you buy.
What does a fair use policy actually limit?
Almost always speed after a threshold — sometimes a daily cap, sometimes a total across the plan's validity. The limits live in the plan terms rather than the marketing, which is why we quote them verbatim in the audit.
Which country has the cheapest eSIM data right now?
The live table at the top of this page always shows the current top five by best $/GB, and the full ranking with every provider's plans is in the price index.
Want the raw numbers? The full price database is published as machine-readable JSON; collection rules are in the methodology. Prefer tools to tables? The trip cost calculator turns these same prices into a single recommendation for your trip.