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Connectivity

eSIM and SIM cards for travel compared

3 services compared by coverage and price

Airalo (opens in a new tab)Country, regional and global packages, unlimited ones included. Tethering is allowed, and the app speaks 53 languages.
Type
eSIM
Coverage
200+ territories
Billing
Data packages
From
from $41 GB for 3 days
Straight to the phone
Open — Airalo (opens in a new tab)
Yesim (opens in a new tab)A global pay-as-you-go plan too — from $1.10 per gigabyte, and the balance you do not spend carries over to the next trip. Hotspot works.
Type
eSIM
Coverage
170+ countries
Billing
Packages or pay as you go
From
from $1.68a day, country plan
Straight to the phone
Open — Yesim (opens in a new tab)
Drimsim (opens in a new tab)The card itself costs €10, plastic and eSIM alike. The rate switches by itself when you cross a border and you are charged for the traffic you use. The card price is refunded if the connection never worked.
Type
eSIM or plastic
Coverage
190 countries
Billing
Pay as you go
From
€0.01 per MB≈ €10 per gigabyte, no monthly fee
eSIM instantly, plastic by post
Open — Drimsim (opens in a new tab)

Terms come from the services' own pages, checked on 6 September 2026. Mobile data pricing changes often: check the price on the service's side before you pay.

How to choose

One country for a week or two

Take a country package. It is the cheapest option: the price is known upfront and nothing extra gets charged.

Several countries in one trip

You need a regional or global plan. One eSIM covers every country on the route, with nothing to swap at the border.

Constant travel

Pay as you go suits better: you pay for the data you use and there is no monthly fee, so no counting gigabytes in advance.

Other services for the trip: flights, insurance, stays

Frequent questions

What is an eSIM, and will my phone take one?
An eSIM is a SIM inside the phone: nothing is inserted, the profile downloads and activates within minutes. Support is listed in the phone's settings or on the service's site — Drimsim has a separate compatibility check. Older models take a plastic SIM instead.
Why is this better than a local SIM bought on arrival?
The internet works the moment you land, rather than after finding a shop and signing up with your passport. Nothing gets swapped either: the eSIM sits as a second profile and your home number stays in place.
A data package or pay as you go — which costs less?
Count in gigabytes. Pay as you go at Drimsim works out around €10 a gigabyte — more than a package, but you only pay for what you spend and nothing burns between trips. A package wins when the trip is short and the volume is predictable.
Do I keep my own phone number?
Yes, if the phone holds two profiles. People keep their own number for calls and bank codes and route the data through the eSIM. Calls and texts are usually not part of these plans — they sell data.
Can I share the connection as a hotspot?
Yesim and Airalo both allow it — Airalo spells out Personal Hotspot in its help centre, Yesim on its plans page. Drimsim publishes nothing about tethering, so ask their support.

Moving rather than travelling?

Connectivity is the small part next to status, a bank account and taxes. Describe the task — we will review the case and say where to start.

Connectivity is provided by the services themselves, not by Pactors: the contract, the payment and the support sit on their side, the links are paid for by those services, and your price does not change.