Airalo review: prices, plan sizes, unlimited and calling plans, networks and user ratings

Airalo at a glance: our verdict

The table summarises what our database shows about Airalo (October 2026):

• Strong points: very wide coverage, clear network information, many plan sizes, calling plans in some countries and a large, well-rated user base.
• Weaker points: prices above the cheapest offers for almost every destination, short validity on the smallest packages and slightly lower ratings on Trustpilot than in the app stores.

Airalo's current score, prices and all plans are on its provider page, updated daily.

Airalo plans and prices: many sizes, short and long validity

Airalo offers more plan sizes per country than most providers. For a typical country you can choose from:

• Small packages: 1 GB or 3 GB valid for 3 days, useful for a short stopover or a weekend.
• Week and fortnight: 3 to 10 GB valid for 7 days, 5 to 20 GB valid for 15 days.
• Month: 5, 10, 20 or 50 GB valid for 30 days.
• Regional plans: named packages such as Eurolink (about 40 countries in Europe), Asialink, Latamlink, Menalink, Island Hopper for the Caribbean and Hello Africa.
• Global plans: Discover covers around 160 countries in one eSIM.

The choice is wide, but note that the smallest packages only last 3 days. For a week-long trip, compare a 7-day package rather than topping up a 3-day one several times.

A simple rule for the size: maps, messaging and some browsing need a few hundred megabytes a day, so 5 GB covers a typical week and 10 to 20 GB a month without video streaming on mobile data. If you stream or share your connection, an unlimited plan is easier. Our guide How much data do I need for travel? has typical values per activity.

On price, Airalo sits in the middle of the field: its typical price per gigabyte on single-country plans ranks around the middle of the roughly 40 providers we list. It is rarely the cheapest option, though. For a 5 GB country plan we found no destination where Airalo was the lowest offer at the time of writing; a smaller provider was cheaper every time. The table shows the cheapest plans of all providers for the USA, so you can compare them with Airalo's prices on its provider page:

Before you buy, check our promo codes page for current discounts.

Airalo unlimited plans: 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps

Airalo sells unlimited plans for many countries with validities of 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days. According to the plan data, almost all of them keep 3 GB a day at full speed and then slow down to 1 Mbps until the next day; a few plans offer 5 GB a day.

That is more generous than average. Across all unlimited plans in our database, 1 or 2 GB a day are the most common allowances, and many plans fall to 512 kbps or less afterwards. At 1 Mbps, maps, messaging, music and video calls at reduced quality still work, so most travellers notice the limit only when streaming video.

For comparison, the table shows the cheapest unlimited plans of all providers for Japan, with a separate column for plans with at least 3 GB a day at full speed:

If you want to know what the different unlimited rules mean in practice, read Unlimited eSIM plans: how unlimited are they really?

Calls and texts: Airalo's plus plans

Most travel eSIMs are data-only. Airalo is one of the few providers in our database that also sells plans with calls and SMS. They are marked with a plus in the name, for example the plus versions of its USA, UK and Canada plans, and Discover+ as a global option. In our database Airalo has around 200 such plans, more than most other providers.

These plans are useful if you need to call local numbers, such as hotels, restaurants or drivers, or receive SMS during the trip. They cost more than the data-only version of the same size, so only choose them if you really need calls or texts. On our destination pages, the filter “Calls & SMS” under “More filters” shows all plans with this feature from every provider.

If you only want to stay reachable on your own number, you can keep your home SIM active for calls and use the eSIM for data instead; our guide Dual SIM with a travel eSIM explains how.

Networks, 5G and coverage

Transparency is one of Airalo's strengths. It names the partner network for almost every plan in our database and states 5G where a plan includes it, which is why Airalo scores close to the maximum for transparency in our ranking. You can check before you buy whether a plan uses the network you want, for example T-Mobile or Verizon in the USA.

In our database around 1,200 Airalo plans state 5G. Whether you actually get 5G also depends on your phone supporting 5G on that network and on local coverage; where 5G is not available, the plan uses 4G/LTE.

The table shows which networks the country plans for the USA use across all providers, and how many of them include 5G:

Coverage is broad: around 200 countries and territories with single-country plans, and regional plans for Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. Regional plans differ in which countries they include, so check the list on the Airalo provider page, where you can search for a country and see every Airalo plan that covers it.

What users say: ratings and our score

Airalo has the largest number of user ratings among the providers we track. In early October 2026 they were:

The app store ratings are high, while the Trustpilot rating is somewhat lower. Our score also deducts points for documented customer issues such as billing or refund problems; at the time of writing none were recorded for Airalo. In our score, Airalo gets top marks for coverage, plan terms and transparency and good marks from users. It loses most points on price, which keeps it in the middle of our ranking. The score is recalculated daily; our methodology page explains how.

Who Airalo suits, and when to look elsewhere

Airalo is a good choice if you:

• want one app for many destinations and like to choose from many plan sizes,
• care about knowing the network before you buy,
• need calls and texts in a country where Airalo offers a plus plan.

Look elsewhere if you:

• want the lowest price for a given amount of data; our destination pages list all providers sorted by price,
• travel for a few days only and want a small package that lasts a week or more,
• want a higher daily allowance on unlimited plans than 3 GB.

Comparing several brands? Our Saily review covers another popular app-based provider. Before installing, check that your phone supports eSIM: see how to check eSIM compatibility.