Best eSIM for Australia: prices, Telstra vs Optus coverage and unlimited plans compared

Quick answer: which Australia eSIM to choose

• City trip (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth): a country plan with 5 to 10 GB is enough for most people. Optus, Telstra and Vodafone all cover the cities well.
• Road trip, national parks or the outback: pick a plan on Telstra. It has the widest coverage outside the cities, although large parts of the interior have no mobile signal at all.
• Australia and New Zealand on one trip: a regional plan that covers both countries saves you a second eSIM.
• Lots of streaming or working online: an unlimited plan with at least 2 GB a day at full speed.
• You need calls and texts: most travel eSIMs are data-only; filter for plans with calls and SMS on our Australia page.

Australia eSIM prices: the cheapest plan for every data amount

The table shows the cheapest plan for each data amount with at least 7 days of validity. It includes regional plans that cover Australia, which are sometimes cheaper than plans for Australia alone:

Three things to keep in mind when you compare:

• Validity: plans run for 7, 15 or 30 days in most cases. For a three-week trip, a 30-day plan is usually cheaper than two shorter ones.
• Price per gigabyte: larger packages cost less per gigabyte, but only if you actually use the data. Our guide How much data do I need for travel? helps you estimate.
• Top-ups: if a provider allows top-ups, you can start with a smaller plan and add data later in the app.

All prices are refreshed daily. The full list with filters for data, validity, network and 5G is on our Australia eSIM page; before you pay, check our promo codes.

Unlimited data in Australia: daily limits and speeds

About a third of the plans that cover Australia are sold as unlimited. Almost all of them have a daily full-speed allowance, most often 1, 2 or 3 GB, after which the speed drops until the next day. The most common rules for Australia in our database are 2 GB a day followed by 2 Mbps, and 1 GB a day followed by 384 kbps.

The reduced speed decides how usable the plan is once the allowance is gone. At 2 Mbps, maps, music and video calls still work reasonably well; at 384 kbps or less, messaging and maps are about the limit. If you are not a heavy user, a fixed data plan is often cheaper than unlimited. For more detail, see Unlimited eSIM plans: how unlimited are they really?

How much data do you need in Australia?

Australia is a long-haul trip for most visitors, and stays tend to be longer than a typical city break. As a rough guide for one person:

Offline maps and WiFi at your accommodation reduce the need considerably. Because of the time difference to Europe and North America, video calls home often happen in the evening, when hotel WiFi is available. For stays of several months, for example on a working holiday, a prepaid SIM from an Australian carrier can work out cheaper than a travel eSIM; it requires an identity check when you activate it.

Telstra, Optus or Vodafone: which network is best?

Australia has three mobile networks. Travel eSIMs use one of them, and the plan details on our site show which:

• Optus: the network used by most travel eSIM providers in our database. Good coverage in cities and along the main coastal routes.
• Telstra: the largest network by coverage area, with the best chance of a signal in rural regions, small towns and on long drives. More than a dozen providers in our database sell Australia plans on Telstra, most of them with 5G.
• Vodafone: run by TPG Telecom, focused on cities and populated areas. Only a few providers use it for travel eSIMs.

For a trip that stays in the cities, the network makes little difference. For the outback, the Red Centre, Western Australia or northern Queensland, choose Telstra. On our Australia page you can filter by network. Around two thirds of the plans that cover Australia state 5G, which you get in the cities if your phone supports it.

Road trips and the outback: plan for no coverage

Australia is huge, and mobile coverage follows the people. Even on Telstra, long stretches of highway and most of the interior have no signal. A travel eSIM cannot change that, so prepare before you leave town:

1. Download offline maps for the whole route in Google Maps or a similar app while you have WiFi or good coverage.
2. Save bookings and tickets offline, including your eSIM provider's support details.
3. Tell someone your route and when you expect to arrive, especially on remote roads.
4. Check emergency options: some newer phones can send emergency messages via satellite where there is no mobile network. Check whether yours supports this in Australia before the trip.

Coverage usually returns in towns and at roadhouses. Your eSIM reconnects automatically as soon as a signal is available; if it does not, switch flight mode on and off.

Calls, texts and the 3G switch-off

Most travel eSIMs for Australia are data-only. You can call and message through WhatsApp, FaceTime and similar apps, which work on any data plan. If you need to call local numbers, for example tour operators or accommodation, some providers sell Australia plans with calls and SMS; use the “Calls & SMS” filter on our Australia page to find them.

Australia switched off its 3G networks in 2023 and 2024. Mobile networks there now run on 4G and 5G only, so regular phone calls need VoLTE (voice over 4G). Some older or overseas phones do not support VoLTE on Australian networks; mobile data is not affected, and internet calls through apps keep working.

If you want to keep your home number reachable for calls and SMS, leave your home SIM active with data roaming switched off and use the travel eSIM for data; see Dual SIM with a travel eSIM.

Australia and New Zealand on one eSIM

Many travellers combine Australia with New Zealand or a stopover in Asia. Instead of two eSIMs, you can use a regional plan: our database lists well over a thousand plans from around 30 providers that cover both Australia and New Zealand, from Australia–New Zealand packages to wider Asia-Pacific plans.

Regional plans differ in the countries they include and are not always the cheapest per gigabyte, so compare them with two country plans. Our pages for New Zealand and Oceania list the options, and Country, regional or global eSIM explains when a regional plan pays off.

How to set up your Australia eSIM

1. Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked; see Does my phone support eSIM?
2. Buy and install the eSIM at home over WiFi, a day or two before you fly. Many plans only start when they first connect in Australia; check the plan details.
3. Keep your home SIM for calls and SMS, but switch off data roaming on it to avoid charges.
4. After landing, switch the travel eSIM on, set it as the mobile data line and turn on data roaming for the eSIM.
5. Test the connection at the airport, where WiFi is available if something does not work.

Step-by-step instructions with screenshots are in our guides for iPhone and Android.