Best eSIM for Bali and Indonesia: networks, island coverage and unlimited plans compared

Which Indonesia eSIM fits your Bali trip?

Travel eSIMs are sold for Indonesia as a whole; there are no separate Bali plans, and an Indonesia plan works on every island the networks cover. Start with your route and how you use your phone:

• A week in south Bali and Ubud: 6 to 10 GB covers maps, Grab or Gojek rides, food delivery, messaging and photo uploads for typical use. A plan with a daily allowance of 1 to 2 GB works too.
• Island hopping to Nusa Penida, the Gili Islands or Lombok: pick a plan that lists Telkomsel, or several networks, because coverage outside the main towns is thinner.
• Bali combined with Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand: compare a regional Asia plan with separate country plans; for two or more countries the regional plan is often simpler.
• A month or more, or remote work from Canggu or Ubud: look for large packages or unlimited plans with a high daily allowance, and check the speed after that allowance.

How much data different activities use is explained in our guide to how much data you need for travel. All Indonesia plans with current prices are on our Indonesia eSIM page.

Telkomsel, Indosat or XL: which network works best in Bali?

Indonesia has three large mobile groups and a smaller fourth network. Travel eSIMs connect to one or more of them, and providers often write the names differently:

In south Bali, from Kuta and Seminyak to Canggu, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Uluwatu, and in Ubud, all of these networks generally give you usable 4G. The differences show up in the north and east of the island, in the mountains and on the smaller islands, where Telkomsel usually has more masts. About four in five country plans for Indonesia in our database list Telkomsel, and most of them name more than one network, so the phone can switch if one is weak.

Many plans are labelled 5G. Indonesian 5G is still limited to parts of larger cities, so in practice you will be on 4G most of the time, and the 5G label matters less here than the network list.

Coverage beyond south Bali: Nusa Penida, the Gilis and Lombok

Many Bali trips include a few days on nearby islands. Coverage there is less even than in the south of Bali, and the boat crossings between islands often have gaps:

• Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan belong to Bali. Expect signal in the villages and harbours, but weaker coverage on the cliff roads and at remote viewpoints.
• The Gili Islands and Lombok are part of the neighbouring province of West Nusa Tenggara, but an Indonesia plan covers them in the same way. The main villages and tourist areas have mobile coverage; inland Lombok and the slopes of Mount Rinjani have less.
• Northern and eastern Bali, such as Munduk, Sidemen, Amed or the area around Mount Batur, have fewer masts than the south. Here a plan with Telkomsel in its network list makes the biggest difference.
• Further east, around Labuan Bajo and Komodo or in Raja Ampat, coverage is limited to towns and some anchorages. Plan for offline time on boat trips.

Before an island trip, download offline maps for the area in Google Maps or another map app, and save booking confirmations and boat tickets on your phone so you do not need a connection to show them.

Indonesia eSIM prices: the cheapest plan for every data amount

Each row shows the cheapest plan we track for that amount of data with at least a week of validity. Prices per GB usually fall as packages get larger, so compare the price per GB, not just the price of the package.

• Check the validity: a cheap package with 7 days does not help on a two-week trip, and buying two packages is often more expensive than one larger plan.
• Check the networks: some low-priced plans run on a single network. For south Bali that is rarely a problem; for island hopping a plan with Telkomsel is the safer choice.
• Regional plans can appear in the table when they are the cheapest option for Indonesia. They also work in the other countries they list, which is useful if your trip continues.

Some providers offer discount codes for a first purchase; current ones are on our promo codes page.

Unlimited data in Bali: what happens after the daily allowance

Unlimited plans for Indonesia almost always have a daily allowance at full speed, after which the speed drops until the next day. In our database the most common allowances are 1 GB and 2 GB a day, followed by 3 GB. The most common speed afterwards is 384 kbps, followed by 1 Mbps and 512 kbps; some plans drop to 128 kbps.

At 384 kbps, messaging, maps and booking a ride still work, but video calls, uploading videos or working on a laptop through hotspot become slow. If you plan to work remotely or share your connection, choose a plan with a higher daily allowance, such as 3 or 5 GB, or a speed of 1 Mbps or more after the allowance. The right-hand column of the table only counts plans with at least 2 GB a day at full speed.

How these limits work, and how to read the fair-use rules in the plan details, is covered in our guide to unlimited eSIM plans.

Bali plus Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand: country or regional plan?

Bali is often one stop on a longer trip through Southeast Asia, and many regional plans include Indonesia. In our database Indonesia is covered by Asia, Asia-Pacific and global plans, and some providers sell smaller combinations such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

• One or two stopovers of a few days: a country plan for each destination is often cheaper, especially for small data amounts.
• Three or more countries, or frequent border crossings: a regional plan saves you from buying and installing several eSIMs and keeps one data allowance for the whole trip.
• Check the country list: "Asia" plans differ a lot. Some include Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam but not China or Japan; others the other way round.
• Check the networks in Indonesia: a regional plan does not always use the same networks as the country plans of the same provider.

The Asia plans are compared on our Asia regional eSIM page, and the pros and cons of both types are explained in regional vs global eSIM. If Thailand is on your route, our guide to the best eSIM for Thailand covers the networks there.

Travel eSIM or local SIM card from Bali airport?

At the arrivals hall of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport, kiosks sell local tourist SIM cards. Both options get you online; the differences are in setup and in what you get besides data:

A note on the IMEI rule: Indonesia only lets phones bought abroad use Indonesian SIM cards when their IMEI is registered. For visitors this is usually done at purchase for a limited period. Travel eSIMs that roam on Indonesian networks with a foreign profile are generally not covered by this rule. If a provider sells a local Indonesian eSIM instead, its description should say whether registration is needed.

Set up before you fly to Bali

1. Check that your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to your home carrier; our compatibility guide shows how.
2. Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi a day or two before departure. Our guide on when to activate an eSIM explains when the validity starts.
3. Install the apps you will need before you leave: a ride-hailing app such as Grab or Gojek, WhatsApp, which most hotels, drivers and tour operators in Bali use, and your map app with offline areas downloaded.
4. After landing, switch the travel line on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line. Keep your home SIM for calls and SMS, with its data roaming off.
5. If nothing connects, our troubleshooting guide lists the usual fixes in order.

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