Best eSIM for Brazil: prices, Vivo, Claro and TIM networks, unlimited plans and South America trips

Quick answer: which Brazil eSIM to choose

• City trip to Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo: a Brazil plan with 3 to 5 GB is enough for maps, messaging, ride-hailing apps and some social media for a week.
• Two weeks or more with beaches and domestic flights: a Brazil plan with around 10 GB that names two or three networks, so your phone has a fallback outside the big cities.
• Iguazu Falls on both sides, or Brazil plus Argentina, Chile or Peru: a South America plan, after checking that every country on your route is on its list.
• Remote work, video calls or a laptop on hotspot: an unlimited plan that keeps at least 1 Mbps after the daily allowance.
• A longer stay of several months: compare a local prepaid SIM, see the section on local SIM cards below.

Brazil eSIM prices: the cheapest plan for every data amount

Brazil is well covered in our database: all 39 providers we track sell plans that include it, and 38 of them offer plans for Brazil alone, around 1,200 in total. The table shows the cheapest plan for each data amount with at least 7 days of validity, including South America and global plans:

The spread between providers is wide. When we compared 5 GB plans valid for 7 to 30 days for this guide, 38 providers offered one, and the typical price was almost four times the cheapest. It is worth looking at the whole list on our Brazil comparison page rather than buying the first plan you see.

Before you pick the cheapest line in the table, check three things on the plan itself: how many days it is valid, which networks it names, and whether you can top it up. A plan that can be topped up lets you start small and add data if you need it, instead of buying a second eSIM halfway through the trip. Our guide to data usage on a trip has figures for maps, messaging, social media and video.

Vivo, Claro or TIM: which network does your eSIM use?

Brazil has three national mobile networks: Vivo (owned by Telefônica), Claro and TIM. A fourth operator, Oi, sold its mobile business to the other three in 2022, so there is no separate Oi network to look for any more. Some providers write the names differently, for example “TIM Brazil”, “Vivo S.A.” or “Claro Brasil”; they are the same networks. This is how often each network appears in the Brazil-only plans that name one:

In our data, TIM appears in about seven in ten Brazil-only plans that name a network, Vivo in about six in ten and Claro in only about one in three. Travel eSIMs reach Brazilian networks through roaming agreements, and most of them have agreements with TIM and Vivo.

All three networks cover the big cities and most of the coast. Inland, coverage thins out and differs from one network to the next, which is why the number of networks matters more than which one you get. Among the Brazil-only plans with a fixed amount of data that name their networks, about four in ten list at least two, and about one in six list all three. With such a plan, your phone can switch to another network when the first one has no signal.

Brazil launched 5G in 2022, and it is available in the large cities. About eight in ten Brazil-only plans in our database list 5G. You need a 5G phone and a 5G area to use it; everywhere else the plan works on 4G.

Coverage on the coast, in the Amazon and in the Pantanal

Brazil is larger than the European Union, and mobile coverage follows the population. Expect good coverage in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Brasília and the other big cities, along the main coastal roads and in popular beach towns. Things change in three kinds of places:

• The Amazon: Manaus has normal city coverage, but on river trips and in jungle lodges there are long stretches without any mobile signal.
• The Pantanal and other national parks: outside the towns, coverage is patchy or absent, often for a whole day of driving or boat trips.
• Islands and remote beaches: small places may only be covered by one network, so a plan with several networks makes a real difference there.

For these parts of a trip, download offline maps and anything you want to watch or read before you leave the city, and use the Wi-Fi at your lodge or hotel. No eSIM can help where there is no mobile network. Keep in mind that the validity of most plans keeps running during days without signal.

Unlimited eSIMs for Brazil: what the fair-use limits mean

Most “unlimited” plans for Brazil give you a daily amount of data at full speed and then slow down until the next day. The difference between plans lies almost entirely in two numbers: how much data you get at full speed each day, and how fast the connection is after that. The cheapest unlimited plans by length of stay:

The speed after the daily allowance matters more than it looks. Of the unlimited plans that cover Brazil, about three in ten drop to 128 kbps. That is enough for text messages, but maps load slowly and photos and voice calls barely work. A similar share keep 1 Mbps or more, which still handles navigation, music and voice calls. If you plan to work from Brazil or use your phone as a hotspot, look for a plan with at least 2 GB a day at full speed and 1 Mbps or more afterwards.

For light use, an unlimited plan is often more expensive than a fixed amount of data. Our guide to how unlimited eSIMs really work explains when they pay off. Hotspot use is allowed on almost all Brazil plans that state a rule; details are in our guide to using an eSIM as a hotspot.

Brazil-only, South America or global plan?

If you only travel in Brazil, a Brazil-only plan is the better deal. When we compared plans with the same amount of data for this guide, the median South America plan cost roughly 55 to 75 % more than the median Brazil-only plan, and the median global plan more than twice as much.

A regional plan is worth it when your trip crosses a border. Common examples:

• Iguazu Falls: the falls lie on the border with Argentina, and many visitors see both sides. A Brazil-only plan stops working on the Argentine side.
• Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay or Chile: for example Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires on one trip.
• A longer South America route: including Peru, Colombia or Ecuador.

South America plans differ more than the name suggests. In our database, almost all of them include Chile, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay, about six in ten include Colombia, but only about a third include Paraguay, which matters if you plan a trip from Foz do Iguaçu to Ciudad del Este. Always open the country list of the plan before you buy. Compare South America plans and Argentina plans, or read regional or global eSIM: which one you need.

WhatsApp, calls and a Brazilian phone number

WhatsApp is the main way to communicate in Brazil. Hotels, tour operators, restaurants and drivers often prefer it to phone calls and email. With a data-only eSIM this works without any problem: WhatsApp is tied to your account, not to the SIM card, so you keep your usual number and chats while the eSIM provides the data. The same applies to ride-hailing apps such as Uber and 99, which only need mobile data.

Very few plans include a phone number: only 63 of the more than 4,000 plans covering Brazil in our database come with calls or texts. For most visitors that is fine. If you need to receive text messages, for example verification codes from your bank, keep your home SIM active in the phone with mobile data switched off. Our guide to using a travel eSIM with your home number shows the settings, and how to avoid roaming charges on the home line.

Travel eSIM or a local SIM card?

Prepaid SIM cards from Vivo, Claro and TIM can be cheaper per gigabyte, especially for stays of a month or longer. The catch is registration: prepaid SIMs in Brazil have to be registered to the buyer. Brazilians do this with their CPF tax number; as a visitor you usually have to go to one of the operator's own stores with your passport, which takes time and does not always work on the first attempt.

For a holiday of one to four weeks, a travel eSIM is the simpler choice: no shop visit, no registration in Brazil, and data from the moment you land. For a long stay, a common approach is to start with a travel eSIM and get a local SIM once you have settled in.

How to set up your Brazil eSIM before you travel

1. Check your phone. It must support eSIM and must not be locked to your carrier. Our guide on how to check eSIM compatibility takes two minutes.
2. Buy and install at home. Install the eSIM over Wi-Fi a few days before departure, following the steps for iPhone or Android. Check the plan's terms to see whether the validity starts at installation or on first use in Brazil.
3. Label the lines. Name the new line “Brazil” and your home SIM “Home”, so you choose the right one later.
4. Switch over when you land. Select the Brazil line for mobile data, turn on data roaming for that line and turn off mobile data for your home SIM.
5. Test before you leave the airport. Open a map or send a WhatsApp message while there is still airport Wi-Fi to fall back on.