Best eSIM for Canada: prices, networks and unlimited plans compared, and how to combine Canada with the USA

Quick answer: which Canada eSIM to choose

• A week or two in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver: a Canada plan with 5 to 10 GB is enough for most travellers.
• Road trip through the Rockies or the Maritimes: 10 GB or more, ideally on a plan that can use Rogers as well as Bell or Telus.
• Canada and the USA on one trip: a North America plan covers both and costs only a little more per gigabyte than a Canada-only plan.
• Heavy use or remote work: an unlimited plan with at least 2 GB a day at full speed and a usable speed after that.

Canada eSIM prices: the cheapest plan for every data amount

Canada is well covered: all 39 providers in our database sell plans that include it, and about 1,600 of those plans are for Canada alone. The table shows the cheapest plan for each data amount with at least 7 days of validity, including North America and global plans:

Canada is not a cheap destination. The typical price per gigabyte of a Canada-only plan in our database is about twice that of a USA-only plan, which likely reflects the generally high price of mobile data in Canada. That makes comparing more important: for a 5 GB plan valid for 7 to 30 days, the typical offer costs about two and a half times as much as the cheapest one. Also check:

• Validity: more than 500 Canada-only plans, from every provider that sells them, run for 30 days or more.
• Network: the plan card names the Canadian networks; see below for what that means.
• Day passes: more than 500 day passes cover Canada, useful for a day trip from the USA or a short stopover.

Prices are refreshed daily. All plans with filters for data, validity, network and 5G are on our Canada eSIM page, and current discounts are on our promo codes page.

Unlimited data in Canada: daily allowance and speed

About a third of the plans that cover Canada are sold as unlimited. Almost all of them include a daily allowance at full speed and then slow down. The most common allowance is 1 GB a day, followed by 2 GB; about a quarter of the unlimited plans keep 3 GB a day or more, and a few cheap ones only 200 to 500 MB.

The table only shows plans with at least 2 GB a day at full speed. After the allowance, speeds vary a lot: fewer than three in ten unlimited plans for Canada keep 1 Mbps or more, the largest group drops to 256 to 512 kbps, and about one in seven to 128 kbps, which is barely enough for messages. If you mainly need maps and messaging, a fixed plan of 5 to 10 GB is often the better deal. Our guide Unlimited eSIM plans: how unlimited are they really? explains the rules.

Bell, Telus or Rogers: which network is best?

Canada has three national mobile operators and a few regional ones. Travel eSIMs use all of them:

• Bell: named by about seven in ten Canada-only plans in our database, from 27 providers.
• Telus: named by more than half, from 24 providers. Bell and Telus share large parts of their network, so a plan that names both mostly uses the same masts.
• Rogers: the third national operator, also named by about half of the plans, from 24 providers.
• Regional operators: SaskTel in Saskatchewan, Vidéotron mainly in Quebec, and Freedom Mobile mainly in Ontario and Western Canada. A few providers use them alongside the national networks.

In the cities and the populated south, all three national networks work well, and about eight in ten Canada-only plans state 5G. Canada is huge, though, and coverage thins out quickly along remote highways, in national parks such as Banff and Jasper between the towns, and in the North. For road trips, a plan that can use Rogers as well as Bell or Telus gives you two independent networks; about three in ten Canada-only plans with network details offer that. Download offline maps before long drives.

Canada and the USA on one eSIM

Many trips combine Canada with the USA, for example Vancouver and Seattle, Toronto and New York, or an Alaska cruise. Here regional plans make life easy:

• Plenty of choice: more than 3,400 plans from 38 providers cover both countries, most of them North America plans.
• North America plans: about three quarters include both Canada and the USA, and about six in ten also include Mexico. Check the list if Mexico or Canada is on your route.
• Price: per gigabyte, a North America plan costs only a little more than a Canada-only plan, so for a combined trip it is usually the simplest and cheapest choice. If you spend most of your time in the USA and only a day in Canada, a USA plan plus a Canada day pass can be cheaper.

More on US networks and prices is in our USA eSIM guide, and all regional plans are on our North America page. For an Alaska cruise, see eSIM for cruises.

Which plan suits your trip?

As a rough guide for one person:

Offline maps and playlists downloaded over hotel Wi-Fi reduce your mobile data use a lot. If you are unsure, pick a provider that allows top-ups and start with the smaller size. Typical values per activity are in our guide How much data do I need for travel?

Do you need a Canadian phone number?

Most travel eSIMs for Canada are data-only. Only a handful of Canada-only plans in our database, from two providers, include calls and SMS, so a Canadian number is the exception. For most visitors that is fine:

• Messaging and calls: WhatsApp, FaceTime and similar apps work on any data plan.
• Your home number: keep your home SIM active for calls and SMS, for example codes from your bank, but switch off data roaming on it. Our guide Dual SIM with a travel eSIM shows the settings.
• A local number: if you need one for a longer stay, use the Calls & SMS filter under “More filters” on our Canada page, or consider a Canadian prepaid SIM.

If you are weighing a travel eSIM against roaming on your home plan, our guide eSIM vs roaming vs local SIM compares the costs.

How to set up your Canada 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 Wi-Fi, a day or two before you travel. Many plans start only when they first connect in Canada; the plan details say when the validity begins.
3. Keep your home SIM for calls and SMS, and switch off data roaming on it.
4. After landing, turn on the travel eSIM, select it for mobile data and enable data roaming for the eSIM.
5. Test it at the airport, where Wi-Fi is available if something goes wrong. If you have no signal, see eSIM not working abroad.

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