Roam Gull

Best eSIMs for digital nomads and long stays

Maya Mobile's 30-day plan is unlimited and renews on its own, which suits a long stay. Fixed 20 GB and 25 GB plans cost less but can run dry on a work month.

Pavel Ryzhikh, November 2, 2026

Prices checked November 2, 2026

ProductBest forPriceThe deciding fact, and the catchLink
Maya Mobile Global unlimited, 30 daysBest for working across borders$49.99One unlimited plan for 165+ countries, with hotspot listed as included. The catch is the auto-renewal while Travel Mode is on.Visit
Ubigi Japan 25 GB, 30 daysBest fixed-data month in Japan$3225 GB for 30 days in one country. Fine for email and calls, tight if you tether a laptop all day.Visit
Airalo Thailand 20 GB, 30 daysBest for a month in Thailand$1820 GB for 30 days, data only. Airalo's pages don't say whether hotspot works on it.Visit
Airalo Global 20 GB, 365 daysBest as a year-long backup$66One 20 GB pool valid for 365 days, global. Treat it as a safety net.Visit

Buy through a link here and the vendor pays me a small commission. Your price stays the same. How that works.

A month abroad changes the math. A week-long plan means a new purchase every seven days, and a fixed pool of 20 GB looks different when a laptop is on the hotspot.

Here are four plans I'd look at, best first. Everything below comes from the vendors' pages.

Maya Mobile, 30 days: the default pick

Maya sells one unlimited plan for 165+ countries. The 30-day cycle is $49.99, and the 14-day cycle is $27.99 (prices checked November 2, 2026). The page lists hotspot as included and says "no caps, no throttling". That is Maya's wording. I have no measurement.

The catch is on the same page: the plan "auto-renews while Travel Mode is on". Turn Travel Mode off when you leave, or you pay for another cycle. For a nomad that's a feature. For anyone forgetful it's a bill.

Three 30-day cycles cost three times $49.99, and the 365-day Airalo pool below is a different kind of product, so compare them by what you'd use.

Ubigi and Airalo: fixed data, lower sticker price

Ubigi's Japan plan gives 25 GB for 30 days at $32. That's one country, data only. Airalo's Thailand plan gives 20 GB for 30 days at $18.

At $32 and $18, both cost less than Maya's $49.99 month. Both stop when the gigabytes stop.

My guess, not a measurement: 25 gigabytes covers maps, messaging and a lot of email, while video calls and a tethered laptop eat it fast. I'd pick these only if your work sits mostly on Wi-Fi at a cowork space.

Hotspot is the open question. The Airalo Thailand page I read doesn't say whether the plan allows it, and the Ubigi page I read gave no hotspot rule for the Japan plan either. If you plan to tether, ask before buying, or read our hotspot explainer.

Airalo Global, 365 days: a backup

Airalo's global plan is 20 GB with 365 days of validity, for $66. One pool, one install, global coverage.

Twenty gigabytes spread across a year is under 2 GB a month. It's what I'd keep for the week a local SIM fails or the gap between two plans. It is not what I'd run a laptop on.

How to choose

Count your gigabytes first. If you use under 10 GB a month, a fixed plan wins on price. If you tether, or hop between countries every few weeks, Maya's flat plan saves you from buying a new eSIM at each stop.

The trip calculator prices a 30-day stay with your own gigabyte figure. Browse every plan in our eSIM catalog.

Our Maya Mobile review goes through the auto-renewal rules. For single-trip picks, see the best travel eSIMs.

Sources