Two of the eSIMs I recommend most, compared properly: pricing, coverage, the apps, and which one actually suits your trip. Correct at the time of writing, always worth checking the live price before you buy.
Every trip I book, someone asks me the same question: which eSIM should I actually download? There are dozens out there, but I only ever point people to two, Breeze eSIM and Airalo, because they're the ones I've actually used myself and trust.
They both do the same basic job: get you data the second you land, without a roaming bill waiting for you when you get home. But they work quite differently, and one will suit your trip better than the other. Here's the honest breakdown.
A UK-based eSIM reseller (Breezesim Limited) selling straightforward, fixed-data plans for 190+ countries. There's no app, you buy through their website, and a QR code lands in your inbox to install before you fly.
Plans are data-only (no calls or texts, though WhatsApp, iMessage and calling apps work fine over data), and stay valid to use for up to 6 months after you buy, so you can grab one early and forget about it.
Get Breeze eSIM
The biggest name in eSIMs, and for good reason. Airalo is a dedicated app and marketplace covering 200+ countries and territories, with local, regional (Europe, Asia, North America and more) and one Global plan that covers a huge spread of countries on a single eSIM.
Everything, buying, installing, topping up and managing multiple eSIMs for different trips, happens inside the Airalo app, which makes it the tidier option if you travel a lot.
Get Airalo eSIMeSIM pricing changes often and both providers run frequent deals, so treat these as a like-for-like snapshot rather than gospel. Always check the live price on each site before you buy.
| Destination | Breeze eSIM (fixed data, 30 days) | Airalo (unlimited data) |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3GB from £5, 10GB from £10 | From £8.50 (3 days) up to £48 (30 days) |
| USA | 3GB from £6, 10GB from £12 | From £9 (3 days) up to £52 (30 days) |
| Thailand | 3GB from £7, 10GB from £16 | From £7.50 (3 days) up to £37.50 (30 days) |
Prices shown in GBP, checked live on each provider's website. Both run frequent sales so the price you see at checkout may be a little lower. Neither company charges you extra for using these links, and I only recommend eSIMs I've genuinely used myself.
190+ countries, sold as single-country, regional and Global bundles. Good spread across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania.
200+ countries and territories, plus 10 regional bundles (Europe, EU+UK, Asia, North America, Africa Safari and more) and one Global eSIM covering a wide spread of countries on a single plan, handy for multi-country trips.
This is where the two are most different, and honestly, the bit most people care about most once they're stood at the airport trying to get connected.
You buy through their website, and the eSIM QR code arrives by email. You install it manually through your phone's own eSIM settings, which takes a couple of minutes but does need to be done on wifi before you fly. There's no app to manage top-ups or see your usage, everything is done through your account on their site.
Buy, install and top up entirely inside the Airalo app, with your data usage visible at a glance. The app is genuinely well rated, sitting at 4.7 out of 5 across around 29,000 App Store reviews at the time of writing, and it's the easier option if you're not confident installing a QR code manually.
Both are generally well reviewed, with the usual mixed bag of comments you'd expect from any eSIM provider. Breeze gets praised for its low, transparent pricing and simple no-app checkout, with the odd comment about support being email only rather than live chat. Airalo gets praised for how easy the app makes everything, with occasional comments about support response times during busy periods. Worth a quick check of each provider's current Trustpilot score before you buy, since these do move around.
Nipping to Spain, Turkey or the US for a single trip and want the cheapest, simplest option with no app to download? Go with Breeze eSIM.
Doing a multi-centre trip, a cruise, or want everything (top-ups, other countries, your next holiday's eSIM) managed from one app? Go with Airalo.
Airalo offers genuine unlimited-data packages in a lot of destinations. Breeze doesn't, its "unlimited" style plans are a daily allowance that slows down once you hit it.
Pick whichever suits your trip, both take a couple of minutes to set up before you fly.
Flights, hotels, transfers and the actual planning take a lot longer than picking an eSIM. If you've got a trip in mind, message me and I'll build it around you properly.
Disclosure: the Breeze eSIM and Airalo links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay, and I only recommend eSIMs I've used myself.