What’s on this page

• Comparison table: every provider side by side
• Quick picks if you have 30 seconds
• Full brand reviews
• Unlimited data plans and the fine print
• Setup tips nobody tells you
• FAQ
• Final verdict

Airalo – Price & Plans

Plans from $4  |  dtac, AIS and True  |  local Thai number on some plans

Airalo is the one everybody has heard of, and normally that means you pay a name tax. Not here. Their Thailand pricing is the most aggressive I have seen from them anywhere, and the standout is a 50GB plan bundled with 100 minutes of Thai calls for ten days from $9.90. That includes a local number, which matters more than you would think when a Grab driver cannot find you and starts calling.

Smaller plans start from $4 for 1GB over three days. The 30 day 50GB option sits around $27.50, which is fine but not exciting next to Nomad. Unlimited tiers run from about $9.50 and slow to 1 Mbps after roughly 3GB a day.

Reddit is broadly positive but two gripes come up repeatedly: support replies can take a day or two, and a handful of people report the profile failing to install if they wait until they land. Install it before you fly. That is not an Airalo problem specifically, it is an everyone problem, but their threads mention it most because they have the most users.

Best for: anyone who wants one safe choice, a local Thai number, and a lot of data for under ten dollars.

Nomad – Price & Plans

Plans from $6  |  dtac  |  local number included on the big plans

If you only look at cost per gigabyte, Nomad wins. 50GB across ten days from $12 is about $0.24 per gigabyte, and there is a ten day unlimited promo from $16 that pops up often enough to be worth checking. They run on dtac, which is solid in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the main tourist islands, and slightly weaker than AIS once you get properly rural.

The trade is validity. Ten days is ten days, and if your trip is two weeks you either buy twice or step up a tier. A few forum posts complain the app is less polished than Airalo’s. Having used both, that is fair but minor.

Best for: travellers on a 7 to 10 day trip who want the lowest possible price per gigabyte.

Saily – Price & Plans

Plans from $2.99  |  AIS and True  |  built by the NordVPN people

Saily is the newest name on this list and it shows in a good way. The app is the cleanest of the bunch, activation took under a minute, and 1GB from $2.99 undercuts Airalo at the entry level. Their 10GB thirty day plan lands around $11, which suits a normal two week holiday where you are on hotel wifi half the time.

The unlimited plan throttles after 5GB per day, which is generous, but read the wording carefully because it is not the same as uncapped. Reddit reviews skew positive with the usual caveat that the brand is young and the support history is short.

Best for: moderate users who want a tidy app and a cheap 5GB to 10GB plan.

Ubigi – Price & Plans

Plans from $9  |  AIS  |  a real MVNO, not a reseller

Ubigi is owned by Transatel, so they operate their own network layer rather than reselling somebody else’s inventory. In practice that means their unlimited plan is actually unlimited. From $55 for thirty days with no daily cap and no throttle waiting to ambush you on day four. They also do annual subscriptions if you come to Thailand regularly.

For a two week beach trip this is overkill and you will overpay. For someone doing video calls from a Chiang Mai co-working space, or tethering a laptop all day, it pays for itself the first time everyone else’s plan crawls to 1 Mbps. Digital nomad forums quietly rate it higher than its brand recognition suggests.

Best for: remote workers and heavy tetherers who need speed that does not degrade.

Jetpac – Price & Plans

Plans from $5  |  TrueMove H  |  Singapore based

Jetpac locks onto TrueMove H, and in central Bangkok that is the fastest combination I found. Travellers posting speed tests regularly clear 100 Mbps on 5G around Sukhumvit and Silom. If you are the sort of person who cares about that number, this is your pick.

Away from the cities the advantage narrows and AIS based options catch up. Pricing is mid pack, roughly $14 for 10GB over fifteen days, so you are paying a small premium for the network choice rather than getting a bargain.

Best for: city trips where you want the fastest 5G you can get.

aloSIM – Price & Plans

Plans from $4.50  |  AIS and dtac  |  Canadian, human support

aloSIM does not win on price and does not pretend to. What it has is the friendliest onboarding of any provider here, plus support staff who reply like actual people. If your parents are going to Thailand and you do not want three phone calls from the airport, buy them this.

No unlimited tier, and plans top out modestly, so heavy users should look elsewhere. 5GB over thirty days from around $13 covers a normal holiday if you use hotel wifi for anything big.

Best for: first time eSIM users and anyone who wants a human on the other end.

Yesim – Price & Plans

Plans from $0.53  |  AIS and dtac  |  pay as you go model

Yesim is the odd one out because it works more like a wallet than a plan. 500MB for a single day costs about $0.53, which is perfect for a long layover at Suvarnabhumi where you just need Grab and Google Maps. They also sell a Southeast Asia regional bundle if Thailand is one stop on a longer route.

For a full trip the maths stops working and a fixed plan is cheaper. Treat this as a specialist tool, not a default.

Best for: layovers, one night stops, and multi country Southeast Asia routes.

Holafly – Price & Plans

Plans from $19  |  roaming profile  |  unlimited only

Holafly sells one idea: never think about data again. Thirty days of unlimited runs from about $73.90, which comes out near $2.46 a day and is the only point where it looks reasonable. Short trips are where it hurts, closer to $4 a day for something Nomad will sell you for a fraction of that.

Two things people find out too late. Hotspot use is restricted, so tethering a laptop is off the table or heavily limited depending on the plan. And there is a fair use ceiling in the region of 90GB a month, which is fine for phones and irrelevant to the marketing. Reddit threads about Holafly are the most polarised of any brand here. People either love the simplicity or feel they overpaid.

Best for: long stays where convenience beats cost and you will not be tethering.

My honest take: for a normal trip, a 20GB or 50GB fixed plan beats unlimited on both price and peace of mind. Thailand has wifi in every cafe, hotel, mall and 7-Eleven car park. You will use less mobile data than you expect.

What is the best eSIM for Thailand if I only care about price?

Nomad, at roughly $0.24 per gigabyte on the 50GB ten day plan from $12. If your trip runs longer than ten days, Airalo’s 50GB bundle with Thai minutes from $9.90 is the better buy because it includes calls and a local number.

Will my eSIM work the moment I land at Bangkok airport?

Yes, as long as you installed the profile before you flew. Switch the line on after landing and it usually connects inside a minute or two at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. If you wait until arrival to install, you will need the airport wifi first.

Which Thai network will my eSIM actually connect to?

One of three: AIS, TrueMove H or dtac. AIS has the widest rural and island reach, True tends to be fastest in central Bangkok, and dtac sits in between with the cheapest wholesale rates, which is why budget providers use it.

Do I get a Thai phone number with an eSIM?

Only on specific plans. Most data eSIMs give you data and nothing else. Airalo and Nomad both sell Thailand plans that include a local number and minutes, which is worth the extra dollar or two if you plan to use Grab, book restaurants or deal with hotels by phone.

How much data do I need for two weeks in Thailand?

Around 10GB covers a normal holiday of maps, messaging, social feeds and the occasional video. Go to 20GB or 50GB if you stream, work, or use your phone as a hotspot. Wifi is everywhere in Thailand, so most people overbuy.

Can I use my eSIM as a hotspot in Thailand?

Most fixed data plans allow tethering with no fuss. Unlimited plans are where it gets restricted, and Holafly in particular limits hotspot use. If tethering a laptop matters to you, buy a fixed plan or go with Ubigi.

Does an eSIM work on Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and the smaller islands?

Yes, though coverage thins out in the hilly interiors and on remote beaches. AIS based plans hold up best out there. On the ferry crossings expect to lose signal for stretches regardless of provider.

Is an eSIM cheaper than buying a SIM card at the airport?

Usually yes, and by a decent margin. Airport tourist SIMs are convenient but priced for people who just got off a plane. An eSIM bought in advance costs less, skips the queue, and keeps your home number active at the same time.

After all the spreadsheets, here is where I landed. The best eSIM for Thailand in 2026 for most people is Airalo, mainly because of the 50GB plan with Thai calling minutes from $9.90. You get data, a local number and a network that works everywhere, for less than a plate of pad thai in a hotel restaurant.

If you are chasing the lowest number, take Nomad at from $12 for 50GB. If you work from your laptop, take Ubigi and stop worrying about throttles. If you want simple and short, Saily at from $2.99 will do the job.

Whichever you pick, install it before you fly and turn off roaming on your home line. That is 90 percent of getting this right.