European Alternatives to Airalo
Looking for a European alternative to Airalo? Airalo's privacy policy names AirGSM Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore, as the party behind the service, so buyers in Europe contract with a non-European entity for a product that handles their ID-linked payment and usage data. Many travellers also want pay-as-you-go balances, calls or a local number, which the standard Airalo data packs do not centre on.
The European providers below contract under Irish, Estonian, French, Swiss or UK law and name their registered company in their own terms, and they cover day plans, pay-per-KB balances and voice-enabled eSIMs.
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10 European Alternatives to Airalo
Surfroam
Pay-per-KB travel SIM and eSIM with a balance that never expires
TravelSim
Roaming SIM and eSIM service from a Tallinn operator
Sim Local
Dublin-founded travel eSIM retailer with airport stores and an app
Ye-sim
Swiss-run eSIM service with daily-rate country plans and pay as you go
esim.net
London seller of voice-and-data travel eSIMs on UK and EU carriers
Holafly
Unlimited-data day plans and monthly subscriptions for 200+ destinations
Ubigi
Transatel's eSIM brand with regional and destination data plans
Orange Travel
Orange Group reseller store for carrier eSIMs in 100+ destinations
eSIM Go
UK platform selling travel data eSIMs to brands and developers
1GLOBAL
Amsterdam telco platform behind bank and retailer eSIM offers
Key takeaways
- Airalo's privacy policy defines Airalo as AirGSM Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore, so European buyers contract with a non-European entity.
- Airalo's homepage claims more than 30 million customers and 200+ locations, with packages from €4.00 for popular destinations.
- According to its privacy policy, Airalo stores personal data in data centres around the world and may process biometrics where an eKYC check is legally required.
- Surfroam of Estonia bills per kilobyte from a balance that, according to the vendor, never expires, which is the opposite of a fixed-validity pack.
- Holafly (Ireland), Sim Local (Ireland), Ye-sim (Switzerland) and esim.net (United Kingdom) sell direct to travellers, while eSIM Go and 1GLOBAL only supply businesses.
Why people leave Airalo
Airalo is the travel eSIM store most people meet first. Its homepage claims more than 30 million customers, offers eSIMs for 200+ locations, shows packages from €4.00 for destinations such as Spain, Thailand and Japan, and ships an app in 53 languages. Those numbers are the company's own, but they describe a shop that is hard to match on breadth: local, regional and global packs, plus unlimited-data options, all bought in minutes before a flight.
The reasons to look elsewhere sit in the small print. Airalo's privacy policy defines "Airalo" as AirGSM Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore, so a buyer in Madrid or Rotterdam contracts with a Singapore entity and not with a company under EU, UK or Swiss law.
The same policy says personal data is stored in data centres around the world, depending on where you are and which third parties are involved, and that those countries may offer less protection than your own.
A second group leaves for product reasons. Airalo's standard offer is a data pack with a validity period, which is the right shape for a one-week holiday and a poor one for someone who flies four times a year, needs a phone number for a bank text, or wants calls. The European field covers each of those cases with a different model: a balance that never expires, a daily rate, a bundle with minutes, or an operator-run plan.
- The contracting party is in Singapore The privacy policy names AirGSM Pte Ltd as the party behind the Airalo service and gives an address in Singapore's Marina Square. Refunds, complaints and data requests therefore run through a non-European company. The policy points EU and UK users to their local supervisory authority and a group data protection officer, which helps, but a European provider such as Holafly (Dublin) or Surfroam (Tallinn) puts the contract in your own legal area.
- Data is stored in data centres worldwide According to the policy, your personal data is stored in data centres around the world, and the exact locations depend on where you use the service and where the third parties sit. The company says it transfers data outside the EEA and relies on safeguards. There is no single named storage region to put in a record of processing, which matters if you buy eSIMs for staff.
- Identity checks can include biometrics The policy says that where the law requires an eKYC check, Airalo may process biometrics, identity card numbers, date of birth and location data, and that it must keep some of that data even after you ask for deletion. Few eSIM buyers expect a data pack to involve a face scan. The European providers reviewed here describe account and payment data and do not mention biometric checks on the pages we read.
- Packs expire, balances do not Airalo's own help text says a package lasts for its validity period or until the data is used, whichever comes first. A prepaid balance that stays on the account, as Surfroam and Ye-sim's Pay & Fly credit describe, suits people who travel in short bursts. The cost is a billing model that is harder to predict than a fixed pack.
What you have to replace, not just match
What you replace is a storefront more than a technology. Airalo, like most of the European names on this page, sells access to local carriers' networks, so coverage in a given country can be similar across shops. The things that actually differ are the catalogue (how many destinations and which regional packs), the app, the way installation is explained, and what happens when something fails. Check your three most common destinations on each candidate, not the headline country count.
Then list what Airalo does for you that is not a data pack. Many buyers use the one account to hold several eSIMs for family members, to re-install a profile on a new phone, or to reach support in a familiar language. Airalo also states that it sells through distribution partners and offers business solutions. If your employer or travel agency gave you Airalo, the contract may sit with them, and a switch means talking to that party first.
Finally, decide whether you need something Airalo's standard pack does not centre on. A UK number with minutes (esim.net), calls and text bundled with data (TravelSim), virtual numbers (Ye-sim) or a local-network retail shop at the airport (Sim Local) are replacements for jobs, not for Airalo itself, and they change which tool belongs at the top of your list.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Surfroam | Tallinn, Estonia | Initial credit from EUR 5 (PLUS), EUR 15 (ULTRA) and EUR 25 (GLOBAL eSIM); per-country rates on the site | EU (Estonia) |
| #2 | TravelSim | Tallinn, Estonia | eSIM bundles shown from USD 7 (Europe, Spain, Germany) to USD 17 (UAE); see website for current prices | EU (Estonia) |
| #3 | Sim Local | Dublin, Ireland | Homepage showed plans from USD 4.00 (1 GB) per destination; see website for current prices | EU (Ireland) |
| #4 | Ye-sim | Baar, Switzerland | Country plans from about EUR 1.40 a day (Thailand), Pay & Fly from EUR 0.92 per GB; see website | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #5 | esim.net | London, United Kingdom | See website (GBP, USD, EUR, CAD and AUD selectable) | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #6 | Holafly | Dublin, Ireland | Global subscriptions from USD 49.90 a month; country plans see website | EU (Ireland) |
| #7 | Ubigi | France, France | See website (consumer prices not shown on the page reviewed) | EU (France) |
| #8 | Orange Travel | Issy-les-Moulineaux, France | See website (EUR shown by default) | EU (France) |
| #9 | eSIM Go | Banbury, United Kingdom | Pricing on request (business customers) | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #10 | 1GLOBAL | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Pricing on request (partners) | EU (Netherlands) |
How each alternative compares to Airalo
Best for: People who travel several times a year and resent unused gigabytes from earlier trips
Surfroam works like a prepaid account where Airalo works like a shop. You add credit (from €5 for PLUS, €15 for ULTRA and €25 for the GLOBAL eSIM) and the SIM or eSIM draws from it per kilobyte at the rate of the country you are in. According to the vendor, the SIM never expires and unused balance stays on the account.
The operator behind the service is Telecomer OÜ in Tallinn, named with a registry code in the legal notice. Surfroam says ULTRA and PLUS cover 190+ countries and GLOBAL 220+, and that several SIMs and eSIMs can share one account. That is a different arrangement from Airalo's one-pack-per-trip logic, and it is harder to budget for.
What Surfroam does better than Airalo
- Balance that stays on the account
- One account for family or team SIMs
- Estonian entity named in the legal notice
- No pack to choose before each trip
Where Surfroam is a step down from Airalo
- Predictable cost per trip
- Airalo's catalogue of fixed packs and unlimited options
Standout against Airalo. Surfroam is the only provider here that bills per kilobyte against a balance with no expiry.
Best for: Travellers who must take phone calls abroad and prefer one bundle per country over a data-only pack
Where Airalo concentrates on data, TravelSim lists country bundles for Europe, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom that include calls and text with the data. An international eSIM for 70+ countries sits next to them, and a physical SIM is also sold, which Airalo's eSIM store does not offer in the pages we read.
The provider is Top Connect OÜ in Tallinn, and the site says its roaming service began in 2006. A 14-day refund on unused services is stated by the vendor. Bundles on the page we saw started at USD 7 and went up to USD 17 for the UAE, in dollars despite the Estonian seller, so check the checkout currency and your card's conversion fee.
What TravelSim does better than Airalo
- Calls and texts inside the bundle
- A physical SIM as well as an eSIM
- A stated refund window on unused services
Where TravelSim is a step down from Airalo
- Catalogue size against Airalo's 200+ locations
- Prices shown in euros by default
Standout against Airalo. TravelSim sells bundles that put calls and text in the same purchase as the data.
Best for: Travellers who like Airalo's pack format but want a named local network and a shop to walk into
Sim Local is the nearest match to Airalo's format: fixed packs such as 1 GB or 3 GB per destination, sold online and through an app, with plans listed from USD 4.00 on its homepage. The company's pitch is connection to the main local network in each country, and it adds calls and texts in some destinations.
It says it was founded in 2011 with a shop at Dublin Airport and later opened at London Heathrow and other airports. The footer names Sim Local (Ireland) Ltd, while the store terms say the retail store is run by Sim Local (UK) Ltd, under Irish law. Refunds are limited to network-side activation failures with proof of purchase.
What Sim Local does better than Airalo
- Physical stores and vending units at airports
- Terms governed by Irish law
- Calls and texts in some destinations
- Student plans
Where Sim Local is a step down from Airalo
- Prepaid balance flexibility
- Prices shown in euros
- Refund breadth
Standout against Airalo. Sim Local gives you a counter to walk up to at the airport if the eSIM fails.
Best for: Travellers who compare destinations by a daily price, and teams that need central eSIM management
Ye-sim prices by the day. Its homepage lists about €1.40 a day for Thailand and Cyprus and €1.90 for Germany, France and the UK, with per-GB prices where daily plans are not offered. Pay & Fly credit starts from €0.92 per GB and, according to the site, unused balance can be kept for the next trip, which is the answer to expiring packs.
The contracting party is Genesis Group AG in Baar, with a Swiss registration number in the terms, and the site claims more than 4 million users. Switzerland is outside the EU, so this is a data-protection-adequacy case rather than an EU one. The terms allow prepaid items to lapse without refund after 180 days of inactivity, a clause Airalo's pages did not show.
What Ye-sim does better than Airalo
- Daily prices visible per country
- Credit that carries to the next trip
- Virtual numbers and a business platform
- A reseller API
Where Ye-sim is a step down from Airalo
- Inside-the-EU contracting party
- Refund of dormant prepaid credit
- A simpler range
Standout against Airalo. Ye-sim is the one provider here that sells both daily-rate plans and virtual phone numbers.
Best for: Visitors to Europe who need a +44 number, some calls and a choice of carrier
esim.net sells carrier products and not one pack format. Its EE Europe Travel eSIM is valid 15 or 30 days with 10, 30 or 60 GB across 49 countries, and includes a +44 number, 50 minutes, 100 texts, hotspot and 5G where available. Validity only starts once the eSIM is installed in a covered country, which helps if you buy before the trip.
The seller is ESIM.NET GROUP LIMITED, registered in England and Wales under number 12117745 with a Fleet Street address. Beyond EE the shop lists O2, Vodafone and Three eSIMs and products on Bouygues Telecom, Orange Spain and SFR France. The UK left the EU, so this is an adequacy-decision supplier, and the long product list is slower to navigate than Airalo's destination pages.
What esim.net does better than Airalo
- A UK number with minutes and texts
- Choice between EE, O2, Vodafone and Three
- Validity that starts at first use
Where esim.net is a step down from Airalo
- A simple per-destination store
- A generous voice allowance
- Prices visible without picking a product
Standout against Airalo. esim.net sells Europe eSIMs that come with a UK +44 number and 50 minutes of calls.
Best for: Short holidays where you want a flat price per day and no gigabyte counting
Holafly changes the unit you buy: you pick a number of days for a destination and get unlimited data under the network's fair-use policy, which the terms say lets the network restrict speed or volume after excessive use. Monthly Light (25 GB), Unlimited and Ultra subscriptions start from USD 49.90 for global use and renew until you cancel.
The contract is with Holafly Limited, registered in Ireland under number 745325 on Grand Canal Square, Dublin. Plans include a monthly Always On backup allowance and 24/7 chat support, and the Unlimited plan gives a local number for inbound SMS. Light users pay more per day than for a small fixed pack, and the page reviewed showed dollar prices, so compare with Airalo for your trip length.
What Holafly does better than Airalo
- Unlimited-data day plans
- Round-the-clock chat support
- A contract with an Irish company under its terms
- Backup data when a plan runs out
Where Holafly is a step down from Airalo
- Price for light users
- Pack sizes chosen by data volume
Standout against Airalo. Holafly sells data by the day with no gigabyte allowance, subject to fair use.
Best for: Buyers who prefer a plan from an operator rather than a reseller, under French law
Ubigi is Transatel's brand, and Transatel is a French mobile operator that the site describes as part of NTT. The terms say services come from Transatel S.A.S. or one of its affiliates, under French law with Paris courts. Where Airalo resells capacity across the world, Ubigi has an operator behind the data, plus regional and destination plans.
Installation guides cover iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows 11, by QR code or app. Two limits are worth reading first. The terms say a purchased data plan cannot be refunded, although a subscription can be cancelled at any time, and consumer prices were not visible in the page text we read, so a price comparison with Airalo needs the store itself.
What Ubigi does better than Airalo
- Operator-run service rather than a pure reseller
- Windows 11 eSIM instructions
- French law and Paris courts in the terms
Where Ubigi is a step down from Airalo
- Refund of unused data plans
- Published consumer prices
- A single named legal entity
Standout against Airalo. Ubigi is the only consumer eSIM on the page run directly by a mobile operator.
Best for: Buyers who want a large French telecom brand in the chain and a store in 15 languages
Orange Travel is a reseller. The terms say Orange Travelers, registered at Nanterre (RCS 833 468 556) with an address in Issy-les-Moulineaux, resells eSIMs and SIM cards of local carriers, and that disputes about minutes, data or validity go to the carrier. Paris courts have jurisdiction. Compared with Airalo it offers fewer destinations, about 100 according to the vendor.
The store lets you top up an eSIM or SIM card, checks device compatibility and shows its interface in 15 languages, with euros as the default currency. The terms say top-ups have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged or refunded, and that carrier lists and allowances can change without notice, so the product you buy depends on the carrier behind that country.
What Orange Travel does better than Airalo
- A top-up flow for existing eSIMs and SIMs
- Euro prices by default
- A French legal entity and Paris jurisdiction
Where Orange Travel is a step down from Airalo
- Destination count against Airalo
- Refund terms
- Control over carrier quality
Standout against Airalo. Orange Travel puts a large French telecom brand in front of carrier eSIMs, with euros as default.
Best for: Airlines, banks and app makers adding eSIMs to their own product through an API
eSIM Go answers a different question from Airalo. You do not buy a pack from it on a holiday; a company buys travel data and UK mobile plans on Vodafone and resells them under its own name through the platform and API. The site shows airlines, loyalty programmes, banks and travel agents as example use cases, with illustrative mockups instead of prices.
The master services agreement identifies eSIM Go Limited, incorporated in England and Wales under number 12465777 with its office in Banbury. The legal section lists terms, a technical service agreement, an acceptable use policy, privacy and cookies. Pricing is on request, and integration work is part of the project, so this is a replacement for Airalo's business side and not for its store.
What eSIM Go does better than Airalo
- Your own brand on the eSIM
- A platform and API for integrators
- UK mobile plans next to travel data
Where eSIM Go is a step down from Airalo
- Any direct consumer sale
- Public pricing
- Setup time for a single traveller
Standout against Airalo. eSIM Go supplies the eSIM that a partner then sells under its own brand.
Best for: Enterprises that embed an eSIM in their own app and want a Dutch contracting entity
1GLOBAL is the entry on this page you are least likely to meet by name. Its news page lists partners such as Revolut, N26, freenet, Lidl and KPN, which means travellers usually reach its eSIMs inside another brand's app. The pages we read target companies, not individual travellers, and there is no consumer price list.
The imprint names 1GLOBAL Holdings B.V. at Beethovenstraat in Amsterdam, with KVK number 97406015. The company also lists compliance, IoT and operator products, so travel data is one line among several. For an enterprise replacing a US-style partner programme with a Dutch supplier it fits; for someone booking a flight this week, Holafly or Ubigi is the practical choice.
What 1GLOBAL does better than Airalo
- An API for partner-branded eSIMs
- A Dutch B.V. with a KVK number
- Telecom products beyond travel
Where 1GLOBAL is a step down from Airalo
- Direct purchase by travellers
- Public pricing
Standout against Airalo. 1GLOBAL is a Dutch platform whose eSIMs reach consumers mainly under partner brands.
What actually breaks when you switch
The first thing that breaks is the profile itself. An eSIM is tied to the phone it is installed on, and a profile from Airalo cannot be moved to a European provider; you install a new one next to it. Keep Airalo's profile until you have tested the new one on your last trip, and remember to remove old profiles so your phone does not pick the wrong line for data.
The second is your account history. Receipts, invoices and any balance sit with Airalo, and Airalo's policy says some data must be kept for legal reasons even after a deletion request. Export what you need first. If you bought through your employer or a travel agency, or through one of Airalo's distribution partners, the contract may belong to them, so ask who holds it. With Ubigi, Orange Travel and Ye-sim also check the refund clause before you top up.
Is it a problem that Airalo is a Singapore company?
Not automatically. Singapore is not a sanction case and Airalo's policy describes data subject rights, a data protection officer and a route to your local authority. What changes is the practical position: your counterparty for a refund, a chargeback dispute or a deletion request is a company outside Europe, and the policy accepts that data is held in data centres worldwide. For a single holiday purchase many people will accept that.
It starts to matter when the purchase is made by a company for employees, when the traveller is a minor, or when your own policy requires named processors. In those cases ask Airalo for the storage region and the processor list in writing, then ask Holafly, Sim Local or Surfroam the same two questions and compare the answers.
Does a European eSIM give better coverage than Airalo?
Usually no, and nobody on this page claims it does. Most of these sellers resell local carriers' capacity, and Orange Travel's terms say outright that quality disputes have to be settled with the carrier. Airalo's 200+ locations are also a wider catalogue than most European shops publish, so a trip to an unusual destination is the case where Airalo has the edge.
The European tools differ on price model, contract and extras. Choose by what you use: Ye-sim and Surfroam for unused balance, esim.net or TravelSim for calls, Holafly for flat daily pricing, Ubigi for an operator-run service. Test with your own destinations, since only the buyer's phone proves coverage.
Which one to pick
For a private traveller who wants the Airalo format under European law, start with Sim Local or Holafly: both are Irish, both sell per destination, and both publish a company number in their terms. If you take one long trip a year, Ye-sim's daily rates are easy to compare. If you travel often in short bursts, Surfroam's balance avoids buying a new pack each time.
If you need to be reachable by phone, esim.net and TravelSim are the two to test, and a company that wants eSIMs inside its own app should talk to eSIM Go or 1GLOBAL. Stay with Airalo when your destination is not covered elsewhere, or when you value its 200+ locations over where the contracting party sits. For a one-off trip the difference may not justify switching.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your travel pattern. For frequent short trips, Surfroam (Estonia) bills per kilobyte from a balance that does not expire. For fixed packs on named local networks, Sim Local (Ireland) is closest to Airalo's format, and Ye-sim (Switzerland) sells by daily rate. Holafly, registered in Dublin, sells unlimited-data day plans, while esim.net and TravelSim add a phone number or calls.
esim.net (London) sells EE Europe Travel eSIMs with a +44 number, 50 minutes and 100 texts. TravelSim (Tallinn) lists country bundles that combine data, calls and text. Sim Local offers calls and texts in some countries, and Ye-sim sells virtual numbers. Holafly's Unlimited plan gives a local number for inbound SMS only. Airalo's pages we read centre on data packs.
Yes, in two ways. Ye-sim runs a corporate eSIM management platform and a reseller API, so a team can be managed centrally under a Swiss contract. eSIM Go (Banbury, UK) and 1GLOBAL (Amsterdam) do not sell to individual travellers at all: they supply travel eSIMs to brands, banks and retailers through a platform and API, with pricing on request.
Not as a rule. Airalo's homepage shows packages from €4.00 for popular destinations, and Sim Local lists plans from USD 4.00 for 1 GB. Ye-sim quotes about €1.40 a day for Thailand and €1.90 for Germany, France and the UK. A fair comparison needs the same destination, data volume and days on each site, because pack sizes differ between shops.
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