
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about Egypt. You’ll land, install your data plan, message your family to say you’ve arrived, and then you’ll try to call them. And it won’t work. Egyptian networks block voice calls over WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype, and they have done for years.
That single fact changes how you should shop for the best eSIM for Egypt. Price still matters, obviously. Roaming here is charged at international rates and it will hurt. But the provider you want is the one that solves the calling problem as well as the data one, and only one of the four below actually does.
We tested more than twenty providers across Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea coast. These are the ones worth your money in 2026.
Egypt’s Best eSIMs, Ranked
Egypt eSIM Plans and Prices, Side by Side
Everything you need to make the decision, in one table:
| eSIM | Best for | Starting price | Unlimited data | Network | Promo code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saily | Best overall | $7.64 / 1 GB / 7 days | $41.64 / 15 days | Local partner networks | GIZMODO (-15% all plans) |
| Ubigi | Unlimited value | $4.50 / 1 GB / 30 days | From $26.10 / 7 days | Orange Egypt | GIZMODO (-10% first order) |
| Holafly | Unlimited only | $6.90 / day | Every plan (from $6.90) | Orange | N/A |
| Airalo | Short trips | $20.50 / unlimited / 3 days | From $20.50 / 3 days | Orange (LTE) | N/A |
The Four eSIMs Worth Buying for Egypt
We used all four on the ground, in cities and out in the desert, on a route that ran from Cairo down to Aswan and back up to Hurghada. Here’s how they held up.
1. Saily

Pros
- Virtual location tool, which matters here
- Ad blocker on every plan
- Buy now, activate within 30 days
- Hotspot with no cap
Cons
- Entry price is steep for Egypt
- Data only, no Egyptian number
Saily tops this list, and price has almost nothing to do with it. Every plan ships with a virtual location tool. In most countries that’s a nice-to-have. In Egypt it’s the feature that lets you phone home.
Nord Security builds Saily, and the DNA shows. You get an ad blocker as well, which is worth something on hotel Wi-Fi in Cairo.
The plans are fair rather than cheap. One gigabyte over seven days is $7.64. The one most people want is 10 GB for thirty days at $28.89, which covers a fortnight of maps, messaging and evening photo uploads without any anxiety. There’s 20 GB for a month at $36.54 if you’re heavier than that.
Unlimited data sits at $41.64 for fifteen days. It works, but Ubigi does the same job for less, and you should know that before you click. Saily’s value lives in the middle of its range.
Coverage was consistent through Cairo and along the Nile. Tethering is uncapped, so two people can travel on one plan. And because you get thirty days to activate, you can buy weeks ahead and nothing starts until your phone finds an Egyptian network. Our Saily promo code page has the current offers if you want to bring the price down further.
Tip: Through Gizmodo, you can save 15% on all Saily plans by using the promo code GIZMODO at checkout.
2. Ubigi

Pros
- Unlimited data from $26.10 with the code
- Cheapest entry plan at $4.50
- Unlimited data sharing
- Runs on Orange Egypt
Con
- No SMS or calling
On price, Ubigi isn’t competing with the others. It’s just winning.
A week of unlimited data costs $29, and the GIZMODO code drops it to $26.10. Fifteen days is $44, or $39.60. That fifteen-day plan is cheaper than Saily’s, for the same thing. A full month is $69, which the code brings down to $62.10.
The metered plans undercut everyone too. A gigabyte over thirty days starts at $5, or $4.50 with the code. The best seller is 10 GB for a month at $19, which lands at $17.10. Need more room? 25 GB for thirty days is $39, or $35.10.
Ubigi rides Orange Egypt, which is the network most tourists end up on anyway, and it lets you tether without limits. The QR code arrives by email and nothing starts ticking until you’re in the country. What you don’t get is a phone number. Given what Egyptian networks do to VoIP, that’s a gap worth weighing rather than shrugging at.
3. Holafly

Pros
- Every plan is unlimited
- Pay for the days you’re there, nothing more
- 24/7 live chat
- QR code arrives instantly
Cons
- Hotspot capped at 500 MB a day
- Gets expensive past a week
- No Egyptian number
Holafly sells exactly one thing. You enter the number of days you’ll be in Egypt, and the data is unlimited. That’s it. Pricing opens at $6.90 for a day and the daily rate eases the longer you stay.
There’s a genuine case for it in this country. Egypt is a place you photograph obsessively, and a week of backing up a few hundred shots every evening will drain a metered plan without warning. Holafly means the question never comes up.
It runs on Orange. Delivery is instant. The live chat answers fast, which is worth something when you’re stuck at arrivals in Cairo with a QR code that won’t scan.
The problem is tethering. Five hundred megabytes a day isn’t enough to share with anybody, so a couple needs two plans, and suddenly the price looks very different. Run the numbers against Ubigi before you buy, especially past a week.
4. Airalo

Pros
- Strong value from 3 to 10 days
- Unlimited tethering
- Activates itself when you land
- Usage tracking in the app
Cons
- LTE only on Orange
- The 30-day plan is indefensible
- No Egyptian phone numbers
Airalo sells unlimited data by duration. Three days cost $20.50, five days $29.50, seven days $36.50, ten days $38.
Read those last two again. Ten days costs a dollar fifty more than seven. If your trip is anywhere near a week, take the ten-day plan and pocket the spare days. It’s the best-value package in this entire comparison and it’s sitting there in plain sight.
Then the pricing loses its mind. Fifteen days is $49, which is still fine. Thirty days is $91.50, which is not, and Ubigi will sell you that same month for $62.10.
The network is Orange, and Airalo’s Egypt eSIM is LTE only. Not ideal on paper, irrelevant in practice, since Egyptian LTE handles maps, streaming and social media without breaking a sweat. What Airalo really sells is the absence of hassle: the plan wakes up on arrival, the hotspot is uncapped, and the app counts every megabyte. If you’re country-hopping rather than staying put, the best eSIM for international travel is a question we’ve answered separately.
What Actually Matters When You Pick an eSIM in Egypt
Answer these and the choice makes itself:
- Do you need to make calls? WhatsApp voice is blocked on Egyptian networks. Saily’s virtual location tool is the cleanest way around that, and it’s the single reason it tops this list.
- How long are you staying? Three to ten days, Airalo is the value play. A week or more, nothing gets close to Ubigi’s unlimited plans.
- How much data do you really use? Look at your phone’s stats for a normal week at home. Under a gigabyte a day, a metered plan from Ubigi will save you money.
- Are you sharing? Saily, Ubigi and Airalo all tether without limits. Holafly stops at 500 MB a day, which means one plan each.
- Which currency suits you? All four bill in USD, EUR or GBP, so picking your card’s currency avoids a conversion fee.
Our Pick: The Best eSIM for Egypt
Saily wins on a technicality that turns out to matter more than anything else. Egypt blocks VoIP calls, and Saily is the only provider here that hands you a way around it, on every plan, at no extra charge. The 10 GB month at $28.89 is a sensible package. The hotspot is uncapped. And the 15% GIZMODO discount is already sitting in the prices you see.
Ubigi is the pick if the budget rules. Unlimited data at $26.10 a week with the code is the cheapest thing on this page, and its metered plans undercut the field too.
Holafly is for people who refuse to think about gigabytes and are willing to pay for that. Airalo is for short trips, and its ten-day unlimited plan at $38 is a quiet bargain.
Buy before you board. It costs almost nothing, and it’s the difference between landing connected and landing lost. Heading further along the coast? We’ve ranked the best eSIM for Tunisia as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best eSIM for Egypt?
Saily is the best eSIM for Egypt overall. Every plan includes a virtual location tool, which matters because Egyptian networks block WhatsApp and Skype voice calls, and its 10 GB plan for 30 days costs $28.89. Ubigi is the better choice if you want unlimited data, starting at $26.10 for 7 days with the GIZMODO code.
Can I use WhatsApp calls in Egypt?
WhatsApp messaging works normally, but voice and video calls over WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype are routinely blocked on Egyptian networks. This applies to every eSIM, since the restriction comes from the local operators. Saily includes a virtual location feature on all its plans, which is the simplest way around it.
Are roaming charges in Egypt high?
Yes. Egypt is not covered by any roam-like-at-home agreement, so travelers from Europe, the US, the UK and Canada are billed at international roaming rates. An eSIM connects you to a local network such as Orange Egypt at local data rates instead.
Is 5G available on eSIMs in Egypt?
Egypt’s mobile network is still mostly 4G LTE, and Airalo’s Egypt eSIM is explicitly LTE only on Orange. LTE speeds in Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea resorts are fast enough for maps, streaming, social media and video calls.
What is the cheapest eSIM for Egypt?
Ubigi has the cheapest plans in Egypt. Its entry plan is 1 GB for 30 days at $5, or $4.50 with the GIZMODO code, and unlimited data starts at $29 for 7 days, which comes to $26.10 with the code.
Which currency can I pay in?
Saily, Ubigi, Holafly and Airalo all let you choose your billing currency at checkout, with USD, EUR and GBP available on every provider. Picking the currency of your card avoids an extra conversion fee from your bank.