Ubigi Review 2026: The Best eSIM for Travelers

If you plan on traveling overseas, a reputable eSIM is non-negotiable. Ubigi, one of the most popular options, is often on people’s radars. We had the chance to test it on many trips to Europe, Asia, the USA, Australia, and Canada. In short, the experience was delightful, and in this Ubigi review for 2026, you’ll learn all about it.

What is Ubigi?

Ubigi is one of the most popular eSIM providers. It was founded in 2018 by Transatel, a French telecommunications company. The provider is famous for its flexible plans in over 200 locations, including various regional and global plans for travelers. Its essential milestone is the 2023 MVNO of the Year Award.

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This award skyrocketed Ubigi to the top of many eSIM charts. In 2026, it’s one of the best, most trustworthy eSIMs, trusted by thousands of digital nomads, companies, and even car brands (BMW, Fiat, Toyota, to name a few) that embedded Ubigi’s cellular connectivity to make road trips worry-free.

These accolades may not mean a lot to an average user, as they don’t paint the full picture. Don’t worry. Our Ubigi eSIM review does, so let us discuss our first-hand experience, where we highlight all its advantages and shortcomings.

Ubigi eSIM Plans & Pricing

Ubigi has highly flexible plans, making it good for both short and long stays. Subscription plans are typically available for 1, 3, 7, 15, and 30 days, varying in the amount of data. Another thing we like is that Ubigi has three types of plans:

• One-off, where you pay once for the set amount of data (or unlimited data), and when you spend it, you can top up your eSIM through the app.
• Monthly, where you get a set amount (or unlimited) of data each month. In other words, your data renews each month without added fees.
• Annual, where you get an amount of data for an entire year, split into monthly amounts. For instance, 24 GB per year or 2 GB per month. Annual plans are paid upfront for the forthcoming 12 months.

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Ubigi’s plans are data-only, so you can’t purchase minutes and SMS messages. However, given its generous data offers, you can stay in touch with VoIP apps, such as Viber, Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, and others.

📍 Local Plans & Prices

Ubigi’s plans are so diverse and flexible that it’s hard to tell precisely how much it is. You get over 200 locations, with at least ten plans for each. It does matter if you choose an eSIM for Japan, Mexico, the US, or any other location, as prices can vary. During our Ubigi review, we carefully examined its local plans to judge if it’s the best eSIM for international travel.

Here are some of the lowest prices we found:

• USA eSIM: 500 MB of data for one day for $2.9
• USA eSIM: Unlimited data for 7 days for $25
• France eSIM: 3 GB of data for 30 days for $4
• Japan eSIM: 1 GB of data for 3 days for $3.5
• Canada eSIM: Unlimited data for 7 days for $29

When we compared Ubigi to other popular eSIMs, it was way more affordable. The best example is its unlimited data, which rarely costs more than $59 for a month. Its rivals often charge you over $70 for the same luxury. One-off, monthly, or annual plans, Ubigi’s prices stay consistently low and affordable.

🗾 Regional Plans & Prices

Regional plans are amazing because they cover the whole continent, sometimes more, and make cross-country trips far easier. Ubigi offers regional eSIM plans for all continents, except Antarctica, and here are their starting prices:

• Europe: $2 for 500 MB of data for 2 days
• Asia: $2 for 500 MB of data for one day
• Americas: $16 for 1 GB of data for 30 days
• Africa: $7 for 1 GB of data for 30 days
• Oceania (AU + NZ): $7 for 1 GB of data for 7 days

We were slightly disappointed with its Americas eSIM plans because there are only two, and both are limited to 1 GB of data. These plans include the USA, Canada, Peru, Paraguay, and at least 20 other countries.

🌍 Global Plans & Prices

Ubigi offers eSIM plans for international travel that support over 200 locations. They work in all countries and don’t cost a lot. Our favorite global plans are:

• 500 MB of data for 30 days for $9
• 1 GB of data for 30 days for $16
• 10 GB of data for 30 days for $59
• 50 GB of data for 180 days for $188
• 60 GB of data annually for $210
• Unlimited data for $190 per month

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How to Set Up and Install Ubigi?

During our Ubigi review in 2026, the entire setup lasted no more than a few minutes. You can go two ways about it, and both are simple:

• Activation through the free Ubigi app
• Activation through the website and the QR code

We prefer the first because we can buy a plan directly from the app and activate our eSIM in a minute. With the second method, you buy a plan on the site, receive a QR code, and then scan it in the app to activate it. As for iPhone vs. Android activation, it’s equally simple, and you won’t have to be tech-savvy.

During activation, Ubigi will hold your hand through the process. We bought the plan via the app (where you can still use our GIZMODO promo code for 10% off) using PayPal. After that, Ubigi offered to install the eSIM for us. We confirmed, and in a minute, the eSIM was active, and our physical SIM card was disabled.

Ubigi eSIM App Review

Using Ubigi is a pleasure, as the app is simple enough, both for subscription and when you already bought a plan. We like the biometrics unlock option on Android and iOS, where you can sign in with your fingerprint or Face ID. In the app, you can track recurring data plans, their validity, and the amount of data left.

However, it’s not all glittering gold. For instance, Ubigi doesn’t let you sign up with a third-party platform like Google or Facebook. Another inconvenience is the lack of the option to remember the user, so you frequently must sign in when you want to, for example, check how much data you have left.

Other than that, during our Ubigi review and test, we had zero issues tracking everything we needed to know, except for the data we’re using, 4G or 5G. An option to see that would be ideal to enrich the app and make it more detailed.

Ubigi Speed & Reception: Our Experience

Ubigi’s speed and performance largely depend on:

• Your location
• Network generation 3G/4G/5G
• Signal strength
• Network congestion, etc.

Many factors influence the performance, but despite these variables, Ubigi’s performance is somehow always reliable. In countries that predominantly deliver 5G data, such as France, Japan, Finland, the US, and Switzerland, Ubigi’s speed hovers around 400 Mbps, dropping to 200 Mbps or below during busy internet hours.

During our Ubigi speed tests in 50+ countries, we also had the chance to use its 4G data, and while it was fast, 5G was miles ahead. With 4G, Ubigi pumps out up to 90 Mbps, still at the upper level of 4G’s possibilities. In our review, we also observed latency, and with 4G, it was up to 60 ms. With 5G, it went up to 40 ms.

So overall, Ubigi does perform well, with a few examples of weaker reception mostly in Asian and South American countries, such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Colombia. Ubigi’s speeds are certainly sufficient for gaming, streaming, and video chatting, particularly when it’s 5G data, which breezes through all activities.

Except for the three aforementioned countries, Ubigi’s reception was excellent throughout our tests. Keep in mind that we tested it in major European, Asian, and American cities. If you venture into forests and deserts, Ubigi likely won’t work well, so despite being the fastest eSIM in our tests, don’t expect miracles.

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Features of Ubigi eSIM

eSIM blends speed and functionality, offering an excellent experience for digital nomads or those who simply want to travel the world without exorbitant roaming fees. On that note, our Ubigi review revealed some amazing features:

Robust 5G Coverage

As one of the best eSIMs for Europe, Asia, and the USA, Ubigi offers 5G coverage in 65+ locations. Nearly every country with official 5G support is on the list. However, 5G is used only in specific country regions, and as it’s still a technology in development, you may notice occasional switches to 4G.

In major locations, such as Switzerland, France, Japan, Indonesia, the USA, the UK, Finland, Portugal, and others, Ubigi mostly uses 5G, making browsing, streaming, and online gaming lag-free and responsive.

Data Usage Tracking

In our Ubigi review, we used its data-tracking feature to stay on top of our plan. While you can always get a plan with unlimited data, if you can’t afford it, Ubigi at least lets you keep everything under control with a neat data consumption tracker. It even alerts you when you are close to hitting the limit.

Data Sharing (Tethering)

One of our favorite Ubigi features is tethering, which allows our team to use a single eSIM and share data effortlessly between devices. Unlike Holafly, which limits you to 500 MB per day, Ubigi puts no restrictions. The treatment is even better when you purchase a plan with unlimited data. Only the sky is the limit.

Multi-Device Compatibility

Ubigi works on iOS and Android, supporting a variety of older and newer phones. However, it also works on eSIM-supported laptops, excellent for digital nomads and businessmen who travel a lot. We tested Ubigi mostly on our Samsung S25 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro, with a few tries on Samsung Galaxy Book 3, with success.

Encrypted Data Connection

When you use a public WiFi, you expose your data to theft due to the lack of encryption. In fact, public WiFi networks are some of the least safe options when you travel. If you use a trusted eSIM, like Ubigi, you don’t need a public WiFi. Ubigi eSIM developed its end-to-end encryption for secure data transmission.

Many compare it to a VPN, as Ubigi uses its secure mobile broadband, which almost mimics a VPN tunnel, where your data securely travels to its destination. Ubigi can’t replace a VPN, but it’s far safer than most eSIMs without this technology. If you combine it with a reputable VPN, you’ll be safe from all threats.

Customer Support

Customer support is essential if you run into trouble with reception or connection speed. In Ubigi’s case, support is readily available, although we’d like it to be a bit more responsive. On the site, you’ll find a contact form that you must fill out to get in touch, and honestly, it’s a bit time-consuming if you’re busy.

You can use the live chat widget, which gets you in touch with a chatbot, aptly named Ubi. It will try to solve your problems, but if it fails, you can talk with an agent. This isn’t chatting, as you’re sending a ticket and waiting for a response, which usually arrives in a few hours. Are there other support methods?

Yes, you have FAQs and guides on the site, so you won’t need to reach the support team. In less reliable eSIMs, this level of support wouldn’t be something we’d let slide. However, our tests in 50+ countries (yes, we travel that much) were never riddled with issues, and frankly, we rarely had to get in touch with the support team.

Ubigi Review 2026: Conclusion

Our comprehensive review of Ubigi eSIM ends on a positive note. We’ve extensively tested and used over 20 eSIMs during our trips. However, we always come back to Ubigi for many reasons, as explained in this review for 2026. Speed, coverage, reception, affordability, ease of use, and flexible plans. Everything is here.

Ubigi is hard to criticize, and what little bad we found isn’t really all that critical. Yes, it lacks local phone numbers, so it doesn’t support calling or texting. But then, 99% of other eSIMs lack them as well. Its customer support could be improved, but then, you’ll have zero issues, so you’ll need it once in a blue moon.

In 2026, Ubigi stands as the leading eSIM in the world, regardless of your trip location. Whether it’s Europe, Asia, Africa, the USA, Australia, or Canada, Ubigi works reliably and without hidden charges. Our recommendation? Go get it and save 10% on your first purchase with our promo code GIZMODO.

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