Best eSIMs for Africa: Top plans, prices and coverage compared

If you’re vacationing in or traveling through Africa, why not get your phone coverage sorted ahead of time.

This guide looks at the best Africa eSIM providers available right now, comparing them on plans, pricing and coverage. This should help you pick the best one for your trip.

Key takeaways

Here’s a quick summary to help you decide, before diving into the full details:

• Best for country coverage: Ubigi, covering up to 47 destinations
• Best for North Africa and other regions: Wise eSIM, covering 31 countries across North Africa, Africa and the Middle East
• Best value for annual plans: Ubigi, with plans from £50/year
• Best for unlimited data: Holafly, with simple unlimited data packages
• Best for security: Saily, with security features built-in
• Best for reliable speed: Nomad, uses Tier-1 local carriers so you can switch if signal drops.

Best Africa eSIM comparison table

Here’s an at-a-glance comparison of all your best eSIM options, with lots more detail below the table:

Airalo

Best for: Cheaper plans for short trips

Airalo’s Africa eSIM covers an impressive 36 countries across the continent, including Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa and many more.

It’s a data-only eSIM, and there are only fixed data plans available from 3 to 30 days. You can’t get unlimited data, or a data/call/text bundle.

You’ll get 5G wherever it’s available, 4G and LTE otherwise. Hotspot and tethering is supported.

Airalo is popular with users, receiving a ‘Great’ Trustpilot score of 4.2 out of 5 from over 48,900 reviews (as of 29/10/2026).

Airalo also has other regional eSIMs available for Africa trips, including an Africa Safari eSIM and a Middle East and North Africa eSIM. Plus, single country and global eSIMs, so you’re covered wherever you’re traveling to.

Airalo Africa eSIM pricing

Airalo has 6 plans available for its Africa eSIM:

Holafly

Best for: Unlimited data

Holafly works a little differently to some other eSIM providers. It doesn’t have fixed data plans, or data, call and text bundles. It’s just unlimited data, and all you need to do is choose the length of your plan.

Its Africa eSIM offers unlimited data across 28 countries, which is less than Airalo, Saily and some other providers. So, you’ll need to check whether your destinations are covered.

Features include:

• 5G where available, 4G or LTE otherwise
• 1GB free monthly backup data via the Always On feature
• Hotspot and tethering support.

Holafly is a hit with customers, as it has an ‘Excellent’ score of 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 116,800 reviews (as of 29/10/2026).

It also has a large selection of eSIMs for individual African countries, as well as a global eSIM for traveling round the world.

Holafly Africa eSIM pricing

Holafly’s pricing is pretty straightforward, as its Africa eSIM only offers unlimited data plans:

Saily

Best for: Built-in security

Saily’s Africa eSIM works in 35 countries, including Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and many more.

It’s only available in fixed-data plans, so you can’t get data/call/text bundles or unlimited data.

It offers a reliable connection from the best local networks in countries across Africa, with 5G where available, and 3G/4G/LTE where it isn’t.

Plus, Saily offers security features such as a built-in ad blocker, web protection, and virtual location. If you need help, you can take advantage of 24/7 chat support.

Saily has an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating of 4.7 out of 5 from over 32,800 reviews (as of 29/10/2026).

It’s also possible to get country-specific and global eSIMs with Saily, as well as a Middle East and North Africa eSIM.

Saily Africa eSIM pricing

Saily has 5 plan options available for its Africa eSIM:

You’ll also get Saily credits every time you take out a plan, and these can be used to cover future purchases.

Nomad eSIM

Best for: Fast, reliable speed

Nomad’s Africa eSIM only covers 11 countries, so it’s only a suitable option if you’re traveling to: Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda or Zambia.

It’s a good pick for North Africa, as not all other Africa eSIMs cover all of these countries.

For other destinations, you may be best with Nomad’s global eSIM, or choosing another provider.

It only has fixed data plans available, so there are no unlimited data or calls/text bundles.

However, a great thing about Nomad eSIM is that it partners with multiple Tier-1 local carriers in each destination. For example, Vodafone, AT&T, Singtel, etc. This means you can switch networks if the signal strength drops, so you should nearly always be able to get fast, reliable 4G and 5G speeds.

Nomad is positively reviewed by previous customers, with an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating of 4.3 out of 5 from over 47,400 reviews (as of 29/10/2026).

It also has country-specific available.

Nomad eSIM Africa eSIM pricing

Nomad has 4 fixed-data plans to choose from:

Ubigi

Best for: Plan choice, annual plans and region coverage

Ubigi has two types of eSIM covering Africa.

There’s its Africa eSIM covering a huge 47 destinations, the most of any eSIM provider on our list. There’s also its cheaper Best Africa eSIM, which is a great value option as it still covers an impressive 29 destinations.

There’s a wide choice of fixed and unlimited data plans available as a one-off purchase, or you can sign up for an annual plan.

Ubigi has a ‘Great’ Tripadvisor score of 4.1 out of 5 from over 50,000 reviews (as of 29/10/2026). This is ever-so-slightly lower than some others on our list, but most reviewers still had a great experience with the company.

You can also buy Ubigi global and country-specific eSIMs.

Ubigi Africa eSIM pricing

Ubigi has a large number of Africa eSIM plans covering different combinations of days and durations, so there’s something for everyone.

Here’s a look at a selection of plans, to give you an idea of pricing:

Wise eSIM

Best for: Usage trackers and alerts

If you use the money transfer service Wise or are considering signing up for a multi-currency account, you’ll be interested to know that it also has its own range of eSIMs.

This includes a dedicated Middle East and Africa eSIM, covering 31 destinations. In Africa, this includes Cape Verde, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and many more.

It’s another good pick for North Africa, with Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria all covered.

There’s a choice of pre-set and flexible custom data plans available, with handy features such as usage trackers and alerts so you never run out of data. You’ll also get personalised 24/7 support if you need it.

Find out more and sign up for Wise here.

Wise has an ‘Excellent’ Tripadvisor score of 4.3 out of 5 from over 304,200 reviews (as of 29/10/2026). However, bear in mind that the vast majority of reviews will be for Wise.com money transfer services and multi-currency accounts than specifically for the eSIM product.

There are also country-specific and global eSIMs to choose from.

Wise eSIM Africa eSIM pricing

The Wise eSIM for Africa and the Middle East comes in 5 different plans:

Best country-specific eSIMs for Africa

If you’re planning to stick to just one country during your trip, you may not need a regional eSIM covering the whole of the continent. In this case, it may be cheaper to get a country-specific eSIM for your chosen destination.

Most of the providers listed above offer them, although not all countries are covered.

See our helpful comparison tool to find the right option for your trip:

• South Africa
• Egypt
• Morocco
• All regions

Best global eSIMs

Planning a more ambitious trip, or not sure yet exactly which destinations will be on your itinerary? You may be better off with a global eSIM, offering coverage for up to 200 countries.

Read our guide to the best global eSIMs for a handy comparison of the best options, including plans, prices and coverage.

How to choose the best Africa eSIM

The right eSIM for you depends on a few factors:

• Where you’re going. You need to double-check the eSIM supports your planned itinerary. Don’t know it yet? Go for the broadest coverage your budget will allow.
• Local or regional? If you’re only planning on visiting one country, you may not need an eSIM covering the whole continent. You could save money with a different regional (i.e. Safari or North Africa) or country-specific eSIM instead.
• Trip length. Find an eSIM which matches your trip length, or go for a rolling monthly plan or an option with easy top-ups and add-ons.
• Included data. It’s tricky to estimate how much data you need, but start by looking at how much data you tend to use at home. If you’re worried about running out, an unlimited data plan could be the best choice, although it will cost quite a bit more.

Final thoughts

The best Africa eSIM for you mainly depends on your destination, trip length and how much data you need.

The Ubigi eSIM has by far the broadest coverage across the region, as well as a wide choice of plans. This includes an annual plan, ideal for people planning a longer stay in Africa.

Saily offers built-in security features, while Nomad boasts fast, reliable speeds. If budget is a top priority, Airalo offers a relatively cheap choice for short trips where you just need a little extra data as a backup

If you just want unlimited data without wading through pages of different plans, go for Holafly. To keep on top of usage during your trip, the Wise eSIM with its trackers and alerts could be a good fit.

And don’t forget to consider country-specific eSIMs, as they could save you money if you don’t actually need full regional coverage.