Comparison
Airalo eSIM vs roaming vs local SIM
There are three ways to get mobile data abroad: roam on your own SIM, buy a local SIM card, or install a travel eSIM such as Airalo. Which one is easiest and cheapest depends mostly on where you are going.
| Airalo eSIM | Roaming | Local SIM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Buy and install in the app, ideally before you leave | Nothing to do | Buy a card after you arrive and swap it in |
| Phone number | Most plans are data only, without a number | Your usual number | A new local number |
| Calls and texts on your own number | Yes, if you keep your main SIM on – your operator’s roaming rates apply | Yes | Only if your phone takes a second SIM |
| Inside the EU | Rarely needed | Same price as at home, fair-use limit possible | Rarely needed |
| Outside the EU | Prepaid data packages, price known upfront | Depends on your operator – check the rates before you go | Local prices; you need to find a shop and sometimes register with a passport |
| What you need | A phone that supports eSIM and isn’t carrier-locked | Roaming enabled on your plan | A phone that isn’t carrier-locked |
Sources: European Commission (roaming rules) and the Airalo Help Center, checked in October 2026.
Travelling within the EU?
Inside the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, “roam like at home” rules apply until 2032: calls, texts and data from your home plan cost the same as at home. Your operator may set a fair-use limit on data abroad. A travel eSIM mainly makes sense outside this area, or when your home plan has little data.
Which one to choose
Roaming is the simplest choice inside the EU: your plan works as it does at home.
Airalo eSIM suits trips outside the EU when you want data from the moment you land, with the price known in advance, while your own number stays reachable on your main SIM.
A local SIM can pay off on longer stays when you also need a local number – but you have to find a shop on arrival, and your own number is off unless your phone takes two SIMs.
€3 off your first eSIM
New Airalo customers get €3 off their first eSIM with code JAKUB0134.
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