The World’s Fastest Travel eSIMs – Tested in 150+ Speed Trials & 3 Continents ⋆

The World’s Fastest Travel eSIMs – Tested in 150+ Speed Trials & 3 Continents

Many travellers have experienced the frustration of eSIMs that promise seamless connectivity but deliver nothing more than endless loading screens. The travel eSIM market is awash with marketing hype, yet the real question remains: which providers actually perform when it matters—like uploading holiday photos or making a crystal-clear video call to loved ones back home?

To answer this, Travel eSIM Expert conducted an extensive 18-month study, putting 22 travel eSIM providers through more than 150 speed tests across 10 countries on 3 continents. The rankings focus on Portugal, the UK, the USA, and Colombia—locations chosen to represent a full spectrum of network speeds, from Portugal’s lightning-fast infrastructure to Colombia’s more modest performance levels.

The findings were surprisingly decisive. Providers that dominated in the fastest countries maintained their edge even in more challenging markets. This consistency revealed a clear top three performers—one of which stood out as the undisputed champion for speed-hungry travellers.

Here’s why this matters: the speed gaps between best and worst performers can be massive. We’re talking about the difference between seamlessly streaming Netflix while tethered versus clock watching waiting for a simple map to load. Your choice of eSIM provider really can make or break your travel experience.

These travel eSIMs ranked fastest in TEE tests.

Key Highlights & Findings

⚡ Ubigi is crowned as fastest eSIM overall with a 95.1% percentile score.
⚡ Ubigi combines best in class speeds in Portugal and USA with among the fastest speeds tested in the UK and Colombia.
⚡ Roamless and GoMoWorld make up the top 3 elite eSIMs available right now.
⚡ 7375% speed difference between our fastest and slowest eSIM speeds tested.

The official rankings: The top 5 fastest eSIMs

Identifying the fastest eSIM requires looking beyond standout results in a single country. A provider achieving exceptional speeds in Portugal cannot be considered the fastest overall if it fails to perform in more challenging markets like Colombia.

For this reason, each provider’s performance was measured across four key countries—UK, Portugal, USA, and Colombia—using percentile rankings. This method converted raw speed results into relative performance scores, allowing for fair comparisons between locations with vastly different network infrastructures.

Rather than simply rewarding providers that test well in countries with exceptional connectivity, this approach reveals those that consistently rank among the fastest across all environments. It highlights the eSIMs that can deliver high performance no matter where travellers go.

The results produced a clear list of global standouts.

1. Ubigi – 95.1% Overall Score
Ubigi dominated the rankings, combining outright wins in Portugal (897 Mbps) and the USA (401 Mbps) with strong third-place finishes in both the UK and Colombia. This balance of peak performance in high-speed markets and consistency in more challenging regions makes Ubigi the clear benchmark for global eSIM speed.

2. Roamless – 90.4% Overall Score
Roamless showed exceptional regional strength, claiming the UK crown with 447 Mbps and runner-up spots in Portugal and Colombia. While its seventh place in the USA prevents it from taking the top spot overall, its performance in three of the four key markets is among the best in the study.

3. GoMoWorld – 82.9% Overall Score
GoMoWorld’s results speak to reliability over flash. It posted top-three finishes in both the UK and Portugal and solid results in the USA, though weaker performance in Colombia pulled down its score. Still, it remains a strong contender for travellers seeking dependable speeds in most destinations.

4. BNESIM – 60.2% Overall Score
BNESIM secured fourth place with consistently solid speeds across all test locations, excelling particularly in Portugal where it reached 518 Mbps. While not topping the charts in any single country, its dependable performance makes it a reliable choice for travellers seeking stable connectivity across multiple destinations.

5. Jetpac – 59.2% Overall Score
Jetpac ranked fifth, delivering respectable speeds in every market tested. Though it never claimed the top spot, it performed well in diverse conditions, including a strong fifth-place finish in Colombia. Jetpac’s balanced results suggest it is a capable all-rounder for travellers prioritising steady

Country by country analysis

While our overall rankings reveal the global winners and the most consistent performers, breaking down the performance by country helps you choose the right eSIM for your specific destinations.

One thing to note, you’ll see Instabridge is fastest in Colombia, despite not making it into our overall Top 5. That’s because they are the fastest eSIM there, but weaker elsewhere.

Fastest eSIM in United Kingdom (UK)

Extensive on-the-ground testing in London revealed clear performance leaders among the 22 eSIM providers assessed. Speeds ranged from 68 Mbps to an impressive 447 Mbps, with an overall average of 171 Mbps.

Roamless emerged as the fastest in the UK, achieving a remarkable 447 Mbps—one of the highest European results recorded outside of Portugal. At this speed, high-definition video calls, 4K streaming, and large file downloads are handled with ease. GoMoWorld and Ubigi followed closely at 329 Mbps and 317 Mbps respectively, both offering consistently strong performance. Behind them, Saily posted a respectable 203 Mbps, creating a notable gap between the top three and the rest of the field.

One of the more surprising results came from Airalo, which struggled to exceed 68 Mbps during multiple tests across the 3 and O2 networks—both among the UK’s slower operators in this study.

While the UK offers widespread 5G coverage, speeds are not always at their peak, with occasional drops to 4G. Nevertheless, top-tier providers consistently deliver more than enough bandwidth for demanding travel use cases.

Fastest eSIM in USA

Testing in Miami revealed a strong overall performance from many providers, with speeds ranging from just 11 Mbps to an impressive 401 Mbps. The average download speed across all 22 eSIMs tested was 181 Mbps—slightly higher than the UK—thanks to a greater number of providers delivering results in the 200+ Mbps range.

Ubigi led the rankings in the USA with a standout result of 401 Mbps, outperforming its nearest competitor, aloSIM, by 49 Mbps. A solid group followed closely behind in the 260–264 Mbps range, including Saily, Roamify, GoMoWorld, and RedteaGo, all offering ample bandwidth for demanding tasks such as high-definition streaming, video conferencing, and large file transfers. Roamless and eSIMo also posted strong showings, exceeding 200 Mbps.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Airalo and Yesim delivered significantly slower speeds of 24 Mbps and 11 Mbps respectively—levels that can make even routine online activities frustrating. This wide performance gap highlights the importance of choosing a high-performing eSIM, especially for travellers who rely heavily on fast data connections.

Fastest eSIM in Portugal

Testing in Lisbon produced the fastest results recorded in the entire study, with download speeds ranging from 24 Mbps to an exceptional 897 Mbps. The average speed across all 22 eSIM providers reached 297 Mbps—well above the figures seen in other countries and faster than most fixed home internet connections.

Ubigi claimed first place with a staggering 897 Mbps, closely followed by Roamless at 866 Mbps. Both speeds are more than capable of handling even the most demanding online activities, from streaming in 8K to downloading large files in seconds. GoMoWorld, Sim Local, BNESIM, KnowRoaming, and Global YO also delivered outstanding results, all exceeding 400 Mbps—performance levels that would be top-tier in almost any other market.

At the lower end, aloSIM posted just 24 Mbps, highlighting the significant gap between the fastest and slowest performers. Much of the exceptional performance in Portugal can be attributed to the MEO network, which provided consistently high 5G speeds for the top-ranking eSIMs. Travellers seeking maximum connectivity in Portugal are best served by providers offering MEO network access.

Fastest eSIM in Colombia

Testing in Bogotá revealed a much tougher environment for mobile connectivity, with speeds ranging from as low as 1 Mbps to a maximum of 98 Mbps. The overall average across the 21 eSIM providers tested was 44 Mbps, making Colombia the slowest of the four primary markets in this study and a valuable “stress test” for eSIM performance.

Instabridge took the top spot with a 98 Mbps result on the Claro network, although testers did experience occasional signal stability issues. Close behind were Roamless (89 Mbps), Ubigi (85 Mbps), and Global YO (84 Mbps), all of which offered reliable performance. Airalo rounded out the high-performing group with 71 Mbps—still well above the country average.

Many providers struggled to deliver usable speeds, with several falling below 25 Mbps—levels that make routine tasks like video calls and map navigation frustrating. Given the challenging conditions, eSIMs performing at 70 Mbps or higher in Colombia demonstrate strong overall quality and consistency.

Why These Four Countries Were Chosen

The official rankings are based on performance in the United Kingdom, Portugal, the United States, and Colombia—countries selected for their ability to provide both comprehensive and varied test conditions.

Complete Data Coverage

These four countries are where the testing team gathered the most consistent and thorough results. In each market, nearly all 22 eSIM providers were tested under the same conditions, ensuring statistically fair, like-for-like comparisons.

Diverse Speed Ranges

Each location represents a different level of mobile network performance:

Portugal – Exceptional speeds, averaging 297 Mbps, making it a benchmark for best-case conditions.
UK & USA – Mid-to-high performance markets with solid averages of 171–181 Mbps, reflecting what many travellers can expect in developed countries.
Colombia – A challenging environment with an average of just 44 Mbps, providing a “stress test” for consistency under less favourable conditions.

Global Geographic Spread

By covering Europe, North America, and South America, the rankings better reflect the variety of conditions travellers encounter worldwide—not just in regions with top-tier networks.

Additional Test Locations

While the official rankings focus on the four core countries, the research also included six other destinations in Asia and the Middle East: the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These results, though not part of the final scoring due to incomplete provider coverage in some regions, still offer valuable real-world insights for travellers heading to those markets.

Methodology – How the Most Comprehensive eSIM Speed Study Was Conducted

Over an 18-month period, 22 travel eSIM providers were tested across 10 countries, with more than 150 speed tests carried out to determine which providers truly deliver on performance.

Testing Setup

All tests were conducted using the Speedtest.net app on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, from consistent locations within each country, during typical usage hours (9 a.m.–6 p.m.). For each provider, three speed tests were run, and the highest result was recorded when results were within a comparable range. Every available network for each eSIM was manually tested, with the fastest achievable speed reported. Tests were performed only when a minimum of three bars of signal was available, with 5G connections prioritised where possible. Any suspicious or outlier results were retested for accuracy.

Why Percentile Rankings Were Used

Raw speed averages would have been misleading, as countries vary significantly in network infrastructure. For example, Portugal’s recorded speeds ranged from 24 to 897 Mbps, while Colombia ranged from 1 to 98 Mbps. To ensure fair global comparisons, speeds were converted into percentiles within each country. A 90th percentile score in Colombia is therefore equivalent in relative performance to a 90th percentile score in Portugal. This method highlights providers that consistently perform at the top of the pack in every location, preventing skewed results caused by one exceptional test in a high-speed market.

Limitations

Network conditions can vary depending on time and location. Testing focused exclusively on download speeds, as these are most critical for common travel activities such as browsing, streaming, and video calls. While latency differences exist between eSIMs, download speed remains the most relevant metric for most travellers.

Key Outcomes

The results identified a clear performance leader: Ubigi, which ranked fastest overall thanks to top speeds in the USA and Portugal, and strong third-place finishes in both the UK and Colombia. Close behind, Roamless delivered the highest UK speeds by a large margin and ranked in the top two across most other test markets. GoMoWorld secured the third position, offering consistently competitive speeds worldwide.

Choosing the Right eSIM

While speed is a major factor, the ideal eSIM depends on individual needs. Power users—those who work remotely, stream content, or need high-speed reliability—will benefit most from the elite top three providers. Casual users who primarily need navigation, messaging, and light browsing may find better value in alternative options. Pricing varies by destination, so comparing rates before purchase is essential.

By carrying out this extensive, controlled testing, the study provides travellers with reliable, unbiased data to select an eSIM with confidence—no guesswork required.

Conclusion

The findings in this study highlight a growing divide in the travel eSIM market between providers that have invested heavily in global network partnerships and those that still rely on more limited, region-specific agreements. Brands like Ubigi, Roamless, and GoMoWorld have clearly built strong relationships with tier-one carriers in multiple regions, which allows them to deliver consistently high speeds even in more challenging markets such as Colombia.

This performance consistency is not just a technical achievement—it reflects a strategic market positioning. The most successful providers are increasingly moving away from being “just a reseller of data packages” toward becoming full-service travel connectivity brands. They negotiate better wholesale agreements, integrate more advanced network selection algorithms, and in some cases, offer value-added services (multi-country plans, automatic top-up, or app-based diagnostics).

On the other end of the spectrum, slower performers—many of which are still well-known in the market—often demonstrate strength in marketing but weakness in backend carrier relationships. This misalignment between brand awareness and network performance is a reminder that visibility does not always equal capability in the eSIM space.

As eSIM adoption accelerates, travellers will become more discerning, and speed performance will be one of the key differentiators—especially for digital nomads, business travellers, and heavy data users. Providers unable to match the performance benchmarks set by the current leaders may increasingly find themselves competing only on price, which is rarely a sustainable long-term strategy.

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