Compare the Best Travel eSIMs for China
Prepaid data eSIMs for visitors to China, every plan ranked by real price per GB. This is not a China contract or a local SIM. Updated daily.
Reviewed by Lee DobsonLast updated Ranked independently by real price per GBUpdated dailyFree to use, no account
The 3 best China eSIMs right now
Hand-checked · ranked by price per GB
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NomadLocal China - 45 Days - 50 GBAll plans 144
What China data actually costs
China travel eSIM prices look random until you convert every plan to one number: the real cost per gigabyte. Here is what that reveals right now.
The cheapest plan at each size, 30 days
| Data | Cheapest provider | Total | Price per GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 GB | Airalo | $49 | $0.98/GB | Get plan ↗ |
| 25 GB | Ubigi | $33 | $1.32/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 10% off with code TRAVELCITY10 |
| 20 GB | Nomad | $25 | $1.25/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 20% off with code ATESIM |
| 10 GB | Nomad | $17 | $1.70/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 20% off with code ATESIM |
| 5 GB | Yesim | $12.75 | $2.55/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code TRAVELCITY |
| 1 GB | Yesim | $3.25 | $3.25/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code TRAVELCITY |
Cost per GB rises from $0.98/GB at 50 GB to $3.25/GB at 1 GB. Buying a little more data than you expect to use is almost always cheaper per gigabyte than buying exactly what you need.
The "unlimited" trap
The same words, unlimited for 30 days, cover a wide price range, and most plans slow down after a daily threshold that the label hides.
| Provider | Unlimited, 30 days | Fair-use cap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya | $49.99 | 3 GB/day, then 10 Mbps source | Get plan ↗🏷 10% off with code ATESIM |
| Yesim | $64.32 | Not published | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code TRAVELCITY |
| Ubigi | $66 | Not published | Get plan ↗🏷 10% off with code TRAVELCITY10 |
| Airalo | $69 | 3 GB/day, then 1 Mbps source | Get plan ↗ |
| Saily | $71.99 | 5 GB/day, then 1 Mbps source | Get plan ↗ |
| GigSky | $99.99 | 2.5 GB/day, then reduced, but not below 100 kbps source | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code ATESIM |
Unlimited 30 day plans run from $49.99 to $99.99, a spread of about 100 percent, for a label that means the same thing on paper. Check the daily cap before you buy, especially if you plan to tether a laptop.
Do not overpay for coverage you will not use
If your whole trip is in China, a China only plan is far cheaper per gigabyte than a Asia or global plan carrying the same data. Same provider (GigSky), same 20 GB, 30 days:
| GigSky plan | Price | Price per GB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| China only | $69.99 | $3.50/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code ATESIM |
| Asia | $36.99 | $1.85/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code ATESIM |
| Global | $79.99 | $4.00/GB | Get plan ↗🏷 15% off with code ATESIM |
A China only plan costs much less per gigabyte than a regional or global plan with the same data. Only pay for the wider plan if you are actually crossing borders on this trip.
Which network does your China eSIM use?
This is the question that decides your real signal, and almost no comparison site answers it. Your travel eSIM connects to one or more local networks as a visitor, and that choice matters the moment you leave the big cities, because rural coverage varies a lot between them.
| Provider | Host network | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Airalo | China Unicom | Confirmed |
| GigSky | Not publicly disclosed | Confirming |
| Ubigi | China Telecom | Confirmed |
| Nomad | China Unicom and China Telecom (unlimited plans on China Unicom) | Confirmed |
| Saily | China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom | Confirmed |
| Yesim | Not publicly disclosed | Confirming |
Confirmed host networks span all three Chinese state carriers depending on provider, with Airalo and Nomad unlimited data riding China Unicom and Ubigi on China Telecom; what matters more than which tower you connect to is the offshore routing, because that is what carries your traffic outside the Great Firewall.
Coverage by where you are going
- 5G is extensive across major cities after China Mobile's 2019 commercial launch, with strong 4G and 5G inside the Beijing and Shanghai metro systems.
- Most travel eSIMs route data offshore through Hong Kong or Singapore, which bypasses the Great Firewall so Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube work without a VPN.
- Coverage is dense in cities, along high-speed rail lines and across populated regions on the state-carrier networks.
- Budget and MVNO options are limited, so most travelers ride plans on China Unicom, China Telecom or China Mobile.
- Hong Kong and Macau are separate telecom systems outside the Great Firewall, so a mainland China plan may not include them.
Travel eSIM vs a local China SIM
A travel eSIM connects to a Chinese carrier for signal but sends your traffic out through an international gateway, commonly Hong Kong or Singapore. To the Great Firewall your session looks like inbound roaming, so blocked services such as Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube load normally with no VPN app running. This offshore routing is the single biggest reason to buy a travel eSIM for China.
A local Chinese SIM or MVNO runs on the domestic internet and is fully subject to the Great Firewall, so Google, WhatsApp and most Western sites stay blocked unless you add a separate VPN, and VPNs are actively detected and throttled. Local SIMs also require passport registration at the point of sale. They can be cheaper per gigabyte for heavy use of Chinese apps, but they do not solve the censorship problem.
Quick rule: For Google and WhatsApp without a VPN, buy a travel eSIM that routes offshore; if you only need Chinese apps and the most data for your money, a local SIM can be cheaper.
China's networks are China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, and a local SIM requires passport registration and leaves you behind the Great Firewall, so Google and WhatsApp stay blocked without a separate VPN.
How a China travel eSIM works
A travel eSIM replaces expensive roaming with a cheap local data plan you activate in seconds. There is no plastic SIM and no airport queue. Roaming with your home carrier can run 6 to 12 dollars a day, so a week easily tops 50 to 80 dollars for service you already pay for at home.
Three things to get right:
- Check your phone supports eSIM before you buy.
- Install the eSIM at home over WiFi, but wait to activate it until you land, because the validity period usually starts on activation.
- Keep your physical SIM in the phone for calls and texts on your normal number.
How we rank China eSIMs
Every plan on this page is sorted by real price per GB (total price divided by included data, normalised to USD), so a cheap-looking 1 GB plan cannot outrank a better-value 10 GB one. We refresh prices daily and only list providers with a track record of activating on arrival. We earn a small affiliate commission when you buy through our links. It funds the price tracking and never changes the order you see.
China travel eSIM FAQ
Will Google and WhatsApp work in China on these eSIMs?
Yes on the travel eSIMs that route data offshore, which covers most of these providers. Because your traffic exits through Hong Kong or Singapore, Google, Gmail, WhatsApp and Instagram load without a VPN. A local Chinese SIM would leave those same services blocked.
Do I need a VPN as well?
Usually not. The offshore routing on a travel eSIM already sits outside the Great Firewall, so blocked apps work on mobile data alone. Yesim also bundles a VPN on iOS as a backup, and carrying your own VPN as a fallback does no harm.
Can I install the eSIM after I arrive in China?
Often no. Foreign eSIM profiles frequently cannot be downloaded once you are inside mainland China, and some providers block new purchases from Chinese IP addresses. Install and activate before you travel so the profile is ready when you land.
Is 5G available across China?
Yes, widely. China Mobile launched commercial 5G in 2019 and coverage now spans major cities plus the Beijing and Shanghai metros. Actual speed depends on your host carrier and the plan you buy.
Are these unlimited plans really unlimited?
They have no hard cut-off but do throttle after a threshold. Nomad gives about 2 GB per day at full speed, Airalo 3 GB and Saily 5 GB, after which speed drops to roughly 1 Mbps. Ubigi instead allows 60 GB across 30 days before slowing to 2 Mbps.
Do these plans cover Hong Kong and Macau?
Not automatically. Hong Kong and Macau run separate telecom systems and sit outside the Great Firewall, so a mainland China plan may exclude them. Look for a China plan that lists Hong Kong and Macau, or buy a regional plan if your trip includes both.
