We weigh travel eSIM brands for Costa Rica on coverage, speed, reliability, which local carrier they ride, reach into the rainforest and along both coasts, and fair use terms. Ranking is never for sale.
HelloRoam is Simscanner's top-ranked travel eSIM for Costa Rica on our modelled comparison; Ubigi is the cheapest plan we tracked, from $4.00. One detail to plan for: Costa Rica does require SIM registration. Since 2014 every prepaid SIM must be logged with the regulator SUTEL, and a local-shop SIM means showing your passport at the counter. A travel eSIM sidesteps that desk because the brand handles any identity step at checkout. Coverage is strongest around San José and the Central Valley, thinning across the rainforest and remote stretches of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Weigh the brands in the ranking below.
Modelled estimates. Winner appears after verification.
We grade each brand on how far it reaches, how fast it runs, how steady it stays, which Costa Rican carrier carries it, how openly it states unlimited and fair use limits, how it copes off the main highways, and what reviewers report. Independent throughout, and never for sale.
A quick read of the field. Drop to the full grid lower down for reach, pace, steadiness, fair use, tethering, host carriers, and reviewer signals.
| Brand | Overall | Coverage | Speed | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
93 |
92 |
96 |
Yes |
Airalo |
85 |
83 |
85 |
No |
Holafly |
82 |
78 |
83 |
Yes |
Nomad |
86 |
86 |
87 |
Yes |
Saily |
90 |
87 |
95 |
No |
Ubigi |
90 |
91 |
93 |
Yes |
80 |
81 |
76 |
No |
Swipe sideways to read every column. The brand name stays pinned on the left.
| Brand | Rank | Overall | Coverage | Speed | Reliability | Unlimited | FUP / fair use | Hotspot | Local networks | Review signal | Confidence | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
1 | 93 |
92 |
96 |
Yes | Published no throttling; ~6 GB/day tested then ~1 Mbps (US) | Allowed | Claro | 4.3 | Verified | See brand → Visit HelloRoam ↗ | |
Airalo |
5 | 85 |
83 |
85 |
No | No unlimited Costa Rica plan | Not stated | Liberty | 4.0 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Airalo ↗ | |
Holafly |
6 | 82 |
78 |
83 |
Yes | High-speed ~90 GB/mo | Allowed (data sharing) | Liberty | 3.9 | Verified | See brand → Visit Holafly ↗ | |
Nomad |
4 | 86 |
86 |
87 |
Yes | Daily allowance then throttle | Allowed | Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | 3.8 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Nomad ↗ | |
Saily |
2 | 90 |
87 |
95 |
No | No single-country unlimited plan | Allowed | Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | 4.0 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Saily ↗ | |
Ubigi |
3 | 90 |
91 |
93 |
Yes | High-speed 60 GB | Allowed (data sharing) | Liberty | 4.2 | Verified | See brand → Visit Ubigi ↗ | |
| 7 | 80 |
81 |
76 |
No | No unlimited Costa Rica plan | Allowed | Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | 3.9 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Jetpac ↗ |
A travel eSIM brand sells the plan; a Costa Rican carrier carries the signal. Whichever of the three national networks a brand rides is what fixes your real-world coverage, your reach into the volcanoes and rainforest, and whether 5G appears. The grid further down maps each brand to its host carrier in Costa Rica.
| Brand | Connected network | 4G / 5G | Main cities | Rural confidence | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
Claro | 4G | Solid in the main cities | Rural: Medium | helloroam.com | Verified |
Airalo |
Liberty | Not stated | Good metro coverage | Rural: Medium-high | airalo.com | Secondary |
Holafly |
Liberty | 4G LTE/5G | Wide urban reach | Rural: High | holafly.com | Verified |
Nomad |
Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | 4G/5G | Wide urban reach | Rural: High | nomadesim.com | Secondary |
Saily |
Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | 4G/5G | Good metro coverage | Rural: Medium-high | esimdb.com | Secondary |
Ubigi |
Liberty | 4G | Strong across major cities | Rural: Good | ubigi.com | Verified |
| Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | 4G/LTE | Wide urban reach | Rural: High | esimdb.com | Secondary |
Whether you must show identity papers comes from national law, not from the eSIM brand. Here is the verified position for Costa Rica.
Costa Rica sits on the Central American isthmus between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, with the Pacific on one side and the Caribbean on the other, and a volcanic spine running through the middle.
The full grid of every brand and plan offered for Costa Rica, with data, validity, price, host network, hotspot, KYC and top-up. Because brand pricing shifts often and loads client-side, Simscanner checks each row at source rather than estimating it. Every cell is sourced where the brand publishes it.
| Brand | Plan | Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Network | Hotspot | KYC | Top-up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
1GB/7d $6.99 · 10GB/30d $31.49 · Unlimited daily | 1 GB | 7 days | $6.99 | Claro | Allowed | Not stated | Not stated | helloroam.com |
Airalo |
Not stated | 1 GB | 3 days | Not stated | Liberty | Not stated | Not required | Not stated | airalo.com |
Holafly |
Unltd 3d $20.90 · 15d $50.90 · 30d $93.90 | Unlimited | 3 days | $20.90 | Liberty | Allowed (data sharing) | Not required | Not stated | holafly.com |
Nomad |
Not stated | 1 GB | 7 days | Not stated | Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | Allowed | Not required | Not stated | nomadesim.com |
Saily |
1GB/7d $7.99 · 3GB/30d $18.99 · 20GB/30d $47.99 | 1 GB | 7 days | $7.99 | Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | Allowed | Not required | Not stated | esimdb.com |
Ubigi |
1GB/7d $4 · 3GB/15d $8 · Unltd/30d $69 | 1 GB | 7 days | $4.00 | Liberty | Allowed (data sharing) | Not required | Not stated | ubigi.com |
| 3GB/30d $15 · 5GB/30d $20 · 10GB/30d $33 | 3 GB | 30 days | $15.00 | Liberty · Kölbi (ICE) | Allowed | Not required | Not stated | esimdb.com |
The word "unlimited" rarely means limitless. Most brands attach a fair use policy that slows you once a daily or trip-long cap is hit. The grid below sets out that cap, the speed you drop to, and whether tethering is allowed.
| Brand | Unlimited? | High-speed allowance | Throttle after FUP | Hotspot | Policy clarity | Notes | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
Yes | Published no throttling; ~6 GB/day tested then ~1 Mbps (US) | ~1 Mbps after ~6 GB/day (tested, US) | Allowed | Published no throttling; ~6 GB/day tested then ~1 Mbps (US) · ~1 Mbps after ~6 GB/day (tested, US) | helloroam.com | Verified | |
Airalo |
No | No unlimited Costa Rica plan | n/a | Not stated | No unlimited Costa Rica plan · n/a | airalo.com | Secondary | |
Holafly |
Yes | High-speed ~90 GB/mo | 256-1024 kbps | Allowed (data sharing) | High-speed ~90 GB/mo · 256-1024 kbps | holafly.com | Verified | |
Nomad |
Yes | Daily allowance then throttle | 512 kbps | Allowed | Daily allowance then throttle · 512 kbps | nomadesim.com | Secondary | |
Saily |
No | No single-country unlimited plan | n/a | Allowed | No single-country unlimited plan · n/a | esimdb.com | Secondary | |
Ubigi |
Yes | High-speed 60 GB | 2 Mbps | Allowed (data sharing) | High-speed 60 GB · 2 Mbps | ubigi.com | Verified | |
| No | No unlimited Costa Rica plan | n/a | Allowed | No unlimited Costa Rica plan · n/a | esimdb.com | Secondary |
How fast a travel eSIM feels in Costa Rica depends on the town you are in and the carrier it has latched onto. The grid reports each brand's typical download, upload, latency and whether you are on 4G or 5G. Figures shown are modelled estimates.
| Brand | Avg download | Avg upload | Latency | 4G / 5G | City confidence | Reliability | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
91 Mbps | 27 Mbps | 26 ms | 4G | High in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Airalo |
64 Mbps | 19 Mbps | 40 ms | Not stated | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Holafly |
60 Mbps | 17 Mbps | 42 ms | 4G LTE/5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Nomad |
69 Mbps | 20 Mbps | 37 ms | 4G/5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Saily |
89 Mbps | 26 Mbps | 28 ms | 4G/5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Ubigi |
84 Mbps | 24 Mbps | 30 ms | 4G | High in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
| 43 Mbps | 12 Mbps | 51 ms | 4G/LTE | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 |
We model public ratings from the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot, then surface the recurring themes travellers raise about each brand. Ratings and themes shown are Simscanner modelled estimates, not verified review counts.
Aggregate is a Simscanner modelled estimate across the tracked brands.
Brand-agnostic steps. The exact prompts vary by brand and handset, and brand-specific walkthroughs live on each brand profile.
Make sure your handset is eSIM-capable and carrier-unlocked before you buy a Costa Rica plan. Recent iPhone and most flagship Android models qualify.
Pay for the plan, then load the eSIM by scanning its QR code or tapping one-tap install while on home Wi-Fi, ahead of your flight to Costa Rica.
Pick the eSIM as your data line and enable data roaming for it so the profile latches onto a Costa Rican network the moment you arrive.
Many Costa Rica plans start counting validity when the eSIM first registers on a local network, so switch it on when you land at San José or Liberia, not before.
Every brand earns a score across seven inputs. Coverage and local-network quality draw on public Costa Rican-carrier sources. Speed and reliability draw on public network performance data. Review and FUP signals come from public brand and store pages. No brand can pay to rank higher.
Public Costa Rican-carrier coverage data, mapped across the Central Valley, Guanacaste, both coasts and the rainforest parks.
Public network performance sources, scoped to Costa Rican areas such as San José, Liberia and Limón.
Drop-off, time-to-connect, and uptime signals from public sources.
Clarity of allowance, throttle speed, and hotspot rules on each plan.
Whether hotspot and tethering are allowed and on which Costa Rica plans.
Which Costa Rican network the brand rides: Kölbi, Liberty or Claro.
App Store, Play Store, and Trustpilot signals, weighted by recency.
Source quality, recency, and number of verified inputs per brand.
Straight answers to what Costa Rica-bound travellers ask most. The wording lives in the page itself so both search engines and AI readers can lift it.
For a local prepaid SIM, yes: Costa Rican law has required all SIMs to be registered with the regulator SUTEL since 2014, so a shop will ask for your passport and one passport can register up to five SIMs. With a travel eSIM the brand handles any identity step at checkout, so you rarely visit a registration desk in person. Confirm the brand's process first.
Costa Rica has three facilities-based networks: Kölbi (the brand of state-owned ICE and the market leader with the widest rural reach), Liberty, and Claro (América Móvil). Most travel eSIMs ride one of these three. The local networks table on this page maps each brand to its Costa Rican carrier once that mapping is verified.
Not automatically. Costa Rica belongs to no roam-free bloc, so a Costa Rica-only plan usually stops at the border with Nicaragua or Panama. If your trip crosses Central America, pick a regional or multi-country plan that names each country in its coverage list. Always check the brand's coverage before you set off.
5G is early in Costa Rica. After SUTEL's February 2025 spectrum auction, Liberty and Claro began switching on 5G in the most populated areas during 2025, while the network the eSIM rides and the plan both decide whether you reach it. Simscanner publishes a modelled per-brand speed comparison for Costa Rica in the speed section.
Buy the plan, then install the eSIM over home Wi-Fi by scanning its QR code or using one-tap install. Leave it set to start on first contact with a Costa Rican network, switch data roaming on for that line, and make it your data line as you land at San José or Liberia airport. Exact prompts differ by brand and device.
FUP is the fair use policy: the threshold past which a brand may slow an unlimited plan. On a Costa Rica plan that cap, and the throttled speed once you pass it, varies by brand. The plans table on this page lists each brand's allowance and throttle, and never carries an invented limit.
Every factual claim about Costa Rica's networks, KYC position, currency, capital and region on this page is sourced below. Brand plan pricing is sourced per brand where the brand publishes it. All sources retrieved 30 May 2026.
AI-assisted disclosure. This page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by the Simscanner editorial team. Every network, KYC, currency, capital and region claim is cited above with its retrieval date. Brand plan pricing and coverage are sourced; per-brand scores and speeds are Simscanner modelled estimates.
Carry on with a bordering country, the wider region, a leading brand profile, or the way we score.