We compare travel eSIM brands for the United States on coverage, speed, reliability, US carriers, unlimited availability, and fair use policy. No brand can pay to rank higher.
HelloRoam is Simscanner's top-ranked travel eSIM for the United States, with the cheapest sourced entry we tracked from $2.87. Coverage, speed and hotspot rules vary by brand and by the US carrier each one rides, so check the ranking table below.
Modelled estimates. Winner appears after verification.
Brands ranked on coverage, speed, reliability, US-carrier quality, unlimited and FUP transparency, and review signals. Independent comparison. No brand can pay to rank higher.
Compact overview. See the full comparison below for coverage, speed, reliability, FUP, hotspot, US carriers, and review signals.
| Brand | Overall | Coverage | Speed | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
86 |
89 |
89 |
Yes |
Airalo |
82 |
82 |
84 |
No |
Holafly |
82 |
84 |
84 |
Yes |
Nomad |
83 |
81 |
87 |
No |
Saily |
84 |
83 |
85 |
Yes |
Ubigi |
84 |
81 |
84 |
Yes |
84 |
88 |
88 |
Yes |
Scroll horizontally to see every signal. Brand column stays in view.
| Brand | Rank | Overall | Coverage | Speed | Reliability | Unlimited | FUP / fair use | Hotspot | Local networks | Review signal | Confidence | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
1 | 86 |
89 |
89 |
Yes | Published no throttling; ~6 GB/day tested then ~1 Mbps (US) | Allowed | T-Mobile · Verizon | 4.4 | Verified | See brand → Visit HelloRoam ↗ | |
Airalo |
6 | 82 |
82 |
84 |
No | No unlimited US plan | Allowed | T-Mobile | 3.8 | Verified | See brand → Visit Airalo ↗ | |
Holafly |
7 | 82 |
84 |
84 |
Yes | High-speed ~90 GB/mo | Allowed (share ≈1 GB/day) | AT&T · T-Mobile | 4.3 | Verified | See brand → Visit Holafly ↗ | |
Nomad |
5 | 83 |
81 |
87 |
No | No unlimited US plan | Allowed | AT&T · Verizon · T-Mobile | 3.8 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Nomad ↗ | |
Saily |
2 | 84 |
83 |
85 |
Yes | High-speed 5 GB/day | Allowed | AT&T · Verizon | 3.7 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Saily ↗ | |
Ubigi |
3 | 84 |
81 |
84 |
Yes | High-speed 60 GB/mo | Allowed (data sharing) | T-Mobile | 4.3 | Verified | See brand → Visit Ubigi ↗ | |
| 4 | 84 |
88 |
88 |
Yes | High-speed 3 GB/day | Allowed | AT&T · Verizon | 4.0 | Secondary | See brand → Visit Jetpac ↗ |
A travel eSIM brand is not the same as the local network. The United States has three nationwide facilities-based mobile network operators: Verizon (Verizon Communications), AT&T Mobility (AT&T Inc.) and T-Mobile US (majority owned by Deutsche Telekom). Together they hold the overwhelming share of US wireless connections; regional carrier UScellular was acquired by T-Mobile, with the deal completing in August 2025. Smaller regional facilities-based operators such as C Spire and Cellcom also exist, and most travel eSIMs ride one of the big three. The local network decides actual coverage, rural reach, and 5G availability. Source: Wikipedia, List of mobile network operators in the United States (retrieved 30 May 2026). The mapping below shows which carrier each brand uses; per-brand values are a modelled estimate.
| Brand | Connected network | 4G / 5G | Main cities | Rural confidence | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
T-Mobile · Verizon | 5G/4G | Solid in the main cities | Rural: Medium | helloroam.com + Simscanner test | Verified |
Airalo |
T-Mobile | 4G/5G | Good metro coverage | Rural: Medium-high | airalo.com | Verified |
Holafly |
AT&T · T-Mobile | 4G LTE/5G | Wide urban reach | Rural: High | holafly.com | Verified |
Nomad |
AT&T · Verizon · T-Mobile | 5G/4G LTE | Wide urban reach | Rural: High | nomadesim.com | Secondary |
Saily |
AT&T · Verizon | 4G/5G | Good metro coverage | Rural: Medium-high | saily.com | Secondary |
Ubigi |
T-Mobile | 5G | Strong across major cities | Rural: Good | ubigi.com | Verified |
| AT&T · Verizon | 5G | Wide urban reach | Rural: High | jetpacglobal.com | Secondary |
No. The United States does not mandate real-name or ID registration to buy a prepaid SIM or travel eSIM. According to the GSMA, the USA decided against mandating registration for prepaid SIM users, concluding the loopholes and implementation challenges outweighed the merits, and the GSMA recommends that governments should not mandate prepaid SIM registration. The United States is one of the few countries without a mandatory SIM-registration regime; most of the world requires it. Source: GSMA Mobile Policy Handbook, Mandatory registration of prepaid SIMs (retrieved 30 May 2026). In practice a travel eSIM for the United States activates without a passport scan, although the issuing brand may run its own account or payment checks (a modelled estimate per brand).
The United States sits in North America, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Unlike the European Union, North America has no shared roaming zone, so a US eSIM does not automatically work in Canada or Mexico; many brands sell a separate North America regional plan to bridge the three. On SIM registration the contrast is sharp: Mexico has, at points, pushed a national mobile-user registry, whereas the United States keeps no mandatory SIM-registration rule (GSMA, retrieved 30 May 2026), making US activation simpler than in many neighbouring and overseas markets. Coverage also differs in character: the US is vast with long rural and interstate stretches, so the carrier a brand rides, Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile, matters more here than in compact, densely covered countries. The capital is Washington, D.C.; the currency is the US dollar (USD); and the primary language is English. Sources: Wikipedia, United States and Wikipedia, List of mobile network operators in the United States (both retrieved 30 May 2026).
Brand plan prices, data amounts, validity and fair use limits for the United States are a modelled estimate. Simscanner does not publish brand plan pricing until each row is sourced and dated, because eSIM pricing is rendered in-app and changes constantly. The table below stays in a holding state with no invented prices, data, validity, throttle speeds or hotspot rules.
| 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 + Simscanner test | Verified | |
Airalo |
No | No unlimited US plan | n/a | Allowed | No unlimited US plan · n/a | airalo.com | Verified | |
Holafly |
Yes | High-speed ~90 GB/mo | 256-1024 kbps | Allowed (share ≈1 GB/day) | High-speed ~90 GB/mo · 256-1024 kbps | holafly.com | Verified | |
Nomad |
No | No unlimited US plan | n/a | Allowed | No unlimited US plan · n/a | nomadesim.com | Secondary | |
Saily |
Yes | High-speed 5 GB/day | 1 Mbps | Allowed | High-speed 5 GB/day · 1 Mbps | saily.com | Secondary | |
Ubigi |
Yes | High-speed 60 GB/mo | 2 Mbps | Allowed (data sharing) | High-speed 60 GB/mo · 2 Mbps | ubigi.com | Verified | |
| Yes | High-speed 3 GB/day | 1 Mbps | Allowed | High-speed 3 GB/day · 1 Mbps | jetpacglobal.com | Secondary |
Speed in the United States varies by city and by the US carrier the eSIM connects to. The table below shows average download, upload, latency, and 4G or 5G availability per brand, scoped to a chosen city group. All values are a modelled estimate.
| Brand | Avg download | Avg upload | Latency | 4G / 5G | City confidence | Reliability | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HelloRoam |
74 Mbps | 22 Mbps | 35 ms | 5G/4G | High in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Airalo |
62 Mbps | 18 Mbps | 41 ms | 4G/5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Holafly |
62 Mbps | 18 Mbps | 41 ms | 4G LTE/5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Nomad |
69 Mbps | 20 Mbps | 37 ms | 5G/4G LTE | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Saily |
64 Mbps | 19 Mbps | 40 ms | 4G/5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
Ubigi |
62 Mbps | 18 Mbps | 41 ms | 5G | Good in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 | |
| 72 Mbps | 21 Mbps | 36 ms | 5G | High in main cities | Reviewed 15 Jun 2026 |
Aggregated public review signals from the App Store, Google Play, and Trustpilot, plus the themes travellers mention most often when reviewing each brand in the United States. We do not invent ratings.
Aggregate appears once at least 50 verified reviews are recorded per brand for the United States.
Different travellers need different things. These verdicts appear once the ranking, network, FUP, speed and review data above is verified.
Top brand on the blended United States score across coverage, speed, reliability, and FUP transparency.
Widest reach across the United States including rural states and national parks, scored from US-carrier coverage data.
Highest average download in major US cities, scored from public network performance data.
Largest high-speed allowance with a clearly published FUP throttle rule.
Allows hotspot or tethering on its main United States plans with no surprise restrictions.
Lowest latency, highest reliability score, and clearest support and refund signals.
Easy multi-device setup and a clear FUP that survives heavy household use.
Each brand is scored on seven inputs. Coverage and US-carrier quality come from public local-carrier sources. Speed and reliability come from public network performance sources. Review and FUP signals are taken from public brand and store sources. No brand can pay to rank higher.
Public US-carrier coverage data, mapped per region of the United States.
Public network performance sources, scoped to US cities.
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 US plans.
Which US carrier the brand connects to and the network grade.
App Store, Play Store, and Trustpilot signals, weighted by recency.
Source quality, recency, and number of verified inputs per brand.
One accordion per brand. Coverage, speed, FUP, hotspot, US carriers, reviews, strengths, weaknesses, and data confidence. Click to expand.
HelloRoam is a UK-based travel eSIM (operated by Future Syncs Ltd) tracked across 185+ countries. Its local plan here starts at $2.87 on T-Mobile / Verizon, with hotspot included at no extra charge. Plans and networks are sourced; performance scores are modelled estimates.
From $2.87 for 1 GB / 7 days. 1GB/7d $2.87 · 10GB/30d $16.41 · Unlimited daily.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
Unlimited United States plan available. High-speed allowance Published no throttling; ~6 GB/day tested then ~1 Mbps (US), throttle ~1 Mbps after ~6 GB/day (tested, US).
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed.
Connects to T-Mobile · Verizon (5G/4G). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
One of the largest travel eSIM brands by country coverage. United States plans connect to a US mobile network and are sold in fixed-data and unlimited tiers.
From $4.00 for 1 GB / 3 days. 1GB/3d $4 · 5GB/30d $16 · 10GB/30d $26.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
No unlimited United States plan; fixed-data plans only.
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed.
Connects to T-Mobile (4G/5G). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
Known for unlimited day-pass plans across many destinations. The United States offer focuses on unlimited use with a fair use policy.
From $11.70 for Unlimited / 3 days. Unltd 3d $11.70 · 15d $50.90 · 30d $74.90.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
Unlimited United States plan available. High-speed allowance High-speed ~90 GB/mo, throttle 256-1024 kbps.
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed (share ≈1 GB/day).
Connects to AT&T · T-Mobile (4G LTE/5G). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
Travel eSIM brand with multi-tier plans. The United States offer includes fixed-data plans and a regional North America option.
From $4.00 for 1 GB / 7 days. 1GB/7d $4 · 20GB/30d $44 · 50GB/365d $170.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
No unlimited United States plan; fixed-data plans only.
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed.
Connects to AT&T · Verizon · T-Mobile (5G/4G LTE). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
Travel eSIM operated alongside a wider security product. The United States offer is sold in fixed-data plans.
From $3.99 for 1 GB / 7 days. 1GB/7d $3.99 · 10GB/30d $22.99 · Unltd/7d $28.99.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
Unlimited United States plan available. High-speed allowance High-speed 5 GB/day, throttle 1 Mbps.
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed.
Connects to AT&T · Verizon (4G/5G). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
Travel eSIM brand backed by a global telecoms parent. Sells fixed-data United States plans and a regional option.
From $7.00 for 5 GB / 30 days. 5GB/30d $7 · 10GB/30d $14 · Unltd/30d $65.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
Unlimited United States plan available. High-speed allowance High-speed 60 GB/mo, throttle 2 Mbps.
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed (data sharing).
Connects to T-Mobile (5G). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
Travel eSIM brand built for short trips. United States plans focus on fixed-data and short validity.
From $15.99 for 10 GB / 30 days. 10GB/30d $15.99 · 30GB/30d $29.99 · Unltd/30d $65.99.
United States coverage shown is a modelled estimate.
Speed shown is a modelled estimate.
Unlimited United States plan available. High-speed allowance High-speed 3 GB/day, throttle 1 Mbps.
Hotspot / tethering: Allowed.
Connects to AT&T · Verizon (5G). US carriers tracked: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.
Review signals shown are a modelled estimate.
Weakness notes shown are a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.
Common traveller questions answered directly. Full FAQ content stays in the HTML so search and AI crawlers can read it.
No. The United States does not mandate real-name or ID registration to buy a prepaid SIM or travel eSIM. The GSMA records that the USA decided against mandating prepaid SIM registration, so a tourist eSIM activates without a passport scan. An issuing brand may still run its own account or payment checks (a modelled estimate). Source: GSMA Mobile Policy Handbook, retrieved 30 May 2026.
The United States has three nationwide facilities-based carriers: Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Most travel eSIMs ride one of these three networks, which decide actual coverage, rural reach and 5G availability. The local networks table on this page maps each brand to its US carrier once that data is verified. Carrier list sourced from Wikipedia, retrieved 30 May 2026.
Not automatically. North America has no shared roaming zone like the European Union, so a US-only eSIM does not cover Canada or Mexico by default. Many brands sell a separate North America regional plan that bundles all three. Check the brand plan scope before you travel; per-brand regional plans are a modelled estimate.
Coverage in the United States is set by the US carrier the eSIM connects to, so it differs from one brand to the next. Each of the three nationwide carriers, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, has its own footprint, which matters most across the long rural and interstate stretches. Simscanner publishes a modelled carrier-coverage comparison for the United States in the table on this page.
Hotspot and tethering rules vary by brand. Some allow hotspot on all plans, some only on selected plans, and some restrict it on unlimited plans. The plans and FUP section on this page will show the hotspot rule for each brand in the United States once that value is sourced. It is currently a modelled estimate.
FUP means fair use policy. It is the limit after which a brand may reduce the speed of an unlimited plan. The plans and FUP section on this page will list the high-speed allowance, the throttle speed after the cap, and the policy clarity for each United States brand once each value is verified.
Every factual claim on this page is sourced or marked a modelled estimate. Brand plan prices, data amounts, validity, FUP, speeds and coverage figures are not published until each value is sourced and dated.
Continue your comparison with nearby destinations, the same region, top brand profiles, or our methodology.