India · 7 providers compared · prices checked August 2026
Best eSIM for India
India is the country where an eSIM saves you the most trouble, because getting a local SIM as a tourist is a paperwork exercise. The only real choice here is whether your plan can use Jio.
The picks for India Jio first, price second
GigSky
On Jio, and priced sanely $22.79 10GB / 30 days- Runs on Jio, the network with the deepest rural and highway coverage in India
- Cheap entry sizes: $2.99 for 1GB, $8.99 for 3GB
- Free 100MB trial, so you can prove it works before you land at 3am
Watch out: Jio only, so nothing to fall back on in the few pockets where Airtel is stronger.
Trustpilot 4.3/5 · 6,084 reviews
See GigSky India plansAiralo
Jio plus Vi, easiest support $24.00 10GB / 30 days, Indicomm- Permitted on Jio and Vi, so there is a second network when one struggles
- The most documented eSIM brand in India by a distance
- $4 for 1GB if you only need a few days
Watch out: The most expensive of the four we can link, and India is not a cheap data country to start with.
Trustpilot 4.1/5 · 41,238 reviews
See Airalo India plansYesim
Cheapest, on Airtel and Vi $20.91 10GB / 30 days- Lowest linkable price at every size: $12.78 for 5GB, $35.78 for 20GB
- Airtel is a genuinely strong second network, especially in the south
- $3.60 for 1GB valid a full 30 days
Watch out: No Jio, and Trustpilot suspended Yesim's score during a fake-review cleanup, checked August 2026.
⚠ no reliable rating
See Yesim India plansEvery India plan we can verify the full ladder
| Provider | 1GB | 3GB | 5GB | 10GB | 20GB | Unlimited (real cap) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesim | $3.60 /30d | $7.67 /30d | $12.78 /30d | $20.91 /30d | $35.78 /30d | not sold here |
| GigSky | $2.99 /7d | $8.99 /15d | $13.29 /30d | $22.79 /30d | — | from $18.99 · 3.5GB/day |
| Saily | $3.99 /7d | $9.99 /30d | $13.99 /30d | $23.99 /30d | $38.99 /30d | from $27.99 · 3GB/day |
| Airalo | $4 /3d | $9.50 /7d | $14 /30d | $24 /30d | $38 /30d | from $20.50 · 3GB/day |
| Nomad | $4 /7d | $8.50 /30d | $13 /30d | $21 /30d | $33 /30d | from $18 · 2GB/day |
| Jetpac | $7 /4d | $8.50 /30d | $12.50 /30d | $22.50 /30d | $55 /30d | from $15 · 3GB/day |
Nomad at $21 for 10GB rides both Airtel and Jio, which is the best network combination on this page, and we cannot link it. If your route is rural Rajasthan or the northeast, it is worth knowing that it exists.
Jio, Airtel and Vi they are not equivalent
Jio built its network from scratch as 4G-only and now 5G, which is why it reaches highways, small towns and rural districts that the older networks skipped. For a trip that leaves the metros, it is the one to want.
Airtel is the strong incumbent, excellent in the south and in the big cities, and often faster where both are present. Vi, the Vodafone Idea merger, is the weakest of the three and thinning outside the metros as its investment lags.
India's networks are licensed by circle, roughly by state, which is why the provider records below list dozens of entries. What matters is the brand, not the circle.
| Provider | Indian networks it may use |
|---|---|
| GigSky | Jio + Reliance Mobile |
| Airalo | Jio + Vi (Vodafone Idea) |
| Nomad | Airtel + Jio |
| Yesim | Airtel + Vi (Vodafone Idea) |
| Ubigi | Jio |
| Saily | not published |
| Jetpac | not published |
Permissions from each provider's published India coverage record, 2026-08-31, collapsed from the per-circle listings. Saily and Jetpac publish nothing for India.
Our pick for India is GigSky on Jio and Reliance Mobile, 10GB for $22.79 over 30 days.
See GigSky India plans Back to the picksJio
Take it if you leave the metrosRajasthan highways, Kerala backwaters, the hill stations, the northeast. Newest build, widest 5G. GigSky, Airalo, Nomad and Ubigi can use it.
Airtel
Excellent, especially in the southBangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and the big metros. Often the faster of the two where both exist. Yesim and Nomad ride it.
Vi
City fallbackFine in Delhi and Mumbai, weakest of the three elsewhere and losing ground. It is a second network on a plan, not a reason to buy one.
A Delhi, Agra, Jaipur trip works on anything. Add Ladakh, the Andamans or a long train through the interior and Jio stops being a detail.
"Unlimited" in India the caps
| "Unlimited" plan | Real daily high-speed cap | After the cap |
|---|---|---|
| Saily India Unlimited (from $27.99, 5 days) | 3GB / day | throttled until midnight |
| GigSky India Unlimited (from $18.99, 3 days) | 3.5GB / day | reduced speed for the rest of the day |
| Airalo Indicomm Unlimited (from $20.50, 3 days) | 3GB / day | throttled |
| Jetpac India Unlimited (unlinked, from $15) | 3GB / day | throttled |
| Nomad India Unlimited (unlinked, from $18) | 2GB / day | throttled |
| Yesim unlimited days | not published | unspecified reduction after heavy use |
Note that Saily's India unlimited caps at 3GB a day rather than the 5GB it publishes for most of Asia. The cap is per country, and India is one of the places it shrinks.
The largest cap you can read before buying in India is GigSky's 3.5GB a day, from $18.99 for 3 days.
See GigSky unlimited How every cap comparesWhy a local Indian SIM is the hard option the paperwork
In most of Asia a local SIM costs you a queue. In India it costs you a form, a photo, a passport copy, a visa copy and often a local reference address, then a verification call before the line activates.
Airtel and Jio both sell tourist prepaid plans and both run counters at Delhi and Mumbai airports. The data is cheap by any standard, often a few hundred rupees for tens of gigabytes, and the SIM comes with an Indian number that domestic apps and delivery services actually want.
What you are paying for it in is time and friction: the KYC process is genuine, the activation is not instant, and if your paperwork is wrong you find out hours later when the line goes dead.
A travel eSIM roams in under a foreign contract, so none of that applies. Install it at home, land connected, and buy a local SIM later only if you decide you need an Indian number.
India questions the ones people actually search
Which eSIM is best for India?
GigSky at $22.79 for 10GB, because it runs on Jio, the network with the best coverage outside the metros. Airalo Indicomm at $24 adds Vi as a fallback. Yesim at $20.91 is the cheapest and rides Airtel and Vi rather than Jio. Checked August 2026.
Can a tourist buy an eSIM for India?
Yes, and it is far easier than a local SIM. Travel eSIMs are sold to visitors, need no Indian KYC paperwork and activate the moment you land. Local Indian prepaid SIMs require passport, visa, photo and a verification process before the line works.
Does an eSIM work with Jio or Airtel in India?
Your travel eSIM roams onto one of them rather than being issued by them. GigSky, Airalo, Nomad and Ubigi are permitted on Jio; Yesim and Nomad on Airtel; Airalo and Yesim on Vi. Which one you get is the most important thing on this page, and the table above lists it.
How much data do I need for two weeks in India?
Around 8 to 10GB for maps, messaging, ride-hailing and photo uploads. India runs on WhatsApp, which is light, but train and ride apps stay live in the background. Hotel wifi is good in cities and unreliable on the road, so do not plan around it.
Will an eSIM work on Indian trains and in the countryside?
On Jio, mostly yes, including along the main rail corridors, with the usual long dead stretches through hills and forest. On Vi alone, expect noticeably less. Download offline maps before any long-distance train.
Can I use an eSIM for UPI payments in India?
No. UPI is tied to an Indian bank account and an Indian mobile number, and travel eSIMs are data-only. Carry a card, and note that most tourist-facing businesses accept them even where locals pay by UPI.
India · 10GB · $22.79
On Jio, 30 days, no KYC forms and no verification call. Installed before you fly.
Get GigSky for IndiaSources & freshness: India plan prices and validity from provider feeds via esimdb, 2026-08-31, in USD. Network permissions from each provider's published India coverage records, collapsed from per-circle listings, same date. Local SIM requirements from the operators' own tourist SIM documentation. No speed tests of our own in India yet. Back to the Asia eSIM comparison.