eSIM price per GBQ4 2026 study
A frozen USD benchmark across 12 European destinations. External market medians, provider coverage and transparent own-brand comparisons.
Executive summary
Travel-eSIM pricing varies by destination and volume band. In the Q4 panel, the median of external destination medians is $1.38/GB at 10 GB and $1.11/GB at 20 GB. These are separate cross-sectional benchmarks, not a change in prices over time.
The 10 GB and 20 GB tiers support comparisons across all 12 destinations. Large-volume availability is narrower: the 50 GB own-brand comparison is eligible in eight destinations and stays secondary.
Median of 12 destination competitor medians, USD/GB.
Median of 12 destination competitor medians, USD/GB.
European panel; equal destination weight.
DriftEuropa is excluded from competitor medians.
Methodology in brief
The V2 methodology is designed to select the cheapest eligible publicly payable offer per provider × destination × tier. Price per GB is payable price ÷ actual delivered GB; an external competitor median is calculated for each destination. Own brands are excluded. Regional brand gaps receive equal destination weight.
Primary tiers are 10–<20 GB and 20–<50 GB. The 50–100 GB tier is secondary. Minimum external competitor counts are seven for the primary tiers and four for 50 GB; an eligible own-brand offer is required for a brand gap.
Q4 is a validated aggregated benchmark. Individual offer selection cannot be independently re-audited from the frozen snapshot alone. The published aggregate calculations remain inspectable in the regional dataset.
Read the V2 method and Q4 audit limits →10 GB: the external market
The median of the 12 destination competitor medians is $1.38/GB in the 10–<20 GB tier. Destination medians range from $1.10/GB in Austria to $1.92/GB in Switzerland.
Eligible competitor counts range from 8 to 10 per destination. A destination median and a provider’s regional median answer different questions; neither establishes a best-provider ranking.
Common scale: $0 to $2.00 per GB
- Austria
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
| Destination | Competitors eligible | Competitor median USD/GB |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 9 | $1.10 |
| Belgium | 8 | $1.36 |
| France | 10 | $1.38 |
| Germany | 10 | $1.38 |
| Italy | 9 | $1.85 |
| Netherlands | 10 | $1.46 |
| Poland | 10 | $1.17 |
| Portugal | 10 | $1.18 |
| Spain | 9 | $1.36 |
| Sweden | 9 | $1.60 |
| Switzerland | 9 | $1.92 |
| United Kingdom | 10 | $1.53 |
20 GB: the external market
The median of the 12 destination competitor medians is $1.11/GB in the 20–<50 GB tier. Destination medians range from $0.88/GB in Austria to $1.32/GB in Sweden.
Eligible competitor counts range from 9 to 10 per destination. A destination median and a provider’s regional median answer different questions; neither establishes a best-provider ranking.
Common scale: $0 to $1.50 per GB
- Austria
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
| Destination | Competitors eligible | Competitor median USD/GB |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 9 | $0.88 |
| Belgium | 9 | $1.00 |
| France | 10 | $1.09 |
| Germany | 9 | $1.14 |
| Italy | 9 | $1.23 |
| Netherlands | 10 | $1.10 |
| Poland | 10 | $0.95 |
| Portugal | 10 | $1.13 |
| Spain | 9 | $1.00 |
| Sweden | 9 | $1.32 |
| Switzerland | 10 | $1.30 |
| United Kingdom | 9 | $1.25 |
50 GB: availability and limits
50 GB is a secondary indicator. The 50–100 GB tier, including 100 GB, requires at least four eligible external competitors and an eligible own-brand offer per destination.
DriftEuropa’s comparable own-brand coverage is 8/12. The median destination gap is −0.3%. This smaller sub-panel remains secondary and does not establish the position across all 12 destinations.
| Destination | Competitors | Market USD/GB | DriftEuropa USD/GB | Gap | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 5 | $0.72 | Unknown | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Belgium | 5 | $0.78 | Unknown | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| France | 4 | $0.70 | $0.70 | −0.3% | Included |
| Germany | 4 | $0.68 | $0.70 | +2.6% | Included |
| Italy | 6 | $0.70 | $0.70 | −0.3% | Included |
| Netherlands | 5 | $0.72 | $0.86 | +19.2% | Included |
| Poland | 4 | $0.80 | Unknown | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Portugal | 5 | $0.70 | $0.86 | +22.6% | Included |
| Spain | 7 | $0.78 | $0.70 | −10.5% | Included |
| Sweden | 5 | $0.84 | Unknown | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Switzerland | 5 | $0.86 | $0.70 | −18.8% | Included |
| United Kingdom | 5 | $0.78 | $0.70 | −10.5% | Included |
Destination differences
The fixed panel covers Germany, Spain, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. It is a defined regional research panel, not a census of European destinations.
The destination is the unit of regional aggregation: each contributes one gap, regardless of the number of qualifying offers. A regional median does not mean every destination has the same result.
| Destination | 10 GB market USD/GB | 20 GB market USD/GB |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | $1.10 | $0.88 |
| Belgium | $1.36 | $1.00 |
| France | $1.38 | $1.09 |
| Germany | $1.38 | $1.14 |
| Italy | $1.85 | $1.23 |
| Netherlands | $1.46 | $1.10 |
| Poland | $1.17 | $0.95 |
| Portugal | $1.18 | $1.13 |
| Spain | $1.36 | $1.00 |
| Sweden | $1.60 | $1.32 |
| Switzerland | $1.92 | $1.30 |
| United Kingdom | $1.53 | $1.25 |
Provider coverage
Ten external providers form the competitive panel: Airalo, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi, Yesim, Jetpac, BNESIM, aloSIM, GigSky, Airhub. Coverage varies by tier. Provider medians describe the destinations with a retained qualifying observation; incomplete coverage changes the sub-panel.
These figures are not a provider ranking. The observations retained in the validated Q4 inputs do not establish that a complete catalogue was audited. The external destination median remains the benchmark.
| External provider | 10 GB USD/GB | Coverage | 20 GB USD/GB | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | $1.60 | 12/12 | $1.15 | 12/12 |
| Nomad | $1.60 | 12/12 | $1.03 | 12/12 |
| Saily | $1.70 | 12/12 | $1.32 | 12/12 |
| Ubigi | $1.10 | 11/12 | $0.88 | 11/12 |
| Yesim | $1.92 | 12/12 | $1.32 | 12/12 |
| Jetpac | $1.42 | 6/12 | $1.88 | 10/12 |
| BNESIM | $1.36 | 12/12 | $1.14 | 12/12 |
| aloSIM | $1.35 | 12/12 | $0.85 | 12/12 |
| GigSky | $0.87 | 12/12 | $0.72 | 12/12 |
| Airhub | $0.96 | 12/12 | $0.97 | 8/12 |
DriftEuropa position
The median destination gap for DriftEuropa is −35.2% at 10 GB and −23.9% at 20 GB. The own brand sits below the competitor median in 12/12 and 12/12 destinations respectively.
All 12 destinations are below the competitor median in both primary tiers. The 50 GB result covers a smaller sub-panel, with both positive and negative destination gaps retained.
| Destination | 10 GB gap | Classification | DriftEuropa 10 GB USD/GB | 20 GB gap | Classification | DriftEuropa 20 GB USD/GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | −19.1% | Below median | $0.89 | −4.0% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Belgium | −34.4% | Below median | $0.89 | −15.5% | Below median | $0.85 |
| France | −28.0% | Below median | $0.99 | −22.7% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Germany | −35.6% | Below median | $0.89 | −25.7% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Italy | −51.9% | Below median | $0.89 | −31.1% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Netherlands | −39.2% | Below median | $0.89 | −14.1% | Below median | $0.95 |
| Poland | −24.3% | Below median | $0.89 | −11.1% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Portugal | −24.3% | Below median | $0.89 | −25.1% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Spain | −34.8% | Below median | $0.89 | −15.5% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Sweden | −44.3% | Below median | $0.89 | −36.0% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Switzerland | −53.6% | Below median | $0.89 | −34.8% | Below median | $0.85 |
| United Kingdom | −41.9% | Below median | $0.89 | −32.4% | Below median | $0.85 |
How the gap works: (own-brand USD/GB ÷ destination competitor median USD/GB − 1) × 100. A negative gap means below the competitor median; a positive gap means above. Regional results are the median of unrounded destination gaps with equal weight. Do not recompute them from rounded displayed prices.
Limitations and transparency
Q4 2026 is published from the frozen validated benchmark dataset used for this edition. The methodology is designed to select the lowest-priced eligible public offer for each provider, destination and tier. However, the frozen Q4 snapshot does not retain plan names, source URLs or duration metadata for every observation, so that offer-level selection cannot be independently re-audited from the published snapshot alone.
This limitation applies to the auditability of individual offer selection, not to the published aggregate calculations derived from the frozen Q4 dataset.
Unknown remains unknown. This edition does not demonstrate a universal validity of at least 30 days. Plan names, duration, source URLs and provider-specific collection timestamps cannot be supplied where the frozen data does not retain them.
The 12-destination panel does not represent every country, offer or service. Duration, networks, speed, support and conditions may differ. Prices can change after the snapshot date; this benchmark is not a live offer catalogue or a measure of network quality.
Q4 2026 is the first official V2 baseline. Trend status: INSUFFICIENT_HISTORY. No Q3-to-Q4 comparison or reconstructed V1/V2 trend is published. Q1 2027 is the first possible QoQ comparison, subject to a valid comparable dataset.
Data and downloads
The public regional dataset exposes the frozen validated aggregates, provider coverage, method, provenance and Q4 limitations. All benchmark prices and price-per-GB values are in USD. CSV contains the 36 destination × tier aggregate rows; it is not an offer-level catalogue.
How to cite
- Title
- eSIM Price per GB Study — Q4 2026
- Publisher
- DriftEuropa
- Quarter
- Q4 2026
- Snapshot date
- 2026-09-28
- Publication date
- 2026-10-08
- Methodology
- Price/GB V2 with Q4 audit limits
- Dataset
- Regional benchmark · USD
- Permalink
- https://drifteuropa.com/data-index/esim-price-per-gb-q4-2026/
Recommended citation
DriftEuropa (2026-10-08). eSIM Price per GB Study — Q4 2026. Q4 2026. Snapshot: 2026-09-28. https://drifteuropa.com/data-index/esim-price-per-gb-q4-2026/
Frequently asked questions
How is price per GB calculated in V2?
The designed selection unit is provider × destination × tier: the cheapest eligible publicly payable offer, divided by actual delivered GB. External competitor medians exclude DriftEuropa. Regional gaps are medians of destination gaps with equal destination weight.
Can every Q4 selected offer be independently re-audited?
Q4 2026 is published from the frozen validated benchmark dataset used for this edition. The methodology is designed to select the lowest-priced eligible public offer for each provider, destination and tier. However, the frozen Q4 snapshot does not retain plan names, source URLs or duration metadata for every observation, so that offer-level selection cannot be independently re-audited from the published snapshot alone. This limitation applies to the auditability of individual offer selection, not to the published aggregate calculations derived from the frozen Q4 dataset.
Does Q4 establish a 30-day minimum validity?
No. The frozen Q4 data does not retain duration metadata for every observation. Unknown remains unknown; no universal 30-day validity claim is made.
Why is the 50 GB result secondary?
Comparable own-brand coverage is only 8 of 12 destinations at the four-competitor threshold. The −0.3% gap describes that small sub-panel and cannot be generalised to the region.
Does this publication show a quarterly price trend?
No. Q4 2026 is the first official V2 baseline and trend status is INSUFFICIENT_HISTORY. V1 monthly and catalogue histories remain separate. Q1 2027 is the first possible comparable quarter.
Who publishes the benchmark?
DriftEuropa publishes the research and is the own brand in the comparison. Own brands are excluded from competitor medians. The methodology and regional dataset are public.