Our Top Pick: Airalo
Airalo remains our top pick based on dual-network coverage, flexible pricing, and reliability. Making it the best choice for nearly every traveler in 2025. Competitors are catching up, but Airalo remains the gold standard. Our value pick for an unlimited plan changes to Yesim, but we are still not convinced of the value of these offerings.
- Network: Only provider offering both China Mobile and China Unicom networks.
- Price & Options: Range of data packages (1GB to 20GB) at a fair price.
- Reliability: 2 million global users and a proven track record in China.
Quick Comparison: China eSIMs at a Glance
| Provider | Data | Price (7-Day) | Networks | Value Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo ⭐ | 5GB/10GB | $14/$24 | 2 Networks | |
| Holafly | Unlimited* | $30 | 1 Network | |
| YeSIM | Unlimited* | $22 | 1 Network | |
| Saily | 5GB/10GB | $16-27 | 1 Network |
*Unlimited often includes fair usage policies and speed restrictions
7-Day Trip Analysis: A Practical Comparison
While each provider offers a wide range of plans, a 7-day trip is a common duration for many travelers, making it an excellent benchmark for practical comparison. A 7-day plan with around 3-5 GB of data is sufficient for most tourists who use maps, social media, and messaging apps. Comparing the providers on a similar duration helps you see the real cost-to-value ratio.
Airalo: The Most Balanced Option
- Price: $14 for 5GB
- Verdict: This is the most cost-effective option for a typical traveler. The 5GB plan is more than enough for a week of moderate usage, maps, social media and messaging and the dual-network coverage provides the best reliability.
YeSIM: Good Value for Unlimited, With a Caveat
- Price: $22 for unlimited* data
- Verdict: For travelers who are worried about running out of data, YeSIM offers a decent unlimited plan at a lower price than Holafly. However, you'll likely face speed throttling after a certain usage threshold (which will leave you with a very slow connection), and it doesn't have the dual-network advantage of Airalo.
The beautiful canals of Suzhou.
Travel Tip: Suzhou for a Day (or more)
Just a short 25-minute high-speed train ride from Shanghai, the historic city of Suzhou makes for an ideal day trip or a relaxing overnight stay. Known as "China's Venice," its network of canals, ancient stone bridges, and classical gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage site and a stark contrast to Shanghai's futuristic skyline. The high-speed train, or "G-train," is the most efficient way to travel, departing frequently from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. Once you arrive in Suzhou, you can easily explore the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lingering Garden, or take a scenic boat ride along the Shantang Street Canal. While a day trip is certainly feasible, staying for at least one night allows you to experience the city's quieter, more romantic atmosphere after the tour buses have departed. Just be sure to book your train tickets in advance, especially on weekends, using a service like Trip.com
The Major Players: A Detailed Breakdown
1Airalo: The Market Leader
Airalo is our top recommendation as of 2025 because it delivers the most consistent and reliable service. The key to its success is its dual-network coverage, a feature no other provider offers. When one network becomes congested (which is common during peak times), your device automatically switches to the other, guaranteeing a stable connection.
Pros
- Dual Network Coverage: The only provider to offer access to both China Mobile and China Unicom for maximum reliability.
- Flexible Plans: Offers a wide range of data packages from 1GB to 20GB, with prices from $4.50 to $26.00.
- Instant Setup: The QR code is delivered instantly, and activation is quick and painless.
- Reliable Top-ups: You can easily add more data from the app without buying a new eSIM.
Cons
- No "Unlimited" Plans: The maximum data plan is 20GB.
2Holafly: The "Unlimited" Option (with a catch)
Holafly is often attractive to travelers because it advertises "unlimited" data. However, this comes at a significant cost, both in price and performance. The service operates on a single network (China Mobile) and often throttles speeds after heavy usage.
A Word of Caution on "Unlimited" Plans
Don’t be fooled by the unlimited label. Providers like Holafly often implement a "Fair Usage Policy" that drastically slows your speed after you hit a certain threshold. This throttling can make the connection unusable for anything beyond basic browsing, and it is never made clear what the threshold is. In the past we have found ourselves with a slow connection after just a few days of use. In short, as of 2025, we still aren't convinced that the "unlimited" plans are worth the price, especially when you can get a more reliable and faster plan from other providers that will give you more than enough data for your trip.
Pros
- Unlimited Data (with limitations): You won't run out of data, but it may become very slow.
- Good Customer Service: Known for a responsive support team.
Cons
- Heavy Throttling: Speeds are often reduced to 3G after a certain amount of data is used, despite being advertised as unlimited.
- Single Network: Limited to China Mobile, which can lead to coverage gaps in rural areas.
- High Price: Plans are 2-3x more expensive than Airalo's, even if you don't use the full amount of data.
3YeSIM: A Solid Alternative
YeSIM is a Swiss-based eSIM provider known for its flexible mobile data solutions. It offers both unlimited and fixed-data plans, and it stands out with its built-in VPN for iOS, although this is a small advantage from a privacy perspective, all eSIMs we have tested automatically bypass China's internet restrictions. If you are looking for an unlimited plan, YeSIM is a solid alternative to Holafly.
Pros
- Built-in iOS VPN: A unique and valuable feature for travelers in China to bypass internet restrictions.
- Flexible Plans: Offers both unlimited and prepaid fixed data plans.
- Automatic Network Switching: The eSIM connects to the strongest available network, ensuring a stable connection.
Cons
- Single Network: While it switches to the strongest available, it doesn't offer the same dual-network redundancy as Airalo.
- No Android VPN: The built-in VPN feature is only available for iOS users.
4Saily (by NordVPN): The Newcomer
Saily is a new entrant to the market, leveraging the reputation of NordVPN for security. While its app is well-designed, the service itself is still developing. It operates on a single network (China Unicom) and offers very few plan options. Saily's marketing at the moment seems to focus on its NordVPN integration, but the value of a built in VPN is questionable, as all eSIMs we have tested automatically bypass China's internet restrictions. Saily is the competitor to watch as it challenges Airalo to the throne, but they are still well behind in terms of price and options.
Pros
- Privacy-Focused: Integration with NordVPN for security-conscious users.
- Competitive Pricing: Can be affordable, especially during promotions.
Cons
- **Limited China Experience:** The service is new and not as refined as its competitors for China-specific issues.
- **Single Network:** Relies solely on China Unicom, which can have dead zones outside of major cities.
- **Few Plan Options:** Offers only 1GB, 3GB, and 5GB plans for China.
What About High-Data Users?
For the vast majority of travelers, an eSIM with a 5-10GB plan is more than enough for a week or two of travel. However, if you are a professional streamer, plan to do all-day video conferencing, or have extremely high data needs, a local physical SIM card might be a better option. While this involves navigating language barriers and queuing at an official store, it can provide un-throttled data packages that eSIMs often can't match.
Even for those who do need large amounts of data and want to search out a physical eSIM in China, we would suggest purchasing a 1GB eSIM from Airalo or YeSIM to cover your immediate needs, and then purchasing a local SIM card once you arrive. This way, you can avoid the hassle of finding a physical SIM at the airport or in a foreign city, and still have data for navigation and communication during your first few hours in China.
Why an eSIM is an Absolute Necessity
China's digital ecosystem is unlike any other. Mobile payments have replaced cash and credit cards, and navigation requires country-specific apps. Relying on spotty WiFi or expensive international roaming will leave you stranded.
Daily Essentials That Require Data
Daily Essentials Requiring Data:
- Payment Apps: Every transaction from street food to luxury hotels
- Navigation: Google Maps doesn't work; you need Baidu or Amap
- Translation: Real-time translation for menus, signs, and conversations
- Transportation: DiDi (China's Uber) and train bookings
The True Cost of Alternatives:
- International Roaming: $10-15/day = $70-105/week
- Airport SIM Cards: $30-50 + 2-hour queue + language barrier
- Pocket WiFi Rental: $8-12/day + deposit + carrying extra device
- Hotel WiFi Only: Missed opportunities, safety risks, payment failures
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The Bottom Line
After comprehensive testing, Airalo is the clear winner. Its dual-network coverage provides the most stable connection, its pricing is transparent and fair, and its service is backed by a proven track record. Don’t risk being disconnected in a country where connectivity is key to daily life.