Best eSIM Bali: My Test Results (10+ eSIMs vs. a Local SIM)

If you're traveling to Bali, using your home provider for data is shockingly expensive, and roaming charges can add up fast. To avoid these high charges, you should consider a travel eSIM or a local SIM card for Bali.

With eSIM prices starting from under $1, staying connected in Bali is both affordable and hassle-free. Prepare in advance to avoid bill shock and enjoy seamless internet access the moment you land.

In this article, I explore the best eSIM providers and compare them directly to local SIM card options. This isn't just a list; I recently spent a month working and traveling in Bali and personally speed-tested over 10 of the most popular eSIMs, and a local Telkomsel SIM, to see which ones actually perform.

Need a quick tip? Use code FYESIM15 for 15% off my top pick Jetpac. I found Jetpac offered the best value in Bali, testing as one of the fastest providers with a dead simple setup.

Travel eSIM, Local SIM or Roaming

You have three main ways to get data in Bali. In most cases, a travel eSIM is your best bet, but carefully compare your options. Here's how they stack up based on my tests.

1. Home Provider Roaming (e.g. your home SIM)

This is the default option of using your SIM from home. It's also, by far, the worst.

• Cost: Shockingly expensive. Roaming charges from your home provider can add up very quickly.
• Performance: Likely poor on the other side of the world. I tested a home SIM in Bali; the high latency (lag) from data routing all the way back home made it unusable for video calls.
• Verdict: Avoid.

Good to know: If you need to keep your home number active, modern smartphones (especially those that support eSIM) allow you to keep two SIMs active at once. You can set the travel eSIM as your primary source for mobile data. Just make sure to turn off data roaming on your home SIM in your phone's settings to avoid charges. Be aware that while this setup lets you receive texts, making or receiving calls on your home number will still incur expensive roaming charges from your home provider.

2. Travel eSIM (My Top Pick)

This is a digital SIM you buy online before you fly. It offers the best balance of cost and convenience for most travelers.

• Convenience: The clear winner. You land, turn it on, and you're online. No passport registration needed.
• Cost: Highly affordable. I found plans starting from under $1.
• Key Feature: Most travel eSIMs bypass Indonesian internet censorship, so sites like Reddit are not blocked.
• Verdict: Best for 90% of travelers.

3. Local SIM Card

This involves buying a local SIM card or eSIM after you arrive in Bali.

• Best For: Good for long stays, those needing massive data (50 GB+) or if you need a local phone number.
• The Drawback: Your phone's IMEI is registered. After 90 days, you may have to pay import tax (up to 40% of your phone's value) to keep using any local SIM.
• Other Cons: SIMs are overpriced for average users (10 GB or less), and they are subject to local internet censorship (for example Reddit is blocked).
• Verdict: Too much hassle for a typical vacation, but good performance for heavy data users.

How much data do you actually need? It pays to think about this beforehand. Use our data calculator to estimate what you'll really use on your trip. Want to compare prices? Browse all 35+ providers via our Indonesia eSIM comparison tool, or read on for my personal reviews.

Holafly - The 'Unlimited' Speed Cap

Holafly is a popular choice for tourists, and for basic browsing or maps, it worked fine. When I tested it for data-heavy remote work in Bali, however, the service struggled to justify its premium price (e.g. around $76 for a month), and it did not feel as "unlimited" as I'm used to from home.

The three biggest challenges I experienced were:

• Speeds appeared to be capped from the start (max 35 Mbps in my tests, often lower).
• The advertised 500 MB hotspot allowance not only felt modest for the price, but in Bali, hotspot sharing did not work for me at all.
• I lost mobile data a couple of times, including once when trying to book a Grab in Sanur, despite full signal and very low total data usage (under 200 MB).

The Holafly eSIMs I tested (in Bali, Singapore, and Malaysia) were all backed by China Mobile (CMLink). This is relevant because CMLink acts as the roaming partner, or "middleman," for this plan.

In my own experience, Holafly plans that work via CMLink have never exceeded 50 Mbps download speed (often far less), even in downtown Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. In contrast, in Europe, where they appear to use a different partner, I have seen significantly higher speeds.

I did see other providers (like iRoamly) that also use CMLink but delivered much better speeds. This makes me suspect that the lower speeds with Holafly may be related to how their unlimited plans are configured, rather than being a limitation of the local networks.

The Holafly eSIM for Indonesia works great for basic browsing and social media, so a majority of travelers won't encounter any big issues. Also, I didn't notice any hard caps on data usage; I pushed it well over 10 GB on a single day and never encountered being cut off for more than 10 to 15 minutes. That's rare in a travel eSIM. However, at the current price tag, I would have expected high-speed data, more stability and non-restricted hotspot usage.

Unlimited data eSIM for Bali

While you will find "unlimited" eSIM options for Bali, I advise being careful. Truly unlimited high-speed data from a travel eSIM, as you get at home, does not exist. All plans are subject to a Fair Use Policy (FUP).

Crucially, avoid any provider that isn't transparent about their FUP. Vague policies often hide severe speed restrictions.

However, for a longer period or as a genuinely demanding user (e.g. for data-heavy remote work), I advise getting a local SIM card or a fixed plan. As I saw in my tests, "unlimited" travel eSIMs can run into unexpected, frustrating limitations.

Want to explore the options? Visit our Indonesia eSIM comparison page and select the "Unlimited" filter. Remember to check the data policy carefully.

All test results

All plans were tested in June/July 2025 in Sanur, Ubud, Seminyak, and Nusa Dua using an iPhone 16 Pro. All speed tests were performed with the Ookla app. The results shown are the highest speeds recorded.

Please use these results as a general indication. Your experience may vary based on your exact location, as providers can change partners at any time. Performance also differs between local and global plans. For guarantees (e.g. on data routing), please contact the provider before you buy.

All plans were tested in June/July 2025 in Sanur, Ubud, Seminyak and Nusa Dua using an iPhone 16 Pro. All speed tests were performed with the Ookla app and the results shown are the highest speeds recorded. Use these as a general indication: performance varies by location and providers can change partners at any time. A few notes: Saily routed traffic via Hong Kong (its app also lets you choose an IP from 100+ countries); the Firsty and Holafly plans I tested were advertised as "unlimited" (Firsty was the First Class version); for iRoamly I tested a fixed 20 GB plan. I tested local plans from Airalo, Saily, Jetpac, eSIM4Travel, Holafly, Ubigi, MobiMatter and Telkomsel, and multi-country plans for Revolut and Nomad.

Local networks in Bali

These are the major mobile networks in Indonesia, all of which operate in Bali:

• Telkomsel
• Indosat Ooredoo (which includes "3" and im3)
• XL Axiata
• Smartfren

While 5G is available in tourist centers, high-speed 4G/LTE remains the reliable backbone across the island. Your coverage will depend on the network. Telkomsel is the premium provider with the most extensive and reliable coverage, especially if you venture inland or to remote islands like Nusa Penida. Indosat Ooredoo and XL Axiata are strong competitors with excellent high-speed data in the southern tourist hubs (Kuta, Canggu, etc.), and are the partners for many top eSIMs like Ubigi and Airalo.

However, 5G access depends entirely on your eSIM's specific roaming agreements. In my tests, this varied significantly: a Three HK plan (from MobiMatter) connected to 5G most often (accessing all three major networks), while Holafly only appeared to have access to the 4G networks.

Buying a local SIM card

You can, of course, also buy a local SIM card in Bali. All providers offer both old-fashioned physical SIM cards and an eSIM (the latter sometimes for a small additional price).

I think an eSIM is the best choice for most travelers, but there are exceptions. When should you choose a local SIM card?

• More than 50 GB of data: If you need a lot of data (more than 50 GB), then the balance of price, convenience, and quality tips in favor of a local SIM card, in my opinion.
• A local number: Also, if a local phone number is a must, you can't avoid using a local provider.

Note: The 90-Day Rule. When you get a local SIM, your phone's IMEI is registered. Stay over 90 days, and your device will be blocked from using any local SIM card until you pay hefty import taxes (often based on your phone's full retail value). Travel eSIMs are not affected by this rule.

Which local provider to choose? Your choice depends on your travel plans. If you're mostly staying in the touristy, southern part of Bali, I don't think it matters much which provider you choose. 3 (Three) and IM3 (both from Indosat) are good and cheap options. If you're traveling further onto the island, or want the best 5G provider, then I recommend Telkomsel.

My experience with Telkomsel: the eSIM I tested myself was from Telkomsel. I paid about $22 for 30 GB (bought in a small shop in Ubud). Even though I was the only customer, the registration still took over 5 minutes. The SIM was noticeably better in terms of latency than most international eSIMs, although Airalo and Ubigi came close. Keep in mind there is some censorship (for example, Reddit is blocked) and your IMEI number is registered. For average use (10 GB or less), it's overpriced.