1 · The short answer: Ringo, 24 hours for $5.99

For a layover or a one-day trip, I would buy Ringo's 24-hour plan, the Power type named "Best for shared hotspot", at $5.99 where a Power card is shown. It is a one-day price: the rival 3-day prices I read run from $9 to $11.90, and the shortest rival plan priced in dollars on the pages I read was 3 days.

That makes Ringo's 24 hours cheaper than every rival 3-day plan I read in Germany, the USA and Singapore, and it is sold for sharing your connection too. It arrives by email in seconds, so you can install it at home and switch it on when you land.

I write for Ringo, so weigh that. I read every rival price below on the brand's own country pages on 11 November 2026, and the links are in the last section. Saily's pages would not load for me, so it is left out.

2 · Ringo against the rivals for one day

I read the Germany, United States and Singapore pages of each brand. Prices are in US dollars as the page showed them. Ringo's 24 hours at $5.99 is below the shortest unlimited plan each rival prices in dollars in all three countries, which starts at 3 days from $9.99 to $11.90 in Germany and Singapore and from $9 to $11.90 in the USA. Ringo's 3-day Unlimited trip at $8.99 is below Maya Mobile's $9.99, Airalo's $11.00 and $11.50, and Holafly's $11.90 in Germany and Singapore.

Swipe to compare →

BrandShortest plan shownGermanyUSASingapore
24 hours24 hours, Power "Best for shared hotspot"$5.99$5.99$5.99
3 daysUnlimited trip$8.99Not shown$8.99
Maya MobileMaya Mobile3 days, unlimited$9.99$9.99$9.99
AiraloAiralo3 days, unlimited$11.00$11.50$11.50
HolaflyHolafly3 days in the price table$11.90$11.90$11.90
NomadNomad3 days (USA), 5 days (Singapore)Page not found$9$18 for 5 days

Nomad's Germany page did not load for me, and its USA page also lists small fixed-data plans that I did not compare. Ubigi's pages loaded but showed no plan prices I could read, so it is not in the table.

3 · The rivals, brand by brand

AiraloAiralo. Six unlimited packages from 3 to 30 days on each country page I read. No 1-day plan, so one day costs the 3-day price of $11.00 in Germany and $11.50 in the USA and Singapore, against Ringo's $5.99.

HolaflyHolafly. The price table starts at 3 days. The plan selector on each page defaults to a 1-day trip and its FAQ says plans run from 1 to 90 days, but it showed that price in euros, not dollars. I do not convert, so I cannot give you a dollar figure. Holafly also states a hotspot sharing cap of 1 GB per day, which matters if you plan to share. Ringo sells a plan named for sharing, "Best for shared hotspot", and its limit line is "Fair use policy, see Terms".

NomadNomad. On the US page the shortest plan is 3 days unlimited at $9, and the shortest by days is a 1 GB plan for 7 days at $4. On Singapore, the shortest unlimited plan is 5 days at $18. The small fixed plan is $4 but runs for 7 days.

Maya MobileMaya Mobile. Four unlimited plans from 3 to 30 days, the same prices on all three pages I read. The 3-day plan at $9.99 is the cheapest rival unlimited plan I read for Germany and Singapore, and Ringo's 3-day Unlimited trip is $8.99 in both.

Ubigi and Saily. Ubigi's pages showed no plan prices when I read them. Saily answered 403. I say nothing about either brand's prices.

4 · Which one I would buy: Ringo, case by case

  • A layover where you leave the airport. Ringo's 24-hour plan at $5.99. It sits beside your own SIM, needs no change to your home plan, and costs less than any rival 3-day plan I read.
  • A layover of a few hours, staying airside. Ringo's 24-hour plan at $5.99 gives you your own connection instead of airport Wi-Fi, installed at home and switched on when you land.
  • A port day on a cruise. Ringo's 24-hour plan for the port country, where it is sold, switched on only on land. Ships sell expensive onboard internet, and phones on a ship can latch onto roaming at sea.
  • A day trip across a border. Ringo's Power 24-hour plan at $5.99, the cheapest dollar price I found for one day in Germany, the USA and Singapore.
  • Sharing your phone with a travel partner. Ringo's "Best for shared hotspot" plan, 24 hours at $5.99, or 3 days at $11.99 in Germany and Singapore. It is the plan Ringo names and sells for sharing, with the limit line "Fair use policy, see Terms".
  • A stop of two or three days. Ringo's 3-day Unlimited trip at $8.99 in Germany and Singapore, against $9.99 at Maya Mobile, $11.00 and $11.50 at Airalo and $11.90 at Holafly. In the USA Ringo shows no 3-day trip, so Nomad's 3-day unlimited at $9 is the one to look at there, and Ringo's 24 hours at $5.99 covers a single day.

One habit helps on any plan. Install the eSIM at home on good Wi-Fi, and switch it on only when you land.

5 · The Ringo plans for a short stop

Ringo Light is a data-only travel eSIM that sits beside your own SIM, so your number keeps working for calls and bank codes. It is one payment with no renewal, and the eSIM arrives by email in seconds. The regular trips are sold as unlimited data at full speed, with the one line about limits, "Fair use policy, see Terms".

For a layover, the plan that matters is the Power type named "Best for shared hotspot", 24 hours for $5.99. Germany, Italy, Spain, the USA, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece and Singapore sell it. France, Japan, South Korea and Australia do not, and Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Mexico show no Power card at all today. For a stop in one of those, the regular Unlimited trip is the Ringo plan: 3 days at $8.99 in Turkey and the United Kingdom, $9.99 in France, Japan and South Korea.

For a slightly longer stop, Germany and Singapore have the 3-day Unlimited trip at $8.99 as the everyday plan, and Power as the step up for heavy days and shared hotspots: the 3-day "Priority speed" plan at $10.99 and the 3-day "Best for shared hotspot" plan at $11.99. The USA shows no 3-day plan, only 24 hours and longer ones.

Every plan for each place: Germany, USA, Singapore, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain.

6 · Frequently asked questions

Do I need an eSIM for a layover of a few hours?+
If you leave the airport, need maps, or want to be online before and after the Wi-Fi, yes, and Ringo's 24-hour plan at $5.99 is the one I would buy. Install it at home and switch it on when you land.
Which brands sell a 1-day eSIM?+
Ringo does: the Power type named "Best for shared hotspot", 24 hours for $5.99 in the countries that show a Power card. On the country pages I read on 11 November 2026, Airalo, Maya Mobile and Nomad showed no 1-day plan: the shortest was 3 days on Airalo and Maya and 3 or 5 days on Nomad, from $9 to $11.90 for 3 days. Holafly showed a 1-day option in its plan selector but without a US dollar price.
How does a 24-hour eSIM compare with my carrier day pass?+
Ringo's 24 hours is $5.99, one payment with no renewal, data only beside your own SIM so your number keeps working. A carrier day pass varies by country and plan, so check the price in your carrier app and set it against $5.99.
When does the plan clock start on a short eSIM?+
It depends on the brand and the plan, so read the plan page. For a stopover, install the eSIM at home while you have good Wi-Fi, and switch it on only when you land.
Can I use a hotspot on a one-day plan?+
Yes on Ringo: the plan type named "Best for shared hotspot" is made and sold for sharing, 24 hours for $5.99, and the limit line is "Fair use policy, see Terms". Holafly, for example, states a sharing cap of 1 GB per day on the page I read.
What if my layover turns into two days?+
Then a 3-day plan fits better. Ringo's regular Unlimited trip is 3 days at $8.99 in Germany and Singapore, against $9.99 at Maya Mobile and $11.00 to $11.90 at Airalo and Holafly. The Power types have 3-day lengths in some countries: Germany and Singapore show "Best for shared hotspot" at $11.99.

7 · Sources

Each page below is the brand's own, read on 11 November 2026. Prices change, so check the plan page before you pay.

Not read: Saily's site answered 403. Nomad's Germany page was not found, and the Ubigi pages I read showed no plan prices. Those are left out of the comparison.