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Compare · 10 min read

The best eSIM for backpacking Southeast Asia in 2026.

One regional Asia eSIM covers Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, so a backpacking loop needs one install, not four. I priced six brands on the same day, set them against Ringo Light, and say plainly that Ringo Light does not cover Laos.

· Published · · Updated ·

Cheapest unlimited eSIM for backpacking Southeast Asia: Ringo Light, $34.99 for 2 weeks and $59.99 for 30 days (Ubigi $45 and $66). Prices read 25 October 2026.

Two weeks of unlimited data for backpacking Southeast Asia
$34.99

2 weeks · 25 October 2026

Next cheapest: Ubigi $45.00

Regional plans, US dollars, 25 October 2026. Ringo Light sells 2 weeks, the others 15 days. Ubigi's 15 days is 30 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps. Nomad sells no two-week unlimited; its longest is 10 days at $29.

  1. $34.99
  2. Ubigi$45.00
  3. Airalo$49.00
  4. Holafly$51.50
  5. Saily$54.99
$59.99
A month of unlimited data for backpacking Southeast Asia
· 30 days
$21.00
10 GB for a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia
Nomad· 30 days
Ringo Light · on sale now
Get Ringo Light for backpacking Southeast Asia, from $21.99.
10 min read

The short answer

A common backpacking loop runs Bangkok, down to Vietnam or across to Cambodia, then on to Kuala Lumpur. I priced the six regional Asia plans on 25 October 2026 for a week, two weeks and a month, and added up Ringo Light's four country plans for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. For two weeks or a month on that loop I would buy the Ringo Light Asia plan, unless your route goes through Laos.

OUR PICK
Cheapest unlimited for a loop of two weeks or a month

One eSIM from Thailand to Malaysia, unlimited data at full speed, 2 weeks at $34.99 or 30 days at $59.99, nothing renews. It does not cover Laos. Airalo asks $49 for 15 days and $73.50 for the month.

Airalo
Cheapest 3 days, and Laos is on its list

For a short hop over a border: 3 days of unlimited at $11.50, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. Asialink lists Laos.

Nomad
Cheapest data bucket

If the phone only does maps and messages between hostels: 10 GB for 30 days at $21 and 20 GB for 45 days at $35 (on sale, regular $40).

Ubigi
Cheapest week, and 20 GB on a monthly plan

A week on the first leg with 25 GB at full speed for $25, then 2 Mbps. 20 GB a month for $19 if you accept a plan that renews.

Prices read on 25 October 2026: Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi on their own sites or listings, Ringo Light from its catalogue. All in US dollars unless stated. Treat every number as a snapshot.

See the full price index for every country.

The prices, charted

Two weeks of unlimited data for backpacking Southeast Asia

Regional plans, US dollars, 25 October 2026. Ringo Light sells 2 weeks, the others 15 days. Ubigi's 15 days is 30 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps. Nomad sells no two-week unlimited; its longest is 10 days at $29.

$34.99 · 2 weekscheapest22% less
Ubigi
$45.00 · 15 days
Airalo
$49.00 · 15 days
Holafly
$51.50 · 15 days
Saily
$54.99 · 15 days

Side by side

Swipe to compare →

Prices read on 25 October 2026, in US dollars
PlanAiraloHolaflySailyNomadUbigi
ModelAsialink: 18 countries, buckets or unlimited daysAsia: 16 countries, unlimited days onlyAsia and Oceania: 22 countries, buckets or unlimited daysAPAC: 14 countries (21 on a second, dearer plan), buckets or unlimited daysBest Asia: 17 countries, buckets, then 2 Mbps20 countries, one eSIM: unlimited trips of 2 weeks or 30 days
Unlimited, 3 days$11.50$11.90No 3-day plan; 5 days $21.99No 3-day plan; 5 days $18No 3-day planNo 3-day plan
Unlimited, 7 days$26$27.50$28.99No 7-day plan25 GB, then 2 Mbps, $25No 7-day plan; 2 weeks $34.99
Unlimited, 2 weeks15 days $4915 days $51.5015 days $54.99No two-week plan; 10 days $2915 days, 30 GB, then 2 Mbps, $45$34.99
Unlimited, 30 days$73.50$76.50$86.99No 30-day plan60 GB, then 2 Mbps, $66$59.99
10 GB, 30 days$25No buckets$35.99$21$28No buckets; unlimited 2 weeks, $34.99
20 GB, 30 days$39No bucketsNot listed on the day; 25 GB for 60 days $48.99Not listed on the day; 20 GB for 45 days $35 (on sale, regular $40)20 GB a month, renews, $19No buckets; unlimited 30 days, $59.99
Full speed on unlimited3 GB a day, then 1 MbpsNo daily cap stated; sharing 1 GB a day5 GB a day, then slowed2 GB a day, then 512 kbpsA fixed amount, then 2 MbpsUnlimited data at full speed
Renews?NoNoNoNoMonthly plans doNo; the trip ends when it ends
App neededYesNo, QR codeYesOptionalOptionalNo, the eSIM arrives by email

Get Ringo Light for backpacking Southeast Asia, from $21.99.

Installed once, next to your own SIM. Your eSIM arrives by email in seconds.

Asia
Asia
  • 7 days $21.99
  • 2 weeks $34.99
  • 30 days $59.99
  • 90 days $73.99
Loading plans for this destination.

We sell data eSIMs for now to fund the full Ringo service. Ringo is self funded. Every plan bought here pays for the build of one plan that works everywhere.

All Ringo Light plans for backpacking Southeast Asia

Want to keep your own number abroad?

The full Ringo service

That is the full Ringo service: one plan that works everywhere, with your own number included.

It is a separate product from Ringo Light and it is still being built, so it is not on sale yet. Join the waitlist to hear when it opens.

Where a backpacking loop through Southeast Asia stops, and what your phone needs there

Eight places a loop through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia often includes, two in each country, with the one thing your data does for you at each. One Asia eSIM works at every one of them.

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok
BangkokThe Grand Palace and Wat Phra KaewThe former royal palace and the temple of the Emerald Buddha share one walled compound by the river. Go at opening time, before the heat and the tour groups, and cover your shoulders and knees.✓Ignore anyone outside who says the palace is closed today; check the official site on your phone instead.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai
Chiang MaiWat Phra That Doi SuthepA golden chedi on the mountain above Chiang Mai, reached by a stair of more than three hundred steps lined with naga serpents. The view over the city is clearest in the cool season.✓Red songthaew trucks go up from the Chiang Mai zoo; Grab shows you the fare before you agree.
The Old Quarter, Hanoi
HanoiThe Old QuarterA tight grid of narrow streets north of Hoan Kiem Lake, many still named after the goods once sold there. The streets around the lake close to traffic on weekend evenings.✓Grab and Be both run in Hanoi. Book a motorbike or car in the app and the fare is fixed before you get on.
Hoi An Ancient Town, Hoi An
Hoi AnHoi An Ancient TownAn old trading port of yellow shophouses and the Japanese Covered Bridge, lit with lanterns along the river after dark. The centre is closed to cars and best on foot.✓Tailors here make clothes in a day or two. Keep photos of what you want on your phone to show them.
Angkor Wat, Angkor, near Siem Reap
Angkor, near Siem ReapAngkor WatBuilt in the early twelfth century for King Suryavarman II, it is the largest religious monument in the world. Come for sunrise, when the towers stand dark against the sky behind the reflecting pools.✓The Angkor pass is sold online by Angkor Enterprise as well as at the ticket office. Keep it on your phone: it is checked at the temples.
Kampong Phluk, Tonle Sap, south of Siem Reap
Tonle Sap, south of Siem ReapKampong PhlukA village of houses on tall stilts at the edge of Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The lake swells in the rainy season, and from about August to November the boats float between the houses.✓Boat trips are paid in cash. Cambodia uses US dollars and riel side by side, and a currency app keeps the change in riel straight.
Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala LumpurPetronas Twin TowersThe twin towers, 452 metres tall, joined by a skybridge on the 41st and 42nd floors. Go at dusk and stay for the lit fountain in KLCC Park below.✓Skybridge and observation deck tickets sell by timed slot. Book on your phone a day or two ahead.
George Town street art, Penang
PenangGeorge Town street artThe old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of shophouses, clan temples and hawker food, with murals such as Children on a Bicycle on Armenian Street. Walk it in the morning or late afternoon.✓Save the mural locations as pins in your map app, then call a Grab when your feet give out.

One plan for the whole trip: Ringo Light

A backpacking loop through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia crosses several borders in a few weeks, often by bus. A regional eSIM means you install once at home and never queue for a SIM at a station. Four country eSIMs mean four installs and four payments, and a phone with no data when one of them runs out mid-route.

On the Asia plan, Ringo Light charges $34.99 for 2 weeks and $59.99 for 30 days, and nothing renews. The nearest rival for two weeks is Ubigi at $45 for a fixed 30 GB at full speed. Airalo asks $49, Holafly $51.50 and Saily $54.99. For a month, Ubigi asks $66, Airalo $73.50, Holafly $76.50 and Saily $86.99.

Bought country by country, Thailand's 2 weeks at $22.99, Vietnam's $22.99, Cambodia's $37.99 and Malaysia's $16.99 come to $100.96, against $34.99 for the Asia trip that covers all four. For a month the same four are $32.99, $42.99, $59.99 and $35.99, $171.96 together, against $59.99 for Asia.

A country plan wins when the trip sits mostly in one place. Malaysia's 2 weeks at $16.99 is under half the Asia price, and Thailand's 30 days at $32.99 beats the Asia month. Cambodia is the odd one: its own 2 weeks at $37.99 costs more than the Asia plan at $34.99, so I would not buy Cambodia alone. The Asia plan wins once the route really crosses two or three of these countries.

Which plans cover your stops

Ringo Light covers Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia on one eSIM, and Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines too, which many routes add. Laos is not on Ringo Light's Asia plan. A lot of backpacking routes include Laos, so check yours before you pay. If it is on the route, I would not rely on Ringo Light there.

In my Asia comparison, Airalo's Asialink and Holafly's Asia plan both list Laos, which is why they are my pick for a route that goes through it. Saily counts 22 countries, Ubigi 17 and Nomad 14, and I could not confirm Laos on those lists on the day. I also did not confirm Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia one by one on every rival, so I would open the list for yours before you pay.

If you want a data bucket: Nomad or Airalo

  • Nomad, $21 for 10 GB. The cheapest 10 GB on its 14-country APAC plan, and 20 GB for 45 days at $35 (on sale, regular $40). Enough for maps and messages between hostels.
  • Airalo, $25 for 10 GB. Asialink, 18 countries with Laos among them, 20 GB for 30 days at $39, buckets from $4 for 1 GB.
  • Ubigi, $28 for 10 GB. Best Asia, 17 countries. Its 20 GB for $19 is a monthly plan that renews until you stop it, which a backpacker can forget.
  • Saily, $35.99 for 10 GB. Asia and Oceania, 22 countries, no 20 GB bucket on its listing. Read on saily.com, 25 October 2026.
  • ✓Ringo Light, no buckets. Its 2 weeks is unlimited for $34.99 and its 30 days unlimited for $59.99. For a fixed 10 GB, Nomad and Airalo are cheaper, and for 20 GB, Nomad, Airalo and Ubigi's monthly plan are all cheaper. I would buy Ringo Light for unlimited, not for a bucket.

What Ringo Light is

Ringo Light is Ringo's own data eSIM, and I write for Ringo, so weigh that. It is sold to fund the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. For Asia it sells two trips across 20 countries, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia among them, both unlimited data at full speed: 2 weeks at $34.99 and 30 days at $59.99. Nothing renews. The eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan, no app.

The card to buy it is further up this page, after the side-by-side table.

Pick by trip

A week on the first leg only

I would buy Airalo unlimited, 7 days, $26, or Ubigi's week with 25 GB at $25. Ringo Light sells no 7-day plan on Asia.

Two weeks across three or four countries

I would buy Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $34.99, less than any rival charges for two weeks.

A month on the road

I would buy Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $59.99, as long as Laos is not a stop.

Light use, budget first

I would buy Nomad 10 GB for 30 days at $21, if its 14 countries include every stop on your route.

Your route goes through Laos

I would buy Airalo Asialink or Holafly Asia. Ringo Light does not cover Laos.

You want your own number to keep ringing

None of these travel plans does that. The full Ringo, which Ringo Light funds, ports the number you have.

Frequently asked questions

Does one eSIM work in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, and what about Laos?+
Yes for the four, on a regional Asia plan. Ringo Light's covers all of them on one install, at the same price in each. Laos is not on it. Airalo's Asialink and Holafly's Asia plan list Laos, and I would check the list of any other brand before you pay.
Which eSIM is cheapest for backpacking Southeast Asia?+
For two weeks or a month of unlimited data, I would buy Ringo Light: $34.99 for 2 weeks and $59.99 for 30 days on 25 October 2026, against $49 and $73.50 at Airalo. For 3 days, Airalo at $11.50. For a 10 GB bucket, Nomad at $21.
Is unlimited really unlimited?+
Every brand has a limit somewhere, and I read each one. Airalo slows you after 3 GB a day, Saily after 5 GB, Nomad after 2 GB, and Ubigi after a fixed amount of full-speed data. Holafly states no daily cap for your own phone. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed.
Should I buy a plan per country?+
Not for a loop through several, in my reading. Ringo Light's four country plans cost $100.96 for two weeks together, against $34.99 for the Asia plan, and you install once. If you will stay in one country, its own page is cheaper.

How we compared, and our sources

Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi, Ringo Light

We priced Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and Ringo Light for backpacking Southeast Asia on 25 October 2026, all on the same day, in US dollars. Each rival's price comes from its own website where it showed dollars, otherwise from an esimdb.com listing, and every source and its date is listed below. Ringo Light's prices come from the catalogue our checkout charges.

We compare the trips people actually book: a week, two weeks and a month of unlimited data, and a 10 GB bucket. We read each brand's fair use and speed rules and quote them as the brands state them. We did not run speed tests, so this page makes no speed claims for any brand.

Ringo Light is our own product. We put it in the table on the same terms as everyone else, and where a rival is the better buy the page says so.

Left out: Maya Mobile. We could not read its own prices for this country on the day, so it stays out rather than being guessed.

Written and priced by the Ringo team. Prices change often; if you spot one that has moved, tell us through the contact page and we will update the table.

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