The best eSIM for Mali in 2026. Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and Ringo Light for Mali, priced the same day: two weeks unlimited for $58.99, who wins the month, which to buy.
Prices read on 28 September 2026. Six travel eSIMs sell a Mali plan and get most of the traffic for this search. We priced all six on the same day, for a few days in Bamako, two weeks up the Niger to Ségou, Djenné and Mopti, and a month, and read the fine print on unlimited. Only Holafly sells unlimited data for Mali itself, and for the month it beats us. Here is where each one wins.
Ringo Light: Cheapest unlimited for two weeks. Unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $58.99, one payment, nothing renews: $4.51 less than Holafly's 15 days at $63.50. For a month we are not the cheapest: our 30 days costs $114.99, Holafly asks $111.90.
Holafly: Cheapest unlimited month, and cheapest 3 days. Days, not gigabytes, on Orange, Mali's largest network: 3 days at $19.90 and 30 days at $111.90, $3.09 less than our 30 days. Sharing limited to 1 GB a day.
Ubigi: Cheapest data, and the cheapest heavy month. 10 GB for 30 days at $29 on Orange, about half our 2 weeks. Its World plan gives 60 GB at full speed for 30 days at $108, then 2 Mbps.
Model: Airalo Buckets up to 5 GB for Mali; unlimited only on its Discover global plan; Holafly Unlimited days only; Saily Buckets only; Nomad Buckets only; Ubigi Buckets, or a fixed amount then 2 Mbps; Ringo Light Unlimited trips: 2 weeks or 30 days.
Unlimited, 3 days: Airalo Discover global plan, 3 GB a day, $24; Holafly $19.90; Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi No 3-day plan; Ringo Light No 3-day plan.
Unlimited, 7 days: Airalo Discover global plan, 3 GB a day, $45; Holafly $39.50; Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi 8 days, 5 GB a day, then 2 Mbps, $37; Ringo Light No 7-day plan; 2 weeks $58.99.
Unlimited, 2 weeks: Airalo Discover global plan, 15 days $96; Holafly 15 days $63.50; Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi World plan, 15 days, 30 GB, then 2 Mbps, $77; Ringo Light $58.99.
Unlimited, 30 days: Airalo Discover global plan $159; Holafly $111.90; Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi World plan, 60 GB, then 2 Mbps, $108; Ringo Light $114.99.
10 GB, 30 days: Airalo Not sold for Mali; Discover global 10 GB for 180 days $57; Holafly No buckets; Saily $42.99; Nomad $45; Ubigi $29; Ringo Light No buckets; 2 weeks starts with 10 GB, $58.99.
20 GB, 30 days: Airalo Not sold for Mali; Discover global 20 GB for 365 days $66; Holafly No buckets; Saily Not listed on the day; Nomad Not listed on the day; Ubigi World plan, 20 GB a month, renews, $44; Ringo Light No buckets; 30 days starts with 20 GB, $114.99.
Full speed on unlimited: Airalo Discover: 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps; Holafly No daily cap stated; speed may be reduced for a day under fair use; sharing 1 GB a day; Saily No unlimited sold; Nomad No unlimited sold; Ubigi A fixed amount, then 2 Mbps; Ringo Light No speed cap; starts with 10 or 20 GB, adds 10 GB once at 80%, charged.
Networks: Airalo Orange, 4G, on the Mali plan; Holafly Orange; Saily Not named by Saily; Nomad Orange; Ubigi Orange; Ringo Light Local partner network.
Renews?: Airalo No; Holafly No; Saily No; Nomad No; Ubigi Monthly plans do; Ringo Light No, one payment; the trip ends when it ends.
App needed: Airalo Yes; Holafly Optional, QR code; Saily Yes; Nomad Optional; Ubigi Optional; Ringo Light No, the eSIM arrives by email.
Most Mali trips run one to two weeks: a few days in Bamako, then up the Niger to Ségou, Djenné and Mopti, often with a walk along the Bandiagara cliffs. Only Holafly sells unlimited data for Mali itself on the day we looked: $63.50 for 15 days and $111.90 for 30 days. Airalo's Discover global plan covers Mali with unlimited days at $96 for 15 days and $159 for the month. Ubigi's World plan gives 30 GB at full speed for 15 days at $77, or 60 GB for 30 days at $108, then 2 Mbps. Ringo Light charges $58.99 for 2 weeks and $114.99 for 30 days, one payment each, nothing renews.
So for two weeks we are the cheapest, by $4.51 against Holafly. For a month we are not: Holafly is $3.09 cheaper and Ubigi's World plan $6.99 cheaper, with more data at full speed. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
Read what unlimited means before you pick. Holafly states no daily cap for your own phone, says the network may reduce your speed for up to a day under fair use, and limits sharing to 1 GB a day. Airalo's Discover gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. Ubigi gives its fixed amount, then 2 Mbps. Ringo Light has no speed cap: the 2 weeks starts with 10 GB and the 30 days with 20 GB, and when you have used 80% we add 10 GB once and charge the $58.99 top-up.
Do the heavy-use arithmetic. A heavy two weeks with us costs $117.98, far more than Holafly's 15 days at $63.50 or Ubigi's 30 GB for 15 days at $77, so if you will stream every evening, buy one of those. A heavy month with us costs $173.98, against $111.90 at Holafly and $108 at Ubigi. Ringo Light is the better buy for two weeks of ordinary use: maps, messages, calls over WhatsApp, photos home.
For a short trip, Ringo Light sells no 3-day or 7-day plan. Holafly sells 3 days of unlimited at $19.90, and Ubigi 8 days at 5 GB a day, then 2 Mbps, at $37.
Mali has three mobile networks: Orange Mali, the largest, Moov Africa Malitel and Telecel. Every rival here that names its network rides Orange: Airalo, Holafly, Nomad and Ubigi. Saily does not name its network. Coverage is good in Bamako, Ségou, Mopti and the towns along the main roads. Holafly's own page warns that it is weaker in rural areas, parts of Dogon country, the Inner Niger Delta and the desert north, and that holds on every network. Download maps offline before you leave a town.
A Malian SIM has to be registered with an identity document before it works. A visitor shows a passport at an Orange or Moov Africa shop and waits for the line to be set up. A travel eSIM installs at home before you fly, needs no shop, and connects when you land at Bamako's Modibo Keïta International Airport, south of the city.
Much of Mali pays by phone with Orange Money and Moov Money. Those wallets need a local number, which a travel data eSIM does not give you. Cards work in some hotels and larger shops in Bamako; outside the capital, carry CFA francs.
Ubigi, $29 for 10 GB. The cheapest 10 GB by a long way, for 30 days on Orange. For 20 GB it sells only its World plan, 20 GB a month for $44, which renews monthly until you cancel.
Saily, $42.99 for 10 GB. For 30 days. Its listing is from May; saily.com would not load for us, so check the price at checkout.
Nomad, $45 for 10 GB. For 30 days on Orange, 4G. Nomad sells nothing larger for Mali.
Airalo, 5 GB for $38.50. Its Mali Connected line on Orange tops out at 5 GB for 30 days, as airalo.com showed it on the day. For more, its Discover global plan sells 10 GB for 180 days at $57 and 20 GB for a year at $66.
Ringo Light, no buckets. Our 2 weeks starts with 10 GB for $58.99 and our 30 days with 20 GB for $114.99. For a fixed amount of data, every rival that sells buckets is cheaper in Mali: Ubigi's 10 GB costs about half our 2 weeks. Buy Ringo Light for unlimited, not for a bucket. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
Ringo Light is our own data eSIM, sold to fund the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. For Mali it sells two trips, both unlimited data at full speed with no speed cap: 2 weeks at $58.99, starting with 10 GB, and 30 days at $114.99, starting with 20 GB. Each adds 10 GB once at 80%, charged at $58.99. One payment, nothing renews. The eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan, no app.
For Mali, our 2 weeks is the cheapest two weeks of unlimited on the day we priced it. Our 30 days is not the cheapest month: Holafly asks $3.09 less. The card to buy it is just below this article.
A few days in Bamako. Holafly unlimited, 3 days, $19.90, on Orange. Ringo Light sells no 3 days.
Two weeks, Bamako to Djenné and Mopti. Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $58.99, the cheapest two weeks of unlimited here. Holafly 15 days at $63.50 if you will stream every evening.
Two weeks, light use, budget first. Ubigi 10 GB for 30 days at $29.
A month in Mali. Holafly unlimited, 30 days, $111.90, $3.09 less than our 30 days. Ubigi's World plan, 60 GB for $108, if you use a lot of data.
You need 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.
What to do in Mali, and what your phone needs for it. Eight places most first trips include, from Bamako and the hills of Siby up the Niger to Ségou, Djenné, Mopti, the Bandiagara cliffs and Timbuktu, with the one thing your data does for you at each. Before you plan any route, check your government's travel advice. Bamako and the river towns have good 4G; the countryside and the north often do not.
Bamako and the Niger, Bamako. Mali's capital spreads along both banks of the Niger, joined by the King Fahd and Martyrs bridges. Spend a morning at the National Museum and an evening watching the pirogues on the river. Taxis have no meters. A map app shows the distance so you can agree a fair fare before you get in.
The Arch of Kamadjan, Siby, southwest of Bamako. A natural sandstone arch on the cliffs above the village of Siby, reached by a hike through the Mandé hills. An easy day out from Bamako, best in the cool early morning. Download the trail offline and share your live location before you start the climb.
Ségou and the river, Ségou. An old royal town on the Niger, with shaded streets, colonial buildings and the potters' village of Kalabougou a boat ride across the river. The Festival sur le Niger is held on the riverbank, usually in February. Ségou is several hours by road from Bamako. Check the bus departure and save the route offline before you leave.
The Great Mosque of Djenné, Djenné. The largest mud-brick building in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Monday market spread across the square in front of it. The whole town replasters the walls together once a year. Signal can be weak around the delta. Save your offline map and the Monday market in your calendar before you drive out.
The port of Mopti, Mopti. Where the Bani meets the Niger, a harbour of painted pinasses loading salt, fish and passengers, and a mud-brick mosque above the town. Come in the late afternoon when the boats come in. Mopti is the base for Djenné and Dogon country. Keep your guide's number and your bookings on your phone.
The Bandiagara Escarpment, Dogon country. A sandstone cliff running for about 150 km, with Dogon villages at its foot and old Tellem dwellings in the rock face, listed by UNESCO. Walk it with a local guide in the dry season, from about November to February. Many villages have little or no signal. Download maps and pay in cash; there are no card machines on the trail.
A pirogue on the Niger, Bamako to Mopti. The river is Mali's main road: long wooden pinasses and pirogues carry people and goods between the river towns. Even an hour on the water at sunset near Bamako shows you how the country moves. On the river the signal comes and goes. Load your playlists, books and offline maps before you board.
Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu. Timbuktu's oldest mosque, built of earth and wood in the 14th century and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the city's old manuscript libraries. It lies near the Niger at the edge of the Sahara, far north of the river towns. Check flights and bookings on your phone before you go, and save everything offline: the north has the thinnest coverage in Mali.
We priced Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and Ringo Light for Mali on 28 September 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.
Source for Airalo: https://www.airalo.com/mali-esim?currency=USD (Mali Connected packages in dollars on the site, 28 September 2026; Discover global unlimited and buckets from esimdb.com/mali/airalo, updated 28 September 2026).
Source for Holafly: https://esim.holafly.com/esim-mali/ (read on the site in dollars, 28 September 2026).
Source for Saily: https://esimdb.com/mali/saily (listing dated 15 May 2026; saily.com refused the fetch).
Source for Nomad: https://esimdb.com/mali/nomad (listing dated 17 September 2026; network and plans checked on nomadesim.com/mali-esim).
Source for Ubigi: https://esimdb.com/mali/ubigi (listing dated 17 September 2026; network from cellulardata.ubigi.com).
For two weeks of unlimited data, Ringo Light: $58.99 for 2 weeks on 28 September 2026, against $63.50 for 15 days at Holafly. For a month, Holafly at $111.90 against our $114.99, or Ubigi's World plan at $108 for 60 GB, then 2 Mbps. For 3 days, Holafly at $19.90. For a 10 GB bucket, Ubigi at $29.
Airalo, Holafly, Nomad and Ubigi all ride Orange Mali, the largest network. Saily does not name its network. Orange covers Bamako and the main towns well; signal thins out in the countryside, the Inner Niger Delta and the north.
Every brand has a limit somewhere. Holafly states no daily cap for your own phone, but its fair use lets the network slow you for up to a day, and sharing stops at 1 GB a day. Airalo's Discover global plan slows you after 3 GB a day. Ubigi slows you to 2 Mbps after its fixed amount. Saily and Nomad sell no unlimited for Mali. Ringo Light has no speed cap: it starts with 10 or 20 GB and adds 10 GB once at 80%, charged.
A local Malian SIM, yes: you show your passport at an Orange or Moov Africa shop and wait for the line to be set up. A travel eSIM is installed before you fly and works when you land in Bamako, with no shop. It carries data only, so it does not give you Orange Money.
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