The best eSIM for South Sudan in 2026. Six eSIM brands checked for South Sudan on the same day: Ubigi is cheapest for two weeks or a month, Ringo Light the only one with no speed cap.
Prices read on 28 September 2026. Six travel eSIMs get most of the traffic for this search, and four of them sell a plan that covers South Sudan: Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and Ringo Light. We checked all six on the same day, for a week in Juba, two weeks around the country and a month, and read the fine print. In South Sudan we are by far the most expensive, and this page says plainly who is cheaper.
Ringo Light: The only plan of the four with no speed cap, one payment. Unlimited data with no speed cap for 2 weeks at $163.99 or 30 days at $324.99, one payment each, nothing renews. It is expensive here: Ubigi's Best World global plan gives 30 GB at full speed for 15 days at $77, $86.99 less than our 2 weeks, and 60 GB for 30 days at $108, $216.99 less than our month.
Ubigi: Cheapest for two weeks or a month, and the cheapest 10 GB. On MTN. Its Best World global plan: 15 days, 30 GB at full speed, $77; 30 days, 60 GB, $108; then 2 Mbps. Its Best Africa regional plan sells 10 GB for 30 days at $30, and its country plan 1 GB for 7 days at $6.
Nomad: Cheapest 10 GB on a South Sudan plan. 10 GB for 30 days at $35 and 5 GB at $25, on Zain. Nomad sells no unlimited plan here.
Saily: Small plans only. 1 GB for 7 days at $10.79 up to 5 GB for 30 days at $40.99. Its listing is from May; check the price at checkout.
Model: Saily Buckets only, up to 5 GB; Nomad Buckets only, up to 10 GB; Ubigi Country buckets up to 3 GB; more on its regional and global plans; Ringo Light Unlimited trips: 2 weeks or 30 days.
Unlimited, 3 days: Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi No 3-day plan; Ringo Light No 3-day plan.
Unlimited, 7 days: Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi Best Africa regional plan: 7 days, 20 GB, then 2 Mbps, $49; Ringo Light No 7-day plan; 2 weeks $163.99.
Unlimited, 2 weeks: Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi Best World global plan: 15 days, 30 GB, then 2 Mbps, $77; Ringo Light $163.99.
Unlimited, 30 days: Saily No unlimited; Nomad No unlimited; Ubigi Best World global plan: 60 GB, then 2 Mbps, $108; Ringo Light $324.99.
Short trips: Saily 1 GB, 7 days, $10.79; Nomad 1 GB, 7 days, $9; Ubigi 1 GB, 7 days, $6; 3 GB, 15 days, $14; Ringo Light None.
10 GB, 30 days: Saily Not sold; its largest is 5 GB for 30 days, $40.99; Nomad $35; Ubigi Best Africa regional plan $30; Best World global plan $39; Ringo Light No buckets; 2 weeks starts with 10 GB, $163.99.
20 GB, 30 days: Saily Not sold; Nomad Not sold; Ubigi Not listed as a 30-day plan; WORLD global plan 20 GB a month, renews monthly, $44; Ringo Light No buckets; 30 days starts with 20 GB, $324.99.
Full speed on unlimited: 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: Saily Not named by Saily; Nomad Zain; Ubigi MTN; Ringo Light Local partner network.
Renews?: Saily No; Nomad No; Ubigi Only its monthly WORLD plans; Ringo Light No, one payment; the trip ends when it ends.
App needed: Saily Yes; Nomad Optional; Ubigi Optional; Ringo Light No, the eSIM arrives by email.
Of the brands we priced, none sells true unlimited days for South Sudan except Ringo Light. Airalo and Holafly sell nothing here at all. Saily and Nomad sell fixed amounts, up to 5 GB and 10 GB. Ubigi's Best World global plan, which covers South Sudan, gives 30 GB at full speed for 15 days at $77 and 60 GB for 30 days at $108, then 2 Mbps. Ringo Light charges $163.99 for 2 weeks and $324.99 for 30 days, one payment each, nothing renews.
That makes us $86.99 dearer than Ubigi for two weeks and $216.99 dearer for a month, for less data at full speed to start with. Unless you need a plan with no speed cap at all, Ubigi is the better buy in South Sudan. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
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 $163.99 top-up. A heavy two weeks with us costs $327.98 and a heavy month $488.98, against $77 and $108 at Ubigi. For a short trip, Ringo Light sells no 3-day or 7-day plan; Ubigi sells 1 GB for 7 days at $6, and 20 GB at full speed for 7 days at $49 on its Best Africa plan.
South Sudan's two largest mobile networks are MTN and Zain. Ubigi names MTN and Nomad names Zain; Saily does not name its network. Both cover Juba and the main towns such as Wau, Bor, Torit and Nimule. Between towns, on the rivers and in the parks, coverage is thin or absent, whichever eSIM you buy.
Power comes from generators in much of the country, and hotel Wi-Fi can drop when the generator does. Data on your phone and a charged power bank keep maps and messages going. Download offline maps before you leave Juba, and check your government's travel advice before you plan a route.
A local SIM from MTN or Zain is sold in shops in Juba and has to be registered with an identity document, so it means a passport, a queue and a shop. We did not price local SIMs on the day. A travel eSIM installs at home before you fly and connects when you land at Juba International Airport.
Cash rules: US dollars and South Sudanese pounds, and cards are taken in few places outside the larger hotels. Mobile money needs a local number, which a travel data eSIM does not give you.
Ubigi, $30 for 10 GB. For 30 days on its Best Africa regional plan, on MTN, or $39 on its Best World plan. Its South Sudan plans sell 1 GB for 7 days at $6 and 3 GB for 15 days at $14, the cheapest small plans of the four.
Nomad, $35 for 10 GB. For 30 days on Zain, its largest plan here, and the cheapest 10 GB on a South Sudan plan. 5 GB for 30 days is $25 and 3 GB is $15.
Saily, $40.99 for 5 GB. For 30 days, its largest South Sudan plan; 3 GB is $25.99 and 1 GB for 7 days $10.79. Its listing is from May; saily.com would not load for us, so check the price at checkout.
Ringo Light, no buckets. Our 2 weeks starts with 10 GB for $163.99 and our 30 days with 20 GB for $324.99. For a fixed 10 GB, Ubigi is $133.99 cheaper and Nomad $128.99 cheaper. Buy Ringo Light only if you want no speed cap and are happy to pay for it.
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 South Sudan it sells two trips, both unlimited data at full speed with no speed cap: 2 weeks at $163.99, starting with 10 GB, and 30 days at $324.99, starting with 20 GB. Each adds 10 GB once at 80%, charged at $163.99. One payment, nothing renews. The eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan, no app.
In South Sudan our prices are high. Ubigi's Best World plan at $77 for 15 days or $108 for 30 days is the better buy for most visitors, and Nomad's 10 GB at $35 is enough for maps and messages. None of our regional trips covers South Sudan, so there is no cheaper Ringo Light route in.
The card to buy it is just below this article.
A week in Juba. Ubigi, 1 GB for 7 days at $6, or 20 GB at full speed for 7 days at $49 on its Best Africa plan. Ringo Light sells no 7 days.
Two weeks around the country. Ubigi's Best World global plan, 30 GB at full speed for 15 days at $77, then 2 Mbps. Ringo Light's 2 weeks is $163.99.
Two weeks, light use, budget first. Ubigi 3 GB for 15 days at $14, or Nomad 5 GB for 30 days at $25.
A month in South Sudan. Ubigi's Best World plan, 60 GB at full speed for 30 days at $108, or Nomad 10 GB for $35 if you mostly message. Ringo Light's 30 days is $324.99.
You want no speed cap at all. Ringo Light, 2 weeks at $163.99 or 30 days at $324.99, one payment, the eSIM by email. The only plan of the four with no speed cap.
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 South Sudan, and what your phone needs for it. Eight places most first trips include, from Juba and the White Nile south to Nimule and the Imatong mountains, and north to the Mundari cattle camps, Bor, the Sudd and Wau, with the one thing your data does for you at each. Boma and Bandingilo national parks, where one of the largest antelope migrations in Africa crosses each year, are reached by charter flight and have no photograph here. Before you go, check your government's travel advice.
The White Nile at Juba, Juba. Juba sits on the west bank of the White Nile, wide and slow between green banks, and riverside hotels and restaurants look over the water. The dry months, roughly December to March, are the easiest time to travel. Minibuses and motorbike taxis run with no timetable or app. Save your hotel on an offline map and keep a trusted driver's number on WhatsApp.
Jebel Kujur, West of Juba. A rocky hill on the western edge of the city, the backdrop to almost every view of Juba. Go early in the morning, before the heat. Share your live location with someone in town before you set off.
The Mundari cattle camps, Terekeka, north of Juba. The Mundari herd long-horned cattle in camps near the Nile, and at dusk the smoke of dung fires hangs over hundreds of animals. Visits are arranged through a local guide from Juba, best in the dry season. Signal fades outside town. Charge your phone and a power bank in Juba and download what you need before you leave.
Nimule National Park, Nimule, on the Uganda border. A park along the White Nile at the Uganda border, with the Fula rapids, elephants, hippos and Uganda kob. The town of Nimule is the main road crossing to Uganda. Close to the border your phone can pick up a Ugandan network. Check which network you are on before you use data.
Mount Kinyeti and the Imatong mountains, Eastern Equatoria, south of Torit. Mount Kinyeti, about 3,187 metres, is the highest point in South Sudan and rises over forested slopes near the Uganda border. Cooler and greener than the plains; climb it in the dry season with a local guide. There is no signal on the mountain. Download the offline map and the route before you start; GPS works without a network.
Bor, Jonglei, north of Juba. The capital of Jonglei sits on the east bank of the Nile, where the land starts to turn into the swamps of the Sudd. The road from Juba is about 200 km and can be cut in the rains. Ask your driver about the road by message the day before, and keep your hotel's number saved in case you arrive late.
The Sudd, Central South Sudan, along the White Nile. One of the largest wetlands in the world, a maze of papyrus, reeds and channels that grows and shrinks with the Nile flood. Most people see it from a plane or a boat; this photograph was taken from the air in 1929. There is no signal in the swamp. An offline map with GPS still shows where you are.
St Mary's Cathedral, Wau, Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal. Wau lies on the Jur River in the northwest, and its red brick cathedral is the landmark of the town. Most visitors fly in from Juba. Cards are rarely taken. Carry US dollars and South Sudanese pounds, and use a currency app to check a price in both.
We priced Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and Ringo Light for South Sudan 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: Airalo, it has no South Sudan page on airalo.com, South Sudan is not in its Africa or global plans, and esimdb.com has no Airalo plan for it.
Left out: Holafly, it has no South Sudan page on esim.holafly.com, and South Sudan is not in its Africa or Global plans, so there is nothing to compare.
Left out: Maya Mobile, we compared the brands that get most of the traffic for this search and did not price Maya Mobile on the day.
Source for Saily: https://esimdb.com/south-sudan/saily (listing updated 16 May 2026; saily.com refused the fetch on 28 September 2026).
Source for Nomad: https://www.nomadesim.com/south-sudan-esim (dollar prices and network (Zain) from the page data, 28 September 2026; matches esimdb.com/south-sudan/nomad, listing dated 17 September 2026).
Source for Ubigi: https://esimdb.com/south-sudan/ubigi (listing dated 17 September 2026, country, Best Africa, Best World and WORLD plans; network MTN; South Sudan listed on cellulardata.ubigi.com).
Source for Airalo: https://www.airalo.com/south-sudan-esim?currency=USD (returns not found on 28 September 2026; South Sudan is not in its Africa or global plans and esimdb.com has no Airalo listing for it).
Source for Holafly: https://esim.holafly.com/esim-africa/ (no South Sudan page (esim.holafly.com/esim-south-sudan/ returns not found) and South Sudan is not in its Africa or Global plans, 28 September 2026).
Ubigi, for most trips. On 28 September 2026 it sold 1 GB for 7 days at $6 on its South Sudan plan, 10 GB for 30 days at $30 on its Best Africa plan, and 30 GB at full speed for 15 days at $77 or 60 GB for 30 days at $108 on its Best World plan. Ringo Light is $163.99 for 2 weeks and $324.99 for 30 days, far more.
Ubigi uses MTN and Nomad uses Zain, the two largest networks. Saily does not name its network on its listing. Both cover Juba and the main towns, and coverage thins out or stops between them.
No rival sells unlimited days here. Ubigi's biggest plans give a fixed amount at full speed, then 2 Mbps. Saily and Nomad sell fixed amounts, up to 5 GB and 10 GB. Ringo Light has no speed cap: it starts with 10 or 20 GB and adds 10 GB once at 80%, charged at $163.99.
MTN and Zain sell prepaid SIMs in Juba, and you register one with your passport. A local SIM needs a physical slot and replaces your home SIM while it is in. We did not price them on the day. An eSIM installs before you fly and works the moment you land.
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