Bali eSIM providers at a glance

ProviderDataDurationPriceHotspot
Airalo Top pick1 – 20 GB7 – 30 days$4 – $22YesDetails →
Yesim Cheapest1 – 20 GB3 – 30 days$1.50 – $16YesDetails →
Saily1 – 20 GB7 – 30 days$3.49 – $20YesDetails →
DrimsimPay-as-you-goNo expiry~$2.00/GBYesDetails →

Cheapest-tier rates shown; provider catalogues are refreshed silently and may differ at checkout time.

Detailed provider reviews for Bali

Airalo

Recommended

Airalo's Bali plan ('Indonesia') runs on Telkomsel, which is the right network for anyone going beyond the Canggu/Seminyak/Ubud triangle. If your trip includes the Gilis, Nusa Penida, the eastern coast around Amed, or northern Bali around Lovina, Telkomsel is the only operator that consistently works. Airalo is more expensive than Yesim here, but the network choice and reliability justify it for shorter holidays where you don't want surprises.

1 GB
$4.00 · 7 days
3 GB
$8.00 · 15 days
5 GB
$11.00 · 30 days
10 GB
$16.00 · 30 days
20 GB
$22.00 · 30 days
Pros
  • Runs on Telkomsel — works on the Gilis and rural Bali
  • Skips Indonesia's biometric SIM registration
  • Asia regional plan available for Bali + Singapore + Thailand
  • Hotspot enabled for tethering at coworking spaces
  • Activation works at Ngurah Rai airport on arrival
Cons
  • Yesim is significantly cheaper for the same coverage zones
  • No unlimited tier for serious digital nomads
  • 20 GB plan still pricier than Yesim's equivalent
  • 1 GB plan is overpriced for a quick weekend
Visit Airalo →

Yesim

Cheapest

Yesim has the best Bali pricing on this page by a significant margin — the $8 / 10 GB / 30-day plan is roughly half what you'd pay for the same data on Airalo or Saily, and the $16 / 20 GB plan is the right pick for most digital nomads doing a one-month Canggu stay. Yesim runs on Telkomsel and XL with SwitchLess, which works well in the populated southern Bali zone but may be weaker than Airalo on outer islands.

1 GB
$1.50 · 3 days
3 GB
$3.00 · 7 days
10 GB
$8.00 · 30 days
20 GB
$16.00 · 30 days
Pros
  • $8 / 10 GB / 30 days is the best value plan in Indonesia
  • $16 / 20 GB suits long Canggu digital nomad stays
  • Network-hopping helps in the cluttered southern Bali zone
  • $1.50 / 3-day plan ideal for a Bali stopover
Cons
  • Coverage on the Gilis depends on which network it parks on
  • iOS-only VPN feature
  • May favour XL where Telkomsel would be the right pick
  • No unlimited plan for the heaviest workers
Visit Yesim →

Saily

Privacy-focused

Saily uses Telkomsel in Indonesia, matching Airalo's network choice at a slightly cheaper price. The ad and tracker blocker is genuinely useful in Bali because Indonesian websites and tourism apps run a lot of background advertising that eats into small data plans. The 3 GB / 30-day plan at $6.99 is a solid pick for a typical Bali holiday — same Telkomsel coverage as Airalo, $1 cheaper, with the privacy bonus.

1 GB
$3.49 · 7 days
3 GB
$6.99 · 30 days
5 GB
$10.99 · 30 days
20 GB
$19.99 · 30 days
Pros
  • Same Telkomsel coverage as Airalo for less money
  • Ad blocker meaningful on Indonesian tourism and news sites
  • 30-day window on 3 GB suits typical Bali holidays
  • Nord Security parent for privacy-conscious nomads
Cons
  • Yesim is still cheaper at the 10 GB and 20 GB tiers
  • No regional Asia plan
  • Ad blocker can interfere with Gojek and Grab apps
  • No 10 GB option
Visit Saily →

Drimsim

Cheap PAYG

Drimsim's Indonesia rate is unusually competitive at around $2/GB — roughly the same per-GB cost as Yesim's larger plans, with the bonus of pay-as-you-go flexibility. For irregular or short Bali visitors who don't want to commit to a 30-day plan, this is actually a reasonable choice. For digital nomads doing high-volume work, Yesim's flat 20 GB plan is still cheaper overall.

Pay-as-you-go
~$2.00/GB in Indonesia
No expiry
Balance never expires
Pros
  • $2/GB is unusually competitive for Indonesia
  • Single eSIM for an Asia loop including Thailand and Vietnam
  • Balance never expires — great for repeat Bali visitors
  • No commitment to a 30-day window
Cons
  • Yesim's 20 GB / $16 plan still works out cheaper for heavy use
  • Network choice depends on what Drimsim parks on
  • Top-up flow more clunky than Airalo or Yesim
  • Less polished app experience
Visit Drimsim →

How much data do you need in Bali?

Bali is a high-data destination for most travellers, and the reasons stack up: digital nomad culture means heavy remote-work usage, ride-hailing apps (Gojek and Grab) are constant, scooter rental requires Maps for navigating the chaotic Canggu/Ubud back roads, and Indonesian Wi-Fi is generally slower and less reliable than what you'd find in Thailand or Vietnam at the same price point. Even casual travellers burn through 5-8 GB in a typical week without trying.

Surf forecasting, restaurant booking apps, IG Stories from rice terraces, and constant currency conversion (the rupiah is in millions) all add up. If you're working from a Canggu coworking space, expect 30-50 GB a month easily — Indonesian villa Wi-Fi rarely supports a full work-from-home day without dropouts.

Our recommendation: 5 GB for a 10-day Bali holiday. 10 GB for a two-week trip including the Gilis. 20 GB or unlimited for any digital nomad stay over a month in Canggu or Ubud.

Network coverage in Bali

Indonesia has two networks worth caring about for Bali: Telkomsel (the dominant carrier, owned by state-backed Telkom Indonesia) and XL Axiata. Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison is a third option but has weaker rural coverage. Telkomsel is the strongest by a clear margin — particularly on the Gili Islands, in northern Bali around Lovina, and in eastern parts of the island around Amed and Tulamben. XL is competitive in Denpasar, Seminyak, Canggu, and Ubud but drops off in the rural areas.

Coverage on the Gilis (Trawangan, Meno, Air) is Telkomsel-only in practice. The Nusa islands (Penida, Lembongan, Ceningan) have decent coverage on both networks. Mount Batur and the trekking routes north of Ubud have signal at the trailheads but drop out at altitude. Most eSIMs in Bali run on Telkomsel as the safe default.

Tips for using an eSIM in Bali

Bali eSIMs are unusually cheap. Indonesian wholesale rates for data are low, which is why you'll see Bali eSIM pricing significantly below European or Australian equivalents. Yesim's $8 / 10 GB plan is a clear standout — almost half the price of similar plans in Europe.

Airport SIM kiosks at Ngurah Rai are a tourist trap. The Telkomsel and XL booths in arrivals sell prepaid tourist SIMs at IDR 200,000-300,000 (USD 13-20) for 8-15 GB, which seems competitive but the activation queues are slow and the package terms are often poorly explained. Buy your eSIM before flying.

The Gilis have surprisingly good Telkomsel signal. Despite being small offshore islands, all three Gilis have Telkomsel towers that deliver usable 4G across the populated areas. Diving boats lose signal a few minutes offshore. XL coverage is much weaker.

SIM card registration is required for physical SIMs. Indonesian regulation requires biometric registration for prepaid SIMs (passport scan and sometimes a selfie). eSIMs from international providers skip this entirely — another reason they're worth the small premium over a local kiosk SIM.

Why eSIM is the best choice in Bali

Indonesia's biometric SIM registration is the main reason eSIMs make sense for short Bali trips. Buying a local SIM means a passport scan, a wait at the kiosk, and the risk of being sold a tourist plan with worse terms than the standard prepaid offerings. eSIMs from Airalo, Yesim, and Saily skip the registration entirely.

The other reason: Bali pricing is one of the few places where eSIMs are dramatically cheaper than equivalent local SIMs once you factor in the airport markup. Yesim's $8 / 10 GB plan is genuinely hard to beat at any local kiosk.

Frequently asked questions

Telkomsel, by a wide margin. All three Gilis (Trawangan, Meno, Air) have Telkomsel towers that deliver usable 4G across the populated parts of each island. XL Axiata coverage is much weaker on the Gilis and Indosat is essentially non-functional. Airalo and Saily both use Telkomsel for Indonesia. Yesim hops between networks but tends to favour Telkomsel where it's the only option.
Yes, and especially so for Yesim. The Telkomsel and XL booths at Ngurah Rai sell tourist SIMs for IDR 200,000-300,000 (USD 13-20) for 8-15 GB, which is roughly the same as Yesim's $16 / 20 GB plan with worse terms and a slow registration queue. The eSIM also skips Indonesia's biometric SIM registration requirement entirely.
Yes, on every operator. The southern Bali zone (Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Ubud, Sanur, Uluwatu, Jimbaran) has dense coverage from both Telkomsel and XL with no significant gaps. Where coverage gets thin is the eastern coast past Amed, the northern road to Lovina, and the trekking routes around Mount Batur and Mount Agung — Telkomsel is the only operator with reliable signal in those areas.
30-50 GB is normal for a remote worker doing video calls, file sync, and standard web work. Villa Wi-Fi in Canggu is unreliable enough that most nomads use cellular as a primary backup. Yesim's $16 / 20 GB plan covers light usage; for heavier work, two stacked 20 GB plans or a separate Indofeed local SIM works better than the international eSIM options.
Yes — all four eSIM providers cover the entire country of Indonesia with the same plan, not just Bali. A trip combining Bali with Yogyakarta, Jakarta, or a Lombok beach extension uses the same eSIM throughout. Coverage on Lombok is similar to Bali (Telkomsel strongest), and Java has full coverage from all major operators in cities.