Thailand eSIM providers at a glance

ProviderDataDurationPriceHotspot
Airalo Top pick1 – 20 GB7 – 30 days$4.50 – $24YesDetails →
Yesim Unlimited1 – Unlimited3 – 30 days$1.50 – $55YesDetails →
Saily1 – 20 GB7 – 30 days$3.49 – $22YesDetails →
DrimsimPay-as-you-goNo expiry~$3.50/GBYesDetails →

Starting-plan rates only — provider catalogues are updated silently and may have shifted since this page was refreshed.

Detailed provider reviews for Thailand

Airalo

Recommended

Airalo's Thailand plan ('Siam') runs on DTAC-True, which is fine for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the major tourist islands. Installation works from the Airport Rail Link into Bangkok — activate while the train is moving and Grab will work by the time you reach your hotel. The Asia regional plan is available if you're doing a bigger SEA loop.

1 GB
$4.50 · 7 days
3 GB
$8.50 · 15 days
5 GB
$11.50 · 30 days
10 GB
$16.00 · 30 days
20 GB
$26.00 · 30 days
Pros
  • Asia regional plan covers Thailand + Vietnam + Malaysia + Bali
  • Bypass the long evening queues at Suvarnabhumi SIM kiosks
  • Pre-install before flying — works from the Airport Rail Link
  • Hotspot enabled on every tier
  • Well-known brand with reliable Thai support
Cons
  • Saily is $1 cheaper on 1 GB with better AIS island coverage
  • DTAC-True has slightly weaker small-island coverage than AIS
  • Local Thai SIMs are cheaper per GB if you're willing to queue
  • No unlimited plan for Chiang Mai digital nomads
Visit Airalo →

Yesim

Best price

Yesim routes through AIS in Thailand, which has the best island and rural coverage. The $12 / 10 GB plan suits 10-14 day Thailand trips with plenty of margin for Grab and ferry days. The unlimited plan is the right choice for Chiang Mai digital nomads staying a month or more — it's far cheaper than renewing multiple short plans.

1 GB
$1.50 · 3 days
5 GB
$7.50 · 14 days
10 GB
$12.00 · 30 days
Unlimited
$27.60 · 7 days
Pros
  • Runs on AIS — best Thai island and rural coverage
  • $12 / 10 GB / 30 days is best mid-tier value
  • Unlimited plan ideal for Chiang Mai month-long stays
  • $1.50 / 3-day plan for quick Bangkok stopovers
Cons
  • iOS-only VPN feature
  • Unlimited soft caps at ~70 GB
  • Smaller Thai-specific support team than Airalo
  • Local Thai SIMs still cheaper per GB
Visit Yesim →

Saily

Privacy-focused

Saily runs on AIS in Thailand, same network as Yesim, with the lowest entry price at $3.49 for 1 GB. Its island coverage is better than Airalo because of the AIS network choice. The ad blocker saves meaningful data on Thai news sites (Thairath, Sanook) and reduces ads in the Grab app display. Good pick for island-focused trips.

1 GB
$3.49 · 7 days
3 GB
$7.99 · 30 days
5 GB
$11.99 · 30 days
20 GB
$22.99 · 30 days
Pros
  • Runs on AIS — best island coverage at the lowest entry price
  • Cheapest 1 GB at $3.49
  • Ad blocker saves data on Thai news and apps
  • 30-day window on 3 GB fits typical Thailand trips
Cons
  • No regional Asia plan
  • Plan gap between 5 GB and 20 GB
  • Ad blocker sometimes breaks Bangkok Bank and SCB apps
  • Less suitable for longer digital nomad stays than Yesim unlimited
Visit Saily →

Drimsim

Backup only

Drimsim is expensive for Thailand alone at $3.50/GB but genuinely useful for multi-country Southeast Asia trips. The classic Bangkok-Siem Reap-Hanoi-Bali loop works on a single Drimsim profile without any plan swaps. For Thailand-only trips, the other three are much better value.

Pay-as-you-go
~$3.50/GB
No expiry
Balance never expires
Pros
  • One eSIM for Thailand + Cambodia + Vietnam + Laos + Bali
  • Balance never expires — useful for repeat SEA trips
  • Works in 197 countries
  • Reliable fallback if primary fails on a remote island
Cons
  • Triple Saily's per-GB cost for Thailand
  • No volume discount — bad for data-heavy Bangkok weeks
  • Not recommended as primary for Thailand alone
  • Clunky interface
Visit Drimsim →

How much data do you need in Thailand?

Thailand is a high-data destination for tourists because of the ride-hailing ecosystem. Grab is essential in Bangkok and most tourist cities — it's significantly safer and cheaper than metered taxis, especially at night, and it runs data constantly for pickup and navigation. Bolt is a secondary option. Add Google Translate for menus written in Thai script, weather checks for the monsoon, and ferry/boat scheduling for island hops, and you'll burn more data than you expect.

Bangkok has good Wi-Fi in malls, Starbucks, and most hotels, but café Wi-Fi outside chains is often slow. Chiang Mai is one of the most nomad-friendly cities in Asia and has excellent coworking-café Wi-Fi throughout the Old City and Nimman districts. Islands (Koh Samui, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta) have decent cellular on the main beaches but spotty signal on smaller islands and during boat crossings.

Our recommendation: 3 GB for a 1-week Bangkok + 1 island trip. 5 GB for a 10-day trip adding Chiang Mai. 10 GB for a 2-week tour covering Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and multiple islands.

Network coverage in Thailand

Thailand has three main carriers: AIS (Advanced Info Service, the market leader and widest coverage), TrueMove H (TrueCorp), and DTAC (owned by Telenor until the 2023 merger with True into a joint venture). AIS has the deepest rural and island coverage — meaningful if you're visiting smaller islands like Koh Lanta, Koh Chang, or Koh Tao. True has improved significantly since the DTAC merger.

5G is live across AIS, True, and DTAC in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, and most provincial capitals. Coverage is 4G LTE everywhere else. Dead zones are rare and mostly confined to the interior of Khao Yai National Park, some back-roads in Isan province, and remote islands. Airalo runs on DTAC-True for Thailand. Saily and Yesim use AIS. For island trips specifically, an AIS-based eSIM (Saily or Yesim) has a slight coverage edge.

Tips for using an eSIM in Thailand

Thai local SIMs are cheap at airport kiosks. AIS, True, and DTAC all sell tourist SIMs at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in the 300-500 THB range for 15-30 days of 15+ GB. They're genuinely good value per GB. The catch: queues in the evening can be 30+ minutes, passport registration is required, and you'll need to physically swap the SIM. For 1-2 week trips, an eSIM is still faster even if it costs a few dollars more.

Grab is essential in Bangkok. Metered taxis in Bangkok often refuse meter use, overcharge tourists, or refuse unprofitable routes. Grab eliminates all of this — upfront pricing, no haggling, safer for female travellers, and routes you through traffic. It's the single biggest data sink on a Bangkok trip. Budget for it.

Bangkok BTS and MRT have full cellular. The Bangkok Skytrain (BTS) and underground MRT both have continuous cellular coverage throughout all lines and stations. You can check Maps and Grab for your next move during any train ride. The Airport Rail Link from Suvarnabhumi also has full signal.

Island ferries — expect dropouts mid-crossing. Ferries between Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan cross open water where cellular drops completely for 15-30 minutes at a time. Phuket to Koh Phi Phi is similar. Screenshot your ferry tickets before boarding and download offline maps of your destination island.

Why eSIM is the best choice in Thailand

Thai local SIMs are genuinely cheap and widely available at airport kiosks — on pure per-GB basis they beat most eSIMs. The eSIM case is about time and convenience: skipping the airport queue after a 12-hour flight, activation working from the AREX or Airport Rail Link heading into Bangkok, no physical SIM to store or lose on the beach. For trips of 1-2 weeks, the time savings are worth the modest premium.

The other case is multi-country Southeast Asia trips: Thailand to Vietnam, Thailand to Bali, Thailand plus Laos or Cambodia. A regional Asia plan or Drimsim handles the whole loop without swapping SIMs at each border.

Frequently asked questions

AIS has the deepest island and rural coverage, particularly on smaller islands like Koh Lanta, Koh Chang, Koh Tao, and parts of Koh Phangan. DTAC-True (after their 2023 merger) has improved but still has more gaps on smaller islands. Saily and Yesim both route through AIS, which is the better choice for any island-focused Thailand trip.
Yes, highly recommended. Bangkok metered taxis frequently refuse meter use, overcharge, or refuse unprofitable routes to tourists. Grab provides upfront pricing, no haggling, safer for solo travellers, and handles routing through Bangkok traffic. All four eSIM providers work fine with Grab — the app needs data constantly for pickup coordination and navigation.
Partially. You'll have signal when boarding and arriving, but expect 15-30 minute gaps mid-crossing on longer routes — Surat Thani to Koh Samui, Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, Chumphon to Koh Tao all have dead zones in the open water sections. Screenshot your ferry tickets before boarding and download offline maps of your destination.
Yes. AIS, True, and DTAC all have 5G in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, and most provincial capitals. Rural areas and smaller islands are 4G LTE. The four eSIMs on this page all connect to AIS, True or DTAC 5G automatically wherever your phone has coverage. Most tourist destinations have either strong 5G or very good 4G — the difference rarely matters in practice.
A Thailand-only plan will not work in Cambodia or Laos — you'd roam or be blocked. If your trip includes the Siem Reap or Luang Prabang routes, buy either a regional Asia plan (Airalo's regional works across most of SEA), use Drimsim (covers all SEA countries), or plan for a separate local SIM at the border.