Roaming or eSIM: how to compare honestly and what to count
An honest caveat first: we measure only one side of this comparison. The catalogue holds prices for six travel-eSIM services — 2 827 plans across 200 countries. We do not hold Russian operators' roaming tariffs; they change often and differ by the region of subscription, so we will not fill them in from memory.
So instead of «eSIM always wins», here is how to compare for yourself. Four quantities to weigh, and the catches on both sides.
In short
- Compare the full cost of the trip, not the price of a day or a gigabyte.
- Roaming is usually sold by the day, eSIM by volume and period — different units.
- 10 GB over two weeks via eSIM costs from 559 ₽ (Turkey) to 1 821 ₽ (UAE).
- Roaming keeps your number on the network; an eSIM does not — none of the six has a number or SMS reception.
- Nothing stops you combining them: eSIM for data, main SIM for incoming.
Four quantities to compare
1. The full trip cost, not unit prices
Roaming options are usually sold per day, eSIMs as packages. «100 ₽ a day» cannot be compared directly with «559 ₽ for 10 GB». Count the same thing: what the whole trip costs at your rate of data use.
An example from the eSIM side: 10 GB over 14 days in Turkey is 559 ₽ at eSIM Tayyor. That is 40 ₽ a day. In the UAE the same basket is 1 821 ₽, or 130 ₽ a day. The country triples the price.
2. What happens after the allowance is gone
With roaming, out-of-bundle rates usually kick in, and they can be dramatically higher. With an eSIM the outcome differs: a package plan simply stops working, an «unlimited» one throttles. Post-throttling speeds in the catalogue: 32 kbit/s at Just eSIM, 512 kbit/s at eSIM.World and eSIM Tayyor, 1 Mbit/s at eSIM365. Yesim names no threshold at all.
That is a thirtyfold difference between vendors — and it matters more than the package price if you are counting on limping to the end of the trip at reduced speed.
3. The number and incoming traffic
Roaming keeps your number: calls and texts arrive. An eSIM gives no number — all six catalogue services have no own number, no incoming SMS and no voice.
Hence the most practical arrangement: leave the main SIM in the phone for incoming codes and route data through the eSIM. Roaming data is then never used while bank texts still arrive.
4. What happens if it fails
With roaming it is simple — call your operator. With an eSIM it is harder: refunds are almost everywhere conditional on non-activation, and activation counts from the first connection to a network. Yesim states this outright; Unisim refunds only for device incompatibility and only within 14 days.
What a basket costs via eSIM
The lowest price for 10 GB over 14 days on popular destinations — so you have something to hold your operator's offer against:
| Country | Minimum | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 559 ₽ | ≈ 40 ₽ |
| Italy | 749 ₽ | ≈ 54 ₽ |
| Thailand | 809 ₽ | ≈ 58 ₽ |
| China | 999 ₽ | ≈ 71 ₽ |
| Kazakhstan | 1 059 ₽ | ≈ 76 ₽ |
| Georgia | 1 309 ₽ | ≈ 94 ₽ |
| Egypt | 1 437 ₽ | ≈ 103 ₽ |
| UAE | 1 821 ₽ | ≈ 130 ₽ |
The «per day» column exists only for comparability with daily roaming options — an eSIM is not sold by the day, and unused volume is forfeited at package vendors.
Where roaming wins
- A short two- or three-day trip. A daily option can beat a package whose minimum size exceeds what you need.
- You need calls and texts on your own number. An eSIM does not provide that at all.
- Your phone does not support eSIM. Then the choice is between roaming and a local SIM.
- You do not want to set anything up. Roaming turns itself on; an eSIM has to be installed in advance.
Where an eSIM wins
- A trip of a week or more. A volume package usually beats a run of daily options.
- Heavy data use. Maps, navigation, video calls — where a daily allowance runs out quickly.
- Several countries in a row. There are regional packages — «All Europe», «Asia», «Worldwide» at Just eSIM — and Unisim's single balance with no expiry.
- Predictability. You pay a known sum up front and do not risk a bill after you get home.
How to work it out
- Take your operator's roaming tariff for the country, from its site or app.
- Estimate your data use for the whole trip.
- Price the same basket in the eSIM table: country, volume, duration.
- Compare the totals for the trip, not per unit, and remember the two options behave differently once the allowance is gone.
Catalogue data collected 31 July – 6 August 2026. Operators' roaming tariffs are not measured by us and appear nowhere in the figures above.