Best eSIM for South Korea (2026): 6 providers compared

For most trips to South Korea, the cheapest plan we found is SeoulSIM at $7.99 for 10GB over 30 days, and it is also cheapest at 5GB ($5.49) and 20GB ($12.49). For a capped "unlimited" week, SeoulSIM is cheapest at $17.49 (3GB a day), while Maya Mobile gives more full-speed data, 5GB a day, for $19.99. Every eSIM here runs on SK Telecom, KT or LG U+, and all three are among the fastest networks in the world.

How we compared: prices are from each provider's own website, checked 13 November 2026. We compared the plan closest to 5GB, 10GB and 20GB, the cheapest 7-day "unlimited" or daily plan, and the Korean networks each eSIM uses. SeoulSIM is our own brand. It is listed with the same data as the others, and we say where another provider is the better pick.

6 eSIMs for South Korea compared (November 2026)

Provider	Cheapest plan	~5GB	~10GB	~20GB	Unlimited or daily (about 7 days)	Networks
SeoulSIM	1GB / 7 days: $1.99	$5.49 (5GB, 30d)	$7.99 (10GB, 30d)	$12.49 (20GB, 30d)	$17.49 / 7 days (3GB a day, then 1 Mbps)	SKTelecom, LG Uplus
Airalo	1GB / 3 days: $4.00	$10.00 (5GB, 7d)	$18.00 (10GB, 7d)	$29.00 (20GB, 15d)	$29.00 / 7 days (3GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps)	SK
Holafly	-	-	-	-	$27.50 / 7 days	SK Telecom, LGU+
Nomad	1GB / 7 days: $4.00	$10.00 (5GB, 30d)	$18.00 (10GB, 30d)	$28.00 (20GB, 30d)	$25.00 / 7 days (2GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps)	SKTelecom, KT olleh, LG U+
Ubigi	1GB / 7 days: $3.00	$7.00 (3GB, 7d)	$12.00 (10GB, 7d)	$25.00 (25GB, 30d)	$25.00 / 7 days (25GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps)	LGU+, SK Telecom
Maya Mobile	-	-	-	-	$19.99 / 7 days (5GB a day at full speed, then 3 Mbps)	KT

At about 10GB, SeoulSIM works out to 80 cents per GB, Ubigi to 1.20 dollars, and Airalo and Nomad to 1.80 dollars.

Best for each need

SeoulSIM: cheapest fixed data and cheapest daily week

SeoulSIM is cheapest at every fixed size: $5.49 for 5GB, $7.99 for 10GB and $12.49 for 20GB, each valid 30 days. Its 3GB-a-day week costs $17.49, the lowest daily-plan price in the table, and a 14-day version costs $34.99. It uses SK Telecom and LG U+. Where it loses: after 3GB a day it drops to 1 Mbps, while Maya keeps 5GB a day at full speed for a little more ($19.99). It does not use KT. See the South Korea eSIM plans.

Maya Mobile: most daily data for the money

Maya Mobile costs $19.99 for 7 days with 5GB a day at full speed, then 3 Mbps, which is still fine for maps and messages. If you stream a lot or film content every day, this is the better value. It runs on KT only. Maya sells one global plan at the same price in every country. Maya Mobile South Korea.

Ubigi: one big allowance for a week

Ubigi's 7-day plan gives 25GB at full speed for $25.00, then 2 Mbps, with no daily cap to track. Its 10GB plan costs $12.00 but is valid only 7 days. It uses LG U+ and SK Telecom. Ubigi plans.

Nomad: access to all three networks

Nomad is the only eSIM here that lists SK Telecom, KT and LG U+. Its 10GB plan costs $18.00 for 30 days, and the 7-day daily plan is $25.00 with 2GB a day, then a slow 512 Kbps. Nomad South Korea.

Airalo and Holafly

Airalo charges $18.00 for 10GB (7 days) and $29.00 for a 3GB-a-day week, the highest daily price here, on SK Telecom. Holafly charges $27.50 for 7 days with no stated daily cap, on SK Telecom and LG U+, but limits hotspot sharing to 1GB a day and may slow you for up to a day under fair use. Airalo South Korea, Holafly South Korea.

Korea specifics: networks and maps

Networks. All three Korean networks are very fast, so the choice matters less than in most countries.

• In Opensignal's global awards of February 2026, SK Telecom was named a Global Winner for Download Speed Experience (192.2 Mbps), and LG U+ for time spent on 4G or 5G (99.8%) among small-land-area countries.
• In Opensignal's December 2025 South Korea report, SK Telecom took the most awards, with LG U+ winning 5G Availability and KT winning 5G Download Speed.

In Seoul, Busan, Jeju and on KTX trains, any of the eSIMs above will work. Opensignal's figures are national averages. In mountain and rural areas, an eSIM that can switch between two networks (SeoulSIM, Holafly, Ubigi) or three (Nomad) gives you a small fallback.

Maps. Google Maps still does not give full driving, walking or cycling directions in Korea. South Korea agreed in February 2026 to let Google export detailed map data under security conditions, but as of July 2026 the navigation features had not arrived. Visitors use Naver Map or KakaoMap instead, and both need mobile data to work well, which is one more reason to have an eSIM from the airport onward.

Which one should you pick?

• Short trip, light use: SeoulSIM 1GB for $1.99 or 5GB for $5.49.
• One to two weeks, normal use: SeoulSIM 10GB for $7.99 (30 days).
• Heavy data, vlogging or streaming: Maya Mobile at $19.99 (5GB a day), or Ubigi 25GB for $25.00.
• Cheapest daily plan: SeoulSIM at $17.49 for 7 days (3GB a day).
• Hotspot for a laptop: a fixed plan such as SeoulSIM 20GB ($12.49). Holafly limits hotspot to 1GB a day.
• Need a Korean phone number: none of these data eSIMs gives you one. If you need one, you would need a local Korean SIM.

Sources: Airalo South Korea (13 Nov 2026), Holafly South Korea (13 Nov 2026), Nomad South Korea (13 Nov 2026), Ubigi plans (13 Nov 2026), Maya Mobile South Korea (13 Nov 2026), Opensignal Global Awards 2026 (Feb 2026), Opensignal South Korea December 2025 (Dec 2025), BGR: why Google Maps doesn't work in South Korea (7 Jul 2026). Prices checked 13 November 2026.