Comparisons
eSIM, pocket wifi or local SIM: the three ways to have data abroad
Three ways to get online abroad, with their real advantages and their strings attached. Which wins depending on the trip, the group and the country.
Nerea Aguilar 8 min Photo by Yohan Cho on Unsplash Before eSIMs existed, anyone who didn't want to pay roaming had two routes: buy a card at their destination or rent a portable router. Both still exist and both still have their moment, so it's worth knowing which.
Pocket wifi, or portable router
A device about the size of a wallet with a local SIM inside that shares out wifi. You rent it before you leave or at the airport on arrival, and hand it back when you're home.
The upside is real: it connects several devices at once on a single tariff, so for a family of four or a group that stays together it works out well, and nobody's phone has to be touched.
So is the downside: it's one more thing to charge every night, to hand back by a deadline, not to lose and not to leave at the hotel on the day the group splits up, because then half of you have no data. And if it runs out of battery mid-afternoon, everyone loses internet at once.
The local SIM
You buy it at your destination, at an airport counter or in a shop, and it gives you what any local line gives: data, usually a local number, and the country's own rates, which in many destinations are cheap.
The strings are paperwork. In some countries you buy one in five minutes and in others they want your passport and a registration, and there are places where the tourist options live at specific counters with their own hours. On top of that you have to take your own card out of your phone, and that card ends up in a pocket or a passport holder more often than people admit.
The eSIM
You buy it from home, install it on wifi before you leave, and it coexists with your everyday line, which stays in the phone taking calls and messages.
Its weak point is that it needs a compatible, carrier-unlocked phone, and that the profile lives on that handset: if the phone breaks mid-trip, it doesn't move to a spare one by itself.
The three, in a table
| eSIM | Pocket wifi | Local SIM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When you have it | Before you leave | When you collect it | On arrival |
| Devices connected | Yours, plus tethering | Several at once | Yours |
| Your own number | Stays in the phone | Stays in the phone | Comes out of the phone |
| Anything to return | Nothing | The router | Nothing |
| Extra battery to charge | No | Yes | No |
| If the group splits up | Everyone has their own | Only whoever has the router has data | Everyone has their own |
Which wins in each case
- Short trip alone or as a couple: eSIM, for convenience and because you land connected.
- A large family that stays together, with children on tablets: the router can work out well, allowing for charging it every night.
- A stay of months in one country: local SIM, because resident tariffs are another world and a local number ends up being needed.
- A destination with complicated paperwork for tourists: eSIM, which is exactly where it shows most.
- An old phone or one locked to an operator: local SIM or router, because the eSIM won't install.
And hotel wifi, which isn't a fourth option
Relying on wifi works at the hotel and fails everywhere else: the taxi, the market, the station, the moment you're looking for an address with a suitcase in hand. As your only plan, it's the one you suffer with most.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, an eSIM or pocket wifi?
For one or two people, the eSIM: you land connected and there's no device to charge or return. For a large group that stays together, the router can work out well.
Does pocket wifi have better coverage?
No. It uses a local operator's network, just like an eSIM or a local SIM. The coverage is the country's, not the device's.
When is a local SIM worth it?
On long stays and when you need a number from that country. For a week or two, the paperwork weighs more than the saving.
Can I tether from an eSIM?
In most cases yes, though it depends on the plan and the phone. It uses whatever the connected device would use, so allow for that when choosing your data.
What if my phone breaks with the eSIM in it?
The profile lives on that handset and doesn't move to another on its own. It can be reinstalled on a new phone if your provider can reissue the code, so keep the purchase email.
