Best eSIM for Korean Traveller: Comprehensive Provider Comparison

Korea is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. Nowadays, a lot of tourists would rather use an eSIM than a physical SIM card when traveling thanks to advanced technology. Although this technology is quite new, eSIM is already available in Korea.  Because of this, purchasing an eSIM for your trip to Korean is a smart move that enables you to connect as soon as you step off the plane.

So, what is the best eSIM Korean for travel? In this article, we will give you the most information as well as compare options so that you can determine if it is an appropriate choice for you.

What is the best eSIM for Korean Travel 

Most eSIM providers in Japan currently offer similar eSIM packages in terms of speed, with the main difference being the number of packages and prices. Here we choose the top best eSIM packages for tourists in Korean.

The eSIM Korea 500MB – 3GB (Daily Plan) available on Gohub stands out as an excellent choice for tourists visiting Korea.

This plan boasts adaptable choices catering to a range of needs, ideal for both brief and extended trips. Additionally, the plan includes the convenient feature of hotspot sharing, allowing users to opt for higher data allocations to share with fellow travelers during their tour.

While the eSIM Korea 500MB – 3GB (Daily Plan) is a top choice for many, it’s just one of the numerous options available. To ensure you make the best decision for your connectivity needs in Korea, it’s vital to compare leading eSIM Korea Providers and their Plans for you

Comparison of Top eSIM Korean Providers

1. Gohub

Gohub is a relatively young provider of travel eSIMs, established in 2018. Gohub offers eSIMs that support in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Specifically, with their eSIM for Japan, they specialize in partnerships with renowned network providers like SKT, known for their reliable connectivity in both urban and rural areas of Japan.

Gohub’s primary focus is to enhance the customer experience with their products. They prioritize selecting eSIMs from official network partners worldwide, ensuring a wide range of choices that cater to customers’ needs and budgets. Additionally, with a 24/7 technical support team, Gohub’s dedicated support is always available to assist customers throughout their journeys.

At Gohub, the best eSIM packages for Korea with phone local number and support hotspot or tethering features are:

• 500MB – 3GB (Daily Plan), valid for 3-15 Days, 3.69$- 52.69$
• 5GB – 50GB (Fixed Plan), valid for 5 – 30 Days, 8.19$ – 90.29$

They also have eSIM packages available for any country in Asia, including Korea, with the following options:

• 5GB/10GB/20GB, valid for 3-30 days, 13.69$ – 60.59$ (Fixed Plan)
• 500MB – 3GB, valid for 2 – 30 days, 5.39$ – 81.69$ (Daily Plan)

At the time of writing this article, Gohub gets 4.6 stars on TrustPilot.

2. Holafly

Holafly is a well-known eSIM provider catering to tourists in Korea, with a global reach extending to over 190 countries and regions. They primarily utilize the KT network, ensuring internet access across various destinations in Korea, including cities, rural areas, and remote locations.

A key feature of Holafly’s service is their exclusive offering of Unlimited data packages. However, it’s important to note that despite the ‘unlimited’ label, high-speed data usage is capped, after which the speed reduces. Therefore, users should be mindful of their data consumption.

In terms of pricing, Holafly’s rates are higher compared to other providers offering similar plans. Additionally, their eSIM plans do not include a local phone number and do not support hotspot or tethering features.

Holafly offers eight different eSIM packages for Korea, all with unlimited data but varying in duration and price:

• Unlimited data, valid for 5 days, $19.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 7 days, $27.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 10 days, $34.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 15 days, $47.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 20 days, $54.00

They also have six eSIM packages available for any country in Asia, including Korea, with the following options:

• Unlimited data, valid for 5 days, $27.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 7 days, $34.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 10 days, $37.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 15 days, $47.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 20 days, $54.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 30 days, $79.00

As of the latest reports, Holafly has earned a 4.7-star rating on TrustPilot.

3. Airalo

Airalo, a pioneer in the eSIM market since 2019, offers eSIM services in over 200 countries and regions worldwide. They provide a dedicated app that enables customers to purchase, activate, and manage their eSIMs conveniently. In Korea, Airalo uses the DTAC network, known for its fast and reliable connectivity.

Despite being a market leader, Airalo has faced criticism regarding its customer service, with issues such as slow response times and difficulties in reaching support during troubleshooting.

Regarding their Korea-specific eSIM packages, Airalo offers a limited selection. Out of eight available options, only two are exclusively for Korea, while the remaining six cater to a broader regional market that includes Korea. This could be a disadvantage for tourists who plan to stay only in Korea, as it might lead to unnecessary additional costs.

02 packages available for Korea:

• Unlimited data, valid for 10 days, $32.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 30 days, $62.00

06 plans for regions including Korea:

• 1GB, valid for 7 days, $5
• 3 GB, valid for 30 days, $13
• 5GB, valid for 30 days, $20
• 10GB, valid for 30 days, $37
• 50GB, valid for 90 days, $100
• 100GB, valid for 180 days, $185

At the time of writing this article, Airalo gets 2.5 stars on TrustPilot.

4. Nomad

Nomad is one of the most expensive eSIM brands on the market. It’s particularly well-suited for short-term travelers, frequent globetrotters, and those who visit multiple countries in a single journey.

The brand offers a user-friendly app that simplifies the process of purchasing and installing eSIM cards directly on mobile phones. However, the app is currently only available for iOS users in specific countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus, Israel, India, UAE, and Morocco.

Nomad currently offers 5 unlimited packages for the Korean market:

• Unlimited data, valid for 1 day, $9
• Unlimited data, valid for 3 day, $18
• Unlimited data, valid for 5 day, $24
• Unlimited data, valid for 7 day, $28
• Unlimited data, valid for 10 day, $36

They also offer many Regular Plans (from 1GB- 20GB) for Korean Traveller but the Price is not cheap compared to other provider.

At the time of writing this article, Nomad gets 4.4 stars on TrustPilot.

5. Mobimatter

Mobimatter, founded in 2018 in the UAE, is a provider of mobile internet services. For your trip to Korea, you can buy Mobimatter’s eSIM packages specifically for Korea and nearby regions. They offer an app where you can control and recharge your eSIM.

However, Mobimatter offers fewer package choices compared to other providers.

Here are 2 eSIM plan exclusively for korea travel from Mobimatter:

• 30GB, valid for 30 days, for $13.99
• 15GB, valid for 30 days, for $9.99

At the time of writing this article, Mobimatter gets 4.2 stars on TrustPilot.

Below, we will assess the advantages and disadvantages of various eSIM providers for travel in , enabling you to select the most appropriate option.

eSIM provider	Pros	Cons
Gohub	Numerous choices are available, ranging from short-term to long-term options. Having local phone number Offers excellent and immediate 24/7 Multi-language support in case of troubleshooting issues. Sharing hotpot/ tethering	Entered the esim market later than other provider.
Holafly	Unlimited data, but only a certain portion is available at high speed; once this is used up, the speed is used at slow speed A well-known provider with many years of experience on the market (since 2018)	Higher prices than other providers No hotspot/tethering and top-up No local phone number Don’t mention about Throttle speed of Unlimited data
Airalo	A leading company in the market, established in 2019. An easy-to-use application for user convenience.	Litte options for Korea Tourist No top-up, no hotspot/tethering More bad review about Slow response and customer support Require for KYC to buy eSIM
Nomad	Offering Korea tourists unlimited data eSIM packages, with a note that daily usage exceeding 2 GB will result in a reduced speed of 512 kbps. An application designed for ease of use and user convenience.	Higher price than other competitors For short-term travelers, there will be few options for regular Plans (Not Unlimited Data)
Mobimatter	An application that allows customers to purchase, utilize, and manage their plans ideal for tourists with staying long in Korea.	No plans for short trips.

As conclusion, for Korea travel, Gohub is better than Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, and Mobimatter. The reasons are:

• They offer a range of Korea eSIM packages tailored to various travel requirements.
• The plan includes the convenient feature of hotspot sharing, allowing users to opt for higher data allocations to share with fellow travelers during their tour.
• They provide 24/7, multilingual support to address any issues you might face.
• Their website is user-friendly, allowing for quick and efficient eSIM purchases in just about 10 minutes.

Get more tips about traveling Korea:

• Is eSIM available in Korea?