The best eSIM for Dubai & Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 Compared (United Arab Emirates)

abu dhabi emirates skyline

The United Arab Emirates has become a popular travel destination, most of all the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If you don’t want to do without the advantages of a permanent internet connection with your smartphone even in the desert and at the same time don’t want to pay horrendous roaming fees, it’s best to look for a suitable SIM card before departure.

Digital SIM cards, or eSIM for short, are particularly useful here. If your smartphone supports eSIMs (from iPhone 11 and many modern Androids), you can also choose numerous cheap plans, especially for the United Arab Emirates, and be online again immediately after landing.

What is an eSIM and is my smartphone compatible?

An eSIM is a digital SIM card that can be loaded directly onto a compatible device without the need for a physical SIM card. This type of SIM card is particularly convenient for travellers because it is easy and quick to buy and activate online without having to worry about a physical SIM card.

You will find numerous providers of eSIM plans on the Internet. With most of them, you buy a one-off prepaid plan for a certain number of days and data volume. After expiry, there are no further costs and you do not need a subscription.

Unfortunately, not all smartphones support an eSIM. You have good odds with an iPhone 11 / 12 / 13, but also with an Android smartphone, e.g. Google Pixel 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 or Samsung Galaxy S20, S21, or Note 20. You can find a list of smartphones that support eSIM here: Which devices support an eSIM?

If your Android smartphone does not support eSIM profiles, eSIM.me is a physical SIM card that you can use with eSIM profiles.

Most eSIM providers only offer data volume and no free minutes. Since these are also prepaid plans, outgoing calls are generally not supported. With some smartphones, e.g. iPhones, you can still be reached via your normal SIM card and make calls.

Here you can quickly and easily find a suitable and cheap eSIM plan. Simply select your travel duration and how many GB of data volume you need. We will then show you the cheapest plans:

Plans Compared

Cheapest Provider

In our provider comparison, Airalo offers the cheapest package for 1 GB for 7 days and 3 GB for up to 30 days. Airhub also offers good prices for 3 or 5 GB for up to 30 days.

Providers1GB for 7 days2GB for 14 days3GB for 30 days5GB for 30 days
Monty eSIM~€2~€6
3GB
30 days
~€6~€10
Mobimatter~€4~€5
15 days
~€7~€10
Manet€4€7
3GB
30 days
€7€11
Airhub~€4
2GB
~€6
3GB
30 days
~€6~€11
Airalo~€4~€6
15 days
~€9~€12
ETravelSim~€4~€9
3GB
30 days
~€9~€13
iFree Mogo~€4
15 days
~€9
3GB
30 days
~€9~€15
60 days
RedBull Mobile€5
30 days
€10
30 days
€15€25
Nomad~€7~€10
3GB
30 days
~€10~€12
Textr~€6~€17
3GB
30 days
~€17~€29
Maya Mobile~€7
30 days
~€18
3GB
30 days
~€18~€26
Flexiroam~€8~€15
15 days
~€21~€32
RedteaGO~€4~€24
3GB
30 days
~€24~€38
eSIM4Travel~€6~€21
3GB
30 days
~€21~€34
Yesim€9
30 days
€20
3GB
30 days
€20€35
Instabridge~€7~€18
3GB
15 days
~€46
10GB
~€46
10GB
SimOptions~€23
3GB
30 days
~€23
3GB
30 days
~€23~€32
MTX Connect€12€24€36€60
Ubigi~€13~€27
3GB
15 days
~€71
10GB
~€71
10GB
eSimple~€33
3GB
~€69
10GB
30 days
~€69
10GB
~€69
10GB
Holafly~€25~€43
15 days
--
Gigsky~€42
30 days
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Pay what You Use

In terms of price, the data volume in the Emirates is quite expensive. Instead of booking a fixed package, it can be worth choosing a pay-as-you-go plan. With MTX Connect, you can buy an eSIM with a credit of €10 for €10 and then pay €0.12 per MB = €12 for 1 GB.

The Best Network

In the United Arab Emirates, there are two major mobile network operators: Etisalat and Du. Etisalat was once state-owned and had a monopoly. Since the privatization and opening up in 2006, there has been a strong competitor in Du. The network coverage of both providers is excellent and as a tourist, you will hardly be able to tell the difference.

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