Table of Contents
I live in Athens. I write about Greek tourism for a living. Over the past few months, I bought and tested eight eSIM providers for Greece — across the mainland, the Cyclades, and Crete — to find out which ones are actually worth your money.
Three are worth buying. Five aren't. Holafly — despite being the most-marketed brand in the category — doesn't make the top three, mostly because of how its "unlimited" plans work in practice once you check the Fair Use Policy.
Below: the eight providers ranked, the one I personally use, the one I recommend to friends who hate tech, and which Greek network (Cosmote, Vodafone, or Nova) each one actually runs on. Plus a brief warning about why you should never buy a SIM at Athens Airport.
TL;DR — Quick Picks by Trip Type
If you only read one section, read this one. Each pick links to the full review further down.
How we picked these eight. We started with 18 eSIM providers that sell Greek plans, eliminated anyone without verifiable Greek network partnerships, and pressure-tested the survivors on three vectors: real per-GB cost in 2026, transparency about Fair Usage Policies, and how well coverage holds up outside Athens. Pricing was verified directly from provider websites in the week of publication. I bought and personally tested SimLocal and Yesim end-to-end.
How eSIMs Actually Work in Greece (the 60-second version)
An eSIM is a digital SIM card. Instead of swapping the physical SIM tray in your phone, you download a profile to your device — usually by scanning a QR code from the provider. You buy and install it before you fly, then activate it when you land. No queueing at the airport, no language barrier at a phone shop, no paying €30 for a tourist SIM you'll throw away in a week.
Three things to confirm before you buy:
- Your phone is eSIM-compatible. iPhone XR and newer, Pixel 3 and newer, Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, and most flagship Androids from 2019+ support eSIM. If you're unsure, search "[your phone model] eSIM support" — it takes 10 seconds.
- Your phone is carrier-unlocked. Phones bought on a US carrier contract (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile postpaid) are often locked for the first 60 days. Locked phones can't accept eSIMs from other providers.
- You can keep your primary SIM active for calls. Dual-SIM mode lets you receive calls and SMS on your home number while using the Greek eSIM for data. Set the Greek eSIM as your "Data" line and your home line for "Calls."
That's it. The whole setup takes about 5 minutes if you've never done it before, 30 seconds if you have.
Greek Mobile Networks: Why This Matters
Most "best eSIM" articles skip this. They shouldn't, because in Greece which network your eSIM uses changes the experience substantially — especially once you leave Athens.
There are three Greek mobile network operators, and every eSIM provider partners with one or more of them.
Cosmote is the largest. It has the best rural and island coverage by a comfortable margin — particularly important if you're going to the smaller Cyclades, the Sporades, or anywhere mountainous in Crete or Epirus. If an eSIM uses Cosmote, that's a tick in the coverage column. Cosmote is owned by OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications).
Vodafone Greece is the second-largest and dominant in cities. Coverage in Athens, Thessaloniki, and the major resort islands (Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu) is excellent. On smaller or quieter islands, it's good but not always best.
Nova is the network formerly known as Wind, after a merger with Forthnet. Coverage is good in populated areas, weaker in remote ones. Some travelers report patchy reception in interior Crete and the smaller Dodecanese islands.
Multi-network is the real luxury. SimLocal explicitly switches between all three based on signal strength. Yesim and Saily use Cosmote + Vodafone. Holafly and Ubigi use Cosmote only. Airalo currently runs on Nova. If you're planning to be primarily in Athens and the major islands, any of these will work fine. If you're going off the beaten path, multi-network is genuinely worth the few extra dollars.
📱 My personal pick — I run Yesim on every trip. It's the best balance of price, multi-network coverage (Cosmote + Vodafone), and a properly designed app. The 20 GB / 30-day plan at $21.60 is what I recommend to nine out of ten travelers.
The 8 Contenders — Honest Reviews
1. Yesim — Best Overall Balance
The pitch: Multi-network coverage on a well-designed app, sensible pricing, no surprises.
Yesim is what I personally use. It pulls from both Cosmote and Vodafone, switches automatically when one signal degrades, and the app is one of the cleanest in the category — usage tracking is visible at a glance, top-ups are one tap, and you can pause and resume plans which most providers don't allow.
Pricing is where Yesim quietly beats most of the field. The 20 GB / 30-day plan is $21.60. The 30 GB plan is $27.60. That's roughly $1 per gigabyte at the volumes most travelers actually use — undercutting Airalo significantly and matching SimLocal while delivering broader network coverage.
For shorter trips, Yesim's unlimited plans are competitive too: $8.17 for 1 day, $25.20 for 7 days, $38.40 for 15 days, $50.21 for 30 days. Fair Usage Policy applies (as it does with every "unlimited" eSIM — more on that below), but Yesim's FUP is more clearly disclosed than Holafly's.
Where Yesim falls short: No local Greek phone number, no SMS — pure data. If you need to receive calls from a Greek number for hotel check-ins or restaurant bookings, you'll keep using your home number.
Best for: Anyone on a 1–3 week trip who wants the best balance of price, coverage, and app quality.
Get Yesim →
2. SimLocal — Best for First-Time Travelers
The pitch: The only eSIM provider with a physical Athens store and WhatsApp support. Two layers of human backup that no competitor offers.
This is the differentiator nobody else can match. SimLocal operates physical stores at major airports and city centers — including a location in Athens. If something goes wrong with your installation, if your phone refuses to recognize the eSIM, or you just want a human to confirm everything is working before you head to the islands, you can walk in and get help in person.
They also offer WhatsApp support directly from the post-purchase setup email — direct human help without phone-tree friction. For first-time eSIM users — especially older travelers, parents traveling with kids, or anyone who finds tech setup stressful — this matters more than people think.
The product itself is solid. SimLocal uses all three Greek networks (Cosmote, Vodafone, Nova), so coverage is the broadest in this list. Their pricing is clear and competitive: 10 GB / 30 days for $12.00, with fixed-data plans ranging from 1 GB up to 20 GB, plus an Unlimited Pro Data 7-day plan at $23.50 that gives you 10 GB per day at full speed before throttling — one of the most clearly disclosed daily caps in the category. Hotspot is allowed across the lineup.
I tested SimLocal end-to-end (June 2026)
SimLocal sent me a complimentary code so I could evaluate the product before recommending it. Here's what stood out.
The purchase flow on simlocal.com took about three minutes — pick the plan, enter email, place order. I went with the Unlimited Pro Data 7-day plan ($23.50 at full price, 10 GB/day at high speed). Order confirmation arrived immediately, with a clean "Voila! Your eSim Is Ready" email containing the order number, ICCID, and a direct link to the install instructions.
A separate setup-checklist email arrived shortly after with a prominent "Talk with us on WhatsApp" button — that WhatsApp line is something Yesim and Airalo don't offer, and it's genuinely useful: direct, in-language human support without queue waits or phone trees.
The installation page detects whether you're on iOS or Android and gives device-specific step-by-step instructions, with two install paths (QR code scan or direct download via activation code) so you have a backup if one method fails. A separate "Settings & Guides" walkthrough handles the dual-SIM configuration that trips up most first-timers: home line for voice/SMS, eSIM for data, data roaming on for the eSIM only, and Mobile Data Switching turned off so your home line doesn't accidentally rack up roaming charges. Most providers leave you to work this out yourself. SimLocal walks you through it.
Validity counts from first use rather than purchase, so I installed at home in Athens and the 7-day clock didn't start until I activated it. Connection on Cosmote was immediate once data roaming was enabled.
The verdict: SimLocal isn't the cheapest, but for someone who's never installed an eSIM before — or who's heard horror stories from a friend — the combination of clear instructions, WhatsApp support, the Athens store as a final backstop, and a properly disclosed daily-speed cap is genuinely worth the premium. I came in skeptical and came out understanding why it tops several competitor lists.
Where SimLocal falls short: Pricing isn't the absolute cheapest per gigabyte at lower data tiers — Yesim's bigger bundles undercut on price-per-GB. And the unlimited option only comes in a 7-day window; if you need unlimited for two weeks or more, look at Saily or Yesim instead.
Best for: First-time eSIM users, families, anyone who values in-person and WhatsApp backup, and travelers worried about getting stuck without data.
Get SimLocal → (use code GREEKTRIP10 for 10% off)
3. Airalo — Best for Multi-Country Trips
The pitch: The biggest eSIM marketplace, with regional plans that cover Greece + most of Europe in one purchase.
If Greece is one stop on a bigger European itinerary, Airalo's value is in its Eurolink regional plans — one eSIM that works across 39 European countries. You buy 10 GB for the whole trip rather than juggling separate eSIMs for Greece, Italy, France, and so on.
For Greece-only trips, Airalo's "Acropolis Mobile" plan is reasonable but not the cheapest: roughly $8 for 3 GB, $13 for 5 GB, $26 for 10 GB, $37 for 20 GB, all on 30-day validity. They've also added unlimited options recently — $10.50 for 3 days, $17.50 for 5 days, $24 for 7 days — which are genuinely competitive.
Coverage runs on Nova (formerly Wind). For Athens, Thessaloniki, and the major resort islands, this is fine. For remote spots, it's the weakest of the multi-network options.
Where Airalo falls short: Per-country pricing is no longer market-leading at higher data tiers. Their 20 GB plan costs nearly double Yesim's equivalent. Customer support is slower than the smaller providers.
Best for: Travelers visiting multiple European countries in one trip who want one eSIM that follows them.
Get Airalo →
4. Holafly — Best for Short, Heavy-Data Trips (With Caveats)
The pitch: Truly unlimited data, set it and forget it. The catch is in the fine print.
Holafly is the most heavily marketed eSIM brand in the travel-content space, and on paper it sounds ideal: unlimited data, no caps, no throttling. The reality is more nuanced and I'll be honest about it rather than soft-pedal.
The Fair Use Policy issue: Holafly's "unlimited" plans are subject to a Fair Usage Policy that the company does not transparently document. In practice, many users report meaningful speed reductions after heavy use — typically after 5–10 GB in a day, though Holafly does not publish the exact threshold. By contrast, Saily explicitly tells you the threshold (5 GB/day at full speed), and SimLocal's Pro plan publishes its 10 GB/day cap up front. I prefer providers that disclose this clearly.
The hotspot issue: Holafly's unlimited plans do not allow hotspot/tethering on most configurations. If you want to share data with a laptop, tablet, or travel companion's device, this is a dealbreaker. Some specific plans now allow it on a daily allowance (e.g., 1 GB/day hotspot quota), but check carefully before buying.
Pricing: Holafly is expensive — roughly $19 for 5 days, $34 for 15 days, $55 for 30 days for unlimited Greece plans. For comparison, Yesim's 30-day unlimited is $50.21 with hotspot allowed and a clearer FUP.
Holafly does run on Cosmote (Greece's strongest network), and the brand has solid customer support and 24/7 chat. Setup is genuinely easy.
Best for: Honestly, almost nobody if you're price-conscious. Possibly: short trips (3–5 days) where you'll be streaming heavily, don't care about hotspot, and value the brand recognition.
5. Saily — Best Honest Unlimited
The pitch: Unlimited eSIM from the team behind NordVPN, with a properly disclosed Fair Use Policy.
Saily is what Holafly should be. Same proposition — unlimited data on an eSIM — but with the FUP stated openly: 5 GB per day at full speed, then slower (but still usable) afterward. That's a meaningful threshold for a streaming-heavy traveler, and you know exactly what you're buying.
Saily runs on Cosmote and Vodafone for multi-network coverage, allows hotspot, and bundles in a few security features (basic ad blocker, web protection) thanks to its NordVPN parentage. The app is polished.
Pricing is mid-range: a 5 GB / 30-day plan for around $15, with unlimited options that scale by trip length. Not the cheapest, but the most honest unlimited offering for longer trips.
Best for: Travelers who want unlimited data over 2+ weeks, plan to use it heavily, but want to know the actual terms upfront. For 7-day unlimited specifically, SimLocal Pro at 10 GB/day high-speed is arguably better; Saily wins for longer durations.
6. Nomad — Best for Transparent Network Choice
The pitch: Pick your Greek network yourself — Vodafone or Nova, your call.
Nomad takes an unusual approach: rather than auto-selecting which Greek carrier to use, it shows you the network options and lets you choose. Useful if you've used a Greek SIM before and know which carrier works in your specific destinations.
Pricing is mid-tier: roughly $9 for 3 GB, $18 for 10 GB / 30 days. They offer Greek-specific plans alongside regional Europe plans.
Coverage depends on which network you pick. Nomad doesn't include Cosmote (Greece's strongest), which is a meaningful gap for off-the-beaten-path travel.
Best for: Travelers who've been to Greece before, know which network performs in their area, and want explicit control. Also useful if you're testing eSIM providers and want to compare networks side by side.
7. Ubigi — Best for Long Stays
The pitch: Cheap per-GB at higher volumes, with 30+ day options for nomads and remote workers.
Ubigi is owned by Transatel, a French mobile virtual network operator. Their value proposition is at the high end of the data spectrum: the 25 GB / 30-day plan for around $22 is genuinely cheap on a per-GB basis. Unlimited 7-day plans run $24. Unlimited 30-day is $55.
The app is utilitarian — not as polished as Yesim or Saily — but everything works. Coverage runs on Cosmote, which means good rural and island performance.
Where Ubigi shines is for stays beyond two weeks. If you're a digital nomad spending a month in Athens or working remotely from Crete for a summer, the math beats most competitors. For a one-week vacation, others are cheaper.
Best for: Digital nomads, remote workers, and anyone staying 14+ days who needs a lot of data.
8. Roamless — Best for Light Pay-As-You-Go Users
The pitch: No 30-day expiry pressure, flexible top-ups, decent for light users.
Roamless is worth a mention if you're a light data user — you check maps, send messages, post a few photos, and that's it. Their pay-as-you-go model means you're not racing a 30-day expiry, which suits travelers who'd rather not buy more data than they need.
Pricing is fair for small volumes — around $11 for 5 GB equivalent — but uncompetitive at higher tiers. Runs on Cosmote.
Best for: Cruise passengers, business travelers on short stops, anyone who knows they barely use data abroad.
Best eSIM by Trip Type — Decision Framework
Skip the marketing taglines. Pick based on what you're actually doing.
☀️ One-week Athens + one major island (Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu) → Yesim 20 GB / 30 days ($21.60) or SimLocal 10 GB ($12) if you're a first-time eSIM user. Either works. The Yesim plan has more headroom; the SimLocal has the safety net of the Athens store and WhatsApp support.
🏝️ Two weeks of island hopping (smaller Cyclades, Dodecanese, Sporades) → Yesim 30 GB / 30 days ($27.60) or SimLocal 20 GB. You want multi-network coverage because small islands have patchier signal. Avoid single-network providers like Holafly here.
🚗 Crete road trip (10–14 days) → Yesim or SimLocal, both with multi-network. Crete's interior and southern coast have spotty coverage on a single network; multi-network meaningfully helps. If you're driving in mountain villages, Cosmote-based providers (Holafly, Ubigi, Roamless) edge ahead for rural reach.
💼 Digital nomad / 1+ month stay → Ubigi 25 GB / 30 days ($22) with top-up, or Yesim 30 GB plus a second top-up partway through. For unlimited at this duration, Yesim's $50.21 30-day unlimited beats Holafly's $55 on every dimension except brand recognition.
🇪🇺 Greece as part of a Europe trip → Airalo Eurolink or a Yesim regional plan. Don't buy a Greece-only eSIM if you're also doing Italy and Croatia.
🚢 Cruise stopping in Greece → Roamless or SimLocal. You won't burn much data; flexibility matters more than volume.
👨👩👧👦 Family of four, two phones need data → Two SimLocal 10 GB plans, or one Saily unlimited with hotspot enabled to share. The hotspot rule is what matters here — Holafly's hotspot restriction makes it a poor family choice.
🎥 Heavy streamer, 7-day trip → SimLocal Unlimited Pro ($23.50) with the clearly disclosed 10 GB/day high-speed cap, or Yesim 7-day unlimited ($25.20). Both beat Holafly on transparency.
Greek Island Coverage: What Nobody Tells You
The marketing maps every eSIM provider uses show "excellent 4G/5G coverage across Greece." This is technically true and practically misleading. Here's what actually happens once you leave Athens.
Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu, Crete (north coast): Coverage is genuinely excellent on every major network. Any eSIM works. 5G is widely available in tourist areas.
Naxos, Paros, Milos, Sifnos, Ios, Folegandros (mid-size Cyclades): Good 4G on Cosmote and Vodafone in towns and main beaches. Drops to 3G or weaker in interior villages and remote bays. Multi-network providers handle this better.
Smaller Cyclades (Koufonisia, Donousa, Schinoussa), Eastern Aegean (Ikaria, Fourni): This is where single-network providers struggle. Coverage exists but is often slow. Cosmote leads here by a wide margin. SimLocal, Yesim, and Saily are good choices.
Mountainous Crete (Lasithi plateau, White Mountains, Sfakia): Coverage gaps are real on every network. No eSIM "solves" this — even a local Greek SIM card hits dead zones. Download maps offline before you go.
Ferries: Coverage varies wildly. Big Blue Star Ferries on main routes (Piraeus → Santorini) usually keep signal for most of the journey. Smaller routes between minor islands often lose signal mid-crossing. Don't rely on data for time-critical comms on ferries.
This is why I keep saying multi-network coverage is worth the extra dollar. The marginal cost of moving from Holafly to Yesim is $5; the marginal benefit is one fewer dead zone in your trip.
How to Install Your eSIM (5 Minutes)
Same basic process for every provider. Buy it on the provider's website or app, before you fly.
- Buy your plan on the provider's website. You'll receive a QR code by email plus app access.
- Open your phone's settings → Cellular (iPhone) or Network & Internet (Android) → Add eSIM / Add Mobile Plan.
- Scan the QR code from the provider email. Your phone will install the eSIM profile.
- Label the line something memorable ("Greece" works). Set your data line to the new eSIM. Keep your home SIM for calls/SMS.
- On arrival in Greece: Turn on data roaming for the Greek eSIM only (this enables the plan, despite the word "roaming"). Your home line stays roaming-off. Turn off Mobile Data Switching so your phone doesn't accidentally fall back to your home SIM.
If your eSIM doesn't connect within 5 minutes of landing, turn airplane mode on for 10 seconds and off again. That fixes 90% of activation issues.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Buying at Athens Airport. Kiosks at Eleftherios Venizelos sell tourist SIMs at €25–€30 for plans that are usually worse than what you can buy online for half the price. There is no scenario where this is good value unless you've literally never used an eSIM and your flight has just landed.
Buying "unlimited" without checking the FUP. Holafly is the most common offender. If a provider won't tell you the daily high-speed threshold, assume it's lower than you'd like. Stick to providers that publish the number (Saily: 5 GB/day; SimLocal Pro: 10 GB/day).
Buying a Greek-only plan for a multi-country trip. If you're going to Greece, Italy, and Croatia, a regional Europe plan saves you from juggling three separate eSIMs.
Installing the eSIM on arrival instead of before you fly. Install it at home where you have stable WiFi. Activate it when you land. Installing on airport WiFi at 11pm after a long flight is a recipe for stress.
Removing your home SIM. Don't. You want both lines active — Greek eSIM for data, home SIM for calls and SMS. Otherwise you can't receive your bank's 2FA texts, which becomes a problem the first time you try to use a card abroad.
Forgetting to turn off Mobile Data Switching. This setting (on Android) and the equivalent on iOS lets your phone fall back to whichever line has better signal — which can quietly route data through your home SIM and trigger expensive roaming charges. Turn it off after installing the Greek eSIM.
Final Verdict — What I'd Actually Buy
If you're picking one eSIM today without overthinking it, here's the short version.
Use Yesim if you want the best balance for most travelers and you're comfortable with eSIMs in general. The 20 GB / 30-day plan at $21.60 covers a one-to-two-week trip with headroom, runs on Cosmote and Vodafone for solid coverage, and the app is genuinely good.
Use SimLocal if it's your first eSIM, if you're traveling with parents or kids, or if the existence of an Athens physical store and WhatsApp support gives you peace of mind. The 10 GB plan at $12 is the cleanest entry point; the Unlimited Pro 7-day at $23.50 is your pick if you're a heavy streamer on a short trip. Use code GREEKTRIP10 for 10% off.
Use Airalo if Greece is one stop in a bigger Europe trip and you want one eSIM that follows you across borders. The Eurolink regional plan is the convenience play.
That's it. The other five providers in this list are excellent for specific niches — Saily for honest long-trip unlimited, Ubigi for long stays, Nomad for network-choice geeks — but for most travelers, the three above cover every realistic scenario.
Plan the Rest of Your Greece Trip
- Things to do in Athens → — the city beyond the Acropolis
- 10-day Greece itinerary → — Athens + 2 islands done right
Written by
Athens-born engineer · Coordinates a 5-expert Greek team · 50+ years combined field experience
I write every article on this site drawing on real, first-hand expertise — mine and that of four colleagues who live and work across Greece daily: a Peloponnese tour operator, a transfer specialist across Athens, Mykonos & Santorini, a Cretan hotel owner, and a Northern Greece hotel supplier. Nothing here comes from a single visit or desk research.
Informed by 5 Greek experts
Every destination we cover has been visited and vetted by at least one team member — not for a review, but as part of their daily work in Greek tourism.