GoMoWorld Travel eSim Review vs Airalo

Most phones nowadays support multiple SIMs (Subscriber Identity Module), with many popular mid-range or higher options using a Nano-SIM for the primary SIM card and an eSIM for the second SIM.

An eSIM, or embedded SIM, is a type of SIM that is embedded directly into a phone rather than being a removable card like traditional SIMs.

At some point in the future, I’d expect nano SIMs will be phased out, and all phones will be eSIM only, but for now, eSIMs have struggled to gain traction as the primary SIM card (in the UK at least).

 Instead, they have become a popular means of travel. Thanks to Brexit, roaming data has become expensive again, so downloading an eSIM for the country you are travelling to and then using that for data is often cheaper. It is an incredibly convenient solution as you can have an eSIM set up before you travel rather than rely on trying to source a physical SIM when you arrive at your destination.

Airalo appears to be the dominant service provider for travel eSIMs. But, there is a growing number of competing solutions, including GoMoWorld, which I used on my recent trip to Thailand and Vietnam.

GoMoWorld is a relatively new provider based in Ireland. They have apps for both Android and Apple.

GoMoWorld vs Airalo Pricing

There is a growing number of eSIM providers, but Airalo is so popular that I have used them for comparison.

One big difference between GoMoWorld and Airalo is the range of options. GoMoWorld supports 141 destinations, and they typically have just 3 options per destination. Airalo claims to have over 200 destinations and they typically have more options per destination.

Even though GoMoWorld has fewer destinations, it probably covers just as many countries. For Europe, it only has a listing for Europe as a whole rather than individual countries.

For a simple comparison, I have only looked at 30-day plans, though Airalo only offered 15 days in Thailand.

  • Vietnam
    • GoMoWorld: €20 for 30GB over 30 days
    • Airalo: $32 for 20GB over 30 days
  • Thailand
    • GoMoWorld: €20 for 20GB over 30 days / €11 for 9GB over 15 days
    • Airalo: $20 for Unlimited over 15 days
  • Europe (includes UK)
    • GoMoWorld: €20 for 25GB over 30 days
    • Airalo: $30 for 10GB over 30 days
    • Airalo Spain/Germany: $26 for 20GB over 30 days
  • USA
    • GoMoWorld: €20 for 20GB over 30 days
    • Airalo: $42 for 20GB over 30 days
  • Australia
    • GoMoWorld: €20 for 20GB over 30 days
    • Airalo: $40 for 20GB over 30 days

I’d have expected Airalo to be a better option for individual countries within Europe. However, the pricing in Spain and Germany is still higher than the equivalent plan from GoMoWorld, which covers all of Europe.

Obviously, price is not the only factor, having a reliable signal and good speeds is just as important, and I have been unable to test this thoroughly.

eSIM installation and Activation

GoMoWorld Travel eSim Review 2

I have found that many eSIM providers list compatibility with a limited number of phones. From my experience, as long as your phone supports eSIM, it should work with any eSIM provider. For example, I rarely see Honor supported, but I have had no issues using eSIMs on my Honor Magic 6 Pro.

Assuming your phone is compatible, installation and activation are incredibly simple.

When you buy your plan, you will be instructed to install the eSIM with a simple press of a button. No QR code scanning was needed. Once installed, you will need to activate the SIM for data on your phone and enable roaming for the SIM.

When you land at your destination or set off, you must activate the plan within the GoMoWorld app. This is great as it allows you to set up your eSIM and buy the appropriate plan before you go.

If, like me, you travel to multiple countries, you can keep the same eSIM installed, you just need to activate the roaming plan for the next country.

Performance in Thailand and Vietnam

GoMoWorld Travel eSim Review 3

When I arrived in Thailand, I switched my data over to the GoMoWorld eSIM, and it connected immediately.

I was only in Bangkok for 4 days, but during this time, it worked perfectly, and speeds were acceptable.

For Vietnam, I had some mixed results with the performance of the GoMoWorld eSIM; however, this seems to be the Vietnam network in general. I had different eSIMs installed on 3 other phones and had intermittent issues with all of them.

Alternative Options

GoMoWorld or similar services like Airalo are incredibly convenient as you have one app covering the world.

But, if you want the best value for money, you can often buy eSIM plans from local providers. In Vietnam, I used vietnamesim.vn for one of my phones, which had 4GB daily for 30 days plus calls for just $19 or 5GB daily with no eSIM number for $15.

Global eSIM provider Gigago also worked out cheaper for Vietnam, with 4GB daily for $18.90, but it is a lot more expensive for European countries, with over $50 for 20GB/30 days for Spain.

Overall

Gigago is an excellent option for travel eSIMs.

While it has fewer options than Airalo, it appears to cover the same number of countries; it just groups Europe together rather than providing individual country options.

Pricing is almost always cheaper than Airalo, and it is not much more expensive than buying from local providers while being much more convenient.

The performance is good, but it depends on the network they use in the country you are in. From my experience, it performs about the same as Airalo.

Overall, I can highly recommend Gigago, they provide a good balance of affordability vs similar services and convenience vs local providers.

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