Cheapest eSIM plans in Australia: the best-value providers starting from just $10 a month

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Cheapest
Best overall
Best big data
Best 5G
Should you switch to eSIM
How we assess
FAQs

An eSIM is a fully electronic option to a physical SIM card. They are activated totally online and they save you the trip to a store to pick up a physical one.

These days a lot of Australian mobile providers offer eSIM as an option on their prepaid and postpaid plans, though it’s not universal and there are still many smaller providers who don’t.

If you’re shopping for a plan that offers eSIM, whether you just prefer eSIM due to convenience, because you want to use two SIMs at once or for another reason, we’ve rounded up all the cheapest and best value options for a variety of uses from Australian telcos.

Here are our top eSIM plan picks:

Cheapest eSIM plan in Australia

Lyca Mobile Unlimited 20 Plan | $6 (for first 28 days, then $20) | 20GB (for the first 3 renewals, then 10GB) | Vodafone 4G Network
If you want the cheapest eSIM plan in Australia, Lyca Mobile’s Unlimited 20 plan is our current top pick. Usually costing $20 per 28 days for 10GB of data, this plan now only costs $6 for the first 28 days (and $20 from the second recharge) and you get 20GB for the first three renewals, however from the fourth renewal you will only get 10GB. While 10GB isn’t a lot of data, you can rollover any unused data (up to 500GB) from the first three recharges to supplement you after the data allowance reduces. This is a great option for anyone who doesn’t need much data and wants a very cheap plan. This plan runs on Vodafone’s 4G network which means customers can’t access 5G speeds, however this is to be expected for a plan in this price range.
Cost and GB for first year: $246 for 170GB

Best overall value eSIM plan

TPG 50GB Medium Plan | $17.50 (for the first 6 months, then $35) | 50GB | 1 month expiry | Vodafone 5G Network
TPG’s 50GB Medium Plan is currently only $17.50 per month for the first six months which is a 50% discount. For that price, you get 50GB of data, which equals only $0.35 per GB, which is excellent value for a plan with this much included data. After the introductory period, the price increases to $35 per month, or $0.70 per GB which still holds up well against similar plans. You’ll also get access to Vodafone’s 5G network and unlimited international calls to 31 select destinations.
Cost and GB for first year: $315 for 600GB

Best cheap big data eSIM plan

Lyca Mobile Unlimited Plan XL | $40 (for the first 28 days, then $50) | 300GB (for the first 3 renewalls, then 200GB) | 28 day expiry | Vodafone 5G network
If you need an eSIM with a humungous amount of data, Lyca Mobile’s Unlimited Plan XL is our top pick. Usually costing $50 per 28 days for 200GB of data, this plan is currently discounted down to $40 for the first 28 day period, and you get an extra 100GB for the first three lots of 30 days (a total of 300GB each time). Per GB, you’re only paying $0.133 per GB for the first 28 days and then $0.17 per GB for the second and third recharge, both of which are great value. From the third recharge you’ll be paying $0.25 per GB, which is still a very competitive price. While $50 per 28 days isn’t super cheap, if you do need this much data you won’t find anything for less. This plan also allows you to rollover any leftover data up to 500GB so you can store any unused GB from the first three recharges and continue to use it when the data allowance goes down to 200GB. This plan also runs on Vodafone’s 5G network, so you can get access to faster internet and actually make use of all those gigs.
Cost and GB for first year: $590 for 2700GB

Best 5G-enabled eSIM plan

TPG 50GB Medium Plan | $17.50 (for the first 6 months, then $35) | 50GB | 1 month expiry | Vodafone 5G Network
Out of all the plans we’ve compared, this TPG plan that we mentioned above is also our pick for the best priced option that comes with 5G access and a decent amount of data. TPG’s 50GB Medium Plan is currently only $17.50 per month for the first six months and you get 50GB of data. This means that for the first six months, each GB only costs the equivalent of $0.35. After the first six months, this plan goes up to $35 per month which is still a competitive $0.70 per GB.
Cost and GB for first year: $315 for 600GB

Compare other eSIM plan options

Should you switch to eSIM

If you’re unsure whether you need an eSIM plan or not, here’s a quick breakdown of the main pros and cons.

Pros:

No physical SIM card needed, so you can activate instantly without having to visit a store
You can easily switch between providers and plans by just going into your phone settings, rather than having to fiddle around with purchasing and switching out a physical SIM card
You can use multiple SIMs at once, for example, You could have a personal service and work service on the same phone

Cons:

Not all providers offer eSIMs so you may find that the plan you want isn’t an option
Not all phones support eSIMs, especially older devices. If you have a handset that’s more than 5 years old, you may not have the option
If you struggle with technology, you may find it hard to activate an eSIM

How we assess eSIM mobile plans

When choosing the best plans recommended above, we compared over 250 prepaid and postpaid Australian mobile plans offering eSIMs, evaluating their prices, data allowances, and other features before narrowing the list down to our top four picks.

FAQs

How do eSIMs work?

Every provider will be different but generally when you sign up for an eSIM plan you will be given instructions on how to install it. You can then change which eSIM you want to use in your phone's settings.

Which Australian mobile providers offer eSIMs?

There are quite a few local telcos that offer eSIMs, including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Aldi Mobile, Catch Connect, Amaysim, Coles Mobile, Yomojo and Lyca Mobile.

Can I keep my phone number with an eSIM?

This will depend on the provider and the plan you choose, but you should be able to keep your phone number with most eSIMs.

Which phones accept eSIMs?

Most newer smartphones should be compatible with eSIMs. For iPhones, all models starting from the iPhone XR and XS (released in 2018) are eSIM-compatible. All Samsung Galaxy models from the Galaxy S20 (released in 2020) and all other Samsung phones released since 2020 should also be eSIM compatible. If you’re not sure if your specific handset is compatible, you can check in your settings or by looking it up.

Are eSIM plans cheaper?

Generally no: with Aussie telcos, the main difference between eSIM plans and others is simply whether or not you receive a physical SIM card or not, so – there’s usually no difference in price between the two.

Amelia is an Ecommerce Editor at Getprice who specialises in hunting down great bargains and useful discount codes across a wide variety of products and retailers, curating gift guides for all occasions, and doing the maths to calculate the top-value mobile and internet plans for a variety of needs. Her goal is to help make finding the best online discounts as easy as possible. She loves writing about major deals and sales events to help you get the most bang for your buck at sales time.