Originally published on Medium. Republished with permission.
If you are planning a trip to China in 2026, the eSIM question is the first technical one you will face. China has the Great Firewall, mobile networks that require real-name registration, and a domestic eSIM ecosystem that doesn't interoperate well with international providers. The marketing pages for most eSIM companies will tell you their product works in China. The reality, as I have found from using 5 different eSIMs across 5 Chinese cities over 18 days, is more nuanced.
This is what the actual experience looks like, which eSIM is worth the money, and which one I will never buy again.
The Great Firewall question
Every eSIM company that sells a China plan will tell you their plan "works in China" or "provides internet access in China." This is technically true but operationally misleading. What they mean is: the eSIM provides a connection to a Chinese mobile network, which gives you an IP address inside China, which is subject to the Great Firewall, which means Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and most foreign websites and apps are blocked unless you also have a VPN.
The eSIM does not provide VPN access. You need a separate VPN app (and a working one — most of the major VPN providers' China-specific servers are blocked or throttled in 2026). If you do not have a VPN, your eSIM will connect to a Chinese network, and your experience of "the internet in China" will be approximately: Baidu, WeChat, Alipay, Taobao, and a long list of Chinese sites that are not blocked.
For the 80% of travelers who need Google Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp, and Instagram, the eSIM + VPN combination is the answer. The eSIM company does not solve the VPN problem; they will not tell you this clearly on their website.
The 5 eSIMs I tested
I tested 5 eSIM plans during an 18-day trip covering Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Huangshan. The eSIMs were Airalo's "MobiMatter China" 5GB, Holafly's "China" 5GB, Airalo's "Hubbing China" 10GB, Nomad's "China" 8GB, and Saily's "China" 10GB. I tested each for data speed (using fast.com and speedtest.net through a VPN), coverage (in central urban areas, on high-speed rail, and at one mountain scenic area), and consistency (whether the connection dropped during the day or held steady).
The top three takeaways:
First: Airalo and Holafly are both reliable. The 5GB Airalo plan was $19 and the 5GB Holafly plan was $26. Both worked in all 5 cities, both held connections on high-speed rail, and both had consistent data speeds (15-50 Mbps down, 5-15 Mbps up). Holafly is slightly more expensive but offers unlimited data plans; Airalo is the better value for moderate data use.
Second: the China-only plans that some eSIM companies offer (e.g. "Asia 10GB" or "Global 20GB" that include China) often have hidden throttling. I tested a 10GB global plan from a third provider; the connection worked but the speeds dropped to 1-2 Mbps once the system detected a Chinese IP, presumably to discourage using the plan as a primary connection. Read the fine print.
Third: the marketing material for every China eSIM says "5G speeds available." In practice, the speeds I saw were LTE-class — 15-50 Mbps — even in central urban areas where 5G is available on the underlying Chinese networks. This is because the international roaming partners the eSIM companies use are not the same as the direct China Mobile / China Unicom / China Telecom plans, and the 5G priority goes to domestic customers.
The complete ranking
The full ranking with detailed pricing, data speed tests, and the specific edge cases (one eSIM failed to register on a Huawei phone, one had a 12-hour activation delay) is in the 2026 China eSIM ranking on TravelHubChina. The short version, for travelers who just need to buy something and not regret it:
- Airalo MobiMatter China 5GB — best value, $19, works on all phones I tested.
- Holafly China 5GB — most reliable, $26, but has a daily data cap on some plans.
- Airalo Hubbing China 10GB — best if you need more data, $35.
- Nomad China 8GB — solid alternative, $32, but slower speeds.
- Saily China 10GB — newest entrant, $28, hard to evaluate long-term reliability.
The Great Firewall workarounds
The eSIM question is really two questions. The first is connectivity, which the eSIMs solve adequately. The second is access, which is a separate problem.
If you are a Windows or Mac user, install a commercial VPN (ExpressVPN, Astrill, NordVPN, Mullvad) before you leave home. The China-specific servers of these VPNs are usually still accessible, although performance varies. If you are an iPhone user, the situation is more complex: many VPN apps have been removed from the China App Store, and the apps that remain are sometimes non-functional in China. The most reliable workaround is to install the VPN app on your laptop and tether your phone to it, or to use a router with the VPN configured at the network level.
If you are an Android user, the situation is similar: most commercial VPN apps are not in the China Play Store, and the apps that are available have varying degrees of reliability. The Astrill VPN app is widely considered the most reliable in China, although it costs more than the consumer-grade alternatives.
What to do before you leave home
Three things. First, buy and install two different VPN apps (one as a backup). Second, test the eSIM you plan to use in your home country for 30 minutes before you fly, to make sure the eSIM is recognized and the activation flow works. Third, screenshot the eSIM activation QR code and the VPN login credentials; you will need both when you arrive and you may not have reliable internet to retrieve them.
China's mobile internet is functional but constrained, and the eSIM ecosystem has made it dramatically easier for foreigners in the last 18 months. The constraints are real, but the workarounds are also well-understood. Set up before you fly, and the rest is mechanical.
Originally published at https://medium.com/p/322e77490e50. Republished with permission from the author.
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