Best China (Mainland) eSIM — Compared

219plans

24providers

$1.00lowest price

$0.39lowest per GB

For overseas visitors to mainland China, local SIMs require in-person ID registration and take time to set up. A travel eSIM works the moment you land, is billed per day, and connects via international roaming routes — the easiest option for short visits.

🧭 Open the interactive comparison tool (all 219 plans)

Quick answer (verified Sep 14, 2026): For a 7-day trip, the cheapest option is LinkeSIM 3GB/15 days at $3.20 ($1.07/GB). Cheapest per GB: Orange Travel at $0.39/GB. For unlimited data, RedteaGO Unlimited/7 days at $4.90 (code RTGF96F2E) is the cheapest.

Top 10 by overall value

Last updated: Sep 14, 2026

#	Provider	Plan	Price	Per GB	Network	Score
1	Orange Travel	100GB / 30 days	$39.26	$0.39	China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom	91	View →
2	Global YO	100GB / 60 days	$42.99 Code 8GW4Q2Enter it during sign-up; check Global YO's sign-up page for the exact reward	$0.43	CHINA UNICOM GSM Network details · 1 countries ChinaCHINA UNICOM GSM	90.8	View →
3	Global YO	50GB / 45 days	$28.99 Code 8GW4Q2Enter it during sign-up; check Global YO's sign-up page for the exact reward	$0.58	CHINA UNICOM GSM Network details · 1 countries ChinaCHINA UNICOM GSM	90	View →
4	Nomad	50GB / 45 days	$35.00	$0.70	China Unicom / China Telecom Network details · 1 countries China (Mainland)China UnicomChina Telecom	89.3	View →
5	Orange Travel	100GB / 45 days	$80.85	$0.81	China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom	88.7	View →
6	Global YO	100GB / 60 days	$80.99 Code 8GW4Q2Enter it during sign-up; check Global YO's sign-up page for the exact reward	$0.81	Automatically switches between local carriers Network details · 24 countries ArmeniaMTS Armenia -VivaCell AzerbaijanAZERCELL GSMBAKCELL GSM 2000Nar Mobile BangladeshBanglalinkGrameenphone CambodiaMetfone ChinaCHINA MOBILECHINA UNICOM GSM GeorgiaBeeline (former Mobitel)GEOCELLMAGTI GSM Hong Kong SAR China3CSLSmarToneVodafone IndiaAirTelIDEA CellularJioVodafone Indonesia3INDOSATTELKOMSEL JapanDOCOMOKDDI Corporation KazakhstanBeelineKCELL KyrgyzstanBeeline KG Macao SAR ChinaCTMHutchison Telecom Macau MalaysiaCELCOM GSMDiGiMaxisU Mobile PakistanMobilinkTelenor Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd. PhilippinesGlobe TelecomSMART Gold SingaporeSingTelStarHub South KoreaKT Sri LankaETISALATHutchison Telecommunications Lanka (Pvt)Mobitel TaiwanChunghwa TelecomTaiwan Mobile TajikistanMegaFonMobile Lines of Tajikistan ThailandAIS GSMDTACTrue Move (former Real Future) UzbekistanBeelineUzbektelekom VietnamHanoi Telecom Joint Stock CompanyMobifone	88.7	View →
7	BNESIM	50GB / 30 days	$23.09	$0.46	UNICOM(5G) Network details · 1 countries ChinaUNICOM	88.6	View →
8	BNESIM	100GB / 30 days	$46.19	$0.46	UNICOM(5G) Network details · 1 countries ChinaUNICOM	88.6	View →
9	Global YO	20GB / 30 days	$17.99 Code 8GW4Q2Enter it during sign-up; check Global YO's sign-up page for the exact reward	$0.90	CHINA UNICOM GSM Network details · 1 countries ChinaCHINA UNICOM GSM	88.3	View →
10	AdventureSIMs	50GB / 180 days	$35.93	$0.72	China Mobile(5G)	88.2	View →

Score = price 60% + network 20% + hotspot 10% + app 10%, normalized within this destination; live prices on provider sites prevail.

Local carrier coverage

Carrier	Coverage	Notes
China Mobile	Widest 4G/5G coverage nationwide	Backbone for most roaming eSIMs
China Unicom	Good urban 5G	Some providers offer dual-network switching
China Telecom	Strong in southern China	Rarely used by travel eSIMs

Pick by travel style

🎒 Short business tripFor stays under 7 days, pick a per-day plan — you'll have signal at the airport with no queueing for a SIM.

🏙️ City break5G in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen is excellent; the 10GB/15-day tier is the best value.

🚄 Multi-city railCoverage along high-speed rail lines is solid — any nationwide plan works, no per-province worries.

FAQ

Do travel eSIMs require ID registration in mainland China?

No. Foreign-issued travel eSIMs use international roaming routes, so no mainland ID registration is needed at purchase. Local carrier SIMs do require passport registration.

How soon will I be online after landing?

Install and activate the eSIM before departure; after enabling data roaming on arrival, you're typically connected within 1–3 minutes.

Will international apps work normally?

The exit network of roaming routes varies by provider — check each provider's official notes for app availability.

Other destinations

Data are compiled from official provider plan pages and publicly available sources. We make reasonable efforts to keep pricing and coverage current, but rates, terms and availability may change without notice — always confirm at the provider’s checkout before purchasing. This is an independent comparison site; some links are affiliate links (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

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Sep 14, 2026