Traviva’s pick for Bali is Nomad: 10GB for 30 days at US$19 on Telkomsel’s network, which covers most two-week trips. If price is all that matters, Ubigi is cheapest at US$16 for the same 10GB month, though it does not disclose which Indonesian network it uses. Either suits anyone with an unlocked, eSIM-capable 4G phone — but avoid Holafly if you plan to work from a laptop at the villa, because it caps hotspot sharing at 1GB a day.
Updated · Prices in US dollars unless marked A$; figures marked “checked October 2026” were read off each provider’s own site on 7–8 October 2026.
Bali eSIMs at a glance
The 10GB, 30-day plan from each provider, or its unlimited plan where it sells no fixed data. Hotspot rules come from each provider’s own terms.
| Provider | Plan / data | Validity | Price | Hotspot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$16 | Yes | Cheapest 10GB month. Network not disclosed. Unlimited: US$59 for 30 days (60GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps). Price checked October 2026. |
| Nomad | 10GB | 30 days | US$19 | Yes | Our pick. Telkomsel network. Price checked October 2026. |
| Airalo | 10GB | 30 days | US$21 | Yes | Network varies by package. Price checked October 2026. |
| Saily | 10GB | 30 days | US$21.99 | Yes | Telkomsel network. Unlimited: US$48.99 for 5 to 30 days. Price checked October 2026. |
| Holafly | Unlimited | 15 days | US$50.50 | 1GB a day | XL and Telkomsel. 30 days is US$73.90. Price checked October 2026. |
| Maya Mobile | Unlimited | 30 days | US$49.99 | Allowed, with guidance | Indosat, 3 and Telkomsel. Price checked October 2026. |
| Simify | 10GB | 30 days | A$49 | Allowed | Billed in Australian dollars. Price checked October 2026. |
Every eSIM seller will tell you to register your IMEI. The regulation says otherwise.
Indonesia requires foreign phones to have their IMEI registered, and sellers of Indonesian eSIMs say flatly that you must do it or get no service. The regulation itself exempts you, by name, if you are roaming.
The rule is Permenkominfo No. 1 Tahun 2020. Article 3(5) says IMEI verification is “dikecualikan” — excepted — for a user whose SIM belongs to a foreign country, and it uses the English term in brackets: inbound roamer. Article 6(1)(c) separately grants network access to devices using international roaming.
Indonesian customs says the same thing in plainer words. Its Bali office page states that passengers using a foreign SIM card as an inbound roamer “tidak perlu melakukan registrasi IMEI” — do not need to register. Not a waiver you apply for. Simply not required.
The 90-day figure you will see quoted is about something else. It caps how long a tourist’s local Indonesian number stays active, and decides where you would register if you bought one. It is not a grace period for roaming, because roaming needs no grace.
So what actually decides it here
The line that matters is not eSIM versus physical SIM. It is whether the eSIM gives you a roaming profile or a genuinely local Indonesian one. A roaming profile is exempt by name. A local Indonesian profile is not, and a tourist local number is capped at 90 days.
Every provider we compare sells roaming profiles, so for all seven on this page the IMEI question does not arise. If you buy an Indonesian eSIM from a local seller instead, it may.
A note on older phones: Telkomsel finished switching off 3G across all 504 Indonesian cities and regencies in June 2023, converting more than 49,000 base stations. Its own release claims over 96% of populated areas on 4G — populated, not land area, which is a different and much smaller number once you are out on the water.
What a 10GB month costs in Bali
Same plan, same duration, five sellers. Prices in US dollars, checked 7 October 2026.
Holafly sells no fixed-data plans anywhere — its 30-day unlimited plan is $73.90, which is a different product and so is not plotted on the same scale.
Nomad
For a typical two-week Bali trip, Nomad's 10GB/30 days at $19 or Saily's at $21.99 covers most people. Holafly's $50.50 for 15 days only makes sense if you genuinely cannot estimate your usage — and its 1GB/day hotspot cap makes it a poor choice if you're working from the villa.
See Nomad Bali plans →Every verified plan
Prices in US dollars, read off each provider’s own page. Where we could not confirm a price, we say so rather than estimate.
| Provider | Fixed data plans | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Saily | 1GB/7d $4.79 · 3GB/30d $8.99 · 5GB/30d $13.99 · 10GB/30d $21.99 · 20GB/30d $35.99 | 30d $48.99 5–30 days selectable, $48.99 |
| Airalo | 1GB/3d $4 · 3GB/7d $8.50† · 5GB/30d $13.50† · 10GB/30d $21† · 20GB/30d $35† · 50GB/30d $49† | 3d $11 · 5d $19 · 7d $27 · 10d $34 · 15d $48 · 30d $69 |
| Nomad | 1GB/7d $4 · 3GB/30d $8 · 5GB/30d $12 · 10GB/30d $19 · 20GB/45d $33 · 50GB/45d $41 | 5d $18 · 10d $33 |
| Ubigi | 10GB/30d $16 Other Ubigi Indonesia plans appeared in search-result titles but we could not open the product pages to confirm them, so they are not listed. | 30d $59† |
| Holafly | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only | 3d $11.90 · 5d $20.50 · 7d $27.50 · 10d $36.50 · 15d $50.50 · 30d $73.90 |
| Maya Mobile | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only Maya sells no fixed-data plans anywhere; its product is one global unlimited plan. | 3d $9.99 · 7d $19.99 · 14d $27.99 · 30d $49.99 The same four prices apply in every country Maya covers. |
| Simify | 5GB/7d A$29 · 10GB/30d A$49 · 20GB/30d A$75 · 30GB/30d A$99 · 45GB/45d A$135 · 60GB/60d A$159 · 100GB/90d A$219 | A$2.19 per day, any length up to 180 days Simify prices unlimited by the day rather than in fixed blocks. |
Provider names link to their own site. Some of those links earn us a commission — the disclosure page says exactly which, and it plays no part in which plan we call cheapest.
Every price on this page is in US dollars except Simify’s, which are in Australian dollars because it bills in A$. An Australian card adds a foreign transaction fee of around 3% to the rest, which none of them mention at checkout — what that actually costs you →
Before you choose on price
All seven providers selling in Bali now offer an unlimited plan, and none of those is unlimited. Saily gives you 5GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Airalo gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Nomad gives you 2GB a day before dropping to 512 kbps; Holafly publishes no figure at all, though third-party analysis puts it near 2–3GB a day; Maya Mobile gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps; Simify publishes no firm figure at all — only an approximate 1–1.5GB, and only in a troubleshooting article rather than on any plan page. Ubigi’s 30-day unlimited plan gives you 60GB at full speed before dropping to 2 Mbps.
The cap matters less than what happens after it, and it decides whether a cheaper fixed-data plan would serve you better. Every provider’s daily cap and throttled speed, in one table →
Which network you actually roam onto
An eSIM is a roaming agreement with a local carrier. In Bali, that means:
| Provider | Local network |
|---|---|
| Holafly | XL (Excelcom) and Telkomsel |
| Saily | Telkomsel |
| Nomad | Telkomsel |
| Airalo | Conflicting — Airalo names 3 (Hutchison); esimdb lists XL Axiata or Indosat. Likely varies by package. |
| Ubigi | Not disclosed |
| Maya Mobile | Indosat, 3 and Telkomsel |
| Simify | Not disclosed |
When Australians go to Bali
The most seasonally stable destination Australians travel to — never below 100,000 trips in any month, and a peak-to-trough ratio of just 1.7x. Peaks track Australian school holidays in October, July and April rather than Balinese weather.
Bali eSIM questions travellers ask
Does an eSIM work in Bali?
Yes. Every provider we compare sells a roaming eSIM that works on Indonesian networks in Bali: Nomad and Saily use Telkomsel, Holafly uses XL and Telkomsel, and Maya Mobile uses Indosat, 3 and Telkomsel. Your phone needs to be unlocked and eSIM-capable.
Do I need to register my phone’s IMEI in Bali?
Not with a roaming travel eSIM. Indonesia’s IMEI rule, Permenkominfo No. 1 Tahun 2020, exempts inbound roamers by name, and the customs office at Bali’s airport says travellers roaming on a foreign SIM do not need to register. Registration can apply if you buy a local Indonesian SIM or eSIM instead.
What is the cheapest eSIM for Bali?
Ubigi’s 10GB for 30 days at US$16, checked in October 2026. For the same allowance Nomad is US$19, Airalo US$21 and Saily US$21.99. Holafly sells unlimited plans only, at US$50.50 for 15 days.
Can I use my Bali eSIM as a hotspot?
Saily, Airalo and Ubigi allow tethering without a separate hotspot limit, and Nomad supports it. Holafly caps hotspot sharing at 1GB a day, which rules it out if you are working from a laptop.
Is an unlimited eSIM worth it for Bali?
Only if you genuinely cannot estimate your usage. Unlimited plans slow down after a daily allowance (Saily 5GB, Airalo 3GB, Nomad 2GB), and Holafly’s 15-day unlimited plan costs US$50.50 against US$19 for Nomad’s 10GB month.
Should I get an eSIM or a local SIM in Bali?
A local Indonesian SIM can be cheaper, but it brings IMEI registration rules and a tourist number that stays active for only 90 days. A roaming eSIM avoids both and can be installed before you fly.
Will my phone work in Bali?
Most 4G phones will. Telkomsel finished switching off 3G across all 504 Indonesian cities and regencies in June 2023, so a phone that only supports 3G will not get data on Telkomsel-based eSIMs.
Related
- Nomad is our pick for Bali, and it is the provider we have looked at hardest — our full Nomad review, including what it will not tell you →
- Airalo and Holafly both sell Bali plans and are the two most-searched eSIM brands, but they work in completely different ways — we put them side by side →
- Planning to tether a laptop in Bali? Every provider’s hotspot rules, which are not the same as its data rules →