Last updated: September 17, 2026
We sell eSIMs, so we have a stake in this comparison. The tables show which network sits behind each eSIM and name the sizes where a competitor is the better buy.
Cambodia has three networks, and they are not interchangeable. Metfone reaches furthest into the provinces, Smart and Cellcard run faster in the cities, and which one sits behind your eSIM decides how your trip feels once you leave Phnom Penh. Compare the network first, then the price at the data size you will use, followed by the setup method you prefer.
At a glance
- Only eSIM on two Cambodian networks: Travelsim Asia, the single option pairing Metfone with Cellcard
- Cheapest 1 GB / 7 days and 3, 5 and 10 GB / 30 days: Travelsim Asia ($3.99 / $8.49 / $12.49 / $19.99)
- Cheapest 20 GB and only 50 GB: Airalo ($32.00 and $49.00)
- The 15 GB tier nobody else sells: Nomad ($28.00)
- Best truly unlimited: Holafly (Metfone, no daily throttle)
- No-app setup: Travelsim Asia, delivered by email
Prices checked 16 September 2026; networks checked 17 September 2026. Other provider information checked August 2026.
Why the network is the first question in Cambodia
Cambodia runs on three carriers that hold more than 95 percent of all connections between them: Metfone, Smart and Cellcard. In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap all three give you solid 4G, and 5G went live at the start of 2026, so a trip that stays in the cities is well served whatever you buy. The split shows up once you head out.
Metfone is owned by Viettel, the Vietnamese carrier, and it has spent years building towers into border districts, provincial roads and small islands the others skipped. It carries the widest rural footprint and the largest subscriber base. Smart is the city network of choice, strong across the tourist hubs, and Cellcard has taken Opensignal's download-speed award in recent reports, which makes it the quick one where it reaches. The thing to check is which of these your eSIM actually connects to. Airalo runs on Smart alone. Nomad, Holafly and Ubigi all sit on Metfone. Saily does not say. Travelsim Asia is the only provider carrying two Cambodian networks, Metfone and Cellcard, and the only one carrying Cellcard at all, so your phone leans on Metfone's reach in the provinces and Cellcard's speed in the cities without you switching anything.
The 4 things that actually matter
1. Which network, or networks, you get
A single-network eSIM is fine if your trip is Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the flight home, because the cities are covered well by all three carriers. The calculation changes the moment you add a coastal stretch, a provincial road or a temple further out from the main Angkor circuit. On those routes, compare each provider's published network coverage with your itinerary. Access to more than one carrier allows the phone to fall back if one signal weakens.
2. Price at the size you will actually use
Travelsim Asia has the lowest price at 1 GB ($3.99), 3 GB ($8.49), 5 GB ($12.49) and 10 GB ($19.99), with 7 days for 1 GB and 30 days for 3–10 GB, the sizes most trips land on. Above that the answer changes. At 20 GB, Airalo's $32.00 undercuts our $32.99, and Airalo is the only one selling a 50 GB plan ($49.00). Nomad sells a 15 GB tier at $28.00 that no one else offers. Pick the provider by the amount you need, the brand name matters less than you'd think.
3. Fixed data or unlimited
Fixed plans hand you a set amount at full speed. Unlimited plans cost more, and apart from Holafly they slow down after a daily allowance, so check the fair-use policy first. Holafly is the one selling uncapped unlimited here, on Metfone. For a typical Cambodia trip, compare your expected use with the allowance: a 10 GB fixed plan at $19.99 costs less than a week of unlimited.
4. Setup friction: app, account and delivery
Airalo, Nomad, Saily and Ubigi each want an app and an account before you can install. Travelsim Asia arrives by email, installs in any phone browser, and tops up through a web portal with no login. A physical Cambodian SIM also means passport registration at the counter. A travel eSIM skips that, and it leaves your home number live for bank codes.
Cambodia eSIM providers compared
Here is how the main providers line up. No rankings, just what each one publishes, so you can check it yourself. The price column is 10 GB, the tier a one to two week trip usually needs.
| Provider | Network(s) | Unlimited? | App required | 10 GB price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travelsim Asia | Metfone + Cellcard | No, fixed only | No, email delivery | $19.99 / 30d |
| Ubigi | Metfone | Capped tiers | Yes | $20.00 / 30d |
| Airalo | Smart | Yes (daily FUP) | Yes | $21.00 / 30d |
| Saily | Not disclosed | No | Yes | $23.99 / 30d |
| Nomad | Metfone | No | Yes | $24.00 / 30d |
| Holafly | Metfone | Yes, no daily throttle | Optional | N/A, unlimited only |
Prices verified September 2026, taken from each brand's own Cambodia pages; the Sources section links them. Coverage read from the maps and reports also linked there. Travelsim Asia is our own product.
When each provider makes sense
Travelsim Asia
Good for: travelers who want Metfone and Cellcard on one eSIM, or a small-to-mid plan with no app. Travelsim Asia has the lowest listed prices at 1 GB / 7 days ($3.99) and at 3 GB ($8.49), 5 GB ($12.49) and 10 GB ($19.99) for 30 days, and delivers by email. Less ideal for: unlimited data, which we do not sell, and the biggest fixed sizes: at 20 GB, Airalo's $32.00 beats our $32.99, and we have no 50 GB tier. This is our own product, so weigh that.
Airalo
Good for: travelers who want the Smart side of the country, the best-known app, or the largest plans. Airalo is the only major eSIM on Smart, which is strong across the cities and tourist hubs, and the only one selling 20 GB at the lowest price ($32.00) and a 50 GB tier ($49.00). It also lists unlimited tiers with a daily fair-use limit. Less ideal for: small and mid plans, where lower prices are available in this comparison.
Holafly
Good for: heavy users who want uncapped unlimited with no daily throttle and would rather not watch a meter. It runs on Metfone, the widest network, which is a sensible pairing for unlimited. Less ideal for: travelers who need only a moderate amount of data. A week of unlimited costs more than our 10 GB at $19.99, and hotspot terms are worth checking before purchase.
Nomad
Good for: travelers who want a size the others do not stock. Nomad's 15 GB at $28.00 sits between 10 and 20 and is unique to them, and it runs on Metfone's rural footprint. Less ideal for: the common 5 GB ($15.00) and 10 GB ($24.00) sizes, where other plans cost less, and travelers who do not want an app or account.
Saily
Good for: travelers who like a tidy app from the NordVPN team, with pricing in the mid-range at each size. Less ideal for: routes where published network information is important. Saily does not disclose which Cambodian carrier it uses, so its coverage cannot be compared directly here.
Ubigi
Good for: data-heavy travelers after a large fixed plan on Metfone: its 25 GB at $39.00 and 10 GB at $20.00 are keenly priced, and it lists unlimited tiers with a cap. Less ideal for: travelers who do not want to use an app. Its listed plans run on Metfone.
The shortlist: Travelsim Asia if you want two networks behind you, Metfone's reach plus Cellcard's speed, and the cheapest 1 GB / 7 days or 3, 5 or 10 GB / 30 days with no app; Airalo if you need 20 GB or 50 GB, or specifically want the Smart side; Holafly if you need uncapped unlimited; Nomad if the 15 GB size is the one that fits your trip.
Cambodia-specific things to know
- The cities are the easy part. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap carry good 4G on all three networks, with 5G available in the main centres. If your whole trip stays in town, coverage is not the thing to agonise over. The network matters most once you head out to the coast or the provinces.
- The Angkor circuit is well covered, the edges less so. The main temples around Siem Reap sit inside good signal. The further loops and the tree-heavy stretches can thin out, so save your offline map and any booking before you set off for the day.
- The islands are the weak spot. Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem have patchy service and slow, shared WiFi, and accounts disagree on which network holds up best out there. Download what you need in Sihanoukville first and treat the islands as a place you go partly to be offline.
- Kampot and the smaller towns are fine in the centre. Kampot town has reliable 4G, and provincial centres generally do too. It is the roads between them, and the border districts, where Metfone's extra reach earns its keep.
- Messaging and payments live on your phone. Telegram is the default for tours, guesthouses and drivers to reply, and QR payments are everywhere in the cities. Both are light on data but need a live connection at the exact moment you use them, so you want cellular that just works then, café WiFi is a gamble.
How much data do you actually need?
City WiFi in Cambodia is generally decent, so you can lean on it more than in a pure island destination. Budget for the days you are on the move between towns, on the coast or out at the temples, where your eSIM does the work.
| Trip type | Daily usage | Recommended plan |
|---|---|---|
| Short city stay, light use | 200 to 400 MB | 1 to 3 GB |
| One week, cities plus Angkor | 400 to 700 MB | 5 GB |
| Two weeks, cities, coast and provinces | 500 MB to 1 GB | 10 GB |
| Long stay, remote work or hotspot | 1.5 GB+ | 20 GB+ |
Prices verified September 2026. Plan sizes are a guide; heavy uploaders and hotspot users should size up.
Most visitors land on 5 or 10 GB. A 5 GB plan covers a week with some WiFi to fall back on; 10 GB covers a fortnight that mixes cities with the coast and the temples. Our cheapest Cambodia eSIM guide works through the lowest price at each size and the validity traps to watch.
Dig deeper
- What does a Cambodia eSIM cost in 2026?: every provider and size compared on price, with per-GB rates.
- Cambodia eSIM for less: the lowest price at every data size, and the validity traps to avoid.
- Set up a Cambodia eSIM before you fly: step-by-step setup for iPhone and Android.
The bottom line
Choose by route and data size. Metfone reaches furthest into the provinces, while Smart and Cellcard run faster in the cities. Travelsim Asia carries Metfone and Cellcard and has the lowest prices at 1 GB / 7 days and 3, 5 and 10 GB / 30 days in this comparison. Airalo has the lowest 20 GB price and the only 50 GB plan, while Holafly offers uncapped unlimited on Metfone.
Sources
The coverage read above comes from crowdsourced signal maps, an independent network report and first-hand traveler accounts; the plan data from what each brand publishes on its Cambodia pages. Look for yourself:
- Opensignal Cambodia Mobile Network Experience, the independent report behind Cellcard's download-speed award and the Smart comparison.
- Cambodia SIM Card guide 2026, market share, rural versus urban coverage and area notes for Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and the islands.
- Getting connected in Cambodia (Lonely Planet), eSIM, WiFi and network overview, including the island and Koh Rong signal caveat.
- Cambodia signal map (nPerf), crowdsourced coverage you can zoom to any province, updated continuously.
- Provider prices checked 16 September 2026 and networks checked 17 September 2026: Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi. Travelsim Asia data is our own.
Not sure which plan fits your trip? Our support team is available 24/7 by email and live chat.