Best eSIM for Turkey in 2026: 8 providers compared

Picking the best eSIM for Turkey used to come down to price and network. Since July 2025 there is a third question: can you still buy and install it once you land? Turkey's telecoms regulator has blocked the websites of dozens of foreign eSIM sellers inside the country, so the plan you choose at home is the plan you travel with.

We compared eight Turkey eSIMs on their published terms: price for 5 GB and 10 GB, validity, the Turkish network named, the daily limit on "unlimited" plans, hotspot rules and refunds. Aynet is one of the eight, and it is our product. We say so wherever it appears, and we did not give it a category its published facts do not support.

Short answer: for a one or two week holiday, a fixed 5 GB or 10 GB plan on Türk Telekom or Vodafone Türkiye covers most travellers, and whichever eSIM you choose, install it before you fly.

How we compared: we read each provider's own Turkey plan page on 29 September 2026 and recorded the price for 5 GB and 10 GB over 30 days, the 7-day unlimited price, the daily full-speed cap, the named network, the hotspot rule, when the days start and the refund headline. Prices are in the currency each site showed us (EUR, GBP or USD); we did not convert them. Aynet's prices come from our live catalogue on the same day. Where a site blocked our checks, we say where the figure came from.

Best eSIMs for Turkey: a brief overview

• Aynet: best for a fixed data allowance with the network named before you pay. Our product: 10 GB for 30 days is EUR 7.99 on Vodafone Türkiye.
• Airalo: best for a short city break on fixed data. Packages of 3, 7, 15 or 30 days on Türk Telekom, and the only page we saw that explains the IMEI rule.
• Holafly: best if you want unlimited with no daily gigabyte figure. The trade-off is a hotspot limit of 1 GB a day.
• Ubigi: best unlimited for heavy daily use. 5 GB a day at full speed, then 2 Mbps rather than 1 Mbps.
• Saily: best for sharing data with a laptop. The plan page says there are no hotspot restrictions.
• Nomad: best for a short unlimited trip of 5 or 10 days, on Türk Telekom with hotspot allowed.
• Yesim: best when your trip length is odd. Unlimited is priced for any number of days from 1 to 30.
• aloSIM: best if you want a phone number. A free virtual number comes with every plan.

Provider	5 GB / 10 GB, 30 days	Unlimited 7 days	Network
Aynet (ours)	EUR 5.99 / 7.99	Fixed data plans	Vodafone Türkiye; Max adds Türk Telekom
Airalo	EUR 9.50 / 14.00	EUR 22.50 (3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps)	Türk Telekom
Holafly	Not sold	EUR 25.50 (no daily figure)	Turkcell, Türk Telekom
Ubigi	USD 6 for 3 GB / USD 13	8 days USD 22 (5 GB a day, then 2 Mbps)	Türk Telekom, Turkcell
Saily	GBP 7.49 / 12.49	Not shown to us	Not named
Nomad	EUR 7.90 / 11.40 (sale)	5 days EUR 14.91 (2 GB a day, then 1 Mbps)	Türk Telekom
Yesim	USD 10.80 / 16.80	USD 27.72 (no daily figure)	Vodafone, Türk Telekom
aloSIM	USD 10.00 / 16.00	USD 29.50 (3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps)	Türk Telekom

Sources, checked 29 September 2026: Aynet's live catalogue, Airalo, Holafly, Ubigi, Saily, Nomad, Yesim, aloSIM.

Prices change often and can depend on where you are when you look. Treat this table as a snapshot from 29 September 2026 and check the provider's page before you buy.

What the BTK rule means for your Turkey eSIM

BTK (Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu) is Turkey's telecoms regulator. Three rules matter to a visitor.

1. eSIMs are not banned, but many sellers are blocked inside Turkey. On 10 July 2025 BTK blocked the website domains of 13 foreign sellers, including Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad and aloSIM, and on 17 July 2025 it added 25 more, including Yesim and Ubigi. The decision numbers were published by the free-speech group İFÖD, and several providers say their apps are affected too; Hürriyet reported on 12 July 2025 that eSIM technology itself is not banned.
2. Foreign eSIM profiles are meant to be loaded before you arrive. A 2019 BTK board decision says phones used in Turkey should load only Turkish operator profiles, and that foreign profiles may be loaded outside the customs line. In practice: install at home, not at the airport.
3. Phones from abroad work 120 days without registration. After that, a phone must be registered and a fee paid, reported as 54,258 TL for 2026 (Habertürk, 31 December 2025). Separately, under the device registration regulation (article 4, as amended in July 2026), a foreign data-only SIM used in Turkey for more than 90 days within any 120 days counts as "permanent roaming" and the phone can be blocked. A holiday of under 90 days needs no phone registration.

Worth knowing: Aynet is a foreign eSIM too. Our site is not on the block lists we found, but the lists have grown before. Install your eSIM at home, and if you think you will need more data, top it up in My eSIMs before you leave.

Several providers now say this on their own pages. Nomad shows a banner asking customers to buy enough data before arrival, Airalo says eSIMs cannot currently be bought in Turkey, and Ubigi, Yesim and Saily say their app or site may be unreachable there.

1. Aynet, best for a fixed data allowance with the network named

Aynet is a travel eSIM shop where you describe the trip in a sentence and get one recommended plan, with the network, the data, the days and the price shown before you pay. It is our product. For Turkey there are two tiers: Smart runs on Vodafone Türkiye, and Max can use Türk Telekom or Vodafone Türkiye, both listed with 5G.

What you get

• The network for each plan is named on the plan before checkout
• Days start on your first connection in Turkey on almost every plan; the one that starts on install says so
• Top up the same eSIM from My eSIMs, no new QR code
• Full refund if the eSIM has never been installed

Best for

• A week or two in Istanbul, Cappadocia or on the coast with a known data need
• Travellers who want someone to pick the size for them

Pricing (live catalogue, 29 September 2026, VAT included): Smart 5 GB for 30 days EUR 5.99, 10 GB EUR 7.99, 20 GB EUR 13.99. Max 5 GB EUR 8.99, 10 GB EUR 10.99, 20 GB EUR 19.99.

Pros

• Two-network option on the Max tier
• A 50 GB plan with 180 days of validity for repeat visits (EUR 33.99)

Cons

• Data-only plans: calls and texts stay on your home SIM
• Newer brand, so fewer reviews so far

2. Airalo, best for a short city break on fixed data

Airalo is an eSIM shop covering many countries; its Turkey eSIM ("Merhaba") runs on Türk Telekom (Avea) with 5G. It sells fixed packages with 3, 7, 15 or 30 days of validity, so a long weekend does not have to pay for a month.

What you get

• Fixed data from 1 GB to 50 GB, plus unlimited from 3 to 30 days
• Unlimited is 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps
• Activation on first use, up to 365 days after purchase
• The Turkey page explains the IMEI rule for 91 days or more of use within 120 days

Best for

• City breaks where a 7-day plan is enough (5 GB for 7 days is EUR 8.50)

Pricing (airalo.com, 29 September 2026): 5 GB for 30 days EUR 9.50, 10 GB EUR 14.00, unlimited 7 days EUR 22.50, 30 days EUR 62.50.

Pros

• Fixed packages in 3, 7, 15 and 30 day lengths
• Its Turkey page explains the IMEI rule and says eSIMs cannot currently be bought in Turkey

Cons

• One network only
• Hotspot is not stated on the Turkey package

3. Holafly, best for unlimited with no daily gigabyte figure

Holafly sells only unlimited plans, from 1 to 90 days, on Turkcell or Türk Telekom with 5G where available. It publishes no daily gigabyte cap for Turkey: the page says the operator may slow speed "for no more than one day" under a fair use policy.

What you get

• Unlimited only, priced by the number of days
• Hotspot is capped at 1 GB a day
• A refund can be requested up to six months after purchase

Best for

• Heavy phone users who do not want to count gigabytes

Pricing (holafly.com German store, 29 September 2026): 7 days EUR 25.50, 15 days EUR 46.90, 30 days EUR 68.90.

Pros

• Two Turkish networks named
• A long refund window

Cons

• No small fixed plans, so a light user pays for data they will not use
• The 1 GB a day hotspot limit rules out a working laptop

4. Ubigi, best unlimited for heavy daily use

Ubigi is an eSIM brand of Transatel, part of the NTT group. Its Turkey unlimited plans give 5 GB a day at full speed, then 2 Mbps, which is double the 1 Mbps most rivals drop to. It names Türk Telekom and Turkcell.

What you get

• Plans start on arrival ("Smartstart") and expire if not used within 6 months
• Data sharing allowed
• Ubigi says its own app and site cannot be reached from inside Turkey

Pricing (ubigi.com, USD as shown, 29 September 2026): 10 GB for 30 days USD 13, unlimited 8 days USD 22, 30 days USD 64. There is no 5 GB Turkey plan.

Pros

• The highest daily full-speed allowance and the faster throttled speed in this list

Cons

• Its own page words the throttle two ways (per day, and for the rest of the plan)
• Prices shown in dollars only in our check

5. Saily, best for sharing data with a laptop

Saily is the eSIM app from the company behind NordVPN. Its Turkey plan page lists "no hotspot restrictions or limitations", which is the clearest hotspot promise we found.

What you get

• Fixed plans from 1 GB (7 days) to 20 GB (30 days), and unlimited from 5 to 30 days
• Activation on arrival, with 180 days to start
• Saily says its app may be limited in Turkey

Pricing (saily.com, GBP as shown, 29 September 2026): 5 GB GBP 7.49, 10 GB GBP 12.49. The site blocked our standard checks; we read the live page through a rendering service. We could not tell which day length its GBP 37.49 unlimited price belonged to, so we leave unlimited out.

Pros

• No hotspot limits on the plan page

Cons

• The Turkish network is not named on the plan page
• The unlimited daily cap is not shown on the live page

6. Nomad, best for a short unlimited trip

Nomad sells fixed and unlimited Turkey plans on Türk Telekom (Avea) with 5G and hotspot allowed. Its unlimited plans come in 5 and 10 days, which suits a short, busy trip.

Pricing (nomadesim.com, EUR from the page data, 29 September 2026): 5 GB for 30 days EUR 7.90, 10 GB EUR 11.40 on sale (regular EUR 13.16), unlimited 5 days EUR 14.91, 10 days EUR 24.56.

Pros

• Hotspot allowed on every plan
• Refund within 30 days if the eSIM was never installed (fixed plans; unlimited plans follow a separate policy)

Cons

• No 7 or 30 day unlimited plan
• Its page gives two different throttle speeds (1 Mbps in the plan data, 512 kbps in the text)

7. Yesim, best when your trip length is odd

Yesim prices unlimited Turkey data for every day count from 1 to 30, on Vodafone or Türk Telekom (Avea), with 5G listed. An 11-day trip pays for 11 days.

Pricing (yesim.app, USD as shown, 29 September 2026): 5 GB for 30 days USD 10.80, 10 GB USD 16.80, unlimited 7 days USD 27.72, 30 days USD 68.40.

Pros

• Two networks in the plan data
• Refund within 30 days if the plan was never activated

Cons

• No daily fair use figure published for Turkey
• Hotspot "depends on operator"; refunds under EUR 10 are paid as app credit

8. aloSIM, best if you want a phone number

aloSIM includes a free virtual phone number (through the Hushed app) with its Turkey plans, which run on Türk Telekom (Avea) with 5G. Hotspot is allowed.

Pricing (alosim.com, USD as shown, 29 September 2026): 5 GB for 30 days USD 10.00, 10 GB USD 16.00, unlimited 7 days USD 29.50, 30 days USD 72.50. Unlimited is 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.

Pros

• A number for calls and texts without a Turkish SIM
• 30-day refund guarantee for compatibility or network problems

Cons

• One network
• The throttled speed drops to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day

How to choose the best eSIM for Turkey

How much data will you really use?

A week of maps, messaging and photos is about 3 GB for most people, based on our Turkey travel guide. Streaming or video calls every day push that to 10 GB or more. If you can name a number, a fixed plan is almost always less than unlimited: among the providers that showed us euro prices, 10 GB for 30 days costs EUR 7.99 to EUR 14.00, while 7 days of unlimited costs EUR 22.50 to EUR 25.50.

Do you need unlimited?

Unlimited makes sense if you work from your phone, stream daily or cannot predict use. Read the small print: most unlimited plans here drop to 1 Mbps after 2 to 5 GB a day, and Holafly limits hotspot to 1 GB a day.

Will you share the connection?

If a laptop or a travel companion needs your data, pick a plan whose page says hotspot is allowed: Saily, Nomad, aloSIM, and Ubigi's "data sharing allowed".

Is your phone ready?

Your phone must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. A phone bought on a contract may be locked, and a locked phone cannot add a second line. Check before you pay, then install before you fly.

If you would rather not compare grids at all, describe your trip to our advisor and it recommends one plan, or see all our eSIM plans for Turkey.

FAQ

What is the best eSIM for Turkey?

The best eSIM for Turkey depends on how you use data: for a normal holiday, a fixed 5 GB or 10 GB plan on Türk Telekom or Vodafone Türkiye is enough and costs EUR 5.99 to EUR 14.00 among the euro prices in our comparison. Heavy users should look at unlimited plans and check the daily full-speed cap. Whichever you choose, install it before you travel.

Are eSIMs banned in Turkey?

No, eSIMs are not banned in Turkey. In July 2025 BTK blocked the websites of many foreign eSIM sellers inside the country, and several providers say their apps are affected too, so you may not be able to buy or install a foreign eSIM once you arrive. An eSIM installed at home works on Turkish networks.

Do I need to register my phone's IMEI in Turkey?

Not for a holiday. Phones from abroad can be used for 120 days without registration. A foreign data-only SIM used for more than 90 days within any 120 days counts as permanent roaming, so long stays need a Turkish line and a registered phone.

Which network is best for an eSIM in Turkey?

Turkcell, Türk Telekom and Vodafone Türkiye all cover the main tourist areas. Most travel eSIMs in this list use Türk Telekom (Avea); a plan that can use two networks gives you a fallback in weaker areas.

Can I buy an eSIM for Turkey after I land?

It is risky. Several sellers' sites and apps are blocked in Turkey, and a BTK decision says foreign profiles should be loaded outside the country. Buy and install before departure.

Is unlimited data in Turkey really unlimited?

Rarely at full speed. In our comparison, unlimited Turkey plans give 2 to 5 GB a day at full speed and then slow to 1 or 2 Mbps; Holafly publishes no daily figure but limits hotspot to 1 GB a day.

Does a Turkey eSIM include a phone number?

Most do not; they are data only. aloSIM includes a free virtual number, and Saily sells a US number as a paid add-on. You can keep your home SIM active for calls and use WhatsApp or FaceTime over the eSIM data.

What is the difference between Aynet and Airalo for Turkey?

Aynet recommends one plan for your trip and names the network before you pay; Airalo lets you browse its full grid. On 29 September 2026, 10 GB for 30 days was EUR 7.99 at Aynet and EUR 14.00 at Airalo.