Planning a trip to Ireland? You will want data from the minute you land: maps to find your hotel in Dublin, the bus app that actually knows where the bus is, restaurant bookings, and photos of green cliffs sent home before you have even left the viewpoint. The question is how to get that data without paying silly money for it.
We priced up every option a visitor has in 2026: local prepaid SIMs from Three, Vodafone and Eir, the daily roaming passes American carriers sell, and travel eSIMs from all the big brands. One of these options costs ten times more than another for the same thing.
The short answer
If you are visiting from outside the EU, a travel eSIM is the cheapest and easiest way to get online in Ireland, and the price differences between brands are huge. Our Ireland eSIM starts at $1.29, and 10 GB for a month costs $5.99. Airalo charges $17 for the same 10 GB, Saily $17.99, Nomad $16. Same island, same networks.
One honest exception before we go further: if you live in the EU your home plan already roams free in Ireland, and if you are visiting from the UK, the big four British carriers all treat the Republic of Ireland like home too. This guide is for everyone else, especially visitors from the US, Canada and Australia.
- ✓Eir network with 5G included
- ✓A third of the big brand prices
- ✓QR code by email in seconds
Mobile internet in Ireland: what you are working with
Ireland has three real networks: Three, Vodafone and Eir. All three are solid in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, and 5G is widely built out. Eir claims 5G coverage reaching 99 percent of the population, Vodafone has the reputation for the widest rural signal, and Three holds the most spectrum.
The honest part: on the Wild Atlantic Way, in Connemara, on the Ring of Kerry mountain stretches and in rural Donegal, every network has dead spots between towns. That is not a SIM problem, it is a geography problem. Download offline maps for the road trip days and you will be fine.
Our eSIM runs on Eir with 5G included, which covers the cities, the east coast and the main tourist routes well.
Option 1: buying a local SIM card in Ireland
Ireland does local SIMs pretty well, and if you are staying a month or more they are worth a look:
- Three sells a tourist pack: 5 GB for 7 days at 15 euro (about $17), or 25 GB for 28 days at 25 euro (about $29). Their standard prepay at 20 euro includes their famous all you can eat data.
- Vodafone has a tourist eSIM at 20 euro (about $23) with unlimited 5G data for 28 days.
- Eir prepay starts around 10 euro with unlimited data offers on top.
Sounds good, so what is the catch? Three things. You need to find a store or a vending machine at Dublin Airport and deal with it after a long flight, the airport machines carry a markup, and every one of those prices is higher than a travel eSIM for the amount of data a normal one or two week visitor actually uses. A 25 euro tourist pack only wins if you genuinely chew through 25 GB.
What about US carrier roaming?
This is where the numbers get ugly. Verizon TravelPass is $12 a day in Ireland. AT&T's International Day Pass is $10 a day. On a 10 day trip that is $100 to $120 for data you could have for six dollars. T-Mobile includes some international data on certain plans, but at reduced speed unless you pay for the day pass. Hotel wifi will not save you on the cliff walks either.
Option 2: a travel eSIM for Ireland
A travel eSIM is a digital SIM you buy online before flying. Scan a QR code at home on wifi, land at Dublin Airport, and your phone connects to an Irish network while everyone else is still queueing at the SIM vending machine.
Every big brand sells one for Ireland. The product is nearly identical, the prices are not.
Price comparison: MegaEsim vs Airalo, Saily, Nomad and Holafly
Prices checked in 2026. All plans are data only and run on the Irish networks.
| MegaEsimBEST CHOICE | Airalo | Saily | Nomad | Holafly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB, 7 days | ✓$1.29 | $4.50 | $3.99 | $4.50 | unlimited only |
| 10 GB, 30 days | ✓$5.99 | $17.00 | $17.99 | $16.00 | unlimited only |
| Unlimited, 7 days | ✓$6.17 | from $10.50 for 3 days | $34.99 for 10 days | $11 to $33 | $27.30 |
| 10% discount code | ✓SUMMER10 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Get eSIM → |
Ten gigabytes for a month costs $5.99 with us and $16 to $18 with the household names. Even Ireland's own tourist SIMs cost double or triple for comparable data. The big brands are not selling better coverage, they are selling their ad budget back to you.
On unlimited plans: Holafly sells unlimited only, from around $3.90 per day for a week, which is $27.30 before you have bought a single pint. Our unlimited plans start at $1.29 a day with a clear fair use note on every plan.
eSIM vs local SIM in Ireland: which should you get?
Staying a month or more and streaming heavily? Vodafone's 20 euro unlimited tourist eSIM is a fair deal, and we will not pretend otherwise.
For a normal holiday, one or two weeks, the eSIM wins on every axis. You set it up before you fly, it costs less than a coffee, and you skip the airport errand completely. Even our biggest plan, 10 GB for a month at $5.99, costs less than one single day of Verizon roaming.
How much data do you need in Ireland?
- Light use (maps, messages, email): 1 GB a week, $1.29 with us.
- Normal use (maps all day, Instagram, bus apps, video calls home): 3 to 5 GB, ours cost $2.24 and $3.33 for a month.
- Heavy use (streaming, hotspot, remote work on the go): 10 GB at $5.99, or unlimited from $1.29 a day.
Ireland is compact and wifi is common in pubs and hotels, so most visitors sit comfortably in the middle band. If you plan to navigate the whole Wild Atlantic Way by phone, size up and download offline maps as backup for the dead zones.
How to set up your Ireland eSIM
- Check your phone supports eSIM. Dial *#06# and look for an EID number. Most phones from 2018 on have it.
- Buy your plan on our Ireland eSIM page. The QR code arrives by email in seconds.
- On home wifi, open Settings, then Cellular or Network, then Add eSIM, and scan the code.
- When you land in Dublin, switch the eSIM line on and make sure data roaming is on for that line. Done before the seatbelt sign is off.
The bottom line
Ireland is an easy country to stay connected in, and an easy country to overpay in. American roaming passes cost $100 or more per trip, local tourist SIMs cost 15 to 25 euro plus an airport queue, and the famous eSIM brands charge three times our price for identical data. Our Ireland eSIM gives you the Eir network with 5G, 10 GB for $5.99, and a QR code in your inbox before you finish packing.
Safe travels. The cliffs really are that green, and yes, your phone will survive the rain.