These Are The Best Travel eSIM Options For Taiwan [Hands-on Review]

Planning a trip to Taiwan and looking for the best eSIM to stay connected? You’ve come to the right place 👍 This article is a comprehensive summary and review of some of the top prepaid eSIM recommendations for travelers to Taiwan.

Unlike many articles that merely compile information from various sources on the internet (or AI-generated), this post is based on actual hands-on testing. I’ve personally used and tested these eSIMs to bring you reliable insights and data.

Before getting into the details, in case you're still deciding whether eSIM is a better option for your needs, I highly recommend giving it a try. The ease of use, instant activation, and risk-free nature of never losing a physical SIM card make eSIM an attractive choice for travelers. The convenience and peace of mind it offers are hard to overlook in my opinion.

*Note that the eSIMs featured here are carefully hand-picked based on their value for money. However, there are many more travel eSIMs available for use in Taiwan. For a more extensive comparison, be sure to visit esimdb.com, where you can explore and compare a wide range of prepaid eSIM options for your travel destinations including but not limited to Taiwan.

*Since I'm an iPhone user, the information provided in this article is based on my experience with iPhone.

Nomad

Nomad is a well-known traveler-focused eSIM service that excels in affordability and ease of use. I have personally used it multiple times in the past.

While there are a few eSIMs that are marginally cheaper than Nomad when looking solely at price, the difference is not significant (imo). In such cases, I tend to lean towards options that are more user-friendly and less stressful. And that's exactly why I chose Nomad this time.

For those who are new to Nomad, the article below will provide you with a clear picture of what the eSIM purchase process looks like.

How to buy and install Nomad eSIM

This article explains how to get started with Nomad eSIM.

eSIMDB Blog | All You Need To Know About Travel eSIMshuhei

Taiwan Data Plans

*The following information is correct at the time of writing. Please check Nomad's official website for the latest information.

Nomad's data plans for Taiwan fall into two categories: Regular Plans and Daily Plans.

Regular Plans provide a set total data allowance, while Daily Plans offer a daily data allowance (+ unlimited data at a slower speed).

First, here are the details on the Regular Plan data volume, plan validity, price, and cost per GB:

*Some plans like the 15GB option may be on a limited-time sale price, so prices are subject to change.

The lineup ranges from 1GB all the way up to 50GB, providing excellent variety tailored for any type of travelers. The prices are also quite affordable.

Aside from the 1GB plan, all options are valid for 30 days, which is sufficient for most trips.

For trips or business travel lasting a week or less, I personally recommend between 5GB and 15GB, as these amounts should allow you to use data without much concern for running out. For instance, the 10GB plan, with the promo code, costs only $8 or $0.8 per GB.

Some may prefer the Daily Plan options instead, so below are some examples of their pricing.

*Plans ranging from 1 to 7 days are available. Please check the official website for full details.

After the high-speed data allowance is consumed, you can continue browsing at 512kbps speeds.

In terms of value, the Regular Plans and Daily Plans seem fairly comparable. Personally, I prefer the Regular Plans because the Daily Plans might result in unexpected speed throttling within the day. However, the advantage of Daily Plans is that even after using up the high-speed data, you can continue using data at a slower speed.

Note that all Nomad eSIMs are data-only with no voice/SMS included.

Network Quality in Taipei

*Tested in: June 2024
*Device used: iPhone 15 Pro

With Nomad, some data plans require activation, but the Taiwan plan I purchased did not require this step. (For plans that do need activation, it's just a one-tap process in the app.)

Upon arrival in Taiwan, you only need to:

• Enable Data Roaming
• Set the Nomad eSIM for Cellular Data

These two steps should allow you to access the internet. Normally, you should be connected within 10 seconds or so (at leat that was my experience).

In Taiwan, the network I connected to was Chunghwa Telecom, and it displayed 5G.

Chunghwa Telecom is the largest telecom company in Taiwan, representing more than 40% market share in the mobile market. Their coverage is excellent (although 5G might be available only in major cities).

While in Taipei and Taoyuan, the signal occasionally dropped to two bars, but I did not experience any "No signal".

Speeds

While it wasn't super fast, the data speeds were perfectly usable.

Here are the results of the actual speed tests conducted in different locations: Taoyuan city center, around Taipei Station, and at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE).

Overall, download speeds were slightly better than upload speeds. Although not exceptionally fast, the speeds are quite good compared to other prepaid eSIMs I used in the past, and mostly sufficient for typical travel internet needs.

This Nomad eSIM displayed "csl", a Hong Kong carrier as the network provider, though the IP address was from Singapore. Ping, which indicates the degree of latency or laggy-ness, was just under 200ms which felt acceptable.

There were a few instances in Taipei and Taoyuan where data became extremely sluggish and almost unusable, but turning flight mode on and off fixed the issue. This can happen occasionally with any carrier, but more stable connectivity would be ideal.

Tethering / Personal Hotspot also worked without issues.

Checking Data Balance

Through the Nomad app (iOS, Android) or their website, you can check remaining data balance and purchase additional data if needed.

Their mobile app is clean and beautiful.

Some eSIMs lack official apps or the ability to add data, but Nomad covers these bases well.

Nomad's Taiwan eSIM: Recap

✅ Good variety of plans at excellent value. The "ESIMDB3" promo code saves $3.

✅ Occasional connectivity blips but performance is perfectly usable for travel needs. Tethering works fine.

✅ Data usage can be monitored via the easy-to-use Nomad app, and additional data can be purchased if needed.

eSIMX

eSIMX is relatively a newer travel eSIM service that many might not be familiar with, but they significantly dropped their prices in Spring 2024, making it one of the most cost-effective options available in the market.

While not flashy, their website is simple and straightforward for purchasing. Purchase instructions for eSIMX are covered in the article below. It also covers the 10% discount code "ESIMDB10".

How To Buy Travel eSIM on eSIMX [w/ Promo Code]

A detailed guide on how to purchase travel eSIMs from eSIMX, with a discount promo code to save money.

eSIMDB Blog | All You Need To Know About Travel eSIMshuhei

eSIMX's Taiwan eSIM Plans

*The information below is accurate as of the time of writing. Please check the eSIMX official website for the latest information.

There are a total of 8 eSIM plans for Taiwan available on their website.

As you can see in the tale above, the majority of the plans are either 10GB or 20GB. The shorter 7-day validity options among them have extremely low cost per GB, making them a top contender for short stays.

With 10GB or 20GB, you’re less likely to run out of data unexpectedly, even if you watch YouTube videos on the go or frequently scroll video posts on social media. Having a large data plan certainly adds peace of mind.

*Like Nomad, these eSIMs are data-only and do not come with a Taiwan phone number.

Network Performance in Taipei

*Tested in: June 2024
*Device used: iPhone 15 Pro

The setup process for eSIMX upon arrival in Taiwan is similar to that of other travel eSIMs.

• Enable Data Roaming
• Set it for Cellular Data or Mobile Data

The network connected in Taiwan was Chunghwa Telecom, displaying 5G.

Speeds and quality

Interestingly, eSIMX's Taiwan eSIM uses the same roaming network, "csl" from Hong Kong, as Nomad's eSIM. Thus it resulted in very similar speeds and connectivity quality.

Below are the speedtest results in Taoyuan city center, around Taipei Station, and at Taipei International Airport.

The download speeds were stable around 80Mbps, and although there were some dips in upload speeds, they generally remained just slightly lower than the downloads. Ping (latency levels) was around 200ms, similar to those of Nomad.

It became clear that Nomad and eSIMX are essentially reselling the same roaming eSIM for Taiwan, resulting in comparable connectivity quality. The occasional blips and congestion issues (requiring an airplane on/off to fix) were identical experiences across both eSIMs.

eSIMX's Taiwan eSIM: Recap

✅ Affordable 10GB and 20GB plans are the mainstream options. A 10% discount is also available with the promo code "ESIMDB10".

✅ Rare connectivity hiccups but overall good performance locally. Tethering (Personal Hotspot) works.

✅ Provides simple and straightforward purchasing experience on their official website.

MobiMatter (3HK eSIM)

Next up is 3HK eSIM offered by MobiMatter. MobiMatter offers a range of cost-effective prepaid eSIM products. This 3HK eSIM, provided by the Hong Kong telecom operator "3", is exclusive and can only be found on the MobiMatter website (no other provider offers this product as far as I know).

The MobiMatter website, while occasionally dense with text, is fairly straightforward and user-friendly, imo. How-to instructions with screenshots are covered in the following article for those new to MobiMatter.

Purchasing eSIM from MobiMatter and their member benefits explained

Detailed instructions on how to buy travel eSIMs on MobiMatter.

eSIMDB Blog | All You Need To Know About Travel eSIMshuhei

Overview of 3HK's eSIM for Taiwan

*The following information is correct at the time of writing. Please check MobiMatter's Taiwan eSIM page for the latest information.

Among the list of eSIMs for Taiwan on MobiMatter, the 3HK products clearly stand out for their incredible value.

There are two plans, "Taiwan 15GB" and "Taiwan 30GB" with the following specs:

*Additionally, creating an account on the MobiMatter site offers a 3% discount.

Both provide top-tier value among travel eSIMs for Taiwan. The 30GB plan likely offers the lowest per-GB pricing available.

For a typical one to two-week trip, the 15GB plan should generally suffice, but I opted for the 30GB plan this time because I was planning to use a lot of data through tethering. Besides, the price difference was only $4.

*Please note that these eSIMs are data-only (no voice/SMS), and the validity period begins when the eSIM is added to your device.

*While some 3HK eSIMs available on MobiMatter require ID verification (eKYC) to start using them, this Taiwan-specific eSIM did not require any registration.

Performance in Taipei

*Tested in: May 2023

Like other travel eSIMs, getting this eSIM connected to the network involves enabling Data Roaming and assigning it to Cellular Data. It might take up to a minute to connect initially.

While MobiMatter's site stated it would connect to FarEasTone's network, it actually connected to Chunghwa Telecom. The network type was LTE.

As previously mentioned, Chunghwa Telecom is the leading provider in Taiwan, so I experienced no coverage issues during my stay.

Speeds

Performance was extremely smooth overall.

Here are the speed test results at (from left to right) Taipei International Airport, Taipei Main Station, and Taipei 101.

Upload speeds were decent, but download speeds were significantly higher compared to Nomad and eSIMX, almost by an order of magnitude.

To give a real-world example, I use X's video load times as one data speed benchmark. With this 3HK eSIM, video playback started promptly without any delays.

Ping was around an excellent 50ms range via Hong Kong.

Data Usage Monitoring

After exceeding 300MB (1%) of data usage, I received an SMS from 3HK like the one below, so it seems they notify you via SMS each time you pass a set threshold. (In my case, I only used about 6GB in total, so I received the message just once.)

You can also check your data usage via the MobiMatter official website or app (neither of which are particularly user-friendly, however).

Summary of 3HK eSIM offered by MobiMatter

✅ Offers only two types, 15GB and 30GB, but these large data plans are highly cost-effective. Tethering is also supported.

✅ Connects to Chunghwa Telecom's LTE and offers good speed and latency.

Be sure to check their official site as product lineup and pricing can change occasionally.

Other Travel eSIM Options

While not personally tested in Taiwan, here are some more affordable eSIM options worth considering.

GIGAGO

GIGAGO underwent significant updates in 2023 in both the number of plans and pricing, quickly becoming an attractive eSIM provider. Overall, the service is very reasonable, particularly strong in Asia like Taiwan and Vietnam.

GIGAGO's eSIM Pricing for Taiwan

GIGAGO offers a wide variety of plans for Taiwan. There are daily plans like 1GB/day and 2GB/day, as well as fixed data plans ranging from 3GB to 20GB, totaling over 25 different options. Here are some:

• 3GB / 5 Days: $4
• 5GB / 5 Days: $6
• 10GB / 5 Days: $9
• 20GB / 5 Days: $15.9

Apart from the 5-day plans, there are also options for 7 days, 15 days, and 30 days, all of which are affordable prices. Particularly for trips to Taiwan lasting less than a week, GIGAGO could be a strong contender.

eSIM4Travel

eSIM4Travel is a relatively new travel eSIM service but quickly gaining popularity.

Their plans offer excellent value overall, with a straightforward and easy purchasing process. However, their website occasionally becomes a bit slow to load.

eSIM4Travel's Taiwan eSIM Plans

They have an extensive lineup of over 20 different plans for Taiwan. However, this selection may change over time, so it's best to check eSIM4Travel's Taiwan page or the eSIMDB > Taiwan > eSIM4Travel page for the latest available options and pricing.

Here are some examples of their fixed data plans. (Additionally, there are daily options like 1GB/day or 2GB/day that they offer.)

eSIM4Travel also offers a multple plans for other Asian destinations such as Japan.

Maya Mobile

Maya Mobile is another emerging travel eSIM service provider based in the US, offering extensive range of data plans at affordable price points.

The website is well-designed and easy to navigate / purchase.

They have 5 data plans for Taiwan as of the time of this writing, and all of them are valid for 30 days.

• 1GB / 30 Days : $5 USD
• 3GB / 30 Days : $8 USD
• 5GB / 30 Days : $13 USD
• 10GB / 30 Days : $19 USD
• Unlimited / 30 Days : $49 USD

They also have more data plans for Asia/Pacific region (covering 12 countries) for those who are traveling several countries in the region.