Shortlisted
Jetpac
States unlimited tethering with no data cap on its EU pack, so one plan can feed several family devices without a sharing ceiling. Source, retrieved 02 Jun 2026.
Sourced differentiatorVisit Jetpac ↗
Independent · Best of · Last reviewed 01 Jun 2026 · Methodology v1
Best travel eSIM for families
How Simscanner scores this category
Data confidence: Partial · shortlist sourced, ranking pending
Direct answer
For families, the eSIM choice turns on one question: do you buy one eSIM per device, or one plan that you share to the rest of the family by hotspot? Simscanner's editorial shortlist for sharing one plan is Jetpac (states unlimited tethering with no data cap), GigSky (hotspot sharing permitted to any device on unlimited plans), Ubigi (data sharing across devices, with the same plan working on phones, tablets and laptops) and Maya Mobile (Wi-Fi hotspot included on iOS and Android, with unlimited data that is never fully cut off). Each pick is justified by a sourced policy below, not by a ranking.
No composite score and no price appear anywhere on this page. Per-brand ranking scores stay pending until every required field is sourced; the shortlist below is editorial, based only on verified hotspot and data-sharing policy.
What is measured
The criterion
A family travelling together usually wants one of two things: an eSIM on each phone, or one plan that the rest of the family joins by hotspot. Simscanner's families criterion measures the second case directly, because it is where brands differ most. It records, per brand, whether hotspot or tethering is permitted, whether the published policy caps how much may be shared, and whether the same plan can run on more than one device type, all read from the brand's own pages. The hotspot-policy definition lives at /how-we-score#hotspot-policy.
The per-device route is simpler to reason about: each traveller buys their own eSIM, so there is nothing to share and the only variable is coverage and data size on each plan. The shared route is cheaper but depends entirely on the brand's tethering wording, which is the policy the cards below cite. Either way, an eSIM-compatible, network-unlocked handset is required, and a child's tablet that is shared by hotspot does not itself need to be eSIM-capable.
Editorial shortlist · ranking score pending
The verdict
A shortlist now, a ranked score later
EditorialSimscanner does not yet publish per-brand ranking scores for families, so the cards below are not ordered first, second and third. They are an editorial shortlist: each brand earns its place from one verified policy that helps a family share a single plan. The numbered, ranked version of this verdict publishes once every per-brand ranking field is sourced inside the methodology window.
Shortlisted for sharing one plan3 picks, sourced, unranked
Shortlisted
GigSky
Hotspot data sharing is permitted to any device on unlimited plans, which suits a parent sharing to children's tablets. Source, retrieved 02 Jun 2026.
Sourced differentiatorVisit GigSky ↗
Shortlisted
Ubigi
Many plans allow data sharing across devices, and the same plan runs on phones, tablets and Windows laptops, useful when a family carries mixed kit. Source, retrieved 02 Jun 2026.
Sourced differentiatorVisit Ubigi ↗
Why a shortlist, not a ranking: each card cites a single verified policy that bears on sharing one plan across a family. The cards are deliberately unranked because per-brand ranking scores (coverage, speed, reliability) are pending verification. Maya Mobile is a fourth sourced option: its Wi-Fi hotspot is included on iOS and Android and its unlimited data is never fully cut off, throttling to 10 Mbps after 3 GB a day rather than stopping (source, retrieved 02 Jun 2026). HelloRoam is tracked too and includes hotspot and tethering free across 185+ countries on 204+ networks; it states "no throttling during the plan period" but publishes no numeric ceiling, and a Simscanner US test slowed to about 1 Mbps after roughly 6 GB shared in a day, so we record the free-sharing policy as a genuine strength while flagging that the no-throttling wording is the brand's claim, not a tested guarantee (source, retrieved 03 Jun 2026).
Brands tracked for this criterion
Tracked brands
The canonical Phase 1 brand set Simscanner tracks for the families criterion. Listed alphabetically; the order is neutral and does not imply ranking. Brand profile pages link from each chip once published.
The comparison
Side by side
Hotspot and data-sharing policy for sharing one plan across a family, read from each brand's own pages. The fair use ceiling and ranking score are not shown here: the first is summarised per brand, the second is pending. No price column appears anywhere.
Every value below carries a source and a retrieved date of 02 Jun 2026. Ranking scores stay pending.
| Brand | Hotspot / tethering policy | Sharing ceiling | Coverage (sourced) | Ranking score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jetpac | Tethering supported; states unlimited tethering with no data cap. Source | No cap stated on the EU pack | 200+ destinations | Pending verification |
| GigSky | Hotspot sharing permitted to any device on unlimited plans. Source | Daily high-speed allowance (commonly 2.5 GB/day) then throttled | 200+ countries and destinations | Pending verification |
| Ubigi | Tethering supported; many plans also allow data sharing across devices. Source | Per-plan high-speed allowance then throttled (sourced per country) | 200+ destinations | Pending verification |
| Maya Mobile | Wi-Fi hotspot / internet sharing included on iOS and Android, subject to local network. Source | Unlimited never fully cut off; 10 Mbps after 3 GB/day | 165+ countries in every plan | Pending verification |
| Airalo | Tethering / personal hotspot permitted where device and network support it. Source | 1 Mbps after 3 GB/day on unlimited plans | 200+ countries and regions | Pending verification |
| Holafly | Hotspot supported on many plans but not unlimited; daily share allowance varies (about 1 GB/day on several markets). Source | Capped daily sharing allowance, varies by destination | Unlimited plans for 160+ destinations | Pending verification |
| HelloRoam | Hotspot and tethering included free, no separate add-on. Source | No numeric ceiling published ("no throttling during the plan period"); a Simscanner US test slowed to about 1 Mbps after roughly 6 GB shared in a day, so a heavy-sharing family could still be throttled | 185+ countries on 204+ networks (own claim) | Pending verification |
Partial, now
Hotspot, sharing and coverage cells are sourced and dated. The shortlist is editorial and the page emits an ItemList of the shortlisted brands.
Pending
The ranking-score column stays pending. No first, second or third order is published until per-brand scores are sourced.
Verified, later
When ranking scores are sourced and dated, the shortlist becomes an ordered ranking and the verdict cards carry a numbered position.
No price column appears here. Per-brand plan and pricing detail, with retrieved dates, lives on each brand profile. The coverage figures are each brand's own published destination count, not a Simscanner coverage measurement.
What you give up
Trade-offs
Sharing one plan is cheaper, but it concentrates risk. A daily fair use ceiling is reached faster when four devices draw on it, so a brand with a low daily sharing allowance can throttle a family by early afternoon. That is why a no-cap tethering statement (Jetpac) or an unlimited tier that slows rather than stops (Maya Mobile, throttled to 10 Mbps after 3 GB a day) matters more for a family than for a solo traveller. Hotspot also drains the host phone's battery and ties the family to one handset staying in range.
Buying one eSIM per device removes the sharing ceiling and the single point of failure, but multiplies the spend and means every device must itself be eSIM-compatible and unlocked. Holafly is a useful example of the limit of the shared route: its data is unlimited on the plan itself, yet its hotspot sharing is capped at roughly 1 GB a day on several markets, so a family that leans on tethering may exhaust the share long before the plan's own data runs low.
Use-case verdicts
Best fit by traveller type
Each card points to a shortlisted brand on a single sourced policy, not on a ranking. The ordered ranking is still pending; until then these are editorial pointers, each linking to the policy that backs it.
Honest backlog
Where data is pending
Hotspot, data-sharing and coverage policy are sourced, so the shortlist stands. These remaining fields keep the page from becoming an ordered ranking. Each is shown as pending rather than estimated.
Per-brand ranking scoresCoverage, speed, reliability and review scores that would order the shortlist. Pending across all tracked brands.Pending
App and store review signalsApp Store, Google Play and Trustpilot ratings with counts and a fetched date, per brand.Pending
Per-country daily sharing allowanceHow much may be tethered per day in a given destination, where a brand publishes it (varies for Holafly and others).Pending
Plan validity windows per destinationThe validity stated on each brand's own plan page, country by country.Pending
KYC for shared family purchasesWhether one buyer can register a plan used by the whole family. Saily, aloSIM, GigSky, Maya and HelloRoam read pending in source data.Pending
HelloRoam shared-plan sharing ceilingHelloRoam includes hotspot and tethering free but publishes no numeric daily sharing allowance; a Simscanner US test slowed after roughly 6 GB shared in a day, so the real per-day family ceiling is still to be confirmed. Operator: Future Syncs Ltd (UK).Pending
Caribbean coverage for shortlisted brandsCaribbean regional and country plan presence for Ubigi and GigSky reads pending.Pending
The rules
How Simscanner compares brands
1
The shortlist is editorial: each brand is included because of one verified policy, cited inline. It is deliberately unranked. No composite "overall" score and no first, second, third order is published until per-brand ranking scores are sourced, per /how-we-score.
2
Comparison cells show either a sourced value with a source URL and retrieved date, or "Pending verification". Cells are never left blank, never filled with a placeholder dash, and never filled with a brand-published marketing claim treated as a Simscanner measurement.
3
A brand's published policy (for example "unlimited tethering, no data cap") is reported as that brand's own statement, attributed to its page. Simscanner has not independently tested throughput, and says so rather than presenting the claim as a verified result.
Common questions
Common questions
Should a family buy one eSIM per device or one shared plan?
It depends on how heavily everyone uses data. One shared plan, tethered by hotspot from a parent's phone, is cheaper but draws on a single daily fair use allowance, so a family of four can hit a throttle by early afternoon. One eSIM per device removes that ceiling but multiplies the spend and needs every device to be eSIM-compatible and unlocked. A child's tablet shared by hotspot does not itself need to be eSIM-capable.
Which eSIMs allow sharing one plan across several family devices?
On verified policy, Jetpac states unlimited tethering with no data cap on its EU pack, GigSky permits hotspot sharing to any device on unlimited plans, Ubigi allows data sharing across devices including phones, tablets and Windows laptops, and Maya Mobile includes Wi-Fi hotspot on iOS and Android. HelloRoam also includes hotspot and tethering free across 185+ countries on 204+ networks. Most of these are the brands' own published statements, retrieved 02-03 Jun 2026, not throughput Simscanner has tested; the one exception is HelloRoam, where a Simscanner US test slowed to about 1 Mbps after roughly 6 GB shared in a day, so its "no throttling" wording reads as a claim rather than a verified result.
Why is the family shortlist not ranked first, second, third?
An ordered ranking needs per-brand scores for coverage, speed and reliability, and those are still pending across the tracked brands. Rather than invent an order, Simscanner publishes an editorial shortlist where each brand is included for one verified policy that helps a family share a plan. The numbered ranking appears once the scoring fields are sourced inside the methodology window.
Why are no prices shown on this page?
Simscanner does not sell travel eSIMs and does not run a price-comparison or affiliate funnel. Plan prices change frequently and depend on data size, validity and currency, which matters even more for families weighing several plans against one. Per-brand pricing, with retrieved dates, lives on the brand profile pages. This page focuses on hotspot and data-sharing policy, not point-in-time prices.
Is the family shortlist paid for or sponsored?
No. No brand pays for inclusion, position, language or visibility on the shortlist. A brand appears only because a verified policy on its own page bears on sharing one plan across a family. The full neutrality enforcement chain lives at /zero-paid-placements, where the QA gates and schema audit are listed.