Yesim vs Airalo for China (November 2026): Which Plan to Buy

For most China trips, I’d choose Yesim. Its fixed-data plans suit lighter use, its unlimited passes cover up to 30 days, and I have used its China connection myself in Chengdu and Shanghai. Google Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and ChatGPT opened without a VPN, and the hotspot worked well.

I haven’t tested Airalo in China. Its prices, network and policies below come from its official website; the Yesim results come from my China review and its official plan pages, reviewed on 6 November 2026. This is a comparison for mainland China, not a claim about which brand is better worldwide.

Prices are in USD for one eSIM. Discounted Yesim prices use ROAM15 (15% off for new users). I verified that code at checkout on 2 November; it isn’t an offer for existing users. Airalo figures are published prices without an assumed coupon. Check your final checkout total.

I may earn a commission through Yesim links, at no extra cost to you. How RoamTested makes money.

Which one should you buy?

Start with your data needs, then check that the plan lasts for the whole trip:

• 7 days, mostly maps, payments and messages: Yesim 3 GB / 30 days, $7.14 with the new-user code. Save videos for Wi-Fi.
• 7 days with social media, music and occasional video calls: Yesim 10 GB / 30 days, $18.97 with the code. This is my default week-long pick.
• 7 days with lots of video, hotspot use or about 20 GB to use: Yesim 7-day unlimited, $25.70 with the code. Partner-network fair-use restrictions can still apply.
• 20 GB spread over 10 to 30 days: Yesim 20 GB / 30 days, $30.40 with the code. You don’t need to pay for a month of unlimited data.

On Yesim’s China page, select Fixed plans for a GB bundle or Unlimited plans for a pass measured in days.

Choose your Yesim China plan ↗

If you know how many days you’re staying

For moderate use, budget roughly 0.8 GB a day: maps, messaging, payments, social media and the occasional video call. These are planning estimates from my China data usage guide, not a measured allowance for every traveler.

A 30-day bundle can still be the right purchase for a short trip: the validity is the time you have to use the data, not a minimum stay. For a week of light use, 3 GB should cover the guide’s 2.5 GB estimate; choose 5 GB if you want more breathing room.

If you use much more data: for a 3-day trip using around 6 GB, choose 3-day unlimited ($11.02 with the code). For 5 days using around 10 GB, choose 5-day unlimited ($18.36). For a week using around 14 GB, choose 7-day unlimited ($25.70). Each costs less than buying the fixed bundle large enough for that example.

For a month of daily video and hotspot use that could exceed 30 GB, choose 30-day unlimited, $64.26 with the new-user code. Unlimited removes the fixed total allowance, but it doesn’t guarantee continuous full-speed data; the network’s fair-use terms still matter.

See Yesim fixed and unlimited China plans ↗

If you know how many GB you need

For data you want to use at any point over up to 30 days, these are my fixed-bundle picks. None has a daily allocation, so you can use more one day and less the next.

Need 20 GB specifically? For 10 to 30 days, I’d buy the 20 GB bundle: $30.40 with the code, compared with $31.76 for 10-day unlimited. If you’ll use that 20 GB within seven days, 7-day unlimited is cheaper at $25.70, subject to partner-network fair use. A 7-day pass won’t cover a longer stay.

The Airalo China page I checked displayed six unlimited packages rather than a China-only 20 GB bundle. Its regional and global products are separate catalogues, outside these China-only price tables.

Choose a Yesim China data bundle ↗

Yesim vs Airalo at a glance

Unlimited prices: compare the same number of days

If you need more data than the fixed bundles above, or don’t want to track a balance, these are the matching unlimited passes. The Yesim new-user price is lower in every row at the prices compared here. Without the code, Airalo’s published price is lower in every row, so the discount condition matters.

These prices don’t establish that one connection is faster. My Yesim tests used the 1 GB / 30-day plan; I haven’t run a sustained unlimited-data test or measured Airalo alongside it.

My one Airalo pick

Choose Airalo’s 30-day unlimited plan if you’re already a Yesim customer, can’t use the new-user code, need more than 30 GB over a month, and prioritize the lower upfront price. It costs $69.00, compared with $75.60 for Yesim without a code. You must be comfortable with 3 GB a day at high speed, then 1 Mbps, and with the fact that I haven’t tested it in China. If you’re eligible for the Yesim code, its 30-day pass is $64.26 instead.

What unlimited actually means

Yesim’s help center says it doesn’t impose its own fair-use cap. Its network partners can still reduce speeds under their own policies, and the China plan page warns about this. I wouldn’t promise unlimited full-speed video or a replacement for home broadband.

Airalo’s published policy sets a default 3 GB daily high-speed allowance, followed by 1 Mbps. Its China package page shows the same limit. The allowance resets every 24 hours from activation, rather than at midnight, and the full month’s allowance can’t be pooled into one big day. At 1 Mbps, maps, messages and basic browsing remain practical; streaming and large uploads slow down.

Compare Yesim China unlimited passes ↗

Speed, apps and hotspot: what I actually tested

My Yesim downloads ranged from 65.7–120 Mbps across four checks on China Mobile in Chengdu and Shanghai. The latest, in a Shanghai hotel on 2 November 2026, measured 68.4 Mbps down and 27.7 Mbps up. One earlier check at Hongqiao Airport connected on 5G. These are city snapshots on a fixed-data plan, not a nationwide coverage test.

Yesim routed my data through Singapore. Google, including Google Maps, plus Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok opened without a VPN; Microsoft Copilot stayed blocked. The hotspot connected and worked well. That’s why I’d choose Yesim for TikTok or sharing data with a laptop, while budgeting for that extra usage.

Airalo says its China data routes through gateways outside mainland China, allowing Google Maps, WhatsApp and social media without a separate VPN. That is the provider’s statement, not my field result. I can’t rank its speed against Yesim or promise that a particular AI assistant or TikTok will open on it.

Read my full Yesim review and screenshots or inspect the speed test database.

Which China eSIM works with WhatsApp, Google Maps and ChatGPT?

Yesim worked with all three in my China app checks, including Google Maps as part of the Google testing. That’s a practical reason I’d choose it when messaging, maps and ChatGPT matter. The results are from my fixed-data China plan, not a separate test of each unlimited package.

“Tested” refers to my checks on the reviewed China plan. “Brand says” is official information, with field testing still pending. “Not confirmed” means the checked official pages don't establish support; it doesn't mean the app is proven blocked. App access doesn't guarantee every navigation, registration or account feature.

Airalo’s official help explicitly covers Google Maps and WhatsApp over its eSIM data, without a separate VPN. I haven’t tested Airalo, and ChatGPT remains unconfirmed in this comparison: that help page doesn’t give an explicit ChatGPT result and notes AI-service geographic restrictions. International routing alone isn’t a guarantee for every AI account or login.

Refunds, installation and adding more data

Check your phone first. It must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Buy before departure and install on Wi-Fi once you’re sure you’ll travel. If you have an iPhone without a SIM tray, my iPhone guide for China covers the setup constraints.

Yesim has two different clocks. Its China plan page says validity starts when you connect to a compatible network, and you should activate within 90 days of purchase. Its refund policy, however, counts installation as activation: the ordinary 30-day refund window is only for an unactivated, unused and unexpired service. Installing at home can therefore end your refund eligibility before the data validity starts.

Airalo’s terms allow withdrawal within 14 days of purchase or until activation, whichever comes first, and not once you’ve started using the eSIM. Its in-app refund tool offers Airmoney credit; the terms also describe refunds to the original payment method where due. Check the selected package’s activation policy before installing.

When fixed data runs out, Yesim stops the connection. You can buy another plan, but its help center says a top-up replaces the current plan: unused data and validity aren’t added together. Don’t replace a bundle early expecting both balances to stack. Airalo shows top-ups in the app where supported.

For a route through mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan or South Korea, Yesim Asia Pacific lists all six destinations on one regional eSIM. Check the full 15-destination list for additional stops and compare regional-package prices and validity. The China-only prices and field results above do not establish Asia Pacific performance.

See Yesim China plans — from $3.36 ↗

Sources: my Yesim China review; Yesim’s China plan pages, unlimited-data help article, refund policy and MultiSIM guide; Airalo’s China catalogue, unlimited-data fair-use policy, China routing help article, terms and refund help article. Official information was reviewed on 6 November 2026; the Yesim code was checkout-tested on 2 November. Plan options, prices and coupon eligibility can change.