The best eSIM for Senegal in 2026, provider by provider

Part of our Senegal eSIM guide: all articles and key facts →

The best eSIM for Senegal depends on how long you stay, how much data you use, and which of the country's networks the plan connects to. We read the Senegal pages of seven providers on 16 October 2026 and compared prices, daily caps, hotspot rules and networks. Here is who wins for which traveller, and why Senegal costs more than most destinations.

Which is the best eSIM for Senegal?

No provider wins every category: among the seven we read, Holafly and Ubigi are the cheapest for unlimited data without a subscription, and Orange Travel and Nomad for a fixed amount of data. These are the winners on the prices checked on 16 October 2026:

• One week, unlimited: Holafly at €37.90 for 7 days on Orange, with no published daily cap. Ubigi follows at €39, with 20 GB at full speed for the week, then 2 Mbps.
• The lowest unlimited price, if you accept a subscription: Maya Mobile's global plan, which includes Senegal, at $19.99 for 7 days. It renews automatically while its "Travel Mode" is on, and its page names no Senegalese network.
• A fixed amount of data for one or two weeks: Orange Travel's 10 GB valid 14 days at €18.99, a promotion valid until 15 November 2026.
• A fixed amount of data for a month: Nomad's 10 GB valid 30 days at $25 (€22.31), or twice the data with Orange Travel's 20 GB valid 30 days at €25.99 (a promotion until 15 November 2026); Ubigi's 10 GB for 30 days costs €29.
• A short trip with light use: 1 GB for 7 days costs €4.99 at Orange Travel, €6 at Ubigi and $6 (€5.35) at Nomad.

Before you pay, check that your phone takes an eSIM on our list of eSIM-compatible phones, and that it is not locked to your home carrier.

The seven Senegal eSIMs side by side

This table compares a one-week unlimited plan and a 10 GB plan, the two choices most visitors weigh. Prices are in the currency each seller sells in, checked on 16 October 2026; Nomad sells in dollars, and its euro display is shown in brackets.

Two details change the comparison. Ubigi sells in euros with the same number as its dollar price, so €39 is its real euro price, not a conversion. And Ubigi's 7-day "unlimited" plan is a 20 GB block for the whole week, while its 15-day plan resets a 5 GB daily allowance; Holafly publishes no full-speed figure: its page only says that its fair use policy may slow a line down "for no more than one (1) day".

The old name Free Mobile on Orange Travel's page refers to the network now called Yas, as the section on networks below explains.

Which Senegalese network does each eSIM use, and does it matter?

Every travel eSIM for Senegal connects to Orange, Yas or Expresso, and in the regulator's last national test Orange was clearly ahead on data. On esimdb, the comparison site that lists 214 providers for Senegal, 2,375 plans name Orange, 2,214 name Yas (listed under its old name, Free) and only 51 name Expresso; some plans name two networks.

Sonatel, which trades as Orange, is the historic operator. Yas is the former Free Senegal: its owner, Axian Telecom, rebranded its networks as Yas in 2024. Expresso belongs to the Expresso Telecom group of the Sudanese operator Sudatel. The regulator, the ARTP (Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes), counted 24,825,746 mobile lines on 30 June 2026: Orange held 55.17% of them, Yas 24.35% and Expresso 14.95%, according to its mobile market dashboard.

The independent measurement comes from the ARTP's own national drive test, run between 25 November 2024 and 9 March 2025 in all 14 regions, on 2G, 3G and 4G:

The ARTP's verdict on data was that "EXPRESSO and YAS did not reach the thresholds", while Orange's results met the minimums set by its decision of 2021. In Dakar, all three networks had a signal throughout the drive. The test reported success rates, not speeds, and 5G was not tested.

The speeds come from nPerf's 2025 barometer, built from tests run by users on their own phones in 2025: Orange users measured an average download speed of 38.62 Mbps, Yas users 20.73 Mbps and Expresso users 7.28 Mbps. Latency, which matters for calls over WhatsApp, was 32.89 ms on Orange and 92.22 ms on Yas. nPerf's coverage barometer of September 2026, built from measurements recorded by users of its Android app between September 2025 and August 2026, found 4G in 85.43% of the map squares where Orange users took measurements, 76.70% for Yas and 64.33% for Expresso. Weighted by where those users actually spend their time, the figures rise to 97.39%, 94.78% and 89.61%.

For a traveller, the practical reading is simple: an eSIM on Orange (Holafly, Yesim, and Ubigi, Nomad or Orange Travel when they pick it) is the safer bet on these figures. Airalo's Senegal eSIM runs on Yas only, which is a fair second, and the plans that name several networks can switch when one is weak.

Pros and cons of each provider

Holafly

• For: the cheapest unlimited week without a subscription among the brands we read (€37.90), plans for every number of days from 1 (€8.90) to 90, the Orange network, and what Holafly calls "1GB of backup data every month at no cost".
• Against: no published full-speed figure (a fair use policy may slow the line for up to a day), hotspot limited to "1 GB of shareable data available per day", no fixed-data plans, and no local phone number.

Ubigi

• For: two networks (Sonatel-Orange and Yas), a clear fair-use rule (20 GB at full speed in the 7-day unlimited plan, then 2 Mbps), and fixed plans from €6 for 1 GB over 7 days. The plan starts on arrival and can wait up to 6 months.
• Against: the 15-day unlimited plan costs €62 and gives 5 GB a day at full speed, and there is no unlimited month.

Orange Travel

• For: the cheapest large allowances we found from a well-known brand: 10 GB for 14 days at €18.99, 20 GB for 30 days at €25.99 and 100 GB for 30 days at €43.99, all promotions until 15 November 2026. Hotspot is allowed.
• Against: no unlimited plan, and outside the promotions the prices rise: the 10 GB plan costs €30.99 for 14 days at full price.

Nomad

• For: cheap fixed plans (1 GB for 7 days at $6, 10 GB for 30 days at $25, shown as €5.35 and €22.31 on its euro display), two networks, hotspot allowed, and 60 days after purchase before the plan starts by itself.
• Against: no unlimited plan for Senegal, and only four plans to choose from.

Airalo

• For: a well-known app, and short plans such as 1 GB for 3 days at €6.
• Against: Yas only, no unlimited plan on its Senegal page, and expensive 10 GB plans: €38.50 for 7 days, the highest in our table, and €41.50 for 30 days, where only Yesim (€45.30) costs more.

Yesim

• For: the Orange network, and a validity that starts "upon connection to a compatible network" within 180 days of purchase.
• Against: the only unlimited plan lasts one day (€12), the 10 GB plan costs €45.30, and hotspot "depends on operator".

Maya Mobile

• For: the lowest unlimited prices we saw from a known brand ($9.99 for 3 days, $19.99 for 7 days, $49.99 for 30 days), one eSIM for "165+ countries", and "Hotspot included".
• Against: it "auto-renews while Travel Mode is on", so you must switch it off after the trip, and its page names no Senegalese network.

Which eSIM should you pick for your trip length?

For a weekend or a week with heavy use, Holafly or Ubigi; for a longer stay, a large fixed plan from Orange Travel or Nomad usually costs far less than unlimited data. This is what each length cost on 16 October 2026:

Maya Mobile's global plan is cheaper than all of these for unlimited data, at $19.99 for 7 days and $49.99 for 30 days, but it is a subscription with no named network in Senegal. A month with Orange Travel's 20 GB promotion works out at less than €1 a day; a month of unlimited data at Holafly costs more than €3.50 a day.

Ten gigabytes is enough for maps, messaging and social media on most trips; video calls and streaming are what use up an allowance. If you work remotely from Dakar or Saly, an unlimited plan avoids the risk of running out mid-call.

Why is an eSIM for Senegal so expensive?

Sellers do not publish their costs, but their prices are clearly higher: the median week with at least 1 GB a day on esimdb was €54.49, three times the €17.95 we measured for Albania the same day. We took every Senegal-only plan listed on esimdb on 16 October 2026 and kept those with at least 1 GB a day at full speed:

• 7 days: 130 plans from 55 providers, median €54.49. Holafly (€37.90) and Ubigi (€39) were both below it. The cheapest, from small sellers such as RedSim, cost about €15 for 1 GB a day.
• 15 days: 82 plans from 39 providers, median €88.10. Holafly's €60.50 and Ubigi's €62 were well below it.
• 30 days: 108 plans from 40 providers, median €179.55. Holafly's €108.50 was below it.
• 10 GB for 30 days: 181 plans, median €32.86. Nomad's $25 (€22.31) and Ubigi's €29 were below it; Airalo's €41.50 and Yesim's €45.30 above.

This is the reverse of Albania, where Holafly's week (€33.90) cost almost twice the €17.95 median the same day. In Senegal, the well-known names are among the better deals for unlimited data, and the cheapest small sellers usually offer only 1 GB a day at full speed.

Is a local SIM from Orange, Yas or Expresso cheaper?

Often yes for heavy data use, but it takes a passport and a shop visit, while a travel eSIM works from the moment you land. Orange's tourist SIM, the Sim Teeru, cost 9,900 CFA francs (about €15.09) on 16 October 2026 for 15 GB (5 GB of it usable only on 5G), 600 national minutes and 500 texts valid 15 days, sold at the Orange shop in the arrivals area of Blaise Diagne airport on presentation of a passport (or an ECOWAS identity card) and a boarding pass or ticket. Senegalese law requires every SIM card to be registered to an identity document. Our guide to a local SIM from Orange, Yas or Expresso compares their passes, where to buy them and what identity you need.

A travel eSIM avoids the queue and keeps your home SIM in the phone. The two can also be combined: a small travel plan for the first hours after landing at Blaise Diagne airport, then a local SIM once you are settled. The CFA franc is pegged to the euro at 655.957 francs per euro, so these local prices do not move with exchange rates for euro holders.

When does the plan start, and what happens after the cap?

Most of these plans start on your first connection in Senegal, not on the day you buy them, so you can install them at home. Ubigi starts "upon arrival in a destination covered by the plan" and lets a plan wait up to 6 months, Yesim starts on connection within 180 days, and Nomad starts when you activate it, or by itself 60 days after purchase. Holafly "activates immediately upon connecting your eSIM to any supported network", and a day lasts 24 hours from that moment. Airalo's Senegal plans start on first use.

After a cap, the plan does not stop but slows down: to 2 Mbps at Ubigi after the 20 GB of its 7-day plan, or after 5 GB a day on its 15-day plan. Ubigi says 2 Mbps is enough for "messaging (WhatsApp, Messenger), emails, maps and light browsing". Holafly says its fair use policy may slow a line "for no more than one (1) day" without giving a threshold, and Maya's page promises "No caps, no throttling". Fixed plans simply stop when the data runs out; Ubigi, Nomad, Airalo, Yesim and Orange Travel all let you top up.

If the eSIM does not connect after landing, the usual causes are data roaming switched off for the eSIM line, or the wrong line selected for mobile data. Our guide to an eSIM stuck on activating walks through the fixes. If a provider asks for your EID before sending the QR code, here is how to find your EID number.

Does an eSIM work in Casamance and the Saloum Delta?

On Orange and Yas, the regulator measured a signal almost everywhere it drove in the tourist regions; Expresso had gaps of its own in Casamance, where its users were carried by Yas or Orange. These are the ARTP's findings from its 2024-2025 drive test, which measured where its test cars had a signal along the roads they drove:

• Thiès region, which includes Saly and the Petite Côte: more than 98% signal presence for all three operators.
• Ziguinchor region (Casamance, including Cap Skirring in the Oussouye department): more than 98% for Orange and Yas, but only 64% for Expresso's own network in Bignona and 9% in Oussouye, where the ARTP recorded Expresso users roaming on Yas and Orange.
• Fatick region (the Saloum Delta side): 90% for Expresso in the Fatick department, more than 98% for all three elsewhere.
• Saint-Louis region: 81% for Expresso in the Podor department.

Holafly's page warns that coverage "may be weaker or less stable" in "certain parts of Niokolo-Koba National Park, the Casamance region, the Saloum Delta, and its islands". A drive test follows roads, so it says little about the islands of the delta or the park's tracks; download offline maps before you head there.

Will your phone work with a Senegal eSIM?

Any phone on our compatibility list will, provided it is unlocked. Our pages for the iPhone range, Google Pixel and Galaxy S25 list which models take an eSIM. A phone sold by a carrier may refuse a foreign eSIM until it is unlocked; our guide on unlocked phones and travel eSIMs explains how to check. You can also check eSIM support without installing anything.

The plans in our table are data plans. Holafly states that its Senegal eSIM "does not include a local phone number". You can keep your home SIM active for calls and texts, but switch data roaming off on that line: our roaming guide for Senegal shows what UK and US carriers charge there.

How we compared

We read each provider's Senegal page on 16 October 2026: Holafly, Ubigi, Orange Travel, Nomad, Airalo, Yesim and Maya Mobile. Where a page loads its plans in code rather than as text, we read the plan data the page itself uses. Prices are quoted in the currency each seller displayed, without conversion. Saily's Senegal page refused our requests, so Saily is not in the table. Airalo's page showed data plans only, although some comparison sites still list unlimited Airalo plans for Senegal.

The market medians come from esimdb's list of 5,947 plans from 214 providers covering Senegal, updated on 16 October 2026. We kept Senegal-only plans, excluded subscriptions, offers for new customers only and pay-as-you-go, counted promotional prices where esimdb showed them, and converted dollar prices at the European Central Bank rate of 15 October 2026 (1 euro = 1.1208 dollars) for the median only.

The market shares and the drive test are the ARTP's. Prices change often, so check the provider's page before you buy. If you continue to the islands of Cape Verde, our Cape Verde eSIM comparison covers the next stop.