For a two or three week trip, Airalo is the pick: it installs at home and connects when you land. Mint Mobile suits US travellers who want their own number ringing abroad, and a local Indian SIM is cheapest if you stay a month or more.
- Indian mobile data costs around 9 cents a gigabyte; a travel eSIM marks that up for convenience.
- Airalo local plans start at $4 for 1 GB over 3 days; travel guides put India eSIM plans at roughly $4–$24 for 1–20 GB.
- Mint's International Pass was $5 for a day, $10 for three days or $20 for ten days at the time of review.
- Foreign visitors buying a local SIM must register in person with passport and visa, and activation can take 24–48 hours.
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Your plan for data in India is probably your home carrier's roaming add-on at $5–$15 a day, or a queue at an airport SIM counter with your passport out after a long flight. Airalo and Mint Mobile both sell a way around that.
Most people assume a travel eSIM is about cheap data. It isn't. India has some of the cheapest mobile data in the world, around 9 cents a gigabyte, and a travel eSIM marks that up. What you are actually buying is arriving connected and skipping the in-person registration India requires for local SIMs. Seen that way, the choice gets simpler, because Airalo and Mint aren't even the same kind of product.
Quick verdict
Airalo is the pick for most people flying to India for two or three weeks: $4 gets you in, it installs on the couch the night before, and hotspots generally work. Mint Mobile is for US travellers willing to move their everyday line, who want their own number to keep ringing overseas. If you are staying a month or more, or need an Indian number for local apps, a locally registered SIM is cheaper.
What Airalo and Mint have in common
Airalo is a travel eSIM marketplace: you buy a prepaid data pack for a country or region, use it and forget it. It covers more than 200 destinations and, according to a business news wire, has passed 30 million customers. Mint Mobile is a US prepaid carrier that runs on another network's towers; its travel piece is the Mint International Pass, which Mint says provides high-speed data, talk and text in more than 180 countries. So Mint is your everyday line travelling with you.
Both arrive as eSIMs, so both need an eSIM-capable, network-unlocked phone, roughly an iPhone XS or newer, a Galaxy S20 or newer, or a Pixel 3 or newer. Both install at home in about five minutes. Both ride India's national carriers, Jio, Airtel and Vi, which independent coverage data puts near 99% of the population on 4G, with 5G in big cities and mostly 4G or 3G in rural areas. Which network you land on varies by provider and plan, and that is what decides your signal on a hill road rather than in Delhi. Both also let you skip the passport and visa paperwork.
1. Airalo: the easiest way to land connected
With Airalo you install the profile at home, land, switch it on and you are online in the terminal. Easy installation is the thing that comes up most often in its positive reviews, and one Reddit user who tested several eSIM providers called Airalo the easiest to set up and use by far.
The catch on calls: Airalo packs are data-only as standard, with no number attached. Voice calls go over Wi-Fi calling on your home SIM or through WhatsApp, which matters in India because ride drivers often phone you.
Plans: data is metered, so the size you pick is a commitment; run short and you top up mid-trip. The validity clock starts when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy it, so install it at home, leave it off and switch it on when you land. Buying one size above your estimate solves most of both problems. Local plans started at $4 for 1 GB on a 3-day validity, with local and regional packs up to around $36 for 20 GB at the time of review.
Reliability: Airalo sat at 4.0 on Trustpilot across more than 39,000 reviews. Among the one- and two-star reviews, the most common complaint is the eSIM not connecting at the destination; one couple lost the first two days of an Italy trip to it. The company replies to about 75% of negative reviews and usually resolves them within two weeks, and one test chat got a reply in nine minutes. Keep your home roaming available for arrival day and go straight to chat if it doesn't connect. Traveller forums also carry unconfirmed reports of unauthorized charges on cards linked to Airalo accounts; nothing has been established, but paying with a card you can freeze is sensible.
2. Mint Mobile: your own number, abroad
Mint is a different job. Activating a Mint eSIM is an eight-step flow in its app with an 11-digit activation code, then porting your number with your old carrier's account number and transfer PIN. Mint's own documentation puts that at about 5–10 minutes on stable Wi-Fi, with most transfers finishing in a few minutes. It is a one-time carrier switch you then own, but nobody moves their phone plan for a two-week trip.
Where Mint wins: its pass includes talk and text, so your own number keeps ringing in India, which also covers two-factor codes tied to it. Neither option gives you an Indian number; only a locally registered SIM does.
Cost: Mint's cost is its US plan plus the pass. The eSIM itself is free (five in any 12-month window), and the International Pass was $5 for a day, $10 for three days or $20 for ten days. Mint's help page names the covered countries and says the pass includes data, talk and text, so confirm the cost, data cap and India's inclusion before you fly, and do the port at home rather than at the airport, because a mistyped transfer PIN can fail activation.
When an unlimited plan or a local SIM makes more sense
Unlimited plans in this category generally carry fair-use caps, usually 3–5 GB a day before speeds are throttled, and hotspot data is often limited. If you stream on cellular every day, Holafly's India unlimited ran about $12 for 3 days up to $85 for a month, and that flat rate removes the top-up math. But one reviewer noted most Holafly plans block hotspots while Airalo usually allows them, so if your laptop lives off your phone, Airalo comes back out ahead. An independent field test across 10 countries had Airalo faster in four and Holafly in six; India wasn't in that test, so we wouldn't decide on speed numbers alone.
A local SIM is genuinely cheaper, at around 9 cents a gigabyte. The cost is bureaucratic: under the regulator's rules a foreign visitor registers in person with passport and visa, and activation can take 24–48 hours. There is also a pre-loaded tourist SIM at entry airports. For a stay of a month or more, or if you need an Indian number for local apps, do the paperwork. On a two or three week trip, the queue costs you more than the eSIM.
At a glance
| Option | What it is | Price we saw | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Prepaid data-only eSIM packs | From $4 for 1 GB / 3 days | 2–3 week trips; hotspot users |
| Mint Mobile | US carrier + International Pass | $5/day, $10/3 days, $20/10 days (plus US plan) | US travellers who want their own number |
| Holafly (no link) | Unlimited data eSIM | ~$12/3 days to ~$85/month | Daily streaming, no tethering |
| Local Indian SIM | Registered prepaid SIM | ~9 cents per GB | Stays of a month+; need an Indian number |
Pros and cons
What works
- Arrive connected and skip the in-person SIM registration.
- Airalo installs in minutes at home and usually allows hotspots.
- Mint keeps your own number ringing, including two-factor codes.
- Both use India's main networks: Jio, Airtel and Vi.
What doesn't
- Travel eSIMs cost more per gigabyte than a local SIM.
- Airalo is data-only, and connection failures on arrival day are its most common complaint.
- Mint requires porting your whole phone line.
- Neither gives you an Indian number.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an eSIM for India?
Not strictly. A local SIM is cheaper, but foreign visitors must register in person with passport and visa, and activation can take 24–48 hours. A travel eSIM is about convenience on shorter trips.
Can I make calls with Airalo in India?
Airalo packs are data-only as standard, so calls go over Wi-Fi calling on your home SIM or apps like WhatsApp. Mint's International Pass includes talk and text.
When should I install a travel eSIM?
At home before you fly. With Airalo the validity starts when it first connects at your destination, so leave it switched off until you land.
Which phones work?
You need an eSIM-capable, network-unlocked phone, roughly an iPhone XS, Galaxy S20 or Pixel 3 or newer.
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