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Last checked: November 4, 2026
You’ve settled on an eSIM for Korea, and now four shops want your money: Airalo, Saily, Yesim and Klook. I’d choose by how much data you’ll use and how long you’re staying, since that’s where their Korea plans part ways.
Still weighing an eSIM against a SIM card or a pocket Wi-Fi, or not sure your phone takes an eSIM? My guide to getting online in Korea covers that, along with the Korean carriers’ own plans. Everything below assumes an unlocked, eSIM-ready phone.
Quick answer
- ๐ถ Maps all day, video, a hotspot for a friend: Airalo, unlimited Korea plans from 3 to 30 days
- ๐ฆ Light use over a few weeks: Yesim, with 1 to 30 GB that stays valid for 30 days
- ๐ชถ Just a few gigabytes: Saily, with steps from 1 GB for 7 days to 20 GB for 30 days
- ๐งพ Already booking the airport train or tours on Klook: Klook’s Korea eSIM listings, in the same app
Airalo, Saily and Yesim side by side
This table compares Airalo’s unlimited Korea plans with fixed-data plans from Saily and Yesim.
| Airalo | Saily | Yesim | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited, slowed to 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day by default | 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 GB | 1, 10, 20 or 30 GB |
| Plan length | 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 30 days | 7 days for 1 GB, 30 days for 3 to 20 GB | 30 days |
| Price | US$12 for 3 days up to US$69 for 30 days | โฌ3.49 for 1 GB up to โฌ26.49 for 20 GB | US$3 for 1 GB up to US$35.04 for 30 GB |
| Days start | When the eSIM activates, usually on connecting in Korea | On connecting to a supported network, or automatically 180 days after purchase | When it connects to a compatible network |
| Hotspot | Yes, no limit on devices | Yes | Yes |
| Change-of-mind refund | Within 14 days, before the eSIM activates | Within 30 days, with conditions on installing and activating | Request within 30 days, before installation; approved refunds of โฌ10 or less go to Ycoins |
Yesim’s 10 GB plan lasts 30 days and costs US$19.20. Airalo offers 10 GB for 7 days at US$18, while its 7-day unlimited plan costs US$29. If you stream video or share your connection, I’d pay for unlimited.
Airalo: unlimited plans by the day
Airalo‘s unlimited Korea plans come in six lengths: 3 days for US$12, 5 for US$20, 7 for US$29, 10 for US$35, 15 for US$49 and 30 for US$69. Fixed-data Korea plans are available too. I’d pick the one that matches your nights in Korea.
Unlimited still has a speed limit each day. Under Airalo’s fair use policy, once you use more than 3 GB in a day, your speed drops to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day. The count restarts every 24 hours from when the eSIM activated, and a plan with a different threshold shows it in the package details.
You can use the plan as a hotspot, with no limit on how many devices connect. That suits a trip where a travel partner runs off your connection.
For most of Airalo’s eSIMs, the days start when the eSIM connects to a supported network at your destination. Some activate the moment you install them instead, and each plan says which under its activation policy.
For a change of mind, you can withdraw within 14 days of purchase, but that right ends once the eSIM activates. If your plan offers a top-up and you might use the same eSIM on a later trip, Airalo asks you not to delete it, because a top-up only works on an eSIM that’s still installed.
Yesim: pay for gigabytes, keep them 30 days
Yesim sells Korea data by the gigabyte, and its fixed plans each last 30 days: 1 GB for US$3, 10 GB for US$19.20, 20 GB for US$27.96 and 30 GB for US$35.04. The bigger three are listed as discounts from higher list prices.
Your days start when the eSIM connects to a compatible network, and you have 90 days from purchase to activate it. Hotspot is allowed, and Yesim doesn’t ask for ID. For a light user, I’d start here.
You can request a Yesim refund within 30 days of purchase if the eSIM is still unactivated, unused and unexpired. Installing the profile counts as activation for refunds. Approved refunds of โฌ10 or less go to your Yesim balance as Ycoins. Its Korea page tells you to install on arrival, and the QR code works on one phone only.
Saily: smaller steps and a long window to activate
Saily sells Korea plans in smaller steps. The 1 GB plan lasts 7 days for โฌ3.49, and the 30-day plans run 3 GB for โฌ7.99, 5 GB for โฌ9.99, 10 GB for โฌ16.99 and 20 GB for โฌ26.49. An unlimited plan is listed as well.
You have 180 days from purchase to activate, and if you haven’t by then, Saily activates the plan for you. Otherwise it starts once you connect to a supported network at your destination. The installation QR code arrives by email, and hotspot sharing is available on these fixed-data plans.
Refund requests go in within 30 days, and Saily’s refund page sets its conditions around whether the eSIM has been installed or activated, so I’d read it before installing early. Once the plan is in use, Saily can’t guarantee a full refund, and it lists more than 99% of the data left and quality problems on its side among the cases it looks at.
Klook eSIM: several providers, booked with everything else
Klook works more like a marketplace. Its Korea eSIM listings come from several providers, and you buy them in the same app as an airport train ticket or a day tour.
Because the plans come from different providers, the rules can change from one listing to the next. Before paying, I’d read four lines on the listing: the carrier, whether “unlimited” slows down after a daily amount, when the days start, and the refund terms.
Yuna’s pick
Using lots of data, or sharing it? I’d get Airalo’s unlimited plan for the number of days you’re here.
Mostly maps and messages for a week? I’d look at Airalo’s 10 GB for 7 days. Staying longer? I’d get Yesim’s 10 GB, which lasts 30 days.
Only a few gigabytes for a short stay? I’d look at Saily’s 3 GB or 5 GB plans.
Booking the airport train and tours on Klook anyway? I’d compare its Korea eSIM listings in the same app.
Installing at home: what it does to your refund
โ ๏ธ Heads-up
Installing early can close your refund window. Yesim counts the install itself as activation, and some Airalo plans activate on install too.
Whichever you buy, keep the eSIM on your phone until the trip is over, since Yesim’s QR code can’t move to a second phone.
I’d buy at home, then install by that shop’s rule: before you fly for an Airalo plan that activates on connection, and on arrival for Yesim.
FAQ
Do any of these come with a Korean phone number?
Not Airalo or Yesim. Airalo’s Korea page lists data plans only, and Yesim’s plans are data only, with its virtual numbers offered for other countries but not Korea. Saily offers a separate phone-number service, but its linked phone-number page advertises a US number. For a Korean number, the carriers’ voice plans are in my eSIM and SIM guide.
Is Airalo’s unlimited plan really unlimited?
By default, you get high speed for the first 3 GB each day, then 1 Mbps until 24 hours have passed since the count started. The count runs from when the eSIM activated, not from midnight.
Can I share data with my travel partner?
Yes, all three allow hotspot use.
Yuna
๐ Read next
- Korea eSIM or SIM card: checking your phone, plus the carriers’ own plans and airport counters
- Incheon Airport to Seoul: the first ride you’ll navigate on your new data
- Naver Map in English: the map app you’ll lean on once you’re connected
Sources and last check
- Airalo โ South Korea eSIMs, checked 2026-11-04
- Airalo โ Unlimited data plans: fair use policy, checked 2026-11-04
- Airalo Help โ When does my eSIM data package expire?, checked 2026-11-04
- Airalo Help โ When can I install my eSIM?, checked 2026-11-04
- Airalo Help โ How do I install an eSIM on my iOS device?, checked 2026-11-04
- Airalo Help โ Can I use my existing eSIM again?, checked 2026-11-04
- Airalo โ Terms of Use (refund policy), checked 2026-11-04
- Yesim โ eSIM South Korea, checked 2026-11-04
- Yesim โ Refund policy, checked 2026-11-04
- Saily โ eSIM for South Korea, checked 2026-11-04
- Saily Help โ What is Saily’s refund policy?, checked 2026-11-04
- Saily Help โ Saily data plan management, checked 2026-11-04
- Saily โ Consumer terms of service (updated August 27, 2026), checked 2026-11-04
- Yesim Help โ Countries with a dedicated virtual number, checked 2026-11-04
Last checked: November 4, 2026. Prices, plans and refund rules change, so please confirm on each shop’s page before you buy.
