Pocket wifi or eSIM for travel

A pocket wifi, also sold as a portable or travel wifi hotspot, is a small battery powered router with its own SIM inside. You carry it, switch it on and connect your phones and laptops to it over wifi. An eSIM does the same job inside the phone itself, for that one phone.

Neither is better in general. They solve different problems, and the difference usually comes down to how many people and devices share the trip.

How each one connects you

The pocket wifi connects to a local mobile network and broadcasts a wifi network for your devices. Everything goes through that one box, so everyone connected shares its speed and its data allowance.

An eSIM connects your phone directly to a local network, the same way a physical SIM does. There is nothing to carry, charge or return, and it only covers the phone it is installed on, unless you share it through the phone’s own hotspot.

Where a pocket wifi wins

Families and groups travelling together, with several phones and a tablet or two, can run everything through one device. Older phones that do not support eSIM connect to it like any wifi network. Laptops get a stable connection without draining a phone battery on hotspot.

Where an eSIM wins

Travelling alone or splitting up during the day, an eSIM wins easily: one less device to keep charged, and your data does not stop when the person carrying the router walks into a different museum. There is also nothing to collect at the airport or post back at the end.

What to check before renting a device

Where you collect it and how you return it, especially if your flight leaves early. The deposit or liability if it is lost or damaged. Whether the data is really unlimited or slowed after a daily threshold. Battery life compared with the length of your days out, and whether a power bank is included.

Check your phone first

An eSIM needs a phone that supports eSIM and is not locked to your home operator. Most recent iPhones and many Android flagships do; some budget models and phones bought in certain countries do not. Our compatibility page lists how to check.

A simple way to decide

One or two people, recent phones: eSIM. A group with mixed devices, or a laptop that needs to be online all day: pocket wifi, or an eSIM on one phone with its hotspot switched on if the plan allows tethering.