Simbye

App-first eSIM tailored to your itinerary

Simbye is a Swiss-based eSIM provider focused on flexibility and custom plan building rather than preset packages. You define your own trip by choosing up to ten destinations, selecting your data volume and setting your own validity window, then pay only for what you need. The service appeals to multi-country travellers tired of buying global plans that cost the same whether you visit two countries or twelve, and to those with specific destination needs that preset regional bundles do not cover. The company also maintains a traditional catalog of single-country and regional preset plans for travellers who prefer to browse and select a published package rather than configure their own. With 300,000 happy customers according to the site, Simbye has built substantial scale in the premium self-serve eSIM segment.

Plans built around your destinations, not ours

Simbye's core pricing spans 190+ countries, with most single-destination plans starting at CHF 2.00 (roughly USD 1.99 at current exchange rates). The site lists popular destinations individually: Turkey at CHF 2.00, United States at CHF 5.00 (standard data) or CHF 22.00 (with phone number and unlimited calls), Thailand at CHF 2.00, Japan at CHF 2.00, Spain at CHF 2.00, Italy at CHF 2.00, United Kingdom at CHF 2.00, Switzerland at CHF 2.00, Australia at CHF 2.00, and Germany at CHF 2.00. Some destinations carry higher prices: Egypt at CHF 3.00, Morocco at CHF 3.00, China at CHF 3.00, Canada at CHF 3.00, Mexico at CHF 4.00, and more remote destinations like Central African Republic at CHF 14.00, Bolivia at CHF 9.00, and Chad at CHF 9.00.

Simbye's flagship feature is the custom eSIM builder, available exclusively in the Simbye app. You pick up to ten countries from the 190+ available destinations, select a data volume from 5 GB to 50 GB, and set your validity from 30 to 365 days. The customization works around the reality of multi-country backpacking: rather than buying a €22 Europe plan if you are only visiting Switzerland and France, or a Worldwide plan at CHF 29 if you are splitting two weeks between Europe and Thailand, you can target your exact itinerary. The site emphasizes the value proposition: "standard packages rarely fit your actual needs. With Custom eSIM you only pay for the data and duration you actually need. Full flexibility, transparent pricing, zero waste." This flexibility appeals to travellers whose itineraries do not fit neat regional groupings. Pricing for custom plans is not published upfront on the captured pages; you must open the app to see the total cost based on your choices.

Regional preset packages are also available. Europe starts at CHF 22.00 (with unlimited calls) or lower for data-only variants. Southeast Asia starts at CHF 5.00. Worldwide coverage starts at CHF 29.00. Other regional options include Africa starting at CHF 8.00, Middle East at CHF 11.00, Asia at CHF 5.00, North America at CHF 5.00, South America at CHF 14.00, and the Caribbean (25+ areas) at CHF 8.00. The Balkan region is priced at CHF 3.00.

Many destinations offer phone-number variants with unlimited calls and SMS included. For example, United States with phone number and calls is CHF 22.00, Thailand with calls and phone number is CHF 18.00, United Kingdom with calls and phone number is CHF 20.00, France with calls and phone number is CHF 27.00, and Turkey with calls and phone number is CHF 29.00. These options are marked with an infinity symbol (∞) on the site to denote unlimited calling.

190+ countries with detailed destination coverage

Simbye lists all 190+ destinations by name on its site, giving transparency about where you can travel with a plan. The country list spans every inhabited continent and includes well-travelled destinations (US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Japan, Thailand) as well as remote or less common destinations (Aland Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Lesotho, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Benin, Togo, Niger, Senegal). A search function allows you to view all 190+ countries by name, making it possible to confirm coverage before purchasing. The site also organizes destinations by continent and by tourism popularity, with "Popular destinations" highlighted on the homepage.

Regional packages cluster destinations intelligently, suggesting that Simbye has thought through common travel patterns. Europe (CHF 22 with calls, lower for data-only) covers the major Western European countries plus many Eastern European nations, the Balkans, and Scandinavia. Southeast Asia (CHF 5) targets Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Brunei. The Worldwide option at CHF 29 is for truly global travellers, suggesting that if you cannot build a suitable custom plan, a single worldwide eSIM eliminates all borders.

The captured pages do not name any underlying mobile network operators, carriers, or roaming agreements that power this coverage. Simbye does not publish information about which local carriers provide connectivity in each country, whether coverage is consistent within a destination, or whether certain countries run on 2G-only infrastructure. The site also does not clarify whether the 190+ count includes territories, dependencies, or autonomous regions separately from their parent countries.

Installation, calling, and tethering options

Installation is quick: the site advertises "2 Min Installation" and "Instant QR code delivery" after purchase. Activation requires downloading the Simbye app (available for iOS and Android). You complete your purchase, receive a QR code, and scan it to install the eSIM on your device. No physical SIM card is required.

Calling and SMS are available on selected plans, marketed as unlimited. The site shows many destination options with "∞ Calls & Number" or "∞ Calls," indicating unlimited minutes and messages. For example, unlimited calls to and from Thailand are CHF 18.00, to and from the US CHF 22.00, to and from Turkey CHF 29.00, and to and from France CHF 27.00. The site does not clarify whether you receive a phone number assigned to your eSIM, how you initiate calls (app-based or traditional dialler), or in which destinations calls are unavailable. It does state that virtual numbers (a separate tier) are available, allowing inbound phone calls to be routed to your eSIM, though pricing and availability are not shown on the captured homepage.

Tethering (sharing the eSIM connection with other devices via your phone's hotspot) is not mentioned on the captured pages, so it is unclear whether Simbye permits or restricts tethering.

What Simbye leaves unclear, and who it fits

Simbye does not publish fair-use limits or throttling speeds for any tier, so you cannot know whether 50 GB is throttled to 2G after a certain threshold or whether you get consistent speeds throughout. The data allowance for destination-only plans (the CHF 2.00 Turkey plan, for example) is also not specified on the captured pages; you must make the purchase to see how much data you receive. The site does not mention device compatibility requirements, dual-SIM support, or whether you can switch the eSIM between devices.

Billing duration and expiration are similarly vague for preset plans. The site shows that custom plans run from 30 to 365 days of your choice, but does not clarify whether preset plans have a set validity period or whether you can extend them after purchase.

Simbye suits frequent multi-country travellers (a trip to three or four countries in one month), those with non-standard regional needs (a combination of Southeast Asia plus Europe, for example), and travellers who want the simplicity of building their own plan rather than hunting for the right preset package. It does not suit one-country trips where a local prepaid SIM might be cheaper, those who need phone numbers that work long-term, or travellers uncomfortable with app-only activation and no web purchase option.