Morocco is the second-most visited destination in Africa (behind Egypt and ahead of South Africa).
And it is understandable why travelers flock to the country because it is stunning.
From impressive deserts to colorful markets, from stunning mosques to delightful food, the country has a lot to offer.
With fast swaths of desert land, staying connected is crucial while exploring Morocco.
So, while trying to find the best way to stay in Morocco, I tried out six travel eSIMs from various eSIM providers, including Airalo's Menalink (Middle East) eSIM, and three Moroccan SIM cards.
In most countries, getting a local SIM card is the cheapest way to stay connected (and you will have a local phone number, something you often do not get with a travel eSIM).
But installing an eSIM is quick, easy & convenient, as you do not have to queue up upon landing (after a long flight) or deal with SIM card registration requirements (such as getting your passport details captured in Morocco – mandated by law).
And travel eSIMs, like Airalo's Menalink, are relatively affordable (especially compared to international roaming).
But what matters is how the eSIM performed in Morocco – especially compared to the local mobile operators (and the network Menalink uses in the country).
Let's find out.
Original publication: 1st of February 2024. Last updated: 29th of February 2024.
Table of Contents
Airalo's List of Compatible eSIM-Supported Phones
Before I even focus on Airalo's Menalink (Middle East) eSIM, does your phone support Airalo eSIMs?
If you have an eSIM-compatible smartphone, it is almost guaranteed that you can use an Airalo eSIM.
While Airalo had to certify phones in the past, almost all are supported nowadays.
As of December 2023, the phones shown in the infographic below are compatible with Airalo eSIMs:
Now we can actually focus on the Menalink eSIM (in Morocco).
Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM Prices
You can get the Airalo Menalink eSIM for 1 GB (7 days), 2 GB (15 days) & 3 GB (30 days) for 15 USD, 28 USD & 39 USD, respectively. The eSIM can be used in 15 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, including Morocco.
While Turkey is considered to be part of the Middle East by many, the Menalink eSIM does not cover the country. You will need the Airalo Eurolink (Europe) eSIM instead, which I have tested in Turkey).
The prices shown in the screenshot above were during a sale.
It was the first time I had seen Airalo discounting the Menalink eSIM – let alone by 70%.
But at the time of writing, each variant is half off (and has been for weeks, which is impressive).
In fact, I wish the Airalo Middle East eSIM was always priced at these numbers – it would be highly competitive.
Especially with the country-specific eSIMs, like the Airalo Choukran eSIM for Morocco (review), being more expensive than eSIMs for more popular destinations (the ones for Asia, Europe & North America).
Let alone buying an eSIM for each individual Middle Eastern country.
Anyway, the links above will bring you to the product page of the Menalink eSIM.
And if you already have the Airalo app installed on your phone, the links will open the respective app (Android or iOS).
Regardless of the currency used in your country, Airalo will always charge you in USD (US Dollar).
If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.
Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).
I have saved THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.
What if you buy the 3 GB Menalink eSIM, as I did, and realize you need another 3 GB of data close to exhausting your data allowance (because 3 GB is nothing)?
Would you need to purchase a new eSIM? Not at all.
You can top up your Airalo Menalink eSIM for the same amount of data and prices as listed earlier.
The 3 GB top-up would still cost 39 USD (or whatever promotional pricing) as if you bought the 3 GB eSIM from the start.
And you can purchase as many top-ups as you wish/need.
That way, you will never run out of data.
A handful of Airalo eSIMs do not allow for top-ups. But that does not apply to the Menalink eSIM – so worry not.
You can top-up on the Airalo website or its apps.
And if you buy a top-up before you have fully exhausted your data allowance, Airalo will not use your top-up yet.
As a result, the validity of the top-up will not start until you start using the top-up data (which is not the case with all travel eSIMs).
>>> Get your Airalo Menalink eSIM now! <<<
Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM Country List
The Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM can be used in 15 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, including Morocco.
Below is a complete overview of countries where the Airalo Menalink eSIM works:
- Bahrain
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Morocco
- Oman
- Palestine
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia 1
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- United Arab Emirates
1 while not officially mentioned or confirmed by Airalo, you get 5G NR access with the Menalink eSIM in Saudi Arabia (at least, I did in December 2023)
With the Airalo Menalink eSIM, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit.
So if you plan on visiting two or more countries in the Middle East or Northern Africa, getting the Airalo Menalink eSIM will be convenient AND will save you a lot of money.
>>> Get your Airalo Menalink eSIM now! <<<
My Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM in Morocco Experience
I used my Morocco Menalink (Middle East) eSIM in Casablanca, Marrakesh & Rabat.
Initially, I planned on staying in Casablanca only… but it was not as exciting as I expected it to be 🗿.
Subsequently, the results per city are much lower than most of my reviews.
But they should still give you an idea of what to expect regarding speed in Morocco's biggest cities.
Travel eSIMs, including the Middle East eSIM, roam on the networks of local mobile operators.
Airalo is not a mobile (network) operator (MNO), so it partners with various MNOs, which roam on local MNOs' networks.
Okay, that may sound a bit confusing – all you need to know is that you will be treated as a guest on one of the Moroccan mobile networks while using another network to make this system work.
Airalo's Middle East eSIM uses the Orange Morocco network while being powered by Singtel from Singapore (so your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are on Singtel instead of Airalo – that is correct).
This is the same network as the Airalo Morocco eSIM (review) used, but it is powered by a different provider (Edge Mobile LLC/AT&T USA).
Is Orange Morocco any good? We have to find out.
The Morocco mobile operators, including Maroc Telecom and Inwi, have yet to launch 5G NR technology, so you can expect to be on 3G occasionally.
When looking at general network availability (2G, 3G & 4G/LTE), the three mobile operators are doing well (93.4% for Maroc Telecom and Orange and 94.3% for Inwi).
But when we focus specifically on 4G/LTE, Inwi is leading the pack (81.5%), closely followed by Orange (81.4%) & Maroc Telecom (80.1%).
Basically, you can expect 4G/LTE access in urban and populated areas.
What about speeds?
Maroc Telecom is the clear winner, with an average download speed of 29.6 Mbps. It is followed by Orange (18.4 Mbps) and Inwi (16.9 Mbps).
The ranking changes slightly when looking at upload speeds.
Maroc Telecom still leads the pack (8.5 Mbps), followed by Inwi instead (6.6 Mbps) and Orange (5.7 Mbps).
These are not the highest figures out there, but they are on the higher end in Africa (but low compared to other countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa MENA)).
I did speed tests with the Speedtest app throughout Morocco.
For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average upload speed of 10 Mbps fast enough.
Why is that? A more than 25 Mbps download speed is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.
Social media sites that do live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.
I have way higher standards, but not everyone demands a download speed of 500 Mbps 🤪.
In the section below, you will find various colors and formatting.
Results in dark green mean that the result was the fastest download or upload among all SIM cards and travel eSIMs I tested at that location.
Whereas results in light green were the fastest download or upload within the category (among all SIM cards OR all travel eSIMs) but not the fastest when considering the other category.
The same applies to dark red and light orange results – the slowest download or upload among all (dark red) or the slowest within a category (light orange).
All underlined results are on 5G NR, while results in italics are on 3G – results without additional formatting are on 4G/LTE.
That should clear up the colorful speed test results in the next section.
For now, let's see how the Airalo Menalink eSIM performed in Morocco.
>>> Get your Airalo Menalink eSIM now! <<<
Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM in Casablanca, Marrakesh & Rabat Speed Test Results
I used my Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM in Casablanca, Marrakesh & Rabat.
But I tested it mainly in Casablanca because I was supposed to stay there only.
However, we (Majed and I) got bored quickly 🗿.
Most travel eSIMs could only use one network, which was often Orange Morocco.
So, the next section will mainly compare the Airalo Choukran eSIM with Orange, Airalo Menalink (Middle East – review) & Alosim.
Below are the results:
Fair speeds with the Airalo Menalink eSIM.
While Morocco has a robust mobile network, especially for African standards, you should not expect the speeds you can get in other parts of the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) area, especially Gulf states.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar & Kuwait dominate the leaderboard, having median download speeds of 303.21 Mbps, 244.44 Mbps & 183.83 Mbps, respectively (December 2023 data).
Morocco was on spot 68 (37.56 Mbps) of 146, so it is doing better than most nations (and it had no 5G NR networks yet).
However, it could not beat the global median of 49.25 Mbps (only 50 countries did, and none were African).
Anyway, let's focus on the Menalink results.
It got the fastest speeds, even faster than the Moroccan SIM cards I tested at McDonald's @ Bouznika in Casablanca (135.65 Mbps).
Only the Airalo Choukran eSIM (review) came close, with a download speed of 118.67 Mbps.
Another location where the Middle East eSIM was fast, but not the fastest, was at Afriquia Aire de Repos in Settat (82.79 Mbps).
Orange itself got a speed of 241.53 Mbps here – faster than anything else.
The Choukran and Alosim eSIMs, also on the Orange network, got 103.21 Mbps and 77.03 Mbps, respectively.
The Menalink eSIM did not shine at other locations – it just performed well.
Although it underperformed in Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh (1.59 Mbps) and Kasbah of the Udayas in Rabat (2.37 Mbps).
To be fair, these were locations where Orange did not do well either (8.73 Mbps and 17.20 Mbps, respectively).
What about upload speeds? We cannot ignore those.
Its best results were at the arrivals hall of Casablanca-Mohammed V International Airport (CMN), Phare el Hank in Casablanca & Hassan Tower Fortress Square in Rabat – 23.77 Mbps, 25.06 Mbps & 26.23 Mbps, respectively.
The result at Phare el Hank was the fastest among travel eSIMs.
But we also got to discuss losses… or Ls, if you will 🤓.
Those were at Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca (2.58 Mbps), Menara Mall in Marrakesh (7.01 Mbps) & Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakesh (0.01 Mbps).
On average, I got a download speed of 33.24 Mbps (18.07 median) and an upload speed of 9.29 Mbps (6.65 Mbps median).
Those are certainly not the best I have gotten with the Menalink eSIM or even Airalo eSIMs in general.
But the eSIM can only do so much as the Orange allows it to do.
The averages of the Airalo Choukran, Discover+ (Morocco review) & Alosim were not that much higher either (39.84 Mbps, 38.35 Mbps & 32.64 Mbps, respectively).
Only the Nomad Morocco eSIM (product page) was significantly faster, with an average download speed of 58.24 Mbps.
But its Morocco eSIMs are significantly more expensive than Airalo's Morocco eSIM.
However, the quality of network performance is much better.
Overall, if you visit multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Morocco, and you already have the Menalink eSIM, it will work alright in the country.
>>> Get your Airalo Menalink eSIM now! <<<
My Overall Experience with the Airalo Menalink (Middle East) eSIM in Morocco – Is It Worth Your Money?
I would recommend the Airalo Menalink eSIM, and it would be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy a Middle Eastern travel eSIM (but not if you only visit Morocco).
Getting the Airalo Menalink eSIM or any other Airalo eSIM is extremely easy.
Airalo is one of the few eSIM providers that allow you to install an eSIM directly to your phone (without the need to scan a QR code – Android only), which makes the installation process a piece of cake (hence, I did not spend any time on how to install in this review – it is easy!).
Moreover, you do not have to adjust the APN settings with the Airalo Menalink eSIM, making it more manageable.
But… the Middle East eSIM is not affordable.
When I was in the Middle East (November 2023), the eSIM was discounted by 70%, making it very affordable.
For example, the 3 GB eSIM was only 11.70 USD instead of 39 USD.
With these prices, it was even cheaper to get the Menalink eSIM instead of the Airalo Choukran (Morocco) eSIMs (review), costing 8 USD for 1 GB (+3 USD), 14.50 USD for 2 GB (+6.10 USD) & 11 USD for 3 GB (+8.80 USD), while being able to use the eSIM in 15 countries.
But after Black Friday, the discounted price went from 70% to 50% (which is still accurate at the time of writing in February 2024).
Using the same 3 GB example, it costs 19.50 USD (instead of 11.70 USD in November).
That is a price increase of 8 USD, which is not minor. But it is better than paying the original 39 USD.
Personally, I would love it if these promotional prices were permanent so that Airalo could compete with Nomad's Middle East eSIM (regional review).
Which sells its 1 GB eSIM for 9 USD (15 USD for Menalink) and 3 GB for 16 USD.
Moreover, more generous data allowances are available: 5 GB for 22 USD and 10 GB for 34 USD – cheaper than the highest data allowance Airalo offers (3 GB).
That is enough about pricing – how did the Airalo Menalink eSIM perform in Morocco?
You get access to the Orange Morocco network, which is in the middle in terms of performance (worse than Maroc Telecom but better than Inwi).
I got an average download speed of 33.24 Mbps with the eSIM.
That is not too impressive, but Morocco's median download speed was only 37.56 Mbps (December 2023 data).
However, regarding coverage and reception, I had no issues with the Menalink eSIM on the Orange network.
While the other eSIMs (other Airalo ones and Alosim) had similar results, Nomad's stood out, with an average download speed of 58.24 Mbps.
But it is one of the more expensive Morocco eSIMs available (product page – but the performance is much better too).
Another one that stands out is Holafly, with its unlimited data plans for Morocco (ranging from 27 USD for 5 days and 54 USD for 20 days – product page).
It had the slowest speeds, with them being consistently below 8 Mbps.
For reasons I go over in the Holafly Morocco review (coming later), it is not an eSIM I recommend for Morocco or even other Middle Eastern nations (if they have unlimited data plans) because they are all throttled heavily.
As many eSIM providers do not have a regional Middle East eSIM that also works in Morocco (such as Nomad's Middle East eSIM), you do not have that much choice.
Fortunately, the Menalink eSIM performed well in the country, so I recommend it.
>>> Get your Airalo Menalink eSIM now! <<<