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Nomad Europe eSIM Review (Tested in 8 Countries)

In mid-January of 2022, I decided to do something crazy.

As I had not been on a trip since March 2021 because of COVID travel restrictions, I decided that I would catch up on the lost travel time and go on a trip.

But it would not be your standard trip.

Instead, I would be traveling to 12/13 European countries to (re-)test the SIM cards of the local mobile operators, the Airalo Eurolink Europe eSIM, SimCorner travel SIM cards & Nomad Europe eSIM.

I would visit Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia & Slovenia, in that order, in March.

That way, I could assess if the local mobile operators had improved (significantly) from when I visited their countries (many) years ago and if travel eSIMs like Nomad are any good.

Yeah – that does sound like a boring holiday, does it not – just testing SIM cards and eSIMs?

Not for me though (I would not have a site dedicated to traveling with your phone if I found it boring 🤪), and I managed to gather A LOT of valuable data for you.

Not just for this Nomad Europe eSIM but also for the 41 local SIM cards I tested.

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As you can imagine, I am VERY behind on my reviews – let alone YouTube videos🥲 – but I am catching up!

But I can already tell you that I am pleasantly pleased with the Nomad Europe travel eSIM.

It was actually my first time using a Nomad Europe eSIM, so I had no idea what to expect (unlike Airalo, which I have used many times before).

It is easy to cross borders in Europe, especially the European Union.

So this trip made it a good time to test out a regional eSIM.

In this review, I will cover everything you need to know about the Nomad Europe Travel eSIM.

From eSIM packages, prices, which phones can use the Nomad Europe eSIM, eligible countries, my experience with the eSIM in the countries I visited & speed comparisons between the Nomad Europe and the local mobile operator the eSIM was roaming on.

Yeah, I was not playing around on this trip – I want to give you a complete picture of what to expect with the Nomad Europe eSIM.

But I can tell you that you will not be disappointed with the performance!

By the way, many blogs and sites will first write a few paragraphs about the history of eSIMs and how to install an eSIM.

If you want to learn how eSIMs work, I have this article for you.

The installation process is straightforward, especially if you follow the instructions given by Nomad, so I will skip that part too.

That way, we can get to the meat of this review quicker 😎.

Nomad Europe eSIM Review by Phone Travel Wiz

Original publication: 27th of May 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.


Table of Contents

Which Phones are Compatible with Nomad eSIMs?

Before discussing the Nomad Europe eSIM specifically, you must know whether your phone can even support Nomad's eSIM.

Unlike most travel eSIM providers, Nomad claims that every eSIM-compatible phone can use its eSIMs.

So that makes things easy 😎.

But the image will still give you an overview of the most popular phones that support eSIM.

As of August 2023, the phones shown in the infographic below are compatible with Nomad eSIMs:

Nomad eSIM Compatible Devices List Infographic (August 2023 Edition) by Phone Travel Wiz

With that out of the way, let's talk more about the Nomad Europe eSIM!

>>> Get your Nomad Europe eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<

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How Much Does the Nomad Europe eSIM Cost?

You can get the Nomad Europe eSIM for as little as 7 USD for 1 GB of data (7 days) and up to 90 USD for 40 GB (30 days). The eSIM can be used in 35 European nations with seven options: 1 GB/7 days, 3 GB/30 days, 5 GB/30 days, 10 GB/30 days, 20 GB/30 days & 20 GB/30 days.

Note that Nomad recently introduced a two-tier system for its Europe eSIM: one for 31 countries and the other for 35 countries.

Fortunately, the Nomad Europe 35 countries variant is only up to 10 USD more expensive than the 30 countries version.

Below is an overview of how much each Nomad Europe eSIM costs:

  1. Europe 1 GB eSIM for 7 days (30 countries by Tele2 Sweden), costing 5 USD
  2. Europe 1 GB eSIM for 7 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 5 USD
  3. Europe 3 GB eSIM for 15 days (30 countries by Tele2 Sweden), costing 12 USD
  4. Europe 3 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 13 USD
  5. Europe 5 GB eSIM for 30 days (30 countries by Tele2 Sweden), costing 14 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  6. Europe 5 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 9 USD (price dropped) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  7. Europe 10 GB eSIM for 30 days (30 countries by Tele2 Sweden), costing 22 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  8. Europe 10 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 22 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  9. Europe 15 GB eSIM for 30 days (30 countries by Tele2 Sweden), costing 29 USD
  10. Europe 15 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 29 USD
  11. Europe 20 GB eSIM for 30 days (30 countries by Tele2 Sweden), costing 35 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  12. Europe 20 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 35 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  13. Europe 30 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 70 USD
  14. Europe 40 GB eSIM for 30 days (35 countries by Truphone), costing 90 USD

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 13th of September (2023 data only).

>>> Get your Nomad Europe eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<

Nomad Europe eSIMs
See the list above for up-to-date prices and allowances. The figures in this image may be outdated.
Nomad Europe eSIMs

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Moreover, regardless of which Nomad Europe eSIM you choose, you can always top it up for the same amount of data and prices as listed above.

For example, suppose you buy the 5 GB Nomad Europe eSIM but realize you need more data.

You can top it up with the 3 GB Nomad Europe top-up or the 10 GB Nomad Europe top-up.

Nomad Europe Travel eSIM Top-Ups

Many eSIM providers out there do not allow you to top up or extend the validity of your eSIM, so it is cool that Nomad allows you to do so.

>>> Get your Nomad Europe eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<

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In Which Countries Can the Nomad Europe eSIM Be Used?

The Nomad Europe eSIM can be used in 25 or 35 European countries, depending on the chosen variant, including most nations in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area and a few other European countries, including Monaco, San Marino & the United Kingdom.

Below is a complete overview of countries the Nomad Europe eSIM works:

  • Austria 1, 2
  • Belgium 1, 2
  • Bulgaria 2
  • Croatia 1, 2
  • Cyprus 2
  • Czech Republic 1, 2
  • Denmark 1, 2
  • Estonia 1, 2
  • Finland 1, 2
  • France 1, 2
  • Germany 1, 2
  • Greece 1, 2
  • Hungary 1, 2
  • Iceland 1, 2
  • Ireland 1, 2
  • Italy 1, 2
  • Latvia 2
  • Liechtenstein 2
  • Lithuania 2
  • Luxembourg 1, 2
  • Malta 1, 2
  • Monaco 2
  • Netherlands 1, 2
  • Norway 1, 2
  • Poland 2
  • Portugal 1, 2
  • Romania 2
  • San Marino 2
  • Slovakia 1, 2
  • Slovenia 1, 2
  • Spain 1, 2
  • Sweden 1, 2
  • Switzerland 2
  • Vatican City 2
  • United Kingdom 1, 2

1 25 countries variant
2 35 countries variant

Europe 25 Countries eSIM Availability Nomad
Europe 35 Countries eSIM Availability Nomad

With the Nomad Europe eSIM, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit – averaging 10.78 USD/country in Europe!

>>> Get your Nomad Europe eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CADoff! <<<

If you want to visit other countries outside of Europe, consider the Nomad Global eSIM, which can be used in 110 countries.

But be aware it is a very expensive eSIM (so expensive that I do not use it).

Instead, I have an ongoing review for the Airalo Discover Global eSIM (which is much cheaper than the Nomad Global eSIM), letting you know in which countries you should consider it and which ones you should avoid it.

Airalo Discover Global eSIM Review by Phone Travel Wiz

>>> Get your Nomad Europe eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CADoff! <<<

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My Experience with the Nomad Europe eSIM in 8 Countries

I used the Nomad Europe eSIM in Portugal, Spain, Italy, (Vatican City), Malta, Greece, Belgium, Austria & Slovakia.

If you paid close attention to what I wrote in the introduction, I also visited Andorra.

In March 2022, the Nomad Europe eSIM could not be used in Andorra (yet), so I had to use an Andorra Telecom SIM card (read my Andorra Telecom review here).

Besides Andorra, I also visited Croatia, Hungary & Slovenia.

The Nomad Europe eSIM expired when I arrived in Hungary, and I was not in the mood to purchase a new one.

So I did not test it in those three countries 🥴.

Now, I will write a bit about my experience with Nomad Europe in the eight countries I used it in – coverage, speed & comparisons with the roaming partner.

I want to say that the Nomad Europe eSIM supports 4G/LTE only in all the countries it can be used.

Some eSIM providers, like Airalo, do have 5G NR support (for example, its Portugal eSIM)

The purpose of my Europe tour was mainly to compare the mobile operators with each other.

While eSIMs are becoming more popular, about 100 different phones support eSIM – a tiny number when you remember how many phones get released every year.

As a result, there will be significant speed differences between the Nomad Europe eSIM and roaming partner, especially if the roaming partner enabled 5G NR for prepaid customers.

I did six to 20 speed tests across three phones in the locations I did my tests – I could not be bothered to do even more tests on 4G/LTE if the roaming partner had 5G NR access at that location.

All this testing takes a lot of time – let alone the processing 🥲.

But now you will understand why I got only a download speed of 70 Mbps with Nomad, whereas the roaming partner got a download speed of 400+ or whatever.

I will also mention whether the Nomad Europe eSIM has passed the 4k video streaming and live streaming test.

What are those tests?

A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.

Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.

So if the average download speed with the Nomad Europe eSIM in Portugal was 50 Mbps, then it passed the video streaming test.

But if the average upload speed was only 3.5 Mbps, then it did not pass the live stream test.

All 5G NR speed test results are underlined.

Any result in italics is a result on 3G.

Any number that is in bold means that speed test result was the fastest at that location between all the local mobile operators, Nomad Europe eSIM, Airalo Eurolink Europe eSIM & SimCorner travel SIM cards.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<

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Nomad Europe eSIM in Portugal (Compared with MEO PT)

Flag of Portugal

Portugal was my first stop for this trip. I only stayed in Porto because I had not been there before.

But I celebrated my birthday in Lisbon… when it was pouring and on a Ryanair flight to Madrid, Spain.

Yeah – I am truly boring 🥴.

In Portugal, you have three mobile operators:

  • MEO Portugal
  • NOS Portugal
  • Vodafone Portugal

You can learn more about local Portuguese SIM cards in my Portugal SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the MEO Portugal network, which, on average, is in the middle in the terms of speeds (behind NOS Portugal and ahead of Vodafone Portugal).

However, I managed to get the fastest speeds with MEO Portugal (6/12 tests) – in fact, I broke a previous (5G NR) speed test record in Portugal (until I managed to get a 1 Gbps download speed with Optus in Australia – crazy) with MEO Portugal.

I managed to get 5G NR speed test results at every test location with MEO Portugal – and incredibly fast results too.

And if you remember well, the Nomad Europe eSIM does not have 5G NR access… so the Nomad Europe eSIM stood no chance.

Even then, MEO Portugal's 4G/LTE network is still fast.

Anyway, here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM and MEO Portugal – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs MEO Portugal Speed Test Results Compared

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 68.8% slower than MEO Portugal – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM did pass the video streaming test (70.29 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) and the live streaming test (20.83 average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Portugal.

Honestly, there is not much to say about these results, except for the fact that MEO Portugal's 5G NR upload speeds were slower than Nomad Europe's at times.

This is not too crazy – it happens all the time. But it is quite remarkable that the Nomad Europe eSIM had a better median upload speed.

I always had reception with the eSIM and SIM card at all test locations and when just wandering around Lisbon.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Flag of Spain

Nomad Europe eSIM in Spain

Spain was my first stop for this trip. Just like in Portugal, I mostly stayed in Madrid only because I had not been there before.

I did a few tests in Barcelona on my way to Andorra, and from Barcelona flying to Italy (Rome).

In Spain, you have four mobile operators:

  • Movistar Spain
  • Orange Spain
  • Vodafone Spain
  • Yoigo

You can learn more about local Spanish SIM cards in my Spain SIM card buying guide.

Unfortunately, I forgot to note down which network the Nomad Europe eSIM uses.

So I do not know which roaming partner the Nomad Europe eSIM used 🥲.

So I will show you the download speeds of each Spanish mobile operator and the Nomad Europe eSIM:

Nomad Europe eSIM in Spain vs Movistar Spain Orange Spain Vodafone Spain & Yoigo Speed Test Results Compared

As you can see, I got some insane speed results with Movistar Spain, Orange Spain & Vodafone Spain.

Movistar Spain and Vodafone Spain offered 5G NR to prepaid customers, and I had 5G NR reception at many test locations.

Orange Spain did not offer 5G NR to prepaid customers (yet).

Still, it is the mobile operator with the fastest 4G/LTE speeds, according to Opensignal and Speedtest.

The Nomad Europe eSIM performed well (but not 606 Mbps well), but it could not compete with those 5G NR speed test results.

I do suspect it used the Orange Spain network based on how close the speed test results were at several locations.

I guess I have to go back one day to find out? 😏

I always had reception with the eSIM and SIM card at all test locations and when just wandering around Madrid.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Nomad Europe eSIM in Italy & Vatican City (Compared with Vodafone IT)

Flag of Italy

Italy was my fourth stop for this trip, but the third for my Nomad Europe eSIM testing because the eSIM did not work in Andorra back then.

I used an Andorra Telecom SIM card instead, which I have reviewed as well.

In Italy, I stayed in Rome and Catania. I also visited Vatican City, where the Italian mobile operators cover the entirety of the city (it is tiny – that is why).

In Italy, you have four mobile operators:

  • TIM Italy
  • Wind Tre (formerly Wind and Tre)
  • Vodafone Italy
  • Iliad

You can learn more about local Italian SIM cards in my Italy SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the Vodafone Italy network, which, on average, is the second-fastest in terms of 5G NR speeds, behind TIM Italy but ahead of Iliad and Wind Tre.

The Vodafone Italy SIM card I got did not have 5G NR access (even though I was promised that I would have 5G NR access).

So now we can compare both options, the Nomad Europe eSIM and Vodafone Italy, accurately because they both used 4G/LTE.

Well… somewhat accurately – but you will see why later.

Here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe and Vodafone Italy – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs Vodafone Italy Speed Test Results Compared

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 40.3% slower than Vodafone Italy – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM did pass the video streaming test (45.21 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) and the live streaming test (15.01 Mbps average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Italy.

While this difference in speeds may be drastic, it is rather normal.

Mobile operators prioritize their customers over roaming partners, like the Nomad Europe eSIM.

Even then, the speeds with the Nomad Europe eSIM were fast to blazing-fast, with the exception of four download speed results with results below 10 Mbps.

I always had reception with the eSIM and SIM card at all test locations and when just wandering around Rome and Catania.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Nomad Europe eSIM in Malta (Compared with GO MT)

Flag of Malta

After Italy, I flew to Malta. The second-last country of phase one of my trip.

In Malta, you have three mobile operators:

  • Epic Malta (formerly Vodafone Malta)
  • GO Malta
  • Melita

You can learn more about local Maltese SIM cards in my Malta SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the GO Malta network, which, on average, is the fastest mobile operator in Malta (ahead of Epic Malra and far ahead of Melita).

However, Epic Malta was much faster that GO Malta during my trip.

While every Maltese mobile operator claimed they had 5G NR (for prepaid) in Sliema and St Julian's, I never managed to experience 5G NR in those two cities, even with GO Malta.

Once again, we have a comparison where both the Nomad Europe eSIM and roaming partner use 4G/LTE for all tests.

Anyway, here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM and Epic Malta – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs GO Malta Speed Test Results Compared

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 26.1% slower than GO Malta – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM did pass the video streaming test (37.43 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) and the live streaming test (13.9 average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Malta.

The speed differences between the Nomad Europe eSIM and GO Malta were not that drastic.

And the speeds were fast enough for general data browsing anyway… so I do not have that much more to say.

I always had reception with the eSIM and SIM card at all test locations and when just wandering around Malta on the main island (not on Gozo – I did not have the time to visit that part of the country 😔).

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Nomad Europe eSIM in Greece (Compared with WIND GR)

Flag of Greece

After Malta, I flew to Greece. The last country of phase one of my trip.

My friend from Watchatter actually flew over to spend the weekend with me in Athens.

He even bought a WIND Greece SIM card on my behalf because I arrived at midnight.

And they say friendships are superficial nowadays 😖.

In Greece, you have three mobile operators:

  • COSMOTE
  • Vodafone Greece
  • WIND Greece

You can learn more about local Greek SIM cards in my Greece SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the WIND Greece network, which, on average, is the second-fastest mobile operator in Greece.

I did have 5G NR reception with WIND Greece.

However, the speeds were not crazy fast, like in Portugal and Spain.

Anyway, here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM and Vodafone Greece – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs WIND Greece Speed Test Results Compared

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 22.5% slower than WIND Greece – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM did pass the video streaming test (52.59 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) and the live streaming test (22.51 Mbps average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Greece.

Besides the speed test result on Areopagus Hill, the Nomad Europe eSIM did perform well.

In fact, the Nomad Europe eSIM had the second-fastest average download speed in Greece than any other country during my trip.

Ase expected, the 5G NR speed test results with WIND Greece were much faster than with the Nomad Europe eSIM.

Except for at Sygtagmatos, where the Nomad Europe eSIM was 402.5% faster than WIND Greece.

Now, that is not something you see often unless the roaming partner actively throttles prepaid speeds (like mobile operators in Austria, Croatia, Slovakia & Slovenia LOVE to do).

I always had reception with the eSIM and SIM card at all test locations and when just wandering around Athens.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Nomad Europek eSIM in Belgium (Compared with Proximus)

Flag of Belgium

After Greece, I headed back to the Netherlands to take a break for a week before starting phase two of my trip.

However, I decided to head to Belgium for a day because I lived near the border and… I wanted to collect more data 👀.

In Belgium, you have three mobile operators:

  • Proximus
  • Orange Belgium
  • BASE Belgium

You can learn more about local Belgian SIM cards in my Belgium SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the Proximus network, which, on average, is in the middle in terms of speeds (behind BASE/Telenet and ahead of Orange Belgium).

Anyway, here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM and Proximus – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs Proximus Belgium Speed Test Results Compared

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 5.4% faster than Proximus – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM did pass the video streaming test (48.44 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) and the live streaming test (27.83 Mbps average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Belgium.

The Nomad Europe eSIM performed quite well, especially for roaming and being in Belgium.

No offense to my southern friends, but mobile reception in Belgium is whack, especially when you go to Walloon for some reason (I did not record my results in Walloon… but I can tell you they were not pretty).

But yeah, there is not much more to say about the results.

I always had reception with the travel SIM card and local SIM cards at all test locations and when just wandering around Antwerp.

But when you are on the train in Belgium, your connection will be cut off most of the time.

Even at stations in rural Belgium, like Essen, you may have no reception at all (like with BASE Belgium), or your speeds will be whack.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Nomad Europe eSIM in Austria (Compared with Drei AT)

Flag of Austria

Officially, Austria was the first country I visited for the second phase of my trip (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta & Greece were in phase one, and Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia & Slovenia were in phase two).

However, I only landed in Vienna before heading directly to Bratislava, Slovakia.

In Austria, you have three mobile operators:

  • A1 Austria
  • Magenta Telekom
  • Drei (3) Austria

You can learn more about local Austrian SIM cards in my Austria SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the Drei (3) Austria network, which, on average, is in the middle in terms of speeds (behind A1 Austria and ahead of Magenta Telekom).

During my trip, the results were different. Drei Austria was the fastest local mobile operator, closely followed by Magenta Telekom & more than twice as fast as A1 Austria.

But there is something you should know about prepaid SIM cards in Austria – the mobile operators seem to hate prepaid customers.

Okay, perhaps not truly hate, but all Austrian mobile operators throttle prepaid speeds.

The more expensive the plan, the faster the speeds you can get (all the way up to 150 Mbps/50 Mbps).

But that is not a promise you will even achieve those speeds.

In spite of that, something was interesting with my Drei Austria SIM card.

While the plan I got had a 50 Mbps/20 Mbps speed restriction, I sometimes managed to get much faster speeds (up to 101 Mbps).

The other Austrian mobile operators ensured I never got speeds faster than the advertised speed.

This is why Drei Austria performed so well compared to its competition.

Anyway, here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM and Drei Austria – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs Drei (3) Austria Speed Test Results Compared 1

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 1.7% slower than Drei Austria – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM did pass the video streaming test (39.55 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) and the live streaming test (13.44 Mbps average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Austria.

Drei Austria's throttling worked well most of the time, but it does not seem to throttle roaming partners like the Nomad Europe eSIM.

That is why the Nomad Europe eSIM performed surprisingly well.

I always had reception with the eSIM and SIM card at all test locations and when just wandering around Vienna.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<


Nomad Europe eSIM in Slovakia (Compared with Slovak Telecom)

Flag of Slovakia

After landing in Vienna, Austria, I headed to Bratislava, Slovakia.

While it was not the last destination of my trip, it was the last country I used my Nomad Europe eSIM because it expired there.

And I did not feel like buying a new eSIM for the remaining three countries (Hungary, Croatia & Slovenia) 💀.

In Slovakia, you have four mobile operators:

  • Slovak Telekom
  • Orange Slovakia
  • O2 Slovakia
  • 4ka by Swan Mobile

You can learn more about local Slovak SIM cards in my Slovakia SIM card buying guide.

The Nomad Europe eSIM uses the Slovak Telekom network, which, on average, is the second-fastest mobile operator – slightly behind Orange Slovakia but far ahead of O2 Slovakia and 4ka (by Swan Mobile).

During my trip, the results were different. Slovak Telekom was the clear winner, and O2 Slovakia did well too… but Orange Slovakia was slow – never getting a download speed of more than 30(.02 Mbps).

So I heavily suspect Orange Slovakia throttles prepaid speeds.

Anyway, here are the speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM and Slovak Telecom – the roaming partner:

Nomad Europe eSIM vs Slovak Telekom Slovakia Speed Test Results Compared

On average, the Nomad Europe eSIM was 96.3% slower than Slovak Telekom – its roaming partner. The Nomad Europe eSIM DID NOT pass the video streaming test (7.46 Mbps average download speed – 25 Mbps minimum for 4k streaming) NOR the live streaming test (3.19 average upload speed – 10 Mbps minimum for HD live streaming) in Italy..

If you remember from much earlier, all results in italics are on 3G.

And as you can see, all Nomad Europe eSIM results were on 3G – all of them.

What was surprising is that the Airalo Eurolink Europe eSIM (using the Orange Slovakia network), which I tested during this trip too, was also experiencing extremely slow speed – but it was on 4G/LTE instead.

Yet, both eSIMs claim they are supposed to use 4G/LTE in Slovakia.

If both Airalo and Nomad used the same roaming partner (Slovak Telekom or Orange Slovakia), I would suspect the roaming agreement got altered back then.

But since both eSIMs had different roaming partners, I am a bit suspicious.

ESPECIALLY when the SimCorner O2 Europe travel SIM card, another SIM card I tested during this trip, had no speed issues at all – and it was using the O2 Slovakia network.

See, if I was not that crazy to buy so many SIM cards in every country I go to, I would not be able to give you all these insights.

So perhaps I am crazy in a good way? 🤪😜

Reception-wise… I cannot tell if it was good because things were loading so slowly all the time – even outside of the test locations.

>>> Check out the latest and exclusive Nomad Europe eSIM deals and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD off now! <<<

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My Overall Experience with the Nomad Europe eSIM

Overall, I was happy with how the Nomad Europe eSIM worked, even though it was on average 35.8% slower than its roaming partners.

Phone Travel Wiz Approved Seal

But this percentage includes roaming partners with insane 5G NR download speeds and those who throttle prepaid speeds heavily.

But on average, you will have slower speeds with the Nomad Europe eSIM than its roaming partners – and that is normal.

Installing the eSIM was a breeze.

The activation process is straightforward and quick.

There was almost always reception with the Nomad Europe eSIM as with the roaming partner.

The speeds were good and sometimes even (significantly) faster than the roaming partner.

In short, I do recommend the Nomad Europe eSIM.

But you should not care about the the fact that your speed with the Nomad Europe eSIM is often slower than the SIM card of the roaming partner.

Wait… I say this after spending 8 chapters analyzing speed test results?

Yes, but let me explain.

First, I care about mobile data speeds much more than the regular user.

Mostly because it is an easy way to assess the performance of mobile operators as a person.

Sure, I could say that I had coverage in the 3451 of the 3494 streets I walked through during my trip, but that would be a hassle to keep track of… and it would tell you nothing because there is a small change you would follow my exact footsteps.

But speed test results are also helpful for seeing how coverage is with SIM cards.

A mobile operator could claim it covers a whole country for data usage.

But if you only get a 1 Mbps download speed throughout the whole country, making it basically useless for regular data browsing, would you go with this mobile operator or another one that actually has reception where people live and go to and have an average download speed of 50 Mbps?

Plus, there should be no practical difference for a regular user if the Nomad Europe eSIM managed to get a download speed of 50 Mbps while the roaming partner has a speed test result of 625 Mbps.

So passing the video streaming and live streaming tests is good enough, I would say.

Because you can still watch YouTube videos at 1080p or 4k, browse social media & even have live streams on Facebook at 50 Mbps without complications.

Now, the 625 Mbps download speed would be useful if you download a large file… like a 5 GB movie.

But you should not do that on 4G/LTE or 5G NR anyway unless you have an unlimited data plan.

Perhaps Nomad will introduce such SIM cards? *nudge*, *nudge* – I know you are reading this, Nomad 😏.

But the average and median speed test results of the Nomad Europe eSIM are relevant.

If the speeds were to hover around 5 Mbps, you would not have a smooth browsing experience at all, and I would point that out.

This was the issue with the Nomad Europe eSIM in Slovakia, which were restricted to 3G for some reason.

This could have been a temporary fault, but I would not know.

So besides Slovakia, the Nomad Europe eSIM worked well and was almost always on 4G/LTE.

The Nomad Europe eSIM can be a cost-effective way to stay connected in the European Union and Europe as a whole.

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