Short answer: there is no special eSIM for Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh. An Egypt eSIM works in both, and both resorts have 4G LTE coverage. What changes for a Red Sea holiday is the length, usually 7, 10 or 14 nights, and how much you leave the hotel. On 5 October 2026, for an unlimited plan, Nomad had the lowest price at 7 and 10 days, Saily at 15 days, and both give more full-speed data per day than we do. We have the lowest price for a single day of unlimited data (only Holafly also sells one), we are the only one listing three Egyptian networks, and we need no app or account. The tables below give every figure so that you can choose for your own trip.
Update, 13 October 2026. All seven sellers were read again on 13 October. Only Airalo had changed: its unlimited plans went from €26.00 to €26.50 for 5 days, from €32.00 to €32.50 for 10 days and from €82.50 to €83.00 for 30 days. The Airalo figures on this page are now those of 13 October; the other sellers' prices had not moved since they were last read. Nomad's dollar prices are unchanged; the euro amounts quoted from its page data move with the exchange rate (7 days: €24.00 on 8 October, €24.09 on 13 October).
Update, 8 October 2026. The five sellers in the tables below were read again and had not changed their prices. Two more were read that day: Ubigi, at €27.00 for 7 days and €44.00 for 15 days with 5 GB a day at full speed, and Maya Mobile, a global plan in US dollars ($19.99 for 7 days, $27.99 for 14 days). In euros, Nomad remains the cheapest at 7 and 10 days and Saily at 15 days. See our seven-seller comparison.
Is there a difference between an “Egypt eSIM” and a “Hurghada eSIM”?
No. Sellers sometimes name a city in a title because people search that way, as we do here, but the product is a national plan. The same eSIM works at Cairo airport during a connection, in your resort, on a day trip to Luxor and on the way back.
So the question is not which eSIM covers Hurghada. It is which plan fits a beach holiday: one to two weeks, hotel Wi-Fi of variable quality, a lot of photos and messages, perhaps a few video calls with family, and two or three excursions where coverage matters more than in the resort.
Coverage on the Red Sea, place by place
This is what our own coverage data says. It describes the networks our eSIM uses; other sellers use one or two of the same Egyptian operators, so the picture is similar for them on their network.
| Place | What to expect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hurghada | 4G LTE | |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | 4G LTE | |
| Marsa Alam | 4G LTE | Resorts are spread far apart along the coast |
| Dahab | 3G to 4G | Slower than Sharm; fine for messages and maps |
| Mount Sinai and St Catherine | 3G | Do not count on video or uploads |
| Road to Luxor or Cairo from Hurghada | Expect gaps | Not listed in our coverage data; long desert stretches between towns |
| Boat trips and dive boats | Fades offshore | Mobile signal comes from land; it weakens as the boat moves away from the coast |
Two practical consequences. In the resort towns our data shows 4G LTE. On excursions, especially inland Sinai and the desert road to Luxor, the signal comes and goes, and an eSIM that can use more than one Egyptian operator has more chances to find one. That is the situation where our three networks are a real difference and not a line in a table. We go into detail in Red Sea connectivity and, for Sinai, in signal on Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine.
Prices for a Red Sea holiday, duration by duration
Unlimited plans, in euros, read on 5 October 2026 from each seller's own Egypt page. The lowest price in each row is in bold. A dash means the seller does not sell an unlimited plan of that length.
| Duration | eSIM Égypte | Airalo | Holafly | Nomad | Saily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | €6.50 | — | €6.90 | — | — |
| 3 days | €18.00 | €18.00 | €18.90 | €12.44 | — |
| 5 days | €26.00 | €26.50 | €26.90 | €18.66 | — |
| 7 days | €33.00 | €29.50 | €33.90 | €24.00 | — |
| 10 days | €36.00 | €32.50 | €36.90 | €31.11 | €31.99 |
| 15 days | €46.00 | €45.00 | €46.90 | — | €43.49 |
How to read it:
- 1 day: only we and Holafly sell it. We are €6.50, Holafly €6.90.
- 3 to 10 days: Nomad is the cheapest in euros. At 7 days it is €24.00, Ubigi €27.00, Airalo €29.50, us €33.00, Holafly €33.90.
- 10 days: Nomad €31.11, Saily €31.99, Airalo €32.50, us €36.00, Holafly €36.90.
- 15 days (the plan to take for a 14-night stay): Saily €43.49, Ubigi €44.00, Airalo €45.00, us €46.00, Holafly €46.90. Nomad sells no unlimited plan beyond 10 days.
A note on Nomad's prices: its page displays US dollars by default ($27 for 7 days). The euro amounts above are the ones carried in the page's own data for its euro currency option. We did not convert anything ourselves, but we did not go through its checkout either, so confirm the amount before paying. Holafly's page lets you pick any number of days from 1 to 90; we give the durations it lists in its price table.
We are not the cheapest at 7, 10 or 15 days, and we would rather you read it here than discover it after buying. The gap to the cheapest seller is €9 at 7 days, €4.89 at 10 days and €2.51 at 15 days.
What you get for the price
Price is one column. The others matter as much on a two-week stay.
| Seller | Full-speed data per day, then | Networks listed | Hotspot | App or account needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eSIM Égypte (us) | About 1 GB a day, then 512 Kbps | Vodafone, Orange and e& | Included, from the same daily allowance | No. QR code by e-mail |
| Airalo | 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps | Vodafone | Not stated on its Egypt page | Its page offers an account and an app; we did not go through its checkout |
| Holafly | No figure published | Orange | 1 GB of shareable data a day | QR code by e-mail; app optional |
| Nomad | 2 GB a day, then 1 Mbps | Orange / Vodafone | “Nomad's eSIMs support tethering / hotspot” | QR code in its app and by e-mail |
| Saily | 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps | Not named | “No hotspot restrictions or limitations” | App required |
Read honestly: Airalo, Nomad and Saily all publish a larger daily full-speed allowance than ours, and a higher reduced speed afterwards. If you plan to stream video every evening in your room because the hotel Wi-Fi is poor, that is a real advantage for them. Our plan is the lighter one: about 1 GB a day at full speed covers maps, messaging, photos, social networks and browsing through the day; after that, 512 Kbps keeps messages, maps and e-mail working, but not HD video.
On the other side: Airalo's Egypt eSIM works on one network and Holafly's on one; Nomad lists two; Saily does not name its network. Ours uses three. Saily requires its app, and Nomad delivers the QR code in its app as well as by e-mail, which is fine for many people and an obstacle for some, for example when you buy for a parent.
How much data does a resort holiday really use?
Less than a city trip, on most days. In the resort you are often on hotel Wi-Fi, at the pool or on the beach, and the phone is mainly for photos and messages. Consumption jumps in three situations:
- Hotel Wi-Fi that does not reach the room or the beach, or that is charged, or that slows down in the evening when everyone connects. It happens often enough that we wrote why hotel Wi-Fi in Egypt disappoints.
- Excursion days: maps, messages with the guide, photos sent on the way.
- Sharing with the family: one phone as a hotspot for a tablet or a partner's phone.
If you only need a little data for the transfers and the excursions, a small fixed pack is the cheapest solution, and we do not sell one. On 5 October 2026, Nomad listed 1 GB for 7 days at $6 and 5 GB for 30 days at $18; Saily listed 1 GB for 7 days at €7.99 and 5 GB for 30 days at €17.99. A fixed pack stops when it is used up; an unlimited plan never does. Which is better depends on whether you want to keep an eye on a counter during your holiday. Our guide to how much data a week in Egypt uses helps you estimate.
Travelling as a couple or a family
There are two ways to connect several people.
One eSIM and a hotspot. One phone has the plan and shares it. It is the cheapest way, and it works as long as you stay together. The limits differ: with us, shared data comes out of the same daily allowance of about 1 GB at full speed; Holafly states 1 GB of shareable data per day; Saily states no hotspot restriction; Nomad says hotspot is supported; Airalo's Egypt page does not state a rule. Hotspot also drains the sharing phone's battery quickly, which matters on a day by the sea. More in tethering in Egypt.
One eSIM per person. Each phone is independent, which is what you want if teenagers go to the pool while you go diving, or if one adult takes an excursion alone. Each eSIM is a separate purchase with its own QR code. With us, there is no account to create for each person: you can buy several and forward each e-mail.
Excursions: where the choice of eSIM shows
- From Hurghada to Luxor by road: a long day, with desert stretches where the signal drops between towns. Download the offline map of the route the evening before. Luxor itself has 4G LTE.
- From Hurghada to Cairo and the pyramids: an even longer day by road, or a flight. Cairo and Giza have 4G LTE.
- From Sharm to Ras Mohammed by boat or by road: signal near the coast, fading at sea. See Ras Mohammed National Park.
- From Sharm to Dahab and the Blue Hole: 3G to 4G in Dahab; enough for messages and maps.
- From Sharm to Saint Catherine and Mount Sinai: the weakest of the classic excursions, 3G at best. Tell your family the evening before that you will be hard to reach, and do not plan to upload sunrise videos from the summit.
- Dive boats and snorkelling trips: expect to be offline for part of the day whichever eSIM you have.
On these days a second or third network to fall back on is useful, and it is the main reason to choose us over a cheaper single-network plan. If you never leave the resort, that argument does not apply to you, and you can choose on price.
At the airport: SIM counter or eSIM?
At Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, many visitors arrive on a package holiday, and the first thing waiting outside is the transfer. Stopping at an operator's counter with your passport while the coach fills up is possible, and a local SIM gives an Egyptian number and data that is generally cheaper, but it is the one moment of the trip when you least want a queue. With an eSIM installed at home, you turn data on while the plane taxis and message your family before you reach passport control. We compare the two honestly in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh airport: SIM card or eSIM.
One thing to know about calls
Whichever eSIM you choose, calls over apps such as WhatsApp or FaceTime are restricted in Egypt and do not always connect. Messages, voice notes and photos are fine. If daily video calls with family are part of your holiday, read does WhatsApp calling work in Egypt before choosing a plan on the strength of its daily allowance.
Which one for which holiday
- 7 or 10 nights, price first, comfortable with an app: Nomad, which is also more generous per day than us.
- 14 nights, price first: Saily or Airalo at 15 days.
- Heavy use every evening (streaming, long video calls): Airalo or Saily, for 3 GB a day at full speed.
- Excursions inland, Sinai, the desert road: us, for three networks. See our plans.
- A stopover day, or just the arrival day: us, the lowest price for one day of unlimited data.
- You are buying for someone who will not install an app, or you want the QR code in an e-mail and nothing else: us.
- A stay of an unusual length (12 nights, 18 nights): Holafly, which lets you choose the number of days.
- A little data only: a 1 GB or 5 GB pack from Nomad or Saily.
For the full method and the same comparison for the whole country, see our comparison of Egypt eSIM providers.
Sources
Read on 5 October 2026 from each seller's own Egypt page: Airalo (Unlimited tab and package details), Holafly (price table on its French page, hotspot and fair usage answers), Nomad (plans, plan details and FAQ) and Saily (plans, technical details). Our prices are those of our plans page; our networks, daily allowance and reduced speed are those of our supplier's catalogue; coverage by place is from our coverage page. Prices and terms change: check on the day you buy.
Flying further south? See best eSIM for Marsa Alam.