If you’ve been following our travels for a while, you’ll know we test a LOT of eSIMs.
Some are brilliant. Some are frustrating. Some look great on paper but then completely fall apart the second you land somewhere and try to open Google Maps (yes, I’m serious, this has happened)
So when I tested KnowRoaming on a recent city break to Bristol, I was curious to see how it compared.
And honestly? I had a really good experience with it.
The setup was easy, the app interface felt clean and modern, and the speeds were consistently fast throughout the trip.
It’s one of those eSIMs that just quietly works in the background without causing any stress, which honestly is exactly what you want while travelling.
One thing I also really like is that KnowRoaming has given me an exclusive free 1GB offer for my readers. I don’t think that should be the main reason to choose an eSIM provider, but it is a genuinely nice way to test the service risk-free before committing to a bigger package.
So if you’re wondering whether KnowRoaming is actually worth using for travel, here’s my full honest review.
KnowRoaming is a travel eSIM provider offering data plans in over 200 countries and regions worldwide.
Like most travel eSIM providers, they offer:
Their app is available on both iOS and Android, and the entire setup process is digital, meaning there’s no need to swap physical SIM cards while travelling.
One thing that stands out quite quickly with KnowRoaming is that they seem very focused on long-term and multi-country travel, rather than only short tourist trips.
A lot of providers heavily focus on single-country packages, but KnowRoaming feels much more built around flexibility and reusable travel connectivity.
I tested KnowRoaming during a city break to Bristol and honestly the whole experience was very smooth from start to finish.
The installation process was simple, activation was quick, and the app itself felt noticeably cleaner than some other travel eSIM apps I’ve tested recently.
Everything was straightforward:
The actual connection speeds were really solid too.
Google Maps loaded instantly, social media worked perfectly (which was useful as I was sharing my day at the Thatchers factory in Bristol throughout the day- ps, you should go!), hotspotting connected without any issues, and uploads felt fast and stable throughout the trip.
For me, one of the biggest compliments you can give an eSIM is when you basically stop thinking about it entirely once it’s set up.
That’s exactly how KnowRoaming felt during testing.
One thing that makes KnowRoaming a little different is that they’ve given my readers access to an exclusive free 1GB offer.
And honestly, I do think this is genuinely useful.
A lot of people still feel nervous using travel eSIMs for the first time, especially if they’re relying on their phone abroad for:
So being able to properly test:
…before spending money on a larger package is actually a really smart idea.
Especially because not all eSIMs perform equally well in every destination.
Pricing obviously changes depending on destination and promotions, but overall I’d say KnowRoaming sits somewhere in the middle of the market.
It’s not usually the absolute cheapest eSIM provider available, but during my testing the reliability and app experience felt noticeably more polished than some lower-cost competitors.
And honestly, when you’re arriving in a new country and relying on mobile data for navigation, bookings and communication, I personally value reliability over saving £1 or £2.
For UK travel specifically, KnowRoaming offers a pretty decent spread of plan options depending on how much data you actually use.
At the time of writing, UK plans included options such as:
Most of the smaller UK plans are ideal for lighter travel use. So if you’re mainly using:
…then the lower GB packages will probably be more than enough for a weekend city break.
But if you’re someone who:
…then I’d definitely recommend leaning towards the larger packages because travel data disappears surprisingly quickly nowadays.
One thing I liked while researching their plans is that KnowRoaming offers quite a few different validity periods too, rather than only short tourist packages.
Depending on the destination, you’ll often find:
That flexibility makes them particularly useful for:
Compared to some competitors, KnowRoaming isn’t always the cheapest option for tiny short-term plans.
If your ONLY goal is finding the absolute lowest possible price for 1GB somewhere in Europe, there are definitely cheaper providers in certain destinations.
But where KnowRoaming feels stronger is in the overall experience.
The app feels polished, setup is easy, hotspotting support works properly, and the reusable “one eSIM” style approach makes it feel more travel-friendly long term.
Some cheaper eSIM providers still have surprisingly clunky apps or awkward installation flows, and that can become stressful very quickly while travelling.
KnowRoaming felt much smoother overall during testing.
Their regional plans are probably some of the most useful options they offer.
For example, their Europe eSIM lets you travel across multiple countries without constantly switching plans or reinstalling eSIMs.
Historically, Europe regional packages have included things like:
Their Asia regional plans also cover a surprisingly large number of countries including destinations like:
And then they also offer global plans covering 130+ countries worldwide depending on the package selected.
Honestly, this flexibility is one of the things I think they do really well.
Yes — in selected destinations and plans.
KnowRoaming has introduced unlimited global and regional eSIM options in some areas.
As always with unlimited travel eSIMs though, I’d still recommend checking fair usage policies before relying on it for:
That’s not unique to KnowRoaming at all — pretty much every travel eSIM provider has some sort of fair usage system behind “unlimited” plans.
But for normal travel usage, it’s still great to see unlimited options available.
For KnowRoaming, the restictions on daily limits depends on the eSIM you choose.
For example, for the global eSIM I spotted a 2GB daily high speed limit before the speed drops, but on an Indonesia one, I saw a 5GB every 24 hours.
Yes.
Hotspotting is supported with KnowRoaming eSIMs, and I tested this myself during the Bristol trip without any issues- I hotspotted another phone of mine- yes I know, I travel with two phones, I don’t really know why haha
This is a really important feature for me personally because I regularly hotspot laptops and other devices while travelling.
Some travel eSIMs either:
But KnowRoaming handled hotspotting perfectly during testing.
So if you:
…it’s definitely a useful feature.
Honestly… yes.
This was actually one of the biggest positives during testing.
A lot of travel eSIM apps still feel weirdly outdated or cluttered, but KnowRoaming felt modern and simple without being overly basic.
I found everything easy to navigate.
And honestly, when you’re tired after travelling or trying to sort data quickly at an airport, having a simple app experience makes a bigger difference than people realise.
This was probably the biggest thing I noticed while testing KnowRoaming.
A surprising number of travel eSIM apps still feel clunky or confusing, especially when it comes to activation instructions or tracking remaining data.
KnowRoaming felt much cleaner and easier to navigate than a lot of competitors I’ve tested recently.
Everything from installation to topping up data felt straightforward and intuitive.
And honestly, that simplicity matters a LOT while travelling.
This is where KnowRoaming actually stands out nicely.
A lot of eSIM providers mainly focus on quick single-country tourist plans, but KnowRoaming feels much more designed around flexible long-term travel.
The fact they offer:
…makes them genuinely useful for backpackers, digital nomads and frequent travellers.
I also really like their “One eSIM For Life” concept because it means you’re not constantly reinstalling new eSIMs every time you travel.
This is a BIG one for me personally.
I tested hotspotting during my Bristol trip and had absolutely no issues connecting another device.
That’s important because not every travel eSIM handles hotspotting properly.
Some providers technically allow it but then throttle speeds heavily or hide restrictions in their fair usage policies.
KnowRoaming felt reliable and stable throughout testing.
I do really like this feature.
It's something I could have used in my past trips in the USA.
You can turn it on to automatically top up at 90% usage so you don't run out of data!
If you haven't went for an unlimited plan as you're not too sure how much you're going to be using, then I think this is a great middle ground.
I don’t think this should be the main reason someone chooses an eSIM provider, but I do think it’s a genuinely nice bonus.
Especially for first-time eSIM users.
It gives people the opportunity to test:
…before spending money on larger plans.
And honestly, I think more eSIM providers should offer something similar.
This is probably the biggest downside overall.
If your ONLY priority is finding the absolute cheapest data package possible, there are definitely competitors that occasionally undercut KnowRoaming in certain destinations.
Particularly for:
KnowRoaming seems positioned slightly more around convenience and flexibility rather than purely competing on lowest price.
Personally, I think the smoother experience makes that trade-off worthwhile.
Like basically every travel eSIM provider nowadays, “unlimited” doesn’t always mean unlimited full-speed data forever.
Depending on destination and network partnerships, there can still be:
Again, this isn’t unique to KnowRoaming, but it’s definitely something worth checking if you plan to:
Yes, definitely.
After testing it myself in Bristol, I found the setup easy, the speeds consistently fast, and the overall experience genuinely smooth from start to finish.
The app feels polished, hotspotting worked perfectly, and I really like how flexible their plans are for:
And while they’re not always the absolute cheapest provider available, the overall user experience felt stronger than a lot of lower-cost competitors I’ve tested.
Plus, the exclusive free 1GB offer for readers is genuinely a really nice way to test the service before committing to a larger plan.
Would I use it for every single trip? That would still depend on destination pricing at the time.
But would I happily use it again? Absolutely.
If you want to check coverage, pricing or claim the exclusive free 1GB offer, you can visit KnowRoaming.
Love,
Cazzy
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