For a Siem Reap and Angkor trip, Airalo is the sensible default eSIM, because the travel eSIMs sold for Cambodia ride Smart and Metfone, and those happen to be the two networks that hold up best inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, from the long causeway at Angkor Wat to the strangler-fig corridors of Ta Prohm. Cambodia is also one of the cheapest countries on earth for mobile data, so here you are choosing between good options rather than rescuing a bad one. If you would rather never glance at a counter while a day of temple photos uploads, Holafly runs unlimited data on Metfone. Travelers who know roughly what they burn get the lowest cost per gigabyte from Nomad, while Airalo stays the balanced pick because it can switch between Smart and Metfone. Not sure how many gigabytes three days of temples really needs? Run the eSIM Finder.
Quick Pick: the Best eSIM for Cambodia
Airalo (Cambodia 5 GB / 30 days): Rides the Smart and Metfone footprint that covers Siem Reap, the main temple loop, and Phnom Penh, with full hotspot support and in-app top-ups if a longer temple-and-Tonle-Sap week runs the meter down.
Our picks
Best overall: Airalo. Lowest per GB: Nomad. Unlimited: Holafly. Or use the eSIM Finder.
Cambodia eSIM Plans Compared
Indicative pricing. Tap through for live rates.
| Provider | Plan | Data | Duration | Price | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Cambodia 1GB | 1 GB | 7 days | $5 | Smart / Metfone |
| Airalo | Cambodia 3GB | 3 GB | 30 days | $11 | Smart / Metfone |
| Airalo | Cambodia 5GB | 5 GB | 30 days | $16 | Smart / Metfone |
| Airalo | Cambodia 10GB | 10 GB | 30 days | $26 | Smart / Metfone |
| Airalo | Cambodia 20GB | 20 GB | 30 days | $37 | Smart / Metfone |
| Nomad | Cambodia 1GB | 1 GB | 7 days | $4 | Metfone |
| Nomad | Cambodia 5GB | 5 GB | 30 days | $14 | Metfone |
| Nomad | Cambodia 10GB | 10 GB | 30 days | $22 | Metfone |
| Nomad | Cambodia 20GB | 20 GB | 30 days | $32 | Metfone |
| Holafly | Unlimited 5-day | Unlimited | 5 days | $19 | Metfone |
| Holafly | Unlimited 7-day | Unlimited | 7 days | $27 | Metfone |
| Holafly | Unlimited 10-day | Unlimited | 10 days | $34 | Metfone |
| Holafly | Unlimited 15-day | Unlimited | 15 days | $47 | Metfone |
| Holafly | Unlimited 30-day | Unlimited | 30 days | $69 | Metfone |
Airalo Cambodia Plans
Airalo: Best All-Round Pick for a Temple Trip
Cambodia plans that fall back between Smart and Metfone, with hotspot support and easy top-ups
Airalo's Cambodia eSIM, sold under its Angkor plan name, connects to Smart and Metfone, the two networks that between them blanket Siem Reap, the temple loop, and Phnom Penh. That dual-network ability is the reason it is the sensible default: if one carrier is congested in the crowds at Angkor Wat or drops out on the road to Banteay Srei, your phone has a second footprint to lean on, which a single-network eSIM does not.
The 1GB or 2GB plans suit a short two or three night temple stopover where hotel WiFi covers the evenings and you just need data for maps, Grab, and photos during the day. For a week that adds the Tonle Sap, a day trip to Beng Mealea, and a couple of Phnom Penh nights, the 5GB or 10GB plan leaves comfortable headroom, and in-app top-ups mean you are never stuck if you underestimate. Full hotspot support is handy for sharing a connection with a travel partner in a remork or across a hotel room.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Holafly Cambodia Plans
Holafly: Best for Unlimited Data and Heavy Photo Days
Flat-rate unlimited data on the Metfone network
Holafly runs unlimited data on Metfone, which is the network with the widest reach in Cambodia, so it is a strong match for anyone who would rather never watch a usage bar. Upload a full day of Angkor sunrise shots from your guesthouse, video call family from a Pub Street rooftop, or stream on the hour-long minivan ride out to the Tonle Sap without counting a single gigabyte.
Because Metfone is the carrier most likely to hold a signal in the provinces, Holafly also suits travelers whose plans reach past the headline temples, out to Beng Mealea, Kbal Spean, or a floating village, where an unlimited allowance and the widest footprint are a good combination. Plans run from 1 to 90 days, so it fits both a two-night temple stopover and a long slow trip through Southeast Asia. As with all unlimited eSIMs, a fair-usage policy can ease speeds after very heavy consumption, and hotspot sharing is more restricted than on metered plans.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Nomad Cambodia Plans
Nomad eSIM: Best Value Per Gigabyte
Among the lowest per-GB prices for Cambodia, running on Metfone
Nomad usually posts the lowest headline prices for Cambodia, with small plans starting around the 4 US dollar mark and larger buckets that tend to undercut Airalo by a dollar or two. Because it runs on Metfone, the widest-reaching carrier, it is a genuinely good value pick for a temple trip: you get dependable 4G across Siem Reap, the main Angkor loop, and Phnom Penh, plus a better chance of signal out toward the remote temples than a Smart-only plan would give.
The one thing to know is that Nomad here is a single-network eSIM. In the thick of the crowd at Angkor Wat at sunrise, or in a congested pocket of Phnom Penh, there is no Smart footprint to fall back on if Metfone is briefly busy, which is the small trade-off for the low price. For a budget-conscious traveler who has a realistic read on their usage and mostly sticks to the standard sights, that is rarely a problem, and the savings add up over a longer trip.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Mobile Networks in Cambodia
Cambodia has three mobile networks, and for a traveler the differences are smaller than in most countries because all three cover the places you actually go, and all three are astonishingly cheap. The gap that matters is rural reach and raw speed, not whether you will have a signal in Siem Reap.
Metfone, owned by Vietnam's Viettel, has the widest footprint by a distance. It built towers across the provinces, rice country, and the roads between towns that the others were slower to wire, which is why it is the network most likely to keep a bar out at Banteay Srei, along the dirt approach to Kbal Spean, or over the Tonle Sap. Smart (Smart Axiata) is the strong urban all-rounder, quick and dependable across Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and the main temple circuit, and it trades the speed crown with Cellcard in the cities. Cellcard, the last fully Cambodian-owned operator, tops the raw download tests, recently clocking around 22 Mbps against Smart near 19 and Metfone near 13, and it is a favorite for local calls, but it is not the network the travel eSIMs use. The practical takeaway: international eSIMs for Cambodia ride Smart and Metfone, which is exactly the pairing you want for the Angkor temples and Phnom Penh, while Cellcard is mainly a reason to consider a local SIM if you want the fastest possible download in the city.
5G in Cambodia
Cambodia switched on commercial 5G on 1 January 2026, and Cellcard, Smart, and Metfone had already installed more than 1,500 antennas by launch, concentrated in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and the larger provincial capitals. Most of the country, and almost all of the temple park, still runs on 4G/LTE, which typically delivers 10 to 30 Mbps here, plenty for maps, Grab, video calls, and uploading photos. Treat 5G as a bonus in the city centers rather than something you will rely on at a jungle temple.
Coverage Across Cambodia
Coverage where travelers actually go:
| Area | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Siem Reap town | Excellent | Full 4G on all three networks across the Old Market, Pub Street, riverside, and Wat Bo, with 5G appearing in the center since the January 2026 launch. |
| Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom | Very good | Reliable data at the main causeway, Bayon, and the Terrace of the Elephants; Metfone and Smart hold the steadiest signal among the crowds. |
| Ta Prohm & the small circuit | Good | Usable 4G at the famous fig-tree ruins and along the inner loop road, occasionally dipping under the heaviest tree cover. |
| Banteay Srei & outer temples | Variable | The pink-sandstone temple 37 km out, plus Beng Mealea and the Roluos group, thin out; Metfone tends to keep a bar where the others drop. |
| Tonle Sap floating villages | Patchy | Kampong Phluk and Kampong Khleang have signal in the village itself, but it fades over open lake water, so download offline maps before the boat. |
| Phnom Penh | Excellent | Dense 4G and growing 5G across the capital, the riverside, and the airport corridor on every carrier. |
How to Choose the Right Plan
Start with how you like to travel. For a classic Siem Reap loop that pairs two or three days of temples with a Tonle Sap boat trip and maybe a Phnom Penh finish, any travel eSIM does the job because Cambodia is cheap and well covered: pick Airalo if you want the reassurance of a Smart and Metfone fallback in the crowds, Nomad if you want the lowest price per gigabyte on Metfone, or Holafly if you would rather pay one flat rate for unlimited and never ration while photos upload. Then size your data: 3 to 5 GB covers most short temple trips given how much WiFi the hotels and cafes provide, while a week that adds the lake and remote temples is happier on 10 GB or unlimited. The only reason to add a local SIM is if you specifically want Cellcard's fast city download or a Cambodian number, since the eSIMs already ride the two networks that matter most at the temples.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which eSIM keeps a signal best around the Angkor temples?
Any Smart or Metfone based plan does well at the headline sites. Angkor Wat, Bayon inside Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm all carry usable 4G, and travelers on the ground consistently rate Metfone and Smart as the two strongest inside the park. Signal only really thins on the outer edges, around Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, and the roads between temples, where Metfone tends to hold on longest. Since Airalo and Nomad both run on this pairing, either is a safe choice for a temple-focused trip.
Is mobile data in Cambodia genuinely as cheap as people claim?
Yes, it is one of the lowest-cost data markets anywhere. Local tourist SIMs sell 30 GB or more for around 5 US dollars, and travel eSIMs, while a little pricier for the convenience, are still inexpensive by global standards. That means you rarely need to ration on a Cambodia trip, and buying a slightly larger data bucket than you think you need costs very little extra.
Do I need Cellcard, or do the eSIM networks cover everything?
For a standard Siem Reap, Angkor, and Phnom Penh itinerary, the Smart and Metfone networks that travel eSIMs use cover everything you will visit. Cellcard posts the fastest raw download speeds in the cities and is popular with locals, but it is not offered by the international eSIM providers. The only reason to seek out Cellcard is if you want the quickest possible city download or a local number, in which case a physical SIM makes more sense than an eSIM.
Can one eSIM cover Cambodia plus Vietnam or Thailand on the same trip?
Yes. Airalo, Holafly, and Nomad all sell regional Asia or Southeast Asia plans that bundle Cambodia with neighbors like Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos on a single eSIM, which suits an overland loop through Angkor and on to Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok. For a Cambodia-only trip, a single-country plan is almost always cheaper per gigabyte.
How much data should I budget for a few days in Siem Reap?
Most temple visitors use around 3 to 5 GB over three or four days for maps, Grab and PassApp rides, WhatsApp, translation, and posting photos, since almost every hotel, cafe, and restaurant has WiFi. If you plan to livestream from the temples, video call home each night, or tether a laptop, step up to 10 GB or an unlimited Holafly plan so you never think about it.