Every travel guide repeats the same advice: use a VPN on public Wi-Fi. It is sound advice. Hotel, cafe and airport networks are usually unencrypted, and a growing number of countries block or throttle the apps you depend on. Until now, following that advice meant buying two separate products: a data plan to get online, and a paid VPN to stay safe once you were.
We already provide the data. So we asked a simpler question: why not include the VPN as well? From this month, every active Cellesim eSIM comes with a free built-in VPN. There is no separate subscription and no extra fee.
Data is not the same as safety
An eSIM solves connectivity. It does not solve privacy. The moment you join the free Wi-Fi at your hotel, anyone else on that network can potentially see your traffic. In many destinations, the apps and sites you use every day are filtered or blocked outright. A VPN encrypts your connection and helps you reach the services you need. That is precisely the gap a data-only eSIM leaves open. Before you travel, you can check which apps are blocked where.
What we built
The Cellesim VPN is self-hosted across ten locations worldwide: Frankfurt, London, New York, US West, São Paulo, Mumbai, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney and Johannesburg. You can pick a region close to where you are travelling. It runs on the free, open-source Outline app, and it stays free for as long as your eSIM is active.
Turning it on takes seconds
- Buy any Cellesim eSIM and activate it on arrival.
- Open the VPN page in your account. It unlocks automatically while your eSIM is active.
- Tap “Add to Outline”, or scan the QR code with your phone.
- Choose your location. You are protected.
Why this is different
Most eSIM providers sell data and stop there. Neither Airalo nor Holafly bundles a VPN, so with them staying secure is a separate purchase you have to remember to make. We believe security should be part of the product rather than an upsell. If you are weighing your options, our honest Cellesim vs Airalo comparison sets out the differences.
Free, and staying free
There is no catch and no trial clock. The VPN is included with every active eSIM at no cost, and it remains free for the entire time your plan is active. Buy data for 198 countries, and the VPN comes with it.