Best IoT SIM card for Spain: 2026 comparison
Five IoT SIM providers with presence in Spain: iot.cards, 1NCE, ThingsMobile, Simbase and Onomondo. This page does NOT name a universal winner — it names when each one fits your use case, vertical, legal requirements and billing model. If your team is choosing a vendor for 2026, start here.
How to read this comparison
There is no universal "best" in the IoT SIM market. There are five valid propositions with different fits. The choice depends on three questions: where you deploy (Spain vs pan-European vs global), what you need (real multi-carrier, private APN, static IP, Spanish-language support, local billing), and what it costs to switch later (especially with solderable MFF2). We've summarised each vendor in a card with its main strength and the ideal case where it wins, without positioning iot.cards as the automatic winner.
The five propositions, one by one
🇪🇸 iot.cards
Spanish IoT MVNO with documented tri-carrier multi-IMSI in Spain
Strengths
- Multi-IMSI with public access to Movistar, Vodafone and Orange in Spain.
- Private APN and static IP contractable as a standard layer from the first SIM.
- Engineering support in Spanish from Seville, with human technical onboarding.
- Spanish company (Kore Logic SL, CIF B90463662); Spanish-VAT invoice.
- Documented operational experience in metering (PRIME/G3-PLC), Iberdrola partner.
Ideal case
Deployment mostly in Spain with requirements for real multi-carrier, private APN, static IP or regulated vertical (metering, healthcare, energy).
Where it doesn't fit
Main focus on Spain and Spanish verticals. If your deployment is 80% Germany or US, players with their own pan-European or American network may fit better.
🇩🇪 1NCE
German IoT MVNO with widely-adopted lifetime tariff (10 years, 500 MB)
Strengths
- Lifetime tariff: €10/SIM for 10 years with 500 MB included. Predictable for fixed budgets.
- Wide pan-European coverage with Deutsche Telekom as anchor carrier and local partners.
- Massive volume: millions of SIMs sold across Europe.
- REST API, dashboard, mature developer ecosystem.
Ideal case
Cases with low and predictable consumption (telemetry sensor, asset tracker sending a few KB/day), with device deployed 5-10 years, where tariff predictability matters more than tri-carrier specifically in Spain.
Where it doesn't fit
The lifetime model doesn't fit devices with growing consumption (CCTV, large OTAs) or customers needing private APN, static IP or per-carrier audit. No invoice from Spain either.
🇮🇹 ThingsMobile
Italian IoT MVNO with prepaid balance and low per-SIM cost
Strengths
- Simple prepaid model: top up balance, consume MB until depleted, no mandatory monthly fee.
- Low per-SIM cost in small quantities (ideal for prototyping).
- Wide coverage in Europe and Latin America via partners.
- Self-service dashboard and documented REST API.
Ideal case
Prototypes, hobby, hardware prototyping, small deployments where you buy 5-50 SIMs and want prepaid balance with no contract. Also valid for resellers embedding connectivity into their product for small end customers.
Where it doesn't fit
For enterprise fleets with SLA, monthly pooled invoice, private APN or regulatory audit requirements, the prepaid model is more friction than value. No legal entity in Spain.
🇳🇱 Simbase
Dutch IoT MVNO with developer-first experience (CLI, modern dashboard)
Strengths
- Polished developer experience: CLI, clean dashboard, rich developer-oriented documentation.
- Pan-European coverage via partners.
- Public pricing in the dashboard, no lock-in.
- Modern REST API with webhooks.
Ideal case
Pan-European developer-first teams without specific Spain focus, who value CLI and cloud abstraction over phone support. Good fit for startups and projects where zero-day learning curve matters more than carrier anchoring.
Where it doesn't fit
No public tri-carrier agreement specific to Spain. Private APN and static IP as enterprise products (not standard layer). No invoice from Spain and no Spanish-language phone support.
🇩🇰 Onomondo
Danish IoT MVNO with cloud-native proposition and "single network" abstraction
Strengths
- "Single global network" model with pan-European and multi-region coverage.
- Modern REST API, clean dashboard, cloud-native focus.
- Operator-agnostic: no need to think about which underlying carrier serves each SIM.
- Polished English documentation.
Ideal case
Pan-European or multi-region deployments where the "single network" abstraction simplifies operations, with no specific requirement to know which underlying carrier serves each SIM.
Where it doesn't fit
No public tri-carrier agreement specific to Spain. The "single network" abstraction makes it hard to audit per-carrier coverage in Spain. Private APN and static IP as enterprise products. No invoice from Spain.
Quick comparison by key dimension
Summary for fast scanning. Look at the column you care about most and see where each vendor fits. The iot.cards row is highlighted because it's our proposition — the rest is based on their public documentation and our operational experience in the market.
| Spain tri-carrier coverage | Private APN / static IP | Spanish-language support | Invoice from Spain | Spanish regulated vertical | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iot.cards | Yes, documented multi-IMSI (Movistar+Vodafone+Orange) | Standard layer, from 1st SIM | Yes, engineering team in Seville | Yes, Spanish VAT | Documented (PRIME/G3-PLC, Iberdrola partner) |
| 1NCE | ES coverage via Deutsche Telekom + partners | Private APN under enterprise contract | Multilingual; no Spain-specific phone | Invoice from Germany | No specific focus |
| ThingsMobile | ES coverage via partners | Enterprise product | Multilingual; no Spain-specific phone | Invoice from Italy | No specific focus |
| Simbase | ES coverage via partners (no public tri-carrier deal) | Enterprise product | English (and Dutch) | Invoice from Netherlands | No specific focus |
| Onomondo | ES coverage via partner network (operator-agnostic) | Enterprise product | English (and Danish) | Invoice from Denmark | No specific focus |
Decision tree by use case
Four typical scenarios in Spain. Recommendation is driven by technical-commercial fit — not by sales budget.
Regulated metering (Spanish regulator-monitored DSO: electricity/gas/water)
iot.cards fits because of documented operational experience in PRIME/G3-PLC, dedicated private APN to the DSO, private static IP per meter and ICCID-keyed traceability for regulatory audit. 1NCE fits if the meter sends very little predictable traffic and you don't need a dedicated private APN.
24/7 video surveillance (IP cameras, remote NVR)
iot.cards or 1NCE depending on consumption. If the camera uploads video (gigabytes/month), iot.cards with shared data package or enterprise tariff. If the camera only sends short events (KB/month), 1NCE lifetime can be cheaper over 10 years.
Vehicle fleet / asset tracking (GPS, dashcams)
iot.cards fits because of tri-carrier multi-IMSI (Movistar/Vodafone/Orange) that reduces offline windows in areas with uneven coverage. Onomondo or Simbase fit if the fleet is pan-European with no Spain focus. ThingsMobile fits for small fleets with prepaid purchases.
Prototyping / hobby / small projects (1-50 SIMs)
ThingsMobile or Simbase fit because of low per-SIM cost and self-service. iot.cards offers a SIM Test Kit (5 units, 15 € VAT included, free shipping to Spain) for pre-production validation when the final destination will be a Spanish company.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is really "the best" IoT SIM for Spain in 2026?
- There is no universal best. There are better and worse fits depending on your case. If your deployment is mostly in Spain and you need real multi-carrier with Movistar/Vodafone/Orange, private APN or static IP as a standard layer and Spanish-language support, iot.cards fits well. If your device consumes very little (sensor with KB/month) and lives 5-10 years deployed, 1NCE lifetime is very hard to beat on cost. If you do small prototyping, ThingsMobile prepaid simplifies. If you're developer-first pan-European, Simbase or Onomondo. The right question isn't "which is the best", it's "which fits MY case".
- Aren't direct Movistar, Vodafone or Orange the best option for Spain?
- For a Spanish company with a direct commercial relationship with a national operator, contracting IoT directly with that operator can make sense if your volume justifies it and you accept dependency on a single network. The difference vs a multi-carrier IoT MVNO is effective footprint: with a single operator, where that network doesn't reach, your device doesn't reach. We cover this in /comparativas/iotcards-vs-operador-unico.
- Why is iot.cards highlighted in the table?
- Transparency: this site is iot.cards'. To avoid the bias of "the winner is always the one writing the page", we've described each vendor with their real strengths, ideal case and where iot.cards doesn't fit. If your case is pan-European developer-first, you should seriously evaluate Simbase or Onomondo. If your case is lifetime with predictable consumption, you should seriously evaluate 1NCE. This page is a guide, not a sales ambush.
- Can I combine multiple providers?
- Yes, and many large companies do: a 1NCE lifetime SIM in low-consumption predictable sensors + an iot.cards multi-carrier SIM in critical fleet with SLA + a ThingsMobile prepaid SIM in prototypes. The friction is managing multiple portals and invoices. As the fleet grows, most consolidate to one or two providers.
- And the major carriers (direct Telefónica, Vodafone, Orange) don't compete here?
- They compete, but with a different model: direct contracts for high volume, commercial minimums, enterprise committee. IoT MVNOs like the five listed here are optimised to enter with 5 SIMs and scale to 10,000 without renegotiating. For volumes >50,000 SIMs and annual commitment, contracting directly with the operator can be more cost-efficient — but you lose real multi-carrier.
- And eSIM (eUICC) vs physical SIM? Does it change the ranking?
- It doesn't change the ranking much. All five providers offer eSIM. SGP.32 eSIM helps OEMs that want to swap operator profiles remotely without touching hardware — useful for products destined for multiple countries. For a purely Spanish deployment, multi-IMSI physical SIM covers the case without SGP.32 complexity. We cover the options at /productos/esim-iot.
- What about MFF2 solderable and migration?
- MFF2 solderable is the rugged industrial format, but it ties you to the operator of the IMSI burned in the chip if it's not eUICC. Before soldering thousands of units, validate real coverage with a removable 2FF/3FF/4FF SIM pilot. Once soldered, migrating to another provider means swapping the PCB. No vendor ranking compensates for a poorly-made form-factor decision.
Want us to size your case?
Tell us how many devices, what they consume, your requirements (APN, IP, regulated vertical) and where they're deployed. We'll honestly tell you which fits better — even if the answer is "stay with 1NCE" or "start with ThingsMobile prepaid".
Related reading
- IoT SIM cards for Spain (iot.cards commercial page)→
- iot.cards vs single operator (direct Movistar/Vodafone/Orange)→
- 1NCE vs iot.cards (lifetime vs multi-carrier)→
- ThingsMobile vs iot.cards→
- Simbase vs iot.cards→
- Onomondo vs iot.cards→
- Telefónica Kite vs iot.cards→
- Olivia Wireless vs iot.cards→
- iot.cards multi-operator SIM (technical detail)→
- iot.cards coverage in Spain (Movistar, Vodafone, Orange)→