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Airalo vs. Nomad: Which eSIM provider is best for travel in 2025?
Both Airalo and Nomad are popular eSIM providers, but which is the best option? This comparison breaks down their features to help you choose the right eSIM.
Airalo and Nomad are popular eSIM choices for travelers, offering a range of data plans for different destinations around the world.
While Airalo is renowned for its low prices and user-friendly app, Nomad is known for its fast and seamless network performance.
To help you make the best choice, we’ve stacked their features side by side for an in-depth eSIM comparison.
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Overview of Airalo vs. Nomad
Airalo and Nomad are eSIM service providers offering data packages that let you stay connected internationally without the hassle of using a physical SIM card.
Here’s how Nomad eSIM vs. Airalo eSIM stack up side-by-side.
| Airalo | Nomad | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Prepaid eSIM data plans for a range of destinations Phone calls available with global plan Email and live chat customer support with FAQs and guides | Prepaid eSIM data plans for a range of destinations Ticket-based customer support with FAQs and guides |
| Pricing | The cheapest plan for each destination is $4.50, making Airalo more affordable | While Nomad has plans costing as little as $4.00, most of their cheapest destination options are approximately $6.00 |
| Coverage | Covers over 200 destinations worldwide | Covers over 190 destinations worldwide |
| User experience | 2.6 rating on TrustPilot | 4.4 rating on TrustPilot |
Airalo vs. Nomad feature comparison
At first glance, Airalo and Nomad are similar: they offer prepaid eSIM data plans for global destinations. Here’s how each option holds up upon closer inspection.
App experience and setup
Airalo and Nomad have mobile apps you can download to purchase, activate, and install your eSIM data plan.
On Google Play, the Airalo app has a higher overall rating with a score of 4.5, with Nomad lagging behind at 4.2. However, Nomad is higher-rated on the App Store with a 4.8 score, while Airalo comes in close at 4.6.
When it comes to app UI, navigation, and setup, the user experience is similar, with Airalo being slightly more user-friendly.
After downloading, users can select an eSIM data package and purchase it before getting more prompts to install and activate the plan.
Pricing and data plans
Airalo is somewhat cheaper and more flexible on average, with their country-specific 1GB, 7-day plans costing between $4.50 and $6.00.
Nomad is slightly more expensive. While they offer 1GB, 7-day plans for $4.00, most basic packages can cost anywhere from $6.00 to $31.00.
Their pricing structures are different, too. For example, let’s look at the Argentina data plans for both platforms. Nomad’s Argentina eSIM offers are:
- 1 GB with 7 days of data: $10.00 (LTE/4G)
- 1 GB with 7 days of data: $10.00 (4G)
- 3 GB with 30 days: $20.00
- 5 GB of data for 30 days of data: $28.00
- 10 GB of data for 30 days: $45.00
Airalo’s Argentina eSIM offers are:
- 1 GB with 7 days of data: $6.00
- 2GB with 15 days of data: $11.50
- 3 GB with 30 days of data: $15.00
- 5 GB with 30 days of data: $22.50
- 10 GB with 30 days of data: $42.00
- 20 GB with 30 days of data: $50
Airalo is slightly more affordable and gives you the same amount of data for less money.
However, you still might not get as much data as you need for your trip. Holafly, on the other hand, gives you unlimited data for upcoming adventures, giving you more gigabytes for your buck.
Coverage and speed
Airalo has more coverage with over 200 global destinations and plans, while Nomad has plans for just over 190 destinations.
Both Airalo and Nomad offer 4G LTE connectivity and partner with local mobile carriers in the plan’s area, meaning internet speeds should be vastly similar — in theory.
However, Airalo customers have often reported Airalo not working and problems with slow, lagging data and a spotty internet connection.
“In the end, they had to give me a new eSIM. It worked though data-rates are a little slow, especially for 5G. My first experience with Airalo made me think of a great service. This time not so much.”
“The local SIM cards also tend to have better network connection, e.g. in Bolivia we used Airalo but only had very slow internet in the city centers, zero connection on the roads (other people with different SIMs did have connection).”
Nomad is often the opposite, often getting positive reviews because of their faster internet speeds:
“Used in India (Rajkot/Gondal) – connectivity was really good, even on my 4G only phone.”
“Nomad was easy to set up and to use. The network connectivity while moving Budapest to Vienna and then Prague was flawless. I was able to connect to Wifi without any issue and the speed was very good...I will use it again in my next vacation.”
Customer support and user experience
On the surface, Airalo appears to be better because it offers 24/7 customer support with emails and live chat. The provider also offers a range of in-depth FAQs and guides to set up your eSIM and troubleshoot issues.
Nomad works on a ticket-based system, offering customer support through its apps.
But many emphasize that Airalo has slow, unreliable customer service with users often waiting hours to get a response and sometimes days to resolve an issue. Airalo is reluctant to give users refunds, even in the case of faulty service.
For example, one Airalo user states:
“Utter garbage of a service. The eSIM worked for just one day, then stopped working. I spent countless hours with customer service. They were unable to fix my problem, and wasted a ton of my precious time on vacation. Ultimately they refused to give me a refund, proposing instead to give me credits for their useless service. Stay away from this scam.”
Another adds:
“A terrible experience wasting hours of our trip trying to set up the eSIM and the worst customer service you could imagine. While I still didn’t get my eSIM to work, and no refund, other friends had similar experiences but were, after 2 hours of online ‘discussions’, able to get the eSIM to work.”
Nomad is known for its reliable customer service. Customers have words of praise for the team’s ability to promptly solve issues.
A Nomad customer notes:
“Ease of use and when I was not able to activate my cards, customer service was able to chat with me and get it all sorted out at 9:30 pm Pacific on a Friday night. I appreciate that they had customer support available.”
As good as Nomad’s customer service can be, they fall short at times and fail to resolve customer issues:
“Currently I purchased a 20Gb plan, and after purchase learned that it does not support Hotspot Tethering which is the sole reason I purchased it. When I contacted Nomad customer service they had no other solutions or alternate plans to offer, and would only provide Nomad points as credit if I canceled.”
On the other hand, Holafly’s support is always available on WhatsApp to resolve user problems. One happy Holafly traveler states:
“eSIM was easy to set up with the QR code. Customer service was great when I had issues with my phone settings (able to chat on WhatsApp to resolve the issue). Coverage and data speed was great throughout my stay at Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, and La Paz, Mexico.”
| Thinking Nomad? Think again. Read our Holafly vs. Nomad review and discover the best eSIM for travelers. |
Pros and cons of Airalo vs. Nomad
Airalo and Nomad are neck-and-neck when it comes to some features, but there are clear advantages and disadvantages when you compare them side-by-side.
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Over 200 destinations to choose from Cheap pricing for large amounts of data Easy set-up and user experience Allows for tethering Top-up option availableRewards system allows for discounts | Can occasionally have an unstable connection and slow internet speeds Very poor customer support Strict refund policy |
| Nomad | Strong and speedy network qualityPrompt and helpful customer support Allows for tethering Top-up option available | Has fewer destinations and coverage than Airalo More expensive for less data Slightly complicated app |
While Airalo has more pros, Nomad’s advantages are mostly based on its core service— providing you with a fast and reliable connection so you can use your favorite apps while you travel.
If you want to avoid the cons of both providers, then go with an option like Holafly.
With multi-language customer support, fast internet speeds, an easy-to-use app, and flexible, affordable deals for unlimited data, Holafly is your trusty esIM travel companion that covers all the bases.
| Have your sights set on Airalo? With unlimited data packages, Holafly can be the better choice! Here’s Holafly vs. Airalo. |
Airalo vs. Nomad: Reddit opinions
People have been discussing Airalo and Nomad eSIMs on Reddit, too. Many travelers talk about Nomad’s quality connection.
For example, one traveler notes just how easy the eSIM was to set up and get the best signal throughout different countries in Europe.
Some Airalo reviews also say their eSIMs can work without issues. But, if you do have issues with their service, customer support can take up to 24 hours to respond with low-quality answers. This has been enough to turn many away from using their service, as it can be risky.
Which eSIM provider is better for you?
When it comes to Airalo vs. Nomad eSIMs, both are reliable options with data packages to help you stay connected throughout your travels.
Airalo is cheaper and offers more data, making it a good option for budget-conscious travelers. But this comes with a risk — you might run into unstable connections and a less-than-helpful customer support team. In the long run, this is more expensive because you may need to buy a new eSIM.
This makes Nomad the safer option if fast internet speeds and a stable connection are your main priority.
Packages might cost more, but there’s less chance of subpar service, especially with their stellar customer support team.
There’s one feature both these providers are missing, though: unlimited data. With an eSIM like Holafly, you can choose a package for over 200 destinations and get endless gigabytes for your entire trip. Instead of wasting time on top-ups, you get peace of mind.
Plus, Holafly lets you pick a plan for the number of days you’re traveling—from 1 to 90. And there’s an added bonus: The price for a day of data gets cheaper with each day you add.
With affordable data plans, a fast internet connection, and a 24/7 customer support team in multiple languages, Holafly covers the bases that Airalo and Nomad miss.
Travel far with unlimited data
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Originally from Michigan USA and currently based in Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armin Tanovic has five years of experience writing content and copy for both US and European marketing agencies. He’s written for travel brands like TravelPerk, and loves an adventure in the great outdoors. You can catch him off the beaten path exploring mountains and coastlines while drawing his writing inspiration from the scenery.
