Holafly vs. Nomad: Which eSIM is better?

Nomad and Holafly are two of the best international eSIM providers. This means that when the time comes to choose one or the other, the choice isn’t immediately obvious. We’ll make a side-to-side comparison of Holafly vs. Nomad to help you decide which one’s the right fit for you.

Let’s take a closer look at what each company has to offer, including plans, pricing, coverage, connection speeds, customer support, and more.

Nomad eSIM vs. Holafly overview

Before we dive deeper into what each provider has to offer, let’s take a quick look at how they compare when it comes to some of the main features of an eSIM provider.

Overall, both companies offer a solid service, as evidenced by some of the best Trustpilot reviews out of all eSIM providers. However, with Holafly having nearly six times more reviews, the overall rating is more valid.

While Nomad offers lower prices for its cheapest plans, they only offer limited data. Meanwhile, Holafly includes unlimited data in all of their plans. Holafly also provides coverage in slightly more destinations, offers more payment options, and has a better refund policy.

Data plans: Prices and amount of data

The main difference between the two providers is that Holafly offers flexible plan durations and unlimited data with all plans. Meanwhile, Nomad offers fixed data for a fixed number of days. 

The pricing differs depending on the type of plan and the destination, and we’re not going to compare all 200+ unique plans here. In general, Holafly plans start at $6.90 for a day of unlimited data, allowing you to select any number of days in the range from 1 to 90, with the longer plans coming in as cheap as $1.55/day.

Nomad plans start at $4.50 for 1 GB of data across 7 days, with the longest plans spanning 30 days. Depending on the destination, you can get up to 50 GB of data with the most expensive plans, though many destinations don’t offer more than 20 GB, which is not perfect for heavy data users.

Speed and coverage comparison

Connection speed and coverage are crucial factors for a traveler, given that this determines the level of experience while traveling.

Average speed

There’s not much to split Holafly and Nomad when it comes to the speed comparison. Both companies offer data speeds on 5G and 4G/LTE based on your location.

Keep in mind that having a plan with 5G coverage doesn’t mean you’ll have 5G speeds everywhere. Typically, 5G is only available in cities, while remote areas tend to have poorer coverage. Since both have 5G coverage, you shouldn’t have any issues with connection speed in major cities. 

Coverage

Both Holafly and Nomad have a vast range of plans, with unique offers for each destination. Both offer local and regional plans, as well as global eSIM plans that offer coverage in 100+ destinations with a single plan.

Holafly has a slight edge when it comes to coverage, offering eSIM plans in 200+ destinations compared to Nomad’s 190+. The coverage for regional and global eSIM plans also differs. Holafly covers 113 destinations with its global plan, while Nomad offers several choices with coverage ranging from 54 to 113 countries.

Both have regional plans for Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Africa. Though Nomad has a few more options divided in smaller regions, such as a plan with coverage only in Italy, France, and Germany in Europe or China, Japan, and South Korea in Asia.

User experience and customer service

Having good coverage won’t help if you won’t be able to contact anyone in case the service starts acting up. Therefore, things like ease of use and customer support are just as important for your customer experience.

User experience

Whether you’re using the Holafly website or mobile app, you’ll be able to buy and activate your eSIM in no time. You don’t even need to have an account. Simply add the details necessary for purchase, and an activation QR code will be sent to your email immediately. Automatic installation is available on the app for iOS devices, making it even easier.

Nomad also has a fairly intuitive website and apps for iOS and Android. The main difference is that you must create an account to make a purchase. Some users don’t like it, whether for online privacy reasons or simply the extra time it takes.

Customer service

Whether you’re encountering issues with your eSIM, have unanswered questions, or simply need help — reliable customer service is essential for a good user experience. Customer support needs to be easy and quick to reach, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Holafly offers more ways to connect with customer support, including WhatsApp and a detailed FAQ section. Nomad does offer 24/7 customer support and an extensive help center knowledgebase, but no separate FAQ section and no phone support.

Device support

Both Holafly and Nomad will work with any eSIM-compatible device. Before buying your eSIM, make sure to check if your phone works with eSIMs if it does, you can buy from either provider without hesitation.

If you’re having trouble setting up your eSIM, check out our installation guides for iPhones, iPads, Google Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo phones, laptops, and smartwatches. Remember that you need a steady internet connection to complete the setup.

Flexible refund policy

Having a comprehensive refund policy is vital. It gives you, the user, peace of mind, knowing you won’t lose your money in case things go wrong. That said, not all eSIM companies are willing to be flexible when it comes to refunds, and Holafly’s policy is simply more flexible than Nomad’s.

Holafly’s refund policy allows you to request a partial or total refund of what you paid if you encounter issues with the service. These circumstances are if the service stops working or if you have persistent connection issues. Holafly also offers refunds if you accidentally purchase an eSIM with a locked device or a phone that doesn’t support eSIM technology.

The main difference with Nomad is that they’re not offering refunds for any accidental purchases. If you buy an eSIM you can’t use, it’s on you. You also only have 1 month from the purchase data to make a refund request, whereas Holafly accepts refund requests up to 6 months after purchase.

Here are the refund policies for both companies:

Data sharing

Both Nomad and Holafly allow data sharing with their eSIM plans. The policies related to data sharing are a bit different, though. 

Depending on the plan, Holafly allows either 1 GB or 500 MB of data sharing daily. This is enough to cover the basic connectivity needs of your co-travelers. 

Nomad doesn’t limit data sharing. But keep in mind that Nomad also doesn’t offer unlimited eSIM data plans. So, if you don’t limit your sharing with a Nomad eSIM, you’ll quickly run out of data.

Top-up

Since all Holafly plans offer unlimited data, you will never need a top-up and end up saving money in the long run. If you decide to stay at your destination longer, you can simply add more days to your plan. 

Since Nomad only offers fixed data plans, it’s quite likely that you’ll need more data at one point or another. To do so, simply login to your account on the website or app and buy more data on your current plan.

Reddit opinions

Let’s take a look at some customer opinions when using Holafly or Nomad eSIM. This can also give you more confidence when you know what other users have experienced.

Holafly vs. Nomad: Which eSIM is better?

At the end of the day, the better eSIM is the one that suits your needs. Holafly is the better overall option thanks to unlimited data plans, a better refund policy, and coverage in more destinations. That said, Nomad is a solid option if you’re looking for affordable low-data plans for basic connection needs.

If you’ll be chilling at the beach by your hotel, with free WiFi readily available, Nomad will be more than enough to get you to the hotel and for other basic needs. If you want to explore and not be tied to free WiFi or data limits, Holafly is the pick for you.It’s now up to you to decide and choose the eSIM that works for you and your travel plans.

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Rokas Aniulis

Senior SEO copywriter

A senior SEO writer from Lithuania, combining my passion for writing and travel at Holafly. With years of experience in technical fields, I'm here to answer all of your questions about staying connected. I specialize in turning even the most complicated topics into something everyone can understand.

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