Holafly vs Airalo vs Nomad: A full comparison

Airalo, Holafly, and Nomad are three of the most widely used travel eSIM providers. All three cover 200+ destinations, offer app-based activation, and provide speeds up to 5G. The differences come down to how their data plans are structured, how pricing compares for your specific destination, and what the refund terms are if something goes wrong.

This comparison covers plans and pricing, coverage, speed, ease of use, customer support, and refund policies for all three.

An eSIM you can rely on

Join over 10 million Holafly customers and get connected with our trusted, global services.

Learn more

Airalo vs Holafly vs Nomad overview

Before we dive into the details of these services, let’s take a look at how they compare when it comes to some of the most important features for an eSIM provider.

As you can see, it can be tough to see much of a difference on a surface-level comparison, especially between Airalo vs Nomad. That’s exactly why we need to dig deeper to make a distinction between the three.

Plans and pricing

The key difference in the plans between these eSIM providers is that Holafly focuses on unlimited data plans, while both Airalo and Nomad primarily focus on fixed-data plans. All offer local, regional, and global eSIM plans with slightly varying coverage for each of them.

Holafly plans

All Holafly plans include unlimited data, so all you have to do is choose the duration with options ranging from 1 to 90 days. Match it exactly with your stay abroad, and you’ll avoid paying extra for any time you don’t need.

On top of unlimited data, all Holafly eSIMs allow at least 500 MB of data sharing daily, so you can keep multiple devices connected when needed. The pricing for the plans can differ slightly depending on the destination, but let’s take a look at the price of eSIM plans for the USA for comparison’s sake. 

• $3.90 for 1 day of unlimited data
• $19.95 for 5 days of unlimited data
• $27.30 for 7 days of unlimited data
• $36.90 for 10 days of unlimited data
• $50.90 for 15 days of unlimited data
• $74.90 for 30 days of unlimited data
• $139.90 for 90 days of unlimited data

Keep in mind that the examples above are just some of the most popular plan durations. Holafly lets you pick any number of days from 1 to 90, with value-for-money increasing with duration. For example, the longest plan only costs $1.55/day for unlimited data.

Holafly also offers Holafly Plans, a monthly subscription option that offers global mobile internet with a single eSIM. You can choose between 25 GB and unlimited data options ranging from $39.90 to $64.90/month. The Unlimited plans also include unlimited hotspot sharing if you need to keep multiple devices connected at all times, while the 25 GB plan offers the same amount of hotspot data.

That’s not all. At Holafly, we make travel easy by including 1 GB of Always On backup data with every eSIM purchase. No hidden fees, just a ‘thank you’ for staying with us. Simply keep the Holafly eSIM installed on your device to stay connected whenever travel gets difficult.

Airalo plans

Airalo offers mostly fixed-data plans throughout its service, providing an affordable way to stay connected. It’s also the only provider on this list to offer phone calls and SMS messages in some select destinations. 

All plans include unlimited data sharing, but keep in mind that you have a fixed data limit, so constantly keeping your hotspot on will quickly drain your bandwidth. The company also offers a free introductory plan with 500 MB of data in some destinations, which allows you to test Airalo before spending any of your money. Let’s take a look at the plans for the USA.

• $11.50 for 3 days of unlimited data
• $19.00 for 5 days of unlimited data
• $27.00 for 7 days of unlimited data
• $35.00 for 10 days of unlimited data
• $49.00 for 15 days of unlimited data
• $69.00 for 30 days of unlimited data

Nomad plans

Nomad offers both fixed and unlimited data plans with its service. Fixed-data plans offer up to 50 GB for 30 days, but since the comparison is for unlimited plans, let’s see what Nomad offers on their USA plans.

Unlimited data plans

• $11 for 3 days of unlimited data
• $23 for 5 days of unlimited data
• $31 for 10 days of unlimited data
• $45 for 15 days of unlimited data
• $49 for 20 days of unlimited data

Notably, the unlimited plans have one restriction — you get only 2 GB of high-speed data a day, after which the speed is capped at 1 Mbps. Sure, all unlimited data plans are subject to a fair usage policy, but a majority allow more than 2 GB before starting to slow down your connection.

Coverage

When it comes to local plans, Holafly, Airalo, and Nomad all offer coverage in 200+ destinations. So, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find an eSIM plan wherever you’re going. 

All providers also offer global and regional plans. However, the coverage for regional plans does differ slightly and is something worth noting if you plan to visit several countries during a single trip.

Airalo has the widest coverage for most regional plans, with Holafly being in the middle and Nomad offering the least coverage for most of the plans above. That said, Holafly has the best coverage in Oceania and the Middle East, while Nomad has the best coverage in Asia.

It’s also worth noting that Nomad has several different coverage options for most regions. The table displays plans with the widest coverage. However, if you’re only visiting a few countries, you may be able to find a marginally cheaper plan with less coverage.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to double-check that the plan you’re choosing covers every country you plan to visit. Just because one provider covers more destinations than the others doesn’t immediately mean that it’ll be the best plan for you.

Speed

All three providers offer speeds of up to 5G with their eSIM plans. That said, Holafly is the only one to include 5G in every plan, while both Airalo and Nomad have some plans that are limited to 4G. 

If speed is a priority, double-check the plan details to make sure 5G is included. However, keep in mind that 5G coverage doesn’t mean you’ll get 5G speeds everywhere. Typically, 5G is only available in cities and other populated areas, and if you decide to explore the countryside and steer further away from the city, you’ll typically get 4G or 3G speeds, even with a 5G plan.

Ease of use

As you’d expect from three of the best eSIM providers on the market today, Holafly, Nomad, and Airalo all have intuitive apps for iOS and Android. The apps make it easy to buy and activate eSIMs, track how much data you’ve used, and access other features such as profile settings and customer support.

One thing to note is that you can access the full functionality of Holafly’s app without creating an account. This includes buying and using your eSIM. Though you might want to create one anyway, as that’s the only way to be a part of Holafly’s loyalty program. 

With Nomad and Airalo, you can browse the offers and some features of the apps without logging in, but you will need an account to purchase an eSIM plan.

Customer support

All three providers offer 24/7 customer support via live chat and vast FAQ sections covering the most common questions. This pretty much ensures that you’ll be able to get help or get answers to your questions on time, without having to wait for office hours to get a reply.

Refund policy

A refund policy you can rely on is important. No provider is safe from having technical issues, but you don’t want to lose your hard-earned money in case that does happen.

Holafly’s refund policy offers full refunds to all unused plans, including accidental purchases when you buy an eSIM plan without having a phone that supports eSIM technology. Full or partial refunds are available if you encounter issues after starting to use the service. You have up to 6 months after your purchase to request a refund.

Airalo’s refund policy allows you to request a refund directly through your account for reasons including wrong purchase, plans changed, installation issues, or eSIM not working. For wrong purchases and plans changed, refunds are issued as Airmoney — Airalo’s in-app credit. For installation issues or eSIM not working, you can choose between Airmoney or a refund to your original payment method.

Nomad’s refund policy allows full refunds for plans that have not been installed or activated, subject to confirmation from Nomad support. Partial refunds for unused data may be available on activated plans if the usage is not significant, or if a verified issue on Nomad’s end prevented the service from working.

Which eSIM suits your trip?

Holafly is the only one offering unlimited data with all plans, Airalo focuses solely on fixed-data plans, while Nomad offers both, but has a strict speed cap on the unlimited plans after 1 GB of use daily.

Still haven’t decided which one to choose? Here’s a quick refresher on how they compare when it comes to the key features of this comparison.

Choose peace of mind with Holafly

Get a Holafly travel eSIM and enjoy unlimited data, 5G speeds, and 24/7 customer support with every plan.

For long-term coverage, Holafly Plans is a pay-monthly eSIM with coverage in 170+ destinations on a single eSIM. Pick your plan, use it to stay connected anywhere, for as long as you need, and cancel anytime.

That’s not all — at Holafly, we make travel easy by including Always On: 1 GB of monthly backup data with every eSIM purchase. Simply keep the Holafly eSIM installed on your device to stay connected whenever travel gets difficult.

Unlimited data. Peace of mind.

Make sure you have travel data that's there when you need it most.

Get your Holafly eSIM

Plans that may interest you

eSIM USA

eSIM Europe

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.

Read full bio

Related reading