7 Best Holafly Alternatives 2026: Cheaper & Better Options

Holafly is one of the most popular eSIM providers for travelers, and for good reason — it’s the only major provider offering truly unlimited data. But unlimited doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. At roughly $6-9 per day depending on destination, Holafly is significantly more expensive than capped-data alternatives. And for many travelers, those caps are more than generous enough.

We’ve spent the last 6 months testing every major eSIM provider across 15+ countries. If you’re looking for a Holafly alternative because of pricing, coverage gaps, 5G support, or simply because you don’t need unlimited data, this guide breaks down the 7 best options and exactly who each one is for.

Quick answer: Saily is the best overall Holafly alternative for most travelers — it offers the lowest per-GB pricing with strong coverage. If you want the widest selection of plans and carriers, Airalo is your best bet. And if you’ve never used an eSIM before, Nomad eSIM lets you try one for free.

Why People Look for Holafly Alternatives

Before we dive into the alternatives, let’s be clear about what Holafly does well. Its unlimited data plans are genuinely unlimited — we used 40-80GB per month during testing without throttling. The 24/7 WhatsApp support is responsive (under 3 minutes average), and setup takes under 5 minutes.

But here’s why travelers switch:

• Price: Holafly’s unlimited plans cost $19-87+ depending on duration and destination. If you only use 3-5GB per trip, you’re overpaying by 50-70% compared to capped alternatives.
• No 5G on most plans: Holafly’s 5G support is limited to a handful of destinations, while competitors like Saily and Ubigi offer broader 5G access.
• Data-only: Holafly eSIMs are data-only — no local phone number, no calls, no SMS. While this is standard for travel eSIMs, some alternatives offer voice options.
• Limited top-up flexibility: If your Holafly plan expires mid-trip, you need to buy an entirely new plan rather than topping up your existing one.
• Coverage gaps: While 180+ countries is solid, providers like Airalo (200+) and Simify (190+) cover more destinations.

If any of these pain points sound familiar, one of the alternatives below is likely a better fit.

Quick Comparison: Holafly vs. 7 Alternatives

Now let’s break down each alternative in detail.

1. Saily — Best Overall Holafly Alternative

Our top pick for travelers who don’t need unlimited data.

Saily is built by Nord Security — the same team behind NordVPN — and it consistently offers the lowest per-GB pricing among major eSIM providers. If you’re switching from Holafly because of price, Saily is where you’ll save the most without sacrificing quality.

Why Choose Saily Over Holafly

The math is straightforward. A 5GB/30-day plan for Thailand costs $13.99 on Saily versus roughly $87 for 30 days of unlimited on Holafly. Unless you’re burning through 15+ GB per month, Saily’s capped plans are dramatically cheaper. And with 5G support in Japan, South Korea, the USA, and select European markets, Saily actually delivers faster peak speeds than Holafly in those destinations.

During our testing across 6 countries, Saily averaged 40-110 Mbps download speeds — matching or exceeding Holafly’s 30-90 Mbps range in most urban areas. The app is clean and minimal, reflecting Nord Security’s decade of experience building user-friendly products.

Pricing Comparison vs. Holafly

Destination	Saily (5GB/30d)	Holafly (Unlimited/30d)	Savings
Thailand	$13.99	$87	84%
Japan	$13.99	$69	80%
Europe	$17.99	$87	79%
USA	$16.99	$84	80%

Choose Saily if: You use under 10GB per trip and want the best price-to-quality ratio.

Get Saily eSIM -- From $3.99

Read our full Saily review for speed tests and detailed analysis.

2. Airalo — Best for Coverage & Plan Variety

Our pick if you want the widest selection of eSIM plans worldwide.

Airalo isn’t just an eSIM provider — it’s an eSIM marketplace. Rather than offering a single plan per destination, Airalo aggregates plans from multiple local carriers, giving you a choice of coverage options, data amounts, and prices for each country. With 200+ countries and regions covered, it’s the single widest-coverage eSIM platform we’ve tested.

Why Choose Airalo Over Holafly

Where Holafly gives you one plan per destination (unlimited data, fixed price), Airalo gives you 5-15 plan options per country from different carriers. This means you can choose a budget plan from a local MVNO or a premium plan from a tier-1 carrier — flexibility Holafly simply doesn’t offer.

Airalo also covers more destinations than Holafly, including smaller Pacific island nations, African countries, and Central Asian destinations where Holafly has gaps. If your itinerary includes off-the-beaten-path locations, Airalo is less likely to leave you without coverage.

We tested Airalo across 8 countries and averaged 35-100 Mbps download speeds, with performance varying by carrier selection. Choosing a tier-1 carrier plan consistently delivered better speeds than budget options in the same destination.

Pricing Comparison vs. Holafly

Destination	Airalo (5GB/30d)	Holafly (Unlimited/30d)	Savings
Thailand	$15.00	$87	83%
Japan	$16.50	$69	76%
Europe	$20.00	$87	77%
Indonesia	$14.00	$57	75%

Choose Airalo if: You travel to diverse or less-common destinations, or you want the flexibility to choose between multiple carriers per country.

Browse Airalo eSIM Plans

Read our full Airalo review for a deep dive into the marketplace experience.

3. Nomad eSIM — Best for First-Time eSIM Users

Our pick if you’ve never used an eSIM and want to test it risk-free.

Nomad eSIM is the only major provider offering a free 3-day trial with 500MB-1GB of data in select countries. If you’re hesitant about switching from a physical SIM to an eSIM — or simply want to verify your phone is compatible before spending money — Nomad removes the risk entirely.

Why Choose Nomad Over Holafly

The free trial is the obvious headline, but Nomad also offers a generous refer-a-friend program that can significantly reduce your ongoing eSIM costs. Earn $3+ per referral, and credits never expire. In active digital nomad communities, some users have accumulated enough credits for months of free connectivity.

Nomad’s pricing is slightly higher than Saily but lower than Holafly on capped plans. We tested it across 5 countries and averaged 30-100 Mbps download speeds — strong in urban areas like Bangkok and Tokyo, slightly spottier in rural Portugal.

Pricing Comparison vs. Holafly

Destination	Nomad (5GB/30d)	Holafly (Unlimited/30d)	Savings
Thailand	$17.00	$87	80%
Japan	$17.00	$69	75%
Europe	$20.00	$87	77%
USA	$19.00	$84	77%

Choose Nomad if: You’re new to eSIMs, want a risk-free trial, or you’re active in travel communities where referral credits can add up.

Try Nomad eSIM Free

Read our full Nomad eSIM review for detailed testing results.

4. Trip.com eSIM — Best for Ultra-Cheap Short Trips

Our pick if you want the absolute lowest daily cost for travel data.

Trip.com — better known as a flight and hotel booking platform — has quietly launched one of the cheapest eSIM offerings on the market. Their daily data reset plans start from as low as $0.12/day in some destinations, making them dramatically cheaper than Holafly for short trips where you don’t need massive data.

Why Choose Trip.com Over Holafly

Trip.com’s pricing model is unique: you buy daily data plans where your allocation resets every 24 hours. A 500MB/day plan for Thailand costs roughly $1.50-2.00/day, compared to Holafly’s $6+/day for unlimited. For travelers who primarily use data for navigation, messaging, and light browsing, Trip.com’s daily plans are more than sufficient at a fraction of the cost.

The platform covers 200+ countries — matching Airalo’s footprint — and leverages Trip.com’s existing carrier partnerships from their travel booking business. We tested Trip.com eSIMs in 4 countries and found speeds consistently in the 25-80 Mbps range, adequate for standard travel use.

Pricing Comparison vs. Holafly

Destination	Trip.com (500MB/day, 7d)	Holafly (Unlimited/7d)	Savings
Thailand	~$6.50	$35	81%
Japan	~$8.00	$19	58%
Europe	~$9.00	$27	67%
USA	~$7.50	$27	72%

Choose Trip.com if: You’re a budget traveler who uses under 1GB/day and wants the lowest possible cost per trip.

Get Trip.com eSIM

Read our full Trip.com eSIM review for pricing tables and speed tests.

5. Simify — Best for Off-the-Beaten-Path Coverage

Our pick if you’re heading somewhere that other providers don’t cover.

Simify is an Australian-founded eSIM provider with 190+ country coverage — among the widest of any dedicated eSIM provider. While Holafly’s 180+ countries cover most popular travel destinations, Simify fills gaps in Central Asia, Pacific Islands, and parts of Africa where Holafly and Saily fall short.

Why Choose Simify Over Holafly

If your itinerary includes destinations like Uzbekistan, Fiji, Madagascar, or Papua New Guinea, Simify is more likely to have coverage. The pricing is mid-range — between Saily’s budget-friendly rates and Ubigi’s premium pricing — and the app is clean with instant QR delivery.

We tested Simify in 3 countries and found reliable 30-85 Mbps download speeds in urban areas. The provider has been operating since 2018, making it one of the more established options on this list with a proven track record.

Pricing Comparison vs. Holafly

Destination	Simify (5GB/30d)	Holafly (Unlimited/30d)	Savings
Thailand	~$15.00	$87	83%
Japan	~$18.00	$69	74%
Europe	~$19.00	$87	78%
USA	~$17.00	$84	80%

Choose Simify if: Your travels include less-common destinations where other providers might not have coverage.

Get Simify eSIM

Read our full Simify review for coverage details and testing results.

6. Local SIM Cards — Best for Long-Term Stays

The classic option for travelers staying in one country for weeks or months.

Before eSIMs existed, everyone bought local SIM cards — and in many countries, they’re still the cheapest way to get mobile data. A local prepaid SIM in Thailand costs $5-10 for 30GB+ of data per month. In Indonesia, you can get 20GB for under $5. No eSIM provider comes close to these prices.

Why Choose a Local SIM Over Holafly

The economics are stark. A local SIM in Thailand with 50GB of data costs roughly $12-15/month. Holafly’s unlimited plan for Thailand costs $87/month. Even Saily’s 10GB plan costs $22.99. For long-term stays in a single country, local SIMs offer 5-10x more data per dollar.

Local SIMs also give you a local phone number — useful for ride-hailing apps (Grab, Bolt), food delivery, bank verifications, and making local calls. eSIMs, including Holafly, are data-only and don’t provide phone numbers.

The Tradeoffs

The downsides are real, though. Buying a local SIM requires visiting a physical store, presenting your passport (many countries now require registration), and dealing with potential language barriers. Some countries require an in-person identity verification process that takes 15-30 minutes. And you need a phone with a physical SIM slot or a dual-SIM setup.

If you’re hopping between countries every 1-2 weeks, buying a new local SIM at each stop becomes tedious and time-consuming. That’s where eSIMs shine — install before you land, connect on arrival.

Choose a local SIM if: You’re staying in one country for 2+ weeks and want the absolute cheapest data possible with a local phone number.

Stick with an eSIM if: You’re country-hopping, want instant connectivity on arrival, or don’t want the hassle of visiting SIM shops.

7. Ubigi — Best for 5G Speeds

Our pick if you need the fastest possible mobile data speeds.

Ubigi has invested more heavily in 5G carrier partnerships than any other eSIM provider. If blazing-fast speeds are your priority — for business presentations, large file transfers, or 4K video calls — Ubigi delivers. We measured 250-500 Mbps on 5G in Tokyo, significantly faster than any other provider at the same location.

Why Choose Ubigi Over Holafly

Holafly’s 5G support is limited to a handful of markets. Ubigi offers extensive 5G access across North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea. The provider also offers a flexible data add-on system where you can stack smaller data packages instead of committing to a single fixed plan.

With 200+ country coverage, Ubigi also matches Airalo for the widest footprint. The tradeoff is price: Ubigi is the most expensive provider on this list, running 20-30% above Saily and other budget options.

Pricing Comparison vs. Holafly

Destination	Ubigi (5GB/30d)	Holafly (Unlimited/30d)	Savings
Thailand	$15.00	$87	83%
Japan	$20.00	$69	71%
Europe	$20.00	$87	77%
USA	$22.00	$84	74%

Choose Ubigi if: You’re a business traveler who needs the fastest possible speeds, especially in 5G-heavy markets like Japan, South Korea, or major European cities.

How We Tested These Alternatives

We don’t make recommendations from spec sheets. Here’s our methodology for this comparison.

Testing period: August 2025 through February 2026 (6 months of continuous travel).

Countries tested: Thailand, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Indonesia (Bali), Spain, South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey, Colombia, and Morocco.

What we measured:

• Speed tests: 200+ tests using Speedtest by Ookla and Fast.com across multiple providers in the same locations, at the same times of day
• Pricing accuracy: All prices verified directly from each provider’s app or website as of March 2026 (prices change frequently — always confirm before purchasing)
• Setup experience: Timed from purchase to live connection across all providers
• Customer support: Contacted each provider’s support team, measuring response times and resolution quality
• Real-world usage: Video calls, streaming, navigation, file uploads, and messaging — the daily workflows of a digital nomad

Devices used: iPhone 15 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Google Pixel 8 Pro.

Should You Switch from Holafly?

Holafly is still excellent for what it does. Here’s the honest decision framework:

Stay with Holafly if:

• You consistently use 15+ GB per trip and want zero data anxiety
• You’re a remote worker running daily video calls, streaming, or uploading large files
• You value WhatsApp support (Holafly’s is the fastest we’ve tested)
• You travel to destinations within Holafly’s 180-country footprint

Switch to an alternative if:

• You typically use under 10GB per trip — you’re overpaying with Holafly
• You want 5G speeds — Saily, Airalo, and Ubigi offer better 5G access
• Your destination isn’t covered by Holafly — Airalo or Simify have wider coverage
• You’ve never used an eSIM — try Nomad’s free trial first
• You want the absolute cheapest option — Trip.com and Saily save 60-85%
• You’re staying in one country long-term — a local SIM is 5-10x cheaper

For our complete ranked comparison of all eSIM providers, see our Best eSIM Providers 2026 guide. And if you’re still using Holafly but curious about the #1 alternative, our Saily vs Holafly comparison breaks down the head-to-head matchup in detail.