Holafly vs Airalo (2026): Which eSIM Is Better?
By Sergey ShesternevUpdated October 9, 2026Published August 10, 20269 min read
Holafly vs Airalo: which travel eSIM is better? Unlimited data or GB plans, prices for the same trip, hotspot, phone number, refunds and which to pick.
Quick answer
Holafly vs Airalo is a choice between two ways of buying data, not two price lists. With Holafly every trip plan is unlimited and priced by the day, while Airalo sells GB plans and unlimited plans side by side. My top pick for most trips is Airalo, since you pay only for the data you need and even its unlimited plans cost less in all five destinations compared here. Go with Holafly for unlimited data over an exact number of days, with no daily full-speed amount to watch.
Holafly's "unlimited data" ads follow you around the internet, and Airalo is the name a friend mentions when you ask which eSIM they used. Both are prepaid travel eSIMs, and neither sales page tells you where the other one wins. Put the two side by side for one trip, and the gaps show up in the price, the hotspot and the refund rules.
My picks
- Best for most trips: Airalo, the eSIM I use, with a 5 GB week from $10.00, unlimited plans in all five destinations I compared and top-ups onto the same eSIM.
- Best for unlimited data by the day: Holafly, any number of days from 1 to 90, no daily full-speed amount on its plan pages, a full refund within 6 months if you never activate it.
Prices checked on October 9, 2026, at regular prices.
In this article
Holafly vs Airalo: the key differences
The key difference between Holafly and Airalo is how they sell data. Holafly's trip plans are all unlimited, priced by the day, and Airalo sells GB plans next to its unlimited ones.
| Holafly | Airalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | unlimited data by the day, 1 to 90 days; a monthly subscription, Holafly Plans | fixed data (GB plans) and unlimited plans for single countries and regions; Discover global plans |
| Full speed on unlimited | no daily amount stated; a fair-use slowdown, if it applies, lasts no more than one day | 3 GB a day by default, 5 GB on the USA and Europe plans, then 1 Mbps |
| Hotspot | up to 1 GB a day on all five plans I checked | allowed; no limit on tethering on unlimited plans |
| Time to start after you buy | starts when you arrive and connect; no deadline stated on its pages | 365 days from purchase on the plans I checked; check the package details |
| More data or days | no data top-up during a trip; on eSIMs bought from September 30, 2026, add days or a new trip to the same eSIM | top up the same eSIM when data or days run out |
| Phone number | trip eSIMs are data only; the Holafly Plans Unlimited subscription adds a +1 or +44 number for incoming texts only | many plans are data only; some country plans have calls and texts (USA, Mexico); some Discover global plans include calls and texts |
| Refunds | full refund within 6 months if not activated, when bought from Holafly | within 14 days if not activated, when bought from Airalo; for a wrong purchase or a change of plans, the refund comes in Airmoney, Airalo's in-app credit, not to your card |
| Support | 24/7 chat, WhatsApp and email | 24/7 live chat |
On the plans I checked, Airalo gives you 365 days from purchase to start, and the plan's days count only from its first connection in the country.
Proof: Airalo confirms 365 days from purchase to start using the eSIM, on its Spain plan
Holafly works differently. Its plan doesn't start when you install the eSIM, only when you arrive and connect to a local network with data roaming on.
Proof: Holafly confirms the eSIM starts only when you arrive and connect to a local network
Buy in March for a trip in July, and neither plan loses a day while it waits.
A number matters when a driver or a hotel has to call you back. For that, Airalo's USA and Mexico pages have plans with calls and texts. WhatsApp calls work on both brands.
The refund rule matters most if your plans might change. Holafly refunds in full within 6 months of purchase and Airalo within 14 days, both only while the eSIM isn't activated. For a change of plans, Airalo pays you back in Airmoney, its in-app credit, not to your card. Each brand's other rules are in my Holafly eSIM review and my Airalo eSIM review.
Prices compared: a week and a month in five destinations
At regular prices on October 9, 2026, a week of unlimited data costs from $23.50 to $27.50 with Holafly or Airalo in these five destinations. Airalo also sells GB plans, and they cost less when you don't need unlimited data.
A week (7 days)
| Destination | Holafly, unlimited | Airalo, unlimited | Airalo, 5 GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | $27.50 | $25.00 | $12.50 |
| Japan | $27.50 | $26.50 | $10.00 |
| China | $27.50 | $27.00 | $14.50 |
| Mexico | $24.50 | $23.50 | $12.00 |
| Europe (Holafly eSIM Europe, 33 countries; Airalo Europe, 41 countries) | $27.50 | $27.00 | $18.50 |
Prices checked on October 9, 2026. For a week of unlimited data, Airalo costs less than Holafly in all five destinations at regular prices.
A month (30 days)
| Destination | Holafly, unlimited | Airalo, unlimited | Airalo, 20 GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | $73.90 | $68.00 | $36.50 |
| Japan | $73.90 | $69.00 | $25.00 |
| China | $76.50 | $69.00 | $40.00 |
| Mexico | $66.50 | $62.00 | $31.00 |
| Europe | $76.50 | $71.00 | $48.00 |
Prices checked on October 9, 2026. For a month of unlimited data too, Airalo costs less than Holafly in all five destinations at regular prices.
For US data, Airalo comes out ahead on both kinds of plan. Its unlimited week costs less than Holafly's, and its 5 GB week costs under half of Holafly's price. The weekly prices sit closest in China and Europe, $27.00 with Airalo and $27.50 with Holafly. That's almost a tie.
Every Holafly trip plan is unlimited, so there's no small plan for a light week. You pay for the days, not the data. For a month, Airalo's 20 GB plan costs $25.00 in Japan, while Holafly's month there is unlimited at $73.90.
Holafly also sells Holafly Plans Unlimited, a subscription at $64.90 a month that renews until you cancel and starts the day you pay, not when you land.
If your Europe trip stays in the EU and the UK, Airalo's EU + UK plan costs $23.50 for an unlimited week in 28 countries.
A week in Mexico City with maps, ride apps and photo uploads, while the hotel Wi-Fi handles the evenings, fits in 5 GB unless you stream. Airalo's 5 GB plan costs $12.00 there, against $24.50 for Holafly's unlimited week. If you want video on top, the unlimited prices are close.
You can compare more providers in one place: click the button below.
Is Holafly really unlimited? Unlimited data and hotspot compared
Yes, Holafly is really unlimited in the sense that the data doesn't run out, and its pages state no daily amount at full speed. A fair-use slowdown, if a network applies one, lasts no more than one day.
Proof: Holafly confirms a speed reduction lasts no more than one day
Airalo does have unlimited data too. Its unlimited plans give 3 GB a day at full speed by default, then 1 Mbps for the rest of that day. Where the amount differs, Airalo shows it in the package details before you buy. The daily amount resets every 24 hours, counted from the time you activated the eSIM.
Proof: Airalo confirms 3 GB a day at full speed by default, then 1 Mbps until the day resets
| Full-speed data a day | Speed after that | Hotspot | Unlimited lengths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holafly | not stated; a fair-use slowdown lasts up to one day | not stated | up to 1 GB a day | 1 to 90 days |
| Airalo | 3 GB by default; 5 GB in the USA and Europe; 3 GB in Japan, China and Mexico | 1 Mbps for the rest of the day | no limit on tethering | 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days |
On unlimited data, Airalo vs Holafly differs in two rules, the daily full-speed amount and the hotspot. For a laptop, the hotspot rule matters more. On all five plans I checked, Holafly lets you share up to 1 GB a day, and a 7-day plan includes 7 GB of sharing in total.
Proof: Holafly confirms hotspot sharing of up to 1 GB per day, on its USA plan
On its unlimited plans, Airalo sets no limit on tethering or on the number of devices you connect.
Proof: Airalo confirms no limit on tethering or the number of devices on unlimited plans
My own Holafly trip was to Baku in March 2025, on a 6-day unlimited eSIM that I picked for no special reason. It came up, and I took it. Everything worked very well there.
My phone, a Xiaomi 14T Pro, shared its connection with my mother, and between us it carried YouTube videos, calls with the family and my work. I never went over any limit, so I didn't even know there was one.
That's one trip, though, and the hotspot rule still applies.
In practice, YouTube uses about 0.6 GB an hour, Netflix about 0.8 GB, and maps and messages about 0.1 GB. Maps and messages barely touch a 3 GB day. Video is what fills it.
Halfway through an evening of video calls, the Wi-Fi in your rented flat gives up, and you turn on the phone's hotspot to keep the laptop going. Is Holafly better than Airalo on a night like that? Not for the laptop. On Holafly it gets 1 GB that day, while on Airalo only the daily full-speed amount counts.
So I recommend Airalo's unlimited plans when you work from a laptop on the phone's hotspot. Go with Holafly if most of your data stays on the phone itself and you don't want to think about a daily amount.
Networks and 5G: which gives a more reliable connection?
Both brands run on big local networks, often the same ones, so the network in your country decides the signal more than the brand does.
| Destination | Holafly | Airalo |
|---|---|---|
| USA | AT&T, T-Mobile | T-Mobile (5G), Verizon (5G) |
| Japan | KDDI, Softbank | Softbank (5G), KDDI (5G) |
| China | CMCC (China Mobile) | China Unicom (5G) |
| Mexico | Movistar, Telcel | Movistar, AT&T (5G) |
| Europe | not listed on the plan page | per country, for example Free Mobile and Orange (5G) in France, Vodafone and O2 (5G) in Germany |
5G is there in many countries. Airalo marks it on T-Mobile and Verizon in the USA, on Softbank and KDDI in Japan and on China Unicom in China. Holafly promises "5G networks where available" without naming which ones. Check the plan before you buy.
My work has traveled with me on a laptop since 2017, across 50+ countries, and I've relied on eSIMs for about five years. When I lived in Spain, Airalo put my phone on Orange, and a speed test gave me 198 Mbps down and 28.3 Mbps up.
On that connection I had WhatsApp, work email and YouTube in 1080p, and my laptop got online through the phone's hotspot. In Portugal, where I lived in Porto for a long time, Airalo was fast too, with a very good signal on the phone and on the laptop. Today I use Airalo in Da Nang, and the speed there is fast enough.
You take the airport train into Tokyo, and the top of your screen reads KDDI or Softbank. With Airalo or Holafly, the same local network does the work, and the brand only decides the plan, the price and the hotspot rule.
Holafly or Airalo: which is better? My verdict for 2026
For most travelers choosing Holafly or Airalo, my top pick is Airalo, the eSIM I use, because you choose between GB plans and unlimited data.
On a short trip of maps, messages and photos, pick an Airalo GB plan. You pay for 5 GB, nothing more. I usually buy a 10 GB or 20 GB Airalo pack myself.
Laptop work days are different. There I don't recommend Holafly, because its hotspot stops sharing at 1 GB a day, while Airalo unlimited lets the laptop share the phone's data all day.
Is Holafly better than Airalo for you? It is when you want unlimited data and your dates may still change, because Holafly gives a full refund for 6 months if you never activate the eSIM.
For international travel beyond the big cities, coverage follows the local network, so check which networks each brand lists for your country before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Holafly?+
Holafly is run by Holafly Limited, a private company registered in Ireland, with its address in Dublin. Its founders, Pedro and Lidia, started Holafly in 2017 after a trip without internet abroad, and they launched its eSIM in the summer of 2018. So it isn't an American company.
Is Airalo an American company?+
No. Airalo runs as AirGSM Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore, and it was founded in 2019, so it's a Singapore company, not an American one.
What are the disadvantages of Holafly?+
Holafly's main disadvantage is that every trip plan is unlimited, with no small GB plan for a light week. Hotspot sharing stops at 1 GB a day on the trip plans compared here. Trip eSIMs are data only, with no phone number for calls or texts. You also can't add data to a running trip. On eSIMs bought from September 30, 2026, you can add days or a new trip to the same eSIM instead.
Do I need a VPN to use Airalo in China?+
No. Airalo says a VPN is not required with its China eSIM, as long as you use the eSIM's data and not the hotel Wi-Fi. On the eSIM's data, you get full access to sites that are blocked in China. Airalo's China eSIM doesn't cover Hong Kong or Macao, and Airalo asks you to choose a separate eSIM for those.
Does Holafly work in China?+
Yes. Holafly sells an eSIM China plan on the China Mobile network. Its China page says a VPN comes included at no extra cost, so WhatsApp, Google and Instagram open without installing one. The plan is for mainland China, and Holafly says you need a separate eSIM for Hong Kong or Taiwan.
Do you keep your number with Airalo?+
Yes. Your own SIM stays in the phone, and the Airalo eSIM works next to it as a second line for data. To get calls and texts on your number, Airalo says to keep your main line on and set it as the default voice line. Your home carrier may also need data roaming on, and that can mean roaming charges. A Holafly trip eSIM sits next to your own line in the same way.
