Airalo is Traviva’s pick: it publishes its daily cap (3GB on most unlimited plans, 5GB in some destinations, then 1 Mbps) and tethering is unrestricted. Holafly was more expensive on every like-for-like 10-day unlimited plan we checked on 10 Nov 2026, publishes no daily cap, and limits hotspot sharing to 1GB a day.
Updated · Prices and caps read off Airalo and Holafly’s own pages the same day. Traviva may earn a commission from some links; affiliate disclosure.
Affiliate note: Traviva earns a commission if you buy Airalo through links on this page (via Travelpayouts), at no extra cost to you. We earn nothing from Holafly, and that plays no part in this comparison. How we make money →
How this review was made, and what it isn’t
We have not used this eSIM. We have not run a speed test, stood in a terminal watching it fail to activate, or called the support line. If that is what you are after, this is the wrong page and we would rather tell you now.
What this is: every figure read off the provider’s own terms, plan pages and fair-use policy, dated, with the gaps left visible. Plus what the people who did test have published — and, where it matters, the fact that several well-known review sites claim to have tested and publish no measurements at all.
How do Airalo and Holafly differ?
| Airalo | Holafly | What it means | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full speed until | 3GB per day 5GB in some destinations, including Thailand, the USA, Spain, Italy and Eurolink Europe | Not published anywhere | Airalo tells you where the line is. Holafly does not publish a figure at all (its pages say only that a fair-usage limit may apply for no more than a day), and four independent estimates put it somewhere between 1.5GB and 5GB. |
| Then throttled to | 1 Mbps | Not published | Airalo publishes a 1 Mbps floor. We could not find a throttled speed on Holafly’s destination pages on 10 Nov 2026. |
| Hotspot | Unrestricted | 1GB per day | The single biggest difference. Travelling with a laptop rules Holafly out. |
| Phone number | On some packages | Never | Neither is a good answer if you need SMS codes. |
| Top-ups | Yes, without reinstalling | No — buy another plan | Holafly sells unlimited only, so extending means starting again. |
| Fixed-data plans | Yes, from 1GB | None anywhere | Holafly sells one product. If your usage is modest you are paying for headroom you will not use. |
Which is cheaper on the same unlimited plan?
Where both sell an unlimited plan of the same length, this is what each charges.
| Destination | Duration | Airalo | Holafly | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bali (Indonesia) | 10 days | $34 cheaper | $37.50 | $3.50 |
| Japan | 10 days | $34.50 cheaper | $36.50 | $2 |
| China | 10 days | $35 cheaper | $37.50 | $2.50 |
| Vietnam | 10 days | $34.50 cheaper | $37.50 | $3 |
| Thailand | 10 days | $31 cheaper | $36.50 | $5.50 |
| Fiji | 7 days | $53 cheaper | $53.50 | $0.50 |
| Singapore | 10 days | $34.50 cheaper | $37.50 | $3 |
| New Zealand | 10 days | $34.50 cheaper | $37.50 | $3 |
| United States | 10 days | $34 cheaper | $36.50 | $2.50 |
| Europe | 10 days | $35 cheaper | $37.50 | $2.50 |
Prices in US dollars, read off each provider’s own page on 10 Nov 2026 (Airalo package pages; Holafly destination pages). Every Airalo price was unchanged from 30 October 2026. Holafly’s 10-day unlimited plan rose to $37.50 in Bali (Indonesia), China, Vietnam, Singapore and New Zealand; Japan, Thailand, the USA, Europe and Fiji (7 days) were unchanged. Airalo was cheaper in every destination we checked — by between $0.50 and $5.50 — which is not enough to decide anything on its own. The hotspot rule in the table above is worth far more than the price gap here.
You tether, or you want to know the rules
You travel with a laptop or share the connection; you would rather have a published 3GB cap than an unpublished one; you want fixed-data plans so you are not buying unlimited you will not use; or you want to top up without reinstalling.
We may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we’re paid.
You are phone-only in an expensive market
You will not tether at all; your usage is genuinely unpredictable; you are somewhere data is costly, where flat global pricing works in your favour; and you would rather buy one thing than weigh up a ladder of plans.
See Holafly plans →What each is scored, and why to discount it
| Provider | Score | Reviews | 5★ | 1★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holafly under review | 4.7 | 110,476 | 84% | 6% |
| Saily | 4.7 | 30,668 | 83% | 3% |
| Nomad | 4.3 | 43,079 | 72% | 8% |
| Airalo | 4.1 | 42,305 | 61% | 16% |
| Ubigi | 4.1 | 44,787 | 66% | 12% |
Read these with care. All five providers we hold ratings for invite their own customers to review, so none of these is an organic sample, and the gap between a 4.7 and a 4.1 says at least as much about when and how hard a company asks as about the product. Holafly — the highest score here — is also the only one of those whose profile currently carries a Trustpilot compliance notice: “Trustpilot is currently working with this business to address past violations of our Guidelines for Businesses and Legal Brand Guidelines. This profile is under active review to ensure full transparency for consumers.” Trustpilot does not say what the violations were, so neither will we. Checked 8 September 2026.
Airalo vs Nomad
Nomad is often cheaper on fixed data; Airalo is far kinder once you pass the daily cap on an unlimited plan.
| Airalo | Nomad | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited: full speed until | 3GB/day (5GB in some destinations) | 2GB/day |
| Then throttled to | 1 Mbps | About 1–2 Mbps, or 512 kbps |
| Hotspot | Unrestricted (counts towards the daily allowance) | Supported, no limit published |
| Activation window | Not published | 60 days |
| Europe, 10GB for 30 days | US$31 | US$23 |
| Trustpilot | 4.1 (42,305 reviews) | 4.3 (43,079 reviews) |
Caps and hotspot rules from each provider’s own terms, re-checked 10 Nov 2026. Nomad’s help centre says most unlimited plans give 2GB a day, then about 1 or 2 Mbps; a Nomad plan document still says 512 kbps. Europe prices: Airalo 10GB/30 days US$31 (Eurolink, unchanged); Nomad 10GB/30 days US$23 on the cheaper Neon plan (Coral is US$25) — much of Nomad’s catalogue is on sale, so its prices move. Trustpilot figures still as at 8 September 2026.
Pick Nomad if you want a fixed amount of data at the lowest price and will watch the sale price. Pick Airalo if you want an unlimited plan, tether a laptop, or would rather drop to 1 Mbps than 512 kbps once you pass the cap. Full Nomad review →
Airalo vs Saily
Saily’s terms give 3GB or 5GB a day at full speed, depending on the destination; Airalo is cheaper for fixed data in Europe.
| Airalo | Saily | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited: full speed until | 3GB/day (5GB in some destinations) | 3 or 5GB/day (by destination) |
| Then throttled to | 1 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| Hotspot | Unrestricted | Unlimited |
| Phone number | On some Data, Voice & Text packages and Discover+ | Optional paid add-on |
| Europe, 10GB for 30 days | US$31 | US$35.99 |
| Trustpilot | 4.1 (42,305 reviews) | 4.7 (30,668 reviews) |
Caps, hotspot and phone-number rules from each provider’s own terms, re-checked 10 Nov 2026 (Saily from its Terms of Service, last updated 27 Aug 2026). Europe prices: Airalo 10GB/30 days US$31, re-checked 10 Nov 2026; Saily US$35.99 could not be re-checked today (saily.com blocked the request) and remains as at 26 October 2026. Trustpilot figures still as at 8 September 2026.
Pick Saily if the offering for your destination is 5GB a day — Saily’s terms (updated 27 Aug 2026) say the daily allowance is 3GB or 5GB, as specified in the offering; its marketing pages still describe country and regional unlimited plans as 5GB. Pick Airalo for fixed-data plans at a lower price, the bigger destination catalogue, the 15% new-customer code above, and in destinations where Airalo publishes 5GB a day (Thailand, the USA, Spain, Italy and Eurolink Europe). Every provider’s cap side by side →
We may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we’re paid.
Questions travellers ask
Is Airalo cheaper than Holafly?
Airalo was cheaper on every like-for-like unlimited plan we compared on 10 Nov 2026. The gap was US$0.50 in Fiji (7 days) and US$5.50 in Thailand (10 days). That price difference alone is small; the published cap and hotspot rules matter more.
Can I use a hotspot with Airalo or Holafly?
Airalo’s fair-use policy says there is no limit on tethering or the number of devices you connect; hotspot use counts towards the daily cap. Holafly’s destination pages limit data sharing to 1GB a day (a 7-day plan includes 7GB of shareable data).
What is Airalo’s fair-use cap on unlimited plans?
Airalo publishes a default of 3GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps until the allowance resets 24 hours after activation. Package details we checked on 10 Nov 2026 raise that to 5GB a day in Thailand, the USA, Spain, Italy and Airalo’s Europe (Eurolink) unlimited plans.
Does Holafly publish a daily data cap?
No. Holafly’s terms say unlimited plans have no fixed data volume but may be subject to a fair-use policy that can limit usage or speed if use is excessive. We could not find a published daily cap or throttled speed on its destination pages on 10 Nov 2026.
Which should I pick if I travel with a laptop?
Airalo, because tethering is unrestricted (it still counts towards the daily cap). Holafly’s 1GB-a-day hotspot limit is tight for laptop work.
Is there a new-customer discount for Airalo?
Yes. New Airalo customers can use the code NEWTOAIRALO15 for 15% off, with a maximum discount of US$100, valid until 1 Jan 2027. It cannot be combined with other promotions. Check the terms on Airalo’s campaign page before you buy.
The honest summary
For most Australians most of the time, Airalo is the safer of the two — not because it is faster, which nobody can demonstrate, but because you can find out what you are buying before you buy it. Holafly’s hotspot cap is the tightest restriction in the category and it is not surfaced at checkout; its throttling threshold is not published at all.
That is a judgement about disclosure, not about network quality. On speed, published measurements of Airalo in one country alone span 10 to 141 Mbps, and there is no comparable recent dataset for Holafly. Anyone ranking these two on speed is guessing.
Against Nomad and Saily the trade-off is different: Nomad is often cheaper for fixed data but throttles hardest, and Saily gives the most full-speed data a day on unlimited plans. Our Airalo review, with the new-customer code →