Best travel eSIM 2026: Airalo, Holafly & Saily compared

Airalo was founded in 2019, is based in Singapore and, since a funding round of over 220 million US dollars in July 2025, is valued at more than a billion – the biggest provider in this comparison with over 200 destinations and, by its own account, 30 million users.

Its strength is choice: GB plans from 1 to 100 GB valid for 3 to 365 days, unlimited plans in many countries, regional plans (Europe with 41 countries, Asia) and a global plan. Examples from 14 October 2026: Europe 10 GB for 30 days $31, Turkey 10 GB $15.50, Japan 10 GB $18, USA 10 GB $22.50. According to the help centre, hotspot use is allowed on all plans with no cap.

The weaknesses: on Trustpilot Airalo only reaches 4.1 out of 5 from 47,096 reviews, with 16% giving one star – mostly because of connections that never get going. And if you buy the wrong plan, you only get the money back as credit. TechRadar (22 September 2026) nevertheless calls Airalo «the best and easiest eSIM option», but not the cheapest. In detail: (→ Airalo vs Holafly 2026: the honest comparison).

Holafly (founded in Spain in 2017, contracting party in Dublin) sells unlimited plans by the day only, freely selectable from 1 to 90 days. The USA, Turkey, Japan and Thailand cost €25.50 for 7 days, €46.90 for 15 days, €68.90 for 30 days; the Europe eSIM with 33 countries €25.50, €47.90 and €70.90 (14 October 2026). If you make lots of video calls or travel as a content creator, you save yourself the sums.

Add to that 24/7 chat support, the best Trustpilot rating of the major providers (4.7 out of 5 from around 115,000 reviews) and a generous refund policy: up to six months after purchase as long as the eSIM has not been activated.

The limits: the hotspot is capped at 1 GB per day and not allowed in all countries, there is no phone number, and for light users unlimited is simply too expensive. All the details: (→ Holafly review 2026: prices, limits & honest verdict). With the code HERMESINVEST you get 5% off (code checked on 16 July 2026): (→ Holafly discount code 2026: save 5% with HERMESINVEST).

Saily has been on the market since March 2024 and belongs to Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN; the contracting party for Europe is Saily UAB in Vilnius. Despite its short history, Saily stands at 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from around 31,500 reviews – 83% five stars, only 3% one star, the best score in this comparison.

The prices are aggressive: 1 GB for 7 days costs $3.99 in the USA, Turkey and Japan, $4.99 in Europe; 10 GB for 30 days $22.99 (USA), $15.99 (Turkey), $17.99 (Japan) and $35.99 (Europe). Unlimited is available in 62 countries as well as for Europe and Asia (Europe 15 days $49.99), throttled to 1 Mbit/s after 3 or 5 GB per day (14 October 2026).

Included at no extra cost: an ad blocker, web protection against scam sites and a virtual location. The hotspot is unrestricted – on unlimited the terms only prohibit «excessive» sharing with several devices. Refunds: 30 days from purchase if over 99% of the allowance is unused. Weaknesses according to reviews (Traveltomtom, 10 July 2026): the partner network is not always visible before purchase, and Saily is not the cheapest in every country.

Nomad belongs to the US company LotusFlare (Santa Clara, California) and has been on the market since 2020; the website is now nomadesim.com. On Trustpilot Nomad stands at 4.3 out of 5 from around 45,900 reviews (72% five stars, 8% one star).

Nomad is strong on mid-sized plans: 10 GB for 30 days costs $23 in Europe, $15 in the USA, $16 in Japan and $13 in Turkey – partly promotional prices with the regular price crossed out (14 October 2026). There are also long validities of up to 365 days.

The catches: unlimited plans are throttled from as little as 2 GB per day and are excluded from refunds; the eSIM must be activated within 60 days of purchase, otherwise it starts automatically. In reviews and at TechRadar (22 May 2026) the connection outside cities is described as patchy.

City break or a week's holiday with normal usage (up to 5 GB): Saily – cheap, unrestricted hotspot, best reviews. Almost level: Airalo.

Two to four weeks with medium usage (10 to 20 GB): Nomad or Airalo, depending on the country – in Europe Nomad (10 GB $23), in Turkey Airalo or Saily.

Streaming, video calls, uploads, no laptop hotspot: Holafly – or Airalo and Saily unlimited if you need the hotspot and can live with throttling after 3 to 5 GB per day.

Touring several regions: Airalo with regional and global plans; for Europe also Saily (35 countries) and Nomad (35 countries).

Local SIM card: often cheaper on the ground in many countries, but with more hassle – and in Turkey tied to the 120-day IMEI rule: (→ Turkey eSIM for long stays: mobile data for 4–8 weeks visiting family).

An eSIM-capable, unlocked smartphone – older devices and some budget models lack the feature. What an eSIM actually is: (→ What is an eSIM? How the digital SIM card works). Setup in five steps: (→ How to set up an eSIM: step-by-step guide for iPhone & Android).

Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi, but only activate it at your destination. Keep your home number active alongside (dual SIM) for SMS codes and WhatsApp.

Compare the final price for your usage, not the advertising: 10 GB is enough for two weeks of maps, chats and photos; streaming needs many times that.

Check hotspot, throttling and refund rules before buying – they differ more than the prices do. If you travel from Switzerland, it is also worth looking at your own operator's roaming add-ons: (→ EU roaming from Switzerland 2026: how to avoid the cost trap).

Prices, plan rules, hotspot and throttling: airalo.com, esim.holafly.com, saily.com and nomadesim.com including help articles and terms of service, retrieved on 14 October 2026 (Airalo, Saily, Nomad in US dollars; Holafly in euros).

Reviews: Trustpilot, retrieved on 14 October 2026. Company details: provider websites, Nord Security press release (25 March 2024), Holafly announcement (29 September 2025), e27 on Airalo's funding (10 July 2025).

Expert reviews: TechRadar (Airalo 22 May 2026, Nomad 22 May 2026, best-of list 22 September 2026), Cloudwards (Holafly, 16 April 2026), Traveltomtom (Saily, 10 July 2026).

We did not carry out a hands-on test of our own for this analysis.