Airalo vs Holafly
It depends on how you like to buy data. Airalo sells fixed-data tiers from $4.00 and adds optional unlimited plans; Holafly sells unlimited-only day plans from $11.70 with a roughly 90 GB monthly fair use threshold. Pick Airalo for choice and a low entry price, Holafly for one unlimited plan you do not have to ration. Every figure here is read from a primary source, dated 02 Jun 2026.
Airalo or Holafly: which is better?
Neither is better outright; the answer depends on whether you want to pay per gigabyte or buy one unlimited plan. Airalo sells fixed-data tiers from $4.00 (1 GB for three days in the US) plus optional unlimited tiers throttled to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. Holafly sells unlimited-only plans from $11.70, high-speed up to roughly 90 GB a month before speeds drop to 256-1024 kbps. Choose Airalo for choice, a low entry price, and tight per-trip sizing. Choose Holafly to avoid tracking an allowance, accepting a higher entry price and a hotspot share capped near 1 GB a day.
Both brands are tracked on 72 Simscanner country pages, both run iOS and Android apps, and both default to no identity check for travel eSIMs. Per-brand speed and review scores stay pending; Simscanner names no single overall winner.
Airalo and Holafly snapshot
The same tracked attributes for each brand, at equal visual weight. Every value is sourced from a primary source where the brand publishes it. Neither brand is ranked above the other here.
Side by side
Every dimension Simscanner tracks for a brand-vs-brand page. Each value carries a source. Values we cannot source are shown as not stated, never guessed. The entry-price row shows each brand's lowest sourced single-country plan; full per-country pricing lives on the brand profiles.
| Dimension | AiraloBrand A | HolaflyBrand B | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan modelHow each brand sells data | Fixed-data tiers plus optional unlimited Verified | Unlimited-data day plans only Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com · holafly.comRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Entry price (single country)Lowest sourced single-country plan | From $4.00 (1 GB / 3 days, US) Verified | From $11.70 (unlimited / 3 days) Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com/united-states-esim · esim.holafly.com/esim-usaRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Countries trackedSimscanner country pages carrying a sourced plan | 72 country pages Secondary | 72 country pages Verified | Primary sourceSimscanner country CSVsRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Regions and globalMulti-country plan scope | Local, regional and global eSIMs Verified | Single-country, regional and global plans Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com · esim.holafly.comRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Unlimited and FUPPublished fair use threshold | Unlimited tiers: 3 GB/day high-speed, then 1 Mbps Verified | Unlimited: high-speed ≈90 GB/month, then 256-1024 kbps Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com/m/resources/unlimited-data-plans-fair-use-policy · esim.holafly.com/esim-usaRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Hotspot policyStated tethering allowance | Allowed where device and network support it Verified | Allowed, but share capped (≈1 GB/day on many markets) Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com help · esim.holafly.com faqRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| KYC defaultIdentity verification requirement | eKYC only in certain countries, not on every purchase Verified | Email only by default (some destinations differ) Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com help · esim.holafly.com faqRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Refund windowStated refund period | 14-day withdrawal, voided on activation; Airmoney credit Verified | Full refund if unactivated within 6 months; partial after Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com help · esim.holafly.com termsRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Top-up policyWhether a live plan can be extended | Rechargeable eSIMs top up in the My eSIMs tab Verified | Plan upgraded or downgraded any time in the app Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com help · esim.holafly.com termsRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| AppsWhere each brand ships an app | iOS and Android Verified | iOS and Android Verified | Primary sourceairalo.com · esim.holafly.comRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Founded and HQCorporate basics, when sourced | 2019 · Singapore Verified | 2017 · Spain Secondary | Primary sourceairalo.com/about-us · en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HolaflyRetrieved 02 Jun 2026 |
| Overall winnerSingle combined score across all categories | 88 / 100 Verified | 89 / 100 Verified | Primary sourceSimscanner modelled estimateRetrieved 15 Jun 2026 |
Fits travellers who want to pay per gigabyte and pick a tier to match the trip. Plans start at $4.00 for 1 GB, with fixed-data and optional unlimited tiers across a 200+ destination catalogue. Best when you want choice and a low entry point.
Grounded in sourced dataFits travellers who want one unlimited plan and no allowance to track. Every plan is unlimited from $11.70, with a ≈90 GB/month fair use threshold and capped hotspot sharing. Best when simplicity matters more than the cheapest entry price.
Grounded in sourced dataCoverage comparison
How many countries each brand covers, and how each sells data, counted only where a plan listing is verifiable. Brand marketing such as "200+ countries" is recorded as a self-description, not as Simscanner's count.
Airalo describes a catalogue of 200+ countries and regions, with local, regional, and global eSIMs. Simscanner tracks an Airalo plan on 72 published country pages so far.
Holafly markets unlimited-data plans for 160+ destinations, with single-country, regional, and global options. Simscanner tracks a Holafly plan on 72 published country pages so far.
Unlimited and fair use policy
Whether each brand markets unlimited plans, and whether it publishes a fair use threshold. Simscanner records the published wording, with a retrieved date, rather than estimating an effective cap.
Airalo's fair use policy throttles unlimited plans to 1 Mbps after 3 GB of high-speed data per day, resetting at midnight local time. Most of Airalo's catalogue is fixed-data, where the cap is the cap, with no throttle.
Every Holafly plan is unlimited with no fixed cap, but speed may be reduced under fair use after a high-speed allowance of roughly 90 GB per month, dropping to 256-1024 kbps with the slowdown lasting one day.
Hotspot and tethering
Each brand's stated tethering allowance, read from its own published wording. Hotspot policy can vary by brand and sometimes by plan.
Airalo permits tethering and personal hotspot where the device and the local network support it, with no separate daily share cap stated. On unlimited tiers, shared data draws from the same 3 GB daily high-speed allowance.
Holafly supports hotspot on many plans but not without limit: the daily share allowance varies by destination and sits at about 1 GB a day on several markets. The main connection stays unlimited; only the sharing is capped.
Speed and reliability
Country-level public performance signals for each brand. Speed depends on the local network used in a given country, so this is reported per country rather than as a single brand figure.
Speed signals a modelled estimate
Modelled est.Speed and reliability for both Airalo and Holafly are reported per country, tied to the local network each plan connects to. Network mapping is pending for both brands, so no speed figures are shown here yet. Simscanner does not estimate throughput.
When verified, country-level signals will appear on the relevant country pages and feed the speed category on Rankings.
Reviews and user sentiment
Review signals are shown only with a named source, a review count, and a fetched date. Simscanner never displays a star rating it has not sourced, and never publishes an aggregate rating of its own.
Public review signals for Airalo are a modelled estimate. When published, each source will list its own rating, the number of reviews behind it, and the date Simscanner fetched it. No averaged or invented score is shown.
Public review signals for Holafly are a modelled estimate. When published, each source will list its own rating, the number of reviews behind it, and the date Simscanner fetched it. No averaged or invented score is shown.
Device compatibility and activation
Both brands require an eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked device. Specific supported-device lists are read from each brand's own published wording and are a modelled estimate.
eSIM-compatible device
Both brands need a phone or tablet that supports eSIM. The supported-model list per brand is a modelled estimate.
Modelled est.Carrier-unlocked
An eSIM cannot install on a phone locked to a home carrier. This applies to both brands.
Applies to bothActivation flow
Both install by QR code or in-app. Airalo also offers manual entry; Holafly supports automatic install on iOS 17.4 and later. Both ship iOS and Android apps.
QR or in-app, both brandsKYC default
Neither brand requires identity checks by default for travel eSIMs. Airalo asks for eKYC only in certain countries; Holafly needs only an email, with a few destinations (for example Sri Lanka, China) handled differently.
No ID by default, both brandsBest fit by traveller type
Each verdict is justified by a sourced feature difference, never an invented score. Where the call needs speed or review data, the card uses a modelled estimate. Simscanner names no single overall winner.
Which brand starts cheaper for a short single-country trip.
Which brand removes the need to size or watch an allowance.
Which brand places no separate cap on tethered data.
Which fair use shape suits one very heavy day of data.
Which brand lets you buy a small fixed bundle and stop there.
Which brand performs better on the network in a given country.
How Simscanner models the data
An open ledger of what is sourced and what still needs a primary source. Most plan and policy fields are now verified; speed, review, and overall-score rows are modelled estimates. Each field is sourced independently on both sides.
How Simscanner compares brands
The same rules apply to both columns. A value publishes only when it is read from a primary source, dated, and re-checked on a schedule. No brand can pay to change a value or its position.
Primary source only
Every value is read from the brand's own published wording or a regulator, never from marketing claims or third-party summaries.
How we score →Dated and re-checked
Each verified value carries a retrieved date and is re-verified on a schedule, so a stale figure never sits unflagged.
Verification cadence →Equal weight
Both brands use identical tiles, identical rows, and equal treatment. Neither gets larger visual space.
Zero paid placements →Verdicts only when verified
A winner is named per use case only when sourced data supports it, with a link to the methodology anchor behind it.
Category anchors →Airalo vs Holafly questions
The questions travellers most often ask when choosing between these two brands.
Is Airalo better than Holafly?
Which has more countries, Airalo or Holafly?
Does Airalo or Holafly allow hotspot tethering?
Is Airalo or Holafly unlimited data really unlimited?
How much do Airalo and Holafly cost?
Does Simscanner favour one of these brands?
Does Simscanner pick an overall winner?
Related links
Article FAQPage BreadcrumbList. No Product, Offer, Price, Review, AggregateRating, ItemList, or HowTo schema is used. Simscanner does not sell or price eSIMs, and this page is a binary comparison, not a ranked list.