Holafly vs Airalo eSIM: which is better in 2024?

eSIMs are digital SIM cards built into modern smart devices that allow you to get mobile data abroad. Not only can they save you a lot of money on roaming, but they also provide stable and fast connectivity. The best part? You can’t lose or damage them. Some even offer traditional phone calls and SMS messaging in their plans.

Holafly and Airalo are two of the best eSIM providers known for great coverage, speed, and excellent customer support. Holafly offers unlimited data plans with considerably higher price tags. This is great for longer trips without Wi-Fi. On the other hand, Airalo is a budget-friendly option with better coverage and stability, excellent for people who don’t want to overpay for their eSIM.

In this article, I will review their plans, coverage, supported devices, speed, user experience, customer support, and additional perks to help you decide which eSIM to root for in the Airalo vs Holafly showdown.

Holafly vs. Airalo: Comparison

After a thorough comparison, I concluded that Airalo is a better and more flexible eSIM option for most travelers compared to Holafly. It’s much cheaper and provides traditional phone calls and SMS messaging, while Holafly’s main advantage is its unlimited data on all plans.

Holafly and Airalo are both excellent eSIM providers, covering around 200 countries, supporting the same mobile network generations (3G, 4G, and 5G), and accepting similar payment methods. However, Airalo has some strengths over Holafly, including slightly lower prices, a wider range of customer support, and global plans. While Holafly remains a strong option, offering features like eSIMs for specific cities and unlimited data in certain locations, Holafly has a rating of 8.8, while Airalo scores 9.3, excelling in coverage and price categories. If you want to learn more about the criteria for these ratings, take a look at our comprehensive Holafly review and Airalo testing results.

eSIMs plans and coverage

Both Holafly and Airalo offer local, regional, and global eSIM options. However, Airalo takes the win for coverage – supporting over 200 countries, compared to Holafly’s 190+. Moreover, its plans can include data, phone calls, and texts, while Holafly is a data-only eSIM. So, if you’re after flexibility during your trip, Airalo is a clear choice.

The only area where Holafly outperforms Airalo is in offering unlimited data on all eSIM plans. While Airalo offers unlimited data in select countries like Turkey, Thailand, and Germany, Holafly delivers it across the board. However, some users have reported speed throttling after hitting a certain daily limit. During my stay in the UK, I didn’t experience any slowdowns with Holafly’s eSIM, but it’s something to keep in mind.

While Holafly might be better suited for long-term travelers, Airalo is a smarter choice for most trips. Airalo is much more flexible than Holafly because you can tailor your plan to specific needs. For example, if you’re planning a 7-day trip, you can simply buy an affordable 7-day eSIM package with a set amount of data, saving money by not overpaying for unused data. For instance, a month-long trip to China with Airalo would cost you $49.00 for a 20 GB plan, while a 30-day Holafly eSIM would cost you $74.90 with unlimited data, making Airalo’s eSIM for China $25.90 cheaper.

Airalo vs. Holafly: Which is cheaper?

When it comes to eSIM plans, Airalo is generally cheaper than Holafly eSIM. Holafly’s unlimited plans drive up its prices, while Airalo’s capped options offer more flexibility. Airalo’s pricing starts at $19.55, while Holafly’s cheapest options cost $119.70.

Airalo offers a tiered system of data packages ranging from 1 GB to unlimited. This flexibility allows you to buy only what you need. For example, you can pay as little as $4.50 for a quick 3-day trip to France, where you need only 1 GB of data. If you’re exploring multiple destinations in Europe, Airalo’s regional plans cover 41 countries, with prices ranging from $5 (1 GB) to $185 (100 GB). This approach lets you save money by tailoring your eSIM package to your needs.

In contrast, Holafly might be a better fit for long-term travel or if you need a lot of data on shorter trips. Its packages are pricier – our French example would cost you $12.90. The European regional plan, covering 30 countries, would set you back $28.90 for 7 days. However, if you’re a heavy data user, Holafly could potentially save you money in the long run.

During my testing, I delved deeper into the pricing of local eSIM plans, focusing on a 7-day validity period. Here’s a closer look at the numbers:

Airalo is significantly cheaper than Holafly across the board. On average, its prices are 80-85% lower. For instance, Holafly charges $28.90 for an unlimited plan in Japan, while Airalo offers 1 GB for just $4.50. The price gap widens in countries like the UK and Canada.

I prefer Airalo’s flexible pricing, especially if you’re a light data user. Its plans won’t lock you into high-cost unlimited data like Holafly’s. Airalo also surprised me with its unique offer in Thailand, providing unlimited data and calls for just $19.95 over 15 days – much cheaper than Holafly’s $50.90 for unlimited data without calls.

In summary, Airalo offers much better value for short or mid-length trips with lighter data usage. On the other hand, Holafly might be a cheaper option for lengthy journeys requiring more data.

Payment methods and refund policies

Holafly and Airalo support nearly identical payment methods—credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay—ensuring quick, convenient, and flexible transactions. However, Airalo stands out from Holafly by including Alipay, a digital wallet and mobile payment platform particularly popular in Asia. It’s a great benefit for travelers from that region, allowing them to manage their payments easily while abroad.

Holafly and Airalo both have refund policies that cover specific situations. In my experience, Holafly is more flexible when it comes to issuing refunds. Airalo, on the other hand, reserves the right to ignore your request if they manage to solve the problem within 10 days of your report.

Holafly allows refund requests up to 60 days after purchase, and the viable reasons include:

• Service withdrawal: You’ve changed your plans and don’t need an eSIM anymore.
• Compatibility issues: You bought an eSIM plan, but it turned out to be incompatible with your device.
• Connection issues: If Holafly provides unstable or no connectivity in your destination, you can request a full or partial refund.

You can reach out to Holafly’s customer support at [email protected] to start the refund process.

Airalo grants refund requests only 30 days after purchase, and just in these cases:

• Unauthorized purchase: If someone made a fraudulent purchase using your credentials, for example.
• Accidental purchase: Note that if you install the eSIM, it will be considered used, and no refund will be issued.
• Incorrect charges: If Airalo charged you more for your plan, you can dispute the charges.

You can initiate your refund request via the in-app or web chat.

Holafly’s refund policy is more flexible since it allows you to change your mind and get your money back. However, if you’ve already activated the plan, you won’t get a refund. In contrast, Airalo has a very rigid refund policy that’s less likely to result in a refund. So, I recommend planning accordingly and making sure you pick the right option for your trip.

Which one is faster, Airalo or Holafly eSIM?

I tested both providers extensively in the US, and Airalo had more consistent speeds, even in rural areas, compared to Holafly. During my tests, I mostly got 4G, even in places where 5G should be available. Holafly had a lot more dead zones in rural testing areas. My testing circuit included different zones, from connection-friendly urban areas to dense forests and remote hiking trails.

Holafly provided between 1 and 15 Mbps, depending on the testing area. I got the best results and connection stability in urban environments, which can’t be said about the performance in rural areas. Also, I noticed temporary speed throttling during bandwidth-heavy actions like HD streaming. For example, my speed went from 15 to 1 Mbps after three hours of streaming. Luckily, it bounced back after a while. If you’re gaming on your trip, a sudden speed drop could ruin the experience.

Airalo provided better and more stable speeds overall. With this eSIM, I didn’t experience any sharp drops or throttling. Depending on the testing area, I got between 10 and 20 Mbps, which was more than enough for video calls, streaming, and general browsing.

User experience

Holafly and Airalo are pretty evenly matched when it comes to user experience. Their apps are intuitive, and even complete eSIM beginners shouldn’t have any trouble with setup and activation. I prefer the design of Airalo’s app, but that’s a matter of personal taste.

During my tests, I found Holafly easy to set up and use. You can get its eSIMs on the official website or via the mobile app. After purchase, you can simply scan a QR code to finish the setup. It took me around two minutes to buy a Holafly plan and get it running. Since all plans have unlimited data, there’s no need to monitor usage or set data alerts.

Airalo is just as intuitive and user-friendly. The installation process only takes a few minutes, and the app sends alerts when you’re running low on data to prevent unexpected cut-offs. I also like that Airalo lets you label multiple eSIMs, which is handy if you’re managing several plans.

All in all, Holafly vs. Airalo are evenly matched. They’re easy to set up, easy to use, and ideal for first-time users.

Airalo vs. Holafly customer support

Holafly and Airalo offer the same customer support methods, but Airalo’s team is more adept at answering technical questions. In my experience, they also take less time to respond and solve your problems.

Here’s how you can contact each company’s customer support agents:

Holafly offers 24/7 customer support via email ([email protected]), live chat, and WhatsApp. I like that you can access these options on the official website without installing the app. An agent can help you pick the right plan for your trip and answer all your questions in advance. Live chat starts you off with a bot, but you can request to talk to a live agent.

During my testing, I waited over 10 minutes for a real specialist to respond, which is not ideal. However, the support representative was knowledgeable and answered most of my questions. It’s worth noting they might struggle with more technical queries. My emails got a response in about 24 hours.

Airalo also provides customer support via email ([email protected]), live chat, and WhatsApp. While testing, I had to wait around 5 minutes for the chatbot to connect me to a live agent. I tested the email support several times and got answers in about 24 hours. The team handled technical questions better than Holafly reps did.

After thorough testing, I have to give the win to Airalo here. Its support team took less time to respond, and they were much more knowledgeable about the technical aspects of their products.

Additional values

Airalo offers more quality-of-life features than Holafly. Researching additional values of each provider just emphasized my previous point about Airalo’s flexibility and polish.

Holafly only lets you extend the validity period of your plan since you don’t need to top-up unlimited data. Its tethering capacity goes up to 1 GB per day, which can be a dealbreaker to some. Holafl’sy eSIMs can’t receive traditional phone calls or text messages (SMS). In other words, its extra features and benefits are somewhat limited.

Meanwhile, Airalo has uncapped data tethering (up to your plan’s data limit) and offers plans, such as Discover+, with traditional phone calls and SMS. This eSIM provider also allows for unlimited top-ups if you decide to extend your stay. Furthermore, it has a proprietary cashback currency called Airmoney, which you can use to pay for Airalo plans in the future.

Holafly or Airalo, according to customer reviews

Holafly tends to do better on Trustpilot, while Airalo shines in app store reviews. Reddit has mixed reviews for both, from praises to harsh criticism.

The customer reviews left on Google’s and Apple’s app stores provide a great and realistic comparison. Airalo is slightly better, but Holafly also has good use cases. Users usually praise both providers’ stability, speeds, and customer support.

One common point of criticism is weaker connectivity in rural areas, which is to be expected. There’s nothing eSIM providers can do with poor network coverage since they rely on the existing infrastructure rather than operating their own.

Conclusion: Which eSIM is better in 2024?

Airalo and Holafly both provide excellent eSIM experience, featuring extensive coverage and competitive pricing. In the end, Airalo is the superior eSIM because it offers more flexibility and lower prices for most potential traveling scenarios. However, Holafly can still be better in particular use cases. So, I’ll give you a brief cheat sheet to help you pick the optimal provider for your next trip.

I recommend going with Airalo if:

• You’re planning a shorter trip (1-3 weeks)
• You have access to Wi-Fi and don’t need mobile data for bandwidth-heavy tasks
• You’re visiting multiple countries or continents
• You need to make traditional phone calls or send/receive SMS
• You need unlimited data tethering
• You’re traveling on a budget

Holafly is a better choice if:

• You need unlimited data on your trip
• You’re planning some bandwidth-heavy tasks like video conferencing, streaming, or gaming
• You don’t mind the higher price tag

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FAQ

Is Holafly or Airalo better?

Airalo is a better eSIM for shorter trips due to its limited data plans. It's also cheaper, has better data tethering, and provides better speeds and connectivity. On the other hand, all Holafly's plans come with unlimited data, which makes it better for longer trips without Wi-Fi.

Which eSIM is best for Europe: Holafly or Airalo?

Airalo is the best eSIM provider for Europe out of the two. It covers 41 European countries, as opposed to Holafly's 30, and offers better customer support, cheaper plans, and higher flexibility.

Which eSIM is better for a trip to the USA: Holafly or Airalo?

Airalo is the better option for a trip to the USA. If you're planning a short or mid-length trip and don't need a ton of data, this should be your go-to eSIM, especially since Airalo released Discover+ eSIM, which supports phone calls and texts.

Which is better for Japan: Holafly or Airalo?

Airalo is better for Japan as it’s cheaper, offers better connectivity, and works with Softbank and KDDI networks. Holafly's plans are unlimited but also more expensive and rigid, and it only works with KKDI.

Which is cheaper, Airalo or Holafly?

Airalo is generally cheaper than Holafly. Its pricing starts at $4.50, while Holafly's cheapest plans go for $5.90. If you need an eSIM with a longer validity period, the difference really starts to spike up. Airalo provides capped data plans with unlimited top-up options. This flexibility allows you to plan your data needs in advance and save a lot of money during your trip.

Do Holafly and Airalo eSIM allow data sharing?

Yes, both Holafly and Airalo allow data sharing. However, Holafly limits it to 500 MB or 1 GB daily, depending on the plan and location. Airalo eSIM, on the other hand, lets you spend your entire plan in one go if you so choose.

Is Holafly eSIM reliable?

Yes, Holafly is indeed a reliable eSIM. While it has its shortcomings, Holafly provides great coverage in 190+ countries, it’s easy to set up, and each plan comes with unlimited data.

Does Holafly eSIM offer unlimited data?

Yes, all Holafy plans come with unlimited data. It's an ideal choice if you're going on a longer trip with limited access to Wi-Fi. However, if you're taking a shorter trip and don't need unlimited internet, you can save money with capped plans offered by a provider like Airalo.