Holafly
Nomad
Holafly vs Nomad: Which eSIM Should You Buy?
Updated September 11, 2026
The Short Answer
Pick Holafly for a single trip where you'd rather pay a flat unlimited price than track data at all. Pick Nomad if you're traveling long-term (weeks to a full year) and want a plan priced by the gigabyte that gets cheaper the more you buy, rather than a flat rate meant for a short stay. They're built for genuinely different trip lengths, not competing head to head on the same use case.
The Core Difference: Flat Unlimited vs. Long-Validity Per-GB
Holafly sells one thing: unlimited data at a flat price per day, valid for a set trip length (typically a few days up to a month). There's no gigabyte counting, but the plan still expires on schedule once its day count runs out. Nomad's standard plans work similarly to most other eSIMs on this site (buy a GB bucket, use it, it doesn't expire until activated), but its Global-EX line is the real point of difference: 10GB to 50GB bundles valid for up to a year, with the per-GB rate dropping as the bundle gets bigger, down to roughly $2.58/GB on the largest ones versus about $5.15/GB on Nomad's standard Global plan.
That makes Nomad the more sensible pick for anyone actually living abroad for months at a time rather than taking a single trip. Holafly doesn't sell anything built for that timeframe: its plans are priced and marketed around a specific trip length, not an open-ended stay.
Price Snapshot (1GB-equivalent, before any code)
| Destination | Holafly | Nomad |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $1.99/day (unlimited) | $4.50 (1GB) |
| Europe regional | $1.99/day (unlimited) | $5.00 (1GB) |
| Japan | $1.99/day (unlimited) | $6.00 (1GB) |
| Global | $9.90/day (unlimited) | $12.00 (1GB), or as low as ~$2.58/GB on a large Global-EX bundle |
These aren't directly comparable numbers: Holafly's price is per day of unlimited use, Nomad's standard price is per gigabyte. A short trip with light data use will usually cost less on Nomad's standard plans; a heavy-data short trip usually costs less on Holafly; a long stay of months at a time is where Nomad's Global-EX bundles pull ahead of either.
Discount Codes
- Holafly: ADAMANDLINDS, 5% off single esims / 10% off monthly plans. Full code list →
- Nomad: NOMTRAVEL20 or NOMCYBER20, 20% off. Full code list →
Holafly's code is ours. Nomad doesn't run the kind of affiliate program that supports a code like that, so its codes here are the best public ones we've verified, and there are two tied at the same rate.
Is Holafly or Nomad the Right Pick
Go with Holafly if…
- You're on a single trip of a few days to a month
- You genuinely don't know how much data you'll use and don't want to think about it
- China is on the itinerary and you want the built-in VPN
Go with Nomad if…
- You're traveling or living abroad for months, not weeks
- You want to hotspot a laptop off your phone without checking plan restrictions first
- You'd rather reach live chat than wait on an email reply
Two Things Worth Knowing Before You Decide
Nomad's Global-EX validity (up to a year) has no equivalent on Holafly. Holafly's plans are sold and priced around a specific trip length; there's no long-stay bundle that gets cheaper per GB the way Global-EX does. Anyone doing a multi-month stint abroad and comparing these two head to head will generally find Nomad's model fits that timeframe better, even setting price aside.
Holafly's China eSIM has a VPN built in; Nomad has no equivalent. Google Maps, WhatsApp, and Gmail just work on Holafly's China plan without installing anything extra first. Nomad doesn't advertise anything similar, so a trip to China on Nomad would need a separate VPN arranged in advance.
For device setup and eSIM basics that apply to both providers, see our eSIM compatible devices guide.
Holafly vs Nomad FAQ
Which is cheaper, Holafly or Nomad
Depends on the trip. For a short trip with light data use, Nomad's standard per-GB plans are usually cheaper. For a short trip with heavy data use, Holafly's flat unlimited price is usually cheaper. For a stay of months, Nomad's Global-EX bundles bring the per-GB cost down further than either option above, in a way Holafly has no plan to match.
Which one is better for long-term travel or living abroad
Nomad. Its Global-EX bundles stay valid for up to a year and get cheaper per GB the larger the bundle, built specifically for an extended stay. Holafly's plans are priced and marketed around a fixed, shorter trip length.
Which one is better for China
Holafly, if avoiding a separate VPN matters: its China eSIM has one built in. Nomad has no equivalent, so a trip to China on Nomad would need its own VPN arranged beforehand.
Does either guarantee hotspot or tethering
Nomad does: its eSIMs support hotspot/tethering and can share data across multiple devices. Holafly's tethering support varies by plan and isn't guaranteed across all of them, so check the specific plan page if that's the point of the trip.
Some codes and links on this page are affiliate codes and links, including our own (ADAMANDLINDS, where it applies). If you use one, we may earn a commission. We show our own code more prominently where we have one, not because it's automatically the best deal. See our about page for the full breakdown.