Nomad for nearly everyone; Holafly only for heavy, solo users. Nomad's 30-day fixed plans cost well under half of Holafly's unlimited passes at trekking-level use, and won all 17 shared destinations at 0.5 GB a day. Holafly closes the gap as usage rises: at 1.5 GB a day it wins 7 of 17, and at 3 GB a day 9 of 17, though its 1 GB daily hotspot cap means that 3 GB has to stay on your own phone. Both name their networks clearly. Holafly's six-month cash refund window beats Nomad's 30 days.
| Pick Nomad if… | Pick Holafly if… | |
|---|---|---|
| Data use | Under about 1.5 GB a day | 2 GB a day or more, on one phone |
| Sharing | You'll hotspot a partner or laptop | You won't share |
| Fair use | You want the cap in writing (2 GB/day) | You'd rather not count at all |
| Refunds | 30 days is enough | You want six months to ask |
| Price | You want the lowest bill | You'll pay for not thinking about it |
Prices from each provider's pages on 31 October 2026 (Holafly's Nepal page showed euros only, so Nepal isn't in this comparison); policies read 1 November. We didn't test either. Aventure SIM is run by the team behind Lotso Travel, a competitor of both.
Head to head · 17 destinations both sell
Holafly vs Nomad: who's cheaper for your trip?
Buying the cheapest fitting plan in all 17 destinations would cost $874.50 with Holafly and $342 with Nomad. A plan that stays at full speed counts as the winner over a cheaper one that slows down. Our price index's standard trip: 0.5 GB a day.
| Destination | Holafly | Nomad |
|---|---|---|
| JapanHolafly: KDDI / SoftBank · Nomad: KDDI au / SoftBank | $50.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1610 GB · 30 days |
| IndonesiaHolafly: XL / Telkomsel · Nomad: XLSMART / Telkomsel | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1910 GB · 30 days |
| TanzaniaHolafly: Vodacom · Nomad: Airtel | $54.90Unlimited · 15 days | $1910 GB · 30 days |
| MoroccoHolafly: inwi, Maroc Telecom, Orange · Nomad: Orange | $59.90Unlimited · 15 days | $2110 GB · 30 days |
| PeruHolafly: Movistar / Claro · Nomad: Movistar / Claro | $45.90Unlimited · 15 days | $2510 GB · 30 days |
| ChileHolafly: Telefónica (Movistar) · Nomad: Movistar | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $2510 GB · 30 days |
| ArgentinaHolafly: Telefónica (Movistar) · Nomad: Movistar | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $2810 GB · 30 days |
| EcuadorHolafly: Movistar · Nomad: Movistar | $54.90Unlimited · 15 days | $2810 GB · 30 days |
| Costa RicaHolafly: Claro / Liberty · Nomad: Kölbi (ICE) / Liberty | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $2510 GB · 30 days |
| MexicoHolafly: Movistar / Telcel · Nomad: AT&T / Movistar | $44.90Unlimited · 15 days | $15.5010 GB · 30 days |
| United StatesHolafly: AT&T / T-Mobile · Nomad: Verizon / AT&T | $50.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1310 GB · 30 days |
| CanadaHolafly: Bell / Telus · Nomad: Rogers / Freedom Mobile | $50.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1710 GB · 30 days |
| IcelandHolafly: Nova / Sýn · Nomad: Vodafone / Síminn | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1610 GB · 30 days |
| NorwayHolafly: Telenor / Telia · Nomad: Telia | $50.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1610 GB · 30 days |
| United KingdomHolafly: EE, Three, VMO2, Vodafone · Nomad: 3 / EE / Vodafone | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $17.5010 GB · 30 days |
| Europe (regional)Networks not named | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $2310 GB · 30 days |
| New ZealandHolafly: Spark · Nomad: Spark | $51.50Unlimited · 15 days | $1810 GB · 30 days |
| Policy | Holafly | Nomad |
|---|---|---|
| How it sells data | Unlimited only, sold by number of days | Fixed GB (30-day) plus unlimited day passes in many countries |
| Unlimited cap | Not published | 2 GB/day, then ~1–2 Mbps |
| Hotspot | Capped (1 GB/day typical) | Yes |
| Phone number | No local number (Japan page: "does not include a local phone number") | "Some of Nomad's eSIMs include a local phone number" |
| Top-ups | Extend by buying more days | Add-on plans on most fixed plans; may not lift the daily cap on unlimited |
| Refunds | 6 months | 30 days |
| Support | 24/7 | Not stated |
Cheapest plan from each provider that covers the whole trip at full speed where possible ("slows" means the daily cap is below your use). Public USD prices checked 31 Oct 2026, policies 1 Nov 2026; every price links back through the price index.
Price: a different product, a different bill
Holafly sells unlimited by the day and nothing else. Nomad leads with fixed data valid for 30 days, plus unlimited passes in many countries. So at light use the comparison is lopsided: two weeks cost $13 vs $50.50 in the US, $16 vs $51.50 in Iceland, $19 vs $54.90 in Tanzania, $25 vs $45.90 in Peru, $25 vs $51.50 in Chile (Nomad first). The 17-destination total was $342 against $875.
At 1.5 GB a day, Nomad needs bigger plans or its unlimited passes, and Holafly wins 7 of 17: Tanzania, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Canada, places where Nomad's large fixed plans are dear. At 3 GB a day Holafly wins 9, because Nomad's unlimited cap (2 GB a day at full speed) can't cover a 3 GB day without slowing.
Unlimited, compared honestly
| Holafly | Nomad | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily full-speed allowance | Not published | 2 GB on most plans |
| After the allowance | Operator may slow you "for no more than one (1) day" | About 1 or 2 Mbps until 24 h after activation time |
| Hotspot | Daily cap per destination, in MB (1 GB on pages we read) | Supported, no separate cap |
| Lengths in our data | 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days | 3, 5, 7 and 10 days, sometimes 15 or 30 |
Sources: Holafly hotspot FAQ, Holafly country pages, Nomad unlimited help article.
Holafly's advantage is psychological as much as practical: it never shows a cap. Nomad's is that you know where you stand, and that your partner's phone can share.
Networks: both clear, sometimes different
Both name operators on every country page, which makes this pair easier to choose between than most. They often differ:
| Destination | Holafly | Nomad |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Vodacom | Airtel |
| Peru | Movistar / Claro | Movistar / Claro |
| Canada | Bell / Telus | Rogers / Freedom Mobile |
| Iceland | Nova / Sýn | Vodafone / Síminn |
| Morocco | inwi, Maroc Telecom, Orange | Orange |
| Costa Rica | Claro / Liberty | Kölbi (ICE) / Liberty |
If you know which operator covers your route (from a guide, an operator, or a coverage map), use this table to choose. In Morocco, Holafly's three networks give it more fallback than Nomad's one.
Refunds and support
Holafly: six months to ask; full refund if not activated; full or partial for connection problems (a $3.50 admin fee may apply); back to the bank in 3–5 business days; no guarantee if you only complain after the trip. Support: 24/7 chat "in your own language" and WhatsApp.
Nomad: 30 days; full refund if not installed or activated; partial for verified failures; card (2–5 business days) or Nomad Points. Its unlimited passes are non-refundable, which matters if you're comparing them with Holafly's. Support: in-app and website chat, hours not published.
Holafly wins both, which is part of what its price buys.
Bottom line
If you're trekking, overlanding or travelling as a couple, Nomad saves you roughly $20–$40 on a two-week trip and lets you share. If you're travelling alone, streaming and video-calling every day, and you value a long refund window, Holafly's premium is easier to justify. For two weeks or more of heavy use, Maya Mobile's $27.99 flat pass is cheaper than both, at the cost of not naming its networks.
Questions people ask
Is Holafly or Nomad better?
Nomad, for most adventure trips. At 0.5 GB a day for 14 days it was cheaper than Holafly in all 17 destinations both sell in US dollars, $342 against $875 in total (prices read 31 Oct 2026). Holafly makes sense if you'll use 1.5 GB a day or more and won't share data, and if its six-month refund window matters to you.
Does Nomad have unlimited data like Holafly?
Yes, in many countries, but with a published cap: 2 GB a day at full speed on most plans, then about 1 or 2 Mbps. Holafly doesn't publish a threshold; it says operators may slow you for no more than a day under a fair-usage policy.
Which is better for hotspot, Holafly or Nomad?
Nomad. Its eSIMs support hotspot without a separate sharing cap. Holafly sets a daily hotspot allowance per destination, shown in MB on each country page (1 GB a day on the pages we read).