Nomad is the eSIM we'd start with for most adventure trips. Its 30-day fixed plans were the cheapest way to cover a two-week trip in 9 of our 18 destinations (Japan, Nepal, Tanzania, Morocco, Peru, Mexico, the US, Canada and New Zealand), and its country pages always say which local network you'll use. Skip its unlimited passes if you use more than 2 GB a day, and check that its single network is the right one where you're going: in Chile, Argentina and Ecuador it's Movistar only.
We compared Nomad's published prices and policies with six other providers; we didn't buy or test its eSIMs for this review. Aventure SIM is run by the team behind Lotso Travel, a competitor; Lotso is assessed on the same data, without a score.
Aventure SIM rubric
Nomad
Cheapest 14-day eSIM in 9 of our 18 destinations; names the network every time.
- Price for real trips30%Good (4 of 5)Cheapest 14-day option in 9 of the 18 destinations we could price. Median cost 1.00× the cheapest provider for a light trip, 1.59× for a heavy one.
- Network transparency15%Excellent (5 of 5)Names the operator on every country page we read: Ncell in Nepal, Airtel in Tanzania, Movistar and Claro in Peru.
- Hotspot, top-ups, number15%Good (4 of 5)Hotspot allowed, add-on data on fixed plans, and "some" eSIMs include a local number.
- Fair-use honesty15%Fair (3 of 5)The cap is published, but 2 GB a day is the lowest among providers that publish one.
- Refund terms10%Good (4 of 5)A clear 30-day window with money back to the card for fixed plans, but its unlimited passes are excluded: "all Unlimited plans are non-refundable".
- Support and app15%Fair (3 of 5)Chat in the app and on the site, but no published hours, which matters when you're in a different time zone.
Pick Nomad if
- Light-to-moderate data users who want the lowest price
- Anyone who wants to know the network before buying
Skip it if
- You burn more than 2 GB a day on an unlimited pass
- Your route depends on a network Nomad doesn't use in that country
The policies behind the score, with sources
- Local networks
- Names networks on every country page we read
- Hotspot
- Yes: "Nomad's eSIMs support tethering / hotspot" Source
- Unlimited and fair use
- "For most plans, the high-speed data cap is set at 2 GB per day", then about 1 or 2 Mbps. Add-ons may not lift the daily cap. Source
- Top-ups
- Add-on plans on most fixed plans; may not lift the daily cap on unlimited
- Phone number
- "Some of Nomad's eSIMs include a local phone number"
- Refunds
- Requests within 30 days of purchase; fully refundable if not installed or activated. Partial refunds after activation only for a verified network or technical failure. Money back to the card (2–5 business days) or as Nomad Points. All Unlimited plans are non-refundable. Source
- Support
- In-app chat on iOS and Android, and website chat. Hours aren't stated. Source
- App
- iOS and Android
- Who runs it
- Nomad eSIM, sold through nomadesim.com and the Nomad app Source
Policies read from Nomad's own pages on 1 Nov 2026; prices from the 31 Oct 2026 index. How the rubric works: methodology.
Prices: where Nomad wins and where it doesn't
Nomad · every destination we price
Where Nomad is cheap, and where it isn't
9 of 18 destinations with Nomad as the cheapest fit for 14 days at 0.5 GB a day.
- United StatesCheapest$1310 GB · 30 days
- MexicoCheapest$15.5010 GB · 30 days
- JapanCheapest$1610 GB · 30 days
- CanadaCheapest$1710 GB · 30 days
- New ZealandCheapest$1810 GB · 30 days
- TanzaniaCheapest$1910 GB · 30 days
- MoroccoCheapest$2110 GB · 30 days
- NepalCheapest$2410 GB · 30 days
- PeruCheapest$2510 GB · 30 days
- Iceland#2 of 6 · cheapest Lotso Travel $15.99$1610 GB · 30 days
- Norway#2 of 6 · cheapest Lotso Travel $15.99$1610 GB · 30 days
- United Kingdom#2 of 6 · cheapest Lotso Travel $15.99$17.5010 GB · 30 days
- Indonesia#2 of 6 · cheapest Lotso Travel $15.99$1910 GB · 30 days
- Europe (regional)#2 of 6 · cheapest Lotso Travel $16.99$2310 GB · 30 days
- Chile#2 of 7 · cheapest Ubigi $24$2510 GB · 30 days
- Costa Rica#2 of 7 · cheapest Ubigi $19$2510 GB · 30 days
- Ecuador#2 of 6 · cheapest Maya Mobile $27.99$2810 GB · 30 days
- Argentina#3 of 7 · cheapest Ubigi $23$2810 GB · 30 days
Bar: Nomad's cheapest plan that covers the trip; tick: the cheapest provider there. Public USD prices checked 31 Oct 2026. Sources for every price: price index.
Nomad's strength is the mid-size fixed plan. 10 GB for 30 days cost $13 in the US, $16 in Japan, Iceland and Norway, $17 in Canada, $19 in Tanzania and $24 in Nepal. Because each plan lasts 30 days, one 10 GB plan covers a two-week trip at half a gigabyte a day with room to spare, which is why Nomad wins our 14-day comparison so often.
It loses in three kinds of place:
- Europe and the UK, where Lotso Travel (ours) was cheaper for 7- and 14-day trips: $15.99 against Nomad's $16–17.50 for 10 GB.
- Patagonia and Costa Rica, where Ubigi was cheaper: $24 against $25 in Chile, $23 against $28 in Argentina.
- Heavy use. At 1.5 GB a day for 14 days, Nomad's best option was often several fixed plans stacked together ($70 in Chile, $80 in Ecuador), and Maya Mobile's flat $27.99 unlimited pass beat it in most countries. Use the "Data use" switch above to see the flip.
Two of Nomad's prices were sale prices when we read them (Japan 10 and 20 GB; Europe 20 and 50 GB), so they may rise.
Networks: named every time, but often just one
This is Nomad's other big advantage. Every country page we read named the operator: Ncell in Nepal, Airtel in Tanzania, Movistar and Claro in Peru, Rogers and Freedom Mobile in Canada, Vodafone and Síminn in Iceland, Kölbi (ICE) and Liberty in Costa Rica.
The flip side: in several countries Nomad lists a single network. That's Movistar only in Chile, Argentina and Ecuador, Telia only in Norway, and Ncell only in Nepal. In Argentine Patagonia, local guides point to Claro as the network that reaches furthest, and in southern Chile to Entel (our Patagonia guide has the sources). A Movistar-only eSIM may go quiet sooner on the Carretera Austral or around El Chaltén than a local SIM would. Nomad is still more honest about this than providers that don't tell you at all.
Unlimited plans: the 2 GB daily cap
Nomad's help centre says that "for most plans, the high-speed data cap is set at 2 GB per day", after which speed drops to about 1 or 2 Mbps until 24 hours after activation time, not midnight. That's the lowest published daily cap among the seven providers we compare; Airalo gives 3 GB, Saily and Ubigi 5 GB. Add-ons "may not increase the daily allowance", so a top-up won't rescue you mid-afternoon.
For a trekker, 2 GB a day is plenty. For someone hot-spotting a laptop, it isn't. Our fair-use explainer compares every provider's caps.
Hotspot, top-ups, phone number
Hotspot is allowed: "Nomad's eSIMs support tethering / hotspot". Fixed plans take add-on data. Some eSIMs include a local number, but most are data only, and the plan page tells you which.
Refunds and support
Nomad's refund policy is one of the clearer ones: ask within 30 days of purchase; if you haven't installed the eSIM or activated the plan it "may be fully refundable"; after activation, a partial refund for unused data is possible if a network or technical failure can be verified. Money goes back to your card in 2–5 business days, or instantly as Nomad Points if you prefer. The big exception: the same page lists "all Unlimited plans" as non-refundable, along with a few specific plans, so buy an unlimited pass only once you're sure of your dates.
Support is by in-app chat on iOS and Android and by chat on the website. Nomad doesn't publish its hours, which is the one place it trails Airalo, Saily, Holafly and Maya, all of which advertise 24/7 help.
Who should pick something else
- You'll use 2 GB a day or more: Saily (5 GB/day cap) or Maya Mobile (flat price).
- Europe, UK, Iceland, Norway: Lotso Travel (run by our team) was cheaper for short trips; see its review, weaknesses included.
- Patagonia or Costa Rica on a fixed plan: Ubigi.
- You want 24/7 chat: Airalo or Saily.
Weighing Nomad against the best-known name? See Nomad vs Airalo and Holafly vs Nomad.
Questions people ask
Is Nomad eSIM good?
On price and transparency, yes. It was the cheapest 14-day option for 0.5 GB a day in 9 of the 18 destinations we priced on 31 Oct 2026, and it names the local network on every country page. Its weaknesses are a 2 GB daily cap on unlimited plans and support hours it doesn't publish.
Does Nomad eSIM work in Nepal?
Yes, on Ncell. 10 GB for 30 days cost $24 and a 15-day unlimited pass $39 on 31 Oct 2026. Ncell is strong in Kathmandu and Pokhara; on high treks, trip reports say NTC sometimes holds a signal where Ncell doesn't.
What is Nomad's refund policy?
Requests within 30 days of purchase. An eSIM that hasn't been installed or activated "may be fully refundable"; after activation, partial refunds are possible for verified network or technical failures. Money goes back to the card in 2–5 business days or instantly as Nomad Points. Unlimited plans are non-refundable.
Does Nomad include a phone number?
Some plans do. Nomad's help centre says "some of Nomad's eSIMs include a local phone number"; most are data only.