Choosing a Travel eSIM: Airalo vs Holafly vs Roaming

Most modern phones (iPhone XS and later, most Android flagships from the last few years) support eSIM, which means you can add a second, temporary mobile plan without touching your physical SIM card — no kiosk, no swapping, no losing your home number's messages.

When an eSIM beats your home carrier's roaming plan

If your trip is longer than about a week, or you're visiting a country your carrier charges a high daily roaming fee for, an eSIM is usually cheaper. Roaming plans win for short trips (2–3 days) where the flat daily fee is less hassle than setting up a second profile.

Airalo vs Holafly vs Saily

Airalo sells fixed data packs (e.g. 5GB over 30 days) across the widest range of countries and regional bundles, so it's usually the cheaper option if you can estimate your usage. Holafly's plans are unlimited data at a flat price, which suits people who'll be navigating, streaming, or hotspotting heavily and don't want to track a data cap. Saily, from the team behind NordVPN, covers over 200 destinations and is worth checking too — pricing on the same route sometimes undercuts both of the above.

Before you land

Install and activate your eSIM profile while you still have wifi — ideally before you leave home, or at the departure airport. Most eSIMs can be installed in advance and simply switched on when you land, so there's no scrambling for a signal at arrivals.

Ready to compare? Check eSIM plans for your destination.