Holafly alternatives: unlimited, pay-per-GB and phone-number eSIMs compared

How Holafly's plans work

Holafly is one of the best-known travel eSIM brands, and its model is a useful starting point for any comparison. According to Holafly's own website (October 2026), its travel plans work like this:

• Unlimited data, sold by days: you choose a destination and the number of days, and every plan comes with unlimited data. Holafly lists more than 200 destinations.
• Fair usage: Holafly says that network operators may apply a fair usage policy and temporarily slow down very heavy use, for no more than one day at a time.
• Hotspot allowance: sharing data with other devices is limited to a daily amount that Holafly states for each destination; on its Japan page it was 1 GB a day at the time of writing.
• Data only: the travel eSIMs come without a local phone number for regular calls and SMS. Holafly points to calls through internet apps such as WhatsApp.
• Subscriptions: for long-term travellers Holafly also sells monthly plans, a separate product with its own terms.

The appeal is simplicity: one price per day and no need to estimate how much data you will use. Whether that is good value depends on how you use your phone, which is where the alternatives come in.

Why travellers look for a Holafly alternative

A flat daily price with unlimited data suits heavy users who would rather not think about gigabytes. Travellers usually look elsewhere for one of these reasons:

• Light data use: if you mainly use maps, messaging and some browsing, a few gigabytes may last the whole trip. With an unlimited plan you pay for capacity you never use.
• Sharing with a laptop or family: a daily hotspot allowance can be tight when a laptop or a second phone runs on your connection.
• A phone number: some travellers need to call local numbers, or receive SMS and verification codes on the travel line.
• Long or multi-country trips: for several weeks or several countries, a regional plan or a large data package can work out better than paying per day.
• Flexibility: if your plans may change, it helps when you can add data or days to the same eSIM instead of buying a new plan.

Each of these needs points to a different kind of plan. The next sections go through them one by one, using the plan data we collect from nearly 40 providers.

Unlimited alternatives: check the daily full-speed allowance

Many providers sell unlimited plans, but in our database more than nine in ten of them state a daily full-speed allowance. Once you have used it, the plan keeps working at a reduced speed until the allowance resets the next day. The most common allowances are 1, 2 and 3 GB a day; a few plans offer 5 or 10 GB.

The reduced speed after the allowance matters as much as the allowance itself. As a rough guide:

The table below shows the cheapest unlimited plans for Japan with at least 2 GB a day at full speed, sorted by validity. On our destination pages, each plan card shows the daily allowance and the reduced speed where the provider publishes them, and the unlimited filter lets you set a minimum daily allowance.

A daily allowance is not a disadvantage in itself: 2 or 3 GB a day at full speed covers maps, social media and video calls for most travellers. It only becomes a limit if you stream a lot of video or share the connection with other devices. Our guide Unlimited eSIM plans: how unlimited are they really? goes into more detail.

Pay-per-GB plans: often cheaper for light users

A plan with a fixed amount of data, such as 5 GB for 15 days, costs the same however you spread the data over its validity. If your daily use is moderate, this is often the cheaper way to stay online. Three steps help you choose the size:

1. Estimate your daily use: maps, messaging and browsing usually need a few hundred megabytes a day, while video streaming and long video calls need much more. Our guide How much data do I need for travel? lists typical values.
2. Multiply by the number of days and add a buffer of about 20 percent for days with more use.
3. Pick the smallest plan that covers it, with a validity at least as long as your trip.

If a provider allows top-ups, running out is not a problem: you add data to the same eSIM and carry on. On our destination pages, the filter “Top-up confirmed” under “More filters” shows only plans where the provider states this. The table shows the cheapest fixed-data plans for Europe with at least 7 days of validity:

Comparing a fixed-data plan with an unlimited one is simple: divide the price of the unlimited plan by the number of gigabytes you expect to use. If that price per gigabyte is higher than the fixed-data plan of the right size, the fixed-data plan is the better deal for your trip.

Hotspot and phone number: what alternatives offer

If sharing data or a phone number is the reason you are switching, check these two points on every plan:

• Hotspot: almost all plans in our database for which the provider states it allow hotspot or tethering; only a few hundred exclude it, mostly certain unlimited plans. With unlimited plans, shared data usually counts towards the same daily full-speed allowance, so a laptop can use it up quickly. Our guide eSIM hotspot: how to share your travel eSIM data explains the settings.
• Calls and SMS: most travel eSIMs are data-only, just like Holafly's. In our database about a dozen providers also sell plans with calls and SMS for certain destinations. On a destination page, open “More filters” and choose “Calls & SMS” under “Must have” to see only those plans.

If you only want to stay reachable on your usual number, you may not need a travel plan with calls at all. You can keep your home SIM active for calls and SMS and use the travel eSIM for data; check your home provider's roaming charges for incoming calls and SMS first. Our guide Dual SIM with a travel eSIM shows how to set this up.

Long trips and several countries

With pricing per day, the cost grows with every day of the trip. For longer journeys, three alternatives are worth comparing:

• Regional plans: one eSIM for a whole region, such as Europe or Southeast Asia. Check that every country on your route is included, because the list differs by provider and plan. Our guide Regional vs global eSIM explains when each type pays off.
• Large data packages: 20 GB or more with 30 days of validity is enough for a month of normal use if you stream video over WiFi rather than mobile data.
• Global plans: useful for trips across several continents, usually at a higher price per gigabyte than single-country plans. Compare them on our global eSIM page.

Before you buy, check when the validity starts. With some plans it starts when you install the eSIM, with others only when it first connects at your destination. That makes a difference if you install the eSIM days before you leave; see When to activate an eSIM.

Checklist: how to compare before you switch

Whichever type of plan you choose, these points decide whether it fits your trip:

1. Phone: make sure your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked; see how to check eSIM compatibility.
2. Data: estimate how much you need, then decide between a fixed-data and an unlimited plan.
3. Unlimited terms: compare the daily full-speed allowance and the speed afterwards, not just the word “unlimited”.
4. Sharing and calls: check hotspot use and, if you need them, calls and SMS.
5. Validity and top-up: check when the plan starts and whether you can add data later.
6. Provider: look at the provider's score, which combines price, coverage, plan terms, transparency and user ratings; see how we score providers.
7. Discounts: check our current promo codes before you pay.

You do not have to remove an existing eSIM to try another provider. Most eSIM phones store several profiles, and you choose in the settings which line is used for mobile data.