50 countries compared prices checked Oct 7, 2026 no pay-to-rank

Airalo vs Nomad eSIM: which is cheaper in 2026?

Choosing between Airalo and Nomad comes down to where you're going — we compared their cheapest plan in every one of the 50 countries both cover, and every verdict on this page is a literal sort of our dated price database.

24Airalo cheaper entry

3Nomad cheaper entry

23identical prices

47Airalo unlimited

44Nomad unlimited

View Airalo plans View Nomad plans

The verdict, computed

Airalo has the cheaper entry plan in 24 of 50 countries.

In 23 of those countries both post the identical entry price — the winner is decided elsewhere.

→Pick Airalo for the lowest entry price — it undercuts Nomad in 24 of 50 countries, starting with Austria from $4.00.
→Pick Nomad if your destination is one of the 3 countries where it starts cheaper than Airalo.
→Pick Airalo for unlimited data — available in 47 countries vs 44 for Nomad.
→Pick Nomad for big data buckets — better $/GB in 31 of the countries where both sell metered plans.

Entry price = each provider's cheapest plan in that country, from the same dated snapshot. Full method in our methodology.

Why the two price lists are shaped differently

How Airalo and Nomad build their plan ladders

Nomad publishes the tightest daily allowance in this comparison: all 150 of its unlimited plans state 2 GB per day at full speed, then 1 Mbps, where Airalo allows 3 GB per day and 5 GB on a handful of plans. Nomad's metered data also reaches further — up to 100 GB over validity of up to 365 days, against Airalo's 50 GB and 45 days.

Their ladders differ in steepness rather than direction: Nomad's median gigabyte falls 3.75× from the smallest rung to the largest ($4.50 to $1.20), Airalo's falls 4.4× ($4.00 to $0.90).

Country by country

Airalo vs Nomad eSIM prices in 50 countries

Each cell is the provider's cheapest plan in that country. The country name opens the full comparison; prices open that provider's plans there.

Data volume

All 50 countries compared

Country	Airalo from	Nomad from	Cheaper entry	Best $/GB
Argentina eSIM	$5.00 1GB	$5.00 1GB	tie	Airalo $2.30/GB
Australia eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.64/GB
Austria eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.58/GB
Belgium eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.65/GB
Brazil eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.90/GB
Canada eSIM	$7.00 1GB	$7.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $1.38/GB
China eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.70/GB
Colombia eSIM	$4.50 1GB	$4.00 1GB	Nomad	Airalo $0.98/GB
Costa Rica eSIM	$7.50 1GB	$8.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $1.55/GB
Croatia eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.62/GB
Czechia eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.72/GB
Egypt eSIM	$5.50 1GB	$6.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $1.85/GB
Fiji eSIM	$7.50 1GB	$7.00 1GB	Nomad	Nomad $1.95/GB
France eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	unlimited only
Georgia eSIM	$4.50 1GB	$5.00 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.98/GB
Germany eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.64/GB
Greece eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.62/GB
Hong Kong eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	unlimited only
Iceland eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.90/GB
India eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.86/GB
Indonesia eSIM	$4.50 1GB	$4.00 1GB	Nomad	Nomad $0.82/GB
Ireland eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.84/GB
Israel eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	unlimited only
Italy eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	unlimited only
Japan eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.70/GB
Kenya eSIM	$8.00 1GB	$10.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $2.95/GB
Macao eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.90/GB
Malaysia eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$5.00 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.98/GB
Mexico eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$5.00 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.90/GB
Morocco eSIM	$6.00 1GB	$7.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.90/GB
Netherlands eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.72/GB
New Zealand eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.98/GB
Peru eSIM	$4.50 1GB	$4.50 1GB	tie	Nomad $1.75/GB
Philippines eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.90/GB
Poland eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.70/GB
Portugal eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Airalo $0.70/GB
Qatar eSIM	$4.50 1GB	$8.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.98/GB
Saudi Arabia eSIM	$4.50 1GB	$5.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.82/GB
Singapore eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.62/GB
South Africa eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Airalo $0.98/GB
South Korea eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.78/GB
Spain eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.70/GB
Switzerland eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.86/GB
Taiwan eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.78/GB
Thailand eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$5.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.24/GB
Turkiye eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.62/GB
UK eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.50 1GB	Airalo	unlimited only
United Arab Emirates eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $1.45/GB
USA eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$5.00 1GB	Airalo	Nomad $0.60/GB
Vietnam eSIM	$4.00 1GB	$4.00 1GB	tie	Nomad $0.78/GB

“Best $/GB” compares each provider's cheapest per-gigabyte rate in that country; unlimited-only line-ups have no $/GB. Prices dated Oct 7, 2026 — always confirm on the country page before buying.

Counts run per country and per provider: 100 metered entry plans against 0 unlimited across the 50 countries below, from $4.00 — and a country stays visible only while one of those two entry plans sits in the chosen size band.

Where the gap is widest

The three destinations where Airalo and Nomad pull furthest apart

Furthest apart: Qatar at $3.50 — 78% above the cheaper of the two; then Kenya at $2.00 and Malaysia at $1.00.

Qatar eSIM

Airalo: $4.50
Nomad: $8.00
Gap: $3.50 · 78%

Airalo is cheaper here

Kenya eSIM

Airalo: $8.00
Nomad: $10.00
Gap: $2.00 · 25%

Airalo is cheaper here

Malaysia eSIM

Airalo: $4.00
Nomad: $5.00
Gap: $1.00 · 25%

Airalo is cheaper here

By trip type

Which Airalo or Nomad plan fits your trip

·Both sell a plan under 5 GB in 50 shared countries: Airalo takes the lower entry price in 24, Nomad in 3, and 23 are level.
·Both sell a plan above 10 GB in 48 shared countries: Airalo takes the lower entry price in 9, Nomad in 38, and 1 are level.

Beyond price

How Airalo and Nomad differ

Airalo

since 2019 · Marketplace

+Widest country coverage in the industry
+Established trust and brand recognition
–No longer the cheapest in most single countries

Promo code NEWTOAIRALO15 — all eSIM deals

Read the Airalo review →

Nomad

since 2020 · App-based

+Operated by LotusFlare and launched in 2020
+More than one host network in every country as standard
–Unlimited plans drop to 1 Mbps after 2 GB in a day

Promo code BEYOND20 — all eSIM deals

Read the Nomad review →

FAQ

Is Airalo or Nomad cheaper for your trip

Which is cheaper, Airalo or Nomad?

By entry price, Airalo wins. Across the 50 countries where both sell plans, Airalo has the cheaper cheapest-plan in 24 countries and Nomad in 3 (23 exact ties). The widest entry-price gap is in Qatar — Airalo lists $4.50 against Nomad at $8.00.

Is Nomad vs Airalo different from this page?

No. It is the same comparison read in the other direction — our table lists both providers in every country, so the Nomad vs Airalo verdict is identical. We keep one URL per matchup instead of two near-duplicate pages.

Which has the better price per GB, Airalo or Nomad?

Nomad — it posts the better cheapest $/GB rate in 31 of the countries where both sell metered plans (Airalo wins 14). Unlimited-only plans are excluded because they are priced per day, not per GB.

Does Airalo or Nomad offer unlimited data plans?

Airalo sells unlimited plans in 47 of the 50 shared countries and Nomad in 44. Unlimited always means fair-use throttling applies — the exact policy is shown on each plan's country page.

Do Airalo and Nomad use the same networks?

It varies by country. In Argentina, Airalo connects via Personal, Claro, Movistar and Nomad via Personal, Claro, Movistar — local carrier agreements differ even when the names overlap. Every country page lists the networks behind each provider's plans.

Are there Airalo or Nomad promo codes?

Yes — current codes for both are on our deals page, alongside expiry dates. Promo discounts are never baked into the rankings on this page; every verdict uses list prices only.

Airalo vs Nomad — decided by data, not ad budgets.

Every verdict on this page is a literal sort position from the same dated price snapshot — no editorial star ratings, no pay-to-rank. How we collect and check data is in our methodology; how we make money in our disclosure.

Airalo vs Nomad eSIM: which is cheaper in 2026?

How Airalo and Nomad build their plan ladders

Airalo vs Nomad eSIM prices in 50 countries

The three destinations where Airalo and Nomad pull furthest apart

Which Airalo or Nomad plan fits your trip

How Airalo and Nomad differ

Is Airalo or Nomad cheaper for your trip

Other eSIM comparisons

Build your own comparison

Every head-to-head we track