I Tested Airalo, Holafly, and Ovosim So You Don’t Have To

Here’s the honest breakdown after using all three across 6 countries

Every travel forum has the same debate: Which eSIM is actually worth it? Airalo dominates the conversation, Holafly has its loyal fans, and a handful of newer providers are quietly offering better value. I spent three months traveling through Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia testing all three on the same routes. Here’s what I found.

The Quick Verdict (For Those Who Won’t Read the Whole Thing)

Airalo — the biggest name, decent coverage, but you’re paying a brand premium Holafly — unlimited data sounds great until you hit the throttling Ovosim — newer, cheaper, and genuinely surprised me

Now let’s get into the details.

Airalo: The Market Leader With Market Leader Prices Airalo is the Amazon of eSIMs. They’ve been around the longest, their app is polished, and they cover practically every country on earth. If you’re going somewhere obscure — Bhutan, São Tomé, the Faroe Islands — Airalo probably has you covered. But that dominance comes at a cost. For a standard 10GB Europe plan, Airalo charges around €19.99. The speeds are fine — typically 4G LTE — but I’ve noticed throttling during peak hours in major cities. Their customer support is entirely in-app, which is convenient until you actually need help and find yourself waiting hours for a response. Best for: Travelers going to unusual destinations where coverage is the priority over price. Watch out for: The price. Always check what else is out there before defaulting to Airalo out of habit.

Holafly: Unlimited Data That Isn’t Really Unlimited Holafly’s pitch is compelling: unlimited data for a flat fee. No worrying about running out. For anxious travelers who burn through data, it sounds like the obvious choice. The catch? “Unlimited” comes with fair use policies that kick in faster than you’d expect. After around 1–2GB of heavy use in a day, speeds drop noticeably. I was in Tokyo streaming Google Maps and within an afternoon was crawling at speeds that made me wonder if I’d accidentally switched to 2G. Their pricing for a 7-day Europe unlimited plan sits around €27. That sounds reasonable until you realise that 10GB of data from a competitor would cost half that — and most people don’t actually use more than 3–5GB per week. Best for: Light data users who want the psychological comfort of “unlimited” and don’t mind paying for it. Watch out for: The throttling. Read the fair use policy before you buy.

**Ovosim: The Underdog Worth Taking Seriously I’ll be honest — I discovered Ovosim by accident. A friend mentioned it before a trip to Japan, I didn’t have time to research alternatives, and I just went with it. I’m glad I did. For [Japan](https://ovosim.com/esim/japan), a 10GB plan came in at €5.99. The setup was a QR scan — literally 45 seconds from purchase to connected. Speeds throughout Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka were consistently strong, running on what felt like a solid 4G LTE connection. I ran speed tests in Shinjuku station at rush hour and got 28 Mbps down. That’s more than enough for Maps, Spotify, and posting to Instagram simultaneously. What I appreciated most was the dual SIM approach. My UK number stayed active on my physical SIM for WhatsApp calls and banking verification texts. [Ovosim](https://ovosim.com/) handled all the data. I never missed a message and never paid roaming. Their [Europe](https://ovosim.com/esim/europe) plan starts at €2.50 — the cheapest I’ve found for coverage that actually works. For a 3-day weekend in Paris, that’s practically free connectivity. The app is simpler than Airalo**’s — no flashy interface — but the core product is solid. Support is 24/7, and when I had a question about reactivating my eSIM after switching phones, I got a response in under 20 minutes. Best for: Cost-conscious travelers who want solid performance without paying for brand recognition. Watch out for: The website is newer and less polished than Airalo’s. Don’t let that put you off — the actual product delivers.

What Actually Matters When Choosing an eSIM After testing these across six countries, here’s what I’d tell anyone asking: Coverage beats brand. Check that the provider actually supports your specific destination, not just the country. Network quality varies city to city. Unlimited is a marketing term. Always read the fair use policy. Real unlimited data on mobile networks barely exists. Setup speed matters more than you think. Landing at a foreign airport at midnight and fumbling with a complicated activation process is not fun. The best eSIMs have you connected before you reach baggage claim. Keep your home SIM active. Dual SIM is a superpower. Your home number should stay live for banking apps, WhatsApp, and any calls you need to receive. Your travel eSIM handles data. Don’t sacrifice one for the other.

The Bottom Line Airalo is fine if you’re going somewhere niche and need guaranteed coverage. Holafly is overpriced for what you actually get. **Ovosim punches above its weight on price and performance, and for the most common travel destinations — [Europe](https://ovosim.com/esim/europe), [Japan](https://ovosim.com/esim/japan), [Southeast Asia](https://ovosim.com/esim/asia), [USA](https://ovosim.com/esim/united-states)** — it’s become my default. Travel connectivity has genuinely gotten better and cheaper in the last two years. There’s no reason to pay €10/day in roaming charges, and there’s no reason to overpay for an eSIM brand name either. Have you used any of these? Drop your experience in the comments — especially if you’ve been to destinations that are notoriously tricky for eSIM coverage.

This post contains a mention of **Ovosim**, a service I’ve personally used and would recommend. I don’t get paid to say that — bad connectivity abroad is just genuinely annoying and I’d rather people avoid it.