Airalo vs Holafly, for a Europe trip, is a choice between a catalogue you can size and a day counter. Airalo’s Europe page sells both fixed-data bundles and unlimited day plans. Holafly’s Europe page sells unlimited-style days and caps how much of that data you can share. Neither page is a phone number, and neither price is stable enough to memorize. The figures below were read from the public plan pages on 13 October 2026.
Use the tables to see the gap, then open the live page before you pay. Currency toggles, promos, and package edits move the sticker. Our Airalo and Holafly reviews were checked earlier and are not the source for this table.
Unlimited Europe prices on 13 October 2026
These are the day counts both brands published in USD for a regional Europe plan. Dividing the sticker by the number of days is our arithmetic, so you can see the slope. It is not a separate “per day” product.
| Days | Airalo unlimited | Holafly unlimited | Gap | Sticker ÷ days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $11.50 | $11.90 | Holafly +$0.40 | $3.83 vs $3.97 |
| 5 | $19.50 | $20.50 | Holafly +$1.00 | $3.90 vs $4.10 |
| 7 | $27.00 | $27.50 | Holafly +$0.50 | $3.86 vs $3.93 |
| 10 | $35.00 | $37.50 | Holafly +$2.50 | $3.50 vs $3.75 |
| 15 | $49.00 | $51.50 | Holafly +$2.50 | $3.27 vs $3.43 |
| 30 | $71.00 | $76.50 | Holafly +$5.50 | $2.37 vs $2.55 |
Sources: Airalo Europe eSIMs (unlimited packages) and Holafly eSIM Europe (the “eSIM prices for Europe” table). Airalo showed six unlimited lengths. Holafly’s table showed the same six. Holafly’s page also says you can book from 1 to 90 days, including mentions of 45 days, but those other lengths were not in the USD table. Do not invent a price for an 11-day or 45-day Holafly plan from this page. Open checkout.
What the table actually says:
- Holafly was more expensive at every published length, by $0.40 on a 3-day plan and $5.50 on a 30-day plan.
- The gap widens as the trip gets longer. A week is almost a tie. A month is not.
- A cheaper unlimited sticker is not the cheaper trip if you only need a few gigabytes. That comparison is the next table.
Airalo fixed-data prices, and where Holafly has no matching row
Holafly’s Europe price table does not list 1 GB, 10 GB, or 20 GB bundles. Airalo does. These were the fixed-data packages on Airalo’s Europe page the same day:
| Validity | Data | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 1 GB | $5.00 |
| 3 days | 3 GB | $10.00 |
| 7 days | 3 GB | $11.00 |
| 7 days | 5 GB | $18.50 |
| 7 days | 10 GB | $26.00 |
| 15 days | 5 GB | $19.00 |
| 15 days | 10 GB | $28.00 |
| 15 days | 20 GB | $47.00 |
| 30 days | 5 GB | $19.50 |
| 30 days | 10 GB | $31.00 |
| 30 days | 20 GB | $48.00 |
| 30 days | 50 GB | $70.00 |
| 90 days | 50 GB | $100.00 |
| 180 days | 100 GB | $185.00 |
Fixed data is one pool for the whole validity window. It does not reset each morning. When the gigabytes are gone, or the window ends, the package stops. Airalo’s Europe page says many plans can be topped up, and that renewals can turn on when about 10% of the data is left. Confirm that toggle on the package you are buying; not every screen shows it.
If the whole trip is one country, a regional bundle can be the wrong shape. Compare that country’s own plan before you pay for 33 or 41 countries. Start with the Europe destination page if the route crosses borders, and the data usage calculator if you are guessing the gigabytes.
Worked trips, using only those stickers
Weekend, light use. Three days of maps and messaging often fits in 1 GB. Airalo’s 1 GB / 3-day plan was $5.00. Airalo unlimited for 3 days was $11.50, and Holafly was $11.90. Paying either unlimited price for a 1 GB weekend is $6.50 to $6.90 for data you do not have a plan to use.
One week, about 3 GB total. Airalo 3 GB / 7 days was $11.00. Holafly’s 7-day unlimited plan was $27.50. The difference is $16.50. Buy the fixed plan if 3 GB matches how you actually travel: offline maps cached, hotel Wi-Fi at night, no hotspot. Buy unlimited only if you already know 3 GB is a fantasy.
One week, about 10 GB on the phone. Airalo 10 GB / 7 days was $26.00. Airalo unlimited for 7 days was $27.00. Holafly was $27.50. The dollars are within $1.50. Stop comparing price and compare the cap: Airalo unlimited keeps high speed for the first 5 GB each day, then 1 Mbps. Holafly does not publish a phone-data gigabyte cap on the Europe page, and it limits sharing to 1 GB per day. If the 10 GB is spread across the week on the phone, all three can work. If one day is a navigation-and-video day over 5 GB, Airalo’s unlimited plan is the one that states a slowdown.
Two weeks, moderate use. Airalo 10 GB / 15 days was $28.00. Airalo 20 GB / 15 days was $47.00. Holafly 15 days was $51.50. If 10 GB is honest, Airalo is $23.50 less than Holafly. If you would pass 20 GB, Holafly’s phone data is the simpler buy, and you still have to live with the hotspot cap below.
A light month. Airalo 5 GB / 30 days was $19.50. Airalo 10 GB / 30 days was $31.00. Holafly’s 30-day unlimited plan was $76.50. A month of maps and chat should not default to unlimited. The 50 GB / 30-day Airalo plan was $70.00, which is $6.50 under Holafly’s 30-day unlimited plan and is a fixed pool, not a daily reset.
A heavy phone month. Airalo unlimited for 30 days was $71.00, with the 5 GB high-speed day described on that package. Holafly was $76.50. You are paying Holafly $5.50 more to avoid that daily high-speed wall on the phone, and you get a smaller sharing allowance. That trade is rational for someone who streams on the phone and barely tethers. It is a bad trade for a laptop.
A stay longer than a month. Airalo listed 50 GB / 90 days at $100.00 and 100 GB / 180 days at $185.00. Holafly’s published USD table stopped at 30 days ($76.50), even though the page says coverage can be booked for up to 90 days. Two Holafly 30-day plans, if you simply repeated the published price, would be $153.00 before you have reached 90 days, against $100.00 for Airalo’s 50 GB / 90-day plan. Repeat that sum only as a ceiling: a real 60- or 90-day Holafly quote might be cheaper than two 30-day stickers, and it was not on the table. Check checkout. For the separate question of paying for 11 days versus stepping up to 15, see Holafly exact-day vs fixed eSIM plans. That article explains the leftover-day problem. It does not replace the prices on this page.
Coverage: 41 countries versus 33
Airalo’s Europe page says the regional plan covers 41 countries and networks. Holafly’s Europe page says 33 countries. We listed both from those pages on 13 October 2026.
On both lists (32): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Airalo Eurolink only (9): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Gibraltar, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.
Holafly Europe only (1): Andorra.
That is the whole gap. A France–Italy–Spain trip is on both lists, and so are the UK and Ireland. Holafly’s own FAQ says the Europe plan includes the UK and Ireland; the country grid matches that. Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland are on both lists too, which matters if someone told you “Europe eSIM” means the EU only.
Use Airalo’s regional plan, not Holafly’s, if the route includes Turkey, a Balkan stop on the Airalo-only list, Ukraine, Georgia, or Gibraltar. Use Holafly’s regional plan, not Airalo’s Eurolink list, if you need Andorra on the same eSIM. If a stop is missing, buy that country on its own. Do not assume a border town is covered because the country next door is.
Two limits that the country names hide:
- Airalo’s Eurolink package notes say restrictions apply to extended usage over 91 days in Turkey under local legislation. Turkey being on the list is not a promise that a season-long stay is treated as ordinary travel.
- Holafly’s Europe page says rural and remote coverage can be weaker, and gives the Alps as an example. City-name marketing (Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, Sagrada Família) is not a rural coverage test.
Operator names change by country and were not copied into this article. Read the network line on the plan you are about to buy, especially before a rail day or a national park.
Hotspot and what “unlimited” does on each plan
Airalo unlimited, Europe. The package detail on the Eurolink unlimited plans said: “Lower speed rate of 1 Mbps after 5 GB usage per day.” Airalo’s unlimited fair-use policy is the general rule: the default high-speed threshold is 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps, and a package can state a different threshold before you buy. Europe unlimited states 5 GB, so use 5 GB for this plan, not the 3 GB default. The day is 24 hours from when you activate the eSIM, not midnight. At 1 Mbps, Airalo says messaging, simple pages, and maps still work, and streaming, gaming, and large downloads do not. The same policy says you may tether, with no separate cap on tethering or on the number of devices. Hotspot use still counts toward the 5 GB. There is no second, hidden full-speed pool for the laptop.
Airalo’s hotspot help article says tethering works when the phone and the network support it, and that some plans need the APN typed into the Personal Hotspot field as well as the data field.
Holafly Europe. The plan is sold as unlimited data: no fixed allowance that simply cuts you off. Holafly’s terms, clause 6.3, say an “unlimited” trip plan has no fixed cap that stops data use, and that the network can still restrict speed or usage under a fair-use policy. The Europe page’s own FAQ says a slowdown, when a network applies one, lasts no more than one day and then resets. The page does not publish a gigabyte threshold for that slowdown. Treat “no number on the page” as “you do not know the threshold,” not as “there is no threshold.”
Hotspot is numbered. Holafly’s Europe page says you can share 1 GB per day. The total you can share scales with the plan: a 7-day plan includes 7 GB of shareable data, which is 1 GB times 7 days, not 7 GB on the first morning. The phone’s own use is the unlimited-style allowance. The laptop’s use is the 1 GB daily share. A work day of video calls on a laptop does not fit in 1 GB. A tablet for maps in the back seat might.
Holafly also describes Always On: 1 GB every 30 days, included with the eSIM, in 150+ countries on the Europe page, refreshing rather than rolling over. Holafly’s Always On FAQ says that 1 GB cannot be used as a hotspot, and that you should not delete the eSIM if you want to keep the benefit. Always On is a backup gigabyte. It is not the travel plan, and turning mobile data on in a country your regional plan already covers can start the paid plan’s clock.
Fixed-data Airalo plans are the straightforward hotspot case: the gigabytes you bought are the gigabytes you can use, on the phone or shared, until the pool or the validity ends. There is no daily 5 GB reset and no 1 GB sharing meter. You can still run out. A 10 GB plan shared with a laptop for a week is a small pool if the laptop is doing real work.
If hotspot is the reason you are buying, read fixed-data vs unlimited next to this page. The Europe prices above are the numbers. That guide is the plan-shape argument.
Refunds if the trip changes or the eSIM fails
These are different products. Read the page that matches the brand you paid, not a generic “eSIMs are refundable” line.
Holafly. The refund policy says you have up to 6 months to request a refund. For a change of plans, it says a full refund requires that you bought the eSIM on the Holafly website or app, that it has not been activated, and that the purchase was within 6 months. If it has already been activated or used, they say they will look at the case. The terms, clause 10.2, say the same three conditions for a change-of-mind refund and phrase the purchase channel as the Holafly application, not a third party. An incompatible or locked phone can be a full refund if you have not scanned the QR code, have not used data, are inside 6 months, and can show the incompatibility. Connection problems are a support conversation first (the policy names [email protected] or chat). The policy says they cannot guarantee a refund if you contact them after the trip, and that other cases may be a partial or full refund with a $3.50 administrative fee depending on data used. Approved refunds go back to the same payment method; the policy says 3 to 5 business days. Installing the eSIM to “try it” can take you out of the simple full-refund path. Set it up when you are ready for the validity to start on arrival, and do not toggle it on at home in a covered country.
Airalo. The help-center article on the wrong eSIM or a change of plans says eligible orders can use a Request Refund button under My eSIMs, package history, or order details. Expired or fully used eSIMs are not eligible. “Wrong purchase” and “Plans changed” are refunded as Airmoney only, Airalo’s in-app credit. “Installation issues” and “eSIM not working” can be Airmoney or a credit to the original payment method. Airmoney is described as instant. A payment-method refund is described as 7 to 10 business days, or up to 30, depending on the bank. The article asks you to contact support before you install or use the eSIM if you want the case reviewed quickly.
Airalo’s terms of use are tighter than that help article reads. They say a replacement or refund is for an activated service you cannot use because of an Airalo error or because Airalo retired the service, and only if you request it within 30 days, Airalo has not restored service within 10 days, and you cooperate. The terms also say you have no right to a refund or replacement in any other situation, and that a purchase from a third party is that seller’s refund problem. If you need the money back on the card because the flight was cancelled, do not assume the help-center button will do that. On 13 October 2026 the button’s change-of-plans path was Airmoney. Holafly’s unused-eSIM path was a refund to the original method, with the conditions above.
Install, validity, top-ups, calls, and SMS
When the clock starts. Airalo’s Eurolink packages use a first-usage activation policy: validity starts when the eSIM connects to a supported network in coverage, not when you pay and not when you install on home Wi-Fi. Holafly’s Europe page says the same shape of rule: install before or during the trip, turn the eSIM on at the destination, and the plan starts when it connects. Holafly’s example is a 24-hour day: activate at 10:00 and that day runs to 10:00 the next day, not to midnight. Both brands tell you to turn on data roaming for the travel line. That roaming toggle is how the eSIM reaches the local network. It is not a bill from your home carrier, as long as mobile data stays on the travel line.
Do not turn the Europe plan on while you are still in a covered country unless you mean to start the validity. Holafly’s FAQ is explicit that an EU-based resident does not get domestic use in their home country, and that the exclusion includes the EU region. Airalo’s validity also starts on the first connection inside coverage. Buying in Paris for a trip that starts in Paris starts the clock when it attaches, which is what you want. Buying in Paris a week early, and letting the phone attach, spends a week you have not traveled yet.
Top-up and a deleted eSIM. Airalo’s Europe FAQ says you can often add a package to the same eSIM instead of buying a second one, and that renewals can refill when data is down to about 10%. Holafly’s Europe FAQ says the eSIM cannot be transferred or reinstalled once it is installed. Delete it, or move phones, and you buy another one. That is a real cost if you are the person who clears a phone before a trip.
Calls and SMS. Both Europe products we checked are data plans. Holafly’s FAQ says the Europe eSIM has no local phone number for ordinary calls or texts. WhatsApp keeps the number already registered on your phone; you do not move it onto the eSIM. Airalo’s Europe store tab is data-only eSIMs. Bank texts, airline texts, and WhatsApp registration codes still belong on the home line. The setup is in the travel eSIM and 2FA guide.
If the home line is the actual problem — a UK prepaid number disconnected after a long stay in China, rather than a Europe city break — Airalo vs Holafly will not fix it. Start with giffgaff China alternatives: keep the UK number with a PAC, then add a data plan.
Which traveler should buy which
- You can say a number of gigabytes. Buy Airalo fixed data. The 7-day 3 GB plan at $11.00 and the 30-day 10 GB plan at $31.00 are the examples that make unlimited look expensive.
- You will not estimate, the phone does the streaming, and hotspot is occasional. Holafly’s premium was $0.40 to $5.50 on the published lengths. Pay it if you want to avoid Airalo’s 5 GB high-speed day. Skip it if a $27.00 Airalo unlimited week, with a known 1 Mbps step-down, is enough.
- A laptop, a second phone, or a work day of video calls. Airalo. Unlimited Eurolink tethering is not given its own small cap; it shares the 5 GB high-speed day and then sits at 1 Mbps. A fixed 20 GB or 50 GB pool is better if you know the volume. Holafly’s 1 GB share per day is the wrong tool.
- The route leaves the shared 32 countries. Airalo for the nine Airalo-only names, with the Turkey 91-day note. Holafly for Andorra. Everyone else on a standard western-Europe loop can use either list.
- The dates might slip before you travel. Holafly’s unused, in-app, within-six-months refund is the clearer “I cancelled” path. Airalo’s change-of-plans help flow was in-app credit. Neither path survives a casual install.
- You need the home number for banks. Neither brand’s Europe data plan. Keep the home line for SMS, put data on the eSIM, and turn data roaming off on the home line. That is the travel eSIM vs international roaming decision, not this one.
What we did not treat as a price
- A “€3.90” style figure can appear in a page header depending on currency. It was not tied to a day count in the USD table, so it is not in the comparison.
- Holafly’s September 2026 Travel eSIM Value Index quotes are not reused here. They were a campaign study, not the 13 October store prices.
- Single-country plans, voice add-ons, and business dashboards were not priced. This page is the public Europe regional catalogue.
- Speed tests, which radio you actually join in each city, and whether a given hotel Wi-Fi makes the whole purchase unnecessary are outside a plan-page compare.
Re-check both pages on the day you pay: Airalo Europe, Holafly Europe, Airalo unlimited fair-use policy, Holafly refund policy.
FAQ
Is Holafly cheaper than Airalo for Europe?
Not on the unlimited lengths published on 13 October 2026. Holafly was $0.40 to $5.50 more than Airalo at 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 30 days. Airalo’s fixed-data plans were much cheaper when the trip does not need a large daily allowance.
Is Holafly unlimited actually unlimited?
Holafly says there is no fixed data allowance that cuts the line off, and that a network fair-use policy can still slow the connection for up to a day. The Europe page does not state a gigabyte limit for that slowdown. Hotspot sharing is limited to 1 GB per day.
Does Airalo unlimited slow down?
Yes. Eurolink unlimited packages said speeds drop to 1 Mbps after 5 GB in a day, then reset 24 hours after activation. Airalo’s general policy default is 3 GB; this Europe package states 5 GB, and the package text is the one that applies.
Which plan covers more of Europe?
Airalo listed 41 countries. Holafly listed 33. The UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and the usual EU trip countries were on both. Airalo added nine countries, including Turkey and several Balkan states. Holafly added Andorra. Open the list for your exact stops.
Can I use either plan as a laptop hotspot?
Airalo’s unlimited policy allows tethering and does not add a separate device cap; the 5 GB high-speed day still applies. Holafly Europe allows 1 GB of shareable data per day. A fixed-data Airalo plan is a single pool you can share until it is gone.
Can I get a refund if I cancel?
Holafly’s policy offers a full refund for an unactivated eSIM bought from Holafly, requested within 6 months. Airalo’s help center describes Airmoney for a change of plans, and its terms describe refunds mainly when Airalo is at fault. Install only when you are ready for those conditions to change.
Do these plans include a phone number?
No. They are data plans. Keep your home number for SMS and calls, or read the 2FA guide before you travel. A disconnected UK prepaid line is a different problem: giffgaff China alternatives (2026).
Related pages
- Airalo review
- Holafly review
- Best eSIM for Europe
- Holafly exact-day vs fixed eSIM plans
- Fixed-data vs unlimited eSIM
- eSIM data usage calculator
Quick Verdict
On 13 October 2026, Holafly’s published Europe unlimited prices were $0.40 to $5.50 above Airalo’s matching day counts. Buy Airalo fixed data when you can estimate gigabytes. Buy Airalo unlimited when a laptop needs more than Holafly’s 1 GB/day hotspot cap. Buy Holafly when you want unlimited-style data on the phone and that hotspot cap is acceptable.
Which should you pick?
A 3GB / 7-day Europe plan was $11 on 13 Oct 2026, against $27.50 for Holafly’s 7-day unlimited plan.
Stickers are close ($27 vs $27.50 for 7 days). Holafly does not publish a daily phone-data cap; Airalo unlimited drops to 1 Mbps after 5 GB that day.
Airalo’s unlimited policy does not set a separate tethering cap. Holafly Europe allows 1 GB of shareable data per day.
Those stops were on Airalo’s 41-country list and not on Holafly’s 33-country Europe list on 13 Oct 2026.
Andorra was on Holafly’s Europe list and not on Airalo’s Eurolink list the day we checked.
Holafly publishes a full refund for an unactivated eSIM bought in the app within 6 months. Airalo’s help center offers Airmoney for a change of plans; its terms describe a narrower cash-refund right.