Airalo vs Nomad eSIM

At a glance

Whole-catalog figures — every active plan each provider sells today.

Price check in popular destinations

The cheapest plan each provider sells for two realistic trip sizes, in the destinations both cover that travelers check most. Every price is a live plan you can buy.

Plan types on offer

AiraloNomad

Unlimited data ✓ Yes ✓ Yes

Regional bundles No No

Global bundles (50+ countries) No No

Cruise / at-sea plans No No

Pay as you go No No

Comparison by eSIMKart

Policies compared

Confirmed from each provider's own site — see the trust card on each provider page for the verification date.

Airalo Nomad

ID verification

Airalo: Required for some countries (passport/ID)

Nomad: Not required

Refund policy

Airalo: Self-service refund request from your account (My eSIMs > Package History > Request Refund) for wrong purchase, changed plans, installation issues, or a non-working eSIM — expired or fully-used eSIMs aren't eligible. Wrong-purchase/changed-plans refunds go to Airmoney (their in-app credit) only; installation-issue/not-working refunds can go to Airmoney or your original payment method, taking 7-10 business days (up to 30 depending on your bank).

Nomad: Refund requests must be made within 30 days of purchase: a plan not yet installed or activated may be fully refunded (to the card or as Nomad Points); after activation only a partial refund for verified technical failure. Unlimited plans and a few others are non-refundable.

Validity starts

Airalo: Validity starts either when the eSIM connects to the destination network or at the moment of installation, depending on the specific plan — check 'Additional Information > Activation Policy' on the plan page before buying to see which applies.

Nomad: Validity starts only when the eSIM is activated, meaning first connection to a network or the automatic activation-window deadline - not at installation or purchase.

Fair-use limit

Airalo: Unlimited plans default to a 3GB-per-day full-speed allowance before throttling to 1 Mbps for the rest of that 24-hour period (counted from activation, not purchase); a different daily threshold is stated on the specific plan's page when it applies instead of the 3GB default.

Nomad: Most Unlimited plans give 2 GB of high-speed data per day, then speed drops to about 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps (depending on the plan) for the rest of the day; the allowance resets every 24 hours from activation.

Top-ups & rollover

Airalo: Only plans marked 'rechargeable' (checkable under Additional Information before buying) can be topped up, via the My eSIMs > Top Up option in the app — a non-rechargeable eSIM or one that changed carriers requires buying a new eSIM instead.

Nomad: Add-ons can be purchased in the Nomad eSIM app or website (Manage, then Add more data) without reinstalling; not every plan supports add-ons and they cannot be bought from the UAE or India.

Lost device / reinstalling

Airalo: Most Airalo eSIMs can't be reinstalled once deleted -- the app checks each plan under My eSIMs > 'Deleted your eSIM?' and walks you through reinstall if allowed, otherwise you'll need a new eSIM or Support.

Nomad: A deleted eSIM can usually be reinstalled from the original QR code or manual details (support can resend them); some plans, such as Thailand Unlimited, cannot be reinstalled, and if reinstalling fails a refund may be given as Nomad Points.

Billing currency

Airalo: Airalo lets you check out in 16 real currencies (USD, AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY, PLN, SGD, NOK, DKK, SEK, CHF, NZD, MXN, ZAR, THB) — not just a USD default; if your currency isn't listed, your bank handles the conversion at checkout.

Nomad: Checkout accepts major cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay with multi-currency billing; no specific conversion-fee disclosure was found on the payments help pages.

Support

Airalo: Live chat · Help center · 24/7

Nomad: Help center · Email · Live chat

Payment

Airalo: Card · PayPal · Apple Pay · Google Pay · Alipay

Nomad: Card · PayPal · Apple Pay · Google Pay

Headquarters

Airalo: Singapore

Nomad: Santa Clara, California, USA

Legal entity

Airalo: AirGSM Pte Ltd

Nomad: Not confirmed yet

Founded

Airalo: 2019

Nomad: 2020

Comparison by eSIMKart

Discount codes

Airalo No live code

Nomad -15% ESIMKART15

Airalo vs Nomad eSIM — common questions

Figures on this page come from both providers' live catalogs and are re-checked automatically every day.

Compare Airalo and Nomad eSIM by destination

Head-to-head prices for the destinations travelers check most.