Holafly vs Simsimsim
Same Daily Unlimited model, lower prices, honest FUP disclosure — and crypto payments.
Last updated: 2026-05-20
Choosing between Holafly and Simsimsim? Here’s an honest side-by-side, updated for our Daily Unlimited plans in 175 countries.
Up front: Holafly has been around since 2019 and built its name on “unlimited” plans — a great pitch, but their unlimited has the same daily fair-use cap that ours does. The difference is mostly pricing and how openly we disclose the throttle.
Quick comparison table
| Holafly | Simsimsim | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | 200+ countries | 186 countries (Daily Unlimited in 175) |
| Plan models | Daily Unlimited (FUP applies) | Daily Unlimited (FUP) + GB buckets |
| FUP throttle disclosed | In the fine print | Shown on every product card |
| Cheapest entry plan | from ~$6.99 | from $2.90 |
| Cheapest 30-day Unlimited (UK) | ~$47 | $27.90 |
| Cheapest 30-day Unlimited (USA) | ~$67 | $61.90 |
| Payment methods | Card, PayPal, crypto in some markets | Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, USDT, BTC |
| Top-up same eSIM | No — buy a new plan | Yes — same profile |
| App required | Optional | No — QR by email |
| Support languages | English, Spanish, several (no Russian) | English + Russian |
| Welcome credit | Occasional promo codes | $5 on signup |
| Refund window | Limited (unused/non-activated) | 180 days before activation |
What “unlimited” actually means (both providers)
Neither Holafly nor anyone else sells truly unlimited mobile data. Every “unlimited” plan in the eSIM market — Holafly, Saily, Airalo’s xCover, ours — has a fair-use policy (FUP):
- You get a daily allowance at full LTE/5G speed (typically 1–10 GB).
- After that cap, your speed drops to a throttle (commonly 384 Kbps to 1 Mbps) for the rest of the day.
- The next day, the high-speed allowance resets.
Our position: we show the FUP throttle speed directly on every country page, in the same card as the price. Holafly mentions it in plan fine print. Same product, more honest framing.
Pricing breakdown — Daily Unlimited side-by-side
Approximate retail for the 1 GB/day daily-allowance tier, 30-day duration. Prices change — double-check on each site.
| Destination | Holafly Unlimited 30 d | Simsimsim Daily Unlimited 1 GB/day · 30 d |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ~$67 | $61.90 |
| United Kingdom | ~$47 | $27.90 |
| Spain | ~$47 | ~$28 |
| Japan | ~$54 | ~$45 |
| Germany | ~$47 | ~$28 |
| Turkey | ~$39 | ~$22 |
| India | ~$54 | $42.90 |
| Thailand | ~$47 | ~$42 |
| UAE | ~$47 | ~$45 |
| Mexico | ~$47 | ~$44 |
Where we have access to cheap wholesale capacity (EU, UK, Japan, Turkey) we undercut Holafly by 30–40%. In markets where Holafly negotiated better wholesale (UAE, Mexico, India) the gap narrows but we’re still cheaper — typically by 5–15%.
Pricing breakdown — small GB plans (short trips)
For trips where you’ll use 1–10 GB total, GB plans are dramatically cheaper than any unlimited package.
| Destination | Holafly (smallest plan) | Simsimsim 1 GB / 7 days |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | ~$6.90 / unlimited / 5 days | $3.50 |
| USA | ~$6.90 / unlimited / 5 days | $3.90 |
| Spain | ~$6.90 / unlimited / 5 days | $2.90 |
| UAE | ~$19 / unlimited / 5 days | $4.50 |
| Thailand | ~$6.90 / unlimited / 5 days | $3.50 |
For a city break with maps, messaging, and the occasional Instagram, 1 GB is plenty — and you save 50–80% versus the smallest Holafly plan.
When Holafly is still the better choice
We’d genuinely point you to Holafly if any of these apply:
- You’re a frequent business traveler who just wants “the most data, no thinking”. That’s basically Holafly’s whole pitch and they’ve polished the funnel for it.
- You prefer paying more for the brand reassurance — fair enough, this is a real reason.
When Simsimsim is the better choice
Where we genuinely differ:
- You want Daily Unlimited at a lower price. Same FUP model, ~30–40% cheaper in most EU/UK markets and slightly cheaper everywhere else.
- You want the FUP throttle shown openly. We display the post-cap speed (384 Kbps / 500 Kbps / 1 Mbps) on the product card. No hunting in the small print.
- Short trip, modest data use. 1–10 GB over a week or two costs $2.90–$8.90 on us vs $6.90+ at Holafly.
- You want to pay in crypto. USDT or BTC, no card needed. Holafly accepts crypto in some markets but it’s not universal.
- You need to top up. Holafly doesn’t let you top up an existing eSIM — you have to buy a new plan, often eating any unused time. We top up the same profile, no rebuying.
- You speak Russian. Our team is EN + RU bilingual. Holafly’s support isn’t.
- You don’t want to install anything. QR by email, scan in iOS/Android Settings, done.
When each one fails
Comparison pages tend to slope toward the side hosting them. Worth being explicit about cases where one option is genuinely the wrong pick.
Where Simsimsim might not be the right call
- You’re a primary EU traveler who values Spanish-language phone support. Our team is bilingual EN + RU, and we run support over email and chat with same-day response in business hours. If you specifically need live Spanish-language assistance on the phone during a trip in Spain or Latin America, Holafly’s home market is Madrid and they staff accordingly.
- You expect 24/7 live phone support, not email. Neither provider offers truly 24/7 live phone for prepaid eSIM (the unit economics don’t support it for $3-$60 plans), but if your mental model is “I want to ring someone at 2 AM and talk to a human”, you’ll be disappointed by both — and you should probably be looking at carrier post-paid roaming rather than any prepaid travel eSIM.
- You want a plan from a brand your colleagues already use and recommend by name. Network effects matter for some travelers. If your team Slack channel already has a thread of “use X, here’s the link,” go with X. Switching costs and the value of a recommendation that’s already been pressure-tested is real.
Where Holafly might not be the right call
- Light trips with modest data use. If you genuinely only need 1-5 GB across a week, paying for an unlimited daily plan is overpaying for headroom you won’t use. Our GB buckets from $2.90 are dramatically cheaper for that profile, and you don’t need to second-guess the FUP because you’ll never hit it.
- Price-sensitive travelers comparing per-dollar value. The 30-40% EU/UK price gap (visible in the table above) is structural — it comes from different wholesale negotiation outcomes, not promotional pricing — so it persists outside sale periods. If your budget rules the decision, the cheaper plan wins.
- You want to pay in crypto without jumping through extra checkout hoops. Crypto checkout on Holafly is regional and sometimes routed through a payment processor surcharge. Our USDT/BTC checkout is the same flow as a card — no extra steps, no regional gating.
- You want to top up the same eSIM rather than re-installing. Holafly’s product is built around fixed-duration plans — if you extend your trip, you buy a new plan and install a new eSIM. We top up the same profile in place, which keeps the QR you already scanned valid and your saved label intact.
- You want a $5 welcome credit applied automatically. Standard part of our offer, applied at checkout to plans of $5+. Holafly runs occasional promo codes you have to hunt for or wait for in an email.
The fair summary: both products are solid; the right pick depends on which of the factors above weigh most for your trip.
Common questions
Is Simsimsim safe?
Our safety net is a 180-day refund policy on unactivated eSIMs — if you bought it and didn’t travel, or something went wrong before you scanned the QR, you get your money back. Card payments go through Stripe, crypto through audited rails. The eSIM profiles come from the same wholesale carriers most of the industry uses, including Holafly’s. If you’re risk-averse for a key trip, buy a small test plan first.
Is unlimited really unlimited?
No — there’s always a fair-use policy. Both Holafly and we throttle after a daily allowance. Holafly’s daily ceiling is often ~1 GB at full speed before throttling. Ours is whichever tier you pick (1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 10 GB per day). This is industry-standard — neither provider has truly infinite data. Always check the daily allowance and post-cap throttle speed before you buy.
Why can’t I top up Holafly?
Their business model is built around fixed-duration plans. If your plan expires, you buy a new one. Some users like the simplicity, others find it wasteful when they only need a couple of extra days. We chose the top-up model because most travelers we asked preferred it.
Do they use the same providers?
Often, yes. Most travel eSIM resellers — Holafly, us, Airalo, and most of the field — buy wholesale capacity from a small set of upstream carriers (1GLOBAL, Telna, MTX Connect, eSIM Access). The physical network you connect to in-country is usually the same. The differences are: which wholesale partner each provider negotiated with for that country, the packaging (Daily Unlimited vs GB), the price markup, and the support experience.
Will it work on my phone?
Both work on the same modern devices: iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 3 or newer, Galaxy S20 or newer, and most 2020+ flagships. eSIM support depends on the phone, not the provider.
TL;DR
Pick Holafly if: you’re willing to pay 30–40% more for their brand, you don’t care about crypto payment, and Russian-language support isn’t a need.
Pick Simsimsim if: you want the same Daily Unlimited model at a lower price, you want the FUP throttle disclosed upfront on the product page, you’d rather pay in crypto or use a $5 welcome credit, you want to top up the same eSIM without rebuying, you want Russian-language support, or you’re taking a short trip where a small GB plan covers everything.
The honest framing: we built the same product, priced it lower, and showed the fine print on the front of the card.
Get started
If you’re not sure yet, take the $5 welcome credit and try a small plan for your first destination. The 180-day refund window has you covered if your plans change.
Written by the Simsimsim team. We compete with Holafly, so factor that in — but the structural facts above (plan model, top-up policy, payment methods, FUP disclosure) are checkable on each provider’s pricing page. Last updated 2026-05-20.