Holafly eSIM review: Is it worth it?

What is Holafly?

Founded in Spain in 2017, Holafly is a pretty established name in the eSIM space. One of its main selling points is its unlimited plans. Many eSIM providers still don’t offer limitless data packages, so when people choose Holafly over its competitors, it’s usually for that reason. 

Holafly provides eSIM plans for more than 200 destinations. You just download its app, pick the package you want, and (if your device is compatible) get online. The Holafly app connects you to local mobile providers in the specific country you’re visiting so you can stay online without having to rely on expensive data roaming. 

After nearly a decade, the company has serious brand recognition and usually appears high on any list of recommended eSIM providers. Like any eSIM app, though, Holafly has its pros and cons.

Holafly pros and cons

Holafly offers some positives, but it’s not a perfect service. We’ll cover the advantages and disadvantages of the app here.

Pros

Let’s take a look at the main selling points of Holafly first. It offers:

Cons

Here’s the real bad news. Holafly comes with some downsides that could make many eSIM users think twice before purchasing a plan. It may come with:

Holafly eSIM review

Holafly is a pretty reliable and widely used service, but it’s not for everyone. Its major selling point — unlimited data — will make it the perfect solution for a small group of users, and an overpriced option for most others. Let’s take a closer look at the product, its plans, and its prices. 

How does Holafly work?

Holafly connects your device with local mobile carriers in the region you’re visiting. You don’t have to take out your physical SIM — it’s all digital. 

The process of buying and setting up your Holafly eSIM is straightforward on an iOS or Android phone. First, you’ll need to go to its website and buy a plan. This involves selecting the period of time you want the plan to cover and the location that coverage is required for. 

Once you pay for your plan through the Holafly site, it will send a QR code to whatever email address you provided. Open the email on a different device from the one you need data for (a laptop, for example) and scan the QR code using the device you want to install the eSIM app on. 

Scanning the QR code triggers the setup process. Just follow the steps on your device’s screen to install the app, activate your plan, and get connected. 

Plans 

Holafly provides three main types of plans — plans for cities, countries, and wider regions like Europe and Asia that cover multiple countries. According to the Holafly website, they provide plans for more than 200 destinations.

Its regional plans include the following groupings:

• Europe

• Asia

• North America

• Latin America

• United Kingdom

• Caribbean

• Middle East

• Africa

If you’re thinking about taking a regional plan, you should make sure the countries you’re visiting are all included. To avoid a nasty surprise on arrival, select the region you’re interested in, click the “Technical specs” tab, and read the “Data coverage” section. 

All of Holafly’s packages include unlimited data, so aside from locations covered, the main difference between these plans is the number of days you buy them for.

The vast majority of packages Holafly offers for countries and regions can cover any time period between one and 90 days. The only exception to this is the standard city plan, since most of these offer set blocks of time, starting with a five-day plan. 

Once you’ve selected the location you’re visiting, the period of time you need coverage for, and the number of eSIMs you require, you can view the price of your plan.

Pricing

Prices vary across different destinations, but the majority of countries and regions start between USD 6.90 and USD 11.90 for one day of unlimited data (as of March 2025). Most city-based plans offer a minimum of five days for USD 20.90, but only buy these packages if you’re certain you’ll be staying in the city for your whole trip. 

When choosing between a city plan and a country plan, however, double-check to see if any discounts change their value propositions. For example, as this review was being written, all Holafly plan prices were slightly reduced, resulting in many country-wide plans costing the same as specific plans for cities within those same countries. 

A heavily discounted plan for France might cost the same as a slightly reduced Paris plan but will give you the option to take a day-trip out of the city without losing coverage. 

Network speed

When it comes to cellular network speed, Holafly starts to run into some problems. Many user reviews report issues with low speeds and high latency. Reviews by other publications have also highlighted the same performance problems. 

We can’t be sure why specific users might experience slow internet, but there’s a likely cause. Holafly says on its website that your internet speed will be reduced “if necessary” and that “some carriers may reserve the right to apply a Fair Usage Policy.” 

In practice, this means that the local provider it connects you with might slow down your internet to ensure that everyone else on the network gets roughly the same internet speed. Some users have reported online that they seem to have a certain quota of faster internet each day. Once they run out of that, the local carrier slows them down.

While experiences will vary a lot from region to region, carrier to carrier, slower internet speeds do seem to be a recurring theme for Holafly users. We’re drawing this information from anecdotal accounts posted to sites like Trustpilot and Tripadvisor.  

Customer support

Holafly offers 24/7 customer support to all its users. To contact the support team, you can email questions and concerns to [email protected], reach out via WhatsApp — +1 (661) 384-8482 — or use the live-chat option on the company’s website. 

Bear in mind that, whatever method you’re using, you’ll need internet access. If you’re setting up your eSIM in a new country and run into problems activating it, you’ll need to find a way of getting online to ask for help.

Additional features 

Holafly doesn’t have many unique features beyond its unlimited mobile data plans. This becomes more of a drawback when you compare the eSIM app to similar offerings from other companies.

Saily vs. Holafly 

When set against other eSIM providers, including Saily, Holafly is notably more expensive. Let’s break down the main points of difference between the two apps.

*As of March 17, 2025, Saily’s USD 1.99 price applies to the 1 GB plan for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic (Czechia), and Mayotte only.

Holafly certainly has some unique benefits, but its high price point will be a major turn off for many potential customers. A Holafly alternative like Saily can still offer you all the essential eSIM services but at a significantly lower cost. Even a physical SIM card could be a better option than Holafly.

Verdict: Is Holafly worth it?

Holafly is more expensive than most of its competitors, but is it worth the price? Well, that depends on whether or not you’re part of the very specific group of travelers needing the unique feature offered by this service. 

If you plan to use the internet intensely while traveling — regularly downloading very large files, for example, or holding long, daily video calls — the offer of unlimited data can make Holafly’s prices seem more reasonable. .

For most other users, though, a more affordable option like Saily (or one of the many other low-cost eSIMs on the market) is a smarter move. You’ll get all the data you need at a much better price, without worrying about Holafly’s user-reported speed and latency issues.

Information in this article was collected in March 2025 and was accurate at the time of writing.