7 Nomad eSIM alternatives (2026), compared

The best alternative to Nomad eSIM depends on why you are leaving. For cheaper short plans and Europe, Ubigi (10GB for $12 in Europe, against Nomad's $23). For a cheaper unlimited plan with more fast data, Maya Mobile ($19.99 a week with 5GB a day at full speed, against Nomad's 2GB). For the widest choice and plans with texts, Airalo. For a 30-day plan at a lower price in many countries, our own brand NomadGB (10GB for $7.49 in Japan against Nomad's $16), though Nomad is cheaper than us in Mexico.

A note on names: "Nomad" on this page is Nomad eSIM (nomadesim.com, also getnomad.app), run by LotusFlare in California. NomadGB, which publishes this page, is a different company. We are one of the alternatives listed, and we say where we are and are not cheaper.

How we compared: we read prices on each provider's own website on 13 November 2026. Japan is our example destination below because every provider sells it; we also note Europe prices where they change the picture. We compared the cheapest plan, about 5GB, 10GB and 20GB, the "unlimited" option for about a week, networks, and refund rules. Saily blocks automated price checks, and we did not check Jetpac or aloSIM prices, so those are "not checked".

Nomad and its alternatives in Japan (November 2026)

Provider	Cheapest plan	~5GB	~10GB	~20GB	Unlimited or daily (about 7 days)	Networks
NomadGB	1GB / 7 days: $1.99	$4.99 (5GB, 30d)	$7.49 (10GB, 30d)	$11.49 (20GB, 30d)	$26.99 / 7 days (3GB a day, then 384 Kbps)	NTT docomo, Rakuten Mobile, KDDI/au, SoftBank
Airalo	1GB / 3 days: $4.00	$10.00 (5GB, 7d)	$17.00 (10GB, 7d)	$24.00 (20GB, 15d)	$26.50 / 7 days (3GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps)	Softbank, KDDI, Rakuten
Holafly	-	-	-	-	$27.50 / 7 days	KDDI, Softbank
Nomad	1GB / 7 days: $4.00	$10.00 (5GB, 30d)	$16.00 (10GB, 30d)	$23.00 (20GB, 30d)	$25.00 / 7 days (2GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps)	KDDI au, SoftBank
Ubigi	1GB / 3 days: $3.50	$10.00 (5GB, 15d)	$14.00 (10GB, 7d)	$32.00 (25GB, 30d)	$25.00 / 8 days (5GB a day at full speed, then 2 Mbps)	KDDI, NTT Docomo, Softbank
Maya Mobile	-	-	-	-	$19.99 / 7 days (5GB a day at full speed, then 3 Mbps)	au
Saily	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked
Jetpac	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked
aloSIM	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked	not checked

All "unlimited" plans here are capped: Nomad at 2GB a day, Airalo at 3GB a day, Maya at 5GB a day, Ubigi at 5GB a day on its 8-day Japan plan (then 2 Mbps), and our daily plan at 3GB a day (then 384 Kbps). Holafly applies a fair use policy and limits hotspot to 1GB a day.

Who each alternative suits

Alternative	Best for	Main limitation
NomadGB	30-day plans at the lowest price in many countries	Not cheapest in Mexico or Europe; daily unlimited plans cost more than Maya
Ubigi	Short trips, Europe, laptops and tablets	Cheapest plans last 7 days; refunds only for unused plans
Maya Mobile	Cheapest unlimited with 5GB a day at full speed	No small fixed plans
Airalo	Most plan sizes, some plans with calls and texts	Cheapest 10GB plans last 7 days
Holafly	Unlimited with no stated daily cap	Expensive per week; 1GB a day hotspot
Saily	Best Trustpilot score (4.7), security tools	Prices not checked; hotspot not confirmed
Jetpac	Free lounge pass if your flight is delayed	Prices not checked
aloSIM	Free second phone number via its Hushed app	Prices not checked

The alternatives in detail

NomadGB: cheaper 30-day plans in many countries

Like Nomad, our plans last 30 days. In Japan we charge $7.49 for 10GB and $11.49 for 20GB, against Nomad's $16 and $23, and we list all four Japanese networks. In the USA our 10GB is $9.49 against Nomad's $10.40, and in the UK $6.49 against $17.50. Where Nomad beats us: Mexico (Nomad $15.50, us $18.49), Europe (Nomad $23, us $23.49) and big Brazil plans (Nomad's 50GB is $45, ours $64.99). See our Japan eSIM.

Ubigi: short trips and Europe

Ubigi is run by Transatel, part of NTT Group. In Japan it sells 10GB for $14 (7 days), and in Europe 10GB for $12 (7 days), about half Nomad's Europe price. It allows hotspot and supports iPads and Windows laptops. Its unlimited plans give 5GB a day at full speed in some countries, such as Japan, and a total amount for the whole plan in others, such as Europe. Refunds are only for unused plans.

Maya Mobile: cheapest unlimited

Maya Mobile sells one global unlimited plan: $19.99 for 7 days or $49.99 for 30 days, with 5GB a day at full speed and then 3 Mbps. That is more fast data per day than Nomad's 2GB, for less money. In Japan it uses au (KDDI) only.

Airalo: most choice

Airalo has the largest range of sizes and lengths, from 3-day plans to year-long global plans, and some plans with minutes and texts. Its unlimited plans give 3GB or 5GB a day at full speed. Its Trustpilot score is 4.2 from 50,800 reviews.

Holafly: simplest unlimited

Holafly sells only unlimited plans, with no stated daily cap: $27.50 for 7 days in Japan or Europe. Hotspot is limited to 1GB a day, so it is not for laptop work.

Saily: best reviews and security extras

Saily is made by Nord Security, the NordVPN company. It scores 4.7 on Trustpilot from 33,406 reviews and adds an ad blocker and virtual location in its app. It refunds plans that were not activated within 30 days. We could not check its prices.

Jetpac and aloSIM

Jetpac gives a free airport lounge voucher if your registered flight is delayed, and says its data packs have no fair usage limit. aloSIM sells data-only eSIMs in 200+ countries and includes a free phone number through its sister app Hushed. We did not compare their prices today.

Which alternative should you pick?

• Same 30-day style as Nomad, lower price: NomadGB in Japan, the USA, the UK and many other countries; Nomad itself in Mexico.
• Europe: Ubigi.
• Heavy data or streaming: Maya Mobile.
• Lots of plan sizes or need texts: Airalo.
• Want unlimited without thinking about caps: Holafly, if you do not tether.
• Security on public Wi-Fi: Saily.
• Frequent flyer: Jetpac, for the delay lounge pass.
• Need a number for calls and texts: aloSIM's free Hushed number.

Sources: Nomad Japan (13 Nov 2026), Nomad refund policy (13 Nov 2026), Ubigi plans (13 Nov 2026), About Ubigi (13 Nov 2026), Ubigi refund help page (13 Nov 2026), Airalo on Trustpilot (13 Nov 2026), Maya Mobile Japan (13 Nov 2026), Airalo Japan (13 Nov 2026), Holafly Japan (13 Nov 2026), Saily on Trustpilot (13 Nov 2026), Jetpac (13 Nov 2026), aloSIM (13 Nov 2026). Other prices from each provider's country pages. Prices checked 13 November 2026.