Staying connected when traveling has always been difficult.
Buying an overpriced eSIM at the airport, making sure you don’t forget the small sim card removal tool (such a HASSLE).
Thanks to Holafly and the unlimited data on their eSIMs, this is in the PAST.
But is their eSIM as good as they claim?
You can discover it here in this Holafly eSIM review.
Holafly pros and cons
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER before buying Holafly.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| INSTANT ACTIVATION on arrival. You can activate Holafly as soon as you land, but make sure you install it before you leave for your trip. No Wi-Fi hunting, no waiting, and no setup stress after a long flight. |
DATA ONLY, no local phone number (unless you buy any of the Holafly Plans monthly subscription). Holafly does not include a local number by default. Calling restaurants or hotels is only possible via data-based apps. |
| UNLIMITED DATA in 200+ destinations, plus 15+ regional and 1 global eSIM . You pay for the number of days you need, not for a data cap. There is no guessing how much data navigation, uploads, or video calls will use. |
LOCAL SIMS can be STRONGER in rural areas. Coverage is solid overall, but in remote regions a local SIM can sometimes perform better. During drives through national parks in Kenya, there were moments where a local SIM from our driver had coverage and Holafly did not. |
| Built-in DATA USAGE CALCULATOR. Holafly provides a data usage calculator to help estimate how much data you typically need, which we find very useful as we publish a lot of social media content. |
Unlimited plans are EXPENSIVE. For the flexibility of unlimited data, you need to be prepared to pay a premium price compared to capped eSIMs or local SIM cards. |
| No need to remove your home SIM. Holafly works alongside your regular SIM once you adjust the settings, so you keep your home number, and your WhatsApp actived. |
What is an eSIM?
eSIMs, short for embedded SIMs, are digital SIM cards built into your phone that let you install and activate a mobile plan WITHOUT using a physical card.
Instead of hunting for a store, swapping SIMs, or risking losing your home SIM while traveling (like we did a few times), you can scan a QR code, install the eSIM in MINUTES, and be connected as soon as you land or cross a border.
Many travelers are switching from traditional SIM cards to eSIMs because they are:
- FASTER to set up
- MORE FLEXIBLE to change between countries or data plans
- CHEAPER than roaming
- Your MAIN NUMBER REMAINS ACTIVE for calls, SMS from your bank, and other two-factor authentication.
👉 DID YOU KNOW: A 2025 Proximus Global survey found that only 33% (!) of consumers have heard of eSIMs. So you’re already ahead of the curve!
What is Holafly
Holafly provides travel eSIMs that you install once, then use for mobile data abroad.
If you are using a dual-SIM phone (most modern iPhones and many Androids), you can keep your regular SIM active for calls and texts for MFA authentication, and use Holafly for data.
HOLAFLY SUMMARY:
- Coverage: 200+ destinations worldwide covered by various plans
- Data: Unlimited data in over 200 destinations
- Ease of use: Truly “set and forget”, meaning NO TOPPING UP DATA EVER (!)
- Trustpilot Score: 4.6 ⭐ (the highest in the industry, 70,000+ reviews). You can find their page on Trustpilot here
Is a Holafly eSIM worth it?
Yes! A Holafly eSIM is worth it, especially since you get to enjoy their standard UNLIMITED DATA PLANS (something other eSIM brands do not even have).
If you value unlimited data, good COVERAGE, and quite fast INTERNET SPEEDS in one plan, a Holafly eSIM is the way to go.
We also got their eSIM on our London city trip (we reviewed it in our Europe eSIM review). You don’t need to buy Holafly for long holidays like a 3-week Kenya safari, but you can also perfectly buy it for a short trip.
👉 KEEP IN MIND: Holafly is NOT THE CHEAPEST option for an eSIM, as you always get unlimited data, but it is the MOST CONVENIENT one.You set up the eSIM and forget about it!
1) Holafly Plans
If you travel often, then Holafly Plans is a big advantage.
Holafly Plans work like a simple MONTHLY MOBILE SUBSCRIPTION FOR TRAVEL.
👉 DID YOU KNOW: With a monthly subscription, you get 10% off with our code LOSTBETWEENOCEANS and for the annual subscription 10% extra (on top of the standard 22% discount)!
You install one Holafly eSIM ONCE, pay monthly (or yearly), and your data refreshes automatically every billing cycle, so you can travel across multiple countries without buying a new eSIM each time.
With Holafly Plans, you can STAY CONNECTED in over 160 destinations without changing SIM cards.
There are two main options.
- The light plan includes 25 GB of data and a hotspot per month for $49.90 (€42.86)
- The unlimited plan gives you unlimited data for $64.90 (€55.75), plus unlimited hotspot usage.
👉 KEEP IN MIND: Both plans include the option to choose a local number from the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada, allowing you to receive SMS messages wherever you are.
2) Always On
Always On is the feature we wish had existed years ago.
As an extra benefit to Holafly Plans, Always On (ONLY AVAILABLE SINCE NOVEMBER 2025) gives you 1 GB of FREE DATA each month. It activates automatically when your main plan ends or you pause it.
When your main Holafly Plan ends, your eSIM switches to Always On so you still have connectivity (no configuration or eSIM reinstallation required).
Here are some KEY DETAILS:
- 1GB per month, refreshed automatically.
- 70+ destinations supported and no expiry date. It activates automatically when your main plan ends or you pause it.
- KEEP IN MIND: it is not instant; it can take a while before it activates.
👉 INSIDER TIP: Always On is not “scroll TikTok all day” data. Treat it as a safety buffer. We recommend using it only for the essential items.
How does Holafly work?
This is the process that keeps things simple with Holafly.
Step 1: Check your phone is eSIM compatible
Holafly will tell you to check compatibility before purchasing.
Do this first, especially if you use an older Android or Apple model.
Step 2: Install before you travel (when you still have stable WiFi)
We recommend installing the eSIM BEFORE your trip, when you still have proper WiFi.
Step 3: Turn it on when you arrive
Your data plan will ONLY BEGIN once you arrive at your destination and turn on your eSIM.
👉 INSIDER TIP: Name your eSIM something obvious like “Holafly Kenya” or “Holafly Global” in your phone settings so you don’t mistake it for your primary SIM.
Network coverage review
So far, our network coverage with Holafly has been quite good in Kenya.
We just leave the network selection on automatic, so it changes over to other networks where necessary (it has done so a couple of times).
This means we often have LTE, as well as 4G and 5G (in cities).
We are currently traveling through Kenya, a country with savannahs and mountainous regions around Mount Kenya, and overall, the network coverage with Holafly has been surprisingly solid.
Connectivity only DROPPED TO ZERO during safari drives in very remote areas, where there are simply no nearby antennas, which is expected regardless of the provider.
Once we try out their global eSIM, we can provide more details on our network coverage from country to country.
Holafly’s pricing is PRETTY CONSISTENT across all countries and regions.
Some countries are more expensive than others, so it is worth checking out their destinations here.
| Region | Data | 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Mexico | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Europe | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| UK | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Asia | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Kenya | Unlimited | $126.90 ($4.23/day) |
HOWEVER, with their TRAVEL UNLIMITED plan, you pay a fixed amount of $64.90 per month for unlimited global coverage. That’s 10 USD cheaper than a fixed regional plan for 30 days.
We always test the customer service to see how quickly we can reach a REAL PERSON, not a bot, when something goes wrong.
With Holafly, it’s a lot easier than we thought. You get a chatbox, ask a question, and almost immediately, they connect you to an IT specialist. We appreciate this!
It took us LESS THAN A MINUTE to be connected to an agent, which is exactly what you want when you are traveling and need help fast (you can even message them on WhatsApp).
They are also 24/7 AVAILABLE, so it does not matter where you are in the world, you’ll always be helpe,d which is a very nice feeling!
Would we use Holafly again?
Yes, we would absolutely use Holafly again.
Our experience in Kenya showed how valuable unlimited data is on a trip. When we take pictures of a lion in the Maasai Mara, we need to be able to upload them directly to Instagram stories, which worked!
Internet speeds and coverage were quite good. We were able to use Google Maps on the go, send videos and images via WhatsApp.
We even WATCHED NETFLIX on our laptop using the hotspot from our phone. We also shared our Hotspot so Laura’s brother could also watch Netflix, and it worked! It proves that the internet speeds are pretty solid!
If you want to cheat a little bit, you can buy one unlimited eSIM and just let your partner always connect to your hotspot. It saves you a bit of money!
For a Kenya itinerary that mixed cities, with long drives, and remote national parks, Holafly delivered. It’s also a really nice feeling that we don’t have to worry about our data usage since it’s unlimited.
