Honest comparison
How we compare
We're new. They're established. Here's an honest comparison — including where they're sometimes better than us.
Why this page exists
Most "best eSIM" comparison guides are written by affiliate marketers. They rank providers based on commission rates as much as quality. This page is written by us — biased, but trying to be fair.
We'll tell you when Airalo or Nomad or Saily is the better fit. We'd rather you buy from them and have a good trip than buy from us and not.
Comparison matrix — Japan 10GB / 30 Days
| Driftvoy | Airalo | Saily | Nomad | Holafly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | $18.00 | $17.99 | ~$23 (20GB) | Unlimited only |
| Full-speed throughout? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Throttled after FUP |
| Same eSIM on top-up? | ✅ Yes (up to 10×) | ❌ Reinstall | ❌ Reinstall | ❌ Reinstall | ❌ Reinstall |
| Networks | KDDI / Softbank | Softbank + 1 other | Softbank | KDDI | KDDI |
| App required? | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Brand maturity | New (2026) | Established | Established | Established | Established |
When Airalo is better: You want a known brand with years of reviews, an app you're already familiar with, or are buying for multiple countries on one account.
When Saily is better: You want the cheapest 1GB short-trip plan (~$3.99). Their small-data SKUs are aggressively priced.
When Nomad is better: You're staying 30 days with very heavy data needs. Their unlimited 30-day plans can be cheaper per-GB than fixed-amount plans.
When Holafly is better: You want never-think-about-data and accept the throttling. Their unlimited Japan plan is genuinely unlimited, just slow after the FUP threshold.
When Driftvoy is better: You want full-speed data at a competitive price, with same-eSIM top-up, and you don't mind being an early customer of a new brand.
Comparison matrix — Thailand 10GB / 30 Days
| Driftvoy | Airalo | Saily | Nomad | Holafly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $11.00 | ~$15 | $10.00 | Unlimited only |
| Full-speed throughout? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Throttled after FUP |
| Same eSIM on top-up? | ✅ Yes (up to 10×) | ❌ Reinstall | ❌ Reinstall | ❌ Reinstall | ❌ Reinstall |
| Networks | AIS / True | dtac (single) | dtac | AIS / dtac | dtac |
| Brand maturity | New (2026) | Established | Established | Established | Established |
When Nomad is better: Pure price competition — they often match or beat us by $1. Their 50GB / 10 Days SKU is also $10 (matches our Launch Deal).
When Airalo is better: You want a known brand and don't mind paying $1–2 more.
When SimOptions is better (not in matrix): You need a Thai phone number for SMS verification. They offer voice/SMS plans that we don't.
When Driftvoy is better: Our 50GB / 10 Days Launch Deal at $9.99 (first 100 orders) matches Nomad's best price while offering full-speed data, AIS+True dual-network, and same-eSIM top-up on the rest of the catalog. Beyond the Launch Deal, we're competitive but not always the cheapest.
What we genuinely offer that's different
We don't sell "unlimited" plans. Every plan is fixed-data, full-speed. When it runs out, you top up — you don't get silently slowed.
Most providers issue a new eSIM (new QR, reinstall) when you top up. We add data and validity to your existing eSIM, up to 10 top-ups per ICCID. After a 6-month nomad trip with 4 top-ups, you'll have reinstalled once instead of four times.
If your eSIM isn't delivered or fails to activate, you get a full refund.
What we don't offer
We're transparent about this:
- No unlimited plans.If you want unlimited, Holafly or Saily's unlimited tier is for you.
- No phone number SKUs.We're data-only. SimOptions has voice+data for Thailand if you need an SMS-receiving local number.
- No Europe yet. Phase 1 is Japan and Thailand only. Phase 2 in 2027 will add EU.
- No years of reviews.We're new. If "established brand" matters to you, Airalo is the safer choice.