Holafly vs AeroSims for Thailand (2026): The Comparison We Lose on Unlimited
Holafly vs AeroSims for Thailand (2026): The Comparison We Lose on Unlimited
Updated August 2026 · Prices verified on provider product pages and subject to change
Thailand is the trip where your phone works hardest: Grab rides through Bangkok, ferry timetables to Koh Samui, translating a menu in Chiang Mai, uploading the longtail-boat shot from Krabi. Home-carrier roaming there is billed at classic out-of-zone rates, so a travel eSIM is the obvious fix. We compared the two obvious candidates head-to-head — same week, both product pages open side by side. Fair warning: this one doesn’t end the way our comparisons usually do.
The quick verdict
Pick Holafly if you want unlimited data in Thailand. On the six plan lengths it publishes — 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days — it is the cheaper of the two at every single one: $27.50 vs $28.43 for a week, $36.50 vs $39.31 for 10 days, and a wide $73.90 vs $102.86 for a month. That’s the honest scoreboard, and we’d rather print it than pretend otherwise.
Pick AeroSims if you don’t actually need unlimited — and most Thailand travelers don’t. Holafly’s Thailand page sells unlimited plans only. Ours run from $3.90 for 3 GB to $16.90 for 20 GB, all valid 30 days, with a 50 GB option for long stays. Every AeroSims plan also carries a 30-day money-back guarantee on eSIMs you haven’t installed yet.
The number most people should look at: 10 GB for $9.90, valid 30 days — roughly a third of what a single week of unlimited costs at either provider.
| Thailand, side by side | AeroSims | Holafly |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited, 7 days | $28.43 | $27.50 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | $102.86 | $73.90 |
| Fixed data packages | 3–50 GB from $3.90 | Not offered for Thailand |
| Cheapest way onto a Thai network | $3.90 (3 GB, 30 days) | $11.90 (lowest price in its plan table) |
| High-speed allowance | Fair-use policy applies | No threshold published on product page |
| Network | TrueMove H · dtac · 4G/5G | Partner networks not published |
| Hotspot / sharing | Included; counts toward the same daily allowance | 1 GB per day of sharable data |
| Money-back | 30 days, if the eSIM isn’t installed yet | Refunds up to 6 months, conditions apply |
The unlimited scoreboard: Holafly wins all six
First the part most comparison articles bury. Holafly prints six example prices for Thailand, and on every one of them its unlimited plan is cheaper than ours. Same week, both product pages:
| Unlimited plan | AeroSims | Holafly | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | $12.70 | $11.90 | Holafly −$0.80 |
| 5 days | $20.74 | $20.50 | Holafly −$0.24 |
| 7 days | $28.43 | $27.50 | Holafly −$0.93 |
| 10 days | $39.31 | $36.50 | Holafly −$2.81 |
| 15 days | $55.73 | $50.50 | Holafly −$5.23 |
| 30 days | $102.86 | $73.90 | Holafly −$28.96 |
The gaps at 3, 5 and 7 days are small change. From 10 days up they stop being small: $2.81, then $5.23, then $28.96 at a full month. If you want unlimited data in Thailand and one of those six lengths fits your dates, Holafly is the cheaper buy and this article isn’t going to talk you out of it.
Its Thailand plans also come with things worth naming: hotspot sharing of 1 GB per day, scaling with the length of the plan, and 1 GB of monthly backup data included on every plan under the name “Always On”. What its Thailand product page doesn’t state is which local networks carry the connection, or where the fair-use ceiling on “unlimited” actually sits.
Where we win: the packages Holafly doesn’t sell
For Thailand, Holafly sells unlimited only. That’s a real gap, because unlimited is the wrong product for most Thailand trips. If your usage is normal — Grab, maps to the pier, WhatsApp, uploading the temple photos — a fixed package is the rational buy, and it isn’t close:
| AeroSims data package | Price | Covers roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 3 GB / 30 days | $3.90 | A Bangkok long weekend |
| 5 GB / 30 days | $5.90 | A light-use week |
| 10 GB / 30 days | $9.90 | One to two normal weeks |
| 20 GB / 30 days | $16.90 | Two heavy weeks |
| 50 GB / 30 days | $48.90 | A heavy month, remote work included |
| 50 GB / 180 days | $64.90 | A whole long-stay season |
Run the arithmetic against the scoreboard above. 10 GB for $9.90 is about a third of the $27.50 a week of unlimited costs — and less than the lowest price printed in Holafly’s Thailand plan table ($11.90 for 3 days). Even 20 GB at $16.90, enough for a month of normal use, costs less than five days of unlimited from either shop ($20.74 here, $20.50 at Holafly). And long-stayers should price the 50 GB / 180-day package at $64.90 against a 30-day unlimited plan at $73.90: less money, and six months of validity instead of one. Every size lives on one page: AeroSims Thailand data packages — see where Thailand sits in the eSIM Price Index 2026.
So how much data does a Thailand trip actually need?
This is the question that decides the whole comparison, and it’s worth two minutes before you spend $73.90 on a month of unlimited. Maps and navigation are light. Messaging is nearly free. Grab, ferry timetables, translation, banking apps and a daily round of social posting all fit comfortably inside 10 GB over a one-to-two-week trip for most people. What eats data is video: streaming a series in the hotel, long video calls home, uploading raw clips.
If that’s you, unlimited is the honest answer and Holafly’s scoreboard prices are the ones to beat. If it isn’t, buying unlimited in Thailand is paying a premium for headroom you’ll never touch — and that’s the case for a large majority of the travelers we sell to.
“Unlimited” fine print: what fair use really means
Every unlimited travel eSIM has a fair-use policy, set by the local network. The same applies to the AeroSims plan. After a daily high-speed allowance the connection continues at a reduced speed until the next day — maps, Grab and messaging keep working; streaming gets slow.
Holafly does not publish a fair-use threshold on its Thailand product page. Neither plan is infinite; the honest question is whether your usage would ever notice. If the answer is no, see the section above — you’re shopping in the wrong aisle entirely.
Why not just roam, or queue for a SIM at the airport?
Thailand sits far outside every roam-like-at-home zone, so most European, US, Canadian and Australian plans bill it at day-pass or per-megabyte rates that add up fast over a two-week trip. The classic alternative — a physical tourist SIM from an airport booth — still works, but it means queueing with your passport after a long-haul landing, swapping your home SIM out of the phone, and doing it all again if you lose the tiny plastic. An eSIM arrives by email before you fly, installs in minutes, and leaves your home SIM in place for calls and banking codes. Both providers in this comparison get that part right; the difference is what you pay and what shape of plan you can buy.
Coverage: cities, mountains and the islands
The AeroSims Thailand eSIM runs on TrueMove H and dtac with 4G/5G in the cities and 4G across the tourist map. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui are all solid, and the beach towns and ferry ports in between are well served. As on any Thai network, expect signal to thin out mid-crossing on longer ferry routes and in the quieter national-park corners up north; it comes back at the next town.
Thailand eSIM questions travelers ask
Is AeroSims cheaper than Holafly for Thailand?
For unlimited data, no. On all six of the plan lengths Holafly publishes for Thailand it is the cheaper of the two — $27.50 vs $28.43 for a week, $73.90 vs $102.86 for 30 days. AeroSims is cheaper wherever the comparison isn’t unlimited: fixed data packages, which its Thailand page doesn’t list, start at $3.90 for 3 GB and $9.90 for 10 GB.
Do I actually need unlimited data in Thailand?
Usually not. Maps, Grab, messaging and social fit comfortably in a 10 GB package ($9.90, valid 30 days) for most one-to-two-week trips. Unlimited earns its price if you stream video daily or work off your phone — and if you do, price Holafly’s plans first.
What does the fair-use policy mean in practice?
A fair-use policy applies, set by the local network: after a daily high-speed allowance the connection continues at a reduced speed until the next day. Most travelers never come close to it on a normal day of maps, messaging and social.
What happens if the eSIM doesn’t work on my phone?
AeroSims plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee on eSIMs you haven’t installed yet. Holafly states on its Thailand page that refunds can be requested for up to six months, with conditions that depend on the case — check its refund policy before you buy either.
Does my WhatsApp number keep working?
Yes. The eSIM is data-only; your home SIM stays installed for calls and SMS codes, and WhatsApp keeps your existing number.
When does the plan start counting days?
When the eSIM first connects to a Thai network — not at purchase. Install it at home days before you fly and lose nothing.
Where can I read more about Thailand connectivity?
See the full AeroSims Thailand eSIM guide for networks, activation steps and itinerary tips.
Bottom line
Thailand is the comparison where the competitor’s sticker prices win, and we say so: on all six unlimited lengths Holafly publishes for Thailand, it is the cheaper of the two — decisively so at 30 days. If unlimited is what you want, buy it there.
What that scoreboard hides is that unlimited is the wrong product for most Thailand trips, and it’s the only product Holafly sells there. $9.90 for 10 GB is the quiet best buy in this whole comparison — about a third of a week of unlimited, valid 30 days, and enough for the maps, Grab rides, ferry bookings and photo uploads a normal two-week trip actually runs on. Both providers deliver the QR by email; ours comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee on eSIMs you haven’t installed yet.
3 GB to 50 GB · Activates when you land in ThailandGet a Thailand data package — from $3.90 →Set on unlimited but want it from us? The AeroSims Thailand unlimited eSIM lets you pick the exact number of days you need, from 1 to 90.
Prices checked August 2026 on the product pages at aerosims.com and esim.holafly.com (Holafly Thailand unlimited: $11.90/3 days, $20.50/5, $27.50/7, $36.50/10, $50.50/15, $73.90/30, USD view); all change with promotions and currency. Holafly’s hotspot, backup-data and refund wording is taken from its public Thailand product page at the time of writing.
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