The short answer
Airalo and Holafly are the two names most people weigh for Sri Lanka. We priced both on the same day, for 3 days in Colombo, 15 days around the island and a month on the coast, read what each means by unlimited, and checked which Sri Lankan networks they use. Then we put our own Ringo Light next to them, where it is cheaper and where it is not.
Unlimited data at full speed, 2 weeks at $22.99 or 30 days at $42.99, nothing renews. Airalo asks $49 for 15 days and $72 for the month, Holafly $50.50 and $73.90. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan and no buckets.
3 days of unlimited at $12.50, 7 days at $27, 10 GB for 30 days at $11.50 and 20 GB at $18. Its Ella+ plans on Hutch add a Sri Lankan +94 number with minutes and texts, from $5.50.
Mobitel, Dialog and Hutch, the only brand here that lists Dialog. Days, not gigabytes: $13.50 for 3 days, $27.90 for a week, $50.50 for 15 days. Sharing limited to 1 GB a day.
Prices read on 25 October 2026: Airalo, Holafly on their own sites or listings, Ringo Light from its catalogue. All in US dollars unless stated. Treat every number as a snapshot.
See the full price index for every country.
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The prices, charted
US dollars, 25 October 2026. Airalo and Holafly sell 15 days, Ringo Light 2 weeks. Airalo slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day; Holafly states no daily cap for your own phone.
The 30-day plan at each brand. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed. Airalo gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. Holafly states no daily cap; sharing is limited to 1 GB a day.
Holafly sells no buckets, so it has no bar. Ringo Light sells no bucket either: its 2 weeks is unlimited and lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days. For 10 GB over a month, Airalo wins.
Side by side
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Head to head
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Airalo vs Holafly in one paragraph
On price they are close. Airalo is cheaper at every length, by a little: $12.50 against $13.50 for 3 days, $27 against $27.90 for a week, $49 against $50.50 for 15 days, $72 against $73.90 for a month. Airalo also sells buckets, 10 GB for $11.50 and 20 GB for $18, and a plan with a Sri Lankan number. Holafly sells unlimited days only, on three networks including Dialog, the largest, and states no daily cap for your own phone, where Airalo slows you to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. Pick Airalo for a short stay, a fixed amount of data or a local number. Pick Holafly if you stream a lot every day or want Dialog. For two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light costs less than half of either: $22.99 for 2 weeks and $42.99 for 30 days.
Price: the same trip at each
Three days in Colombo: Airalo charges $12.50 for 3 days of unlimited, Holafly $13.50. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan; its shortest trip is 2 weeks at $22.99.
A week: Airalo $27, Holafly $27.90. Ringo Light sells no 7-day plan either, but its 2 weeks at $22.99 costs less than either brand's week, so for a week you pay less and have days left over.
Two weeks around the island: Airalo $49 for 15 days, Holafly $50.50 for 15 days. Ringo Light $22.99 for 2 weeks.
A month: Airalo $72, Holafly $73.90. Ringo Light $42.99 for 30 days.
A fixed amount of data: Airalo sells 10 GB for 30 days at $11.50 and 20 GB at $18. Holafly sells no buckets. Ringo Light sells no buckets either. If 10 GB is all you need for the month, Airalo is the cheapest of the three and this page will not pretend otherwise.
What unlimited means at each
Airalo: 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps until the next day. Enough for maps, messages and a video call; not enough for an evening of streaming in a guesthouse.
Holafly: no daily cap stated for your own phone. Sharing to a laptop or a second phone is limited to 1 GB a day.
Ringo Light: unlimited data at full speed for the whole trip, 2 weeks or 30 days. Nothing renews.
Networks and coverage in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has three main networks: Dialog, the largest, Mobitel and Hutch. All three cover Colombo, Kandy, Galle and the main towns on 4G. Coverage thins out in the hill country valleys and inside the national parks, whatever the network.
Airalo rides Mobitel, and Hutch on its Ella+ plans. Holafly lists Mobitel, Dialog and Hutch, and is the one brand in this comparison that lists Dialog. Ringo Light uses a local partner network. For the towns and the coast the difference is small; in the deeper valleys of the tea country, three networks give Holafly more chances of a bar of signal.
Installation, app and support
Airalo and Holafly both install from a QR code or in their app; the app is optional at both. Neither plan renews. Airalo's Ella+ plans add a Sri Lankan +94 number with minutes and texts, from $5.50, which is useful for tuk-tuk drivers and guesthouses that call you back.
Ringo Light needs no app. The eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan. Nothing renews; the trip ends when it ends.
The cheaper third option: Ringo Light
Ringo Light is our own data eSIM, sold to fund the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. For Sri Lanka it sells two trips, both unlimited data at full speed: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $42.99. That is less than half of Airalo's $49 and $72, or Holafly's $50.50 and $73.90.
What it does not do: no 3-day or 7-day plan, no buckets, no phone number, data only. Nothing renews. If you need 3 days, buy Airalo at $12.50 or Holafly at $13.50. If you need 10 GB for a month, buy Airalo at $11.50. If you want a Sri Lankan number, buy Airalo Ella+.
The full comparison, with Saily, Nomad and Ubigi priced on the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-sri-lanka. The card to buy Ringo Light is further up this page, just after the side-by-side table.
Which to pick
Three days: Airalo at $12.50, or Holafly at $13.50 if you stream heavily. A week: Ringo Light 2 weeks at $22.99, cheaper than Airalo's $27 or Holafly's $27.90 week. Two weeks or a month: Ringo Light at $22.99 or $42.99. A fixed 10 or 20 GB: Airalo at $11.50 or $18. A local number: Airalo Ella+.
Pick by trip
Airalo unlimited, 3 days, $12.50, or Holafly at $13.50. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $22.99, less than Airalo's $27 or Holafly's $27.90 for 7 days.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $22.99. Airalo asks $49 and Holafly $50.50 for 15 days.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $42.99. Airalo $72, Holafly $73.90.
Airalo: 10 GB for 30 days at $11.50, 20 GB at $18, or an Ella+ plan with a Sri Lankan number from $5.50.
Frequently asked questions
How we compared, and our sources
Airalo, Holafly, Ringo Light
We priced Airalo, Holafly and Ringo Light for Sri Lanka on 25 October 2026, all on the same day, in US dollars. Each rival's price comes from its own website where it showed dollars, otherwise from an esimdb.com listing, and every source and its date is listed below. Ringo Light's prices come from the catalogue our checkout charges.
We compare the trips people actually book: a week, two weeks and a month of unlimited data, and a 10 GB bucket. We read each brand's fair use and speed rules and quote them as the brands state them. We did not run speed tests, so this page makes no speed claims for any brand.
Ringo Light is our own product. We put it in the table on the same terms as everyone else, and where a rival is the better buy the page says so.
Left out: Saily, Nomad and Ubigi. They sell Sri Lanka too and are priced on the same day in the full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-sri-lanka. This page answers the Airalo or Holafly question only. Left out: Maya Mobile. We could not read its own prices for this country on the day, so it stays out rather than being guessed.
- Airalo: www.airalo.com/sri-lanka-esim?currency=USD, in dollars on the site; unlimited and Ella+ read 25 October 2026; Sri Lanka buckets from esimdb.com/sri-lanka/airalo, listing dated 5 October 2026
- Holafly: esim.holafly.com/esim-sri-lanka/, read on its own site in dollars, 25 October 2026
- Ringo Light: our own catalogue, the prices the checkout charges on 25 October 2026.
Written and priced by the Ringo team. Prices change often; if you spot one that has moved, tell us through the contact page and we will update the table.
