The short answer
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for the short plans, $11 against $11.50 for 3 days and $25 against $26.50 for a week, but sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited. Airalo is the one of the two that sells those, at $48 and $71, and its 10 GB for 30 days is $12 against $16 at Nomad. Airalo slows you after 3 GB a day, Nomad after 2 GB. Ringo Light, the third option, is unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $16.99 or 30 days at $26.99, and sells no 3-day or 7-day plan.
Unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $16.99 or 30 days at $26.99, nothing renews, no app. Airalo asks $48 and $71; Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited. No 3-day or 7-day plan, no buckets.
$11 for 3 days and $25 for a week of unlimited, 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower. 10 GB for 30 days at $16, 20 GB at $20. On Vivacom and Yettel. App optional.
$48 for 15 days and $71 for 30 days of unlimited, 3 GB a day at full speed, then slowed. 10 GB for 30 days at $12, 20 GB at $20. On Vivacom and Yettel. Needs its app.
Prices read on 28 September 2026: Airalo, Nomad on their own sites or listings, Ringo Light from its catalogue. All in US dollars unless stated. Treat every number as a snapshot.
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The prices, charted
US dollars, 28 September 2026. Ringo Light sells 2 weeks, Airalo 15 days. Nomad sells no 15-day unlimited, so it has no bar here; its 10-day plan is $33. Airalo is 3 GB a day at full speed, then slowed; Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed.
The 30-day plan at each brand. Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited, so it has no bar here. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed. Airalo slows you after 3 GB a day.
Ringo Light sells no bucket: its 2 weeks is unlimited, and lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days. For a fixed 10 GB, Airalo is the cheapest of the three.
Side by side
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Airalo vs Nomad in one paragraph
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo on the short plans: $11 against $11.50 for 3 days, and $25 against $26.50 for a week. Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited, so for a longer trip Airalo is the one of the two to look at, at $48 for 15 days and $71 for 30 days. Airalo is also cheaper for a bucket: 10 GB for 30 days at $12 against $16 at Nomad, and the two ask the same $20 for 20 GB. Both ride Vivacom and Yettel. Airalo gives 3 GB a day at full speed on its unlimited, Nomad 2 GB. Pick Nomad for a trip of 3 or 7 days. Pick Airalo for a 10 GB bucket or a long unlimited plan. If the trip is two weeks or a month and you want unlimited, Ringo Light sells 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $26.99, unlimited data at full speed.
Price: the same trip at each
Priced on 28 September 2026, in US dollars. For 3 days of unlimited, $11.50 at Airalo and $11 at Nomad. For a week, $26.50 and $25. Nomad sells no 15-day plan; its nearest is 10 days at $33, while Airalo sells 15 days at $48. For 30 days Airalo asks $71 and Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited. So Nomad wins the two short lengths, by 50 cents and by $1.50, and only Airalo sells the long ones.
Ringo Light sells two trips for Bulgaria: 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $26.99. The 2 weeks costs about a third of Airalo's 15 days at $48, and less than Nomad's 7 days at $25 or its 10 days at $33. The 30 days costs well under half of Airalo's $71. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan: for a long weekend, Nomad at $11 is the cheapest of the three.
For a fixed amount of data, both sell buckets: 10 GB for 30 days at $12 at Airalo and $16 at Nomad, 20 GB at $20 at both. Ringo Light sells no buckets. If 10 GB is all you need, both are cheaper than Ringo Light's $16.99, with Nomad $0.99 below it and Airalo $4.99 below it. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
What unlimited means at each
Airalo gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then slows you. Nomad gives 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower. That is enough for maps, messages and some video, but a long evening of streaming in HD will hit either cap, and Nomad's sooner. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed for the whole 2 weeks or 30 days. Fair use policy, see Terms.
Networks and coverage in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has three networks: A1, Vivacom and Yettel, which was called Telenor until 2022. Several brands still list it under the old name. All three cover Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and the coast resorts, with 5G in the cities. In the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope mountains the signal thins out on every network, so download offline maps before a hike. Airalo and Nomad both list Vivacom and Yettel, so the two are level on coverage. Ringo Light rides a local partner network.
Bulgaria is in the EU. If your home plan is from an EU country, roaming there is usually included at home prices, and you may not need a travel eSIM at all.
Installation and app
Airalo needs its app: you buy and install inside it. Nomad's app is optional. Ringo Light needs no app; the eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan. Whichever you pick, install it at home before you fly and switch it on for data when you land in Sofia.
The cheaper third option: Ringo Light
Ringo Light is our own data eSIM. For Bulgaria it sells two trips, both unlimited data at full speed with no speed cap: 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $26.99. One payment, nothing renews, no app. The eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan.
What it does not do: no buckets, no 3-day or 7-day plan, no phone number, data only. Calls go over apps that use data. If you want 3 days or a week, Nomad at $11 and $25 is the better buy. If you want 10 GB for a month, Airalo at $12 is. For two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light is the cheapest of the three, and our 2 weeks at $16.99 costs less than Nomad's 7 days.
The full six-brand comparison for Bulgaria, with Holafly, Saily and Ubigi priced the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-bulgaria. The card to buy Ringo Light is further up this page, just after the side-by-side table.
Which to pick
- Nomad, if you want 3 days or a week. $11 for 3 days and $25 for a week of unlimited, against $11.50 and $26.50 at Airalo. Ringo Light sells neither.
- Airalo, if you want a 10 GB bucket. $12 for 10 GB against $16 at Nomad. 20 GB costs $20 at both.
- Airalo, if you want unlimited for 15 or 30 days from these two. $48 for 15 days and $71 for 30 days. Nomad sells no unlimited at those lengths.
- ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is two weeks or a month. Unlimited data at full speed at $16.99 for 2 weeks or $26.99 for 30 days, cheaper than Airalo at both lengths, and cheaper than Nomad's week.
Pick by trip
Nomad unlimited, 3 days, $11, against $11.50 at Airalo. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan; its 2 weeks is $16.99 if the trip might run longer.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $16.99, less than Nomad's 7 days at $25 or Airalo's at $26.50, with a week of days left over.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $16.99, against $48 at Airalo for 15 days. Nomad sells no 15-day unlimited.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $26.99, against $71 at Airalo. Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited.
Airalo 10 GB for 30 days at $12, against $16 at Nomad. Ringo Light sells no buckets.
Frequently asked questions
How we compared, and our sources
Airalo, Nomad, Ringo Light
We priced Airalo, Nomad and Ringo Light for Bulgaria on 28 September 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: Holafly, Saily and Ubigi. They sell Bulgaria too and are priced on the same day in the full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-bulgaria. This page answers one question, Airalo or Nomad, so it keeps to those two and the cheaper third option.
- Airalo: www.airalo.com/bulgaria-esim?currency=USD, unlimited in dollars on the site; buckets from esimdb.com/bulgaria/airalo, 23 September 2026
- Nomad: esimdb.com/bulgaria/nomad, listing dated 20 September 2026
- Ringo Light: our own catalogue, the prices the checkout charges on 28 September 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.
