The short answer
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for a bucket in the Philippines: $17 against $19 for 10 GB, and $27 for 20 GB valid 45 days against $30 for 30 days. Airalo sells unlimited at lengths Nomad does not: 3 days at $11.50, a week at $27, 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $71, while Nomad's unlimited stops at 10 days for $33. Ringo Light, the third option, is unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $22.99 or 30 days at $36.99.
Unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $22.99 or 30 days at $36.99, nothing renews, no app. Airalo asks $48 for 15 days and $71 for 30 days; Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited and asks $33 for 10 days. No buckets.
10 GB for 30 days at $17 and 20 GB for 45 days at $27, on Globe. Its unlimited is 5 days at $18 or 10 days at $33, 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower. Needs its app.
$11.50 for 3 days, $27 for a week, $48 for 15 days, $71 for 30 days, 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps, on Smart. 10 GB at $19, 20 GB at $30, 1 GB from $4. Needs its app.
Prices read on 28 September 2026: Airalo, Nomad, Ringo Light 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.
Travelling further? Compare the best eSIM for Asia and the eSIM for Asia-Pacific.
The prices, charted
US dollars, 28 September 2026. Ringo Light sells 2 weeks, Airalo 15 days. Nomad has no bar: its unlimited stops at 10 days for $33 and it sells no 15-day plan. Airalo is 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps; Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed.
The 30-day unlimited plan at each brand that sells one. Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited, so it has no bar. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed. Airalo slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day.
Nomad is the cheaper of the two for 10 GB. Ringo Light sells no bucket: its 2 weeks is unlimited and lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days.
Side by side
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Airalo vs Nomad in one paragraph
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for a data bucket in the Philippines: $17 against $19 for 10 GB for 30 days, and $27 for 20 GB against $30, though Nomad's 20 GB is valid 45 days and Airalo's 30. Airalo sells far more unlimited: 3 days at $11.50, 7 days at $27, 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $71, where Nomad sells 5 days at $18 or 10 days at $33 and stops there. Airalo's unlimited gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps; Nomad's gives 2 GB a day, then slower. Airalo rides Smart and Nomad rides Globe. Pick Nomad for a bucket and Airalo for unlimited past 10 days. If the trip is two weeks or a month and you want unlimited, neither is the cheapest: Ringo Light sells 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $36.99, unlimited data at full speed.
Price: the same trip at each
Priced on 28 September 2026, in US dollars. For 10 GB for 30 days, Nomad asks $17 and Airalo $19, so Nomad is $2 cheaper. For 20 GB, Nomad asks $27 for 45 days and Airalo $30 for 30 days, $3 less and 15 days longer. Airalo also sells buckets from $4 for 1 GB.
For unlimited the two do not overlap. Airalo sells 3 days at $11.50, 7 days at $27, 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $71. Nomad sells 5 days at $18 and 10 days at $33, with no 15-day or 30-day plan, so there is no length where both sell the same plan. We do not call either one cheaper for unlimited, because the figures do not line up.
Ringo Light sells two trips for the Philippines: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $36.99. The 2 weeks costs $10.01 less than Nomad's 10 days at $33, $25.01 less than Airalo's 15 days at $48, and $4.01 less than Airalo's 7 days at $27. The 30 days costs $34.01 less than Airalo's $71; Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan: for a few days in Manila, Airalo at $11.50 is the cheaper buy. For a fixed 10 GB, Nomad at $17 is $5.99 cheaper than our 2 weeks at $22.99, and it lasts 30 days. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
What unlimited means at each
Airalo's unlimited for the Philippines gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then slows to 1 Mbps. Nomad's gives 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower, so a long evening of streaming or a laptop on the hotspot reaches its daily cap sooner. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed for the whole 2 weeks or 30 days, with no daily figure. Fair use policy, see Terms.
Networks and coverage in the Philippines
The Philippines has three networks: Globe, Smart and DITO, the newest and smallest. Globe and Smart both cover Manila, Cebu and the main tourist towns. Signal thins out on the boats between islands, in the lagoons of El Nido and Coron, and in the mountains around Banaue, whichever network you ride. Airalo rides Smart and Nomad rides Globe. On an island-hopping trip, save your bookings and maps offline before each boat.
Installation, app and support
Airalo needs its app. Nomad needs its app. Ringo Light needs no app; the eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan from the QR code. Whichever you pick, install it at home on Wi-Fi before you fly and switch it on for data when you land in Manila.
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 the Philippines it sells two trips, both unlimited data at full speed: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $36.99. One payment, nothing renews, no app.
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 10 GB for a month, Nomad at $17 is the better buy, and its 20 GB at $27 lasts 45 days. If you want 3 days, Airalo at $11.50 is cheaper than anything we sell. For two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light is the cheapest of the three.
The full comparison for the Philippines, with Holafly, Saily and Ubigi priced the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-philippines. 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 a bucket. 10 GB for 30 days at $17 and 20 GB for 45 days at $27, against $19 and $30 at Airalo.
- Airalo, if you want 3 days or a week of unlimited. 3 days at $11.50 or 7 days at $27. Nomad's shortest unlimited is 5 days at $18, and Ringo Light sells neither 3 nor 7 days.
- Airalo, if you want 15 or 30 days of unlimited and not Ringo Light. $48 for 15 days and $71 for 30 days. Nomad sells no unlimited past 10 days.
- ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is two weeks or a month. Unlimited data at full speed at $22.99 for 2 weeks or $36.99 for 30 days, cheaper than Airalo's 15 and 30 days and than Nomad's 10 days.
Pick by trip
Airalo unlimited, 3 days, $11.50. Ringo Light sells no 3 days, and Nomad's shortest unlimited is 5 days at $18.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $22.99, against $48 at Airalo for 15 days and $33 at Nomad for 10 days.
Nomad 10 GB for 30 days at $17, against $19 at Airalo.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $36.99, against $71 at Airalo. Nomad 20 GB for 45 days at $27 if you know you will use little.
Neither Airalo nor Nomad does that. The full Ringo, which Ringo Light funds, ports the number you have.
Frequently asked questions
How we compared, and our sources
Airalo, Nomad, Ringo Light, Ringo Light
We priced Airalo, Nomad and Ringo Light for Philippines 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 the Philippines too and are priced on the same day in the full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-philippines. This page answers one question, so it keeps to the two brands in its title and the cheaper third option.
- Airalo: www.airalo.com/philippines-esim?currency=USD, unlimited in dollars on the site; buckets and daily cap from esimdb.com/philippines/airalo, 28 September 2026
- Nomad: esimdb.com/philippines/nomad, listing dated 20 September 2026; network from nomadesim.com/philippines-esim, which served euro prices
- Ringo Light: ringoesim.com/philippines, the catalogue the checkout charges, read the same day
- 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.
