The short answer
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for unlimited at the two short lengths both sell: $11 against $11.50 for 3 days and $25 against $27 for a week. Beyond that they differ: Airalo sells 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $69, while Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited, only 10 days at $33. For buckets Airalo is cheaper: 10 GB at $11 against $16, 20 GB at $19 against $20. Ringo Light, the third option, is unlimited data at full speed for 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 or 30 days at $26.99.
Unlimited data at full speed for 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 or 30 days at $26.99, nothing renews, no app. Nomad asks $11 for 3 days, Airalo $48 for 15 days and $69 for the month. No buckets and no 7-day plan.
$11.50 for 3 days, $27 for a week, $48 for 15 days and $69 for 30 days of unlimited. 10 GB for 30 days at $11, 20 GB at $19, on a plan that rides NOS. Needs its app.
$11 for 3 days and $25 for a week of unlimited, 2 GB a day at full speed, on Vodafone and MEO. 10 GB for 30 days at $16, 20 GB at $20. No 15-day plan, 10 days is $33, and no 30-day unlimited. Needs its app.
Prices read on 22 October 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.
See the full price index for every country.
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The prices, charted
US dollars, 22 October 2026. Ringo Light sells 2 weeks, Airalo and Nomad 15 days. Nomad sells no 15-day unlimited, so it has no bar here. Airalo slows to 1 Mbps after a daily allowance; Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed.
The 30-day plan at each brand. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed. Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited, so it has no bar here. Airalo slows to 1 Mbps after a daily allowance.
Ringo Light sells no bucket either: its 2 weeks is unlimited and lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days. For a fixed 10 GB, Airalo at $11 is cheaper than Nomad at $16.
Side by side
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Airalo vs Nomad in one paragraph
For a long weekend or a week, Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for unlimited in Portugal: $11 against $11.50 for 3 days, $25 against $27 for 7 days. For anything longer Airalo is the only one of the two that sells it: 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $69, where Nomad has no 15-day or 30-day unlimited and its nearest is 10 days at $33. For buckets Airalo is cheaper too, 10 GB at $11 against $16 and 20 GB at $19 against $20. Both slow you after a daily figure: Airalo after a daily allowance to 1 Mbps, Nomad after 2 GB a day to slower speeds. Both need their app. Pick Nomad for 3 days or a week. Pick Airalo for a longer trip or a bucket. For unlimited at 3 days, two weeks or a month, Ringo Light is cheaper than both: $8.99, $16.99 and $26.99, unlimited data at full speed.
Price: the same trip at each
Priced on 22 October 2026, in US dollars, for unlimited data. For 3 days, Airalo asks $11.50 and Nomad $11, so Nomad is $0.50 lower. For 7 days, Airalo asks $27 and Nomad $25, so Nomad is $2 lower. For 15 days, Airalo asks $48; Nomad sells no 15-day plan, only 10 days at $33. For 30 days, Airalo asks $69; Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited.
Ringo Light sells three trips for Portugal: 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $26.99. Against the cheaper of these two at each length: Ringo Light's 3 days at $8.99 is $2.01 less than Nomad's $11; its 2 weeks at $16.99 costs less than Nomad's 7 days at $25, the cheaper week of the two, with a week of days left over; its 2 weeks at $16.99 is $31.01 less than Airalo's 15 days at $48; its 30 days at $26.99 is $42.01 less than Airalo's $69. Ringo Light sells no 7-day plan.
Airalo sells 10 GB for 30 days at $11 and 20 GB at $19. Nomad sells 10 GB for 30 days at $16 and 20 GB at $20. Between the two, Airalo is $5 lower for 10 GB and Airalo is $1 lower for 20 GB. Ringo Light sells no buckets either: its unlimited plans last 3 days, 2 weeks or 30 days, so if you need a small amount of data to last a month, a bucket is the better buy. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
What unlimited means at each
Airalo gives a daily allowance at full speed, then slows to 1 Mbps. Nomad gives 2 GB a day, then slower speeds. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed for the whole 3 days, 2 weeks or 30 days, with no daily figure. Fair use policy, see Terms.
Networks and coverage in Portugal
Portugal has three main networks, MEO, NOS and Vodafone, and all three cover Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve well. Airalo's Fofo Mobil plan rides NOS. Nomad lists Vodafone and MEO. Ringo Light rides a local partner network and names none. The islands, Madeira included, are covered by MEO, NOS and Vodafone too. Signal can drop in the deepest bends of the Douro valley, so download an offline map before you board the train, whichever eSIM you buy.
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, and support is by email. Whichever you pick, install it at home on Wi-Fi before you fly and switch it on for data when you land in Lisbon or Porto.
The cheaper third option: Ringo Light
Ringo Light is our own data eSIM. For Portugal it sells three trips, all unlimited data at full speed: 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $26.99. One payment, nothing renews, no app.
What it does not do: no buckets, no 7-day plan, no phone number, data only. Calls go over apps that use data. If you want 10 GB or 20 GB, Airalo at $11 and $19 is the better buy, with Nomad at $16 and $20. If you want to know your network before you buy, Nomad lists Vodafone and MEO and Airalo's plan rides NOS; Ringo Light names none.
The full comparison for Portugal, priced the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-portugal. The card to buy Ringo Light is further up this page, just after the side-by-side table.
Which to pick
- Nomad, if the trip is 3 days or a week. $11 for 3 days and $25 for 7 days of unlimited, against $11.50 and $27 at Airalo.
- Airalo, if the trip is longer than a week. 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $69. Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited.
- Airalo, if you want a bucket. 10 GB for 30 days at $11 and 20 GB at $19, against $16 and $20 at Nomad.
- ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is 3 days, two weeks or a month. Unlimited data at full speed at $8.99, $16.99 or $26.99, cheaper than both at each length it sells.
Pick by trip
Ringo Light unlimited, 3 days, $8.99, against $11 at Nomad and $11.50 at Airalo.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $16.99, less than Nomad's 7 days at $25 or Airalo's at $27.
Airalo 10 GB for 30 days at $11, against $16 at Nomad.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $26.99, against $69 at Airalo. Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited.
Frequently asked questions
How we compared, and our sources
Airalo, Nomad, Ringo Light
We priced Airalo, Nomad and Ringo Light for Portugal on 22 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: Holafly, Saily and Ubigi. They are compared in the full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-portugal, priced on the same day. This page answers one question, Airalo or Nomad, so it keeps to those two and the cheaper third option.
- Airalo: www.airalo.com/portugal-esim?currency=USD, unlimited and buckets in dollars on the site, 22 October 2026
- Nomad: www.nomadesim.com/portugal-esim/, dollar prices and networks on its own page, 22 October 2026
- Ringo Light: our own catalogue, the prices the checkout charges on 22 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.
