The short answer
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for 3 days, $11 against $11.50, and for buckets, $20.50 against $23 for 10 GB and $25 against $36 for 20 GB. The two are level at $25 for a week. Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited, so for two weeks or a month only Airalo is in this head-to-head, at $46 and $68. 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 $32.99.
Unlimited data at full speed for 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 or 30 days at $32.99, nothing renews, no app. No 7-day plan, no buckets.
$11.50 for 3 days, $25 for a week, $46 for 15 days and $68 for 30 days of unlimited on Pilatus Mobile. 10 GB for 30 days at $23, 20 GB at $36. Needs its app.
3 days of unlimited at $11 and a week at $25, 2 GB a day at full speed, on Salt and Sunrise. 10 GB for 30 days at $20.50, 20 GB at $25. No 15-day or 30-day unlimited; its longest is 10 days at $33.
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.
Travelling further? Compare the eSIM for Europe and the best eSIM for Europe, all brands priced.
The prices, charted
US dollars, 22 October 2026. The rivals sell 15 days, Ringo Light 2 weeks. Nomad sells no 15-day unlimited, so it has no bar here (its longest is 10 days at $33). 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.
Ringo Light sells no bucket either: its 2 weeks is unlimited and lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days. For a fixed 10 GB that lasts a month, the bucket sellers are the ones to buy.
Side by side
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- 3 days $8.99
- 2 weeks $16.99
- 30 days $32.99
We sell data eSIMs for now to fund the full Ringo service. Ringo is self funded. Every plan bought here pays for the build of one plan that works everywhere.
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Airalo vs Nomad in one paragraph
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo on 3 days of unlimited, $11 against $11.50, and on both buckets, 10 GB at $20.50 against $23 and 20 GB at $25 against $36. The two ask the same $25 for a week. After that the comparison stops, because Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited; Airalo asks $46 for 15 days and $68 for a month. Airalo gives 3 GB a day at full speed and Nomad 2 GB, both then slowing to 1 Mbps; Airalo rides Sunrise, Nomad Salt and Sunrise; Airalo needs its app, Nomad's is optional. Pick Nomad for 3 days or a bucket. Pick Airalo if you want unlimited for 15 days or a month from one of the two. For unlimited at any of those lengths, Ringo Light sells 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $32.99, unlimited data at full speed.
Price: the same trip at each
Priced on 22 October 2026, in US dollars. For 3 days, Nomad asks $11 and Airalo $11.50, $0.50 less. For 7 days, both ask $25. For 15 days, Nomad sells no 15 days plan; Airalo asks $46. For 30 days, Nomad sells no 30 days plan; Airalo asks $68. In short, Nomad is cheaper at 3 days; the two are level at 7 days.
Ringo Light sells three trips for Switzerland: 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $32.99. The 3 days costs less than Airalo's $11.50 and Nomad's $11. The 2 weeks costs less than either brand's 7 days, Airalo's $25 and Nomad's $25, with a week of days left over. The 30 days at $32.99 costs $35.01 less than Airalo's $68. It sells no 7-day plan and no buckets.
For a fixed amount of data, Airalo sells 10 GB for 30 days at $23 and 20 GB at $36 and Nomad sells 10 GB for 30 days at $20.50 and 20 GB at $25. Ringo Light sells no buckets either, and its 2 weeks of unlimited at $16.99 lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days. If you need 10 GB to last a whole month, buy a bucket, and we would rather you read that here than at checkout. The full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-switzerland shows Ubigi at $12 for 10 GB, cheaper than either.
What unlimited means at each
Airalo's unlimited for Switzerland, its Pilatus Mobile plan, gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then slows to 1 Mbps. Nomad gives 2 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. It sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited; its longest is 10 days at $33. 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 Switzerland, and EU roaming
Switzerland has three networks: Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt. Swisscom is the largest. All three cover the cities, the main rail lines and the big mountain resorts well. Airalo rides Sunrise and Nomad rides Salt and Sunrise; Ringo Light rides a local partner network. On high hiking trails, away from the lifts and villages, any network can drop out, so download offline maps before you set off.
Switzerland is not in the European Union. The EU rule that lets you roam at home prices does not apply here, so an EU phone plan may charge for data in Switzerland unless your carrier includes it. Check before you cross the border: it is the most common surprise on a Swiss trip.
Installation, app and support
Airalo needs its app: you buy, install and top up inside it, and its support chat lives there. Nomad's app is optional. Ringo Light needs no app either; the eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan, and support is by email. Whichever you pick, install it at home before you fly and switch it on for data when you land.
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 Switzerland it sells three trips, all unlimited data at full speed: 3 days at $8.99, 2 weeks at $16.99 and 30 days at $32.99. 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 for a month, buy a bucket. For 3 days, two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light is the cheapest of the three.
The full comparison for Switzerland, with all the brands priced the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-switzerland. The card to buy Ringo Light is further up this page, just after the side-by-side table.
Which to pick
- Airalo, if you want buckets and an app. 10 GB for 30 days at $23, 20 GB at $36, on Sunrise, bought and topped up in its app.
- Nomad, if you want 3 days or a bucket on the cheap. 3 days of unlimited at $11, 10 GB at $20.50, 20 GB at $25 for 30 days. Sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited.
- ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is 3 days, two weeks or a month. Unlimited data at full speed at $8.99, $16.99 or $32.99, cheaper than both brands at 3 days and, for the month, at 30 days where they sell it.
Pick by trip
Ringo Light unlimited, 3 days, $8.99, against $11.50 at Airalo and $11 at Nomad. Its 2 weeks is $16.99 if the trip might run longer.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $16.99, less than either brand charges for 7 days, Airalo's $25 and Nomad's $25.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $32.99, against $68 at Airalo.
A bucket: Airalo 10 GB for 30 days at $23 and Nomad 10 GB for 30 days at $20.50. Ringo Light sells no buckets.
None of these travel plans 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
We priced Airalo, Nomad and Ringo Light for Switzerland 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 sell Switzerland too and are priced on the same day in the full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-switzerland. This page answers one question, Airalo or Nomad, so it keeps to those two and the cheaper third option. Left out: Lengths the full comparison does not price for both. Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited, so those lengths are left out of the head-to-head rather than compared against a plan it does not sell. Nomad's 10 days at $33 has no Airalo 10-day price in the full comparison, so that length is left out rather than guessed.
- Airalo: www.airalo.com/switzerland-esim?currency=USD, unlimited and buckets in dollars, and the network, on the site, 22 October 2026
- Nomad: www.nomadesim.com/switzerland-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.
