The short answer
Holafly and Nomad sell different things in the Philippines, both on Globe. Holafly sells only unlimited by the day: 3 days at $11.90, a week at $27.50, 15 days at $50.50 and 30 days at $73.90, with no stated daily cap and no app. Nomad sells buckets, 10 GB at $17 and 20 GB for 45 days at $27, and unlimited for only 5 days at $18 or 10 days at $33. No length is sold by both, so we do not call either cheaper. 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. Holafly asks $50.50 for 15 days and $73.90 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.
Days, not gigabytes, on Globe, installed from a QR code. $11.90 for 3 days, $27.50 for a week, $50.50 for 15 days, $73.90 for 30 days. Sharing limited to 1 GB a day. No buckets.
Prices read on 28 September 2026: Holafly, 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, Holafly 15 days. Nomad has no bar: its unlimited stops at 10 days for $33 and it sells no 15-day plan. Holafly states no daily cap; 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. Holafly states no daily cap for your own phone.
Holafly sells no buckets, 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, Nomad is the one of the two that sells it.
Side by side
Swipe to compare →
Get Ringo Light for the Philippines, from $22.99.
Installed once, next to your own SIM. Your eSIM arrives by email in seconds.
- 2 weeks $22.99
- 30 days $36.99
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.
Want to keep your own number abroad?
That is the full Ringo service: one plan that works everywhere, with your own number included.
It is a separate product from Ringo Light and it is still being built, so it is not on sale yet. Join the waitlist to hear when it opens.
Holafly vs Nomad in one paragraph
Holafly and Nomad are not sold the same way in the Philippines, so there is no length at which we can call one cheaper. Holafly sells only unlimited by the day: 3 days at $11.90, 7 days at $27.50, 15 days at $50.50 and 30 days at $73.90, with no stated daily cap, hotspot sharing limited to 1 GB a day, and a QR code, no app. Nomad sells buckets, 10 GB for 30 days at $17 and 20 GB for 45 days at $27, and unlimited for only 5 days at $18 or 10 days at $33, with 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower. Both ride Globe. Pick Holafly for unlimited from 3 to 30 days with no cap. Pick Nomad if you want a bucket. 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. Holafly sells 3 days at $11.90, 7 days at $27.50, 15 days at $50.50 and 30 days at $73.90, all unlimited, and no buckets. Nomad sells 5 days of unlimited at $18, 10 days at $33, 10 GB for 30 days at $17 and 20 GB for 45 days at $27, and no 15-day or 30-day unlimited. The two share no plan length, so we do not call either one cheaper.
Ringo Light sells two trips for the Philippines: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $36.99. The 2 weeks costs $27.51 less than Holafly's 15 days at $50.50 and $10.01 less than Nomad's 10 days at $33. It also costs $4.51 less than Holafly's 7 days at $27.50. The 30 days costs $36.91 less than Holafly's $73.90; Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited. Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan: for a few days in Manila, Holafly at $11.90 is the cheaper buy. For a fixed 10 GB, Nomad at $17 is $5.99 cheaper than our 2 weeks at $22.99, and lasts 30 days. We would rather you read that here than at checkout.
What unlimited means at each
Holafly states no daily cap for data on your own phone and limits hotspot sharing to 1 GB a day. Nomad gives 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower, so Holafly is the one to pick if you stream all evening or share to a laptop. 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. Holafly and Nomad both ride Globe. On an island-hopping trip, save your bookings and maps offline before each boat.
Installation, app and support
Holafly needs no app; it sends a QR code you scan in your phone's settings. 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, Holafly at $11.90 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 Airalo, 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
- Holafly, if you want unlimited for 3 or 7 days. $11.90 for 3 days or $27.50 for 7 days. Nomad's shortest unlimited is 5 days at $18, and Ringo Light sells neither.
- Holafly, if you refuse a daily cap and want no app. No stated daily cap, QR code install, Globe, up to 30 days at $73.90.
- Nomad, if you want a bucket. 10 GB for 30 days at $17, 20 GB for 45 days at $27. Holafly and Ringo Light sell no buckets.
- ✓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 Holafly at 15 and 30 days and than Nomad's 10 days.
Pick by trip
Holafly unlimited, 3 days, $11.90. Ringo Light sells no 3 days, and Nomad's shortest unlimited is 5 days at $18.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $22.99, against $50.50 at Holafly for 15 days and $33 at Nomad for 10 days.
Nomad 10 GB for 30 days at $17. Holafly sells no buckets.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $36.99, against $73.90 at Holafly. Nomad 20 GB for 45 days at $27 if you know you will use little.
Neither Holafly 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
Holafly, Nomad, Ringo Light, Ringo Light
We priced Holafly, 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: Airalo, 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.
- Holafly: esim.holafly.com/esim-philippines/, dollar prices on its own site, 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.
