Airalo or Nomad — which travel eSIM is better value in the Philippines?
Nomad is better value at almost every size — 10GB for 30 days is $17 against Airalo's $19, and 50GB is $45 against $48. Airalo is the safer choice for coverage, because it runs on Smart while Nomad runs on Globe, and Smart reaches further into the provinces and islands.
Checked 26 Jul 2026·8 plans compared·4 verified from provider·4 third-party·How we check this
Side by side
| Criterion | Airalo | Nomad |
|---|---|---|
| Network in PH | Smart — widest coverage ✓ | Globe — strong in cities |
| 10GB / 30 days | $19 | $17 ✓ |
| 50GB / 30 days | $48 | $45 ✓ |
| Longest validity | 30 days on most packages | 45 days on the 20GB package ✓ |
| Throttled speed | ~1 Mbps ✓ | 512 kbps |
| Range of sizes | 1GB to 100GB across families ✓ | 1GB to 50GB |
Nomad is the quieter, cheaper option and wins on price at every comparable size. Its 50GB package works out around $0.90 per gigabyte, the best cost per gigabyte of any eSIM we track for the Philippines.
It also offers the longest validity available here: 20GB over 45 days. If your travel dates are not fixed, or you visit repeatedly, that is genuinely useful and nothing else matches it.
Airalo's case rests on the network. Running on Smart rather than Globe means better signal outside Metro Manila and the major cities, which for an island itinerary is worth more than a few dollars. Airalo also throttles less harshly — around 1 Mbps against Nomad's 512 kbps — if you end up on an unlimited plan.
A reasonable rule: city trip, buy Nomad; island or provincial trip, buy Airalo.
Airalo plans
| Provider | Plan | Price | Data / speed | Term | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Alpas Mobile 5GB / 7 days | $11 (≈₱679) | 5GB | 7 days · Smart network | ReportedeSIMDB (Airalo listing)26 Jul 2026 |
| Airalo | Alpas Mobile 10GB / 30 days | $19 (≈₱1,173) | 10GB | 30 days · Smart network | ReportedeSIMDB (Airalo listing)26 Jul 2026 |
| Airalo | Alpas Mobile 20GB / 30 days | $30 (≈₱1,852) | 20GB | 30 days · Smart network | ReportedeSIMDB (Airalo listing)26 Jul 2026 |
| Airalo | Alpas Mobile 50GB / 30 days | $48 (≈₱2,964) | 50GB | 30 days · Smart network | ReportedeSIMDB (Airalo listing)26 Jul 2026 |
Nomad plans
| Provider | Plan | Price | Data / speed | Term | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nomad | 5GB / 30 days | $11 (≈₱679) | 5GB | 30 days · Globe network | VerifiedNomad26 Jul 2026 |
| Nomad | 10GB / 30 days | $17 (≈₱1,050) | 10GB | 30 days · Globe network | VerifiedNomad26 Jul 2026 |
| Nomad | 20GB / 45 days | $27 (≈₱1,667) | 20GB | 45 days · Globe network | VerifiedNomad26 Jul 2026 |
| Nomad | 50GB / 30 days | $45 (≈₱2,778) | 50GB | 30 days · Globe network | VerifiedNomad26 Jul 2026 |
Comparison last reviewed 26 Jul 2026. How we check our data.
Sources
- eSIMDB (Airalo listing)checked 26 Jul 2026
- Nomadchecked 26 Jul 2026
Prices and promos in the Philippines change often, and several operators do not publish machine-readable plan pages. Confirm anything you are about to pay for on the provider’s own site or in their app. How we gather and check this data.