Speedysim vs Nomad: a Nomad alternative compared

One question settles most of this comparison. If you need a local number that can receive text messages at your destination, Nomad sells SMS plans and Speedysim does not, so Nomad takes it.

For data-only travel the two brands sit closer together. Both sell fixed plans, both let you add data to an eSIM already installed rather than buying a replacement, and both cover the destinations most people actually visit. Speedysim reaches further on plan size, with 50 GB across most destinations and 100 GB over 180 days in seventeen, and gives 365 days to activate.

What each brand sells

Nomad sells travel eSIMs through a website and app, with fixed data plans, regional options and SMS-capable plans on selected destinations. An existing eSIM can be topped up with a new plan rather than replaced.

Speedysim sells data-only travel eSIMs across 100+ destinations, plus Global and Europe regional plans. Plan sizes and lengths vary by destination. Your eSIM arrives by email within seconds and the clock starts when you first use data at your destination.

Head-to-head

What a data-only eSIM cannot do

Most travel eSIMs carry data and nothing else, which works until something needs a text message. Bank verification codes, local delivery services and logins tied to a phone number all assume SMS, and a data-only eSIM cannot receive them on a local number.

Nomad's SMS plans address that on the destinations where they're sold. Anyone who has been locked out of an account abroad will recognise the value.

Speedysim handles the same problem by leaving your physical SIM in place and active, so texts arrive on your own number as usual while the eSIM carries data. That covers verification codes sent to the number your bank already holds, though your home carrier may charge for receiving texts abroad. The two approaches suit different situations rather than one replacing the other.

Where the two brands converge

Adding data to an eSIM you already installed works much the same way on both. On Speedysim it lives under Refills in your account, where tapping Add data attaches a new plan to the existing eSIM. Nomad follows the same pattern through its app.

That shared feature removes the usual reason to switch mid-trip, which means the decision between the two happens before you travel rather than during.

When Speedysim is the better Nomad alternative

Nomad suits you if you need a local number that can receive SMS, or your destination falls outside Speedysim's list.

Speedysim suits you if you want a large data allowance on a long stay. The 100 GB over 180 days option in seventeen destinations covers a stay that most travel eSIM catalogues do not reach, and the 365-day activation window means buying at booking time costs nothing.

How to get started on Speedysim

Pick your destination from the destination list. For trips crossing several countries there's the Global plan, and the Europe plan covers travel across the continent. Run your phone through the compatibility checker first if you've never used an eSIM.

Choose the plan length, then the data amount. Create an account if you don't have one, which takes an email address and a password, then pay online.

Your eSIM arrives by email within seconds. Install it before you fly, on stable Wi-Fi, using the device you'll be travelling with.

When you land, turn on data roaming for the eSIM line and leave network selection on Automatic.

Frequently asked questions