Airalo vs Holafly for China: Plans, Routing and Hotspot

Which to pick

If you	Pick	Why
Use little data	Airalo	Plans from $4.00 for 1 GB over 3 days
Stay one day	Holafly	The only 1-day plan of the two. Its page prices it only in euros, at €3.90
Use more than 3 GB a day	Holafly	Airalo’s unlimited plans slow to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day
Want to share data with a laptop	Airalo	Holafly caps hotspot at 1 GB a day; Airalo lists no cap
Need a Chinese phone number	Neither	Both are data only

Full details for each are on our Airalo and Holafly pages. To compare all four China eSIMs we track, see our eSIM comparison.

Plans and prices

Prices are in US dollars, from each provider’s China page. Prices change often, and reviews quote different figures.

Unlimited plans

Days	Airalo	Holafly
1	Not offered	€3.90 (no US dollar price shown)
3	$11.50	$11.90
5	$19.00	$20.50
7	$27.00	$27.50
10	$35.00	$37.50
15	$49.00	$51.50
30	$69.00	$76.50
Speed limit	1 Mbps after 3 GB a day	None published
Checked	Oct 8, 2026, Airalo China page	Oct 8, 2026, Holafly China page

Airalo’s unlimited plans cost less at every length both sell, by $0.40 to $7.50. Holafly doesn’t publish a daily limit. It says that in rare cases the network operator may slow your speed under a fair usage policy, for no more than a day.

Airalo’s fixed-data plans

Holafly sells only unlimited plans for China. Airalo also sells plans with a set amount of data:

Days	Airalo plans
3	1 GB for $4.00, 3 GB for $9.50
7	3 GB for $10.50, 5 GB for $14.50, 10 GB for $24.50
15	5 GB for $15.00, 10 GB for $25.50, 20 GB for $39.00
30	5 GB for $15.50, 10 GB for $26.50, 20 GB for $40.00, 50 GB for $49.00
Checked	Oct 8, 2026, Airalo China page

How each one gets past the firewall

Both eSIMs use a Chinese mobile network. Airalo says your data is routed through gateways outside mainland China, which is why blocked apps work on it. Holafly’s China page doesn’t describe routing; it credits an included VPN (see below). Holafly’s general routing FAQ, which doesn’t mention China, says it uses home-routed roaming via international gateways.

	Airalo	Holafly
Network in China	China Unicom	China Mobile (listed as CMCC)
Provider’s routing claim	Traffic goes through “secure gateways outside mainland China”	Home-routed roaming “via international gateways”, in a general FAQ that doesn’t mention China
Provider’s VPN claim	“A VPN is NOT required”	WhatsApp, Google and Instagram work “without installing an additional VPN”
Exit reported by WhistleOut	Singapore, through Singtel	Hong Kong

This only works on the eSIM’s mobile data. Airalo says you get full access to blocked sites “as long as you are using your eSIM data (and not the hotel Wi-Fi)”. On hotel Wi-Fi you need a VPN. See VPN for hotel Wi-Fi in China, eSIM or VPN for China? and our VPN page.

Holafly says its China eSIM is for mainland China only and that you need a separate eSIM for Hong Kong or Taiwan. Airalo’s China page doesn’t say whether its plans work in Hong Kong or Macao. For plans that cover mainland China and Hong Kong, see eSIM for China and Hong Kong.

Hotspot

• Airalo: its help center says you can use your personal hotspot “as long as it is supported by your device and the network”. It lists no cap.
• Holafly: 1 GB of hotspot data a day. Holafly says a 7-day plan includes up to 7 GB of shareable data.

Reports are mixed. WhistleOut’s reviewer could not get hotspot working on either eSIM in China. Gizmodo lists unlimited tethering for Airalo, and bought two Holafly eSIMs for three people because of the 1 GB cap.

Phone number

Neither gives you a phone number. Airalo’s China guide says most Airalo eSIMs are data only and don’t include a local number to use in China. Holafly says its China eSIM “does not include a local phone number” for calls or texts, and suggests internet apps such as WhatsApp for calls. Gizmodo notes that Airalo sells calls and SMS plans in other countries, but not in China.

Holafly’s VPN claim

Holafly’s pages disagree about an included VPN:

• China page FAQ: “Holafly offers a China eSIM with VPN included at no extra cost.”
• Privacy FAQ, last updated November 2025: “Holafly does not offer a built-in VPN service.” It recommends Proton VPN for extra privacy.

The China page doesn’t say what the included VPN is or how to turn it on. We list it as not confirmed. WhistleOut’s reviewer says both eSIMs got past the firewall because their data leaves mainland China, through Hong Kong in Holafly’s case. That only covers the eSIM’s mobile data. For blocked apps on hotel Wi-Fi, you need a separate VPN.

Airalo doesn’t claim to include a VPN. It says its China plans don’t need one.

What reviewers found

WhistleOut, August 2026 (affiliate links)

WhistleOut’s reviewer used both eSIMs over four days in mainland China, including Shanghai and Suzhou.

• Both got past the firewall.
• Holafly ran on China Mobile at over 300 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. Latency was very high, but the reviewer didn’t notice much of an issue in general use.
• Airalo mostly used 4G on China Unicom, at 19 Mbps down and 9 Mbps up in every test. The reviewer suspects a speed cap that Airalo’s terms don’t state. The connection was generally fine in major cities but dropped in and out on the road.
• Verdict: Holafly, for faster speeds, a more reliable connection and easier setup through its app.

Gizmodo, July 2026 (affiliate links)

Gizmodo used its China eSIMs over 14 days in Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai, and ranked Airalo third and Holafly fourth of five.

• Airalo: “solid 5G coverage from China Unicom”. It says Airalo works without a VPN and every app and site loads normally. It recommends Airalo for trips of a week or less.
• Holafly: unlimited data with no speed cap, fast and reliable on 4G and 5G, but mostly 4G on China Mobile. It calls Holafly the best China eSIM for streamers.

The two reviews disagree on Airalo’s coverage and on whether hotspot works.

What we could not confirm

• Whether Holafly’s China eSIM includes a VPN. Its own pages disagree.
• Where each eSIM’s data leaves for the internet. The providers only say “outside mainland China” (Airalo) and “international gateways” (Holafly, in a general FAQ that doesn’t mention China). The Singapore and Hong Kong exits come from one review.
• Whether Airalo’s China plans work in Hong Kong or Macao.
• Whether hotspot works reliably in China. The two reviews disagree.