Maya Chen, a Shopify consultant from Austin, booked 90 days in Campo de Ourique and spent a Sunday night pricing Airalo alternatives long stay travelers actually use. She needed about 15 GB a month: Slack, Notion, Maps, WhatsApp, and two Zoom calls a week on cafe Wi-Fi. Three stacked Airalo{rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank"} Eurolink 20 GB / 30-day packs came to $141. One Holafly 90-day unlimited Portugal eSIM sat at $139.90. Three Nomad Portugal 20 GB packs landed at $60. Three Saily 20 GB packs totaled $83.97. GigSky One at the 25 GB tier was about $102 for the quarter. A NOS prepaid SIM at €10 a month for 55 GB came to €30, about $33, if she showed a passport on Rua Augusta. She bought the Airalo stack, then switched to NOS in week five. The rest of this page is that Sunday’s math.
Last updated: August 2026
A 10-day hop and a 90-day lease are different products. This page is for the lease.
💬 Disclosure: Some links in this article are referral links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. That keeps this research free to read and does not change our rankings.
What a long-stay eSIM actually has to survive
A two-week tourist pack is built to expire. A long-stay pack has to survive a lease and a month-three invoice. The failure mode is a 30-day clock that forces a repurchase mid-call.
Long stay here means 60 days or more in one country, or a year of hops on a single profile. Short hops still belong to Airalo. Six-month leases do not.
Four constraints matter more than the “unlimited” label:
- Validity, not just gigabytes. A 50 GB pack that dies on day 30 is three purchases.
- Fair use on unlimited plans. Airalo typically runs 3 GB a day at full speed, then about 1 Mbps. Holafly follows the local partner. Nomad day-passes often cap high-speed at 2 GB a day.
- Reuse of the profile. Some apps let you top up. Others want a new QR code every trip.
- A local number. Banks, delivery apps, and landlords in Portugal, Spain, and Indonesia still ask for SMS from a local prefix.
If you already run Airalo and just want the pack to last the month, start with our guide to saving data on an Airalo eSIM.
Validity ceilings in 2026
Shop the clock first. Price per GB is a trap if the pack expires with 8 GB left. That clock is the real split among Airalo alternatives long stay buyers miss when they sort by “$ per GB.”
| Provider | Typical max validity (2026) | On a 90-day stay |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad | 365 days (Global-EX, some country packs) | One purchase can cover the quarter |
| GigSky | 365 days, plus GigSky One | Same ceiling; subscription is extra |
| Airalo | 30–180 days typical; Discover 20 GB / 365 | Discover lasts a year, but 20 GB is a hop |
| Holafly | 90 days | One visa-run quarter |
| Saily | About 30 days | Six checkouts for a 6-month stay |
| Local prepaid | Monthly top-up | Cheapest from month three |
GigSky’s 2026 table is the cleanest public snapshot of those ceilings. Airalo’s Discover Global 20 GB / 365-day plan (about $66, or $89 on Discover+) is a layover sip, not a residence plan. Nomad Global-EX, June 2026: 10 GB / 180 days at $39, 20 GB / 365 at $59, 30 GB / 365 at $79, 50 GB / 365 at $129. US country packs: 75 GB / 180 days at $89 and 100 GB / 365 days at $120.
How the five travel eSIMs plus a local SIM compare
August 2026 list prices for a moderate 15 GB/month Lisbon stay. Confirm at checkout.
| Brand | Best for | Max useful stay | 90-day Lisbon ~15 GB/mo | Honest weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Short hops, 200+ countries | 30–180 days typical | ~$141 (3× Eurolink 20 GB) | Stacked 30-day packs cost more |
| Nomad | Long clock, multi-country years | 365 days | ~$60 (3× Portugal 20 GB) | Unlimited day-passes are short |
| Holafly | Heavy unlimited under 90 days | 90 days | $139.90 one 90-day | No 6-month SKU; partner FUP |
| Saily | Short trips + Nord extras | ~30 days | ~$84 (3× 20 GB) | Not a 6-month primary |
| GigSky | 365-day packs, cruises | 365 days | ~$102 (One 25 GB × 3) | List price is higher |
| Local NOS / MEO | Month 3+ in one city | Monthly top-up | ~$33–63 | Store visit, ID |
If you hotspot a laptop all day, Holafly’s 90-day unlimited and a local 100 GB pack both jump the queue. Our Airalo review covers the short-trip case. The Airalo vs Holafly and Airalo vs Nomad pages cover two-week trips. This page is the 90-day layer.
Nomad Global-EX and the 365-day country packs
Nomad is the first brand to open when the stay is measured in quarters. Global-EX is a frequent-flyer pool: install once, burn data across trips for 180 or 365 days.
Official June 2026 ladder:
- 10 GB / 180 days — $39
- 20 GB / 365 days — $59
- 30 GB / 365 days — $79
- 50 GB / 365 days — $129
Coverage is narrower than Nomad’s regular Global plan (about 81–98 destinations versus 120+). Confirm your country on Nomad’s Global-EX page before you pay.
For a single-country year, Nomad’s US menu is the clearer win: 100 GB for 365 days at $120, or 75 GB for 180 days at $89, on T-Mobile / AT&T / Verizon. That is $1.20 per GB with a clock that matches a visa.
On Maya’s Lisbon quarter she did not need Global-EX. Three Portugal 20 GB / 30-day packs at $20 each beat every global SKU. Global-EX wins when she adds Madrid, Berlin, and a December hop home — one 50 GB / 365-day pack instead of five checkouts.
Cons: unlimited day-passes are short (often 3–10 days) and throttle around 2 GB/day. Many country eSIMs are single-install. No cruise network. For a year of heavy hotspot, look at GigSky One or a local contract.
Holafly unlimited under the 90-day cap
Holafly sells one idea: pick a destination, pick a number of days from 1 to 90, stop counting gigabytes. Portugal and Europe 30-day unlimited sit at $73.90. The 90-day unlimited SKU Holafly quotes on its own comparison pages is $139.90 — about $1.55 a day. Three separate 30-day buys would be $221.70. Buy the 90-day once.
For a heavy user — daily Zoom from a hotspot, 4K uploads, a family sharing the phone as a router — that cap is the product. Pixidia’s 2026 field tests across 14 countries put Holafly first for stays over 10 days. We agree, with one fence: 90 days is the fence.
Holafly does not publish a hard daily GB number the way Airalo does. The terms say the local partner can slow you down if usage is “excessive.” Treat “unlimited” as unlimited with a partner FUP. No 180-day or 365-day travel SKU. Official pages: Holafly Portugal and Holafly Europe.
If your visa is 88 days and you stream, Holafly is the travel-eSIM winner. If your visa is 180 days, shop Nomad, GigSky, or a local SIM after day 90.
Where Airalo still wins
Airalo is still the default for short hops, and it should stay that way. Two hundred-plus destinations, a mature app, Airmoney, and top-ups from a departure lounge. If you land Thursday and leave next Sunday, skip the Airalo alternatives long stay debate, buy the country pack, and go.
It also wins when you need a country Nomad Global-EX skips, the biggest catalog for a 6-country loop, or the buy-and-activate flow you already know. It wins if you can live inside a 30-day Eurolink and cut background data.
What Airalo does not win: a 90-day work stay on stacked regional 20 GB packs. Maya’s $141 Eurolink stack was $81 more than Nomad and $108 more than NOS. Discover Global’s 20 GB / 365-day plan at about $66 is a layover product, not 15 GB a month of Slack.
Unlimited Airalo is a short-trip product too. Portugal unlimited 30 days is about $69; Europe unlimited 30 days about $71. Three months: $207–213, still under the 3 GB/day then 1 Mbps rule. Holafly’s 90-day unlimited undercuts that by sixty-plus dollars. If an install fails, use the activation troubleshooting guide before you buy a second brand.
Saily’s lane: short trips and Nord Security extras
Saily is the Nord Security eSIM. Same company family as NordVPN. The app is clean, setup is mostly automatic, and every plan includes extras travel SIMs usually skip: an ad blocker, web protection, and a virtual location switch. For a 10-day conference, that is a real product.
Portugal prices as of mid-2026: 1 GB / 7 days at $3.99, 10 GB / 30 days at $16.99, 20 GB / 30 days at $27.99, unlimited about $64.79 for 30 days. Three 20 GB packs for Lisbon come to $83.97. That beats Airalo Eurolink and Holafly on a moderate data diet.
Here is the line we will not cross for an affiliate: Saily is not a 6-month primary. Typical max validity is 30 days. A half-year stay is six purchases and six clocks. Saily Ultra (lounge access, 8% credits) is a frequent-short-trip bundle, not a residence plan.
Use Saily when the stay is under a month and you want Nord-grade extras. <a href="https://truescho.com/go/saily" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank">See Saily’s Portugal plans</a> for that window. After month two, move.
GigSky for 365 days, cruises, and subscriptions
GigSky operates more like a network than a QR-code shop. The same profile can ride land, cruise, and inflight plans. Max duration matches Nomad at 365 days. Visa Infinite cardholders sometimes get a free trial block.
GigSky One is the subscription: 25 / 50 / 75 GB a month across 120+ countries, cancel anytime. Standard list prices sit around $33.99 / $53.99 / $73.99 a month. Promos often cut that roughly in half. For Maya’s quarter, the 25 GB tier at list is about $102 — more than Nomad’s Portugal stack, less than stacked Airalo unlimited.
GigSky is the pick when you need one eSIM for a year of mixed trips, including a cruise week, or a monthly bill instead of a pile of QR codes. Cons: country packs are often pricier per GB than Nomad or Airalo. You will overpay if you only need Portugal for 90 days. Official links only: GigSky and GigSky One.
How Maya Chen spent $141 on stacked eSIMs before a €10 NOS SIM
Maya landed at LIS on a Monday with Eurolink already installed. NOS and Vodafone were both strong in Campo de Ourique. Speeds sat in the 40–80 Mbps range on 5G when the street was quiet. She did not think about data for four weeks.
Week five, the second 20 GB pack was half gone because she had hotspot her laptop during a two-day fiber outage. She opened the Airalo app, saw another $47 to stay online, and walked to a NOS store. Passport, 20 minutes, a prepaid SIM at €10 for 55 GB. She parked the Eurolink as backup.
Final spend: $141 + €20 (two NOS months) = about $163 for 90 days. If she had bought NOS on day one: €30, about $33. If she had bought Nomad’s three Portugal 20 GB packs: $60. If she had been a heavy hotspot user, Holafly’s $139.90 90-day unlimited would have been the clean travel-eSIM buy — still four times a local prepaid.
The lesson is not “Airalo is bad.” She still uses it for 10-day client trips. The lesson is that month three is a different market. If you write client updates from that desk, ArWriter is the boring useful layer next to the eSIM.
When a local prepaid SIM beats every travel eSIM
From month three in one city, the local prepaid SIM is usually the cheapest honest answer. Lisbon numbers, August 2026:
- NOS: about 55 GB for €10 / month, or 100 GB for €19 / month.
- Vodafone Travellers: 20 GB, 500 min/SMS, 50 international minutes, €20 / 30 days.
- MEO weekly and monthly prepaid sits in the same band.
Three months of NOS 55 GB is €30. That undercuts Nomad ($60), Saily ($84), GigSky One (~$102), Holafly ($139.90), and Airalo Eurolink ($141). Six months is €60 against six Saily checkouts or two Holafly 90-day cycles. That is why Airalo alternatives long stay lists that skip the local SIM are not finished.
The catch is operational. You need a store, a passport, and sometimes a NIF. You get a Portuguese number, which landlords and food apps want. You lose instant install on the plane. A weekend in Seville needs roaming or a second eSIM.
Bali, Chiang Mai, and Mexico City follow the same curve. By month three the local reload wins. Keep a small Airalo or Saily pack as backup. For hop-sized Airalo SKUs, see best Airalo plans for Turkey, Europe, and the USA.
A 10-minute decision path
Work top to bottom. Stop at the first yes.
- Trip is under 21 days, multiple countries? Buy Airalo. App, catalog, done.
- Trip is under 30 days, you want Nord extras? Buy Saily.
- Trip is 30–90 days, you hotspot a lot? Holafly 90-day unlimited.
- Trip is 30–90 days, you use ~10–20 GB/month in one country? Nomad country 20 GB stacks, or a local prepaid if you will walk into a store.
- You will hop countries for a year on one profile? Nomad Global-EX or GigSky One.
- Cruise or inflight week inside the year? GigSky.
- Month three in the same city, and you can show ID? Local prepaid. Keep a $5–10 travel eSIM as backup.
- US for 6–12 months, data only? Nomad 100 GB / 365 days at $120.
That is the ranking. The clock and the store receipt decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best eSIM for a 3-month stay?
For moderate data in one country, a local prepaid SIM is usually cheapest, then a Nomad country stack. For heavy hotspot use under 90 days, Holafly’s 90-day unlimited is the cleanest travel eSIM. Airalo stacked 30-day packs work, but they cost more.
Does Airalo offer 365-day plans?
Yes, on Discover Global: about 20 GB for 365 days at $66, or Discover+ at about $89 with a US number. Country and regional packs more often top out at 30–180 days. Twenty gigabytes for a year is a hop plan, not a 15 GB/month work stay.
Nomad vs Airalo for digital nomads?
Nomad wins the long clock: Global-EX at 180–365 days and US 100 GB / 365 days at $120. Airalo wins the catalog and short multi-country hops. For a year of mixed trips on one profile, Nomad. For a 12-day loop through four countries, Airalo.
Is Holafly unlimited good for long stays?
It is good up to 90 days, especially if you tether. It is not a 6-month product. Fair use follows the local partner, so treat it as unlimited-with-a-brake, not as home fiber. After day 90 you repurchase or you move to Nomad, GigSky, or a local SIM.
Is Saily better than Airalo?
On a 7–30 day trip, Saily can be cheaper per GB and adds Nord Security extras. On a 6-month stay, no. Typical 30-day validity makes Saily a short-trip tool. Airalo still has the wider catalog and easier top-ups for hopscotch itineraries.
When should I buy a local SIM instead of an eSIM?
When you will be in one country past month two and can visit a store with a passport. In Lisbon, NOS at €10 / 55 GB undercuts every travel app on this page. You also get a local number for SMS. Keep a small travel eSIM as backup.
Which eSIM has the longest validity in 2026?
Nomad and GigSky share the 365-day ceiling on long-duration packs. Airalo’s Discover Global also offers 365 days, but only 20 GB. Holafly stops at 90. Saily’s typical cap is 30. Validity is not the same as enough data for work.
Can I keep one eSIM for multiple countries for a year?
Yes: Nomad Global-EX (20–50 GB across 81–98 destinations, 365 days) or GigSky One (monthly 25–75 GB across 120+ countries). Airalo Discover 20 GB / 365 days works if your year is mostly airports and hotel Wi-Fi. It will not survive daily remote work.
Our verdict
Rank the stay, not the logo.
Airalo still wins the short hop: 200+ countries, a grown-up app, top-ups you already know. Nomad and GigSky win the 365-day clock. Holafly wins heavy unlimited under 90 days, $139.90 for the Portugal quarter. Saily wins the short trip with a security angle. It is not a 6-month primary, affiliate link or not.
And the line most comparison posts bury: a local prepaid SIM is often cheapest from month three. Maya’s Lisbon math was $141 on Airalo versus about $33 on NOS.
If you are flying this month for under three weeks, <a href="https://truescho.com/go/airalo" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank">start with Airalo</a>. If the trip is a 10–30 day conference and you want Nord extras, <a href="https://truescho.com/go/saily" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank">look at Saily</a>. If the lease is 90 days and you hate counting GB, open Holafly. If the year is a blur of airports, open Nomad Global-EX or GigSky One. If you can walk into a store, walk into the store.
Sources
- Nomad Global-EX
- Nomad USA eSIM
- GigSky 2026 comparison
- Holafly vs Airalo vs Nomad
- Saily Holafly alternatives
- How Airalo works
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