Last updated: October 23, 2026
Travelsim Asia and Holafly for Indonesia share Telkomsel and XL Axiata. Travelsim Asia also lists Indosat and Smartfren, so the full network sets differ. Compare that additional access alongside the fixed-data and unlimited pricing models.
Travelsim Asia sells fixed plans starting at $3.99. Holafly sells unlimited plans at roughly $4 per day. That's a meaningful philosophical difference — and depending on how you actually use mobile data on a trip, one of these is genuinely the wrong choice for you.
This is a straightforward comparison. We run Travelsim Asia, so we're not neutral — but Holafly is a legitimate, well-regarded provider, and there are real scenarios where Holafly is the better pick. We'll mark those clearly.
The shared starting point: Telkomsel and XL
Most eSIM comparisons spend a long time on network coverage — which carriers each provider connects to, where signal holds up, rural performance. For Travelsim Asia vs Holafly in Indonesia, both list Telkomsel and XL; Travelsim Asia also lists Indosat and Smartfren.
Travelsim Asia
- Telkomsel ✓
- XL Axiata ✓
- Indosat ✓
- Smartfren ✓
All three Indonesian operators (XL/Smartfren count together)
Holafly
- Telkomsel ✓
- XL Axiata (Excelcom) ✓
Telkomsel and XL shared with Travelsim Asia
This is unusual. Network lists differ across providers: Airalo lists Indosat Ooredoo and Telkomsel; Saily lists Telkomsel, and Ubigi lists Indosat. Travelsim Asia, Airalo, Holafly, Nomad and Saily include Telkomsel access — and Travelsim Asia and Holafly both pair Telkomsel with XL Axiata, another network option, and Travelsim Asia adds Indosat and Smartfren on top.
Both list Telkomsel and XL, useful network options for trips around Indonesia. Reception still depends on the stop and conditions; expect gaps on ferries and remote-island routes. Compare the additional network access alongside the pricing model.
Two pricing philosophies, side by side
Travelsim Asia charges per gigabyte. Holafly charges per day. Both prepaid, both no roaming surprises — but the math works out very differently depending on your trip.
Travelsim Asia fixed plans
| Plan | Validity | Price | Speed model |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $3.99 | No daily allowance throttle |
| 3 GB | 15 days | $7.99 | No daily allowance throttle |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $10.99 | No daily allowance throttle |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $16.99 | No daily allowance throttle |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $27.99 | No daily allowance throttle |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $36.99 | No daily allowance throttle |
Holafly unlimited plans
| Plan | Validity | Price | Speed model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | 3 days | $11.90 | Unlimited; fair-use speed reductions possible |
| Unlimited | 5 days | $20.50 | Unlimited; fair-use speed reductions possible |
| Unlimited | 7 days | $27.50 | Unlimited; fair-use speed reductions possible |
| Unlimited | 10 days | $37.50 | Unlimited; fair-use speed reductions possible |
| Unlimited | 15 days | $51.50 | Unlimited; fair-use speed reductions possible |
| Unlimited | 30 days | $76.50 | Unlimited; fair-use speed reductions possible |
Package allowances and prices: what does each model include?
For each trip duration, this table compares Holafly with one Travelsim Asia fixed package and shows when usage exceeds that package's allowance. It does not establish the cheaper total after top-ups or multiple fixed packages.
| Trip length | Holafly Unlimited | Compared Travelsim Asia fixed plan | Compared fixed allowance exceeded at… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | $11.90 | 5 GB / 30d at $10.99 | More than 5 GB total |
| 5 days | $20.50 | 10 GB / 30d at $16.99 | More than 10 GB total (~2 GB/day) |
| 7 days | $27.50 | 10 GB / 30d at $16.99 | More than 10 GB total (~1.4 GB/day) |
| 10 days | $37.50 | 20 GB / 30d at $27.99 | More than 20 GB total (~2 GB/day) |
| 15 days | $51.50 | 50 GB / 30d at $36.99 | More than 50 GB total (~3.3 GB/day) |
| 30 days | $76.50 | 50 GB / 30d at $36.99 | More than 50 GB total (~1.7 GB/day) |
The thresholds above show when a single fixed allowance runs out, not when Holafly becomes cheaper after additional data purchases. Holafly separately limits hotspot sharing to 1 GB/day.
For most travelers, Travelsim Asia wins on price. Typical tourist usage in Indonesia — Grab, WhatsApp, maps, social media, some photo uploads — runs about 500 MB to 1.5 GB per day. Even on a 30-day trip, that's 15 to 45 GB total, below the 50 GB allowance compared here. More than roughly 1.7 GB/day over 30 days exceeds that single package; the cheaper total then depends on additional fixed-data costs. Holafly limits hotspot sharing to 1 GB/day, so its unlimited phone-data allowance is not an unlimited laptop allowance.
The hotspot question
This is where the two providers differ in a way the headline pricing doesn't show.
Travelsim Asia fixed plans don't impose a separate hotspot cap. Your data is your data — whether you use it on your phone or share it to a laptop via tethering, all of it counts toward the same total at full speed. A 20 GB plan gives you 20 GB across all devices and uses.
Holafly Indonesia caps hotspot/tethering at 1 GB per day for sharing with other devices. Your own phone gets unlimited data, but if you regularly hotspot to a laptop — common for remote workers in Canggu, Ubud, or Bali coworking spaces — that 1 GB/day ceiling becomes the real binding constraint, not the "unlimited" headline.
| Travelsim Asia | Holafly | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone data | Full speed up to plan total | Unlimited, subject to fair use |
| Hotspot to other devices | Full speed, counts toward plan total | 1 GB/day cap |
| Hotspot for daily laptop work | Works (within plan total) | 1 GB/day = restrictive |
If you're a digital nomad planning to hotspot a laptop daily, Holafly's unlimited isn't actually unlimited for your use case. The 1 GB/day hotspot cap kicks in around the same point that 1 hour of video calls or moderate file uploads would use up. For laptop-heavy workflows, Travelsim Asia's 50 GB / 30-day plan ($36.99) delivers more usable tethered data than Holafly's 30-day unlimited ($76.50) — and at half the price.
Throttle and fair-usage policies
Travelsim Asia fixed plans don't throttle. When you've used your plan's data, the plan ends — you can top up via the web portal for more. No degradation, no surprise speed drops.
Holafly's current Indonesia page confirms possible fair-use speed reductions lasting no more than one day. It does not publish a numeric high-speed threshold or reduced speed, so the allowance should not be treated as guaranteed unthrottled data.
Buying and setup experience
Both providers are unusually friendly here — neither forces you into an app.
Travelsim Asia
- No app required
- No account or sign-up
- Buy on the website, eSIM arrives by email
- Install via tap-to-install link or QR code
- Top up through a web portal — no login needed
Holafly
- App optional (works on web)
- Account creation required
- Buy on the website, eSIM arrives by email
- Install via QR code
- Manage plans via Holafly Center customer panel
The main practical difference is account creation. Holafly wants you to register; Travelsim Asia doesn't. Beyond that, both providers send the eSIM by email and let you install and activate before you fly — there's no airport-counter friction either way.
When Holafly is actually the better pick
We've been honest about where Travelsim Asia wins. Here's the reverse — scenarios where Holafly's unlimited model genuinely makes more sense, and where we'd suggest Holafly without hesitation.
- Heavy daily streaming on phone. If you stream Netflix, YouTube, or Spotify for several hours a day from your phone (not laptop), Holafly's unlimited phone allowance avoids a fixed total, but fair-use speed reductions remain possible. A typical Netflix HD hour is ~3 GB; 3 hours of streaming a day = ~9 GB, which exhausts a Travelsim Asia 20 GB plan in ~2 days of heavy streaming.
- You genuinely don't want to track usage. Some travelers value the mental peace of "I never have to check how much data I've used." Holafly gives you that. If thinking about gigabytes ruins your trip, the premium is worth it.
- Trips longer than 30 days where total data exceeds 50 GB. Travelsim Asia's largest single plan is 50 GB / 30 days. For 60+ day trips where you'd use more than 50 GB total, you'd need to top up or buy a second plan. Holafly's 30-day unlimited at $76.50, renewed monthly, may be cleaner for very long trips with sustained high usage.
- Video calling 2+ hours daily on phone. WhatsApp or FaceTime video calls run ~300–600 MB per hour. Heavy daily video calling — say a remote worker on calls all morning — can push usage beyond the allowance in a smaller fixed package.
If 5 GB covers your seven-day trip, Travelsim Asia costs $16.51 less in the example above. If 10 GB covers your 15-day trip, the difference is $34.51. For heavier use, compare a larger fixed plan with Holafly’s fair-use and hotspot limits.
When Travelsim Asia wins
- Typical tourist usage. Grab/Gojek, WhatsApp, maps, social media, photo uploads. This is most travelers, most trips. The 5 GB / 30 days at $10.99 or 10 GB / 30 days at $16.99 costs less than Holafly's listed 7-day and 15-day unlimited packages.
- Laptop hotspot users. Travelsim Asia doesn't separately throttle hotspot. Your 20 GB plan is 20 GB whether you use it on the phone or tethered to a MacBook. Holafly caps tethering at 1 GB/day for sharing — restrictive for daily laptop workflows.
- Bali villa stays with good WiFi. Most Bali villas and cafés have reliable WiFi. If you're WiFi-supplementing your mobile data, fixed plans are dramatically cheaper than "unlimited" you won't actually use.
- Multi-island itineraries with predictable usage. If you've done this kind of trip before and know roughly how much data you use, buying exactly that amount of data is cheaper than paying for an unlimited buffer.
- You don't want to make an account. Travelsim Asia is no-app, no-account. Just an email with a QR code. Holafly requires registration even though it doesn't force you into an app.
Quick verdict by traveler type
| Trip profile | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bali holiday, 7 days, casual use | Travelsim Asia | 5 GB / 30d at $10.99 vs Holafly $27.50 |
| Bali + Lombok, 2 weeks, regular use | Travelsim Asia | 10 GB / 30d at $16.99 vs Holafly $51.50 |
| Bali remote work, 30 days, laptop hotspot | Travelsim Asia | 50 GB / 30d at $36.99; Holafly caps tethering at 1 GB/day |
| Bali nomad, 30 days, heavy phone streaming | Holafly | $76.50 unlimited phone data, subject to fair use; compare extra fixed-data costs |
| Multi-month digital nomad, all-in | Holafly | 30-day package averages $2.55/day; fair-use reductions remain possible |
| 3-day Bali stopover | Travelsim Asia | 3 GB / 15d at $7.99 vs Holafly $11.90 |
What's the same
- Shared core networks : both run Telkomsel + XL Axiata, two network options, and Travelsim Asia adds Indosat and Smartfren.
- Data-only — no Indonesian phone number, no SMS. Use WhatsApp or FaceTime for calls.
- No Indonesian IMEI registration is needed for either roaming eSIM. Local SIMs and eSIMs follow the operator’s phone-registration process.
- 5G support — where available and if your phone supports it.
- Email delivery — eSIMs arrive by email with QR code for installation.
- Install before you fly — activate when you land in Indonesia.
- No mandatory app — Holafly app is optional; Travelsim Asia has no app.
Ready to pick?
Both providers list Telkomsel and XL; Travelsim Asia also lists Indosat and Smartfren. Compare these network sets and the pricing model:
- If you want to pay for the data you'll actually use — and not pay for unlimited capacity you won't touch — Travelsim Asia's fixed plans are cheaper for the vast majority of travelers.
- If you prefer an unlimited phone-data allowance and accept possible fair-use speed reductions, Holafly costs $16.51–$34.51 more in those two examples. Its hotspot allowance is separate.
Prefer Holafly's unlimited model? Genuinely a reasonable choice for heavy users — here's their Indonesia page.
Dig deeper
- Indonesia eSIM Prices 2026 — Airalo, Holafly, Nomad & more compared.
- Cheapest Indonesia eSIM 2026 — pure price comparison, lowest price at every data tier across all major providers.
- Best eSIM for Indonesia (2026) — comparing all major providers on network coverage, throttling, price, and setup.
- Travelsim Asia vs Airalo Indonesia eSIM — head-to-head on the two most popular options.
- How much data do you need for Indonesia? — usage breakdown to help you decide between fixed and unlimited.
- How to Buy and Install an Indonesia eSIM — step-by-step for iPhone and Android.
Need help deciding? Our support team is available 24/7 via email and live chat. Typical response time: under 1 hour.