Nomad has one of the better apps in travel eSIM and a genuinely wide plan range. They sell everything from 1GB for a weekend up to 50GB for a month, which is more shapes than most competitors bother with.
That range makes this the cleanest comparison in the whole series. Five plan sizes line up exactly with ours, same gigabytes and same days, so there is no need to argue about what counts as equivalent.
On all five, we are cheaper. The gap is widest on the small plans and narrows as they get bigger, which is worth understanding rather than glossing over.
Every price in this article was read off each provider’s own website on 25 August 2026, in US dollars, from a US connection. Providers change prices often, so check the live page before you buy. Where the other provider is the better choice, this article says so.
Japan, read from both providers’ own sites on 25 August 2026, in US dollars. Nomad sale prices used where shown. Only sizes both companies sell are compared.
Is MegaEsim cheaper than Nomad?
Yes, on all five plan sizes both companies sell in Japan. The 5GB 30 day plan is $3.78 with us against $10.00 with Nomad.
Two of Nomad's prices above are marked ON SALE on their own site, and we used the sale price rather than the higher one. Their 10GB plan normally shows as 18 dollars and their 20GB as 26. Using the discounted figures is the fairer comparison, and it still leaves a clear gap.
Nomad also sells a 20GB 30 day plan at $23.00. We do not sell 20GB in Japan, so it is not in the table. Our next size up is the 50GB plan, which is a different product.
Why does the gap narrow on bigger plans?
Because wholesale data gets cheaper per gigabyte as the bucket gets larger, for both of us. On the 1GB plan we are 3.1 times cheaper. On the 50GB plan we are 1.5 times cheaper, $23.80 against $35.00.
That is worth knowing because it changes the advice. If you are a light user buying small plans repeatedly, the saving compounds heavily. If you buy one large plan a year, the difference is real but smaller.
It also means anyone claiming a fixed multiple across a whole range has not actually checked. The multiple moves with the plan size.
What does Nomad do better than MegaEsim?
Three things worth naming.
A free 1GB trial for new users. Being able to test that an eSIM installs and connects before spending money is genuinely useful, especially for a first time eSIM user. We do not offer an equivalent.
A wider ladder of plan sizes. Their 20GB tier fills a gap between our 10GB and 50GB plans. If 20GB is exactly what you need in Japan, they have it and we do not.
A polished app. Their buying and management flow is well built and has been iterated on for years. If you manage several eSIMs across many trips, that matters.
Does Nomad sell unlimited plans?
Yes, priced by trip length. In Japan their unlimited options ran from $11.00 for three days to $49.00 for twenty one days when we checked.
Compare that to our fixed plans before assuming unlimited is better value. Seven days of unlimited with Nomad is $25.00. Our 10GB plan, which lasts a full thirty days, is $6.58. Most travellers do not use 10GB in a week.
Unlimited earns its price if you tether a laptop or stream daily. Otherwise you are buying headroom you will not touch. We went through the arithmetic in what unlimited actually means on a travel eSIM.
Is it worth switching if I already use Nomad?
Not mid trip, and not while you have credit sitting in their account. Use what you have paid for.
The sensible moment is your next trip. There is nothing to cancel, because a travel eSIM is prepaid rather than a subscription. An old plan simply runs out and stops.
Keep both profiles on the phone if you like. Modern handsets hold several, so you can install ours before you fly and delete the old one once the new plan is connected.
Who should buy which?
| If this is you | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want the lowest price on any matching size | MegaEsim | Cheaper on all five, from 1.5x to 3.1x |
| You have never used an eSIM and want to test first | Nomad | Free 1GB trial for new users |
| You need exactly 20GB in Japan | Nomad | We do not sell that size there |
| You are a light user buying small plans often | MegaEsim | The gap is widest on small plans, 3.1x on 1GB |
| You want unlimited on a heavy short trip | Nomad | They sell it by trip length, we do not in most places |
| You need a phone number for bank texts | Neither | Keep your home SIM active alongside |
Nomad takes three of those rows. A free trial and a 20GB tier are real things we do not have, and a comparison that pretended otherwise would not be worth reading.
What does the difference add up to over a year?
Six trips a year on a 5GB plan is $60.00 with Nomad and $22.68 with us, a difference of $37.32 for identical data.
For a light user buying 1GB plans it is starker in relative terms. Six 1GB plans is $24.00 with Nomad against $7.74 with us.
For a family it multiplies again, because every traveller needs their own eSIM. Four people on one trip is four plans, not one.
Is the coverage and speed the same?
In the destinations we both sell, usually yes. Both Nomad and MegaEsim buy wholesale roaming access from the same local operators, so in Japan that means Softbank and its partners either way.
Neither provider throttles a standard per gigabyte plan. Your speed comes from the mast you are standing under and the phone in your hand, not from the logo on the plan.
Before buying from anyone, check which local network the plan uses. Every one of our country pages names the operators, for example the Japan eSIM page. If a provider will not tell you, that is worth noticing.
Which is easier to install?
Near identical, because eSIM installation is a GSMA standard rather than anything either company invented. You buy, you get a QR code, you scan it in phone settings, and you switch on data roaming when you land.
The thing that matters more than the provider is timing. Install at home on wifi before you fly. The plan does not start counting until it first connects abroad, so there is no penalty for installing early and a real risk in leaving it until you land. Our setup guide covers iPhone and Android.
Do either give you a phone number?
Neither does as standard. Both Nomad and MegaEsim sell data. Calls and texts work through WhatsApp, iMessage or any internet calling app, but a bank text sent to your home number will not arrive, and you cannot dial emergency services on the plan.
Keep your home SIM in the phone with its data roaming switched off. You keep your number for texts and emergencies, and the eSIM carries the internet.
What happens when you cross a border?
A single country plan stops at that country's edge, which looks identical to a fault. Buy a Japan eSIM, take the ferry to South Korea, and you have no data until you buy something else.
Both providers solve it with regional plans covering a group of countries on one profile. If your trip touches more than two countries, a regional plan is almost always cheaper than buying each separately.
The trap is assuming a regional plan covers every country in the region. They rarely do. Ours are printed in full on the Europe and Asia pages, including the countries that are not included.
How were these prices checked?
Worth stating, because comparison articles have a reputation for quoting whichever number flatters the author.
Every Nomad figure was read from their own live website on 25 August 2026, from a United States connection with the currency showing US dollars. That detail matters. On a United Kingdom connection several providers in this category display pounds, and quoting that number as dollars understates their price by roughly a third.
The MegaEsim figures come from the same database our checkout reads. None of these are launch offers or recommended retail prices. Where Nomad showed an ON SALE price we used the lower sale figure, not the higher one.
Prices move. If you are reading this months later, treat the shape of the comparison as the durable part and check the live numbers yourself.
How much data do you actually need?
This decides more than the price comparison does, and most people guess badly.
Maps, messaging, a few searches, some scrolling and the occasional video comes to roughly 300MB to 700MB a day for most travellers. On that basis a week is about 3GB to 5GB and two weeks about 6GB to 10GB.
Streaming video daily or tethering a laptop changes it completely and pushes you towards a larger plan or an unlimited one. Your phone already knows the answer: settings will show last month’s usage at home, and travel use is usually lower because you are outside walking rather than on the sofa.
Our guide on how much data you need breaks it down by activity with real numbers rather than guesses.
What do people get wrong when they switch provider?
Three mistakes, over and over.
Deleting the old eSIM too early. There is no need to remove the old profile before installing a new one. Modern phones hold several. Keep the old one until the new one is connected, then tidy up.
Installing at the destination. Install before you fly, while you have reliable internet. The profile download needs a connection, and the moment you need it most is the moment you are least likely to have one.
Leaving the home SIM’s data roaming on. This is the expensive one. The eSIM handles your data, but if your normal carrier’s roaming stays enabled the phone can quietly fall back to it and bill you at full rate. Switch roaming off on the home line and on for the eSIM line. Our roaming switch guide has the exact steps.
What happens when something goes wrong?
We are small enough that an email reaches a person who can look at your actual eSIM, and we answer within 24 hours. There is no queue to escalate through and nobody needs permission to fix something.
Being small is not automatically better. A larger provider covers more hours and more languages, and on a bad day at an airport that matters.
Most problems are not the provider at all. Nine times out of ten it is data roaming switched off or the phone using the wrong line for data, which is fixable in under a minute once you know where to look.
What should you check before buying any travel eSIM?
Which network you will be on. A plan is only as good as the local operator behind it.
Whether the displayed price is the checkout price. Put the plan in the basket and look at the total before entering card details.
When validity starts. On most plans the clock starts when the plan first connects, not when you buy. Some providers start it at purchase, which quietly costs you days.
What happens when the data runs out. Some plans stop dead, some slow down, some let you top up without reinstalling.
The refund terms for an eSIM you never install. Ours can be refunded for six months if the QR code was never scanned. Check what the other provider offers.
- ✓197 countries, plans from $1.29
- ✓Hotspot included on your normal allowance
- ✓The price on the page is the price charged
- ✓Unused eSIM refundable for 6 months
Frequently asked questions
Is Nomad cheaper than MegaEsim?
No. On all five plan sizes both companies sell in Japan, MegaEsim is lower. A 5GB 30 day plan is $3.78 with us against $10.00 with Nomad, checked on 25 August 2026 using Nomad's own sale prices where shown.
Does Nomad offer a free trial?
Yes, Nomad advertises a free 1GB trial eSIM for new users, which is a genuinely useful way to confirm your phone handles eSIM before paying for anything.
Does Nomad have a 20GB plan?
Yes, and we do not sell 20GB in Japan. If that is exactly the size you need, Nomad has a tier we cannot match, which is why it is left out of the comparison table.
Do Nomad and MegaEsim use the same networks?
In most destinations both providers buy wholesale roaming from the same local operators. Our country pages name the specific networks so you can check before buying rather than after.
Is MegaEsim a real company?
Yes. We trade as Soha Trading LLC-FZ, registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the full address is on our terms page. Payments go through Stripe.
Can I keep my normal phone number?
Yes. A travel eSIM is data only and sits alongside your existing SIM. Keep your home line active for calls and texts, switch its data roaming off so your carrier cannot bill you, and let the eSIM carry the internet.
Is the price I see the price I pay?
On our site the figure on the page is read from the same database as the checkout, so it does not change at payment. Always confirm this with any provider before you buy, because teaser pricing is common in this category.
What if the eSIM does not work when I land?
Nine times out of ten it is data roaming switched off, or the phone using the wrong line for data. Our eSIM troubleshooting guide works through the fixes in order, whichever provider you bought from.
Nomad is a trademark of its owner. MegaEsim is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nomad. Prices were read from each provider's own website on the date stated above and are shown in US dollars.
