This is the most repeated question on every European eSIM search we looked at. It appears in the People Also Ask box for Spain, Italy, France and Greece, which means Google sees a lot of people asking it and not finding a clear answer.
The clear answer is that they are not really competitors. Orange Holidays and Airalo solve two different problems, and picking between them comes down to one question that takes ten seconds to answer.
The one question that decides it
Do you need a European phone number, or do you just need data?
If somebody has to be able to ring you on a number while you are in Europe, a restaurant confirming a booking, a car hire desk, a landlord, a French bank, then Orange Holidays is built for that and Airalo is not.
If you only need maps, messaging, WhatsApp calls and the internet, then you are paying Orange for minutes and a number you will never use, and Airalo or any other data eSIM will cost you less.
Before you compare pricesMost travellers do not need a European number. Bank verification codes go to your home number, not a local one, so a French SIM does not help with those. Check what you actually need before paying for voice you will not use.
What each one actually is
Orange Holidays is a prepaid travel product from Orange, a French mobile operator. You get a French phone number, a bundle of data, minutes and texts, and coverage across Europe. It is sold as a physical SIM and as an eSIM.
Airalo is an eSIM marketplace. It does not run a network. It buys wholesale capacity and resells it as country and regional plans, data only, no phone number. It is the largest of the travel eSIM apps by a distance.
So one is a phone company selling a holiday package, and the other is a data reseller. That difference explains every other difference between them.
Price: what you get for your money
Orange Holidays is sold in fixed bundles. Airalo prices by data and days. Comparing them fairly means looking at cost per gigabyte, not the headline price.
| What you are buying | Orange Holidays | Airalo | A data only eSIM like ours |
|---|---|---|---|
| European phone number | Yes, a French number | No | No |
| Calls and texts included | Yes | No | No |
| Entry price | from around €19.99 | from around $4.50 | $1.29 |
| Sold as | fixed bundles | per country or region | per country or region |
| Best suited to | someone who must be reachable on a number | data across several countries | data at the lowest price |
Prices checked on 21 September 2026 against what each company lists publicly. They move, so treat the shape of the table rather than the exact figures as the point.
The pattern holds regardless of the numbers on the day: Orange costs more because it includes voice, Airalo costs less because it does not, and smaller data only sellers undercut Airalo because they spend less on marketing.
Where Orange Holidays genuinely wins
We sell data eSIMs, so it would be easy to pretend Orange has no case. It does, and here it is.
- You need a number people can call. Business travel, property viewings, medical appointments, anything where a European organisation says "what number can we reach you on".
- You are in France specifically. Orange is the home network there, with the widest rural coverage of the four French operators.
- You want one thing that does everything. Data, calls and texts in one purchase, no thinking required.
- Your phone cannot take an eSIM. Orange sells a physical SIM, which Airalo and most eSIM sellers do not.
Where Airalo wins
- Cost per gigabyte. Not paying for voice makes it cheaper, straightforwardly.
- Country choice. Over 200 destinations rather than a European bundle.
- Short trips. A three day city break does not justify a monthly bundle.
- You already use WhatsApp for everything. Which, honestly, most travellers do.
The thing people get wrongBoth are data first products in practice. Even Orange customers end up making most calls on WhatsApp, because the people they are calling are at home on WiFi. Pay for a number because you need to receive calls, not to make them.
What about the cheaper data eSIMs?
Airalo is the name people know, and it is priced accordingly. It is not the cheapest data eSIM, it is the most advertised one.
The underlying networks are the same. An eSIM from any reseller in Spain connects to Movistar or Orange Spain, exactly as Airalo does, because there are only so many networks in a country and everybody rents from them. What differs is the margin on top.
Our own Europe plan covers 34 countries on one profile and our single country plans start at $1.29. We are a small company that does not buy airport advertising, and the price reflects that rather than a weaker connection.
We would rather say that plainly than pretend there is some technical advantage. Compare per gigabyte, buy the cheapest thing that covers where you are going, and ignore the branding.
Which should you actually buy?
| Your situation | Buy this |
|---|---|
| Somebody must be able to call you on a number | Orange Holidays |
| You are only in France and want simplicity | Orange Holidays |
| Your phone cannot take an eSIM | Orange Holidays, or any physical SIM |
| You need data across several European countries | A regional data eSIM, compare per GB |
| Short city break, data only | A country data eSIM, cheapest that covers it |
| You use WhatsApp for calls anyway | A data eSIM, do not pay for minutes |
A note on EU roaming, before you buy anything
If your phone plan comes from an EU country, you may not need to buy anything at all. EU roaming rules let you use your home allowance anywhere in the EU at no extra cost.
That covers Orange Holidays customers and Airalo customers alike, and it makes both purchases pointless if you already have an EU plan. UK travellers should check their own plan, because some UK networks kept free EU roaming after Brexit and others reintroduced daily charges.
We would rather lose a sale than sell somebody a plan they already have.
Quick answers
Which eSIM is better for Europe, Airalo or Orange?
Neither is better in general, they do different jobs. Orange Holidays includes a French phone number with calls and texts, which matters if someone must be able to ring you. Airalo is data only and cheaper per gigabyte. If you just need data, Airalo or a cheaper data eSIM wins on price. If you need a number, Orange is the one that has it.
Is Orange Holidays worth it?
It is worth it if you need a European phone number or you are travelling mainly in France, where Orange has the widest coverage. If you only need data, you are paying for minutes and a number you will not use, and a data eSIM will cost considerably less.
Does Airalo give you a phone number?
No. Airalo plans are data only, with no phone number, so ordinary calls and texts to a number will not work. WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Signal all work normally because they run over the data.
Do I need an eSIM in Europe at all?
Only if your phone plan comes from outside the EU. EU roaming rules already give EU travellers their home allowance across the EU at no extra cost. Visitors from the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and most of Asia do need something. UK travellers should check, since policies differ by network.
Can I use Orange Holidays as an eSIM?
Yes, Orange sells it as both a physical SIM and an eSIM. That makes it one of the few options that works if your phone does not support eSIM, since most travel eSIM sellers are eSIM only.
Sources
- Orange Holidays public pricing, orange.com travel pages, checked 21 September 2026.
- Airalo public plan pricing, airalo.com, checked 21 September 2026.
- European Commission roaming rules, Roam Like At Home, ec.europa.eu.
- MegaEsim live plan pricing, taken from our own catalogue at the time of reading.
