Wanderly vs Holafly for a Colombia eSIM
Colombia is the clearest case in this series for splitting the audience down the middle. Short visitors should buy gigabytes. Medellín remote workers should probably not — and we will explain why rather than pretend otherwise.
Published by Wanderly, an eSIM retailer. This comparison describes our own service and Holafly; prices and terms can change.
Current fixed-data, data-only plans of at least 1 GB. USD list prices before tax or discounts; final total is confirmed at checkout. These offers can have different validity periods. Starting offer: 1 GB for 7 days. View this plan and its terms.
Terms for the starting offer
1 GB for 7 days at $3.99. These details apply to this offer only.
- Validity starts
- On first connection to a supported network
- Listed network type
- Unconfirmed for this plan
- Visited mobile network
- Unconfirmed for this plan
- Hotspot
- Supported
- Top-up eligibility
- Unavailable — a new plan is needed
- Listed IP exit location
- Unconfirmed for this plan
- Reduced speed and its trigger
- Unconfirmed for this plan
Source: Wanderly public plan listing, retrieved . This is a catalogue observation, not a network test. Listed network types and IP exit locations do not guarantee speed, latency or access to banking, streaming or other apps. Ask support about any unconfirmed term before buying.
The verdict for Colombia
Our Colombia plans start at $3.99, run up to 50 GB, and the median plan works out around $1.40 per gigabyte. For a two-week trip through Cartagena, the coffee region and Bogotá, using perhaps 4 to 6 GB, that is straightforward and cheaper than any daily unlimited rate would be.
The remote-work case is different and we are not going to spin it. Medellín has one of the densest concentrations of long-stay remote workers anywhere in Latin America. Tethering a laptop through working days can pass 20 GB inside a month, and our month-long 50 GB plan costs about $60, so the cost of covering that is not trivial. Holafly's flat daily unlimited rate is a sound fit for that pattern and we would expect it to compare well.
So: if you are visiting, buy from us and buy small. If you are moving to Medellín for three months with a laptop, look at unlimited seriously. Month-long pricing at that volume is a real constraint and pretending it isn't would be the kind of thing that makes comparison pages worthless.
| How they work | Wanderly | Holafly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Fixed-data or daily plans; check the selected offer | Per-day pricing for unlimited data |
| Data allowance | Choose from the current destination offers | Unlimited, subject to fair use |
| Best for | A chosen allowance and validity that fit your usage | Uncertain usage, when fair-use and hotspot terms fit |
| Top-ups | Varies by plan; check the selected offer | Check extension or renewal terms for the selected offer |
| Trip-length fit | Validity and extension terms vary by plan | Fixed day tiers |
| Local number | Yes on Calls & texts plans — number assigned after purchase, not guaranteed local | No — data only in most destinations |
| Payment options | Card through Stripe or wallet balance | Card and common mobile wallets |
We don't publish Holafly's prices — we have no live feed for them, socheck their official site for current pricing and plan terms. Match the allowance, validity, hotspot limits and final tax-inclusive total before deciding. The figures above are our own. We sell Wanderly plans and have not independently tested these providers against each other. How we compare.
Planning coverage in Colombia
Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena are well covered with widespread 4G and growing 5G. Medellín in particular is dense, which is part of why it absorbed so many remote workers. Coverage falls away in the coffee region's valleys, on the Caribbean coast east of Santa Marta, in Tayrona, and comprehensively across the Amazonian south and the Pacific coast.
Country network context, not the selected plan's network list: Claro, then Movistar and Tigo
Planning your data use
Colombia is a two-population destination: short visitors doing cities and coffee farms on maps and messaging, and a large remote-worker contingent in Medellín tethering laptops all day.
Check the exact plan's terms for activation, hotspot and top-ups. Do not infer its mobile network or IP location from country coverage.
When to consider Wanderly in Colombia
- ✓Two- and three-week Colombia trips with normal tourist usage
- ✓Coffee region, Cartagena and Bogotá itineraries where consumption stays modest
- ✓You want to buy a small plan and top up rather than commit up front
- ✓Trips where much of your time is in places with no coverage anyway
When to consider Holafly
- •Long Medellín remote-work stays with all-day tethering
- •Any month where you expect to use well over 20 GB
- •You want predictable cost in a market that runs around $1.40 per gigabyte for us
Holafly took a different bet from most of the category: instead of selling gigabytes, it sells days of unlimited data. That removes the part of buying a travel eSIM that people most dislike — guessing how much data they will use — and it is a legitimately better experience for heavy users. The trade-off is that you pay for the certainty whether you need it or not.
Colombia vs Holafly — common questions
Is unlimited data worth it in Colombia?
For tourism, no. For a multi-month remote-work stay in Medellín with heavy tethering, quite possibly yes — Colombia is expensive per gigabyte for us, and a month-long 50 GB plan costs about $60.
What is Wanderly's largest Colombia plan?
50 GB, for up to 30 days. Some plans are reloadable so you can extend; the plan page says which. Very heavy monthly users should price a month at that volume before buying.
How much data does a two-week Colombia trip use?
Typically 4 to 6 GB — maps, ride-hailing, translation and photos. Colombian cafés and accommodation have widely available Wi-Fi that absorbs the rest.
Is Medellín good enough for video calls?
Yes. Medellín has strong urban coverage with growing 5G, and tethering is permitted on our plans. The constraint is allowance, not speed.
Do either provide a Colombian phone number?
No. We do not have a Calls & texts plan for Colombia yet, so our Colombia plans are data-only, and so are theirs. Some Colombian delivery and banking services want a local number for SMS, which still means a physical local SIM.
Choose an eSIM for your Colombia trip
Compare current Colombia plans, coverage and activation terms. Your eSIM instructions arrive by email after your plan is prepared. No app required.
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