Is Hologram really cheaper?

It depends on where your fleet operates. Take 1,000 devices consuming 5 MB/month each: on Hologram, 1,000 SIMs × $1.00 platform fee + 5,000 MB × $0.03 = $1,150/month (~€1,060), per their published self-serve rate (Jul 2026). On iot.cards, 5,000 MB × €0.005 = €25/month in data, plus your plan's monthly fees. The data gap is ~6x. Honest caveat: Hologram's enterprise tier negotiates discounts and pooled data (no public figures), and for widely dispersed global deployments its single flat rate can pay off.

I'm a Spanish company: what does Hologram billing in USD mean for me?

Hologram bills in USD from its US entity and does not advertise an EU billing entity. For a Spanish company that means exchange-rate risk, tax handling of non-EU invoices, and friction in public procurement or with clients requiring an EU supplier. iot.cards invoices in euros from Kore Logic SL, a Spanish entity with a CIF, with VAT handled the standard way.

Does Hologram work in Spain?

Yes, via roaming: it advertises 550+ networks in 190+ countries, and Spain is covered. What it does not publish is the per-country network list, so you can't verify upfront whether your SIM will reach Movistar, Vodafone, Orange or only some of them. For most cases it will work; for cases requiring a specific network or all three, iot.cards documents access to Movistar, Vodafone and Orange and can pin the SIM to one operator if the project requires it.

I need a private APN or static IP: how does each one solve it?

Hologram solves inbound access with "Spacebridge", a self-serve VPN-style tunnel to the device; it does not advertise a dedicated private APN or a conventional per-SIM static IP. That's enough for occasional admin access. If your architecture requires a private APN with your CIDR range, a permanent IPSec/WireGuard tunnel into your VPC and a static IP per SIM (SCADA, metering, OCPP), that is iot.cards' standard model.

How much does support cost in each case?

On Hologram the free Developer plan gives you the help center and chat; human support with SLAs is paid: Production costs the greater of 4% of monthly spend or $250/mo (P1 in 4 h), Business 6% or $1,500/mo (P1 in 2 h) and Personalized 8% or $5,000/mo (24/7, P1 in 1 h), all in English, as published (Jul 2026). In public reviews (G2 4.5/5; Trustpilot ~3.5/5) support and onboarding rank among the weakest-rated aspects. On iot.cards, engineering support from Seville, in Spanish and English, is included, with a 24/7 SLA on enterprise plans.

Do both support SGP.32 eSIM?

Yes, and here we have to be honest: Hologram has very solid SGP.32 tooling with its "Hyper" platform (plus legacy SGP.02), and it's one of its strengths. iot.cards also offers eUICC eSIM with SGP.02 and SGP.32 and multi-IMSI. If your decision hinges only on modern eSIM, neither blocks you; the difference lies in price per MB, billing, APN/IP and support.

Can I migrate between Hologram and iot.cards later?

With physical SIMs it means a card swap (the IMSI is different), which costs field time, especially with soldered MFF2. That's why you should validate before mass rollout: we recommend a pilot with 5-10% of the fleet to measure real consumption and coverage. The iot.cards SIM Test Kit (€15, 5 SIMs with 1 GB for 12 months) exists exactly for that, with no lock-in.

Commercial comparison

Hologram vs iot.cards

How to choose between Hologram's self-serve global IoT platform and iot.cards' multi-carrier IoT SIM. Not a brand war: Hologram shines for global deployments with instant signup; iot.cards for fleets in Spain and the EU. We explain when each one fits, without half-truths.

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Quick summary

Hologram is a good choice if your deployment is global or US-centric, you want to sign up in minutes with a credit card, and a worldwide flat rate of $0.03/MB with USD billing works for you. iot.cards is the reasonable choice if your fleet operates in Spain or the EU: published data at €0.005/MB (~6x cheaper than $0.03/MB), EUR invoicing from a Spanish entity, named access to Movistar, Vodafone and Orange, private APN with IPSec/WireGuard plus static IP as standard offer, and Spanish-language engineering support included.

Side-by-side feature comparison

Same device, two philosophies: a self-serve global platform billed in dollars versus a European multi-carrier MVNO with hands-on engineering. Hologram data as published on their site (Jul 2026).

	Hologram	iot.cards
Commercial model	Self-serve with credit card: $0.03/MB global flat rate + $1.00/month per SIM (platform fee) + $3.00 per physical SIM, as published (Jul 2026). Enterprise tier with pooled data and discounts, contact-sales only.	Pay-as-you-go from €0.005/MB at low usage or €1.50/GB at high usage, plus the plan's monthly fee. No lock-in.
Cost per MB	$0.03/MB worldwide (≈€0.028/MB). Enterprise discounts negotiable, but no public figures.	Published €0.005/MB at low usage; €1.50/GB at high usage. For Spain/EU traffic, ~6x cheaper than Hologram's self-serve rate.
Coverage in Spain	Via global roaming. Per-country network lists are not published: which of Movistar, Vodafone or Orange it reaches is not publicly verifiable.	Named access to Movistar, Vodafone and Orange in Spain, with automatic switching across all three networks.
Global coverage	Advertises 550+ networks in 190+ countries, though its own pages also cite 470+/200 (figures vary).	190+ countries and 750+ documented networks.
Technologies and eSIM	2G/3G/4G/5G, LTE-M and NB-IoT. SGP.32 eUICC eSIM ("Hyper" platform) plus legacy SGP.02; multi-IMSI; triple-cut and MFF2 form factors.	2G/3G/4G/5G, LTE-M and NB-IoT where the local operator offers them. eUICC eSIM SGP.02 and SGP.32, multi-IMSI.
Private APN	Not their model: inbound access is solved with "Spacebridge" (self-serve VPN-style tunnel). No dedicated private APN advertised.	Dedicated APN with your CIDR range + IPSec/WireGuard tunnel into your VPC, included in standard offer.
Static IP	No conventional per-SIM static IP advertised; device access goes through the Spacebridge tunnel.	Static IPv4 (in dedicated APN) per SIM, contractable as an additional layer.
Technical support	Free Developer plan (help center and chat). Paid human support: from the greater of 4% of monthly spend or $250/mo (P1 in 4 h) up to $5,000/mo (24/7, P1 in 1 h). English only.	Engineering team in Seville included, in Spanish and English, by phone and email. 24/7 SLA on enterprise plans.
Billing	In US dollars, from a US entity. No EU billing entity advertised.	In euros, from a Spanish entity (Kore Logic SL). Monthly invoice for actual pooled fleet consumption.
Platform and API	Polished dashboard, REST API and modern SGP.32 tooling. Free test data on signup.	Documented REST API with HMAC-signed webhooks and ICCID idempotency. SIM Test Kit for €15.

When to choose which

Choose Hologram if…

Your deployment is global or US-centric and a single worldwide flat rate simplifies the business.
You want to sign up today with a credit card and start testing with free data.
You value a polished dashboard and modern SGP.32 eSIM tooling.
Being billed in USD from a US entity is not a problem for your accounting.
Tunnel-based inbound access (Spacebridge) covers your case without a dedicated private APN.
Self-service support in English is enough, or you're willing to pay for the human support tiers.

Choose iot.cards if…

Your fleet operates mainly in Spain or the EU and cost per MB rules (€0.005/MB vs $0.03/MB).
You need EUR invoicing from a Spanish entity (VAT, accounting, public procurement).
You want guaranteed, named access to Movistar, Vodafone and Orange.
You need a private APN with IPSec/WireGuard and static IP as the standard offer, not an ad hoc tunnel.
You want Spanish-language engineering support included, without a $250/mo floor to talk to humans.
You want no lock-in and a written 24/7 SLA on enterprise plans.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hologram really cheaper?: It depends on where your fleet operates. Take 1,000 devices consuming 5 MB/month each: on Hologram, 1,000 SIMs × $1.00 platform fee + 5,000 MB × $0.03 = $1,150/month (~€1,060), per their published self-serve rate (Jul 2026). On iot.cards, 5,000 MB × €0.005 = €25/month in data, plus your plan's monthly fees. The data gap is ~6x. Honest caveat: Hologram's enterprise tier negotiates discounts and pooled data (no public figures), and for widely dispersed global deployments its single flat rate can pay off.
I'm a Spanish company: what does Hologram billing in USD mean for me?: Hologram bills in USD from its US entity and does not advertise an EU billing entity. For a Spanish company that means exchange-rate risk, tax handling of non-EU invoices, and friction in public procurement or with clients requiring an EU supplier. iot.cards invoices in euros from Kore Logic SL, a Spanish entity with a CIF, with VAT handled the standard way.
Does Hologram work in Spain?: Yes, via roaming: it advertises 550+ networks in 190+ countries, and Spain is covered. What it does not publish is the per-country network list, so you can't verify upfront whether your SIM will reach Movistar, Vodafone, Orange or only some of them. For most cases it will work; for cases requiring a specific network or all three, iot.cards documents access to Movistar, Vodafone and Orange and can pin the SIM to one operator if the project requires it.
I need a private APN or static IP: how does each one solve it?: Hologram solves inbound access with "Spacebridge", a self-serve VPN-style tunnel to the device; it does not advertise a dedicated private APN or a conventional per-SIM static IP. That's enough for occasional admin access. If your architecture requires a private APN with your CIDR range, a permanent IPSec/WireGuard tunnel into your VPC and a static IP per SIM (SCADA, metering, OCPP), that is iot.cards' standard model.
How much does support cost in each case?: On Hologram the free Developer plan gives you the help center and chat; human support with SLAs is paid: Production costs the greater of 4% of monthly spend or $250/mo (P1 in 4 h), Business 6% or $1,500/mo (P1 in 2 h) and Personalized 8% or $5,000/mo (24/7, P1 in 1 h), all in English, as published (Jul 2026). In public reviews (G2 4.5/5; Trustpilot ~3.5/5) support and onboarding rank among the weakest-rated aspects. On iot.cards, engineering support from Seville, in Spanish and English, is included, with a 24/7 SLA on enterprise plans.
Do both support SGP.32 eSIM?: Yes, and here we have to be honest: Hologram has very solid SGP.32 tooling with its "Hyper" platform (plus legacy SGP.02), and it's one of its strengths. iot.cards also offers eUICC eSIM with SGP.02 and SGP.32 and multi-IMSI. If your decision hinges only on modern eSIM, neither blocks you; the difference lies in price per MB, billing, APN/IP and support.
Can I migrate between Hologram and iot.cards later?: With physical SIMs it means a card swap (the IMSI is different), which costs field time, especially with soldered MFF2. That's why you should validate before mass rollout: we recommend a pilot with 5-10% of the fleet to measure real consumption and coverage. The iot.cards SIM Test Kit (€15, 5 SIMs with 1 GB for 12 months) exists exactly for that, with no lock-in.

Want us to size your case?

Tell us how many devices, which countries they operate in and what your requirements are (APN, static IP, billing). We'll honestly tell you which of the two fits — even if the answer is "stay with Hologram".