Saily Review: is this eSIM really worth it?

What is Saily, and who is behind it?

Saily is a travel eSIM launched by Nord Security, the Lithuanian company that publishes NordVPN, NordPass, and NordLocker. This is not a minor detail: it is what explains its positioning. Where most providers sell gigabytes, Saily sells connectivity and security within the same application.

For a traveler, an established publisher provides two things: an application maintained by teams that know what they are doing, and a higher likelihood of longevity than a brand built in six months. In a market where providers disappear, leaving unused plans behind, this is a real point in favor of this Saily review.

What it doesn't provide is a better network. Like all travel eSIM providers, Saily is a virtual operator: it does not own any antennas and resells the capacity of local operators, such as KDDI and SoftBank in Japan. The quality experienced on-site depends on the host network, not the app's logo.

How does Saily work?

Saily works entirely from its iOS and Android app. You choose your destination, a plan with a specific data volume or unlimited, you pay, and the eSIM appears in the app with an installation button. No QR code to scan from another screen, no physical card to slide into the phone.

Once installed, the eSIM stays in your phone. For your next trip, you just buy a new plan in the app and it attaches to the same eSIM, without reinstallation. You have 180 days after purchase to activate a plan, allowing you to buy well in advance.

Saily only provides mobile data. Your French line stays active alongside it, in dual SIM, for calls and SMS, while the Saily eSIM handles the Internet. WhatsApp, FaceTime, or Google Maps run through the data, without roaming fees.

The rat's advice: install your Saily eSIM the day before departure, at home, via Wi-Fi, and only activate the line upon landing. You ensure everything is working before you leave, without depending on unreliable airport Wi-Fi.

What eSIM plans does Saily offer?

Saily sells two families of one-off plans: data-volume plans, from 1 to 50 GB, and unlimited plans, sold by duration, from 5 to 30 days. Regional plans (Europe, Asia, Americas…) and a global plan for itineraries spanning multiple countries are also available.

In Japan, for example, our catalog as of September 23, 2026, shows 1 GB for 7 days at 3.49 €, 3 GB for 30 days at 6.99 €, 5 GB at 9.99 €, 10 GB at 15.99 €, and 20 GB at 21.99 €. For unlimited options, expect 16.99 € for 5 days, 25.99 € for 7 days, 43.49 € for 15 days, and 63.99 € for 30 days.

Like almost the entire market, Saily's unlimited data stops at a certain threshold, but Saily states it in black and white: 5 GB per day at full speed, then 1 Mbit/s until the next day. This is what is called a fair usage policy. At 5 GB per day, you have to push it to reach the limit, and 1 Mbit/s remains usable for messaging and maps.

It is the most valid criticism one can make about Saily plans: the tiers are too far apart. In Japan, there is nothing between 10 and 20 GB: if your actual need is 13 GB, you pay for 20 GB. Our consumption calculator helps you aim for the right tier before buying.

What is the price of a Saily subscription?

Alongside one-off plans, Saily sells a monthly subscription, Saily Ultra, in three tiers. Here is the price of a Saily subscription recorded on saily.com on September 24, 2026, for monthly payments:

The three plans cover 121 destinations and add benefits that go beyond the scope of an eSIM: access to certain airport lounges, fast-track security clearance, NordVPN, NordPass, NordLocker and Incogni, priority assistance, and 8% cashback in Saily credits. Saily announces 9% savings on quarterly payments and 16% on annual payments, and the subscription can be canceled at any time.

This product is therefore no longer compared by price per gigabyte, but as a premium travel card. It is aimed at someone who travels every month. For a one-off trip, a 15-day unlimited plan for €43.49 in Japan is significantly cheaper.

The rat's advice: count your trips for the next twelve months before looking at a subscription. If you have fewer than four or five departures per year, buying as you go almost always wins.

How much does Saily cost compared to other eSIMs?

This is the core of this Saily review. We compared the same plan across all providers in our catalog, recorded on September 23, 2026: 10 GB valid for 30 days, price in euros.

In Japan, Saily charges €15.99, which is €1.60 per gigabyte. It ranks 11th out of 16 providers, while eSIM Card offers the same plan for €6.80. Airalo is right behind at €16.50. The full ranking is on our Japan eSIM page.

In the United States, Saily is at €20.49, among the most expensive in the ranking, while eSIM4Travel starts at €7.31 and Roamic at €7.99. The details are on the USA eSIM page.

In Morocco, the gap is widening: Saily is one of the two most expensive providers at €39.99, compared to €12.62 at eTravelSIM. See the eSIM Morocco page.

The conclusion is clear: across three continents, Saily never makes it onto the podium for price per gigabyte. It is a positioning, not a catalog accident. With Saily, you are paying for the application, the publisher, and the security tools, not the best rate. The Saily promo code ESIMRAT takes 10% off the bill, without changing this ranking.

Saily applies two distinct pricing scales, in euros and in dollars. At the European Central Bank rate of September 24, 2026 (1 € = 1.1367 $), the 10 GB plan for Japan listed at $17.99 is equivalent to €15.83, compared to €15.99 in the euro pricing scale. The difference remains low, from 0 to 3% depending on the plans, and the 1 GB plan is even slightly cheaper in euros.

The rat's advice: if your bank card charges foreign exchange fees (often 1 to 3% outside the eurozone), stay in euros: the small savings in dollars will disappear.

Which countries are covered by the Saily eSIM?

Saily announces more than 200 destinations, and our catalogue confirms it: 211 countries and 1,173 plans as of September 23, 2026. This is at the top of the market, on par with Airalo (197 countries in our catalogue).

A coverage figure, however, says nothing about the actual quality on the ground. What matters is the local operator your eSIM connects to, and Saily lists this on its product pages (KDDI and SoftBank in Japan, for example). Two eSIMs at the same price could result in one connecting to the country's primary network, while the other connects to its third.

For multi-country itineraries, regional plans and the global plan prevent you from having to buy an eSIM for every country. Saily Ultra subscriptions, however, only cover 121 destinations: check before you subscribe if you are traveling outside of major tourist areas.

What options does the Saily app offer?

This is where Saily distinguishes itself from its direct competitors. Each plan includes, at no extra cost, three Nord Security tools: virtual location, an ad blocker, and web protection against malicious sites. This is useful when spending your days on public networks at airports and hotels, and the blocker also reduces data consumption.

Saily also sells an optional US phone number (+1) for €1.99 per month as of September 24, 2026, with identity verification in the app after purchase. It is used to unlock services reserved for the United States or to separate your travel communications. This is not a French number: your banking SMS will continue to arrive on your usual line.

Finally, the app gives 3% back on every purchase in Saily credits, to be used on your next plan, and top-ups take just a few seconds, without needing to reinstall a profile.

Which is the better eSIM between Saily and Airalo?

It is the question most travelers ask themselves, as these are the two most visible brands. Regarding price, they are neck and neck: €15.99 versus €16.50 for 10 GB in Japan, €20.49 versus €20.50 in the United States. In Morocco, however, Airalo is significantly cheaper (€30.50 versus €39.99).

In terms of coverage, Saily features 211 countries in its catalog compared to 197 for Airalo, which in turn offers many more plans (3,075 compared to 1,173). Our rating places Saily slightly ahead, at 4.5/5 compared to 4.4/5 for Airalo, thanks to the included security tools and a better-defined unlimited data option.

In summary: get Saily if you want built-in security and comfortable unlimited data, Airalo if you are looking for the widest variety of plans. And if your criterion is price per gigabyte, neither is the right choice: lesser-known providers cost up to twice as much less for the same plans.

How did we test Saily?

This Saily review is based on three sources. Prices are taken from the official Saily catalog, automatically collected by our comparator (1,173 plans as of September 23, 2026) and compared to those of 25 providers. The terms and conditions (unlimited data, activation, subscriptions, phone number) were verified on saily.com on September 24, 2026. The promo code was tested in a real shopping cart on September 22, 2026.

The rating out of 5 is the average of six criteria (price, coverage, application, support, transparency, and flexibility), detailed at the top of this page. Customer reviews are summaries of real, dated, and sourced Trustpilot reviews. Saily has neither proofread nor validated this page.