Saily Review 2026: 6 Months, 14 Countries, One Verdict

Saily is the eSIM provider built by Nord Security — the same company behind NordVPN, one of the most trusted names in online privacy. After 6 months of testing across 14 countries and 320+ speed tests, we can confirm it’s the real deal: competitive pricing, strong speeds, reliable coverage, and an app that actually works. We gave Saily 4.4 out of 5 — the highest rating we’ve given any eSIM provider — and here’s exactly why.

Quick Facts: Saily at a Glance

Feature	Details
Coverage	150+ countries
Data	Capped plans (1-20GB per plan)
Starting Price	$3.99/1GB (7 days)
Plan Duration	7 or 30 days
5G Support	Yes (select countries)
Tethering/Hotspot	Yes (all plans)
App	iOS & Android (clean, fast)
Support	In-app chat, email
Parent Company	Nord Security (NordVPN, NordPass)
NordVPN Bundle	Yes (discounted)
Refund Policy	Within 14 days if not activated
Calls/SMS	Data only (no local number)
Top-Up	Yes, via app

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What Is Saily?

Saily is a travel eSIM provider launched in 2023 by Nord Security — the Lithuanian cybersecurity company behind NordVPN (100+ million users), NordPass (password manager), and NordLayer (business VPN). That pedigree matters: it means Saily isn’t a startup cobbling together carrier partnerships from scratch. It’s built on top of an established global infrastructure with deep engineering resources and existing relationships with telecom providers worldwide.

Saily’s positioning is clear: the best-value eSIM for travelers who want competitive pricing, strong speeds, and a clean experience without paying for unlimited data they don’t need. It directly competes with Holafly (unlimited data, higher price) and other capped-data providers like Nomad eSIM and Ubigi — consistently undercutting them on per-GB pricing.

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How We Tested Saily

We purchased Saily plans with our own money and used them as a primary or co-primary data source across 14 countries over 6 months (August 2025 to February 2026). This wasn’t a quick weekend test — we ran Saily through the grind of daily remote work, airport transits, island-hopping, and everything in between.

Countries tested: Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia (Bali), Vietnam, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Mexico, United States, United Kingdom, and Turkey.

Testing methodology:

• 320+ speed tests using Ookla Speedtest and Fast.com at various times of day and in diverse conditions
• Real-world performance: daily video calls (Zoom, Google Meet), ride-hailing (Grab, Uber), navigation (Google Maps), 4K streaming, large file uploads
• Activation time tracked from purchase to first data connection in every country
• Customer support contacted 8 times across different channels
• Side-by-side comparison with Holafly running on a secondary device in the same locations
• NordVPN compatibility tested over Saily connections in all 14 countries
• Tethering verified on every plan in every country

Total data consumed during testing: Approximately 180GB across all countries.

How we funded this: All plans purchased ourselves. Saily has no editorial input on this review. We earn a commission if you purchase through our links, which helps fund ongoing testing. This doesn’t affect our ratings or conclusions.

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The Nord Security Advantage

Let’s address the elephant in the room: does Saily’s connection to Nord Security actually matter, or is it just marketing?

It matters. Here’s why:

Infrastructure

Nord Security operates 6,400+ VPN servers across 111 countries. That’s a massive global footprint with established relationships with local telecom providers, data centers, and network operators. When Saily negotiates carrier partnerships (Telkomsel in Indonesia, AIS in Thailand, NTT in Japan), they’re not starting cold — they’re building on existing Nord relationships.

Security & Privacy

Saily inherits Nord’s privacy-first approach. The app collects minimal data, processes payments securely, and doesn’t track or sell your usage data. For privacy-conscious travelers, this is a meaningful differentiator over smaller eSIM providers whose data practices are less transparent.

Engineering

The Saily app is polished in a way that reflects serious engineering resources. It’s fast, stable (zero crashes in 6 months of testing), and well-designed. Nord’s engineering team has built and maintained apps used by 100+ million people — that experience shows in Saily’s UI/UX.

The NordVPN Bundle

This is Saily’s unique competitive advantage. Travelers heading to countries with internet censorship (China, Indonesia, UAE, Turkey, Vietnam) or anyone who values online privacy can bundle Saily + NordVPN at a discounted rate. Since both products come from the same company, they work seamlessly together with zero compatibility issues.

We tested the bundle extensively in Indonesia (where Reddit and some sites are blocked), Turkey (where Wikipedia access can be restricted), and Thailand (for geo-locked streaming). NordVPN ran flawlessly over Saily connections in every case, with only a 5-10% speed reduction — well within acceptable range.

For our full NordVPN analysis, read our NordVPN review.

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Coverage & Speed Performance

Saily covers 150+ countries — slightly fewer than Holafly’s 180+ but more than adequate for the vast majority of travelers. We’ve never encountered a popular travel destination that Saily doesn’t cover.

Speed Test Results by Country

We ran 320+ speed tests across 14 countries. Here are the averages:

Country	Avg Download	Avg Upload	Avg Ping	Network	Local Carrier
Japan	95 Mbps	28 Mbps	22 ms	4G/5G	NTT Docomo
South Korea	110 Mbps	32 Mbps	18 ms	5G/4G	SK Telecom
United States	72 Mbps	20 Mbps	35 ms	4G/5G	T-Mobile
United Kingdom	68 Mbps	18 Mbps	28 ms	4G LTE	EE / Three
France	65 Mbps	17 Mbps	30 ms	4G LTE	Orange
Spain	70 Mbps	19 Mbps	32 ms	4G LTE	Movistar
Portugal	62 Mbps	16 Mbps	34 ms	4G LTE	MEO
Italy	58 Mbps	15 Mbps	36 ms	4G LTE	TIM
Greece	55 Mbps	14 Mbps	40 ms	4G LTE	Cosmote
Thailand	78 Mbps	22 Mbps	38 ms	4G LTE	AIS
Indonesia	55 Mbps	17 Mbps	48 ms	4G LTE	Telkomsel
Vietnam	50 Mbps	13 Mbps	45 ms	4G LTE	Viettel
Mexico	45 Mbps	12 Mbps	50 ms	4G LTE	Telcel
Turkey	52 Mbps	14 Mbps	42 ms	4G LTE	Turkcell

Speed Performance Analysis

East Asia delivered the fastest speeds. Japan and South Korea were exceptional — consistently above 80 Mbps, with 5G pockets in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and Busan pushing past 150 Mbps. Saily’s partnerships with NTT Docomo and SK Telecom (the premium carriers in each market) clearly pay off.

Europe was reliably strong. Across Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece, we averaged 55-70 Mbps. This is more than sufficient for remote work, streaming, and heavy mobile use. Urban areas (Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Athens) consistently outperformed rural areas by 15-25 Mbps, as expected.

Southeast Asia was solid but variable. Thailand was the standout (78 Mbps average on AIS), with Indonesia and Vietnam performing well in main cities (45-55 Mbps) but dipping on islands and in rural areas (20-35 Mbps).

Mexico was the weakest of our tested countries (45 Mbps average), though still perfectly usable. Telcel’s network in smaller cities like Oaxaca and San Cristobal dropped to 25-35 Mbps. Playa del Carmen and Mexico City were reliably 50-65 Mbps.

5G Performance

We confirmed working 5G on Saily in:

• Japan: Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara), Osaka (Namba, Umeda)
• South Korea: Seoul (Gangnam, Myeongdong), Busan
• United States: Major metros (tested in NYC and LA)
• Select European cities: Madrid, Paris, London

5G speeds peaked at 180 Mbps download in Seoul’s Gangnam district — the fastest speed we’ve recorded on any travel eSIM. In Japan, 5G pockets routinely delivered 120-150 Mbps. Where 5G wasn’t available, Saily automatically fell back to strong 4G LTE with no noticeable disruption.

Real-World Performance

Beyond raw speed numbers:

• Video calls (Zoom/Google Meet): Flawless across all 14 countries. Zero dropped calls, no pixelation, screen sharing worked perfectly. This is the metric that matters most for remote workers, and Saily nailed it.
• Navigation (Google Maps/Grab): Instant and responsive everywhere, including real-time traffic and turn-by-turn in cities with challenging navigation (Bangkok, Mexico City, Istanbul).
• Streaming (Netflix/YouTube): 1080p was perfect everywhere. 4K worked reliably in Japan, South Korea, US, UK, and most of Europe. 4K occasionally buffered in Southeast Asia and Mexico but 1080p never faltered.
• Large uploads: A 500MB file uploaded in 3-5 minutes in East Asia, 5-8 minutes in Europe, and 8-12 minutes in Southeast Asia. Acceptable for most remote work workflows.

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Saily Pricing: Why It Wins on Value

Saily’s pricing strategy is straightforward: offer the lowest per-GB cost in the travel eSIM market. And based on our analysis, they succeed.

Global Pricing Examples (February 2026)

Region	1 GB / 7 days	3 GB / 30 days	5 GB / 30 days	10 GB / 30 days	20 GB / 30 days
Thailand	$3.99	$9.99	$14.99	$22.99	$39.99
Japan	$4.49	$11.99	$16.99	$25.99	$44.99
Indonesia	$4.49	$10.99	$15.99	$24.99	$42.99
Europe (regional)	$4.99	$12.99	$18.99	$29.99	$49.99
USA	$3.99	$10.99	$15.99	$24.99	$42.99
Mexico	$4.49	$11.99	$16.99	$25.99	$44.99

Prices are approximate and may vary. Check current pricing on Saily's website .

Price Comparison: Saily vs Competitors

Provider	Thailand 5GB/30d	Japan 5GB/30d	Europe 5GB/30d
Saily	$14.99	$16.99	$18.99
Nomad eSIM	$18.00	$20.00	$22.00
Ubigi	$16.00	$18.00	$20.00
Yesim	$19.00	$21.00	$23.00

Saily undercuts every major capped-data competitor by 10-25% across the board. The gap widens with larger plans: Saily’s 20GB plans are often 20-30% cheaper than equivalent offerings from competitors.

The Break-Even vs Holafly

The question most travelers ask: should I get Saily’s capped plans or Holafly’s unlimited?

The math is simple:

• Under 10GB per trip: Saily wins convincingly. A 10GB plan costs $22-30, while Holafly charges $34-47 for unlimited you won’t fully use.
• 10-15GB per trip: Saily still wins for most travelers. The 10GB plan is usually sufficient, and even with one top-up, you’ll likely pay less than Holafly’s unlimited.
• 15-20GB+ per trip: Holafly starts winning here. If you’re a heavy user who needs 20GB+, Holafly’s unlimited eliminates the risk of running out and potentially needing expensive top-ups.

Our rule of thumb: If you’re a typical tourist or part-time remote worker, choose Saily. If you’re a full-time remote worker who relies exclusively on mobile data for video calls and file uploads all day, choose Holafly .

For a full head-to-head, read our Holafly vs Saily comparison.

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Setting Up Saily: Step by Step

Saily’s setup process is the fastest we’ve tested — consistently under 2 minutes from purchase to activation.

Step 1: Download the Saily app. Available on iOS and Android. The app is clean, modern, and loads quickly. No account registration required to browse plans.

Step 2: Create an account. Quick signup with email. If you already have a Nord Security account (NordVPN, NordPass), you can use the same credentials — a nice touch.

Step 3: Choose your destination and plan. Browse by country, select your data amount and validity period, and proceed to checkout. Payment options include credit card, debit card, and PayPal.

Step 4: Install the eSIM. After purchase, Saily offers two installation methods:

• Direct install (recommended): The app installs the eSIM profile directly to your device. One tap, done. This worked flawlessly on every iPhone and Android device we tested.
• QR code: Alternatively, you can scan a QR code to install. Useful if you’re setting up the eSIM on a different device.

Step 5: Activate at your destination. Toggle the eSIM data line on in your phone’s cellular settings. Connection happens within 30-60 seconds.

Total setup time: Under 2 minutes. We timed this across 14 countries and the longest activation was 90 seconds (in rural Vietnam). Most activations completed in under 60 seconds.

Pro tip: Install the eSIM profile before your trip while you’re on WiFi. The profile download requires internet, and you want it ready to go the moment you land. Saily’s plans don’t start counting validity until you activate data in the destination country, so there’s no cost to installing early.

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The Saily App Experience

What We Like

The Saily app is one of the best in the eSIM space — clean, fast, and thoughtfully designed. Key features:

• Plan browsing: Search by country with clear pricing displayed upfront. No hidden fees, no confusing tiers. Destination pages show available plans, supported networks, and expected speeds.
• One-tap installation: The direct install feature eliminates QR code scanning entirely. One tap downloads and installs the eSIM profile automatically. This is the easiest setup process we’ve seen from any provider.
• Data monitoring: Real-time display of remaining data and validity. Clear, at-a-glance view of how much data you’ve used and how much remains.
• Top-up: When data runs low, you can purchase additional data through the app without installing a new eSIM profile. The top-up process takes under a minute.
• Multi-plan management: If you have eSIM profiles for multiple countries (e.g., Japan and Thailand on an upcoming trip), the app shows all of them with status indicators.
• NordVPN integration: Quick link to NordVPN for bundle purchasers. Seamless transition between apps.

What Could Be Better

• No WhatsApp support: Unlike Holafly, which offers instant WhatsApp support (under 5 minutes), Saily uses in-app chat and email. Response times averaged 15-45 minutes in our 8 support interactions — functional but not as fast.
• Limited data tracking: The app shows total usage but doesn’t break it down by day, time, or activity type. Power users who want granular usage analytics will find this lacking compared to Nomad eSIM.
• No offline functionality: The app requires internet to browse plans and manage profiles. If you lose connectivity entirely, you can’t access plan details or support through the app.

App Stability

Zero crashes in 6 months of daily use across iOS 18 and Android 15. Zero bugs that affected functionality. The Nord Security engineering team clearly invested in quality assurance. This stands in stark contrast to some smaller eSIM providers whose apps we’ve seen crash during plan purchases or eSIM installations.

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Customer Support Assessment

Support is Saily’s weakest category, earning a 4.0/5 — solid but not outstanding.

Our Support Interactions

We contacted Saily support 8 times across 6 months:

1. Pre-purchase question about Japan 5G coverage (in-app chat) — Response in 18 minutes. Accurate, helpful answer confirming NTT Docomo 5G availability.
2. Activation issue in Indonesia (in-app chat) — Response in 12 minutes. Agent identified that data roaming wasn’t toggled on and walked us through the fix.
3. Question about NordVPN bundle discount (email) — Response in 3 hours. Detailed explanation of bundle pricing and discount structure.
4. Data top-up not reflecting immediately (in-app chat) — Response in 25 minutes. Agent confirmed the top-up was processing and it appeared within 10 minutes of the chat.
5. Speed complaint in rural Mexico (in-app chat) — Response in 40 minutes. Agent explained network limitations in the area and suggested toggling airplane mode to reconnect.
6. Plan recommendation question for multi-country trip (email) — Response in 5 hours. Thorough recommendation with regional plan suggestions.
7. Refund request for unused plan (in-app chat) — Response in 15 minutes. Refund approved and processed within 48 hours.
8. Question about upcoming country coverage expansion (email) — Response in 8 hours. Polite but vague answer about “planned expansion.”

Support Verdict

Saily’s support is competent and accurate — every response we received was correct and helpful. The weakness is speed: average response time across our 8 interactions was about 25 minutes via in-app chat and 4-5 hours via email. Compare that to Holafly’s WhatsApp support averaging under 5 minutes, and the gap is clear.

For most travelers, 25-minute response times are acceptable. If you’re in an urgent situation (eSIM not working upon arrival in a foreign country), the wait could feel stressful. Saily could significantly improve by adding WhatsApp or live phone support.

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Saily vs Holafly: Quick Comparison

For a full head-to-head analysis, read our Holafly vs Saily comparison. Here’s the quick breakdown:

Choose Saily if: You use under 15GB per trip, want the best per-GB pricing, value 5G support, need tethering, or want the NordVPN bundle.

Choose Holafly if: You use 20GB+ per trip, work remotely full-time on mobile data, stream heavily, or simply don’t want to think about data limits.

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The Saily + NordVPN Bundle: Why It Matters

This is worth its own section because the eSIM + VPN bundle is Saily’s most unique feature — and it’s genuinely useful, not just marketing.

When You Need a VPN While Traveling

• Indonesia: Reddit, Vimeo, and other sites are blocked
• China: Nearly all Western services require a VPN
• UAE/Qatar: VoIP calls (WhatsApp calls, FaceTime) are restricted
• Turkey: Wikipedia and various news sites face intermittent blocking
• Vietnam: Facebook and some social media experience throttling
• Public WiFi anywhere: Airports, hotels, and cafes are prime targets for data interception

How the Bundle Works

When you purchase a Saily eSIM plan, the app offers a discounted NordVPN subscription. Since both products use the same Nord account system, you sign in once and both services are ready to use. No juggling separate accounts, no compatibility worries.

Our Testing

We ran NordVPN over Saily connections in all 14 countries. Results:

• Speed impact: 5-10% reduction when VPN is active — barely noticeable. Saily’s strong baseline speeds mean that even with NordVPN running, you’ll typically see 45-85 Mbps.
• Reliability: Zero disconnections or VPN failures over Saily connections. The NordVPN app auto-reconnected seamlessly when switching between cell towers or entering/exiting buildings.
• Indonesia test: Blocked sites (Reddit, Vimeo) loaded instantly with NordVPN active over Saily. Essential for this destination.
• Streaming test: US Netflix library accessible from every country tested with NordVPN running over Saily.

Who Should Get the Bundle

• Anyone traveling to countries with internet censorship
• Privacy-conscious travelers using public WiFi
• Travelers who want to access home-country streaming content
• Remote workers handling sensitive company data on mobile networks

For our complete VPN analysis, see our NordVPN review and best VPN for travel guide.

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Who Should Use Saily?

Saily Is Perfect For:

• Budget-conscious travelers who want the best per-GB value without overpaying for unlimited data they won’t use. If you travel 1-3 weeks and use 3-15GB, Saily is your cheapest option.
• Multi-country travelers who need reliable eSIM coverage across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. One app, one account, 150+ countries.
• Digital nomads who supplement with WiFi. If you work from coworking spaces and cafes (using their WiFi for heavy tasks) and use your eSIM for mobile connectivity, transit, and backup, Saily’s capped plans make perfect sense.
• Privacy-focused travelers who trust Nord Security’s track record and want the eSIM + VPN bundle.
• 5G seekers heading to Japan, South Korea, or other 5G-enabled markets where Saily’s 5G support delivers meaningfully faster speeds.
• Hotspot users who need to share their mobile data with a laptop or tablet. Saily allows tethering on all plans — no restrictions.

Who Should Look Elsewhere:

• Full-time remote workers relying exclusively on mobile data. If you’re running 4-6 hours of daily video calls with no WiFi backup, you’ll burn through Saily’s data quickly. Choose Holafly's unlimited plans instead.
• Travelers who hate tracking data usage. If the idea of monitoring your remaining gigabytes stresses you out, Holafly’s unlimited model eliminates that mental overhead.
• Users who need instant customer support. If rapid-response support is critical to you (e.g., first-time eSIM user, anxious about technology), Holafly’s WhatsApp support with under-5-minute responses is significantly faster than Saily’s.
• Travelers to very uncommon destinations. Saily covers 150+ countries, but Holafly covers 180+. If you’re heading somewhere obscure, check both coverage lists before purchasing.

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Data Management Tips for Saily Users

Since Saily uses capped data plans, here are practical tips to get the most out of your allowance:

1. Pre-Download Before You Leave

Download offline maps (Google Maps), entertainment (Netflix, Spotify), and translation language packs over WiFi before your trip. This eliminates the biggest data drains on the road.

2. Monitor Your Usage

Check the Saily app daily to track your remaining data. Set a mental budget per day — for a 10GB/30-day plan, that’s roughly 330MB/day. Most travelers use 500MB-1.5GB per day of active use.

3. Use WiFi When Available

Connect to hotel, cafe, and coworking WiFi for heavy tasks (video calls, large uploads, streaming). Reserve your Saily data for mobile use — navigation, messaging, ride-hailing, and connectivity between WiFi spots.

4. Disable Background App Refresh

Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for non-essential apps. Social media apps, news apps, and cloud backup services can silently consume gigabytes in the background.

5. Know When to Top Up

If you’re running low with several days left on your trip, top up in the Saily app before you run out completely. Top-up data is added to your existing plan instantly. It’s better to top up proactively than to be stranded without data in a foreign city.

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Final Verdict

After 6 months, 14 countries, 180GB consumed, and 320+ speed tests, here’s our honest assessment: Saily is the best-value eSIM provider for travelers who don’t need unlimited data. It earns our highest rating (4.4/5) for a clear reason: it does more things right than any competitor.

The pricing undercuts the market. The speeds match or beat alternatives. The app is polished and reliable. The Nord Security backing provides genuine infrastructure and privacy advantages. And the NordVPN bundle creates a unique value proposition that no other eSIM provider can match.

The trade-off is the capped data model. If you’re a heavy user who consumes 20GB+ per trip on mobile data alone, the math tips toward Holafly. And if you need instant customer support, Holafly’s WhatsApp wins that comparison too.

But for the majority of travelers — tourists, part-time remote workers, digital nomads who supplement with WiFi — Saily offers the strongest overall package at the best price. It’s what we personally use when we travel, and it’s what we recommend to friends and family.

Our rating: 4.4 out of 5. Top marks for pricing and speed, strong marks for coverage and app quality, with room for improvement on customer support speed and the absence of unlimited plans.

Get Saily eSIM — Plans from $3.99 →

Not sure Saily is right for you? Check out our best eSIM providers 2026 comparison for a full breakdown of all the options, or read our Holafly review for the best unlimited data alternative. If you need wider country coverage, Simify covers 190+ destinations at competitive mid-range pricing. For the full details on the NordVPN + Saily combo, see our NordVPN + Saily bundle guide. Heading somewhere specific? We have country-specific guides for Thailand, Japan, Bali & Indonesia, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and South America.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Saily a good eSIM provider?

Yes. Saily earned 4.4 out of 5 in our testing — the highest rating we’ve given any eSIM provider. After 6 months across 14 countries and 320+ speed tests, it delivered the best per-GB pricing, strong 4G/5G speeds averaging 50-95 Mbps, and a clean app backed by Nord Security’s engineering team.

Who owns Saily?

Saily is built by Nord Security, the same Lithuanian company behind NordVPN, NordPass, and NordLayer. This gives Saily access to Nord’s global infrastructure, security expertise, and established carrier partnerships.

Is Saily cheaper than Holafly?

For most travelers, yes. Saily’s capped data plans start at $3.99/1GB and offer per-GB pricing as low as $2.00 for larger plans. Holafly is cheaper only if you use more than 15-20GB per trip, where their unlimited plans eliminate the need for expensive top-ups.

Does Saily offer unlimited data?

No. Saily offers capped data plans ranging from 1GB to 20GB per plan. If you run out, you can purchase top-ups through the app. For unlimited data, Holafly is the better option.

Can I use Saily as a hotspot?

Yes. Saily supports tethering and hotspot on all plans in every country we tested. Your capped data will deplete faster when sharing, but there are no restrictions on how you use the data.

Does Saily work with NordVPN?

Yes, and they work especially well together since both are Nord Security products. Running NordVPN over a Saily connection works seamlessly with no compatibility issues. Saily also offers bundle discounts for travelers who want both eSIM and VPN protection.

How fast is Saily?

In our testing across 14 countries, Saily averaged 50-95 Mbps download speeds on 4G LTE, with 5G peaks exceeding 150 Mbps in supported areas (Japan, South Korea, parts of Europe and the US). These speeds are consistently among the fastest we’ve measured from any travel eSIM provider.

Does Saily support 5G?

Yes, in select countries. We confirmed 5G connectivity in Japan, South Korea, parts of the US, and select European cities. In countries without 5G support, Saily defaults to 4G LTE at no speed penalty.