I’ve tried at least five of the major eSIM companies out there, but Saily is one of my faves. It’s budget-friendly and comes with some unique security/privacy features you can’t find anywhere else. If you’re new to eSIMs, have no fear — I’m here to help. I’ll explain how Saily works, what it costs, and when you might benefit from their subscription model, Saily Ultra. Here’s what to know about using a Saily eSIM for travel. (And a 10% discount on your first one!)
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Saily eSIM review — my honest experience
I’m always on the hunt for anything that can make my life easier when I travel, and eSIMs are a game changer. Saily had great reviews and I was looking to branch out after a not-so-great experience with Airalo, so I gave it a go. And I’ve been a long-time NordVPN user, which is the same company behind Saily. Overall, my Saily eSIM worked a treat in New Zealand and I can confidently recommend it to friends (and you guys!)
Set up
I set up my eSIM from the comfort of my home with a strong Wi-Fi connection. Everything looked like it had gone smoothly with the installation and set up process, my settings seemed correct, and it worked, but not as well as it should. I was only getting LTE and the connection wasn’t super fast. I contacted customer service and they took a look at all my settings and couldn’t find any issues.
They suggested some quick tips like restarting my phone, which gave me 3G for a minute but quickly defaulted back to LTE. I started all this quite late at night, and decided to leave it to figure out in the morning. When I woke up, everything was fine and the eSIM was working flawlessly.
Update on this: Two friends tried Saily for a trip to the Philippines recently (April 2026) and their eSIMs worked right away. They raved about how easy the setup was and how reliable the connection was throughout the trip.
Customer service
I reached out to customer service for help with my Saily eSIM setup issue.
The person I spoke to was helpful, knowledgeable, and the chat function in the app was user-friendly. It started with a bot (as all things do these days) but I got through to a real human in a minute, tops. They couldn’t find anything wrong, but it sorted itself out and the eSIM may have just taken a little time to kick in.
In theory, it should give you an immediate connection. I haven’t seen this mentioned as an issue on any of the review sites, so it must have just been a weird thing on my end.
You can get 24/7 live chat support if you have any issues with your Saily eSIM. I found the customer service infinitely better with Saily vs. Airalo.
Functionality
You can get a Saily eSIM for 200+ destinations, which includes regional packages. For example, instead of just getting an eSIM for Indonesia, you could get one for all of Southeast Asia. Perfect if you’re planning to do a bit of country-hopping!
Saily can keep you connected nearly anywhere in the world, from Uruguay to Vanuatu to Mongolia. One of its standout features is that you don’t need to keep downloading new eSIMs for every new trip or destination.
For example, the way it works with Airalo is that I’d download an eSIM for Qatar, and then a separate one for South Africa and a separate one for the UK. With Saily, you just download it once and then top it up with packages for different destinations as you go. It cuts down on finnicky settings adjustments.
Read more: The Best eSIM for Indonesia
How much does a Saily eSIM cost?
Saily is the most consistently affordable eSIM option. Occasionally you’ll find promotions on with other companies for certain destinations, so it’s never a bad idea to shop around. (For example, Jetpac sometimes has a $1/1 GB promo if that’s all you think you’ll use.)
But Saily is consistently budget-friendly regardless of the country or region. Even if it’s just $0.01 less than Airalo, haha. Here’s a price comparison for Saily vs Airalo and Holafly for trips to Thailand, the US, Europe, and New Zealand.
| Provider | Thailand | USA | Europe | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saily | $10.99 / 10 GB / 30 days | $22.99 / 10 GB / 30 days | $35.99 / 10 GB / 30 days | $23.99 / 10 GB / 30 days |
| Airalo | $11 / 10 GB / 30 days | $23 / 10 GB / 30 days | $37 / 10 GB / 30 days | $24 / 10 GB / 30 days |
| Holafly | $50.90 / Unlimited / 15 days | $50.90 / Unlimited / 15 days | $58.50 / Unlimited / 15 days | $58.50 / Unlimited / 15 days |
| Prices are approximate and last updated April 2026. All prices in USD. | ||||
Is Saily worth it?
Yes, Saily is absolutely worth it. It’s the best and most comparable alternative to Airalo. It’s slightly more affordable, has far better security, works in nearly all the same countries, and has superior customer service.
I’m comparing it because Airalo is one of the major players — the self-titled “world’s first eSIM store.” It was the first eSIM I tested, and I had a mix of good and bad experiences.
But Airalo has been falling apart in the last little while. Users are complaining that their accounts were hacked and cards have been getting random charges with no support from customer service. And worse, no refunds. The company hasn’t addressed it, but I’m seeing it everywhere. And it’s never worth risking your phone and credit card, is it?
So whether you’re considering an eSIM for the first time or looking to jump ship from Airalo for a better alternative, Saily should be your go-to.
Don’t forget your 10% Saily discount code: NAOMI10
Saily security features
Saily has the most security features of any other eSIM I’ve tried. It has a particular focus on security and a great reputation. It’s operated by the same people behind NordVPN. (VPN stands for virtual private network.)
The service encrypts your internet activities and can change the location of your IP address, keeping your information private and protected when you’re online. Airalo’s recent alleged data breach is a perfect example of why all of this is important.
Saily eSIMs have similar online safety features, including:
- Ad-blockers: Loading ads while you’re using the internet can suck the life out of your data package. So Saily’s ad blocker doesn’t just get rid of annoying ads, it preserves those GBs you’ve paid for — around 30%! Pages usually load faster without ads, too.
- Web protections: This fights off malware and phishing scams. Something you definitely don’t want to deal with ever, let alone when you’re traveling.
- Virtual locations: This basically makes it look like you’re in Canada, the US, etc. while you’re actually accessing the internet in Thailand (or wherever). Some websites are geo-restricted, and some people say you can find cheaper flights based on where you’re searching from, so a VPN really comes in handy.
Saily Ultra eSIM subscription
Saily recently released a monthly subscription option like Holafly Plans — Saily Ultra. It’s 60 USD for 30 GBs per month and global access.
I don’t have firsthand experience with Saily’s subscription, just the regular plans. But the subscription features perks like premium security tools, and airport lounge access is in the works, too. You know I’ll letcha know as soon as I know.
After you try Saily Ultra, leave a comment or email me to let me know how it goes!
Read more: eSIM Subscriptions for Long-Term Travellers
What others say about their Saily eSIM experience
What, I’m not good enough for you? Nah of course it’s always a good idea to check review sites to see what the majority of users have experienced. My general takeaway is that a Saily eSIM is a pretty low cost/low risk thing to try. So maybe just start with a small plan to test the functionality and you can always top up if it goes well. Here’s what the internet has to say:
Saily eSIM on Trustpilot
Saily has over 8,000 reviews and a solid 4.6/5 on Trustpilot.
People always rave about the strong cell service, internet speed, customer service, and price of their Saily eSIM. Poor reviews included complaints about the app and it not being clear enough that prices are always listed in USD. (Kind of a user error IMO.)
- 5 Stars: “I bought a plan thanks to a recommendation and I couldn’t be more happy. It worked perfectly and it was very easy to install. The rates are fair and affordable compared to other companies in the market.” — Mickey BVM, April 2025
- 5 Stars: “Saily has been a game-changer for staying connected while traveling. Activating the eSIM was quick and easy, and the internet speed was fast and reliable everywhere I went.” — Jorge Vasquez, May 2025
- 1 Star: “Price are in US$ and it isnt indicated nowhere. Big surprise, when you realized that you have paid 30% more.” — J, December 2024
Saily eSIM on Reddit
Reddit is the most negative place on the internet, and even most people here have good things to say about their Saily eSIM experience.
- Happy Redditor: “Overall, I’m pretty happy with my experience. Maybe I should have had 5G speeds, but I don’t know. For the price, I didn’t miss it. Installation was easy, and the ability to do it before leaving and not have to worry about a separate “activation” step was nice. A single eSIM for multiple international coverage plans was nice. We’ve turned our Saily lines off for now, but we will keep the eSIMs installed for our next trip.” — u/Aprehensive_Ant3436
- Unhappy Redditors: There was a thread from December 2024 where people complained about service not working in Japan, specifically. But others replied in the thread saying they’d had no issues, so it may just be a phone model thing. Who knows. Tech stuff is weird.
Naomi Lai
Naomi is a Canadian travel editor and writer with 13 years of international travel across Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, New Zealand, and beyond. She covers everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel — always from personal experience.
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