eSIM Review
Saily is the eSIM service from Nord Security — the same company behind NordVPN and NordPass. Built for international travelers who want mobile data abroad without paying carrier roaming fees, Saily competes with Airalo and Holafly in a category that has exploded since 2022. Here's how it actually performs.
Overview
Saily is an eSIM (embedded SIM) service launched by Nord Security in 2024. It lets you buy mobile data plans for international destinations directly through a smartphone app, without needing to swap physical SIM cards or pay your home carrier's roaming rates.
The category Saily competes in — eSIM travel data — has grown explosively since major iPhones went eSIM-only in the US in 2022 and Google added eSIM support across the Pixel line. Airalo dominated early, with Holafly and Truphone capturing significant share. Saily is the newest meaningful entrant from a major consumer brand.
For the VPNStreamGuide audience, Saily matters because it solves the OTHER half of the international-travel problem. NordVPN handles geo-restricted streaming and privacy on hotel Wi-Fi. Saily handles getting connected at all — when the airport Wi-Fi is broken, when you land in a country where your home plan charges $10/MB roaming, when you need maps + translate + WhatsApp the moment you walk off the plane.
Why eSIM beat physical SIMs for travel: No swapping cards (your home number stays active for SMS-based 2FA), no waiting for shipping, no risking losing the tiny SIM-eject tool, no worrying about fitting in a foreign carrier's bureaucracy. The setup is one QR code scan and you're connected.
How It Works
The activation flow is identical across major eSIM apps including Saily, but for someone who has never used an eSIM the process is non-obvious. Here's exactly what happens:
Open the Saily app, search for the country (or regional bundle — Europe, Asia, Caribbean), and pick a data plan. Plans are sized by data volume (1GB, 3GB, 5GB, 20GB) and duration (7 days, 15 days, 30 days). Buy with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card.
The app generates a QR code (or installs the eSIM profile directly on iPhone). On Android, you scan the QR code from your phone settings. On iPhone, tap "Install" and the profile loads in seconds. This step happens once per data plan.
Most plans activate the moment your phone connects to a partner network in the destination country, not the moment you buy. So you can buy in advance, install before you fly, and the clock only starts when you actually land.
Your home eSIM/SIM stays active for SMS, calls, and 2FA codes. Saily handles all your data: maps, social media, browsing, video. You can switch which line is "primary for data" in your phone's cellular settings any time.
Coverage
Saily offers data plans across the major travel destinations and regional bundles. Coverage is built on partnerships with local mobile operators, not on Nord-owned infrastructure (this is true of every eSIM provider — none own cellular networks). What matters is which local operators they've partnered with in each country, since that determines actual signal strength and speed.
Comprehensive coverage across all EU countries, UK, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland. Regional "Europe" bundle covers 30+ countries on a single plan — useful for multi-country trips. Local plans (single-country) are typically cheaper if you're staying in one place.
Strong coverage in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Regional Asia bundle for multi-country trips. Coverage in mainland China is more limited — verify on the official site if China is on your itinerary.
Full coverage in the US, Canada, Mexico, and most of South America. The Caribbean is well-covered for cruise itineraries. North America regional bundle covers US + Canada + Mexico for travelers driving across borders.
Coverage in major destinations — UAE, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya — plus regional Africa bundles. Smaller countries may have limited or no coverage; check before you fly.
Coverage detail to verify: Saily's network of local partners updates frequently as deals are renegotiated. Always check the specific country on the official Saily site before booking — what's covered today may not be what's covered six months from now, and vice versa.
Skip the roaming fees on your next international trip. Saily's pay-as-you-go data plans start at a few dollars and activate the moment you land.
Browse Saily Data PlansCompetitive Position
Airalo is the dominant eSIM brand by name recognition and market share. It's been around longer (launched 2019), has more aggressive partner-network coverage in some smaller countries, and a slightly more polished referral program. Saily's three differentiators:
Saily inherits Nord Security's privacy-first ethos. eSIM providers see all your data routing — they're effectively your mobile carrier. For users who picked NordVPN specifically because they trust Nord with sensitive routing, Saily extends that trust to mobile data. Airalo doesn't have an equivalent privacy reputation.
One Nord account works across NordVPN, NordPass, NordProtect, and Saily. One billing, one customer support, one dashboard. For users already paying Nord for other services, Saily slides into the existing relationship.
Pricing is broadly competitive with Airalo on most popular destinations. Where Saily wins: regional bundles (Europe, Asia) often beat Airalo's per-country pricing for multi-country trips. Verify current pricing before each trip — the eSIM market is competitive enough that prices move month to month.
Where Airalo wins: Coverage breadth in smaller, less-traveled countries. Airalo's partner network is years deeper. If you're going somewhere obscure, check Airalo first. For mainstream travel destinations (Europe, popular Asia, Americas), Saily and Airalo are roughly comparable.
For Travelers
This isn't marketing fluff — it's the actual technical reality. International travel exposes you to two distinct connectivity problems, and they need different tools:
Solves: How do you have working mobile data in a country where your home plan charges $10/MB roaming? Without an eSIM (or a physical local SIM), you're stuck on hotel/airport/cafe Wi-Fi or paying ruinous roaming charges. Saily provides affordable cellular data wherever you go.
Solves: How do you keep streaming Netflix in your home country's library while abroad, AND not get your traffic snooped on hotel Wi-Fi? Without a VPN, your streaming services geo-restrict and your data is exposed on every public network. Read our NordVPN review →
Together, Saily handles "do I have data at all" and NordVPN handles "is that data going where I want privately." For a frequent international traveler, the combined cost is lower than a single roaming charge from most US carriers.
Assessment
Recommendation
If you take 3+ international trips per year, eSIM is dramatically cheaper than carrier roaming and dramatically less hassle than buying physical SIMs at every airport. Saily competes well in the major travel destinations where most trips happen.
NordVPN or NordPass users get account integration, unified billing, and the same trusted brand handling another piece of their digital travel infrastructure. The Nord ecosystem becomes meaningfully more valuable when you're abroad.
Your eSIM provider sees your traffic patterns by definition. If you care about that — and if you picked NordVPN for the same reason — Saily is the most-aligned option versus competitors that don't have a comparable privacy ethos.
Saily's regional bundles (Europe, Asia, Americas) make multi-country trips much cleaner than buying separate per-country plans. One purchase, one eSIM profile, multiple borders.
Who should look elsewhere: If you're traveling somewhere genuinely off the beaten path (smaller African or Central Asian countries), check Airalo first — its partner-network breadth is unmatched. If you primarily need data for a single long-term stay (digital nomad living somewhere 6+ months), a local physical SIM bought in-country is usually cheapest, despite the friction.
Common Questions
Yes. Modern smartphones support multiple SIM lines simultaneously (one physical + one eSIM, or two eSIMs). Your home number stays active for SMS, calls, and SMS-based 2FA codes. Saily's eSIM handles cellular data only. You choose which line to use for outbound calls/SMS in your phone settings.
iPhone: XS and newer support eSIM. iPhone 14+ in the US is eSIM-only (no physical SIM slot). Android: most modern flagships support eSIM (Pixel 3+, Samsung Galaxy S20+, recent Sony Xperia, recent OnePlus). Some carrier-locked phones disable eSIM functionality even when the hardware supports it. Check Saily's compatibility checker on the official site.
Speed and convenience. eSIM activates in 90 seconds from your existing phone — no finding a kiosk, no language barrier with the agent, no waiting in line, no SIM-eject tool, no fitting your phone into a foreign carrier's signup process. The cost is broadly comparable for short trips (under 30 days). For longer stays, a local physical SIM is sometimes cheaper but always more friction.
They solve different problems and complement each other. Saily gives you cellular data in countries where your home plan would charge ruinous roaming. NordVPN keeps your traffic private on public Wi-Fi (essential at hotels and airports) and unblocks geo-restricted streaming services. For a frequent international traveler, having both costs less than a single roaming charge from most US carriers.
Saily, like all eSIM providers, depends on partnerships with local mobile operators. Coverage in any specific country can change. Always check the official Saily app or website for current coverage in your destination before purchasing. As a backup, consider keeping Airalo installed as a secondary option for destinations where Saily's coverage is thin.
Final Verdict
Saily is a credible, well-built eSIM service that competes well in the major travel destinations where most trips happen. It won't replace Airalo as the eSIM with the broadest country coverage, but it doesn't need to. For travelers who already trust Nord Security with VPN and password management, Saily is the natural completion of that ecosystem when you're abroad.
The privacy-first brand alignment matters more than most people initially think. Your eSIM provider sees every byte of mobile data you send. If you've ever thought "I picked NordVPN because I trust Nord with my routing," that same logic applies to Saily for your mobile data. Airalo and competitors don't have an equivalent privacy reputation — they're connectivity companies first, not security companies.
Our 8.5/10 reflects the trade-off: strong product, strongly aligned with Nord's brand values, slight category-maturity gap behind Airalo on coverage breadth in obscure destinations. For mainstream international travel — which is most international travel — Saily delivers.
Saily eSIM activates in 90 seconds, works in 200+ countries, and costs a fraction of carrier roaming. Buy before you fly, activate when you land.
Browse Saily PlansPay per trip · 8.5/10 · By Nord Security