Airalo vs Nomad vs Saily: Which eSIM Is Cheaper? (2026)

Quick verdict: which one is actually cheaper?

There is no permanent cheapest provider among these three. The answer changes by destination, allowance, validity, and promotion. The table below preserves our June 3, 2026 catalog snapshot and separates a headline floor from the price of a larger plan.

• Cheapest typical price-per-GB: Saily. Its catalog is smaller, but on the popular destinations we checked, Saily's mid-size plans had the lowest price-per-GB more often than not.
• Cheapest entry price and best 5G availability: Nomad. Nomad's cheapest plan in each major country lands around $1.00 per GB, and more of its plans are tagged with 5G than either rival in our data.
• Largest catalog in this snapshot: Airalo. It listed more plans and destinations than the other two, so it is worth checking first for less common destinations. Availability and price still need to be verified for the exact trip.

Use these results to choose which catalogs to inspect, not as a current quote or a service-quality ranking. We did not buy, activate, or test any plan for this comparison.

Price per GB compared (Europe, Japan, USA, Thailand)

Price-per-GB is the single most useful number for a "cheapest eSIM" decision, because a $5 plan with 1 GB is far more expensive per gigabyte than a $20 plan with 10 GB. The table below shows the lowest price-per-GB ("from") we currently list for each provider across four popular destinations.

Destination	Airalo (from)	Nomad (from)	Saily (from)
Europe / France	$1.12 / GB	$1.00 / GB	$1.52 / GB
Japan	$1.20 / GB	$1.00 / GB	$1.09 / GB
USA	$1.62 / GB	$1.00 / GB	$1.76 / GB
Thailand	$0.88 / GB	$1.00 / GB	$0.85 / GB

In the June 3 snapshot, Nomad had the lowest entry floor in several major countries, but that floor was usually attached to a small starter plan. Among the 5-20 GB offers in our sample, Saily's median price per GB was about $1.45-$2.66 depending on destination, versus roughly $2.67-$3.67 for Airalo and Nomad. This describes the captured catalog, not the service quality or the best choice for every traveler. Promotions, allowance, validity, and unused data can change the result.

These are June 3, 2026 snapshots. Use the eSIM data calculator to size the plan, then compare the current total price and price per GB at that allowance. The lowest unit price can require buying far more data than you need.

Coverage and country count

If your destination is mainstream, all three cover it. The difference shows up at the edges, microstates, the Caucasus, smaller island nations, where a bigger catalog means you are less likely to come up empty.

Provider	Countries covered	Plans in our catalog
Airalo	201	2,886
Nomad	207	1,195
Saily	151	683

Nomad edges out Airalo on raw country count (207 vs 201), but Airalo lists more than twice as many plans, which usually means more data sizes and validity options per country. Saily covers 151 countries, plenty for almost any normal trip, but it is the one most likely to miss an unusual destination or a niche regional bundle. If you are heading somewhere off the beaten path, the breadth of Airalo or Nomad is worth more than a small per-GB saving. For a worked example of how "coverage" can quietly exclude places, see our guide on the best eSIM for Europe, which explains why "Europe" plans often skip the Balkans and Caucasus.

5G and hotspot support

5G: in our catalog, Nomad tags the largest share of its plans as 5G-capable, followed by Airalo, which flags 5G on many (but not all) of its plans. Saily's plans are not tagged with 5G in our data; that may reflect how the data is published rather than a hard "no 5G," so if 5G speed is a priority, confirm it on the Saily provider page before buying. As a rule of thumb, 5G matters most in places with dense 5G networks, Japan, South Korea, major European and US cities, and barely matters on a beach in rural Thailand where 4G is the realistic experience anyway.

Hotspot / tethering: this is the honest gap. Our catalog does not currently flag hotspot support for Airalo, Nomad, or Saily, so we will not pretend to know. Tethering terms are also the thing most likely to surprise you, plenty of "unlimited" or large plans quietly restrict it. If you need to share your connection with a laptop or a travel companion, treat hotspot as unverified and confirm it on the specific plan's checkout page before you pay. Our realistic eSIM guide for digital nomads explains why hotspot terms, not headline data, are what actually matter when you work on the road.

When to pick each provider

Inspect Saily first where the dated sample shows a low price for the allowance you need.

Inspect Nomad first where the host network or 5G field is important and confirmed on the exact plan.

Inspect Airalo first when the dated catalog has more sizes or a destination the other two do not list.

Size the allowance with the eSIM data calculator, then compare all three at that exact size and validity.

Sources and limits

Catalog figures are a snapshot dated June 3, 2026. Provider-level terms should be checked on the official Airalo, Nomad, and Saily websites. The latest eSIM Spotter catalog refresh attempt failed, so none of the static prices or counts above is a live quote. We did not test checkout, activation, network performance, hotspot, support, or refunds.