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

You've narrowed your trip's eSIM down to three names, and each one looks like the right choice on its own page. Airalo vs Nomad vs Saily is closer than it looks, because all three sell a travel eSIM for the same countries, often on the same networks. My top pick for most trips is Airalo, because it gives you the longest time to start a plan and sells unlimited data in every country below.

Saily is my pick for unlimited data. Nomad is my pick for fixed data at a low regular price.

My picks

• Best for most trips: Airalo, 365 days from purchase to start the plan, unlimited plans in all six countries below with 3 GB or 5 GB a day at full speed, top-ups onto the same eSIM, the eSIM I use.
• Cheapest 10 GB plan in the USA: Nomad, $15.00 for 30 days against $22.50 with Airalo, hotspot allowed on every plan, starts by itself 60 days after purchase.
• Best unlimited data: Saily, 5 GB a day without a speed limit, then up to 1 Mbps, hotspot on every plan here, 7-day unlimited plans in all six countries below.

Prices checked on October 5, 2026, at regular prices.

In this article

• Airalo vs Nomad vs Saily: the key differences
• Prices compared: 10 GB for 30 days in six countries
• Unlimited data: how much full speed you get a day
• Networks and 5G: which is more reliable?
• Airalo vs Saily: which is better?
• Nomad vs Airalo: which one is better?
• Saily vs Nomad: which is better?
• Which is best for Europe? Regional plans compared
• Airalo, Nomad or Saily? My verdict for 2026

Airalo vs Nomad vs Saily: the key differences

The key differences between Airalo, Nomad and Saily are the waiting time before a plan starts, the hotspot and the phone number.

Read my full Airalo eSIM review for prices in other countries, what buyers say and my verdict. Compare today's Airalo prices and plans for every country here on eSIM Spotter.

Airalo gives you 365 days from purchase to start a plan, and the days count only from the first connection to a network in the country you bought it for.

Proof: Airalo confirms 365 days from purchase to start using the eSIM, on its Spain plan

Nomad gives you 60 days from purchase to activate most of its plans, and after that a plan starts by itself, whether you've landed or not.

Proof: Nomad confirms you activate the plan within 60 days of purchase, after which it starts by itself

Saily asks you to install the eSIM within 30 days of purchase, and the plan starts by itself when you arrive.

Say you buy in March for a trip in early July. The Airalo plan waits. Nomad's plan starts by itself before you fly, and its days run while you're still at home. With Saily, buy closer to the trip and install the eSIM inside those 30 days.

Picture a host in London who answers only regular calls and texts, not WhatsApp, and on a data-only plan there's no local number to reach them from. Airalo includes a +1 US number in its Discover+ global plan, and some of its country plans, the UK's for example, come with local calls and texts.

A Saily eSIM adds an optional US number with a call and text plan, after identity verification. Nomad's plans are data only, except a few with a local number, such as the UK calling plans and the 30-day unlimited plan in Thailand. WhatsApp calls work with all three.

Prices compared: 10 GB for 30 days in six countries

At regular prices on October 5, 2026, a 10 GB plan for 30 days costs from $10.00 to $22.99 across Airalo, Nomad and Saily in the six countries below. Which brand costs least changes by country.

Prices checked on October 5, 2026. For a US trip, Nomad's 10 GB plan is the cheapest of the three at regular prices, $15.00 against $22.50 with Airalo.

Nomad's regular price is the lowest of the three in the USA, the UK, Italy and Thailand, and in Spain it ties with Airalo at $14.00. Japan is the one row where Saily's $17.99 is the lowest regular price. Airalo and Nomad charge $18.00.

Airalo and Saily charge close to the same for 10 GB, for example $22.50 and $22.99 in the USA, with Saily lower in Japan, Thailand and the UK. In the USA, Italy and Spain, Airalo is lower.

Say you spend two weeks in Italy on one 10 GB plan, with hotel Wi-Fi covering the evenings and the eSIM handling maps, train tickets and photos by day. You get the same 10 GB with each brand, at $18.50 with Nomad and $19.00 with Airalo. Saily charges $20.99.

You can compare more providers in one place: click the button below.

Compare eSIM plans by country

Unlimited data: how much full speed you get a day

On unlimited plans, Saily gives 5 GB a day at full speed, Airalo 3 GB or 5 GB by country and Nomad 2 GB. After that, all three slow to 1 Mbps. Saily does offer unlimited data plans, and so do Airalo and Nomad. The table shows their 7-day plans.

Prices checked on October 5, 2026. For unlimited data, the full-speed amount a day decides more than the price.

In Japan, Saily's Unlimited plan gives 5 GB a day at full 4G/5G speed, then 1 Mbps for the rest of the day.

Proof: Saily confirms its Unlimited plan in Japan gives 5 GB a day at full 4G/5G speed, then 1 Mbps for the rest of the day

Airalo's amount depends on the country. Its unlimited plans give 5 GB a day in the USA, Italy, Thailand and Spain, and 3 GB in Japan and the UK, then 1 Mbps until the day resets.

Nomad's 7-day unlimited plan in Japan gives 2 GB a day at 4G/5G, then 1 Mbps.

Proof: Nomad confirms 2 GB a day at 4G/5G on its Japan 7-day unlimited plan, then 1 Mbps

The same 2 GB applies on the 7-day plans in the USA, the UK, Italy and Spain. In Japan, 7 days of unlimited data cost $25.00 with Nomad and $26.50 with Airalo at regular prices.

What does a day's amount mean in practice? YouTube uses about 0.6 GB an hour, Netflix about 0.8 GB. A film plus an evening of video uses up a 2 GB day and most of a 3 GB day. Maps and messages hardly count, about 0.1 GB an hour.

I recommend Saily for unlimited data, because it gives 5 GB a day at full speed in every country here, against Airalo's 3 GB in Japan and the UK. Elsewhere both give 5 GB.

Picture a day of video calls and streaming in a hotel with weak Wi-Fi, all of it on the eSIM. Once the day's full-speed data is used, the speed drops. All three go to 1 Mbps. Maps and messages still work at 1 Mbps, and full-speed video comes back after the reset, at local midnight with Saily or 24 hours after activation with Airalo and Nomad.

Networks and 5G: which is more reliable?

None of the three owns a network. Which of Airalo, Nomad and Saily is more reliable comes down to the local network in your country, because each runs on big local networks, often the same ones.

In Japan all three list KDDI and SoftBank. If you're headed to the USA, Airalo puts you on T-Mobile or Verizon with 5G, and Nomad on AT&T or Verizon. Saily names no US network, only 3G to 5G depending on the local network. In the UK, Airalo runs on EE alone, marked 4G.

In Spain, my phone connected to Orange, and a speed test showed 198 Mbps down and 28.3 Mbps up. On Orange I used WhatsApp, sent work emails and watched YouTube in 1080p. I work online, so my laptop also went online through the phone's hotspot.

In Portugal the connection was fast too, with a very good signal, and I used the eSIM on the phone and on the laptop. Airalo's Vietnam plan runs on a single network, VNPT. In Da Nang the connection was fast enough. Everything worked well.

Nomad and Saily I haven't used myself, and for them I go by the networks they list, which in Spain means Orange and Movistar for Nomad. Saily names none there.

You land in Tokyo, the plane is still rolling to the gate, and the phone shows a Japanese network before anyone stands up. With Airalo that's SoftBank or KDDI, with Nomad KDDI au or SoftBank, and Saily names KDDI and SoftBank, adding 5G across major cities, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka among them.

Airalo vs Saily: which is better?

Airalo is better than Saily if you buy early or want a phone number inside the plan, and Saily is better for more unlimited data in Japan or the UK. Saily vs Airalo on unlimited is 5 GB a day against 3 GB there, and 5 GB each everywhere else in the table.

Airalo gives 365 days to start. That's the longest of the three. For a phone number, Airalo's Discover+ includes a +1 US number, while a Saily eSIM adds one with a call and text plan.

Saily alone builds a virtual location, an ad blocker and web protection into every plan at no extra cost, with the rest of its details in the Saily eSIM review. Airalo or Saily for a fixed 10 GB plan comes down to the country you fly to, for example $19.00 with Airalo and $18.99 with Saily in the UK. Compare today's Saily prices and plans for every country here on eSIM Spotter.

Go with Saily if your week is Tokyo or London on unlimited data, because 5 GB a day at full speed is more than Airalo's 3 GB there. I recommend Airalo when you buy early, because 365 days to start covers a trip you book months ahead.

Nomad vs Airalo: which one is better?

Nomad is the better one for a fixed data plan at a low regular price, and Airalo for unlimited data and for buying early. Airalo vs Nomad on a 10 GB plan is settled by the country you fly to.

On 7-day unlimited plans, Nomad gives 2 GB a day in the USA, Japan, the UK, Italy and Spain, where Airalo gives 3 GB or 5 GB. Nomad sells no 7-day unlimited plan in Thailand, its unlimited plans can't be refunded anywhere, and Airalo gives 365 days to start against Nomad's 60.

Picture a 10-day road trip across the US on a fixed plan, with the phone running maps all day and the music downloaded before you leave. Then the 10 GB price is the thing you compare. Nomad charges $15.00. Airalo charges $22.50.

My pick for fixed data on a budget is Nomad, because its 10 GB plan is the lowest regular price in the USA, the UK, Italy and Thailand. I recommend Airalo over Nomad when the trip is months away or runs on unlimited data, because its plans wait and give 3 GB or 5 GB a day.

In Japan and Spain the fixed price doesn't decide Airalo or Nomad, because at regular prices both charge the same for 10 GB, $18.00 in Japan and $14.00 in Spain. Nomad's other rules are in the Nomad eSIM review. Compare today's Nomad prices and plans for every country here on eSIM Spotter.

Saily vs Nomad: which is better?

Saily is better than Nomad for unlimited data, and Nomad for a fixed 10 GB plan, lower at regular prices in every row of the table except Japan. On 7-day unlimited plans, Nomad vs Saily is 2 GB a day against 5 GB in the USA, Japan, the UK, Italy and Spain. In Japan, Saily's $17.99 sits under Nomad's $18.00 at regular prices.

For a phone number, Saily adds a US number with a call and text plan. Nomad includes a local number on a few plans only, such as the UK calling plans and the 30-day unlimited plan in Thailand.

My pick for a week of video is Saily, because it gives 5 GB a day at full speed where Nomad gives 2 GB. Saily is a good alternative to Nomad when you need more unlimited data a day, for a film every evening or video calls by day.

Picture a week in London with a film on your phone every evening, where both brands sell 7 days of unlimited data, Saily at $26.99 and Nomad at $25.00. You notice the daily amount, not the price.

Which is best for Europe? Regional plans compared

For a trip through several European countries, my pick is Nomad's Europe plan, because it covers the UK and Switzerland at the lowest regular price below, $23.00 for 10 GB. Each brand sells a regional Europe plan, and all four plans below include the UK. Saily vs Airalo for Europe is the close one, because both plans cover Switzerland too, so price decides. Between Airalo's own two plans, Switzerland decides, because the EU + UK plan leaves it out.

Prices checked on October 5, 2026. Nomad's Europe plan is the lowest regular price for 10 GB in the table, at $23.00, and it includes the UK and Switzerland.

Saily vs Airalo for Europe goes to Airalo on price. My recommendation for European travel is Airalo over Saily, because its Europe plan covers the UK and Switzerland just the same at $31.00 for 10 GB, against $35.99 with Saily. Go with Nomad if you want the lowest price of all four, because its $23.00 plan covers both countries too.

Say you spend a week across London, Paris and Barcelona. Any plan in the table works, because all four include the UK, so you land at Heathrow, take the train to Paris and fly on to Barcelona on one eSIM. Add a day in Zurich, and Airalo's EU + UK plan no longer covers you. The full list of regional options is in best eSIM for Europe.

See Nomad's Europe plan

Airalo, Nomad or Saily? My verdict for 2026

Of Airalo, Nomad and Saily, my top pick for most travelers is Airalo, the eSIM I use, because a plan waits 365 days and every country here has unlimited data. Which is better, Airalo or Saily, depends on how much video fills your day, and Airalo vs Nomad vs Saily comes down to three kinds of trips.

Go with Saily if you stream every evening or spend the day on video calls, because 5 GB a day at full speed comes in every country of the table. For a laptop on the hotspot all day, I recommend Airalo, because it sets no limit on tethering on its unlimited plans.

Take Nomad if you want a fixed 10 GB plan at the lowest regular price in the USA, the UK, Italy or Thailand. I recommend Airalo when you buy months ahead. A plan bought in winter still waits for the summer.

Nomad's 7-day unlimited plans are the one thing I don't recommend if your day has video in it, because they give 2 GB a day at full speed. Airalo gives 3 GB or 5 GB. Saily gives 5 GB.

See Airalo's plans