Airalo vs Saily: Which Travel eSIM Should You Buy in 2026?

Verdict: Airalo is the better default because its prices match Saily's almost to the cent and it adds calls and SMS plans, 3 to 365 day validity, and wider regional coverage. Saily is the better pick if you want a single reusable eSIM, faster in-app support, and a much higher Trustpilot score (4.7 against 4.1).

By Marcus Vane

October 12, 2026 21 min read

Airalo is the better default for most travelers, because it costs about the same as Saily on every plan we compared and it covers more situations, including plans with calls and SMS. Saily is the better pick if you only need data, want one eSIM you can reuse across trips, and care about support that answers quickly.

The price gap people expect between these two mostly does not exist. On the Japan plans we checked, Saily came in one cent under Airalo on the 5 GB, 10 GB, and 20 GB bundles. The real differences are in the plan menu, the app, and what happens when something breaks.

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Airalo prices below were read from Airalo’s live store in US dollars on October 12, 2026. Saily blocks automated page checks, so its prices come from the Saily plan listings tracked by eSIMDB, Jetpac, and Surfshark. Confirm the final number in the checkout before you pay. For a wider field than these two, see our guide to the best eSIM for international travel.

Airalo vs Saily at a glance

	Airalo	Saily
Destinations	200+	200+
Plan types	Data only, data with calls and SMS, unlimited	Data only, unlimited (5 GB per day cap)
Validity	3 to 365 days	5 to 365 days
Trustpilot score	4.1 from 47,080 reviews	4.7 from 32,227 reviews
App store ratings	4.7 iOS, 4.6 Android	4.7 iOS, 4.9 Google Play (per Travel eSIM Expert)
Owner	Independent, launched 2019	Nord Security, launched 2024

The Trustpilot numbers were read from both profiles on October 12, 2026. The rest comes from the providers’ own pages and the comparison sites cited below.

Price: nearly identical on the same plan

Start with the plans most travelers actually buy. Here is Japan, with prices in US dollars.

Plan	Airalo	Saily
5 GB, 30 days	$11.00	$10.99
10 GB, 30 days	$18.00	$17.99
20 GB, 30 days	$25.00	$24.99
Unlimited, 7 days	$26.50	$28.99 (5 GB per day, then 1 Mbps)

Saily wins the 30-day bundles by a cent, and Airalo wins the 7-day unlimited plan by $2.49. That is a wash. Small starter plans are also a wash: Jetpac lists Saily at $3.99 for 1 GB and 7 days in Japan and the US, while Airalo’s 1 GB plan is $4.00 but lasts 3 days.

Europe and global plans follow the same pattern. Airalo’s Europe plan runs $5.00 for 1 GB (3 days), $19.50 for 5 GB (30 days), and $31.00 for 10 GB (30 days). Jetpac lists Saily Europe from $4.99 for 1 GB and 7 days. For a global eSIM, Airalo charges $8.50 for 1 GB (7 days) and $35.00 for 5 GB (60 days), against Saily’s $8.99 and $33.99.

The practical rule is simple. Do not choose between these two on price. Choose on the features below, then check both checkouts for a first-order discount code.

This is where Airalo pulls ahead. Its United States page alone lists fixed-data plans from 1 GB for 3 days ($4.00) up to 50 GB for 30 days ($42.00), data-plus-calls bundles, and unlimited plans from 3 to 30 days. Airalo also sells plans with validity up to 365 days, which suits long stays.

Saily sells fewer shapes. Its plans are data bundles and an unlimited tier, and the unlimited tier is not unlimited in the way the name suggests. On the Saily Japan listing, unlimited plans give 5 GB of high-speed data per day and then throttle to 1 Mbps. Airalo’s unlimited plans have a limit too: full speed (up to 20 Mbps) for the first 3 GB each day, then about 1 Mbps. Read the fine print on either one before you plan a week of streaming.

Coverage breadth is close. Both advertise more than 200 destinations. Jetpac reports Airalo’s global plan covers 137 countries and Saily’s covers 121, and it cites Saily gaps in North Macedonia and some Caribbean and Pacific islands. If your route is unusual, check the exact country list before you buy.

Photo: Airalo

Calls and SMS: only one of them offers a number

Airalo sells data, calls, and texts bundles in many countries. In the United States, a 5 GB plan with 50 minutes and 50 SMS for 30 days is $19.00, against $13.50 for the same 5 GB as data only. Jetpac also lists an Airalo Discover+ plan that includes a US number, voice, and SMS in 137 countries.

Saily is data only on standard plans. Surfshark reports a US number add-on for $0.99 per month, but treat that as a third-party figure and confirm it in the app. Whichever you pick, a data-only eSIM does not replace your home number. Keep your regular SIM active for two-factor codes, and use WhatsApp or similar apps for calls. Our eSIM vs physical SIM guide covers how to run both at once.

App and support: Saily has the edge

Saily uses one reusable eSIM profile, which means a new purchase lands on the same profile instead of a fresh QR code. Jetpac notes that Airalo installs a separate profile for each local plan. That adds a step every time you change countries, and it is the main reason people call Saily simpler.

Support also favors Saily. Travel eSIM Expert measured about one minute to reach a person in Saily’s in-app chat, against about nine minutes on Airalo’s WhatsApp chat. Surfshark, a rival of Saily’s parent company, says Airalo users report delays of up to 24 hours on tickets. Both companies refund eSIMs that never activate. Surfshark and the Reddit summaries it cites say Saily’s refunds are quicker, but Surfshark competes with Saily’s parent company, so treat that as a lean, not a measurement.

Trustpilot says the same thing. Saily scores 4.7 from 32,227 reviews, and its reviewers praise easy setup and fast agents. Airalo scores 4.1 from 47,080 reviews, with 16 percent of them at one star. Airalo’s recurring complaints are connection drops, trouble activating profiles, and data that ran out faster than expected.

Speed and reliability

Both run on local carrier networks, so speed depends on the country more than the brand. In Travel eSIM Expert’s September 2026 tests, Saily ranked first in the UAE and the UK and posted a 753 Mbps download in South Korea, while Airalo’s best result was 567 Mbps in France. That site earns affiliate commission, and its numbers come from single test runs, so read them as a direction, not a guarantee.

The honest caveat for Saily is routing. One reviewer on eSIMDB reported that Saily’s Japan eSIM routed traffic through Hong Kong, which broke access to ChatGPT. Trustpilot reviewers also report dropped connections abroad. Airalo’s profile has the same complaint, so keep a backup plan, such as a second eSIM, for trips where connectivity is not optional.

Airalo

Airalo is the safer all-rounder. It matches Saily on price, sells calls and SMS bundles, and offers the widest range of validity periods, so you can buy exactly the plan your trip needs.

The honest negative is support and consistency. A 4.1 Trustpilot score with 16 percent one-star reviews is a real warning, and a nine-minute chat wait is a problem when you are stuck at an arrivals gate.

Check plans at Airalo

Saily

Saily is the better pick for a data-only traveler who wants the simplest app. One reusable eSIM, a 4.7 Trustpilot score, and in-app chat that answers in about a minute add up to the least stressful setup of the two.

The honest negatives are a smaller plan menu and a younger track record. Saily launched in 2024, so it has fewer years of country-by-country reliability reports than Airalo, and it sells no calls bundles. Its unlimited plans also drop to 1 Mbps after 5 GB per day.

Check plans at Saily

Which one should you buy?

If you want a plan with calls and texts, buy Airalo. It is the only one of the two with data, calls, and SMS bundles, such as 5 GB with 50 minutes for $19.00 in the US.
If you travel to one country and just need data, buy Saily. The price matches Airalo’s, and the reusable eSIM and faster chat make the trip easier to manage.
If your route crosses many countries, buy Airalo. Its Europe plan covers 41 countries on a single purchase and its global plan covers 137.
If you are taking a long stay, buy Airalo. Its plans run up to 365 days at fixed prices, such as 20 GB for $66.00 on the global plan.
If you want a cheaper per-GB plan in Europe, consider Nomad. Its 10 GB, 30-day Europe plan is $23.00, against Airalo’s $31.00. Read our Nomad eSIM review before you commit.

For country-specific picks, see our best eSIM for Europe and best eSIM for the USA guides.

FAQ

Is Saily cheaper than Airalo?

Not meaningfully. On the 30-day Japan bundles Saily is one cent cheaper, and on 7-day unlimited Airalo is $2.49 cheaper. Prices vary by destination, so compare both checkouts for your own country.

Does Saily or Airalo give you a phone number?

Airalo sells plans with voice and SMS in some countries, so you get calls and texts on those plans. Saily is data only on standard plans. In both cases, keep your home SIM active for verification codes.

Is Saily a good eSIM provider?

Saily is a solid pick for data-only travel. It is made by Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN, and it holds a 4.7 on Trustpilot. It launched in 2024, so it has a shorter track record than Airalo.

Can I use Airalo or Saily on any phone?

Your phone must support eSIM and, in most cases, not be locked to a single carrier. Check the provider’s device list before you buy, and ask your carrier to lift the lock first if one is in place.