Saily vs Holafly: which eSIM provider is better?

Saily and Holafly are top-notch eSIM providers that assist travelers with speedy internet access worldwide and eliminate expensive roaming charges.

Similar in purposes, they have significant differences. Saily is an expanding eSIM newcomer developed by the well-known NordVPN team. Saily focuses on user comfort and affordable internet access in popular travel destinations. Meanwhile, Holafly offers country or regional plans without limiting data, which increases the price tag.

Picking one can be challenging because both have worldwide coverage and exclusive features that the other lacks. But by the end of our Saily vs Holafly comparison, you'll know which eSIM best fits your travel needs!

Saily vs Holafly: overall comparison

Both eSIM services offer reliable internet access around the globe but significantly differ in price and plan flexibility. See the table below for more details.

Winner

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Saily and Holafly offer similar worldwide coverage and support 5G cellular networks for the best possible connection speed, but Saily emerges victorious by offering better prices. We also found Saily's eSIM setup and activation easier with helpful in-app guides.

Data plans and pricing

Saily offers more competitive prices but imposes a data cap. On the other hand, Holafly's strength is the unlimited data plans that come at an extra charge. Here's their price comparison for the most popular travel destinations:

Saily offers one of the cheapest eSIM plans worldwide. In favored travel destinations, 1GB of data for 7 days starts from just $3.99, and it is at most $6.99 in countries with the most expensive internet access.

Holafly, on the other hand, has more expensive plans but without data restrictions. For example, its unlimited data internet access in Spain costs $29.00 for 7 days, compared to Saily's $3.99. To put things in perspective, you can afford an additional tasty meal in an excellent Spanish restaurant if you don't require more than 1GB of data during your trip.

We recommend Holafly for travelers who want to make video calls or do some streaming and require more bandwidth. Simultaneously, you can get more data from Saily, costing $22.99 for 20GBs in Spain, which is still more affordable if you stay within the limits.

However, verifying available payment methods is essential before you depart if you need to order more abroad. Here are all the payment options these eSIMs offer.

Holafly takes the lead, providing Apple Pay and PayPal options that Saily has yet to implement. But if you're comfortable with Google Pay or credit card payments, Saily's better prices often outshine the competitors.

Winner

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Saily vs Holafly: speed & coverage

The best eSIM services must ensure speedy internet access covering popular tourist destinations. Otherwise, you might get stuck with a slow or no internet connection abroad.

Good worldwide coverage is essential to provide the best prices from local mobile carriers. Additionally, you can move between countries without worrying about getting online.

Average speed

The internet connection speed differs significantly per country. Because both eSIMs work with local mobile carriers, their speeds depend on the carrier's capabilities. However, Holafly and Saily support 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, which should meet your bandwidth demands.

It's worth noting that Holafly's unlimited data may experience a speed cap by a local mobile carrier if they notice too much activity. These fair usage policies may also apply to Saily's plans but are a rare occasion for gigabyte-limited plans.

Coverage

Regarding worldwide coverage, Holafly takes the lead. It covers 197 destinations and provides plans for entire regions like Europe or specific countries in the EU, like Estonia. The same applies to the US and its cities.

Saily only provides country-level plans for 150 destinations. Although its global reach is just as vast as Holafly's, the latter includes flexibility with more options. Furthermore, some of Holafly's city-level plans are cheaper than country-wide options.

Saily vs Holafly: user experience & customer support

We found both apps straightforward and user-friendly. Currently, Holafly's app is more feature-rich than the eSIM newcomer Saily. On the other hand, the latter's minimalistic design and in-app step-by-step activation guide are beneficial for eSIM beginners.

User experience

Holafly's app has four sections and lands on a shop screen with available destinations. Click on one to select your plan, and it will also warn you if your device is not compatible with eSIMs. On the bottom are My eSIMs and Guides sections with plan details, installation instructions, and a Profile with your information.

Similarly, Saily also opens on the shop screen showing travel destinations. Below are eSIMs and Profile sections with limited details, and that's about it. However, once you activate a plan in eSIMs, Saily issues helpful step-by-step instructions, making the process very easy.

Customer service

eSIM customer support must always be ready to assist travelers promptly. We contacted Saily's and Holafly's support via live chat and received answers within a few minutes, although Holafly misadvised us regarding phone number options but corrected the information asked twice.

Both services have in-app 24/7 chat, email support, FAQ sections, and guides on getting started. However, Holafly's website also has a blog that Saily currently lacks, so we call customer support a draw.

Saily vs Holafly: addition values

Besides the base and robust eSIM features, Holafly and Saily have only a few additional benefits, and we'd like to see more in the future.

Some Holafly plans allow setting up a hotspot to share your internet in a group, but it is limited to only 500MB per day due to unlimited data plans. Because Saily charges per gigabyte, it allows hotspots without boundaries, but be mindful of the increase in data consumption.

If you need more days or data while still abroad, both providers suggest ordering a new plan without exclusive top-up discounts.

Conclusion: which eSim is better?

Saily excels regarding pricing and a more user-friendly app but needs to catch up concerning customer support. Two hits out of three are still winners, so Saily is a better eSIM than Holafly on most occasions.

However, this was a close call. Holafly's unlimited data plans are much better if you use the internet to stream or upload hundreds of pictures daily while traveling. Saily offers better prices and large enough plans for care-free internet use but imposes reasonable data caps. Unless you plan to spend a lot of time online abroad, we recommend opting for Saily’s more affordable plans.

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