Saily vs Nomad: which eSIM provider is better?

In this Saily vs Nomad comparison, I compare these two popular providers so you can see which is a better fit for you. Nomad has 5+ years of experience in the eSIM industry and many satisfied customers. Saily has an expert development team backed by some of the expert creators behind NordVPN. Its app is easy to use, reliable, and highly praised. So, it’s quickly making a name for itself as one of the best eSIMs.

So, which is better? This article thoroughly compares Saily and Nomad and focuses on everything from customer service and performance to pricing and additional features.

Saily vs Nomad: overall comparison

At first glance, Saily and Nomad have lots in common. Both eSIM providers offer 4G and 5G speeds, user-friendly apps, and support for 200+ countries and destinations. However, Saily’s pricing is more budget-friendly, starting at $1.79/month, compared to Nomad’s $4.00/month.

I have compiled a table below to summarize what each eSIM service offers.

	Saily	Nomad
Rating	4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Overall rank	#1 out of #11	#3 out of #11
Price	From $1.79 (1GB for seven days)	From $4.00 (1 GB for seven days)
Countries	200+ countries	200+ countries
Cellular network types	3G, 4G, and 5G	3G, 4G, 5G, and LTE
Phone call support	❌	❌
Mobile hotspot support	✅	✅
Customer service	24/7 live chat, help center, email	24/7 ticket support, FAQ

Nomad and Saily offer similar country and destination coverage – 200+. They also offer 24/7 customer support and user-friendly apps to install your eSIM. Aside from a slight price advantage for Saily, the choice between the two may come down to specific travel needs and preferences or availability in the country you are visiting.

Saily vs Nomad: data plans and pricing

Both Saily and Nomad have excellent data prices. Let’s compare the pricing plans for some of the most popular countries for travelers.

Country	Saily (1GB for 7 days)	Nomad (1GB for 7 days)
US	$3.79	$5.00
Japan	$3.79	$6.00
UK	$4.27	$4.50
Italy	$3.79	$4.50
Mexico	$5.69	$7.00
France	$3.79	$4.50
Spain	$3.79	$4.50

For those who travel for 7 days to another country, Saily’s data plans are more affordable. Saily's pricing is generally slightly lower than Nomad's, with the difference ranging from as little as $0.23 to more than $2.00, depending on the country and plan.

Saily’s deals are also simpler. Most of its supported countries have five data options, ranging from 7 to 30 days, and offer 1 to 20GB or unlimited. On the other hand, Nomad has more complex data options, regional bundles, and network-specific deals. It has a better selection of data plans, but it’s more than most travellers need.

Both Saily and Nomad offer plans where you pay for a fixed amount of data in a country for a set time. This flexibility makes both providers suitable for various travel durations.

If you’re unsure which eSIM provider is better, you can try both. Saily and Nomad have a 1GB short-term deal. Saily’s costs start from $1.79 for 1GB over 7 days, and Nomad’s is $ for 1GB over 1 day in many countries.

Saily and Nomad have a few different payment options, as shown in the table below.

	Saily	Nomad
Credit card	✅	✅
Debit card	✅	✅
PayPal	✅	✅
AmazonPay	❌	❌
UnionPay	❌	✅
Apple Pay	✅	✅
Google Pay	✅	✅
Sofort	❌	❌
Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others)	❌	❌

While Saily generally offers slightly lower prices for popular destinations, the difference is often minimal. Both providers offer competitive pricing and a range of plans to suit different needs. The best choice depends on your specific travel destinations and data requirements.

Saily vs Nomad: speed and coverage

Speed and coverage are two of the most important features to consider before buying an eSIM service. After all, you don’t want to pay for data you can’t use because of a lack of signal, unbearable buffering, and long loading screens.

Average speed

Saily and Nomad are two of the best eSIM service providers. You get access to the local country’s best and most reliable networks when you use either. So, both providers offer pretty similar speeds through 4G and 5G.

You can expect to get the same average speeds as locals. Your internet speed depends on factors such as your location, current network, time of day, and more. But here’s an estimate of what to expect from both providers overall regarding speed:

	Average download	Average upload
US	130Mbps	10Mbps
Japan	48Mbps	9Mbps
UK	50Mbps	8Mbps
Italy	39Mbps	10Mbps
Mexico	27 Mbps	11Mbps
France	98Mbps	9Mbps
Spain	47Mbps	47Mbps

Coverage

In terms of the number of countries covered, Saily and Nomad are closely matched, both covering over 200+ countries and regions.

However, if you’re a frequent international traveler, Nomad’s regional plans might interest you more. It has 11 in total, compared to Saily’s 9. These deals allow for multi-country data coverage in regions including Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. It even has a global plan that supports 106 countries.

So, if you’re a remote worker or are switching countries regularly, Nomad might work better for your needs. However, for single-country use, I recommend Saily.

Hence, in this category, there’s a draw between the two eSIM services.

Saily vs Nomad: user experience and customer support

Being so similarly priced, supporting mostly the same countries, and matching each other’s speeds – it’s clear that both providers are well-matched. However, after I tested Saily and Nomad’s customer experience, I can say that Saily is the better choice for most people overall.

User experience

You’re not going to run into any major difficulties navigating either eSIM site, finding data plans, or signing up.

However, our Nomad review revealed that the provider has more complex options, including renewal deals, regional bundles, and special network-specific options. Although this gives you more flexibility, it makes picking a plan more complicated than Saily's simple offerings (which are all most people need).

Signing up is easy on both sites. Saily and Nomad need minimal personal information and, to speed things up, you can sign up with your Google or Apple ID with either provider.

Saily and Nomad both have an Android app (available on the Play Store) and an iOS app (available on the App Store).

Both Saily and Nomad offer user-friendly apps for setting up and activating eSIMs. Once you've paid for your eSIM with either provider, you can open the eSIM plan details, press Install eSIM, and follow clear step-by-step instructions. Both apps provide links to support documents to assist with the process.

Both Saily and Nomad provide help guides for eSIM activation. While Saily's guides are particularly detailed with images, Nomad also offers comprehensive instructions to ensure a smooth setup process. Users of both services should find the activation process straightforward, though some may find Saily's visual aids especially helpful.

Both Saily’s and Nomad’s apps also include usage statistics where you can find out how much data you’ve used on your eSIM and how long until this data expires.

Customer service

During our Saily review, we discovered that this service is better than Nomad because it offers superior customer support.

However, these are our current conclusions for both services:

• Resources. Both providers have FAQ, setup guides, and a help center. But Saily answers commonly asked questions in much more detail, has easier-to-follow installation instructions with images, and has a far more comprehensive help center.
• Support options. Both providers have 24/7 support, ticket support, and an email option.
• Response times. Similar response times through 24/7 support options for both providers.

Saily and Nomad both offer user-friendly apps with similar functionality for eSIM setup and activation. Both providers offer 24/7 customer support, comprehensive help centers, and comparatively easy-to-follow installation instructions. The user experience is largely comparable between the two providers.

Saily vs Nomad: additional features

There are a few additional features you need to consider before you pick between Saily and Nomad, such as:

• Topping up. With Nomad, you can top up data as you please to a pre-existing eSIM. With Saily, a top-up is also possible. You just need to select to add a plan or data to your existing one.
• Voice calls. Neither Saily nor Nomad offers voice call services. But you can still use Wi-Fi calling services on both, for no extra charge, with apps like WhatsApp and Messenger.
• SMS. Saily doesn’t have any SMS packages, but it does have some of the best data-only eSIM plans. Nomad previously had a few SMS bundles for Canada and the US, but these are no longer available as of August 2024.
• Data sharing. Nomad and Saily support Wi-Fi hotspots. So, you can use your eSIM’s data on any Wi-Fi-supporting device for no additional fees.

Saily and Nomad have similar additional features, so it’s a draw in this category.

Conclusion: which eSIM is better?

Saily and Nomad are both excellent eSIM providers with reliable and fast speeds in a diverse range of countries. However, Saily comes out ahead in this review, offering slightly lower prices in many popular destinations and more helpful guides. However, both providers offer 24/7 customer support and user-friendly apps.

Ultimately, the decision between these two depends on your specific travel needs.

FAQ