Saily vs. Holafly: Which eSIM app should you choose in 2026?

Saily vs. Holafly: An overall comparison

Saily and Holafly are both eSIM services, allowing travelers to stave off high roaming charges and the inconvenience of searching for a local SIM card. Each of the two companies takes a unique approach to pricing, plan flexibility, and including extra features in their apps. Here’s a quick overview to compare where each eSIM service shines and falls behind.

This data was taken from each eSIM service provider’s website on September 8, 2025.

*As of September 8, 2025, Saily’s US$1.99 price applies to the 1 GB plan for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic (Czechia), and Mayotte only. As of the same date, Holafly’s US$3.90 plan price applies to 111 destinations. 

**As of September 8, 2025, Saily offers unlimited data plans in select destinations only — not all. 

In short, travelers should consider Saily for flexible, fixed data plan options, unlimited hotspot sharing for any plan, easy, one-time eSIM installation, extra perks with its subscription plans, and free, built-in security features that come with every plan. Consider Holafly if you’re a heavy data user who doesn’t mind paying slightly more, if you want unlimited plan options for all available destinations, and for more flexible subscription plan pricing options. 

What is the Saily eSIM app? 

Saily is an eSIM service offering flexible fixed and unlimited travel data plans for over 200 worldwide destinations. The app was designed to help travelers stave off high international roaming charges and offer a simpler mobile data option than finding a local SIM card. You can buy a prepaid mobile data plan through the Saily eSIM app or website and immediately receive instructions on how to install an eSIM (virtual SIM card) on your device. 

Saily was created by Nord Security, the same company behind leading VPN service provider NordVPN, and its developers have used their cybersecurity knowledge to integrate three unique security features — an ad blocker, web protection against malicious sites and trackers, and a virtual location feature that allows users to keep their online location more private by rerouting their IP address. If you’re looking for Holafly alternatives, you might want to check out Saily’s eSIM plan offerings and take a look at our Saily review page for real customer feedback before making your decision. 

What is the Holafly eSIM app? 

The Holafly eSIM app is another service for travelers to find mobile data plans and install an eSIM (digital SIM card) instead of relying on international roaming or local SIM cards. Holafly’s key focus is on offering unlimited data plans instead of fixed ones. It covers 271 destinations worldwide (which includes country plans, city plans, and regional plans). Since unlimited data plans are at the forefront of Holafly’s offerings, the eSIM service appeals to heavy data users. Holafly is a private, Dublin-based company launched in 2017 and is not owned by a larger entity. For a more detailed breakdown of the app’s pros, cons, and plan offerings, check out our Holafly review. 

Holafly vs. Saily: Pricing

When it comes to pricing schemes, Saily and Holafly take different approaches, making a one-to-one comparison tricky. Determining whether Saily or Holafly’s plans are cheaper depends on how much data you plan on using and how long your trip is. 

Holafly takes a pay-per-day pricing approach, where you pay for anywhere between 1 and 90 days of unlimited data usage per day. The more days you buy data for, the less you’ll pay per day. For example, with Holafly, one day of unlimited data in Thailand costs US$3.90, but a 15-day plan costs US$50.90 (US$3.39/day). Saily, on the other hand, offers various fixed plans (starting at 1 GB) as well as unlimited data plans in select destinations (e.g., France, Italy, Spain, and the UK). Since its cheapest plan price is US$1.99 for 1 GB of data valid over 7 days, Saily is a more budget-friendly option for light data users. 

The fairest way to compare Holafly and Saily’s data plan pricing is by focusing on each service’s unlimited data plans, valid over the same number of days, since Holafly currently does not offer fixed plans. However, we’ll also include Saily’s fixed data plan offerings that may appeal more to light data users in the table below.

These prices were taken from each eSIM service provider’s website — specifically, from each destination’s pricing page — on September 1, 2025.

As you can see, Saily currently offers slightly cheaper prices for unlimited data plans over 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 days in Thailand, Spain, and Europe. It’s also worth noting that Saily’s unlimited data plans also include three built-in security features and unlimited hotspot sharing — neither of which are included in Holafly’s offerings. As such, Saily’s unlimited plans for Thailand, Spain, and Europe are not only cheaper than Holafly’s but also offer better value at their price points. Both companies offer seasonal deals and promotions, too! Take advantage of the Saily coupon code for even more savings. 

And if you’re asking yourself whether you really need unlimited data, the answer depends on your internet habits. The benefit of unlimited data is that you won’t have to monitor your usage or hold yourself back — you won’t have to worry about going over your limit and having to top up. That said, if you’re not spending a whole lot of time streaming videos or music, you might pay for data you won’t actually use. If you mostly use your phone for maps, messaging, or the occasional Instagram story, a smaller Saily plan, like 5 GB, could help you save a decent chunk of money that you’d probably rather spend on your trip. 

Need help figuring out which plan will work for your trip? Take a moment to use our data usage calculator. 

Holafly vs. Saily: Coverage

Both Saily and Holafly offer plans in over 200 destinations — Saily in 210, and Holafly in 271. You can find country-specific, regional, and Global plans for both services, but Holafly also offers various city-specific and US-state plans. However, all of the cities and US states that Holafly offers plans for are covered by Saily’s plans for each associated country, with one exception — Moscow, Russia.

Take a look at the full list of differences between Saily and Holafly’s destination coverage:

Overall, it may first appear that Holafly offers wider coverage because of its city-specific and US state-specific plan offerings, bringing the company’s number of available destinations to 271. However, Saily's country plans also cover these locations, since they encompass entire countries (except for Moscow, Russia). Saily also covers more destinations excluded by Holafly’s eSIM offerings. As such, Saily currently offers a broader range of destinations than Holafly. 

With local data plans out of the way, let’s take a look at each eSIM service’s regional and global plan offerings. 

Holafly vs. Saily: A comparison of regional and global plans

Both Holafly and Saily offer regional data packages for Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean Islands. Saily combines Asia with Oceania in one package, while Holafly offers two separate plans. Both companies offer coverage in the Middle East as well, but Saily also includes North Africa into the regional package. In general, Holafly offers more regional packages and separate regional plans for the Balkans, Central America, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, China + Hong Kong + Macau, Japan + China, and Japan + Korea.

As you can see, Saily offers wider coverage with its Africa, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, and, especially, its Caribbean Islands plan. Holafly includes more destination offerings in its North America and Latin America plans. 

However, some of these discrepancies are explained by which regions certain destinations are lumped into. For instance, Holafly’s North America plan includes Mexico, while Mexico is included in Saily’s Latin America plan. Conversely, Egypt is part of Holafly’s Africa plan, while the country falls under Saily’s Middle East and North Africa plan. 

Both companies offer the same number of destinations in their Global plans. However, the available destinations are quite different:

Destinations covered by both Saily and Holafly’s Global plans: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. 

Destinations exclusively covered by Saily’s Global plan: Barbados, Bermuda, Ecuador, El Salvador, Faroe Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Honduras, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Montserrat, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Paraguay, Reunion, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Samoa, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos.

Destinations exclusively covered by Holafly’s Global plan: Algeria, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Liberia, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Tonga, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen, and Zambia. 

Holafly vs. Saily: A comparison of subscription plans

Monthly eSIM data subscription plans are designed for travelers who are always on the road and digital nomads who need reliable mobile data over longer periods. Both Saily and Holafly offer monthly subscriptions — Saily with its Ultra plan, and Holafly with its International Monthly plan, which currently has two tiers and a third in development. However, the pricing and perks of each eSIM service’s subscriptions vary significantly. 

The Saily Ultra plan is a premium monthly eSIM plan subscription designed for long-term travelers looking for unlimited, high-speed data in 113 countries worldwide with extra cybersecurity tools from Nord Security’s suite of products. 

Currently, you can choose from two tiers of the Holafly International Monthly plan — the Light plan and the Unlimited plan. Holafly has announced a third tier, the All in plan, that’s said to be released soon.

As you can see, the Saily Ultra plan offers far more extra perks than any tier of the Holafly International Monthly plan. If you don’t mind your data allowance being capped at 25 GB per month, then the cheapest monthly subscription would be Holafly’s Light monthly plan. However, Saily’s Ultra plan offers greater value compared to Holafly’s Unlimited monthly plan at a lower price point. 

Holafly vs. Saily: Network speed

When it comes to network speed, you won’t see much of a difference between Saily vs. Holafly. Saily offers 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G speeds, and Holafly’s website states that it offers 4G and 5G speeds. The caveat here is that just because internet speeds can go up to 5G doesn’t mean that’s the speed you’ll get. Ultimately, it’ll depend on the destination’s infrastructure and local network providers.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that slowdowns during peak usage hours or after you’ve used a certain amount of data due to the fair usage policy (FUP). However, slowdowns are not decided by Holafly or Saily, nor is the FUP exclusive to their services — local network providers reserve the right to enact the FUP, with some destinations having stricter policies than others. Notably, Saily outlines the kinds of speed and slowdowns to expect with its unlimited data plans, while Holafly’s website does not include an explicit numerical breakdown — it just says that slowdowns may occur if necessary.  

Saily vs. Holafly: User experience and customer support

Both Saily and Holafly offer clean, easy-to-use app interfaces. Setting up an eSIM is straightforward with either service, but one key difference exists — with Saily, you only need to install an eSIM once and can simply purchase new plans for future trips. With Holafly, you’ll need to install a new eSIM for each new plan you buy.

Though installing an eSIM should be smooth sailing, you may need a bit of help if it’s your first time. Luckily, both Saily and Holafly offer 24/7 customer support. 

If you’re looking to contact Saily’s customer support, you’ll have a few options:

• Access 24/7 live chat support in the app by going to “Help” > “Troubleshooting” > “Chat with us.”

• Easily request a refund through the Saily auto-refund center.

• For additional assistance with a refund request, go to “Help, then “Request a refund.” Log in using the same email you used to purchase your data plan, and then tap the chat icon in the bottom right corner.

To contact Holafly support, access its 24/7 live chat through the app or on its website, or contact the WhatsApp number found at the top of the company’s website. And if you ever find that your Holafly eSIM is not working during a trip, you can follow our step-by-step guide for extra troubleshooting support.

Is Holafly or Saily more trustworthy?

Both Holafly and Saily have commendable online reputations and are recommended by trusted travel service providers, tech reviewers, and influencers.  

Saily was created by the reputable Nord Security — the company behind leading VPN service provider NordVPN. In late 2024, Saily also became Lonely Planet’s #1 recommended eSIM app, garnered praise from PCMag, scored a high review from TechRadar, and won a Global Recognition Award. Though the company is relatively new to the eSIM app market, it has made enormous strides since its introduction. 

Holafly was launched in 2018 by a pair of passionate travelers and has remained one of the top choices for globetrotters looking for reliable internet access. 

When it comes to data security and privacy measures, Saily goes the extra mile. The Saily eSIM app includes security features that allow you to reroute your connection and keep your IP address private, block malicious sites, reduce online trackers, and thwart annoying ads. 

Both eSIM services are trusted and endorsed by folks in the travel and tech spheres, so the choice between Saily and Holafly comes down to what you value most. If you want a service backed by one of the biggest names in the cybersecurity industry that prioritizes online privacy and security, Saily should be your pick. If you’d prefer a service that’s been around for longer, Holafly may be right for you. 

Holafly vs. Saily: Which one has better reviews?

Both eSIM apps have received thousands of reviews across the App Store, the Google Play Store, and TrustPilot, with feedback highlighting both companies’ strong customer support and quick response times. The companies share similar scores across all three platforms.

Saily: 

• Combined rating across the App Store and Google Play Store: 4.7 ⭐ (97,400+ reviews)

• TrustPilot rating: 4.6/5 ⭐(9,000+ reviews)

Holafly:

• Combined rating across the App Store and Google Play Store: 4.7 ⭐ (84,400+ reviews)

• Holafly’s TrustPilot rating: 4.5/5 ⭐(61,600+ reviews)

On TrustPilot, Saily has received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Saily customers cite a quick and easy eSIM setup and clear step-by-step troubleshooting instructions given by its customer support team. Holafly’s customers celebrate the service for its unlimited data plan options and user-friendly eSIM setup. 

Additional features

Since Saily was created by the same cybersecurity company behind NordVPN, the app includes unique security features — namely, virtual location, ad blocker, and web protection. Not only do these features add an extra layer of online privacy for users, but they actually help keep your data usage down. More specifically, Saily’s ad blocker feature helps you use up to 28.6% less of your data. Ads take data to load, so enabling the ad blocker feature prevents annoying ads and saves that little bit of extra data. It’s a win-win. 

Holafly offers two tiers of its International Monthly eSIM subscription plan, with a third one on the way, making it a great service for long-term travelers looking for flexible subscription options. 

Saily vs. Holafly: The final verdict

Both Saily and Holafly have distinct benefits, but Saily stands out as the better choice for travelers looking for affordable mobile data plans. Saily offers more flexibility with a “pay for what you need” pricing model, which can start for as low as US$1.99 for 1 GB over 7 days. Now that Saily has introduced unlimited data plans in select destinations, its unlimited plan offerings are also slightly cheaper than Holafly’s. Saily has also integrated unique security features into its app, like the ability to keep your virtual location private, block ads, and get more protection against malicious sites and online trackers. And lastly, Saily offers unlimited hotspot sharing for all of its data plans. These combined reasons make Saily’s overall value higher than Holafly’s eSIM service. 

That being said, Holafly is still a standout eSIM service and offers some perks that Saily currently doesn’t, like unlimited data plans for all its available destinations and multiple tiers for its monthly subscription plans. The downside, however, is that travelers only have this “pay per day” option for unlimited data, so they may be paying for data they will not use and subsequently overspend. 

All in all, if you’re looking for Holafly alternatives, Saily offers great coverage, flexible plans, competitive pricing, and standout security features. 

This article was updated on September 8, 2025. Prices, plans, and coupon codes from both Saily and Holafly are subject to change over time.

We do our best to keep everything accurate and up to date, but eSIM service provider prices, plans, and features can change quickly. If you spot something that seems outdated or incorrect, feel free to get in touch with us at [email protected] — we’d really appreciate the heads-up!