Nomad
Saily
Nomad vs Saily: Which eSIM Should You Buy?
Updated October 13, 2026
The Short Answer
Pick Saily if you're buying data for a normal trip and want the lower price, plus ad blocking and phishing protection you'd otherwise pay a VPN for. Pick Nomad if you'll be abroad for months and would rather pay once for a big bundle that stays valid for up to a year than keep buying small plans or sign up for a monthly subscription. On a single small plan, Saily is cheaper in every destination below, even after both discount codes.
The Core Difference: One Big Prepaid Bundle or a Monthly Subscription
Both sell ordinary country, regional, and global plans through an app, so the interesting split is what each one offers someone who travels for a long time. Nomad's answer is Global-EX: a prepaid bundle you buy once. On Nomad's own plan page today that's 10GB for 180 days at $39, or 20GB, 30GB, or 50GB valid for 365 days at $59, $79, and $129, covering 98 countries. The 50GB bundle works out to $2.58/GB, against $5.15/GB at the cheap end of Nomad's standard Global plan. Nothing renews and nothing bills you again.
Saily's answer is a subscription instead: Saily Ultra at $59.99/month bundles 30GB of high-speed data across 121+ destinations (then unlimited at 1Mbps), the full NordVPN/NordPass/NordLayer/Incogni suite, 8% cashback in Saily credit, and one airport lounge pass plus one fast-track security pass per month. That's good value only if you'd use the extras. If you just want a lot of data for a long trip, Nomad's one-off bundle is the simpler buy.
Saily is built in-house by Nord Security (the company behind NordVPN), so every plan, not just Ultra, ships with ad blocking, malware/phishing site blocking, and a virtual-location tool. It also uses one universal eSIM that keeps working as you cross into another supported country, rather than a separate profile per region.
Price Snapshot (before any code)
| Plan | Nomad | Saily |
|---|---|---|
| United States, 1GB | $5 (7 days) | $3.99 |
| Europe regional, 1GB | $5.50 (7 days) | $4.99 |
| Global, 1GB | $12 (7 days) | $8.99 |
| Long stay | $129 (50GB, 365 days, Global-EX) | $59.99/month (Ultra, 30GB high-speed) |
With codes applied (20% off Nomad, 15% off Saily), the 1GB plans come to $4.00 vs about $3.39 in the US, $4.40 vs about $4.24 in Europe, and $9.60 vs about $7.64 on Global, so Saily stays cheaper on small plans. Nomad's prices are from its own plan pages this month; Saily's are from our Saily page, since saily.com blocks our automated checks. Confirm the live price at checkout either way.
Discount Codes
- Nomad: NOMTRAVEL20 or NOMCYBER20, 20% off. Full code list →
- Saily: HELLOSAILY, 15% off all plans. Full code list →
Neither code is ours. Neither Nomad nor Saily runs the kind of affiliate program that gives us a code of our own, so these are the best public codes on each provider's page. Nomad's two 20% codes are tied, so either works.
Is Nomad or Saily the Right Pick
Go with Nomad if…
- You're abroad for months and want one prepaid bundle valid for up to 365 days, with no subscription
- You want to test the service first: new customers can claim a free 1GB trial eSIM
- You want 24/7 support over live chat as well as email
- You only need a little Europe data on an ongoing basis: the Nomad Pass, a $3 subscription that renews every 30 days, gives 1GB of Europe regional data each cycle
Go with Saily if…
- You want the lower price on a normal-sized trip, even after Nomad's bigger code
- You'd normally pay for a VPN or ad blocker separately when traveling
- You're crossing several borders and don't want a new eSIM in each region
- You fly often enough that Ultra's monthly lounge and fast-track passes would actually get used
Two Things Worth Knowing Before You Decide
Both sell unlimited plans now, but only Saily publishes the throttle point. Nomad's plan pages list short unlimited passes (in the US: 3 days for $11, 5 days for $16, 7 days for $23; in Europe: 5 days for $19, 10 days for $34) without stating a fair-use limit on the page. Saily's fair-use policy is specific: full speed for the first 5GB in a rolling 24-hour window in most destinations (3GB in some), then 1Mbps until the local-midnight reset. If you're planning to hotspot a laptop all day, that published number is worth knowing in advance.
Saily can't be bought or topped up while you're physically in Turkey. Its website and app are among those Turkey's telecom regulator (BTK) has blocked since mid-2025. A Saily eSIM bought and installed before you land keeps working, so this only bites if you planned to buy on arrival.
Both providers support hotspot/tethering. If long-term data is the deciding factor, our Nomad vs Ubigi comparison sets Global-EX against another subscription-style option. For device setup, see our eSIM compatible devices guide.
Nomad vs Saily FAQ
Which is cheaper, Nomad or Saily
Saily, on single small plans. A 1GB plan costs $3.99 in the US, $4.99 for Europe, and $8.99 global on Saily, versus $5, $5.50, and $12 on Nomad. Saily stays cheaper even after Nomad's 20% code and Saily's 15% code. Nomad wins on bulk long-stay data: its 50GB Global-EX bundle works out to $2.58/GB.
Which is better for months abroad
Nomad, if you just want data. Its Global-EX bundles (10GB to 50GB, up to 365 days, 98 countries) are a single prepaid purchase with nothing to cancel. Saily's long-term option is the $59.99/month Ultra subscription, which only makes sense if you'd use its bundled NordVPN suite and airport perks.
Do Nomad and Saily have unlimited plans
Both do. Nomad sells short unlimited passes, for example 3, 5, or 7 days in the US and 5 or 10 days in Europe, and doesn't list a fair-use limit on those plan pages. Saily's unlimited plans run at full speed for 5GB per rolling 24 hours in most destinations (3GB in some), then 1Mbps until local midnight.
Can I use hotspot on Nomad and Saily
Yes. Both providers support hotspot/tethering, and Nomad also lets a plan's data be shared across multiple devices.
Some codes and links on this page are affiliate codes and links, including our own (ADAMANDLINDS, where it applies). If you use one, we may earn a commission. We show our own code more prominently where we have one, not because it's automatically the best deal. See our about page for the full breakdown.