Saily
Yesim
Saily vs Yesim: Which eSIM Should You Buy?
Updated October 11, 2026
The Short Answer
Pick Saily if you want the cheaper option and would normally pay for a VPN/ad-blocker separately when traveling anyway. Pick Yesim if you're a repeat traveler who wants a data balance that rolls over between trips and a real refund if you don't end up using it. Saily wins on price almost everywhere; Yesim's pitch is flexibility and a refund policy that goes further than most providers on this site.
The Core Difference: A Security Bundle or a Rollover Balance
Saily is NordVPN's own eSIM product (built in-house by Nord Security, not a licensing deal), so every plan ships with ad blocking, malware/phishing site blocking, and a virtual-location tool on top of the data connection. It also sells one universal eSIM that keeps working as you cross into a new supported country, instead of swapping profiles at each border.
Yesim works differently: its "Pay & Fly" plans are a prepaid dollar balance, priced from $1.10/GB, rather than a fixed GB block, and whatever you don't use rolls over to your next trip instead of expiring. Yesim also claims automatic switching across 800+ partner networks ("SwitchLess Networks") so the eSIM hops to whichever local carrier has the best signal; that's Yesim's own claim, not something we've independently measured.
Price Snapshot (before any code)
| Destination | Saily | Yesim |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $3.99 (1GB) | $8.40 (1 day) |
| Europe regional | $4.99 (1GB) | $7.70 (1 day, unlimited) |
| Japan | $3.99 (1GB) | $19.80 (7 days) |
| Global | $8.99 (1GB) | $20.90 (3GB) |
Saily prices by the gigabyte; Yesim prices by the day or by a rollover dollar balance (from $1.10/GB on Pay & Fly). The numbers above aren't directly comparable units, but Saily lands cheaper across every destination in this snapshot, which tracks with Saily sitting in our "Cheap" price bracket and Yesim in "Expensive."
Discount Codes
- Saily: HELLOSAILY, 15% off all plans. Full code list →
- Yesim: TEE20, 20% off your first esim purchase. Full code list →
Neither code is ours; both are the best public codes we've verified still work. Saily's applies storewide on every purchase. Yesim's is first-purchase only: returning customers should try WELCOMETOYESIM (15% off) or TRAVELFREE (a flat €3 off) instead, both covered on the Yesim page.
Is Saily or Yesim the Right Pick
Go with Saily if…
- You want the lower price for comparable data, almost everywhere
- You'd normally pay for a VPN/ad-blocker separately when traveling anyway
- You're on a multi-country trip and don't want a new eSIM at every border
Go with Yesim if…
- You travel often and want a balance that carries over instead of expiring per trip
- You might not use the whole plan and want a real refund option, not just a failed-activation refund
- You'd rather buy data in dollars than track a fixed GB allowance
Two Things Worth Knowing Before You Decide
Saily can't be bought or topped up while you're physically inside Turkey. Its website and app were among those blocked by Turkey's telecom regulator (BTK) starting mid-2025. An eSIM purchased and installed before you land still works once you're there, so this only matters if you're planning to buy on arrival. We haven't found the same restriction reported for Yesim.
Yesim's refund guarantee is genuinely unusual for this category. Most eSIM providers on this site, Saily included, only refund a plan that never activated at all. Yesim advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee on plans you simply didn't end up using, which is the kind of flexibility that can offset its higher per-GB price if you tend to buy ahead of a trip and aren't sure you'll need the full plan.
For device setup and eSIM basics that apply to both providers, see our eSIM compatible devices guide.
Saily vs Yesim FAQ
Which is cheaper, Saily or Yesim
Saily, in every destination we checked. Saily sits in our "Cheap" price bracket; Yesim sits in "Expensive." Yesim's rollover balance and refund guarantee are the trade-off for the higher price, not a cheaper rate per GB.
Does either one include a VPN
Saily does: every plan bundles ad blocking, malware/phishing blocking, and a virtual-location tool, since Saily is built in-house by NordVPN's parent company. Yesim has no equivalent security bundle.
Which one is better for a frequent traveler who buys data often
Yesim's Pay & Fly balance rolls over between trips instead of expiring, which suits someone topping up the same balance repeatedly. Saily sells by the GB per plan instead, so unused data on one plan doesn't carry into the next purchase.
Can I get a refund if I don't use the plan
Yesim's 30-day money-back guarantee covers plans that were never used, not just ones that failed to activate. Saily's refund policy is narrower: a full refund if the eSIM was never installed or activated, or if less than 1% of the data was used, or there was a genuine service-quality issue.
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.