Saily or Nomad: Two eSIMs That Charge You in Different Shapes

We argued earlier that a multi-country Asia trip usually wants a regional eSIM. That article named no winner between providers, because we had not compared any. This is the comparison, for the two we earn on. Whether an eSIM beats roaming or a local SIM at all is the question to settle before this one.

We earn a commission on both, and a higher rate on Nomad than on Saily. That kind of thing bends recommendations, so it is stated here at the start. The two products charge in different shapes and your trip already knows which shape fits, so you can ignore our opinion and still get the answer.

Plans versus gigabytes

Saily sells a plan. You pick a destination and a plan size, and that is the price. One eSIM stays in your phone and you add destinations to it as you go, which suits a multi-country trip. In Saily’s own words you “add new destinations to your existing Saily eSIM, no need to install new eSIMs every time”.

Nomad sells gigabytes. Its shop quotes a floor price per gigabyte and you buy into that. At the time of checking, the floors were:

These are floors, not prices. Each is a “start from” figure: the best rate on the largest or longest plan in that destination, not what a small top-up costs. Treat the absolute numbers as a starting point to check. The relative shape is the useful part:

• Thailand is cheap.
• The China, Japan, South Korea bundle costs the most per gigabyte.
• A regional bundle costs more per gigabyte than the single country inside it. Greater China at a US$0.90/GB floor is dearer than China alone at US$0.70/GB.

A regional bundle charges you for one plan spanning borders. If your trip does not cross them, you are paying for nothing.

Phone numbers

Saily is data-only. Its plans give you data and no phone number. It sells a US number as a separate subscription, US$0.99 a month when we checked, and says identity verification is required in the app after purchase. A US number does not help when a Bangkok delivery driver needs to call you, or when a local service sends its sign-up code only to a local mobile.

Some Nomad plans include a local phone number. Nomad’s wording is: “Some of Nomad’s eSIMs include a local phone number. Check the plan details for more information of what your plan includes.” Not all of them do, so check the plan before you buy. Saily has no such option.

Deliveries, ride-hailing accounts that verify by SMS, restaurant bookings and local bank or wallet sign-ups all want a number with the right country code. If your trip involves any of them, that decides the question, in Nomad’s favour.

Activation

Saily activates itself. You install it at home and, per Saily’s description, the plan “will activate automatically the moment you reach your destination”.

Nomad needs you to turn it on. Its instruction is to “turn on your eSIM when you arrive at your destination”.

The difference is small. It is still a step you would take in an arrivals hall, on a phone with no working data. Do it before you are tired.

Which to pick for your trip

• One country, and you know roughly how much data you use: Nomad. Per-gigabyte pricing rewards knowing your own appetite, and the single-country floors are the cheapest numbers on this page.
• Several countries on one trip, and you would rather not think about it: Saily. Adding a destination to an eSIM you already have beats installing a new profile in every airport, and that is worth more than a small price difference.
• You need a local phone number for anything: Nomad, after checking that the specific plan includes one. Saily’s US number add-on is not a substitute.
• One cheap country, short trip: look at a local SIM before either. Thailand at a US$0.24/GB floor is close to local-SIM pricing, so convenience is all the eSIM buys you.

What we have not tested

We have not measured speed, latency or real-world coverage for either provider in any country. Nobody else has done it in a way we would trust, because those things vary by city, carrier partner and week. Everything above is about how the two companies charge and what they will and will not sell, which we read off their own pages.