Saily vs Airalo eSIM: which is better in 2024?

Saily and Airalo are well-known eSIM providers offering virtual SIM cards that allow users to access mobile data services without needing a physical SIM card. This is especially convenient for travelers who want to stay connected to the internet anywhere they go.

At first glance, the two eSIM providers are very similar, offering comprehensive plans to many travel destinations and catering to all kinds of unique travel needs. However, some differences emerge when you take a deeper look. For instance, while Airalo covers 200+ destinations compared to Saily’s 180+, Saily offers better prices on almost all of its eSIM plans. Moreover, Saily lets you use a hotspot without daily data cap limits, while Airalo limits such data use. And while Saily doesn’t have unlimited data plans, Airalo has quite a broad choice. Overall, it’s not easy to decide which is better – Saily or Airalo – and I’ll invite you to read this article for an in-depth comparison.

I purchased both Airalo and Saily eSIMs to test them on several devices. My list consisted of iPhone 12 (iOS 17.2.1) and Google Pixel 9 (Android 14), so my tests could be as unbiased and thorough as possible. Only after I was through with the procedures did I include information in this Airalo vs. Saily comparison.

Airalo vs. Saily: comparison

As the table states, Saily is a more affordable eSIM option with plans starting from $1.89/week for 1 GB of data. In contrast, the cheapest plan at Airalo starts at $4.50 for the same data set and timeframe. However, Airalo covers more destinations, with over 200 countries available on its list. Here, Saily still has some catching up to do with 180+ destinations on its roster.

Besides these obvious differences, both providers do not support regular phone calls and SMS messages with their eSIM plans but do allow mobile hotspot sharing. As for customer support, Airalo has a bit more channels to find useful information or contact a representative, but Saily’s in-app live chat offers unbelievable speed in solving any issues. Let’s look at how this Airalo vs. Saily comparison will go when I get into deeper details later in this article.

eSIMs plans and coverage

Both Saily and Airalo offer local, regional, and global eSIM options. Airalo covers more destinations, with around 200 countries on its list, while Saily provides coverage of over 180. The difference isn’t huge, but if you’re looking for coverage in exotic places such as Marie-Galante, Sint Eustatius, Solomon Islands, Sudan, and Antilles, Airalo offers eSIM plans for these locations.

Both providers offer flexible eSIM plans. The choice varies depending on your destination, but there are usually at least a few data allowance and duration variations. Saily plans have a maximum data allowance of up to 100 GB, whereas Airalo offers some plans with unlimited data. Lastly, both eSIMs offer easy top-ups without buying, installing, and activating a new virtual card if you run out of data.

Naturally, eSIM prices vary depending on the region, chosen data packs, and duration, but here, Saily offers more affordable plans. For instance, a basic Japan eSIM plan costs $3.39 from Saily, while the same plan costs $4.50 from Airalo. A Canadian eSIM with 1 GB of data costs $4.50 from Saily, and a similar one is priced at $6.00 at Airalo. This trend continues throughout all the most popular travel destinations, proving that Saily is an overall more affordable eSIM provider.

Saily eSIM vs Airalo pricing

Saily is a cheaper eSIM provider than Airalo, especially when comparing plans for the most popular travel destinations such as Japan, Canada, Australia, and Indonesia. Let’s take a look at how the Airalo vs Saily eSIM prices compare for some of the most popular countries:

The table presents a clear winner, and Saily is the more affordable choice for popular travel destinations. For instance, a 1 GB, 7-day eSIM for the UK costs $3.82 at Saily, and the same plan costs $5.00 at Airalo. An Australian eSIM plan with 1 GB is priced at $3.39, while Airalo’s is $4.50. Lastly, Airalo does not have a short-term low-data plan for Thailand, and to stay connected there, the cheapest plan will set you back $9.90 with 50 GB of data for 10 days. That’s an unreasonably huge amount of data for such a long trip unless you plan to watch HD movies over your stay there. In comparison, Saily offers a simple 1 GB, 7-day plan priced at only $2.54 for Thailand, with other options available, too.

Now, let’s talk about Regional plans offered by Saily and Airalo. I thought a table would provide the best side-by-side comparison in this case:

And lastly, for a truly well-rounded comparison, let’s take a look at the differences between the Global eSIM packages offered by Saily and Airalo:

Overall, Airalo includes more countries in its Regional packages than Saily, except for the Middle East and Africa, where Saily has 5 more countries on the list. The same goes for the Global package, where Airalo includes 29 more countries than Saily. However, if you’re looking for affordability, Saily overtakes Airalo, consistently offering lower prices throughout the Regional eSIM packages and the Global eSIM offer.

Get your affordable Saily eSIM now

Payment methods

Airalo and Saily offer various payment methods and both include major credit and debit cards, PayPal, and Google Pay on their lists. However, Airalo offers more payment methods, such as AirMoney and Alipay. Let’s compare the available methods of both eSIM providers in a table:

As you can see, Airalo offers a couple more payment methods, such as Apple Pay and Alipay. Additionally, regular customers can pay with AirMoney, which is an Airalo-only reward system you can participate in when purchasing Airalo eSIMs via its app.

Secure international connections with Saily

Supported devices

Both Saily and Airalo support numerous eSIM-compatible devices, including smartphones, laptops, and more:

As you can see, Saily covers more devices and includes smartwatches onto its list. Additionally, Airalo’s official page notes that the compatibility of Airalo eSIM and specific devices, including newer model iPhones, may depend on the device’s region and its firmware or software updates. So, overall, Saily offers a broader range of compatible devices and the inclusion of smatwatches gives more freedom to Saily eSIM users.

Which one is faster, Saily or Airalo eSIM?

The average speed of any given eSIM largely depends on the local carrier where the eSIM operates, its network coverage, bandwidth, and the type of technology it uses (3G, LTE, 4G, 5G). Both Saily and Airalo support 5G contractual speeds if the local telecom provider offers it on their network.

I had the chance to test both Saily and Airalo eSIMs in various countries worldwide. I concluded, that both providers offer similar performance, although the speed varied depending on the local carrier. That said, no matter where I ended up, my connection stayed seamless and reliable both with Saily and Airalo.

Both providers are reliable options for those wanting to stay connected to the internet no matter where they go. My only advice would be to check the situation with local telecom providers before you go to a specific destination, as some might only offer 3G or LTE speeds, putting the eSIMs at no fault.

User experience

For this part of my comparison, I got both Saily and Airalo apps and scrutinized them to check whether they’re both truly simple to use and what features they offer. I found out that both the apps are very easy to navigate; however, the features inside are a bit different.

First, let’s take a look at the Saily app. The interface is very well-designed, clean, and intuitive. I liked the uncluttered feel of it, which made it easier for me to figure out how to get an eSIM plan and how to activate it.

The activation of a Saily eSIM is very simple. First, choose a plan, purchase it, and then simply follow the on-screen prompts to activate it. Lastly, head to your phone’s settings, add Saily as your preferred eSIM, and turn on roaming. The eSIM will then start working automatically once you get to your destination.

The Saily app also has a nifty section called My eSIM, where you can find details about your plan. For instance, I really liked that I could monitor my data expenditure anytime I wanted and plan my browsing accordingly or look for a top-up.

Now, let’s compare it with the Airalo eSIM app. Here, the interface is somewhat a bit more cluttered with local and regional plans marked with different colors as opposed to one sleek, color-coordinated look. However, I still managed to find and purchase the eSIM I was looking quite easily.

As for installation and activation, the principle stays the same as with Saily. First you purchase the plan, then follow the instructions provided by the app (here, installation includes scanning a QR code). Lastly, I turned on roaming and added the Airalo eSIM on my phone’s settings. The card then activated itself when I landed on my destination country.

Airalo has a section on its app that allows you to monitor your current eSIM plan, showing data you’ve spent and still have left. Additionally, the app can send you notifications when your data is running low or when your plan is about to expire. I liked this feature as it made the plan monitoring much easier.

Is Saily better than Airalo at customer support?

A great customer support is very important no matter what product you are using, but it becomes especially important when it comes to eSIMs. After all, I wouldn’t want to get standed in a foreign country without a connection and no one to help me. So, I paid great attention to both Saily and Airalo customer support options, the speed it took me to get a reply, and how easy the whole process was.

Airalo offers more customer support channels than Saily, and you can contact them via live in-app chat, WhatsApp chat, and emails. You can also look for answers in the knowledge base, FAQs, and blog. I tried both the in-app live chat and WhatsApp chats. While both channels were pretty fast in providing me with an answer, it took me several messages to get to a real human being instead of a chatbot.

As for Saily, it offers only one way to reach out to customer support, and it’s the in-app, 24/7 live chat. Additionally, you can look for information on your questions on Saily’s website in the FAQs or the Help Center section. Naturally, I had to try the live chat, which did not disappoint me at all. I got through to a human being instantly, got my answers promptly, and liked the polite tone I was replied in. Overall, I thought that Saily offers a more comprehensive customer support solution, and I prefer it to Airalo’s.

Saily and Airalo additional values

Both Saily and Airalo offer some additional values both with their eSIM plans and in their apps. However, since Saily is still a very young platform, it does not have as many additional features as Airalo. So, let’s take a closer look:

• Data top-ups. Both providers offer easy top-ups on your plans if you’re running out of it while with your current plans. With top-ups, you don’t need to purchase a new eSIM; you can install and activate it all over again.
• Data sharing. Saily and Airalo allow for hotspot data sharing. However, Saily does not limit it, while Airalo has a daily data cap on its eSIMs when sharing the connection.
• Voice calls and messages. Airalo offers this feature with some of its Global eSIM packages while Saily does not have such an option.
• Friend referral. Airalo has a friend referral system where you’re eligible to receive $3.00 in AirMoney for every successful referral.
• Offline mode. Airalo has an offline app mode. This allows you to read the eSIM instructions even if you’re not connected to the network.

So, as of right now, Airalo offers a few more additional features compared to Saily. However, let’s not forget that this is still quite a new platform, and I expect the developers to add more features in the future. And, even as such, Saily is a very well-functioning and convenient eSIM provider platform.

Conclusion: which eSIM is better in 2024?

Here are my key takeaways from my Airalo vs Saily comparison: both eSIM providers offer a seamless and reliable eSIM use experience, with simple-to-use apps and an easy eSIM activation process. Furthermore, Saily is overall the cheaper option which offers similar plan flexibility as Airalo with almost identical country coverage. However, if you’re looking for a more feature-rich experience, then Airalo eSIM offers more features than Saily. Lastly, when comparing customer support experience, I preferred the promptness and politeness of Saily’s in-app 24/7 live chat.

Overall, it all boils down to your personal preferences. Both Saily and Airalo are excellent eSIM providers offering their own unique benefits to cater to the needs of all sorts of travelers, explorers, and tourists.

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FAQ

Which eSIM is cheaper, Airalo or Saily?

Saily is a cheaper eSIM than Airalo. Saily eSIM plans start at $1.89 for a 7-day plan with 1 GB of data, while Airalo offers an identical package at $4.50. The same rule applies to almost all local, regional, and global eSIMs, making Saily a more affordable choice.

Which offers better data plans in Japan, Saily or Airalo?

Saily offer better data plans in Japan than Airalo. Saily eSIM Japan plans start from $3.39 and go up to $19.54 depending on the data allowance you choose. Available choices are 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 GB with 7 to 30 day duration. In comparison, the cheapest Japan eSIM plan at Airalo start at $4.50 for 1 GB and 7 days and ends at $26.00 for 30 days with 20 GB data.

Does Saily or Airalo have a more user-friendly interface?

Saily has a more user-friendly interface than Airalo. Saily’s app is well-designed, clean, and intuitive and you won’t find any trouble navigating it. On the other hand, Airalo’s app interface is a bit more cluttered and colorful, which might be somewhat distracting.

Which is better if you need a lot of data?

If you need more data, Airalo is the better choice. Some Airalo eSIM plans, including plans in Asia, offer unlimited data, while Saily’s maximum data allowance stops at 100 GB with the global eSIM package. So, if you need more data and don’t mind paying extra for it, choose Airalo.