Saily vs Airalo
Prices last confirmed
Short answer
There is no overall winner — it depends where you are going. On a 10 GB 30-day plan, Airalo is clearly cheaper in Asia and Europe; Saily is clearly cheaper in North America and marginally in the Caribbean. Check your destination, not the brand.
For a cruise, only Saily is in the running — and only with its separate Cruise plan, which works at sea but not in port. Airalo has no at-sea product at all.
Price by region, like for like
Both providers' own regional pages, checked August 2026. These are 10 GB plans valid for 30 days — the closest thing to a like-for-like comparison the two catalogues allow.
| Region | Airalo | Saily | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | $31.00 | $35.99 | Airalo |
| North America | $37.00 | $30.99 | Saily |
| Asia | $25.00 | $35.99 | Airalo |
| Caribbean | $48.00 | $46.99 | Saily |
Watch the validity, not just the price. Airalo’s cheapest small plans are 3 to 7 day plans; Saily’s standard regional plans run 30 days. At 1 GB and 3 GB, Airalo often looks cheaper only because the plan expires sooner. At 5 GB in Europe the two are within one cent of each other.
The cruise difference
This is where the two stop being comparable, and it is the part most comparisons get wrong.
Airalo has no maritime product. Not a weak one — none. Its catalogue is country, regional and global land plans, and Airalo’s own cruise guide tells readers that once you are out in open water it is “a no-go”, advising them to buy for the ports instead. That is an unusually straight answer from a vendor, and it settles the question.
Saily has a Cruise plan, with a hard limitation. It activates beyond 12 nautical miles and, in Saily’s own words, will not connect while the ship is in port or near the coast. A regular Saily plan cannot stand in for it at sea. So a Saily cruiser carries two plans and switches between them — cheaper per gigabyte at sea than anything else, but not a single-purchase solution.
If you want one plan that covers both zones, neither of these is it — that comparison is GigSky vs Saily.
The differences that are not price
- Validity: Saily’s regional plans are 30 days as standard. Airalo’s cheap tiers are 3–7 days.
- App vs web: Airalo can be bought and installed entirely on the web. Saily’s purchase is web-capable but top-ups and live chat are app-only — awkward if you arrive without data.
- Refunds: Saily refunds within 30 days if the plan is unactivated. Airalo’s 14-day withdrawal right voids on activation, and “changed my mind” refunds tend to come back as in-app credit rather than cash.
- Top-ups: neither extends validity — a top-up stacks as a new allowance, it does not buy you more time.
- Extras: Saily bundles an ad blocker and web protection from its NordVPN parent, and gives 3% back in credits. Airalo has by far the larger catalogue of single-country plans, and Discover+ if you need a real phone number.
Our verdict
Going to Asia? Airalo, clearly — $25.00 against $35.99 for 10 GB is not close. Going to the US, Canada or Mexico? Saily, clearly — it wins at every tier from 3 GB up. Europe or the Caribbean? Effectively a coin flip; decide on validity and refund terms instead of price.
Going on a cruise? Airalo is out for sea days. Saily Cruise plus a cheap regional plan for ports is the lowest total cost. If you would rather buy once and not think about it, look at GigSky instead — it is more expensive per gigabyte and it covers both zones on one plan.
We are an affiliate of Saily and not of Airalo, which is precisely why the table above is presented without commentary. Airalo wins two of the four regions and we have said so.
Saily vs Airalo FAQ
01Is Saily or Airalo cheaper?+
Neither, overall — it depends entirely on where you are going. On a 10 GB 30-day plan, Airalo is cheaper in Asia ($25.00 vs $35.99) and Europe ($31.00 vs $35.99); Saily is cheaper in North America ($30.99 vs $37.00) and marginally in the Caribbean. Anyone who tells you one is simply better has not compared the regions you are actually visiting.
02Who owns Saily and Airalo?+
Saily is made by Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN. Airalo is independent; it raised $220 million led by CVC in July 2025 at a valuation above $1 billion, making it the first eSIM unicorn. Airalo is the older and larger catalogue; Saily is the newer product with security features bundled in.
03Does Airalo work on a cruise ship?+
No. Airalo has no maritime, cruise or at-sea product of any kind — its plans are country, regional and global land plans. Airalo says so itself: its own cruise guide tells readers that once you are "out in open waters, it’s a no-go" and advises buying for the ports instead. It works perfectly well at port stops and does nothing at sea.
04Does Saily work on a cruise ship?+
Only if you buy its separate Cruise plan, and even then only at sea. Saily is explicit that a cruise plan activates beyond 12 nautical miles and will not connect in port, and that a regular Saily plan cannot substitute for it at sea. So a Saily cruiser needs two plans: a Cruise plan for sea days and a regional plan for port days.
05Which has better validity?+
Saily, generally. Its standard regional plans run 30 days, while Airalo’s cheapest small plans expire in 3 to 7 days. That matters more than it sounds: Airalo’s headline-cheap 1 GB and 3 GB tiers can look better on price and then run out before a two-week trip is over.
06Which is easier to use?+
Airalo, marginally, if you dislike apps — it supports full purchase and installation on the web. Saily can be bought on the web but its top-ups and live chat are app-only, which is a genuine problem if you land without data. Both are data-only; Airalo’s Discover+ adds an actual US phone number if you need one.