By Lisa Salter
Montreal travel advisor · Updated August 4, 2026
Saily is the travel eSIM from Nord Security — the company behind NordVPN — and it is the most credible new entrant of the last two years. Here is an honest look for Canadian travellers, including where it beats what we sell.
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See eSIM plansWhat is Saily, and who makes it?
Saily launched in late 2023 from Nord Security, the Lithuanian company behind NordVPN, NordPass and NordLocker. That parentage matters more than it might sound: it means Saily arrived with real security engineering behind it rather than as a reseller with an app, and the product reflects that.
You buy a plan in the app, install the eSIM, and connect on arrival. Your Canadian number stays active for calls and texts; the eSIM carries data.
What Saily does well
The most generous hotspot
No tethering-specific cap at all — hotspot use draws from the same allowance as everything else. Holafly, by contrast, limits tethering separately to roughly 500 MB to 1 GB a day. If you share data to a laptop, that difference is the one that matters.
An actual human
24/7 live support with real people, where Airalo routes you to an AI chatbot first. When an eSIM fails at an airport, this is the difference that matters.
One reusable eSIM
A single profile you top up for each new destination, rather than installing a fresh eSIM per country. On a multi-country trip this is genuinely less faff.
Usually undercuts Airalo
On mainstream destinations Saily is frequently the cheaper of the two per gigabyte, which is the comparison most buyers are actually making.
Where Saily falls short
Less proven at the edges
Saily now advertises 200+ destinations, so the headline gap with Airalo has closed. What it has less of is years of reports from unusual places — check coverage for smaller islands before assuming.
Still the new one
Two years in, with less accumulated evidence in unusual destinations than Airalo has after far longer. That is not a criticism of the product, just less data to judge it on.
Charged in US dollars
Like most of the category, plans are USD. A Canadian card adds conversion plus the foreign-transaction fee, so the sticker price is not what lands on your statement.
Saily vs Airalo — the honest comparison
This is the comparison most people are here for. Saily generally wins on price per gigabyte, on hotspot allowance, and on support you can actually talk to. Airalo wins on coverage breadth and on the sheer volume of accumulated real-world evidence across obscure destinations.
If your trip is mainstream — Europe, Mexico, Japan, the Caribbean — Saily is the better buy for most people, and we would say that knowing it competes with us. If you are heading somewhere unusual, check Airalo's country list first.
Is the Ultra plan worth it?
Saily Ultra bundles unlimited global data with a NordVPN subscription, cashback in Saily credit, priority support and some airport lounge access. Whether that is good value depends entirely on whether you would otherwise pay for NordVPN — if you already subscribe, the bundle does real work; if you do not want a VPN, you are paying for one anyway.
For a single two-week holiday it is usually more than you need. For someone travelling monthly it can be the cheapest way to hold both products.
Frequently asked questions
Is Saily legit?
Yes. It is made by Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN, and launched in late 2023. It is an established product from an established company rather than a reseller, though it is younger than Airalo.
Is Saily cheaper than Airalo?
On mainstream destinations, usually yes — Saily frequently comes in below Airalo per gigabyte. Airalo covers more countries, so on unusual destinations the comparison may not be available at all.
Can I use Saily as a hotspot?
Yes, and unlike several rivals Saily applies no separate tethering cap — hotspot data comes out of your normal allowance. On unlimited plans a fair-use threshold of roughly 5 GB a day (3 GB in some countries) applies to total usage rather than tethering alone. Holafly, by contrast, limits tethering specifically to about 500 MB to 1 GB a day.
Do I need one Saily eSIM per country?
No. Saily uses a single reusable profile you top up for each destination, so you are not installing a new eSIM every time you cross a border — which is a real convenience on a multi-country trip.
Does Saily work in Canada?
Saily sells plans for Canada as a destination, aimed at visitors. If you live in Canada and are travelling abroad, you want a plan for wherever you are going, not for home.
Cheapest, most generous, or simplest? Lisa Salter, a Montréal travel advisor, matches the right eSIM to how you actually travel and sets it up before you fly — in French or English. Ask Lisa →