1 · The 60-second answer
Saily and Nomad are the two travel eSIMs people buy when they want cheap data buckets for Europe rather than an unlimited plan. Same idea, different companies: Saily is the Nord Security brand, Nomad is the price-cutter from Singapore.
Nomad is cheaper at every size. 10 GB for a month across 35 European countries was €19.81 when we checked, and its 20 GB bucket was on sale at €23.25.
Saily costs more for the same gigabytes, 10 GB for $35.99, and answers with a cleaner app, a 5 GB a day "unlimited" option, and a subscription tier with a phone number for people who travel all year.
The honest verdict. Buying a bucket for one trip: Nomad, and it is not close. Wanting the app you already trust and the option of 5 GB a day: Saily. Wanting two weeks or a month in one payment with no bucket to size: Ringo Light, 2 weeks at $18.99 or 30 days at $28.99, unlimited data at full speed. For 10 GB spread over a whole month, Nomad's bucket is still the cheaper ticket, and we say so.
Prices were read on saily.com, nomadesim.com and ringoesim.com on 11 September 2026, Ringo Light prices updated 26 September 2026. Saily and Ringo Light quote US dollars, Nomad displayed euro. Two Nomad buckets were on sale that day; we show the sale price and the regular one.
2 · At a glance
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3 · The prices, bucket by bucket
This is the row most people actually decide on. Every plan below is for Europe as a region, not a single country.
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Nomad wins the buckets outright. Ringo Light sells no buckets, only two unlimited trips at full speed, one payment each: 2 weeks at $18.99 and 30 days at $28.99. For two weeks that costs less than 10 GB at either rival; for 10 GB spread over a whole month, Nomad's €19.81 is still the cheaper ticket.
4 · Saily · where it wins and where it costs you
- Wins: the app and the account. If you already use NordVPN, Saily is a familiar login and a checkout that takes a minute. The plan list is readable and the support is real.
- Wins: 5 GB a day is a lot. The unlimited option gives more full-speed data per day than any plan in this article. For a heavy week it is the safest of the three.
- Wins: a subscription with a number. Saily Ultra starts at $39.99 a month for 10 GB at full speed, then unlimited at 1 Mbps, in 121 destinations, and it includes a phone number.
- Costs you: the buckets are dear. 10 GB for $35.99 is close to double Nomad. You are paying for the brand and the app.
5 · Nomad · where it wins and where it costs you
- Wins: the price at every size. €19.81 for 10 GB and, on the day we looked, €23.25 for 20 GB. Saily does not come close.
- Wins: buy exactly what you need. Seven sizes from 1 GB to 50 GB, plus 5 and 10 day unlimited plans.
- Costs you: sale prices move. The 20 GB regular price is €31.86 and the 50 GB regular price €41.33. Check the day you buy.
- Costs you: Nomad Pass is small. €2.58 a month buys 1 GB and a 15% discount, not a plan. Year-round travellers still buy every trip.
6 · Where Ringo Light fits
Ringo Light is the data eSIM we sell today, data only, next to your own SIM. Against two bucket sellers it sells something different, two unlimited trips in one payment each, and we would rather you read where it wins and where it loses here than at checkout.
- What it costs. Unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks $18.99 and 30 days $28.99, one payment each with nothing that renews.
- Where it wins and where it loses. For two weeks, $18.99 for unlimited data at full speed costs less than 10 GB at Saily or Nomad, with no daily cap. For a light trip, a Nomad bucket from €4.74 is cheaper, and for 10 GB spread over a whole month, Nomad's €19.81 is the better buy.
- 37 countries, more than either rival, at one price wherever you are standing.
- Global for longer or wider trips. One plan for 133 countries, unlimited data at full speed, $49.99 a month, the only Ringo Light plan that renews.
Unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $18.99 or 30 days at $28.99, one payment, no renewal.
Want to keep your own number abroad?
That is the full Ringo service: one plan that works everywhere, with your own number included.
It is a separate product from Ringo Light and it is still being built, so it is not on sale yet. Join the waitlist to hear when it opens.
7 · Pick by trip shape
- One trip, phone only, a few gigabytes. Nomad. Buy the bucket that fits and forget the rest of this article.
- One heavy week, laptop on the hotspot. Saily's 5 GB a day for $28.99, or Nomad's 5-day unlimited if the trip is short.
- Two weeks or a month, 10 GB or more. Ringo Light: 2 weeks at $18.99 or 30 days at $28.99, one payment, unlimited data at full speed.
- You want a number that works. Saily Ultra includes one. Ringo Light is data only. Keeping the number you already have is the full Ringo service, one plan that works everywhere, a separate product still being built, so join the waitlist to hear when it opens.
