Verdict
I haven’t personally used this provider. Below is the public picture, sourced from Saily’s plans pages and terms.
Saily is the cleanest “no surprises” pick if you’re a city traveler who wants a polished app — fixed plans on SoftBank with no throttle on the GB tiers, plus a 15-day unlimited tier with the most generous published FUP threshold (5 GB/day → 1 Mbps) in this comparison. Buy if you want a polished app, fixed-plan transparency, and you trust the Nord Security brand. Skip if you need Docomo coverage for rural Japan.
What you actually get
Saily’s Japan plans connect to SoftBank. 5G is supported where SoftBank has rolled it out — strong urban 5G in Tokyo and Osaka, 4G/LTE for most of the rest. The lineup is fixed tiers from 1 GB / 7 days at $3.99 up to 20 GB / 30 days, plus a 15-day unlimited plan with a transparent 5 GB-per-day FUP that throttles to 1 Mbps. Fixed plans don’t throttle within their allowance. Hotspot and tethering are allowed. No phone number, no SMS, no voice. No KYC.
The Nord Security backing means the app and support infrastructure are notably more polished than the marketplace average. The trade-off is a SoftBank-only network — no Docomo or KDDI au fallback for rural areas.
Plans and pricing
Last verified May 2026.
Fixed-data plans:
| Plan | Duration | Price (USD) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $3.99 | SoftBank |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $7.99 | SoftBank |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $10.99 | SoftBank |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $17.99 | SoftBank |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $24.99 | SoftBank |
Unlimited tiers (5 GB/day FUP → 1 Mbps after):
| Plan | Duration | Price (USD) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | 5 days | $18.99 | SoftBank |
| Unlimited | 7 days | $28.99 | SoftBank |
| Unlimited | 10 days | $34.99 | SoftBank |
| Unlimited | 15 days | $48.99 | SoftBank |
| Unlimited | 20 days | $59.99 | SoftBank |
| Unlimited | 25 days | $65.99 | SoftBank |
| Unlimited | 30 days | $71.99 | SoftBank |
Saily’s per-GB pricing is competitive across the 5 GB and 10 GB tiers and matches or slightly trails Nomad on the 20 GB tier. The unlimited plans cover 5 to 30 days in 5-day increments — broader duration coverage than Airalo’s or Nomad’s unlimited offerings. The 5 GB-per-day FUP is the most generous published threshold among the providers in this comparison (Airalo: 3 GB/day, Nomad: 2 GB/day, Holafly: undisclosed). Saily applies 3% in app credits to most plans, visible at checkout.
Throttling and Fair Usage Policy
Saily’s fixed plans (1, 3, 5, 10, 20 GB) do not throttle within the allowance — when you reach the cap, the connection stops and you’re prompted to top up or buy a new plan. The unlimited tiers (5 / 7 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 days) all share the same Fair Usage Policy: 5 GB per day at full speed, then 1 Mbps for the rest of the day. That 5 GB-per-day threshold is more generous than Airalo’s 3 GB-per-day or Nomad’s 2 GB-per-day, and the post-throttle 1 Mbps matches Airalo’s unlimited speed. Saily’s unlimited tiers are some of the cleaner “set and forget” options in this comparison; for a heavy 7+ day trip the 7-day unlimited at $28.99 is competitive with stacking fixed plans, while a 14-day trip on the 15-day unlimited at $48.99 still loses to a fixed 20 GB / 30-day plan at $24.99 if your usage stays under ~15 GB total.
What public reviews and policy pages say
Public reviews of Saily for Japan consistently praise three things: the app polish (clean usage display, simple top-up flow), the no-FUP fixed-plan model, and the overall Nord Security ecosystem trust. The recurring caveats are SoftBank-only network coverage and plan-tier breadth — Saily doesn’t yet offer the kind of 1 GB / 7-day micro-plans that competitors like Airalo do. For a metro-only Japan traveler, those limitations rarely bite.
How to buy and activate Saily
- Install the Saily app and create an account (Nord account works if you already have one).
- Search “Japan” and pick a plan size.
- Pay (cards, Apple/Google Pay).
- From the app’s plans tab, tap Install eSIM — your phone walks through the OS-level install.
- Set the new eSIM as your Cellular Data line; keep your home SIM active for calls and SMS.
- On arrival in Japan, toggle Data Roaming on for the Saily line. Speed should match SoftBank’s local performance within a minute.
- If data doesn’t connect, confirm the APN is set automatically, then toggle Airplane Mode off and on.
Who should pick Saily
- City-focused Japan traveler who wants a polished app and zero FUP fine print.
- Existing Nord customer who values the privacy-positioned brand and a single account across services.
- Anyone burned by undisclosed throttling on previous providers — fixed plans plus no FUP is the clearest model.
Who should skip Saily
- Rural Japan, Hokkaido, or Japanese Alps traveler — SoftBank-only is the same gap as Holafly without Airalo’s KDDI au fallback.
- Anyone who wants a 1-day plan — Saily’s shortest is 7 days; Holafly’s $3.90 single-day plan is the better fit for a layover.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Saily?
Saily is built by Nord Security, the same company behind NordVPN. It launched as a global eSIM marketplace with a privacy-first positioning and a polished app — useful if you already trust the Nord brand, less material if you don’t.
What network does Saily use in Japan?
Saily’s Japan plans connect to SoftBank only. That gives you strong urban coverage in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and along the Tokaido Shinkansen, but weaker signal in rural Hokkaido, the Japanese Alps, and remote islands. Saily does not connect to NTT Docomo or KDDI au in Japan.
Does Saily throttle speeds in Japan?
Saily’s fixed plans (1 GB, 3 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB, 20 GB) do not throttle within the allowance — when you hit the cap, the plan stops. The 15-day unlimited tier has a transparent Fair Usage Policy of 5 GB per day at full speed, then 1 Mbps after — the most generous published FUP threshold among the providers in this comparison.
Can I tether or use hotspot on a Saily eSIM?
Yes. Hotspot and tethering are allowed on Saily’s Japan plans within your overall data allowance. There is no separate hotspot cap.
Is Saily reliable as a newer provider?
Saily launched in 2024 and has a shorter track record than Airalo, Holafly, or Ubigi. The Nord Security backing is a real signal of operational stability, and the app experience is among the best in the category. The main caution is plan-tier breadth and small-tier availability, which competitors have built out over more years.