How we rate eSIM providers.

The stars on our provider pages and "best eSIM" guides show how much you can count on a provider and how well its plans fit your trip. We calculate them from data, never by hand, with one formula for everyone. No provider can pay for a better score.

What goes into the rating

Five criteria, each with its own weight, add up to a score out of 5 with one decimal, such as 4.3.

1. Trust, 55%. The Trustpilot score counts most, followed by the number of Trustpilot reviews and the age of the provider's website. More reviews and an older site score higher. If your eSIM won't connect, you'll want help from a provider that many buyers rate well.
2. Coverage, 20%. We count the countries the provider sells plans for, and 200 or more gets the top score. More countries means a better chance of finding a plan for where you're going.
3. Plan choice, 15%. We check for four kinds of plan, each worth the same: a small plan (up to 3 GB) for a short trip, a big one (20 GB or more), an unlimited one, and a long one (90 days or more, or no end date).
4. Price, 5%. In 30 popular destinations, we look at three typical plans: about 3 GB for a week, 10 GB for a month and 20 GB for a month. In each case, we compare the provider's cheapest matching plan with the middle price on the market. Cheaper than the market means a higher score.
5. App, 5%. We check the app's rating and how many people have rated it on the App Store and Google Play, half each. No app in a store means zero for that half.

Why price counts for so little

You already see what every plan costs, and plans are sorted by price, not by stars. So the cheapest plan is easy to find. The rating is for what a price can't tell you: whether you can rely on the provider.

Well-known providers often charge more, but with price at just 5%, that barely lowers their stars.

What the rating leaves out

We never look at the commission we earn or at a provider's affiliate terms and network. We also skip features every provider has, such as working on iPhone and Android, being prepaid and installing with a QR code. They don't help you choose between providers.

Brands sold only on a marketplace

If a brand sells only through a marketplace such as MobiMatter, you buy the plan and get support there. That's why half of the brand's trust score comes from the marketplace's reviews and half from the brand's own. The app score uses the marketplace's app. Coverage, plan choice and price come from the brand's own plans.

Who gets a rating

A provider gets a rating once it sells at least 20 plans in 10 or more countries. New providers start with few reviews. Until more buyers rate them, their trust score stays lower.

How we update the rating

We update every rating regularly, using fresh data from Trustpilot, the app stores and our live catalog.