How we test eSIM providers

eSIMs are a reliable solution that helps you connect to the internet while traveling. Unlike traditional SIM cards, eSIMs are fully digital, meaning you don’t need to take your SIM out of your phone or search where you can buy one. They cut roaming costs, reduce the dependence on Wi-Fi networks, and their installation is entirely online.
Because of these advantages, there’s a rapid growth in the demand for this innovative technology. Therefore, we decided to help you avoid the hassle of choosing the best one and conducted thorough in-house tests to help you make an informed decision.
However, the testing process isn’t always the same, as different eSIMs offer different benefits and features, so reviews may vary in content. Still, we always focus on their coverage, plans, pricing, customer support, compatibility, and ease of use.
When reviewing a particular eSIM, we always put ourselves in your position. This helps us identify the main factors, such as:
- In-house testing results
- Plans and pricing
- Speed and coverage
- Features
- Customer support
- Compatibility
- Activation and usage
Further in this guide, you’ll find detailed explanations of our testing methodologies, how we collect data, and how we check out each aspect.
Why you can trust our reviews
Nowadays, finding a trusted source of reviews and comparisons may be challenging, especially due to the vast online competition. Therefore, our team of researchers maintains transparency and clearly outlines the methodology, criteria, and sources they’re using. Also, we disclose all of the affiliations to keep accountability and transparency.
The Cybernews team includes experienced professionals with expertise in technology and software testing. We conduct all of our reviews independently, and they aren’t influenced or biased by third parties. Also, we base them on objective criteria and empirical evidence, not personal or subjective opinions.
Additionally, we follow strict testing protocols, such as pricing, user interface, compatibility, and customer support. We also dive deeper into all aspects of each eSIM, such as their features, speeds, coverage, and the networks they support, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all capabilities.
We also apply the same criteria to all of the products we test, ensuring consistency throughout our review process. Users can rely on our reviews and gather reliable information that will help them make the best decision.
Our in-house testing methodology
The goal of the testing methodology we’re using is to evaluate the effectiveness of the eSIMs and their performance in connecting you to the internet without a hassle. Our primary focus is the coverage and speeds affecting your overall travel experience. But we’re also interested in the eSIM’s value for money and how easy it is to install and activate it.
Testing environment
We test each provider in real-world scenarios to provide objective conclusions about eSIM effectiveness. We select eSIMs from leading providers and test their compatibility across multiple devices, evaluating coverage comprehensiveness at local, regional, and global levels.
During testing, we measure actual data speeds, assess the user experience during installation and activation, and evaluate the practicality of top-up and renewal processes. This hands-on testing helps us identify which solutions offer truly hassle-free connectivity while traveling.
Plans and pricing
The plans and pricing of an eSIM are a rather crucial aspect. Not only can they be the deal breaker, but they’re also showing you whether the eSIM will fit your budget limit and travel duration. It also indicates the types of plans the eSIM offers, which is crucial if you have particular preferences.
We’re interested in the plan length, such as whether the eSIM offers 7, 15, and 30-day deals. Also, we always check the amount of data you’ll get for some period to help you understand whether it’ll be enough for your trip.
Aside from this, we explore the types of eSIM plans that providers offer. This refers to whether they’re data-only or include texting and calling services in the price. Overall, this gives us insights about the value you’ll receive for your money and indicates if the eSIM provider is worth it.
On top of this, we also test whether you can top-up your plans, if they’re fixed, or if the eSIM provides a pay-as-you-go system. This drastically affects your eSIM journey, so we constantly test how easy it is to top-up your data amount, for example.
To achieve reliable results, we always check the plans and the pricing for the most popular tourist destinations and compare them against other eSIM contenders.
Speed and coverage
The following important aspect of eSIMs is the speed and coverage. While our Cybernews research team checks out the plans and pricing, we also focus on the availability of the eSIM in different locations.
The first thing that we explore is the general coverage of the eSIM. Usually, we list only the eSIMs with more than 100 supported countries and regions on our top list. Aside from this, we look for local, regional, and global plans. This is crucial so that you can use the same eSIM for traveling to more countries, not be limited to just one.
When it comes to the speeds, we’re mainly interested in 5G data connectivity, as this is the fastest connection you can currently get. However, as not all countries have 5G coverage, we’re also interested in 4G and 3G speeds.
Features
While eSIMs don’t have some unique features like other products or services we’ve tested, we’re still testing their network integrations and user interface.
We check out how fast they connect you to the internet when you arrive at your destination and with which cellular network providers they partner in each country. We evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of the eSIM networks to make sure you know what to expect.
We also spend some time testing the user interface of each eSIM. This process includes exploring its dashboard organization, navigation from one feature to another, the simplicity of the menu and settings, and how easy it is to switch or top-up plans.
Customer support
Customer support is a crucial factor in our eSIM provider evaluation and testing, as you need a reliable and responsive team that can guide you through your issues or queries. First of all, we check all the support channels eSIMs offer, such as live chat, email support, FAQ section, help center, and blogs.
However, we don’t leave it just like that. Our team personally tests the responsiveness and the quality of the answers. We need to test the live chat and email support. Still, we are also focusing on the extensiveness and helpfulness of the help center, FAQs, and blog section, depending on what the eSIM we’re testing offers.
Compatibility
As not all eSIMs are compatible with the same devices, and not all devices support eSIMs, we’re also testing out the compatibility. We begin our testing by reviewing the lists of supported devices on the official website of the eSIMs.
Then, we move on to in-house testing, which requires checking whether the eSIM works with the device models we have by going through the phone’s settings and searching for the required settings options. Also, we install the eSIM and see if it really works.
Activation and usage
The activation and usage of eSIMs play a crucial role in our evaluation and testing process, as this helps us identify whether they’re user-friendly and suitable for users who are not so tech-savvy.
We start this test by exploring the installation process on the official eSIM’s website. If the steps are disclosed, it’s a good sign so we can proceed. We follow those steps to see how transparent they are and whether the installation process works as depicted.
Also, we consider whether there’s KYC verification. As this may require you to spend a few more minutes installing and activating the eSIM, we list the eSIM providers without KYC verification. However, if this is inevitable, we at least go for those providers that keep your personal data for a limited amount of time.
Lastly, our team always tests whether you can install the eSIM before you go on your trip and activate it as soon as you arrive there. Overall, we give an advantage to the eSIMs that have a seamless installation process that doesn’t take ages.
Our researchers
Here at Cybernews, our experienced and in-house research team conducts detailed eSIM tests. We use real-life testing of eSIM providers and evaluate each aspect objectively, without a third-party influence. During the tests, they gain insights that help them explain the user experience our readers will get.
Moreover, our research team and writers collaborate to ensure that all of our articles are accurate, understandable, up-to-date, and valuable to a broad audience. Feel free to contact us if something’s missing.
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