Methodology

How we compare 135,887 eSIM plans from 34 providers

Every number on this site comes from a pipeline, not a pitch. Provider catalogs are re-synced from their feeds and APIs every day, rankings are computed from plan attributes, and affiliate commissions are never an input. This page explains each step — it’s maintained by the eSIM Advice Editorial Team and was last reviewed on July 3, 2026.

34 providers compared
135,887 active plans tracked
224 countries & territories
Daily catalog re-sync (03:17 UTC)
22 verified coupon codes live

Data collection

Where our data comes from

We don’t copy plan tables from provider marketing pages. Each of the 34 providers we compare is connected to an automated sync that pulls their current catalog directly from their feed or API once every 24 hours. Each sync normalizes every plan into the same comparable shape: price converted to your selected currency, price per GB computed, validity and data allowance standardized, and coverage mapped to the country and regional pages it actually serves — that’s how one plan can appear on dozens of the 224 destination pages it covers. Plan data originates from those feeds; occasional manual corrections are logged and superseded by the next sync.

  • 34 direct provider feed/API integrations — no hand-copied plan tables
  • Full catalog re-sync every 24 hours at 03:17 UTC
  • Normalization: currency, price per GB, validity, data allowance, coverage mapping
  • Plans explicitly labeled cruise/maritime by their providers are routed to the dedicated cruise guides

Rankings

How rankings and sorting actually work

Plan tables on country and country-provider pages default to cheapest-first and can be re-sorted by price, price per GB, and data allowance; other comparison pages use the same attribute-based logic. Two things are deliberately absent from every sort: how much a provider pays us, and whether a provider pays us at all. A provider cannot buy a higher position, and no plan is ever hidden to make a commission-paying plan look better.

  • Sorting inputs: price, price per GB, validity period, data allowance
  • Identical ranking logic for all 34 providers
  • Affiliate commission is not an input — not a weight, not a tiebreaker
  • Highlighted plans never reorder tables or hide cheaper options

Pricing

How prices and coupons are shown

The price you see is the price we expect you to pay at the provider’s checkout. When we have a verified coupon code that applies automatically through our link, we show the coupon-applied price — clearly, not as a fake “was/now” strike-through game. There are currently 22 active verified codes. A code makes it onto the site only after we confirm it applies at the provider’s checkout, and codes that stop working are removed. One honest caveat: providers control their own checkouts, so the provider’s final price always wins.

  • Coupon-applied prices shown only for verified auto-apply codes (22 live — see deals)
  • Prices refresh with every daily sync
  • The provider’s checkout is the final source of truth

Transparency

How we make money

eSIM Advice is funded by affiliate commissions. When you click a buy button, you go through a tracked redirect (you’ll see /go/ in the URL) to the provider’s site, and if you purchase, the provider may pay us a commission. Three things this does not change: the price you pay — commissions come out of the provider’s margin, never added to your total; the order of any table — ranking is computed without commission data; and what we publish — plans from every synced provider appear in results whether or not a click earns anything. Full details are on the disclosure page.

  • Buy links route through visible, tracked /go/ redirects
  • Commission never changes the price you pay or the ranking order
  • Affiliate links carry rel="nofollow sponsored" markup

Our red lines

What we don’t do

  • No fake reviews or ratings. You won’t find star ratings or review counts on eSIM Advice today, because we only publish reviews from real users — and we haven’t collected any yet. We’d rather show nothing than invent social proof.
  • No pay-to-rank. There is no price at which a provider can buy a position in our tables.
  • No invented discounts. Every coupon is one of the 22 codes we’ve verified at checkout; expired codes are removed, not left up to disappoint you.
  • No fake urgency. No countdown timers, no invented scarcity.
  • On our comparison pages, if a number can’t be traced to our pipeline or a provider’s feed, we don’t publish it.

Accountability

Corrections, disputes, and what we can’t control

If you find a wrong price, a dead coupon, or incorrect coverage information, tell us through the contact page — reports go to the eSIM Advice Editorial Team. Because catalogs re-sync every 24 hours, most pricing discrepancies self-correct within a day; everything else we investigate and fix. Providers who believe their plans are listed inaccurately can dispute a listing the same way, with the same standard of evidence: the provider’s own feed and checkout. Some things sit outside our pipeline and are worth verifying yourself before you buy: device compatibility, local network quality on the ground, and each provider’s refund terms.

FAQ

Methodology questions, answered

Do affiliate commissions affect how plans are ranked?

No. Rankings are computed from plan attributes — price, price per GB, validity period, and data allowance. Commission data is not an input to the sorting, and highlighted plans never reorder tables or hide cheaper options.

How often are the prices on eSIM Advice updated?

Every connected provider catalog is re-synced from provider feeds and APIs once every 24 hours (the job runs at 03:17 UTC), so plan lists reflect each provider’s current feed. The provider’s checkout remains the final source of truth.

Why doesn’t eSIM Advice show star ratings or user reviews?

Because we only publish reviews from real users, and we haven’t collected any yet. Rather than fabricate ratings or review counts, we show none. When user reviews appear, every one will come from a genuine submission.

Are the coupon codes on eSIM Advice real?

Yes. A code is displayed only after we’ve confirmed it applies at the provider’s checkout, and codes that stop working are removed. There are currently 22 active verified codes; where a verified code auto-applies through our link, the displayed price already includes it.

Does buying through your links cost me more?

No. Buy buttons route through a tracked /go/ redirect so the provider knows we referred you, but the price at checkout is identical to — or, when a verified code auto-applies through our link, lower than — going direct. Any commission comes from the provider’s margin, not your total.

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