Tested the no-KYC eSIM providers that take BTC, some things to know

[Alex_GGG]

Most "anonymous eSIM" recommendations that I found are years old and half of them predate the providers worth using now. Tested on a Pixel 8a and iPhone 16 Pro, goal was to maximize ISP anonymity, platform access and general privacy, paying in BTC the whole way. I bought plans from the main no-KYC providers and activated each one on the device, test took a few weeks while traveling across EU/Asia. Notes below, focused on Bitcoin support (Lightning vs on-chain), activation and IP routing since that's what matters here.
All of them skip KYC and take crypto, but how they handle Bitcoin varies, some are Lightning-first, some on-chain, some run their own processor. Activation flow same for all phones: scan the QR under Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add eSIM. If the code did not work, I used the GrapheneOS eSIM string. Here are results:

Silent Link

The established one. 160+ countries, no caps or expiry, pays in BTC/Lightning/XMR/stables, data and call packages. Lightning supported directly, which keeps the payment fast and cheap. Activates cleanly on GrapheneOS, string available as well. Strongest community trust and the best reports for working globally. Downsides: most expensive, eSIM management pretty outdated, you only get one exit IP and no visibility into it before buying (need to ask support), and popular regions sell out fast.

LNVPN (nadanada)

Widest payment range (BTC, XMR, Zcash, ETH, USDT, even cards) and cheap entry. Lightning-native, as the name suggests. Bundles a VPN, phone numbers and some sort of anon AI chat thing. In testing: no routing disclosure, thin plan selection, hotspot didn't work, and I couldn't get a clean activation on GrapheneOS. Used an iPhone 16 Pro to activate. Not sure what privacy features they provide, but they have some community which is pretty positive.

Voidmob

Lets you pick and filter the exit country and carrier, most IP routing options available. Actually bypasses RU VPN restrictions and CN Great Firewall without a separate tunnel. Activates fine on GrapheneOS, have string and docs. 200+ destinations, BTC/XMR/SOL/stables. Bundles non-VoIP numbers and vless xray mobile proxies, detailed dashboard to manage identities. Downsides: newer service, eSIM is data-only, crypto only (which is a plus here).

PikaSim

Mostly per-country pricing, self-hosted BTCPay so no third-party payment processor sees the transaction, on-chain and Lightning both go through that same self-hosted setup. Shows your IP location on the order, so you know your exit before you connect. SMS and calls on US plans. Cards via Stripe if you don't mind that trail. Cons: newer, only a handful of routing options. Checking price country by country is annoying, or just grab a global plan but no bundles.
Things worth knowing if you're paying in BTC:

No-KYC is not the same as anonymous. The carrier still sees the eSIM IMEI and logs IP at the network level, and the eSIM adds no encryption on its own. What you do avoid disclosing: your home ISP, your identity, and (if the provider routes properly) your real-country IP. Worth remembering on-chain BTC is permanent and public, so if the coins came from a KYC exchange the purchase is traceable, Lightning or a self-hosted processor like PikaSim's BTCPay reduces that.
Routing transparency is the thing nobody checks until a banking or auth app locks them over a location mismatch. Some of these providers don't tell you the exit at all.
Verify your exit IP right after activation. Settings won't tell you, use a checker before sending anything sensitive.
For real encryption, the eSIM is just connectivity. Layer a VPN or mobile proxy on top depending on your threat model. The eSIM solves the SIM-registration and foreign-IP problem, not the encryption one.

Pick by use case, each has tradeoffs.

[NotATether]

Add Globalesim to the list. Good provider that accepts crypto, and the exit node is somewhere in Poland or Israel (from my experience). They offer a Flex plan that allows for unlimited recharging of data, but you're basically paying roaming prices at this point, and I wouldn't recommend such expensive providers unless you absolutely had no other choice.

[The Cryptovator]

I know there are eSIM companies, but I have never used one. I have used virtual SIM cards before for my clients, like opening Telegram and vice versa. All the eSIMs will charge you a roaming cost, and most probably it's higher than our native roaming charge. I know you are talking about non-KYC e-SIMs, but you are always traceable by the operator. It's even possible to trace your exact location through your device and e-SIM.

However, probably I won't use it, such as a SIM card, unless I am forced to. Because it isn't necessary to use eSIM like this with a high charge unless I am involved with any crime. Because I have a roaming SIM card that works in almost all the countries I visit. Also, there is not much charge for the roaming compared to the eSIM. So not interesting to me.

[PrivacyG]

I have similar thoughts to The Cryptovator on these eSIMs.  I like that they are no Know Your Customer, although you can still get pre paid SIM cards in my country with no ID.  But I rather have a phone with no SIM at all, whether electronic or physical.  Other than the fact that it is closer to pre paid SIMs as it asks for no private information, there is pretty much no other advantage for the usually much extra prices.

[elda34b]

Which one is the best for Asia, specifically China? I wonder if I can use this kind of service to register a Chinese phone number to get account for their social media/game apps. If the pricing is so high, I guess it's cheaper to buy accounts although there's no guarantee it will survive long. I remember buying some gaming accounts and they got banned immediately after.

[HansalScripts]

Which one is the best for Asia, specifically China? I wonder if I can use this kind of service to register a Chinese phone number...

Good question. I’ve tested a couple of these in CN and HK, so here’s the short version:

For bypassing the Great Firewall without a separate VPN:
Voidmob worked best in my experience. Their exit country filtering actually routes traffic outside CN before it hits the destination. I could access Google, Telegram, etc. directly on cellular data without an extra tunnel. That’s rare — most eSIMs still route through a local CN gateway if you’re on a CN carrier, but Voidmob’s exit selection avoids that.

For registering Chinese services (WeChat, games, etc.):
None of these will give you a Chinese mainland (+86) phone number for SMS verification. That’s a hard problem due to real-name laws. Your best bet is buying a pre-verified account (risky) or using a Hong Kong (+852) number if the service allows it. Silent Link offers some non-VoIP numbers but not mainland CN numbers.

Pricing vs. local roaming:
Yes, eSIM roaming is usually more expensive than a local prepaid SIM. But in CN, getting a local SIM as a foreigner requires passport registration at a store — which links your identity and IMEI. The whole point of these BTC eSIMs is avoiding that link.

Quick tip for paying with BTC in CN:
If you’re traveling there, use Lightning (Silent Link or LNPVN) or PikaSim’s self-hosted BTCPay. On-chain BTC takes forever and fees spike unpredictably. Also, don’t send directly from a KYC exchange — the blockchain doesn’t lie. Use a Wasabi or Samourai (RIP) style wallet, or at least a fresh intermediate wallet.

Verdict for Asia/CN:
- Bypass GFW without VPN → Voidmob
- Most reliable global coverage → Silent Link
- Cheapest entry (but worse routing) → LNPVN
- Need a non-VoIP number for verification outside CN → Silent Link or Voidmob bundles

And +1 to OP’s reminder: eSIM is not encryption. Always layer a proper VPN or Tor if your threat model needs it.

[joniboini]

Your best bet is buying a pre-verified account (risky) or using a Hong Kong (+852) number if the service allows it. Silent Link offers some non-VoIP numbers but not mainland CN numbers.

This is my first time hearing about it. Does purchasing Hong Kong number also requires real name law? I wonder if those account sellers actually use them to generate their game accounts.

As far as my experience goes, if playing game is your only goal, purchasing a cheap starter account is way easier compared to getting an actual phone number. Though it's risky since you don't control the number or the account at all.

[LoyceV]

I'm no expert on phones, but I have to wonder: how private is this really? Even if you didn't leave any private data when you bought the eSIM, you'll use it in your phone. Does it share something like your hardware IMEI number? They obviously know your approximate location already, if they can connect that to your device, chances are other providers have enough information to know exactly who you are. Or am I too paranoid here?

[Zwei]

I'm no expert on phones, but I have to wonder: how private is this really? Even if you didn't leave any private data when you bought the eSIM, you'll use it in your phone. Does it share something like your hardware IMEI number? They obviously know your approximate location already, if they can connect that to your device, chances are other providers have enough information to know exactly who you are. Or am I too paranoid here?

you are not paranoid at all.

the moment you connect to a cellular network your IMEI and other info gets broadcast by default as far as i know.
but i guess they won't have your name, address or KYC (if you use a NO KYC e-sim) since most of the world has mandatory sim card registration.

so unless you have bought your phone with cash or second hand, the IMEI alone would be enough to trace you (doesn't matter if you use a NO KYC sim card or not) if you bought it from an official store, or you set up your personal google account or something like that, as i'm pretty sure they collect the IMEI number as well.

small edit, kinda

[joniboini]

but i guess they won't have your name, address or KYC since most of the world has mandatory sim card registration,

Is this a typo? If there's mandatory SIM Card registration, wouldn't that include names or KYC too? At least in my country I always have to input my name or identity number to use a new SIM card. Not sure about IMEI since my provider don't ask for it. As for the seller, they don't ask a copy of ID card or something similar, but usually they'll ask for one to process a warranty. Not sure how eSIM would change that since the migration hasn't started yet.

[Zwei]

but i guess they won't have your name, address or KYC since most of the world has mandatory sim card registration,

Is this a typo? If there's mandatory SIM Card registration, wouldn't that include names or KYC too?

i could have worded that better, my bad for the confusion. by they i meant a NO KYC eSIM (i edited my original post, so it hopefully now reads better and what i was trying to say is more clear).

At least in my country I always have to input my name or identity number to use a new SIM card.

same where i'm from, no ID, no sim card. there are pre activated ones sold second hand from random electronics shops, but they stop working after a few weeks if they don't get registered.

Not sure about IMEI since my provider don't ask for it.

they don't need to ask for your phone IMEI number, as soon as you pop in a sim card, they log it automatically.

[PrivacyG]

I'm no expert on phones, but I have to wonder: how private is this really? Even if you didn't leave any private data when you bought the eSIM, you'll use it in your phone. Does it share something like your hardware IMEI number? They obviously know your approximate location already, if they can connect that to your device, chances are other providers have enough information to know exactly who you are. Or am I too paranoid here?

It is about as private as a pre paid SIM card is.  In other words.  On a bridge between really private and as exposed as you can be.  In my country you can still get SIM cards with out having to show an ID but for the most part of Europe I believe it is not possible to do that any more.  This is the middle ground, only a little bit worse than purchasing a pre paid in cash.  I guess.

[joniboini]

there are pre activated ones sold second hand from random electronics shops, but they stop working after a few weeks if they don't get registered.

That's interesting. So what does pre-activated means in that case? Sounds like there's another registration that the user have to do even thought the card is pre-activated. I'd assume it means no KYC required if you haven't told me they'll stop working after a few weeks.

they don't need to ask for your phone IMEI number, as soon as you pop in a sim card, they log it automatically.

True, but as far as my understanding goes we have to supply an IMEI if we want to communicate with a cellular network. Just like how MAC is required to connect to a network. Not sure how eSIM or prepaid SIM card works though. CMIIW.

[Zwei]

there are pre activated ones sold second hand from random electronics shops, but they stop working after a few weeks if they don't get registered.

That's interesting. So what does pre-activated means in that case? Sounds like there's another registration that the user have to do even thought the card is pre-activated. I'd assume it means no KYC required if you haven't told me they'll stop working after a few weeks.

from what i know (i'm not 100% sure it's still this way, as the last time i got a new sim card was 2~3 years ago), the sim card provider gives those third party sellers some kind of special line that they use to activate the number with fake KYC info or some just use their KYC info instead, but it's only temporary and whoever bought it needs to either activate it again by sending their real KYC info to the provider online (a pic of ID), or they need to go to an official provider store for that. so technically you can get a sim card with "no KYC" but it will only work for 2 weeks to a month max before it gets flagged and blocked.

and i'm pretty sure this practice is illegal, but there isn't any real consequences for the electronics shops doing that.

[MadSl1m]

Good writeup. Two adds. On payment: for plans this small, on-chain BTC works against you, the fee and UTXO overhead swamp a $5-10 eSIM, which is why the serious no-KYC ones (Silent.link, LNVPN, PikaSim) are Lightning-first. On-chain-only providers effectively price out the small plans. On the IMEI question someone raised: paying anonymously is the easy part. The eSIM still presents one IMSI the carrier logs against towers and location, and the handset's IMEI travels with it no matter how you paid. So no-KYC payment buys unlinked billing, not anonymous usage, the persistent IMSI plus device fingerprint is where deanonymisation actually happens. The IP-routing focus is right, just don't let a clean payment trail imply the whole chain is clean.

[joniboini]

the sim card provider gives those third party sellers some kind of special line that they use to activate the number with fake KYC info or some just use their KYC info instead, but it's only temporary

That sounds shady. So the provider itself facilitate this willingly? Or the shop abuse their service? Anyway, this sounds like it's illegal from the government pov regardless of how the provider view it.

So no-KYC payment buys unlinked billing, not anonymous usage, the persistent IMSI plus device fingerprint is where deanonymisation actually happens.

I can see that unlinked billing being a positive. Paying with fiat will guarantee my details get shared or sold.