How we rank
Our score is calculated every day by fixed rules, the same for every provider: from the plan data in our database, from user ratings and from documented customer problems. Until a provider has enough comparable plans, its entry says “not rated yet”.
What goes into the score
Five criteria are weighted into a score from 0 to 100. From 88 points we call a provider “excellent”, from 80 “good”, from 60 “solid”.
The price comparison in detail
A comparison counts when at least 5 providers offer the package for a destination, and a provider is rated once it has at least 8 such comparisons. The score is recalculated every day after the price update, so it moves when prices change.
The 30 destinations: USA, Turkey, Japan, United Kingdom, Thailand, Italy, Spain, France, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, China, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Egypt, Indonesia, Greece, Vietnam, South Korea, Morocco, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia, Austria, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Brazil, Philippines.
What the score is not
It is not a lab test or a network test. We do not measure speed or signal on location: network quality depends on the local partner network in each country, so a single measurement says little about other countries or other times. Instead, our plan tables show which local networks a provider names for each country. Plan data comes from the providers' shops and plan feeds; feed prices are refreshed daily.
What does not go into it
Money. Some links on this site are affiliate links and are marked as such; a provider cannot buy a position, and a provider that pays nothing is ranked by exactly the same rules.
User ratings
For the score we combine all ratings we find: the App Store rating of the provider's app, averaged over 12 country stores and refreshed every day, and the ratings on Trustpilot and Google Play, which we check by hand at least every six months. The combination is weighted by the number of ratings and starts from a cautious value of 3.8 stars, so a handful of ratings cannot carry a provider to the top. Together they make up 25 % of the score. Next to a provider we show the App Store rating from 100 ratings.
Documented customer problems
Some problems are not visible in plan data: charges for extras customers did not want, paid extras that are pre-selected at checkout, no refund for an eSIM that was never used, or a validity that starts at purchase instead of first use. We count such a practice when it can be checked in the provider's own shop or terms, or when at least three independent customer reports describe the same practice within 90 days. It deducts fixed points from the plan terms, is listed with its sources on the provider page and lapses if it is not confirmed again within six months. Problems every provider has now and then, such as an eSIM that does not connect or a slow reply from support, are left to the user ratings.
- Repeated reports of charges for extras customers did not want: −15 points
- Paid extras pre-selected at checkout: −15 points
- No refund for unused eSIMs: −10 points
- Validity starts at purchase, not at first use: −10 points