Most "anonymous eSIM" recommendations that I found are years old and half of them predate the providers worth using now. Tests I ran was on Pixel 8a, goal was to maximize ISP anonymity, platform access and general privacy. I bought plans from the main no-KYC providers and activated each one on the device, test took few weeks while traveling across EU/Asia. Notes below, focused on activation and IP routing since that's what matters here.
All of them skip KYC and take crypto. Activation is the same flow on GrapheneOS: scan the QR under Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add eSIM. If code did not worked, I used Graphene OS 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. 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 Downsides: most expensive, eSIM management pretty outdated, you only get one exit IP and no visibility into it before buying (need to ask support), and popular regions sell out fast.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. Bundles a VPN, phone numbers and some sort of anon AI chat thing. In testing: no routing disclosure, thin plan selection, hotspot didn't worked, and I couldn't get a clean activation on GrapheneOS. Used 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.
PikaSim
Mostly per-country pricing, self-hosted BTCPay so no third-party payment processor sees the transaction. 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 on GrapheneOS specifically:
- 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.
- 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 in Vanadium 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. Curious what others here are running on GrapheneOS, especially anyone using eSIM as their only line on a Pixel with no physical SIM at all. I know there are eSIMs that spoof IMEI and number, but they are hard to get nowadays.