nadanada vs Silent.Link (2026): Two No-KYC eSIMs, Two Different Models
Silent.Link is the original anonymous eSIM: pay-as-you-go, crypto-only, and respected in privacy communities since 2022. nadanada, founded the same year as LNVPN, is the full privacy stack with fixed plans from $0.99, a VPN and phone numbers under the same roof. Both are honestly no-KYC. The differences are price, pricing model, and what you get beyond data.
| nadanada | Silent.Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Fixed plans, from $0.99 | Pay-as-you-go balance, $9 entry (incl. $5 credit) |
| Balance / plan expiry | Plan validity window | Balance never expires |
| Coverage | 200+ countries & regions | 160+ countries |
| Per-GB cost | Fixed per plan, known upfront | Varies by network your phone picks; often 40-60% higher |
| Payment methods | Lightning (5% off), BTC, Monero, USDT/USDC + 200 coins, cards, Apple/Google Pay | BTC, Lightning, Monero only; no cards |
| Phone numbers | Rental from $12 / 3 months | US or UK number at $59/year, inbound only |
| VPN | WireGuard, pay per use | None |
| API | Full REST API (eSIM, VPN, numbers) | None |
| Availability | Always in stock | Repeatedly sold out during 2026 |
| Account / email / KYC | None | None |
Where Silent.Link wins
- Never-expiring balance: buy once, top up rarely, nothing goes to waste
- Operating since 2022 with a strong reputation on Privacy Guides and the GrapheneOS forums
- Frequently reported as reliable behind China's Great Firewall and in VoIP-restricted countries
- Tor-accessible site and crypto-only stance, which some users see as a purity signal
Where nadanada wins
- Plans from $0.99 instead of a $9 entry fee, with per-GB costs that are fixed and visible before you pay
- Wider coverage: 200+ countries and regions vs 160+
- Cheaper phone numbers: rentals from $12 per 3 months vs $59 per year
- The rest of the privacy stack: pay-per-use WireGuard VPN and disposable numbers from the same no-account checkout
- More ways to pay: 200+ cryptocurrencies plus cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- A full REST API for developers and AI agents
- No stock-outs: eSIMs are always available
The pricing model is the real difference
Silent.Link sells a $9 eSIM that comes with $5 of balance, and you top the balance up whenever you like. It never expires, which is genuinely useful if you travel twice a year and hate buying a new plan every trip. The catch is what happens when you use it: your phone connects to whichever local network has the best signal, and every network has its own per-GB rate. You find out what a gigabyte cost after you have used it, and independent reviews have documented extreme cases (one KYCnot.me report measured $155 per GB in Angola).
nadanada works the other way around: you pick a plan with a known data amount, validity and price, from $0.99, and that is what you pay. If you run out you top up by ICCID in a minute. Neither model is wrong, but they suit different people. Frequent travelers and anyone on a budget tend to do better with fixed plans; the very occasional traveler who values never thinking about expiry may prefer the balance model despite the higher rates.
Privacy: both are the real thing
This comparison is not a privacy contest, because both providers pass the strict test: no account, no email, no ID, crypto accepted, and nothing to link a purchase to a person. Silent.Link is crypto-only (Bitcoin, Lightning, Monero) and Tor-accessible. nadanada accepts the same coins plus about 200 others, and also takes cards for people who do not need payment privacy; the card is seen by the payment processor, not stored by us, and there is still no account or email either way. nadanada also runs an onion service for Tor users.
One structural point worth knowing: Silent.Link routes all traffic through Poland, an EU and NATO member with intelligence-sharing agreements. Whether that matters depends on your threat model; for most travelers it does not, but it is the kind of detail privacy-focused buyers ask about.
Phone numbers and everything beyond data
Silent.Link's identity plans bundle a US (+1) or UK (+44) number for $59 per year, limited to inbound SMS and voice-activation calls. nadanada rents numbers from $12 per 3 months and sells one-time disposable numbers for single verifications, both accessible over the same REST API that covers eSIMs and the VPN. If your reason for wanting an anonymous number is account verification, the rental plus disposable combination is considerably cheaper than a yearly identity plan.
The VPN is the other gap: Silent.Link does not offer one, while nadanada's pay-per-use WireGuard VPN starts at $0.50 per day. If you want mobile data, encrypted traffic and a verification number from one provider with one wallet, that combination is the reason nadanada exists.
Availability and reliability
A practical point that catches people off guard: Silent.Link has repeatedly shown a sold-out notice during 2026, sometimes for days. If you are buying an eSIM the night before a flight, that is a real risk. On the reliability side, Silent.Link has earned its reputation for working behind China's firewall; nadanada eSIMs also work in China via roaming partners, and our China guide covers the setup in detail.
The verdict
Pick Silent.Link if you travel rarely, want a balance that never expires, and are happy to pay a premium plus a $9 entry fee for the veteran option.
Pick nadanada if you want lower and predictable prices, wider coverage, phone numbers and a VPN from the same checkout, card payment as an option, and an API. For most travelers comparing the two, the price difference alone settles it.
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