The cheapest option, reviewed without flinching
Yesim in Costa Rica
Yesim is the lowest price at every plan size we compare for Costa Rica. It also lists Claro at 3G only and prints no unlimited cap. Both facts belong on the same page.
The Yesim Costa Rica plans
USD, checked 2026
| Plan | Price | Per GB | Cheapest of the five we link? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB / 30 days | $5.16 | $5.16 | Yes |
| 3GB / 30 days | $9.36 | $3.12 | Yes |
| 5GB / 30 days | $15.60 | $3.12 | Yes |
| 10GB / 30 days | $25.20 | $2.52 | Yes, $8.80 under Airalo |
| 20GB / 30 days | $37.80 | $1.89 | Yes, $2.70 under Airalo |
| Unlimited day pass | $6.00 / day | — | No published Costa Rica cap |
Yesim's page shows the fixed plans as discounts off a higher list price (10GB "from $51.60"); the prices above are what the page charged when we checked. Unlimited is sold as day passes, $6.00 for one day. It is the one part of the range we would not buy: Yesim says speed "may be limited in accordance with the network operator's Fair Usage Policy" and prints no figure for Costa Rica, while Airalo Unlimited prints 3GB a day.
The fixed-data plans are the reason to be here. Thirty-day validity on every size including the 1GB, and $3.12 per gigabyte at 3GB and 5GB, is a price no other brand we link approaches. On a two-week trip with wifi at night, the $15.60 5GB plan is very likely all you need.
Is Yesim trustworthy?
the Trustpilot record
Earlier in 2026 Trustpilot suspended Yesim's star rating while it removed reviews that breached its guidelines, and earlier versions of this page said so. The score is back: 4.3 from 2,996 reviews, with no warning banner on the profile, checked 2026. Yesim's profile notes that it invites customers to review, positive or negative.
That puts it level with GigSky (4.3 from 8,403), just above Airalo (4.2 from 48,959) and below Saily (4.7 from 32,870), on far fewer reviews than any of them. The reviews we read split the usual way: most report a plan that installed and worked, a minority report activation failures and slow refunds.
The sensible habits are the same as with any budget eSIM: buy a few days before you fly rather than at the airport, install the profile at home, and keep a screenshot of the purchase.
Yesim against the other four
price versus paperwork
| Yesim | Airalo | GigSky | Saily | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB | $5.16 / 30d | $7.50 / 3d | $6.99 / 7d | $7.99 / 7d |
| 5GB / 30 days | $15.60 | $26.50 | $21.99 | $26.99 |
| 10GB / 30 days | $25.20 | $34.00 | $39.99 | $36.99 |
| 20GB / 30 days | $37.80 | $40.50 | none | $47.99 |
| Costa Rican network | Claro (3G) + Telefónica | Liberty | Claro + Liberty | not disclosed |
| Trustpilot | 4.3 · 2,996 | 4.2 · 48,959 | 4.3 · 8,403 | 4.7 · 32,870 |
| Unlimited cap published | no | yes, 3GB/day | yes, 3.5GB/day | yes, 3GB/day, then 1 Mbps |
Four price rows, four Yesim wins. The cost is in the small print: no unlimited cap, and a network list that shows Claro at 3G only. That is the whole decision, and it is genuinely yours to make rather than ours.
Which network does Yesim use in Costa Rica?
Claro and Telefónica
Yesim's Costa Rica page lists two operators: Claro, at 3G, and Telefónica, at 3G and LTE. Telefónica sold its Costa Rican business, Movistar, to Liberty, so in practice that is the Liberty network. The coverage story is the usual Claro-and-Liberty one: strong in the Central Valley, Guanacaste, Arenal and Manuel Antonio, good along the Interamericana, thin once you turn onto dirt, and absent in the Kölbi-only pockets of the Osa, Sarapiquí and Tortuguero.
The 3G label on Claro matters if your phone lands there: expect slower loads than the LTE you would get on Liberty. Yesim says hotspot "depends on operator". The main guide has the full place-by-place table, and the Kölbi page covers the gaps a Claro or Liberty eSIM does not fill.
Buying Yesim the careful way
four rules
- Buy a few days before you fly, not at the airport. If activation fails you want business days in hand, not a boarding call.
- Install the profile at home on wifi and confirm the line appears in your settings. Yesim says validity starts on connection to a compatible network, so early installation costs nothing.
- Screenshot the purchase and the plan details. Your own paper trail makes any refund request quicker.
- If it will not attach on landing, set network selection to manual and pick Liberty (it may show as Movistar or Telefónica), then Claro. If neither appears you are in a Kölbi pocket, which is not Yesim's fault. Full setup guide.
Buy it or skip it
the honest split
Buy Yesim if
Budget is the constraint and $8.80 on a 10GB plan is money you would rather spend on a Manuel Antonio guide.
You want 30-day validity at small sizes: $5.16 for 1GB over a month is a category of its own here.
You will top up rather than buy unlimited: start on 5GB at $15.60 and add more in the app if you run out.
Skip Yesim if
You want unlimited with a known cap: Yesim prints none. Compare the caps here.
You want a named LTE network on every line: Yesim lists Claro at 3G only. Airalo names Liberty and costs $8.80 more on 10GB.
You are buying the night before you fly and would have no time to fix a failed activation.
Questions
on Yesim in Costa Rica
Is Yesim safe to use in Costa Rica?
It is an ordinary travel eSIM on Claro and Telefónica (now Liberty), and its Trustpilot score is 4.3 from 2,996 reviews, checked 2026. Trustpilot suspended the score earlier in 2026 during a fake-review cleanup; it is displayed again with no warning banner.
Why is Yesim so much cheaper than Airalo?
Different margin and different marketing spend. On 10GB the gap is $8.80 ($25.20 against $34.00, checked 2026). What the extra buys at Airalo is a printed unlimited cap and a named LTE network; Yesim lists Claro at 3G only.
Does Yesim have unlimited data for Costa Rica?
Yes, as day passes, $6.00 for one day on the page we checked. We do not recommend it: Yesim publishes no daily fair-use figure for Costa Rica, while Airalo Unlimited prints 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps.
Which network does Yesim use in Costa Rica?
Its page lists Claro (3G) and Telefónica (3G, LTE), checked 2026. Telefónica's Costa Rican network is now Liberty. Yesim does not name Kölbi, so the rural gaps in the Kölbi guide apply to it too.
Can I top up a Yesim plan mid-trip?
Yes, Yesim lists top-up as available, and it keeps the same profile so there is no second QR code to scan. That is the practical way to run the cheap route: buy 5GB for $15.60, top up if you actually run out.
Yesim or GigSky for a short trip?
Close call. GigSky's free 100MB trial lets you confirm the signal at your accommodation before spending anything; Yesim's $5.16 for 1GB over 30 days is the cheaper paid start. Both sit at 4.3 on Trustpilot. The GigSky review has the detail.
Yesim Costa Rica · 10GB · $25.20
Cheapest at every size we compare, on Claro and Telefónica (now Liberty), 30 days. No unlimited cap published, which we have now told you three times.
See Yesim's Costa Rica plansSources & freshness: Prices, networks, hotspot and fair-use wording from yesim.app/country/costa-rica, checked 2026, in USD. Trustpilot score from trustpilot.com/review/yesim.app, 2026. Rival prices from the brands' own pages (GigSky and Saily checked 2026 on their own pages). Compare all five: best eSIM for Costa Rica.