Firsty.app – free 300kbit/s eSIM for US/EU
A new service, Firsty.app, offers a free 300 kbit/s eSIM for data in the US and Europe in exchange for watching a video ad roughly once per hour, with paid tiers promising faster, “fair local rate” connectivity. Commenters see potential for travelers needing immediate or backup connectivity without planning ahead, but many argue the paid pricing is uncompetitive with local SIMs or existing eSIM providers and question the ethics and sustainability of ad‑supported “free” mobile data. Technical speculation centers on how Firsty enforces hourly access (likely via captive-portal–style routing), and several people note limitations such as lack of voice/SMS, eSIM-only support, and the inability to receive data when the ad window has expired.
Service model & pricing
- Free tier: 300 kbit/s data via eSIM, unlocked for about 1 hour after watching a video ad. After expiry, only ad/captive-portal access works until another ad is watched.
- Paid tier: app shows
€3.50/day for 1 day, ~€59.40 for 30 days (€1.98/day), with “starting at €1.95/day” marketing. Fast data appears limited to ~2 GB/day before throttling. - Data-only: no phone number; meant to sit beside a primary SIM/eSIM.
- Current coverage: Europe (mostly EU), USA, Turkey, Switzerland, with “global by March 25, 2024” stated but not yet realized in thread time.
Use cases & target audience
- Popular as:
- Travel backup on landing (to buy a better eSIM, access bookings, deal with immigration).
- Occasional roaming (border crossings, short trips).
- Emergency/backup connection on a spare phone.
- Debate over real audience:
- Some see it as valuable for budget travelers and those who can’t plan ahead.
- Others question who both travels internationally and is willing to watch hourly ads rather than pay a few euros.
Comparison with other connectivity options
- Many prefer travel eSIMs (Airalo, Mobimatter, bne, Ubigi, Orange, etc.) or local SIMs, often cheaper and faster.
- In some countries (e.g., India), local monthly plans are vastly cheaper than Firsty’s per‑day rate, undermining claims of “fair local rate.”
- For ultra-low usage/IoT, alternatives like Google Fi data-only SIMs, RWG, Digital Republic, Keepgo, silent.link are discussed.
Technical behavior & performance
- Likely implemented like a cellular captive portal with routing/firewall or zero-rating of the ad service.
- Discussion of local breakout (LBO) vs tunneling via distant POPs; many eSIMs route traffic through a third country, increasing latency.
- eSIM explained as a soldered secure element plus software; multiple profiles can be added/removed from OS settings.
Business model, ethics & privacy
- Some praise the idea of “always-some-connectivity” and ad-supported tiers as an explicit trade.
- Others argue ad-supported isn’t truly “free”; attention is labor, and the product targets people with few alternatives.
- Concerns it’s similar to free VPNs: ability to MITM all traffic, unclear privacy posture.
- Skepticism about sustainability and advertiser value for a user base unwilling to pay.
Issues & limitations
- Reports of activation stuck, non-function in unsupported countries, and clumsy Android setup.
- Website/app QA problems (wrong Play Store link, poor pricing transparency).
- eSIM-only excludes older/low-end devices and complicates IoT use.