| Service | Lab score | Codes received | Median delay | Countries advertised | Monero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5sim | 4.8/10 | 31.3% | 65 s | Advertised 300+, not verified | Not confirmed |
| VirtualSMSNumbers | 9.2/10 | 96.7% | 11 s | 180 | No |
| ReadyOTP | 9.1/10 | 94% | 18 s | 150 | Yes |
| OTPAtlas | 9.0/10 | 92.7% | 27 s | 190 | Not confirmed |
| SMSario | 6.7/10 | 80% | 45 s | Not recorded | No |
| SMSPVA | 5.3/10 | 34% | 190 s | Not recorded | Not confirmed |
Why 5sim failed our test
5sim scored 4.8/10, last of the six sites we rated. Over 6 months it could not supply a number on 92 of our 150 requests. On the 58 requests where it did, the number worked about 81% of the time, which leaves 31.3% of codes received overall, at a median of 65 s. The failure is availability, not the SMS itself: once you have a number, the code usually arrives.
Two details show that the storefront does not reflect what you can actually get. 5sim advertises "300+ countries", while the UN counts 193 states, and we did not verify the figure. Its stock counter sat frozen at 4,127 for three weeks: a picture, not live availability. It never asked for an identity document: privacy was not the problem.
What to use instead
Best reception in the 6-month test: VirtualSMSNumbers, at 96.7% with a median of 11 s. Most private: ReadyOTP, no email or password, over Tor, accepts Monero. Cheapest and biggest catalogue in that test: OTPAtlas. All three received more than nine codes in ten, against about three in ten at 5sim, and none of them asked for an identity document.
In the 6-month test, VirtualSMSNumbers scored 9.2/10 and its stock never ran dry. It advertises 180 countries and 2,500 services, asks only for an email (a disposable one works) and, in that test’s record, takes a $2.00 minimum top-up; its fastest crypto top-up was credited in about 40 s. Its five misses were all in the rarest countries and were refunded automatically. It is the priciest of the top three on the larger services and keeps connection logs for 30 days.
ReadyOTP (9.1/10) asks for no email and no password: the account is a 16-digit ID, the site is reachable over a .onion address, and Lightning top-ups were credited in about 5 s. Lose that ID and you lose the balance. OTPAtlas (9.0/10) has the biggest catalogue in the test, 190 countries and 3,000 services advertised, is about 25% cheaper than VirtualSMSNumbers on the larger services and refunds automatically when a code does not arrive, but it has no Lightning, slow support (about six hours) and suffered two outages during our test.
Do not swap 5sim for SMSPVA, sms-man.com or onlinesim.io
SMSPVA fails in a similar way. It received 34% of codes in our 6-month test, at a median of 190 s and about three attempts per code; far fewer codes came through on the biggest platforms, which the lab reads as the signature of burned numbers. Refunds are ticket-only: we opened 99, with a five-day median. Our 1-month test, published on September 8, 2026, found it decent overall with some messages missing, over 20 services and without an exact count.
Two sites we kept out of the ranking received more codes than 5sim in the same 6-month test, but failed on money. sms-man.com received 85.3% of codes, then froze a $64.00 balance pending an ID and a selfie once top-ups passed about 100 USD. onlinesim.io received 58.7%, went offline for eleven days in July and came back with every balance reset to zero, $38.00 lost.
How we tested
The lab ran the test from March to August 2026: 150 code requests at each scored site, spread across 10 services and 15 countries. A code that did not arrive within 20 minutes counted as a failure. We pushed each site past 100 USD in cumulative top-ups, then asked for a balance refund and account deletion to test the no-KYC promise. We measured whether the code arrived, not whether the destination service accepted it. 5sim was not part of our 1-month SMS test published on September 8, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is 5sim no-KYC?
In our 6-month test, yes — it never asked for an ID. The problem was availability: a number was unavailable 92 times out of 150, for a 31.3% real success rate.
How many times did 5sim have no number available?
On 92 of our 150 requests over 6 months, 5sim had no number to give. Its stock counter stayed frozen at 4,127 for three weeks, so the stock on display was not a live count. When it did supply a number, the code arrived about 81% of the time.
What is the best alternative to 5sim?
VirtualSMSNumbers, top of our 6-month test at 9.2/10: 96.7% of codes received with a median of 11 s, against 31.3% at 5sim. It asks only for an email, and its stock never ran dry in 6 months.
Which 5sim alternative accepts Monero?
ReadyOTP, at 9.1/10 with 94% of codes received. It is the only scored site in our 6-month SMS test confirmed to accept Monero: VirtualSMSNumbers does not, and Monero was not confirmed at OTPAtlas. ReadyOTP also needs no email or password and works over Tor.
Is SMSPVA a good alternative to 5sim?
Not on our results. SMSPVA received 34% of codes in our 6-month test, barely more than the 31.3% at 5sim, needed about three attempts per code and refunds only by ticket, with a five-day median. It scored 5.3/10.
Does 5sim really cover 300+ countries?
It advertises "300+ countries", while the UN counts 193 states, and we did not verify the figure. What we measured is availability: 5sim had no number for 92 of our 150 requests, which covered 15 countries and 10 services over 6 months.