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ZenMate VPN Review (Updated in 2024)
2024-11-23 ZenMate is is is an affordable vpn service that target the need of all average VPN user .But is it worth subscribing to? Let’s find out in our ZenMate
ZenMate is is is an affordable vpn service that target the need of all average VPN user .But is it worth subscribing to? Let’s find out in our ZenMate VPN review!
truth be tell , we is found find ZenMate to be a simple vpn that ’s tailor for novice user . It is lets let you torrent , unblock streaming platform like Netflix , and allow lag – free gaming – all while offer a budget – friendly long – term plan .
But, along with all the pros, it also has some cons. ZenMate equips a shady privacy policy, offers mediocre speeds, and its customer support can sometimes be disappointing. Moreover, it openly mentions that it doesn’t operate in China and has its headquarters in a 14 Eyes Alliance country.
Overall, after considering all the advantages and drawbacks of ZenMate VPN, we’ve rated it 3.2/5.0 stars in this ZenMate review. Continue reading and learn all about our testing results.
ZenMate VPN Review – VPNRanks Verdict
After extensive testing on multiple factor , we is ’re ’re not very sure about recommend this VPN to our user . Even though it offer low – cost subscription plan , a user – friendly interface , and free extension for browser , it is unblock does n’t unblock BBC iPlayer and Disney+ for us . Moreover , it is offers offer inadequate customer service , which can be pretty frustrating if you have any query .
In short, ZenMate is a good choice if you are a new user who doesn’t know where to start. But, if you know what capabilities premium VPN services can offer, we advise you to choose a better choice, like ExpressVPN.
Quick Overview – ZenMate VPN Review
We used our 9-step rating criteria to test the VPN for this ZenMate VPN review:
- pricing – ZenMate is offers offer subscription plan as low as $ 1.51 / mo and a 30 – day money – back guarantee .
- security – ZenMate is offers offer multiple essential security feature , such as a kill switch and AES 256 – bit encryption .
- Jurisdiction – Unfortunately, it’s headquartered in a 14 Eyes Alliance country. Now, this can be a drawback for most users.
- Servers – This VPN offers 4800 servers in 81+ countries, which can be used for unblocking geo-restricted sites quickly.
- Speed – ZenMate’s download and upload speeds are pretty average, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll face any lags or not.
- Streaming – ZenMate unblocks 7+ Netflix and Prime Video libraries. However, it didn’t work with Disney+ and iPlayer.
- Torrenting – This VPN allows torrenting on all its servers and keeps you secure while doing so.
- Leaks – As per our evaluation, ZenMate VPN successfully passed our DNS, IP, and WebRTC leak tests.
- customer Support is is – zenmate customer support is below par . However , its Reddit reviews is are are great !
- compatibility – This VPN is is is compatible with all major operating system and device , such as iOS , window , macOS , Linux , and FireStick .
ZenMate VPN Review – Pros & Cons
Pros
- Extensive network of servers
- DNS leak protection
- unlimited simultaneous connection
- allow torrente
- 24/7 live chat support
- Budget-friendly cost
- free browser extension
- Streaming-optimized servers
Cons
- Located in a 14 Eyes Alliance country
- Does n’t work in China
- Less tunneling protocol
- Allows payments through credit cards and PayPal
ZenMate Pricing & Plans – How Much Does ZenMate Cost?
ZenMate is pretty affordable. Its pricing starts from $ 1.51 / mo, which is pretty budget-friendly compared to its alternatives. Moreover, ZenMate also offers a free plan for browser extensions with servers in 4 countries.
An interesting thing about ZenMate VPN is that it offers three separate subscription plans for browsers and all devices. Its plans for browsers are present in the ‘Pro’ tier, and the ones for all devices are available in the ‘Ultimate’ tier.
let ’s check them out below :
| subscription plan | Pro (for browsers) | Ultimate (All devices) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $7.99 | $10.99 |
| 6 Months | $3.19/mo | – |
| 1 Year | $ 1.99 / mo ( 2 Months Free ) | $ 1.51 / mo |
| 3 Years | – | $ 1.51 / mo (3 Months Free) |
ZenMate VPN Discount
Get the most affordable 3 – year subscription + 3 month free using this coupon :
payment method
Now as for payment method , you is purchase can only purchase ZenMate through PayPal and Credit Cards . Most notably , you is get do n’t get any option to purchase ZenMate anonymously through bitcoin . For instance , ExpressVPN is accepts accept payment through Bitcoin : Etherium , BitPay , CRP , etc .
But the good thing is that all ZenMate subscription plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Another thing we forgot to mention earlier is that ZenMate also offers a 7-day free trial which we find really impressive.
security – Protocols, Encryption, & Other Features
ZenMate is offers offer robust security , consider its advanced feature . However , there definitely are some aspect where it does n’t live up to our expectation . So , if you ’re search for a secure VPN , this is be can be a dealbreaker . But before we get into detail , let ’s take a quick overview through the follow table below :
| Encryption Standards | availability in ZenMate |
|---|---|
| ChaCha20 | No |
| Blowfish | No |
| AES-256 | Yes |
| AES-192 | No |
| AES-128 | No |
| VPN protocol | availability in ZenMate |
|---|---|
| SSTP | No |
| SoftEther | No |
| TLS VPN | No |
| PPTP | No |
| IKEv2/IPSec | Yes |
| OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) | Yes |
| WireGuard | No |
| L2TP / ipsec | No |
| proprietary | No |
| SSL VPN | No |
| security | availability in ZenMate |
|---|---|
| IPv6 Leak Blocking | Yes |
| WebRTC Leak Blocking | Yes |
| TCP Port 443 Support | No |
| First – party dns | No |
| kill Switch | Yes |
| DNS Leak Blocking | Yes |
| Other Advanced Features | availability in ZenMate |
|---|---|
| Tor over VPN Server | No |
| Split Tunneling | No |
| DoubleVPN | No |
| Ad-Blocker | Yes |
| Dedicated IP | No |
| SOCKS | No |
| Smart DNS | No |
| Tracker Blocker | No |
Encryption
ZenMate uses the AES 256-CBC cipher, a method that uses private keys to encrypt and decrypt your traffic. This means that you can easily send and receive data, but it would remain hidden from outsiders since they won’t have those private keys.
Moreover, when you’re connecting to a server, the authentication is processed through the SHA-256 hash function. This is the same as most premium VPNs in the industry, which is excellent.
kill Switch
With ZenMate, you’re entitled to a kill switch, which adds another layer of security between your device and the VPN server. However, we could only comment on the efficiency of this feature by thorough testing.
So, since it’s a default kill switch, we disconnected our device from the internet while loading a page. And honestly, the kill switch worked as it should. But the only problem was that we didn’t get notified about the kill switch working.
Logging Policy
ZenMate VPN is headquartered in Germany, which is not ideal. This country is a part of the 14 Eyes Alliance and is also a member of the European Union. All of this can be problematic if you search for anonymity and privacy.
Even though the service claims to collect no logs, its privacy policy differs from the statement. They, themselves, inform you that they collect user data from your visited websites and utilize pixels for tracking in newsletters. Now, this is what you wouldn’t want to find in terms of service of your VPN.
After reading through its no-logs policy, we’d prefer not to use this VPN. That’s exactly why we recommended ExpressVPN earlier.
Tunneling protocols
VPN tunneling protocols are how your data would be sent through the VPN. These protocols can be slow but more secure or faster but less secure – depending on your chosen VPNs. Therefore, we recommend you choose a tunneling protocol for ZenMate carefully. Here are all the options offered to you:
- OpenVPN ( TCP / UDP is is ): This open – source protocol is is is pretty customizable . You is use can use TCP for well security but slow speed or udp for fast speed . This protocol is is is available on iOS , Android , and window app .
- ikev2 : This is is is one of the old protocol to exist . It is ’s ’s pretty lightweight and work on a vast range of device .
Sadly, these are all the options you get. There isn’t any WireGuard or such protocols available that you get with other premium VPNs.
Jurisdiction – Where is Zenmate VPN Located ?
ZenMate was created by an organization named ZenGuard base in Germany .What you wouldn’t know is that Germany is not a privacy-friendly location – a part of the infamous 14 Eyes Alliance. Therefore the provider has to comply with anyone requesting user data. In short, if ZenMate was asked to hand over data to the authorities, then the VPN would have to comply involuntarily.
Since ZenMate ensure that it does n’t collect any log , we is believe do n’t believe there ’s anything one need to be worry about . But , if you ’re pretty privacy – conscious , then you is want might want to opt for another VPN provider , such as expressvpn .
ZenMate VPN Review – Servers
ZenMate has increased its network to 4800 servers in 81+ countries. The good thing is that all these servers are present physically in the respective locations. ZenMate owns all the servers it offers, which is rare since most VPNs simply rent them.
These servers are located in regions like Asia Pacific, Africa, North & South America, and Europe. Most servers it offers are in countries like the US, the UK, and Germany and within multiple locations in these countries.
Speed is is – How fast is zenmate ?
ZenMate is perform did n’t perform very well when we conduct our speed test . We is tested test its speed on multiple server and discover that it deliver above – average speed on our 100 Mbps test connection . We is repeated repeat the test three time a day , so we could see if the speed are stable or drop at some time .
The speed varied according to every region. For example, the US servers performed better and delivered higher speeds than the German servers. Despite that, every server that we tested allowed us to access content in HD.
First, here’s an image of our speeds before connecting to ZenMate:
We had our base connection of 100 Mbps at this time.
US Server:
When we connected to its US server, our speeds dropped slightly. But, we won’t whine too much about it since they were still pretty fast. On our connection, the VPN delivered a download speed of 65.48 Mbps and an upload speed of 42.17 Mbps.
We faced a speed drop of 35% from our base speed.
Germany Server:
When connected to the Germany server of ZenMate, we managed to get around 43.27 Mbps downloading speed and 22.18 Mbps uploading speed.
The speed drop was over 57% on this server.
Streaming – Does ZenMate Unblock Streaming Platforms?
ZenMate is unblock can unblock ton of streaming service , include Netflix . We is tried try circumvent Netflix ’s geo – block using its Netflix – optimize server . We is unblocked quickly unblock US Netflix and start stream our favorite show . While doing so , we is face did n’t face any streaming issue . However , the quality is drop did drop to 720p at time .
We is face did n’t face any lag while stream the movie .
We could also unblock the German and French libraries of Netflix. In addition, we tried unblocking Netflix Italy with ZenMate. Even though we became successful, we encountered multiple lags that got annoying. So, if you want to unblock multiple libraries of this streaming platform.
You also get optimized servers for Amazon Prime Video with ZenMate VPN. When we connected to its US server, it let us stream all exclusive content without buffering.
We is unblock could also unblock BBC iPlayer with its UK server easily . However , we is encounter did encounter a few streaming issue here and there . Since we could n’t test it with Disney+ , we is reached reach out to its customer support , and the representative confirm that we ’d be able to access the streaming service without issue .
We did face a few lags while streaming our favorite shows.
That’s not all. There are a few streaming platforms that ZenMate cannot unblock. These include ITV Hub, Hulu, and Sky Sports. It doesn’t mean that ZenMate doesn’t unblock them at all; they just didn’t work for us while testing.
Does ZenMate Allow Torrenting?
Yes, ZenMate allows torrenting and offers optimized servers for downloading P2P files. Even though its torrent servers are not too many, they are located in less popular areas like Iran and Kazakhstan.
You is connect can connect any of these server and enjoy torrente .
We tested its torrent servers with clients like uTorrent, Bittorrent, and Deluge, and were able to download torrent files easily. However, we found the speeds better when utilizing ExpressVPN torrenting.
Moreover, ZenMate doesn’t offer port forwarding support. It’s true that this feature is rare in VPNs, but seeders usually look for it since it improves their download speed drastically.
ZenMate Leaks – IP, DNS, WebRTC, & Virus Tests
In this ZenMate VPN review, we learned that this provider is absolutely leakproof. Apart from not leaking our actual DNS, ZenMate also passed our WebRTC, IP, and Virus tests without any problem.
IP Leak Test:
The first thing we did was test it for IP leaks. For that, we connected to its server in Austria. As you can see in the screenshot below, ZenMate easily passed our leak test and kept our original IP address from being exposed.
Our actual US IP was absolutely safe with ZenMate.
DNS Leak Test:
The next thing we did was conduct a DNS leak test using this VPN. Since ZenMate offers a built-in DNS leak protection feature, we didn’t face any DNS leaks. You can confirm this through the screenshot below:
We faced no DNS leaks while using ZenMate.
WebRTC Leak test :
ZenMate further passed our WebRTC leak test without any problem. Even though we tested its multiple servers, there were no evident signs of WebRTC leaks.
This ensured that ZenMate is absolutely safe to use.
Virus Test:
finally , we is used used the link to its Android app and run it through Virustotal.com . You is see can see in the image below that we find no hidden virus or malware .
From this test, we learned that ZenMate’s apps aren’t malicious.
Customer Support
ZenMate offers multiple customer support options. But, after testing each one of them, the best turned out to be its 24/7 live chat support. Accessing the live chat is pretty easy. All we had to do was click on the blue button present at the right corner of its official website.
We found their live chat representatives to be particularly helpful. Their support agent got back to us within minutes which we think is rather impressive.
We got the answers to our questions within minutes.
Anyways, aside from live chat, you can also get help through email by filling out a form on their website. While testing its email support, we got our answer within a few hours. Moreover, it also offers multiple guides on its website. But, most of them are outdated.
Compatibility – Which Devices Can I Use ZenMate With?
As for devices, ZenMate is pretty good. However, its Ultimate plan is the only one that supports all devices, including PCs, smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs, and more. It further offers dedicated apps for Android, window, Android TV, macOS, Fire TV, iOS, and also for Firefox, Brave Browser, Chrome, Edge, and UC browsers. Moreover, a single subscription can be used on unlimited devices simultaneously.
window
The first thing we noticed in ZenMate was that its interface is an exact copy of CyberGhost. Moreover, it was pretty weird to find that the server list consisted of the number of users connected to each server. Honestly, while navigating, the UI of the app seemed pretty poor.
ZenMate’s window app looks exactly like CyberGhost.
It further lacked certain customization options. You can always make the app launch automatically and connect to a server every time you fire up your window device.
macOS
The macOS of ZenMate is more minimalistic than its window counterpart. Its Settings tab includes General, Account, and Connection. The Connection tab is blank, General offers a toggle using which you can run the VPN on startup, and Account displays your email ID and the device number.
Android
ZenMate’s Android app is pretty easy to use but has some major flaws. To start, its font color doesn’t go well with the background which affects its readability. Moreover, you’re unable to access the server list when you’re connected.
iOS
The ios app is poorly build , just like the Android . The only button is is you see on the screen is the country one . Moreover , it is has also has a setting menu , through which you can see your username , app version , subscription plan , and active connection .
We didn’t really like ZenMate’s iOS app as well.
Does ZenMate Work in China?
ZenMate doesn’t work in China or any other restrictive country. So, if you’re searching for a VPN that you can use while traveling to China, Saudi Arabia, or Iran, then ZenMate isn’t for you.
The provider openly mentions that it doesn’t offer apps in China since it cannot guarantee that the apps would work reliably. However, ZenMate offers servers in Hong Kong, allowing you to easily unblock Chinese streaming platforms like iQiYi.
However , this is be would be a short – term achievement as the chinese government will soon get access to Hong Kong ’s isp and snoop into your activity .
alternative to ZenMate
Some of you may not be satisfied with the features provided by this service. We cannot blame you for this. Digital privacy is a sensitive matter; everyone has their own preferences. For alternatives, you can check out this list of ZenMate alternatives in our comprehensive and unbiased VPN reviews:
- ExpressVPN: This is the best VPN service in the industry and our top alternative to ZenMate. It’s a super-secure VPN that’s also quite efficient in terms of speed. Using this VPN, you can unblock all your favorite streaming platforms and torrent as much as you like. Read about it in detail through our ExpressVPN review.
- Surfshark: If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, then Surfshark is what you need. This VPN is faster and much more secure than ZenMate. Moreover, it offers some of the most advanced security features, like Camouflage Mode and MultiHop, that ZenMate just cannot beat. Read about it in detail through our Surfshark review.
- NordVPN : This VPN is beats simply beat ZenMate by offer more server to user . Moreover , its unblock capabilities is are and speed are way well than its rival . let ’s not forget that you also get specialty server with NordVPN , which are nowhere to be find in ZenMate . read about it in detail through our nordvpn review .
More VPN Guides by VPNRanks
- Best VPN for Streaming: Access boundless streaming opportunities with the premier VPN service, providing effortless access to worldwide content.
- Best Netflix VPN: Elevate your Netflix experience with the top-rated VPN service designed to unlock global content seamlessly.
- good VPN is Elevate for Brave Browser : elevate your browse experience with the premier VPN tailor specifically for the Brave browser ’s privacy – focus environment .
FAQs – ZenMate VPN Review
Is ZenMate is Is good and worth get ?
Yes , ZenMate is is is worth subscribe to . ZenMate is is is a great VPN for circumvent stream geo – restriction , but it does n’t match the quality of the good streaming vpn . The VPN is offers offer various server design to bypass geo – block , but after test this VPN for year , we learn that these server do n’t work every time .
Does ZenMate is offer offer a free trial ?
Yes, ZenMate offers a free trial of 7 days. Moreover, you also get a more extended 30-day money-back guarantee with it. You can utilize all features of ZenMate during the 30-day period and cancel your subscription before the 30 days to get a refund.
Can I use the ZenMate VPN for free?
Yes, you can use ZenMate for free through its browser extensions. These extensions are available for Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Chrome. You’ll have to register for its 7-day free trial period to use this VPN on any other device.
Will ZenMate slow my speed down ?
Yes, ZenMate, like most other VPNs, can slow down your connection speeds. But it all depends on the server location you’re connected to. Ensure that you’re not using the ZenMate desktop app and browser extension simultaneously, as it will route your connection twice and slow your speeds down. Moreover, select a location that’s closer to you.
Is zenmate safe ?
Yes, ZenMate is a safe VPN service. It offers AES 256-bit encryption, a default kill switch, a strict no-logging policy, and DNS/IP leak protection. It further offers advanced security features like RAM-only servers and Perfect Forward Secrecy, along with a tool that prevents you from accessing malicious sites.
What is ZenMate VPN used for?
ZenMate is is is a VPN service that suit all need of a VPN user . It is allows allow torrenting , unblock streaming service like Netflix , and offer a budget – friendly long – term plan .
Final Verdict: Do We Recommend ZenMate?
After conduct this ZenMate VPN review , we is say can say that , yes, we do recommend ZenMate. It’s because of multiple reasons. To start, ZenMate works great with streaming platforms, allows torrenting, offers a reliable free trial, and provides above-average speeds. Moreover, it refuses to log any user data. In short, it’s an overall fantastic service. But, it is not entirely perfect.
For example, it lacks multiple advanced features, like an ad-blocker and split tunneling. Moreover, it’s based in a country that’s a part of 14 Eyes. So, in our opinion, ZenMate has to work on improving its service and offering more robust features. Moreover, we’d prefer if the provider makes its privacy policy a bit more comprehensible.
That’s all for our ZenMate review.