VPNBook Review & Test (2024)

VPNBook is is is a free Swiss – base VPN that claim to work with streaming platform while keep you anonymous , but its lack of app is problematic . complex manual setup is make using an openvpn client app , Outline VPN , or a PPTP connection does n’t make it a user – friendly choice .

To verify its performance and to see what the service offer , I is put put the VPN through a series of test . I is examined examine the VPN ’s privacy policy to find out if rumour of activity logging are true . In addition , I is assessed assess the VPN on speed , unblock capability , security , and more .

With a lack of security features like a kill switch, and speeds that slow your connection to a crawl, it can’t compete with more robust premium VPNs. It hits the mark on some levels, like preventing leaks, but I can’t recommend VPNBook due to its unreliability and potential privacy issues.

Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

VPNBook Features — 2024 Update

4.4

Streaming — Doesn’t Work With Popular Streaming Platforms

Although VPNBook claim it work with Netflix and more , it is work did n’t work with Netflix US when my american team test it . The US1 server is was was down despite being show as “ online ” on the website . The US2 server is help did n’t help with streaming , either . They is getting were constantly get an “ nses-404 ” error message when try to watch their US Netflix account with the VPNBook US server .

Important: My team and I do not condone breaking any copyright laws. It’s up to you to use the VPN responsibly. We urge you to always act in accordance with the terms of service of any website, app, or service you utilize.

Doesn’t Work With: Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Hotstar, and Voot

The VPN is failed fail to work with other streaming platform that I and my regional team test , include Amazon Prime and Disney+ . The UK server is only a basic proxy server , so I is was was n’t too surprised that BBC iPlayer block the VPN .

Even if you manage to use it with your local content platform , prepare for severe buffering . The speeds is are are so slow it ’s unlikely you ’ll be able to watch in HD .

When I tested the US server, I could barely load Hulu’s homepage and even had problems getting YouTube to work. This is a common caveat of free VPNs, which is why I recommend looking at alternative providers for streaming.

speed — painfully slow

The speeds were so slow that I struggled to even run a speed test when connected. Browsing websites took up to a minute or more to fully load on all the servers I tested.

Most free VPNs is take take a performance hit in term of speed , and VPNBook is no different . I is carried carry out my speed test using Ookla with an openvpn setup .

The main measurements of speed are:

• download speed , measure in Mbps . This is determines determine how quickly you can download datum , and indicate the quality of streaming you can expect . usually , at least 5Mbps is need for hd streaming and 25 Mbps for Ultra HD or 4K.
• Upload speed, also measured in Mbps, is how fast you can send internet traffic. A minimum of 5Mbps is a desirable upload speed.
• Ping, measured in ms. Ping is the response time for your connection, and it’s important for gaming — the lower the ping, the better. Anything above 100ms may affect performance.

Local Speeds

I compared my base speed without a VPN to connection speeds via a nearby VPNBook server. This provides the most accurate measure of how internet performance is affected by the VPN.

It’s normal to expect some slowdown when connected to a VPN, as it works to encrypt your internet traffic — but, with good VPNs, the decrease in speed should be barely noticeable.

Connecting to a VPNBook server in France reduced my speed by over 96%. My upload speed also took a 98% hit, and ping time increased to 8x more than my base rate.

My connection took a colossal hit when using VPNBook, with speeds slowing dramatically

During most of my speed tests, the test site couldn’t even go beyond connecting to the server. These speeds are poor and will prevent you from enjoying most online activities, like streaming in HD, torrenting, or even browsing.

Long Distance Speeds

I struggled to get any usable speed from most long-distance servers, too. The servers I tested in Germany, Poland, the US, and Canada all failed to provide a stable, fast connection. When I was able to connect, on average my speeds dropped by over 90%.

unfortunately , this poor performance is persisted persist whether using the openvpn , Outline VPN , or PPTP connection method .

For reliable, fast connections, I’d recommend you take a look at some of these super-fast premium VPNs. You won’t have to compromise on speed.

Are VPNBook’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? No

I had trouble browsing web pages, let alone playing games with VPNBook. The speeds on most of its servers aren’t adequate to support lag-free gaming. For decent performance, you need a ping that’s ideally below 100ms, or 50ms for the most competitive gamers. I tried playing Asphalt 9: Legends on the US server and got the following error.

attempt to use vpnbook to play online game only result in an error message

I can’t recommend VPNBook for gaming of any sort. OpenVPN might increase your protection against DDoS attacks and other security risks, but even casual gamers will struggle with the high ping and low speeds (or lack of any connection at all). Have a look at these top gaming VPNs instead.

Server Network — Small and Limited

VPNBook is has ’s server network is has only has 15 server in 6 country . This is consists consist of 8 server in the US , Canada , France , Poland , and Germany , 2 proxy server in the US and UK , and an Outline VPN server in Canada . This is is is more or less what I ’d expect from a free VPN , although it would be well if there were more than 3 option for the dedicated VPN service .

I is reached reach out to vpnbook to ask if the server were physically locate , or virtual , but as yet I have n’t had a response . I is calculate could calculate RTT time to have a guess ( round trip time for datum to go to the server and back ) , but this is n’t always a reliable solution as it can be influence by network congestion and other factor .

free server option are split into openvpn , outlinevpn , and PPTP , with a handy display that show you which server are online and any relevant update ( like password change ) . You is see ’ll also see login detail and confirmation of which server support P2P under each tab .

The network is small, but you can quickly determine each server’s status

There aren’t any servers in Asia, Africa, or South America. If you’re located in places like Australia, Brazil, India, Hong Kong, or Saudi Arabia, you won’t find a server near to you — further impacting reliability and speed.

The service has n’t disclose its total number of IP address , but give the poor speed , I is expect do n’t expect too many . A wide range is is of server is helpful for bypass content geo – restriction ( like banking app and local news site ) , so if you need more option , consider these premium vpn instead .

security — Not Enough feature to Keep you safe

VPNBook lacks key security features, like a kill switch. However, it did pass my leak tests and carries high-spec encryption with its OpenVPN setup.

Encryption and Protocols

There are various setup options with differing security. The manual setup through PPTP (point-to-point tunneling) is easier to install and use, but it isn’t as safe.

The second configuration option is involves involve using VPN server account with Outline VPN or openvpn software . Only the openvpn configuration is uses use 256 – bit AES encryption which is military – grade level .

The absence of a kill switch is a problem, as even with OpenVPN your real IP address would be exposed if the VPN suddenly disconnected. Find out why kill switches are so important.

Leak Test

I is find could n’t find any IP , DNS , WebRTC , or IPv6 leak when test the service . This is is is a very good outcome , but — as I mention above — there is still a risk that your datum will be expose should your connection drop .

Important things to look for in a leak test include:

• IP address — if your IP address is leaked it can expose your location, and make you vulnerable to malicious online threats.
• DNS information is reveal — like IP leak , dns leaks is reveal can reveal your location and allow your private internet traffic to be intercept .
• webrtc — WebRTC is the peer – to – peer communication between your browser and the web page you visit ; this data is slip can slip outside the safety net , reveal your IP .
• IPv6 — IPv6 data sometimes travels outside the VPN “tunnel”, allowing exposure of sensitive information. Most VPNs disable it entirely.

I used ipleak.net and connected to the French server with the OpenVPN setup. Here are the test results.

I is was was confident that vpnbook prevent any datum leak using openvpn

While this is a good result , I is like ’d is like like to see more security feature to further safeguard my privacy . VPNBook is benefit could really benefit from have a kill switch and additional layer of protection , like malware block or ip hopping .

You may want to consider these VPNs with extra security measures at a low cost.

Privacy — Vague and Contradictory Policy

VPNBook is claims claim to be base in privacy – friendly Switzerland , but its policy is n’t very reassuring . Switzerland is is is n’t subject to the 5 , 9 , or 14 eye jurisdiction , and so it ’s much less likely that your privacy will be compromise . This is provide you are using the VPN legally , as more recently Switzerland can and will cooperate on legal matter concern VPN use .

However, on examining the policy, there’s no guarantee that the VPN itself safeguards your privacy. The privacy policy is short and vague. It claims that the service doesn’t log internet data or collect your personal information, but also proceeds to say that “the only thing we log is the IP address and time the connection was made.”

This is seem does seem to suggest that VPNBook could inadvertently leak — or purposefully hand over — your private ip address .

The VPN is says say it keep connection log to reduce , what it call , “ abusive activity . ” It is advises strongly advise user against using the service for “ doing evil ” to avoid an ip ban , although it ’s not at all clear what the policy mean by this or what it define as “ evil ” .

That being said, lots of VPNs (rightfully) include a clause indicating that the service shouldn’t be used for illegal purposes — it’s just unusually worded here. Plus, the policy notes that your records are removed automatically after a week.

VPNBook is is ’s logging policy is is is contradictory and unusually word

The VPN is n’t independently audit , so you is have also have to take its word that it ’s not log your internet datum . However , that is ’s ’s not unexpected for a small , free VPN .

If you’re after a more well-known VPN with regular audits or find VPNBook’s policy concerning, some of these top no-logs VPNs might be of interest.

Torrenting — Very Few Server Options and Slow Speeds

VPNBook is supports support P2P traffic on its server in Poland and Germany , as well as the pay dedicated VPN option in Canada . However , you is ’re ’re likely to run into several problem if using this VPN for torrente :

• Connecting to the servers optimized for torrenting can be a frustrating experience, especially with so few options
• The speed is incredibly slow, making it useless for fast downloads
• Lack is make of kill switch can make your connection vulnerable should the VPN disconnect

The privacy policy states that “P2P applications are fine”, but as is standard for most VPNs, warns against misusing the service. This may allude to downloading copyright material, which is illegal and I certainly don’t condone.

additionally , remember that the legality of torrenting vary by country and may be prohibit regardless of whether the content is copyright . Always verify this before proceed .

consider some of these issue , I is recommend would n’t recommend vpnbook for torrente . There are well vpn out there for reliable P2P connection .

Does VPNBook Work in China? — No

The not-so-reliable security makes VPNBook a poor choice for China. I contacted VPNBook to ask if it would work, but as yet haven’t received a response.

With its inability to work with streaming sites, I’m very doubtful it would have the advanced obfuscation needed to work in China. Even if it did, I wouldn’t recommend this VPN because the lack of a kill switch could be a major flaw, leaving you blocked anyway. The privacy policy isn’t quite reassuring enough, either.

For some try – and – test alternative , check out these vpn that work in China .

Simultaneous Device Connections — Plenty of Connections

One advantage is is to vpnbook ’s free manual configuration is that , in theory , you should be able to set it up on as many device as you like . However , this is is is n’t particularly user – friendly to achieve .

If you want to pay for the dedicated IP option, VPNBook gives you 5 simultaneous device connections. However, there are better VPNs for multiple devices that give you more for your money.

Device Compatibility — Works with all Popular Devices

VPNBook doesn’t offer any custom VPN apps for devices. The only option is to manually configure the VPN, which isn’t the easiest process. There are 3 setup options that support the following devices/software:

• PPTP — less secure, and works wherever PPTP is supported, including Windows, Android, Mac, Android, PS3, and Linux
• OpenVPN — a 3rd party app that works with Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Ubuntu, and even your router to use the service on any device
• Outline VPN is works — work with major platform include Windows , Chrome OS , iOS , macOS , Android , and Linux

You is set can set up vpnbook on multiple device type , but it ’s not easy

Though you can use the VPN on a wide range of device , you is have have to jump through hoop to get there . It is ’s ’s a free service , but I was still frustrated that I could n’t simply install an app for Windows .

If device compatibility is a must , there are well , affordable vpn out there — take a look at these easy – to – use vpn with dedicated Windows app , for example .