VPNSecure has been around for a while, offering users a way to protect their online privacy and security. But in the ever-evolving world of VPNs, does it still hold up? That's exactly what I set out to uncover in this thorough review.
As someone who's been using and testing VPNs for years, I know how important it is to have a reliable service that doesn't compromise on speed or security. VPNSecure claims to offer just that, with a range of features designed to keep your online activities private and secure.
In this VPNSecure review, you'll learn:
- How VPNSecure performs in terms of speed and security
- Whether it can effectively bypass geo-restrictions for streaming
- How easy it is to install and use
- If it's going to slow down your internet connection
- Whether VPNSecure is as trustworthy as it claims to be
So, let's see what VPNSecure provides you with!
In a Hurry? Here's a Quick Summary
If you're short on time, here's a quick overview of what I found out about VPNSecure:
What You'll Like:
- Strong encryption and security features
- Easy-to-use interface
- Supports multiple VPN protocols
- Offers a $1 trial for 1 month
- Accepts cryptocurrency payments
What You May Not Like:
- Limited server network
- Inconsistent streaming performance
- Based in Australia (part of Five Eyes alliance)
- No free trial (only $1 trial for 1 month)
- Lacks advanced features like split tunneling
What Makes This VPNSecure Review Different?
Many VPNSecure reviews out there simply repeat information from the provider's website, without actually testing the service. That's not how I do things. For this review, I personally purchased a VPNSecure subscription and spent two weeks thoroughly testing every aspect of the service.
I installed VPNSecure on my Dell XPS laptop running Windows 11, and also tested it on a MacBook Pro and a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. This allowed me to get a comprehensive view of how the VPN performs across different devices and operating systems.
Throughout my testing, I captured numerous screenshots to give you a clear picture of what to expect from VPNSecure. I tested everything from installation and user interface to speed, security, and streaming capabilities.
My goal is to provide you with an honest, unbiased VPNSecure review based on real-world experience. So, let's get into the details and see how VPNSecure really performs.
Buying VPNSecure
When it comes to purchasing VPNSecure, you have three subscription options to choose from: 1 month, 12 months, or 3 years. Regardless of which plan you pick, you get access to the same features across the board.
I decided to go for the 12-month plan as it offered a good balance between commitment and value for money. Here's a breakdown of the pricing:
- 1 month: Regular price
- 12 months: 33% discount
- 3 years: 70% discount
One thing that caught my eye was the $1 trial for 1 month. It's not exactly a free trial, but it's a low-cost way to test out the service before committing to a longer subscription. However, it's worth noting that this $1 trial doesn't come with a money-back guarantee, unlike the regular subscriptions which offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Here's how I went about buying VPNSecure:
- I headed to the VPNSecure website and selected the 12-month plan.
- Next, I entered my email address to create an account.
- For payment, VPNSecure offers a few options: PayPal and cryptocurrency. I opted for PayPal as it's usually the most simple method.
One cool thing about VPNSecure is that they accept cryptocurrency, which is great for users who prioritize privacy in their transactions.
After completing my purchase, I received an email containing my username and password, along with installation instructions and download links for all supported platforms. The email also included a link to the online dashboard where I could manage my subscription.
Overall, the buying process was simple and uncomplicated. Now, let's see how the installation went.
Installation
Getting VPNSecure up and running was a breeze. I downloaded the installer directly from the link provided in the email I received after purchasing. The installation process was quick and simple, taking less than a minute to complete.
There weren't any choices to make during the installation - it was a simple, click-next kind of process. Once installed, I had to log in using the credentials provided in the email.
One thing I appreciated was the ability to install VPNSecure on an unlimited number of devices, although you can only have up to 8 simultaneous logins. This is great for protecting all your devices or sharing with family members.
The installation process was trouble-free from start to finish. The user-friendly steps and strong security features make managing your VPN service both easy and secure.
Interface
When you first launch VPNSecure, you're greeted with a clean and simple interface. The main screen is dominated by a large connect button, making it immediately clear how to start using the VPN.
The VPNSecure interface is clean and user-friendlyHere's a breakdown of the main interface elements:
- Connect Button: A button at the top of the screen that you click to connect or disconnect the VPN.
- Server Selection: Below the connect button, you can see and change your selected server location.
- Connection Status: At the bottom of the screen, you can see your current public IP address, location, and membership type.
The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, even for VPN newcomers. I particularly liked how the connection status is clearly displayed, giving you immediate feedback on your VPN status.
In terms of customization, VPNSecure offers a few options:
- Languages: The app supports 9 different languages, which you can change in the Settings. This is great for non-English speakers.
- Themes: You can switch between Light and Dark themes in the Settings, allowing you to customize the look of the app to your preference.
One minor drawback is that the interface isn't resizable - the window size is fixed. This might be a bit limiting for users who prefer to customize their app layouts.
VPNSecure offers various settings for customizationOverall, I found the VPNSecure interface to be user-friendly and functional. While it might not have all the bells and whistles of some other VPNs, such as PIA and NordVPN, it provides everything you need in an easy-to-use package.
VPN Servers
VPNSecure offers servers in 48 countries around the world. While this isn't the largest server network I've seen, it does cover most major regions, providing decent global coverage.
It's worth noting that VPNSecure is based in Australia, which is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. This might be a concern for users who are particularly privacy-conscious, as Australia has data retention laws that could potentially affect VPN providers.
When it comes to server types, VPNSecure keeps things simple. There aren't specialized servers for activities like gaming, streaming, or torrenting. Instead, all servers are general-purpose, which keeps things simple but might not provide optimized performance for specific tasks.
Selecting a server is easy - you simply go to the main Connection tab and browse the list of countries, or use the search function to find a specific location. This simplicity is great for users who just want to connect quickly without worrying about too many options.
In my VPNSecure review testing, I found the server connections to be generally stable and reliable. However, the relatively small server network means that some locations might get busy during peak hours, potentially affecting speeds.
Gaming
Using a VPN for gaming can have several advantages, such as protecting you from DDoS attacks and potentially reducing lag by optimizing your connection route. However, it's important to note that VPNSecure doesn't offer any gaming-specific features or servers.
In my testing, I played a few games to check out the ping values. When connecting to the nearest server to me from Romania, I got a ping of about 60 ms in World of Warcraft. This is acceptable for most casual gaming, but might not be ideal for fast-paced competitive games where every millisecond counts.
Overall, while VPNSecure can be used for gaming, it's not specifically optimized for it. If gaming is your primary use case for a VPN, you might want to look for a service that offers dedicated gaming servers or features.
Torrenting
VPNSecure supports P2P file sharing, making it a viable option for torrenting. The advantages of using a VPN for torrenting include hiding your IP address from other peers in the network and encrypting your traffic to prevent your ISP from seeing what you're downloading.
During my tests for this VPNSecure review, I downloaded some open-source software like Linux installers to check the performance. The download speeds were good, and my IP remained hidden throughout the process (as confirmed by the DNS and IP leak tests I'll discuss later).
However, it's worth noting that VPNSecure doesn't offer specialized P2P servers. This means that while torrenting is supported, you might not get the optimized speeds that some other VPNs offer with their dedicated P2P servers.
Remember, always make sure you're only downloading legal content when using any VPN service.
Streaming
One of the popular uses for VPNs is accessing geo-restricted streaming content. VPNSecure claims to be able to unblock various streaming services, so I put this to the test.
Here's what I found when trying to access different Netflix libraries:
- Netflix US: Worked successfully
- Netflix UK: Didn't work, website not reached
- Netflix Germany: Didn't work, website not reached
- Netflix France: Didn't work, website not reached
- Netflix Spain: Didn't work, website not reached
As you can see, the results were mixed. While VPNSecure was able to unblock US Netflix, which is often considered the holy grail of streaming unblocking, it struggled with other regional libraries.
It's worth noting that VPNSecure doesn't offer specialized streaming servers, which some other VPNs provide to optimize performance for video streaming.
Based on these results, I'd say VPNSecure is a decent option if you're mainly interested in accessing US content. However, if you're looking to consistently access a wide range of international streaming libraries, you might want to consider other options.
For my speed tests, I used a Dell XPS laptop with an Intel i7-1065G7 CPU @ 1.30GHz and 16 GB of RAM running on Windows 11. My network configuration is Wi-Fi 5 protocol with a theoretical speed of 866 MBps.
My general observations on speed and performance across different servers and during different times of day is that VPNSecure is stable and pretty consistent regarding speed.
To test the speed of the VPN servers, I used Ookla's Speedtest. Here are the results:
- No VPN (Romania): 447 Mbps download, 358 Mbps upload, and 14 ms latency
- Dallas, TX: 64 Mbps download, 154 Mbps upload, and 149 ms latency
- Los Angeles, CA: 51 Mbps download, 31 Mbps upload, and 177 ms latency
- USA 3: 91 Mbps download, 177 Mbps upload, and 129 ms latency
- GERMANY: 73 Mbps download, 98 Mbps upload, and 49 ms latency
- FRANCE: 140 Mbps download, 199 Mbps upload, and 42 ms latency
- SPAIN: 150 Mbps download, 285 Mbps upload, and 57 ms latency
- ITALY: 150 Mbps download, 290 Mbps upload, and 55 ms latency
- UK: 115 Mbps download, 255 Mbps upload, and 49 ms latency
- BRAZIL: 46 Mbps download, 90 Mbps upload, and 251 ms latency
- INDIA: 3.5 Mbps download, 0.26 Mbps upload, and 528 ms latency
Speed test results for a US serverAs you can see, there's quite a bit of variation in speeds depending on the server location. European servers generally performed well, with speeds often exceeding 100 Mbps. US servers were a bit slower but still provided usable speeds for most online activities.
The most significant speed drops were seen with distant servers like Brazil and India. This is not uncommon for VPNs, as the physical distance between you and the server plays a big role in connection speed.
Overall, VPNSecure's speeds are decent, if not spectacular. While you'll definitely see a drop from your base connection speed, the VPN should still provide enough bandwidth for everyday browsing, streaming, and even light gaming on nearby servers.
VPN Privacy Features
This portion of the review is all about privacy. We’ll break down the VPN’s encryption methods, consider the dependability of its security protocols, and verify its no-logs policy to gauge user protection.
VPN Protocols and Encryption
VPNSecure offers a range of VPN protocols to balance security and speed. Each server supports popular protocols including OpenVPN, HTTP Proxy, Smart DNS, Obfuscation, Obscure Ports and PPTP.
In the settings, you can enable or disable obfuscation (Stealth VPN). This feature can help bypass VPN blocks in restrictive regions like China, but it may result in slower speeds and might not be available for all locations.
You can also change the encryption type (cipher) from the Settings, choosing between DES-CBC, AES-128-CBC, and AES-256-CBC. AES-256-CBC is generally considered the most secure option, although it might have a slightly larger impact on speed.
Another interesting feature is the ability to route specific domains only through the VPN. This can be useful if you only need to access certain websites through the VPN while keeping your regular connection for everything else.
No-Logs Policy and Transparency
VPNSecure claims to have a strict no-logs policy. According to their policy, they do not log any personal information when connecting to their service. This includes:
- IP Address
- Connection timestamp
- Disconnect timestamp
- Bandwidth used
- DNS Requests
While this policy sounds good on paper, it's worth noting that VPNSecure hasn't undergone any independent audits to verify these claims. This lack of third-party verification might be a concern for users who value transparency and privacy.
DNS and IP Leak Protection
VPNSecure offers features to protect against DNS and IP leaks, which could potentially expose your real location or browsing activity. In the settings, you can enable a "Leak Fix" option, which is designed to fix any DNS leak or UDP port leak problems caused by Windows.
By default, IPv6 leak protection is enabled. You can disable IPv6 traffic entirely as an additional safeguard, although this might affect compatibility with some websites and services.
To test the effectiveness of these protections, I ran several leak tests:
These results suggest that VPNSecure's leak protection features are working effectively, providing a good level of privacy protection.
Kill Switch
VPNSecure includes a kill switch feature, which they call "Network Lock". This feature is designed to disable your internet connection if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly, preventing any unencrypted data from being sent over your regular internet connection.
The kill switch in VPNSecure is a system-level kill switch, meaning it shuts down the entire internet connection on your device if the VPN connection drops. This is a thorough approach, although some users might prefer the flexibility of an application-level kill switch that only affects specific apps.
In my VPNSecure review testing, the kill switch worked as expected, cutting off my internet connection when I abruptly disconnected the VPN. You can enable or disable this feature in the Settings menu.
Wi-Fi Protection
VPNSecure offers protection when connected to Wi-Fi networks, including public hotspots. This is crucial for keeping your data safe when using potentially unsecured networks in places like cafes, airports, or hotels.
The VPN encrypts all your traffic, making it much harder for potential attackers to intercept and read your data. While VPNSecure doesn't offer any Wi-Fi-specific settings, the general DNS leak and IP leak protection should provide adequate security on public networks.
To avoid your data from being intercepted, I also recommend using an antivirus provider like Bitdefender and McAfee. These software solutions can prevent malware from being downloaded.
Device Compatibility
VPNSecure supports all major platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. This broad compatibility ensures that you can protect most, if not all, of your devices with a single subscription.
However, it's worth noting that VPNSecure used to have a Chrome extension, which is mentioned and linked on their site, but the Chrome Web Store link is currently broken. This suggests that the browser extension may no longer be available, which could be a drawback for users who prefer lightweight browser-based VPN solutions.
VPNSecure Review: Conclusion and Recommendations
After spending a lot of time on this VPNSecure review, I can say it's a decent VPN service with some strengths, but also a few limitations. Here's a summary of my findings:
- VPNSecure offers solid security features, including strong encryption and a reliable kill switch.
- The server network is relatively small, with under 50 supported countries and less than 100 servers at the time of this review.
- Speeds are average, with European servers averaging under 150 Mbps and US servers around 70 Mbps for downloads.
- Streaming capabilities are limited, with only US Netflix being reliably unblocked in my tests.
- The service supports gaming and torrenting, but doesn't offer specialized servers for these activities.
- The interface is user-friendly, but lacks some advanced features like split tunneling.
- DNS and IP leak protection worked well in my tests.
Based on these findings, here are my recommendations:
- If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-use VPN with solid security features, VPNSecure could be a good choice.
- For users primarily interested in streaming or needing a large server network, there might be better options available.
- If you're new to VPNs, VPNSecure's user-friendly interface and simple features could make it a good starting point.
- Advanced users might find the lack of specialized servers and some advanced features limiting.
Remember to take advantage of the $1 trial to test the service yourself before committing to a longer subscription.
Not sure this antivirus is the best fit? CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are worth exploring as VPN options. Browse our best VPN list for 2024.
FAQs
- Is VPNSecure safe to use? Yes, VPNSecure uses strong encryption and passed my DNS and IP leak tests. However, its no-logs policy hasn't been independently audited.
- Can VPNSecure unblock Netflix? In my tests, VPNSecure could unblock US Netflix, but struggled with other regional libraries.
- Does VPNSecure work in China? VPNSecure offers obfuscation features which might help in restrictive regions like China, but effectiveness can vary.
- How many devices can I use with VPNSecure? VPNSecure allows up to 8 simultaneous connections.
- Is there a free trial for VPNSecure? There's no free trial, but VPNSecure offers a $1 trial for 1 month.
Octav Fedor (Cybersecurity Editor)
Octav is a cybersecurity researcher and writer at AntivirusGuide. When he’s not publishing his honest opinions about security software online, he likes to learn about programming, watch astronomy documentaries, and participate in general knowledge competitions.