Features
Speed & Performance
Ease of Use
Mobile App
Customer Support
Pricing
Inside This Article...
VPN.S Pros:
- 24/7 live chat support
- VPN kill switch
- No leaks
- Decent speeds
VPN.S Cons:
- Small number of VPN servers
- Doesn’t work with Netflix
- Based in privacy-unfriendly Australia
VPN.S, also known as VPNSecure, is a solution worth considering if you are looking for a simple and easy-to-use VPN.
Read on to discover my thoughts about this option and whether it is worthy of your service!
Overview
VPN.S is one of the lesser-known VPNs on the market today. However, it has actually been available for more than a decade, so it is certainly not a new player.
As touched upon, VPN.S is also branded as VPNSecure. It is owned by VPNSecure Pty Ltd.
Shayne McCulloch founded the company in Australia in 2010. The fact that it is based in Australia is bad news, as this is one of the worst jurisdictions for a VPN to be based in.
There are a number of reasons why this is the case. Firstly, there are mandatory rules in place regarding data retention in Australia. Recently, the country passed legislation that caused controversy, forcing technology businesses to give security agencies and the police force a backdoor to encrypted messages. This is not what you want to hear when choosing a VPN, is it?
Another disadvantage is the fact that Australia is a member of the Five-Eyes international intelligence-sharing alliance.
The team have plans to move their service to Hong Kong, yet the recent protests have put this on hold. It is still on the horizon, but I am not sure when this will happen.
In terms of network size, VPN.S is modest. They have 80 physical servers, which are spread across 50 countries around the world. It is worth pointing out that the majority of these servers are not owned by VPNSecure. Rather, they are leased from third parties.
The vast majority of the servers in the network are found in North America and Europe. However, they do have servers dotted across other parts of the world. In South America, there are three servers, which are in South Africa, Chile, and Brazil. You won’t find much coverage in Africa.
Speeds
I would describe the speeds offered as average. This is not the fastest VPN I have used, but it is certainly not the slowest. My speed dropped by around 20% when using this VPN, which isn’t too bad!
For most users, this will be more than sufficient.
Security
You get all of the security basics that you would expect from a VPN, including a kill switch, solid protocols, and strong encryption.
OpenVPN is the protocol that is used with this VPN. If you have read any of my other reviews, you will know that this is something I always advocate, as it is the safest protocol you can use. You can read my OpenVPN review for more information.
There are three different ciphers you can select from when using the app. This includes AES-256, AES-128, and DES-CBC. I would always advise going for the former – AES-256 – as this is the standard in the industry and it is deemed unbreakable.
While I was very happy to see that there is a kill switch with VPNSecure, I must state that you can only use this on the MacOS and Windows apps. This will stop your IP address from being exposed should your Internet connection drop out for any reason.
There is also a feature that is very similar to split-tunneling. This gives you the ability to select which of the domains you want to route through a VPN tunnel.
There does not seem to be any reports of leaks either, which is another positive.
What is the logging policy at VPN.S?
The privacy policy at VPN.S does look good on the whole. There are lots of crucial bits of information that they do not collect, which is great news. This includes the likes of DNS requests, bandwidth use, disconnect timestamps, connection timestamps, and IP addresses.
However, I must stress that there is a very interesting clause within the security policy, which basically states that VPNSecure is no-logs up until a point. So, essentially, they do not log your data, until the government intervenes. So, if the government requests information, the company will comply and provide it.
While it seems that the company does have good intentions and they have crafted a great privacy policy, the sheer fact that they are based in Australia means that their privacy policy is never going to be music to the ears until they relocate.
Ease of use
The apps are pretty easy to use, although they’re not that pretty to look at! They have all of the settings you would expect, and they are very simple too.
There are individual connect buttons for every server, rather than being a central connect button. This is what makes the app a little bit on the clunky side visually.
Torrenting
You can use VPN.S for torrenting, although I would advise that you don’t. More on that in a minute!
Nevertheless, VPNSecure does permit torrenting, and all of their servers work for P2P file sharing, aside from the UK3 and US10 servers.
So, why would I recommend trying out a different VPN provider instead?
This is because of the fact that the company is based in Australia, and the laws regarding torrenting are very strict here. Plus, as I explained earlier, the privacy policy is not a strict no-logs policy.
There are lots of other reputable VPN providers that can give you greater security when it comes to torrenting, so I would simply use one of those instead.
You can read my reviews on the likes of Windscribe and NordVPN for some good options here.
Unblock streaming services
VPNSecure have admitted themselves that their VPN does not work with Netflix, and so there’s nothing much to say here. If you want to use a VPN to unlock Netflix libraries, you are going to need to look elsewhere. Some of the VPNs I would recommend include CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, and PureVPN.
What about the other streaming services? I am afraid the bad news continues here too. You are not going to be able to unlock these either. So, whether it is Disney+ or BBC iPlayer, you’re going to need to look elsewhere.
Can you bypass the Great Firewall of China?
You can, but not always! I have found that VPN.S is a bit unreliable in this department. Of course, I am not based in China myself, but from doing a lot of digging online, it seems that people in China are finding it more and more challenging to connect to VPN servers from within the country.
There are some good tools in place to help in terms of accessing sites from countries with high censorship in place. This includes Stealth VPN, which is an obfuscation tool that scrambles traffic on OpenVPN, making it not as easy to detect by firewalls, such as the one in place in China. However, as it seems that VPN.S can be a bit hit and miss, I would look for something more reliable. Some good options include Hotspot Shield and Surfshark.
Compatibility
VPN.S have created a number of custom VPN apps for the most popular mobile and desktop devices, including Linux, Android, iOS, Apple MacOS, and Microsoft Windows. It is great to see that there is an app for Linux users, as often a bit of manual configuration is required for Linux users.
As is the standard in the industry, you are allowed to have five simultaneous device connections by signing up to VPNSecure.
Games consoles and streaming devices
There are not any custom VPN apps that have been created for games consoles and streaming devices. However, this does not mean that there are not any steps you can take to protect them.
You can benefit from VPN encryption through the installation of VPN software on a router that is supported on any devices that are connected to the Internet within your home.
I must admit, though, it’s not the easiest thing to do. This is because VPN technology is not supported by all home routers. Plus, the process in itself is a bit fiddly. If you need a pre-configured router, you can purchase one from VPN.S. Word of warning; they do not come cheap! Prices start at $89.95, and they can cost as much as $299.95. You then have to pay for your subscription on top of this.
Browser extensions
There is a proxy browser extension that is available for Chrome, however, I wouldn’t advise you to use it. Internet traffic is not encrypted with a proxy, so your personal data will not be protected. You can read my review on the best VPNs for Google Chrome for more information.
Customer support
There are a number of different ways for you to get in touch with the customer service agents at VPN.S. it is pleasing to see that live chat support is available, and that you can access help irrespective of the time. However, the live chat agents don’t seem to be the most knowledgeable, so if you’re looking for technical support and assistance, you are probably going to need to wait to speak to someone via email support.
The guides and the manuals available on the company’s site are helpful, and there are lots to choose from. This includes troubleshooting information and set-up guides, so I would recommend taking a look at these first if you have a query, as you just might find the answer here!
Pricing
There are three different payment plans for you to choose from. As is the case for most VPNs today, the packages differ based on the length of the contract you select.
For a one-month contract, the cost is going to be $9.95 per month.
If you decide to go for a six-month contract, the cost will be $8.32 per month, so you will make a little bit of a saving. However, you do need to pay for the six months in one go, so that will be an upfront payment of $49.92.
Finally, the cheapest plan by far is the three-year plan, which costs $2.99 per month. As you would probably expect, the three years need to be paid for upfront. This means a payment of $107.64. It is significantly cheaper, but you need to be sure that VPN.S is the choice for you, as you’re committing for 36 months.
There are a number of different payment options for you to choose from. This includes the major debit and credit cards, as well as bitcoin and PayPal.
Summary
So there you have it: my thoughts on VPNSecure. This is certainly a decent VPN, but there are a lot of qualities that are missing. The jurisdiction is less than ideal, and I would certainly be a lot quicker to recommend VPN.S once they make their move to Hong Kong.