A VPN solution for businesses and startup VPN providers
VPNSecure is a virtual private networks (VPNs) that’s based in Australia, although parent company VPNSecure PTY Ltd is in the process of relocating to Hong Kong for jurisdictional reasons. While VPNSecure lacks the depth of the larger providers, it does have important features like a kill switch, multiple encryption ciphers, OpenVPN keys and configurations, Smart DNS, and HTTP Proxy servers. These added services make it more appropriate for advanced users and businesses that need a custom virtual private network package.
What We Like
- 7-day money-back guarantee
- Choose an encryption cipher to improve security or speed
- Strict no-logging policy
- Provides OpenVPN keys and configuration files for all servers
- Freedom to customize your VPN experience
What We Don’t Like
- Inconsistent connection speeds
- A low number of servers (80 in 48 countries)
- No compatibility with Netflix
We tested and reviewed VPNSecure to find out how easy it is to install and use, how well it performs, what type of security it uses, and how it stacks up compared to its competitors. Read on to find out if VPNSecure is a suitable VPN solution for you.
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Setup Process: Easy for everyone with advanced features
Startup Stock Photos
Downloading VPNSecure was a bit confusing. After logging in to our account, there wasn’t a download link on any of the user or profiles pages. The downloads are available on a separate page of the VPNSecure website. After we clicked through a few pages, we landed at the download page.
VPNSecure uses the familiar Windows installer, which is a lot like other VPN services we’ve tested. However, the app is less intuitive than most after you actually get it open.
When you’re ready to connect to a VPN server, you won’t find a connect button. Instead, you need to select a server to make a connection. VPNSecure doesn’t automatically connect you to the closest or optimal server, so you need to choose the specific server that you want. Even though the list of countries is long, you can use the search box to find the country you need pretty quickly.
When setting up a VPNSecure account, don’t use special characters in your password. There was an @ symbol in our password, and we couldn’t connect to a server on an Android tablet. These symbols should not be used: ! @ # $ %
The VPNSecure interface for Windows and Android only has options to connect and disconnect to servers. The settings for both apps are a bit more involved. The settings contain options to use Stealth VPN, change the encryption cipher, enable a kill switch that turns off the internet connection if the VPN disconnects, and specify which domains are routed through the VPN. Then, for advanced users, there’s an option to change the OpenVPN configuration.
VPNSecure doesn’t automatically connect you to the closest or optimal server, so you need to choose the specific server that you want.
Design: VPNSecure is Relatively straightforward
Getting started with VPNSecure is relatively intuitive, but it’s not as easy to learn as other VPN services such as Avast Secureline VPN. You won’t find a big connect button here. Instead, the main screen of the app displays a list of countries. The first time you use VPNSecure, this long list may be overwhelming. To get started, select a country and VPNSecure connects to a server in that location. To make it easier to find a country, use the search function.
Once a connection is made, the location is added to a list of recently accessed locations. You won’t have to search for that country again, select it from the Recent list.
VPNSecure has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers. Going from one platform to another is made simple. The desktop and mobile apps look and function similarly.
Performance: Some servers are extremely slow
We tested upload and download speeds with six different internet speed test sites and received differing results when testing at different times and with different servers. The fastest speed we were able to achieve was 149.5 Mbps on our 1 Gbps connection. That’s fairly average, but some VPNSecure servers are significantly slower. Some provided download speeds of just 1 Mbps.
Streaming: Hit and miss
VPNSecure doesn’t have dedicated streaming servers, but we were able to get BBC iPlayer working when connected to a server in the UK. We weren’t able to get Netflix to work when connected to US servers or international servers, and we weren’t able to stream Hulu or Amazon Prime either.
Privacy Policy: Very strict and no data logged
VPNSecure has a strict no-logging policy and claims that they do not log any personal information. Information that is not logged includes IP address, connection timestamp, disconnect timestamp, bandwidth use, and DNS requests.
The company states that they have never stored any logs of websites user visit and that if they were to become required to store logs, they would move jurisdictions to maintain their no-logging policy. Moreover, they have done just that.
The company that developed VPNSecure used to be called VPNSecure Pty Ltd and was based in Australia. Because Australia is a member of the 5-Eyes Alliance and implemented an encryption busting law that requires Australian companies to create a backdoor for end-to-end encrypted communications. This legislation grants Australian police the power to issue technical notices that force companies and websites to implant malware and undermine encryption.
The company is in the process of moving to Hong Kong and changing its name to Lucro Corp Limited. They’re making this move so that they can ensure that user information private is kept private. Hong Kong does not have data retention laws, which makes it possible for VPNSecure to avoid logging user data.
Security Features: Your choice of encryption and protocols
VPNSecure offers high level AES-256 encryption and industry-standard OpenVPN protocol, but they also allow lower-strength encryption and other protocols. What makes this service somewhat unique is that they give you very fine control over your encryption and protocol.
The ability to change the cipher strength isn’t found in many of the smaller VPN services, and it’s typically obfuscated by more user-friendly language when it is. With VPNSecure, you can choose from a low cipher of 64 bits up to high encryption using AES-256. With a lower encryption cipher, you’ll get faster internet speeds. With higher encryption levels, your connection speed decreases.
Another useful security feature of VPNSecure is its Stealth VPN. If you’re in a country where VPN services or forbidden, Stealth VPN connects you to obfuscated servers that hide your VPN use and make it appear as HTTPS traffic. No one will know that you’re connected through a VPN server.
An Extra Feature: Customize or build a VPN service
Businesses will enjoy the unique services offered with VPNSecure. For businesses, VPNSecure offers off-shore VPN servers and IPSEC termination points that reroute business traffic through secure channels. They provide customized solutions that are tailored to business needs. For example, VPNSecure can create VPN applications with custom user logins, pre-defined server connections, limited routing capabilities, and more.
VPNSecure also offers White Label VPN services for those who are interested in becoming a VPN provider. The company provides API and WHMCS plugins and themed VPN applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux. They claim that someone can be up and running in 10 minutes using the WHMCS module to handle registration, payments, and package management.
Also included in their While Label service are desktop VPN applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux. These desktop applications can be designed in a color scheme that matches the new providers branding and can include the new provider’s logo. It may take up to three weeks to get these desktop applications.
VPNSecure also offers While Label VPN services for those that are interested in becoming a VPN provider.
Torrenting: Supported on most servers
VPNSecure doesn’t have designated P2P servers, but they do explicitly allow torrenting and other P2P activities on most of their servers. During our tests, we found that only a few of their UK servers blocked P2P connections, with the rest being fair play.
Since VPNSecure includes a kill switch feature, you should feel fairly safe torrenting through this service. Connection speeds are somewhat of a concern, considering how slow some of the servers are, but at least you won’t have to worry about your real IP leaking out in case of a surprise disconnect.
Ad Blocking: No blocker
VPNSecure doesn’t include any kind of an ad blocker. This is an extra security feature that you might expect to see out of such a security-minded service, but it isn’t present.
Customer Service: Ticket system and web chat
The primary method of customer support provided by VPNSecure is a web-based ticket system. It’s easy to find and use, with very straightforward fields for your name, email, and a short message about the problem that you’re experiencing.
If you prefer to deal with a customer support agent in real time, they also provide a web chat system through Zendesk. If any agents are available, they’ll respond to you through the web chat system immediately.
Price: Several ways to pay
There are two price levels for VPNSecure: free and premium. The premium version is $9.95 per month if you choose to pay month-to-month. Save a little more money with the six-month plan and pay $8.32 each month. For the best value, the 3-year plan costs $2.99 per month. There’s also a seven-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the service.
For both premium and free accounts, VPNSecure offers mobile VPN apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers. VPN services also include access to all servers, OpenVPN keys and configs, Smart DNS, and HTTP proxy, and no logging. The free PVN service provides 2 GB of bandwidth. The premium service provides unlimited bandwidth along with the ability to use multiple ciphers.
VPNSecure accepts a wide range of payment options. Pay with a credit card, PayPal, Payza, Perfect Money, Paymentwall, and Bitcoin.
Competition: Smaller than most but with custom features
VPNSecure is one of the smaller VPN services with 80 servers in 48 countries. Larger VPN service providers such as NordVPN and Express VPN have over 3,000 servers. NordVPN has servers in 59 countries.
One thing that makes VPNSecure stand out among the competition is that it offers three types of encryption: AES-256, AES-128, and DES-CBC. Offering different encryption protocols gives users control over speed; the higher the encryption, the slower the speed. Even though there are three encryption options, AES-256 is recommended to stay as secure as possible.
The custom VPN services offered by VPNSecure are what make this VPN service stand out from the crowd. Not only does VPNSecure use OpenVPN, but it also provides keys and configuration files to customize your VPN experience. And, if you’re not up to doing your own programming work, you can hire the team at VPNSecure to do the work for you.
Final Verdict
Great for advanced users and future VPN providers, but not for streamers.
VPNSecure is more than just a VPN service. In addition to providing a secure VPN, it offers non-restrictive app usage and provides OpenVPN keys and configuration files for all servers. The company also creates custom applications to solve business VPN concerns and offers products for those that want to become a VPN service provider, so if you fall into either of those categories, this is a no-brainer.
However, we did ding VPNSecure because some of their servers were extremely slow and the streaming capabilities were hit or miss, which is something to take into consideration.
Specs
- Product Name: VPNSecure
- Price: $9.95
- Speed (Fastest Observed): 149.5 Mbps (Tested on a 1Gbps connection)
- Supported Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- Devices: Five devices at a time
- Server Locations: 50 Countries
- Number of Servers: 93
- Streaming: Yes, tested BBC iPlayer (UK)
- Torrenting: Yes, including kill switch
- Encryption: OpenVPN, HTTP proxy, Smart DNS, Obfuscation, SSH SOCKS
- Log Files: No
- Jurisdiction: Australia
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