VyprVPN Review

VyprVPN is a mainstay in the industry and is part of Swiss company GoldenFrog.
It has revamped its service over the past couple of years, but I still had some concerns about security and privacy.
So is this VPN worth your money? How does it stack up against popular providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN?

In this 2020 VyprVPN review, I ran VyprVPN’s desktop and mobile apps through some rigorous testing. Along the way, I sought to answer all the questions you might have about the service, including:

• How fast is VyprVPN?
• Can I stream popular region-locked content using VyprVPN (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and others)
• What is VyprVPN’s logging policy?
• Does VyprVPN work in China?
• Does VyprVPN offer value for money?

You’ll discover the answers to these questions and lots more in this review.

I’ve been using the VyprVPN apps to keep my internet activities away from snoopers such as my internet service provider and would-be hackers. I’ve used it for everyday tasks, including browsing, streaming, and downloading, and recorded my findings here.

You can see a brief summary of my experience below, but read on to find out more about what this provider has to offer.

VyprVPN summary

VyprVPN is a solid all-round VPN, especially since it reformed its logging policy. It can unblock a selection of streaming platforms, making it a good option for those looking to watch geo-restricted content from abroad. It’s also a fairly reliable VPN for users in China.

VyprVPN key data

* Average speed over multiple global locations based across multiple speed tests per day.

How does VyprVPN compare to other popular VPNs?

To help decide if this is the right VPN for you, it’s helpful to compare it to other top providers. Here’s an at-a-glance look at some of the main features offered by VyprVPN, ExpressVPN, and NordVPN. For more details about Express and Nord, you can take a look at our in-depth comparison of the two.

VyprVPN Pros and Cons

Below is a summary of the strengths and weaknesses I discovered during the time I spent reviewing VyprVPN. I’ll cover these in more detail later.

Speed: How Fast is VyprVPN?

Like many other providers, VyprVPN claims to be the “world’s fastest VPN.” I’m always skeptical of such brazen claims so I was particularly keen to run our speed test tool over this provider.

I ran speed tests at various times of day on servers in North America, Asia, and Europe. VyprVPN’s average download rate was 44 Mbps across all times and locations tested. This is decent but is slower than many other VPNs we tested.

Here are the average speed test results for each region:

• North America: 41 Mbps
• Europe: 44 Mbps
• Asia: 47 Mbps

VyprVPN’s average speed is fast enough for SD, HD, and live HD streaming, and should even be okay for 4K UHD.

If location isn’t an issue, VyprVPN gives you the option to connect to the fastest server for your location. In the server dropdown list, you can see the ping speed for each server. This denotes the latency and shows how long it takes to send and receive a request from that particular server. You can sort the server list by speed (based on ping time).

Switching between servers rarely took more than a few seconds and I didn’t experience any dropped connections while testing. I was able to stream and play online games without any issues.

It’s worth noting that these tests should be viewed as a general indicator of the performance you’ll actually see when using these services. They’re by no means definitive as the nature of the internet means there is always room for random deviations. Depending on the speed of your internet service, you may see smaller or larger discrepancies.

Apps: Which devices work with VyprVPN?

A VyprVPN subscription allows you to connect five devices at a time. This provider makes apps for the following devices:

• Windows 7 and later
• MacOS 10.12 and newer
• iOS 10 and up
• Android 5 and later
• Amazon Fire TV

A notable omission here is Linux, although there aren’t too many VPNs that offer Linux apps, and VyprVPN can be manually configured with the OS.

Last time I reviewed it, the desktop VyprVPN app was a little dated. It has since undergone a makeover and now has a far more modern aesthetic. It’s lightweight and simple to navigate.

Once you’re signed up to VyprVPN, you have access to a network of more than 700 servers spanning over 60 countries. Servers are listed alphabetically by country by default, but you can sort them by region or ping time.

Startup options include launching the app every time you start your device or log in to your OS, and connecting to the VPN when the app launches.

I’ll discuss these in more detail in the security section, but other features include automatic wifi protection, a kill switch, and protocol selection.

The mobile app has a very similar look to the desktop version. It just has a pared-down settings menu, with the main features being automatic wifi protection and protocol options.

You can set up VyprVPN on select routers. This requires manual configuration, but enables you to protect every device on your home network. For routers on the Tomato MIPS/ARM Framework, a router app lets you select which devices to connect through the VPN and which use a direct internet connection (split tunneling).

Streaming, Netflix and Kodi?

Does VyprVPN work with Netflix?

Yes.

VyprVPN works with Netflix US, as well as other libraries I tested, including Netflix UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan. It has definitely stepped up its streaming game since the last time I reviewed the service; last year, Netflix US was the only catalog that worked for me.

VyprVPN also works with lots of other platforms that impose geo-restriction measures. The streaming section of the VyprVPN website gives instructions for accessing the following sites (among others):

• Hulu
• Amazon Prime Video
• BBC iPlayer
• Disney+
• ITV Hub
• All 4
• HBO Now

This provider offers minimal support for Kodi, but it does work with the platform via manual setup.

Does VyprVPN allow torrenting?

VyprVPN does allow torrenting and provides users with unlimited data and bandwidth, and shared IP addresses.

This service doesn’t promote its use for P2P in the way that some VPNs do, but it does explicitly state on its FAQ page: “Because our service treats all traffic equally, peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic is allowed.”

In the past, there were reports that VyprVPN penalized users for torrenting, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. Note, however, that the VyprVPN terms of service prohibit “copyright, trademark, and patent infringement.”

VyprVPN doesn’t store any logs and desktop apps come with a built-in kill switch. There’s protection against DNS leaks, but WebRTC and IPv6 leak protection are not guaranteed.

Security, privacy, and logging

Many VPNs claim not to log but the reality does not always match the marketing hype. If you care about your privacy, you should care about your VPN’s logging policy.

We’ve had reservations about VyprVPN’s logging policy in the past, and I was keen to see if its recent improvements had addressed my concerns.

VyprVPN is based in Switzerland, a country known for its strong privacy laws. As such, there has never been any need for the VPN provider to retain logs of user data. However, until late in 2018, VyprVPN company policy was to record some identifying metadata including “the user’s source IP address, the VyprVPN IP address used by the user, connection start and stop time and total number of bytes used.”

Although IP addresses aren’t typically considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they can and have been used to identify individuals through their Internet Service Provider (ISP). As such, we try to avoid recommending providers that retain such logs.

Thankfully, VpyrVPN overhauled its policy in 2018 and now keeps no logs whatsoever. The company even subjected itself to an independent audit to prove that no logs are maintained.

When it comes to security features, VyprVPN offers standard protection plus a couple of extras:

• Strong encryption: VyprVPN uses 256-bit AES-CBC encryption with 2,048-bit RSA keys and SHA256 authentication. Perfect forward secrecy ensures that a compromised encryption key can’t be used to view past sessions.
• A kill switch (in the desktop apps): This will kill the internet connection should the VPN connection drop for some reason, to prevent data leaks. Note that this is disabled by default.
• Public Wi-Fi Protection: Enabling this will ensure your device connects to the VPN automatically whenever you connect to an untrusted wifi network.
• Protocol options: Choose between IKEv2, Chameleon, and OpenVPN, depending on your needs.

VyprVPN is different from most providers out there in that it owns all of its own servers. The norm for the industry is for providers to rent their servers from third-party hosting services. Owning its servers gives the provider greater control over security as well as ensuring reliable speeds and excellent uptime.

VyprVPN also uses its own private DNS servers, although the app does allow you to switch to a third-party DNS if you wish.

Protection against DNS leaks is built into the apps. The provider doesn’t claim to offer IPv6 or WebRTC leak protection, although I didn’t see any issues during my most recent testing.

IPv6 and WebRTC leaks are not a concern for most people, namely because not many people have IPv6, and also because not many webpages use WebRTC. What’s more, both IPv6 and WebRTC can be disabled if needed.

This service uses a NAT firewall which prevents unsolicited requests or data packets from entering your system, although these do have their limitations.

VyprVPN uses shared IP addresses. This means that every user connected to a given server is assigned the same IP address. This makes it more difficult for anyone trying to trace activity back to an individual.

One more feature that comes with a VyprVPN plan is VyprVPN Cloud. This is a deployment solution that gives you extra security when accessing cloud servers. It currently works with Digital Ocean, VirtualBox, and Amazon Web Service (AWS).

Does VyprVPN work in China?

Not many VPNs can escape detection from China’s internet police so I was interested to see if VyprVPN lived up to its reputation of evading the great firewall.

Indeed, one of the things VyprVPN is known for is its ability to work in China. It has run into some issues fairly recently, but at the time of writing, many users are having success using the VPN in China.

VyprVPN uses proprietary software, giving you the option of using Chameleon™ metadata scrambling technology. This helps to mask VPN traffic, making it less likely to be identified as such by the deep packet inspection technology utilized within China’s Great Firewall.

The provider recommends using Chameleon for Windows, MacOS, and Android. IKEv2 is recommended for iOS, and while iOS users have had problems using VyprVPN in China in the past, these issues have reportedly been resolved.

VyprVPN keeps users up to date on China issues (and other problems) in the service status update page on its website. Here, you’ll be informed if users in China are having issues and how they’re being addressed.

Is VyprVPN’s customer service any good?

Support documents are available in multiple languages including Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. If you need a quick response, live chat customer support is available 24/7 via the website. This is in-house, as is email support, which will be welcome news to more privacy-conscious users.

Via live chat, I got quick and knowledgeable responses on topics including security, privacy, payment, and more.

VyprVPN Pricing

VyprVPN used to have two pricing tiers but has pared down to one. Since changing its plan structure, VyprVPN is more affordable than it used to be. The monthly pricing is fairly high at $12.95 per month, but there are steep discounts if you go for a longer term. A one-year plan costs $45 ($3.75 per month) and a two-year term is $60 ($2.50 per month).

VyprVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. You have a few payment options: major credit cards, Union Pay, and PayPal. I was disappointed not to see the option of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, as this can offer a little more privacy.

Coupons

Should I buy VyprVPN?

After thoroughly testing VyprVPN, would I recommend it to others?

In short, yes.

VyprVPN isn’t the fastest VPN, but speeds are quick enough for streaming and it can unblock plenty of restricted sites. The service is secure and reliable, and works well in China. VyprVPN has overhauled its privacy policy and keeps no logs, but there are still some privacy concerns with respect to IPv6 and WebRTC leaks and no option to pay via cryptocurrency.

Alternatives

VyprVPN is definitely one of my top ten favorite providers, especially since it has retracted its old logging policy. However, there are some great alternatives available.

ExpressVPN is a bit pricier, but it’s highly secure and works in China. Express has the edge when it comes to streaming, as it boasts faster speeds and has an expansive network of servers in 94 countries.

If price is an issue, NordVPN is my top budget option. It offers a huge server network, lots of extra security features, and great unblocking abilities. It also works in China and offers great speeds.

Here’s a breakdown of how VyprVPN compares to two of the most popular services, ExpressVPN and NordVPN.