Security

VPNSecure Review 2019 – Good in Theory & Somewhat Disappointing in Practice

By Novak Bozovic / March 21, 2019

Even though VPNSecure isn’t one of the well-known VPN brands, this doesn’t have to mean that it’s less powerful. Here at TechNadu, we’re passionate about checking every VPN service we can find online, and we’ve already discovered a few hidden gems. So, is VPNSecure an underdog that will take over its more-recognizable opponents? Can this VPN take proper care of your online privacy? Are there powerful features lurking in the shadows? Let’s find out. Welcome to our full review of VPNSecure!

Like we always do in our VPN reviews, we’ll use this introductory segment to present the basic information about VPNSecure. First, let’s check out this VPN’s ‘ID card’, where you’ll find a series of essential information.

Quick Facts
Jurisdiction Hong Kong
Logs Strict no-logs policy.
Number of Servers 48 countries, 80+ servers.
Parallel Connections 5
Encryption Standards AES-256; OpenVPN, PPTP, SSH SOCKS.
Speed Reduction 24%, on average.
P2P Support YES
Live Chat Support YES
Supported Platforms Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web browsers, routers.
Price $6.66/month

Get VPNSecure

We’ve also tested this VPN with a wide range of media streaming services. If you want to know whether VPNSecure can unblock any of those, take a look at the following table.

Media Streaming Support
American Netflix NO
Hulu NO
BBC iPlayer NO
Amazon Prime Video NO
Kodi NO

Before we dive into our full review, we’ve prepared one more table. To check the highlights of what to expect from this VPN, we’re going to present our findings after having tested VPNSecure. With this said, here are this VPN’s pros and cons, as well as our final verdict.

The Bottom Line
Pros Easy to install; Good platform support; No-logs policy; Above-average performance; Responsive customer support.
Cons Can’t unblock Netflix and Hulu; Problematic UI; Accusations from the past; No advanced features; High priced.
The Final Verdict We can’t recommend VPNSecure for media streaming or website unblocking. However, we can recommend it to average home users who wish to be anonymous online.
Our Score 5.6/10

With the introduction behind us, it’s ready to take a good and hard look at VPNSecure. We’ll be going deep into each of its features, telling you what to expect along the way. So, make sure to keep on reading.

VPNSecure – TechNadu’s Hands-On Review

All our VPN reviews come with a uniform structure. We begin by checking some background information, and then we continue by testing the software itself. If you’d like to learn how we review VPNs, please use the provided link.

Background, Jurisdiction & Reputation

VPNSecure Jurisdiction

VPNSecure comes with an interesting past. Coming from Australia, it's now based in Hong Kong. There were also allegations regarding possible data leaks. Our Score: 3/10.

To start things off properly, we’ll check where does VPNSecure come from. This has numerous legal implications, which is why we believe this information to be crucial.

Jurisdiction & Applicable Laws

VPNSecure is made by a company called VPNSecure Pty Ltd, founded in Australia in 2010. There are many reasons why this is problematic, so we’ll try to explain the entire situation.

First of all, Australia is a member of the 5-Eyes Alliance, along with the USA, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. What started out as an intelligence alliance in the 1940s is now a network of countries with strong mass surveillance laws. Aside from collecting different types of data (even illegally, as some privacy advocates claim), this group is circumventing the laws protecting their own citizens. In other words, we have no way of knowing if data controllers and data processors (such as VPN services) are forced to collect data from their users and in what way.

It’s also worth knowing that Australia is battling pirated content by ordering ISPs to block websites. The same applies to certain IPTV providers, and other websites as well. And perhaps you already know that Australia has blocked numerous torrent websites. Therefore, it’s not surprising that all those developments have created plenty of controversies.

What needs to be highlighted is the fact that VPNSecure is no longer an Australian company. In February 2019, this company has moved its operations to Hong Kong and changed its name to Lucro Corp Limited. The reason for this, as VPNSecure notes, is their refusal to create a backdoor for end-to-end encrypted communications.

When it comes to Hong Kong, this is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. It’s important to be said that Hong Kong has its own laws, not shared with China. Most importantly, there are no data retention laws, which allows VPNSecure to avoid logging any data. However, this change is recent, and it’ll take time to see if this VPN is to be trusted.

Previous Data Leaks

A while back, VPNSecure was mentioned in an academic paper dealing with Android VPN apps. According to this report, it was discovered that VPNSecure leaks both IPv6 and DNS requests, putting all your private data at risk of being exposed. What is even more worrying, VPNSecure was accused of creating a P2P-like network, using its users as endpoints without their knowledge.

Aside from the previously mentioned academic paper, there are no other reports of this VPN leaking your personal data. What’s interesting is that VPNSecure never answered to those allegations, so we don’t have a definite answer.

Supported Platforms & Devices

VPNSecure Supported Platforms

VPNSecure supports the majority of currently popular platforms. There’s no official support for Android TV or Amazon FireOS, though. Our Score: 7/10.

You need a VPN that’s present on all your devices. This is why today’s VPN services include a number of simultaneous connections, making it possible to stay protected in your home and while away. Here’s what kinds of platforms this VPN supports.

Platform Compatibility
Desktop Platforms Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Mobile Platforms Android, iOS.
Web Browsers Google Chrome (HTTP Proxy).
Routers DD-WRT, Tomato, AsusWRT, Open-WRT, and more.
Other Devices N/A.

We can see that all of the widely popular desktop platforms are on offer. You can install this VPN’s native apps across Windows, MacOS, and Linux – even some pretty old OS versions should be compatible. In terms of mobile devices, there are native apps for Android and iOS.

If you prefer to use a VPN within your browser, please note that Google Chrome is the only supported browser. Furthermore, note that this is just a proxy and not a fully-featured VPN. This means that we recommend you to always install the full VPN application first.

You can also protect a group of devices at once by installing VPNSecure on a router. There are easily accessible OpenVPN keys and configuration files for all the servers this VPN offers. Let’s not forget that you’ll find a range of installation guides that will help you along the way.

Finally, please note that VPNSecure supports up to 5 simultaneous connections, but only if each device is connected to a different server. If you try to connect to the same server on two devices, one of these connections will be shut down.

Installation & Initial Configuration

VPNSecure Installation Wizard

We didn’t like that our phone number was needed to complete the sign-up process. Other than that, the installation process is fairly typical. Our Score: 8/10.

VPN secure allows you to try its services during a 30-day trial (which comes in a very limited manner). To fully unlock this application, you need to buy a VPNSecure subscription which is done on its official website. During this process, you’ll be asked for your email address and payment details. And then, you’ll need to verify your phone number, which is something we don’t see often. Only after you verify your identity, you’ll be able to proceed with downloading the application.

VPNSecure Login Screen

Select your platform of choice and then download the corresponding application. Then, run the installer and proceed like you normally would. During the installation, you’ll be asked where to save the files and that’s pretty much it. There are no marketing offers or bundled software, which is always nice to see. In the end, you’ll see the application’s log-in screen. Enter your username and password, and you’ll get to use this application from there on.

Prominent Features

VPNSecure Features

VPNSecure is a fairly basic VPN provider. It doesn’t support IPv6 yet, there’s no ad-blocking, malware scanning, or split-tunneling. Our Score: 5/10.

To successfully compare different VPNs, we’ve come up with a checklist of essential features. Let’s see if VPNSecure meets this set of criteria.

VPN Features Checklist
DNS Leak Protection YES
IPv6 Leak Protection NO
Kill-Switch YES
Ad-Blocker, Anti-Malware NO
Unlimited Server Switches YES
Unlimited Bandwidth YES
Unlimited Data YES

By taking a look at the table found above, one thing gets clear – VPNSecure is a fairly basic VPN service. To protect your identity, it uses DNS leak protection. However, it still doesn’t support IPv6 and it advises you to disable this protocol altogether. It’s also worth knowing that there’s a kill-switch, designed to prevent any leaks if your secure connection becomes unstable for any reason.

When it comes to more advanced features, you won’t find those here. There’s no ad-blocking and there are no tools specialized to detect and remove malware. Also, split-tunneling is not a part of this VPN’s offer. This means that more advanced users looking for a higher level of fine-tuning will be disappointed with VPNSecure.

Finally, we’d also like to say that paid subscriptions come with no limitations – at least in terms of server switching, bandwidth, and data. Just remember that you can use this VPN on several devices at the same time unless you want to connect to the same server on two devices.

Server Count

VPNSecure Server Count

VPNSecure doesn’t bring the smallest server network we’ve seen yet, but it very close to that group of VPN services. Our Score: 2/10.

Going for a VPN with plenty of servers gives you much-needed freedom to connect to various parts of the world. In addition, having a nearby server usually gets you faster performance.

Server Count Info
Number of Servers 80+
Number of Locations 80+
Number of Countries 48
Specific Cities Selection YES/NO
Unlimited Switching YES

As you can see, VPNSecure currently offers 80+ secure servers. This might sound like plenty but know that VPNs such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer between 3,000 and 5,000 servers, with new units being added frequently. As you can see, VPNSecure can’t compete with those well-known VPN brands and is quite limiting as well.

Next, let’s talk about connecting to specific cities. When you use this VPN application, you will see that servers are named in the following way: Australia 1, Australia 2, and so on. This means that you can’t know the precise location of those servers. However, taking a look at this VPN’s website reveals this information. So, you can write it down and return to the application by knowing which server to select.

All in all, VPNSecure might be sufficient for average home users who don’t need plenty of servers. Still, we recommend sticking to this review of check out what kind of performance to expect. In general, VPNs with low server numbers tend to bring overly limited performance.

Ease of Use

VPNSecure Home Screen UI

VPNSecure comes with a simple interface. However, there are UI problems, some features are not responsive and there are other obstacles as well. Our Score: 3/10.

Upon launch, VPNSecure presents a list of countries and servers. You can click on any of those to connect, and the application will do the rest of the job. At any moment, you’ll see a prominent status bar at the top that lets you know if you're connected to a server or not. On the bottom, there’s a panel called ‘Show Status’ which presents three types of information. You can see your IP address and your current location (updated as you start using the VPN), and you can see when your subscription is due to expire.

VPNSecure Server Connected

As noted earlier, VPNSecure doesn’t tell you the precise location of its server. Instead, you can just click on any of those to connect. There’s no way to make a list of favorites, but there’s a list of recently used servers. Once you decide to disconnect from a server, you need to click on its name, confirm your decision, and that’s about it.

VPNSecure Hamburger Menu

To check out other options, there’s a hamburger button in the top-left corner. There are four options here, so let’s explain what each of those can do.

VPNSecure Settings

VPNSecure Support Ticket

We have to say that we were quite disappointed with this VPN’s appearance and with the way it works. For example, you can’t minimize its window as it doesn’t show on Windows’ bottom-placed taskbar. Instead, you need to minimize all other windows to get to VPNSecure. Also, some of its options seem not to work all the times. We chose to save our username and password, which didn’t have any effect (we had to input the needed information during each launch).

Media Streaming & Torrenting Support

VPNSecure Netflix Streaming

Sadly, VPNSecure isn’t the best option for media streaming as it can’t unblock any of the popular services. It supports torrenting though. Our Score: 2/10.

If you’re into media streaming, make sure that your chosen VPN supports this type of online activity. With this said, we’ve tested VPNSecure with a number of popular services, so here are the results.

Media Streaming & Torrenting Support
Netflix US NO
Hulu NO
BBC iPlayer NO
Amazon Prime Video NO
Torrenting (P2P) YES

When it comes to media streaming services, they are out of reach of this VPN. We’ve checked numerous servers and their ability to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Prime Video. However, none of those worked.

It’s also worth noting that there’s polarizing information on the Web about VPNSecure. While some users claim that they can stream movies via Netflix, many say that VPNSsecure isn’t capable of fighting anti-VPN measures. And as you can see from our tests, we belong to the group that doesn’t recommend this VPN, at least from the media streaming perspective.

When it comes to torrenting, you’re free to use any torrent client and download any file you want. However, we strongly recommend you stay clear of copyright-protected files, as you certainly don’t want to break any international law.

Security & Privacy

VPNSecure Privacy Policy

In terms of keeping you safe online, VPNSecure is doing an admirable job. It comes with strong encryption and VPN protocols and has no DNS data leaks. Our Score: 10/10.

The primary goal of any VPN is to keep your private data safe online. This is done via different types of encryption and VPN protocols. So, let’s see what kind of protection VPNSecure brings and if you can count on this VPN to keep you safe online.

Supported Encryption Protocols

In terms of encryption, VPNSecure brings three encryption types. These are AES-256, AES-128, and DES-CBC. If you want the best possible encryption that’s practically uncrackable, you should go with AES-256bit. And if you want something lightweight (but quite powerful, nonetheless), you can try DES-CBC. This means that there’s plenty to choose, depending on what kind of level of protection you want.

In terms of VPN protocols, VPNSecure supports OpenVPN, PPTP, and SSH SOCKS. Among those, we recommend using OpenVPN if possible, as this is considered to be the most secure protocol available.

Logging Policy

On its official website, this VPN says that it doesn’t collect any of your data. This means that your IP address, connection timestamps, bandwidth used, and DNS requests are not logged – all of which seems very reassuring. When it comes to what’s collected, this includes your username, password, and email (and you don't have to use your personal information).  It’s also good to know that VPNSecure, according to its own claims, has no technical means to identify users based on DMCA notices.

All in all, there’s no reason not to trust this company. There are no indications of data logging in the past, and it’s been on the market for quite some time now. With this said, we conclude that VPNSecure is to be trusted with your personal data.

DNS Leak Test

VPNSecure DNS Leak Test

To ensure that no data is actively leaking, we’ve done a DNS leak test. As evident from the screenshot above, this VPN passed the test with flying colors. Once connected to a secure server, you receive a set of virtual parameters, such as a new IP, hostname, ISP, and country. This means that third-parties online will get to ‘read’ that information only – and not your true information and location.

Speed & Performance

VPNSecure Performance

VPNSecure performs well. There are VPNs that come with better speeds but VPNSecure is above the average, nonetheless. Our Score: 8/10.

You must be wondering what kind of performance you can expect? To answer that question, we’ve done a series of speed tests across different VPNSecure servers. Here are the results.

VPNSecure Baseline Data

Our baseline stats.

We begin by testing the speed of our Web connection, as we need some baseline data. This means that we need to calculate the speed of our connection, without a VPN involved. As you can see from the screenshot, we got 147.78 Mbps for downloads and 9.68 Mbps for uploads.

VPNSecure Bulgaria Server

The performance of a nearby VPNSecure server.

Then, we proceed with connecting to a nearby server. We’re located in Europe and found a server in one of our neighboring countries. Once connected, we ran a speed test and got 137.72 Mbps for downloads and 8.76 Mbps for uploads. So far so good, we have to admit.

VPNSecure USA Server

The performance of a remote VPNSecure server.

Finally, we also need to check the speed of a remote server. For this purpose, we connect to a server in the USA, as this is often the most popular destination. As the screenshot above says, we received 85.51 Mbps for downloads and 6.86 Mbps for uploads. Now, let’s put all those numbers into a table.

Download Speed Upload Speed Speed Reduction
Baseline Speed 147.78 Mbps 9.68 Mbps 0%
Nearby Server 137.72 Mbps 8.76 Mbps 6.8%
Remote Server 85.51 Mbps 6.86 Mbps 42.1%

On average, VPNSecure slowed us down by 24%, which is actually not a bad result. There are VPNs that bring better speeds but this one is definitely above the average.

Customer Support

VPNSecure Support

Subscribers to this VPN are able to chat with the company’s representatives, submit official support tickets, or review self-help material. Our Score: 9/10.

We hope that you won’t encounter any issues while using VPNSecure. However, if something happens, you’ll be happy to have a support team watching your back. Therefore, let’s check out how you can contact this company and have your questions answered.

Pricing

VPNSecure Pricing

This is a high-priced VPN that could greatly benefit from having its price reduced. Top-rated VPNs come with a similar price but bring more value. Our Score: 5/10.

Just like the majority of other VPNs, VPNSecure comes with several subscription plans. All of them come with the same features. The only difference is in their duration and price.

Total Price Per Month Savings
1 Month $9.95 $9.95 0%
6 Months $49.95 $8.32 16%
12 Months $79.95 $6.66 33%

If you want to pay on a monthly basis, you’ll need to spend $9.95 on VPNSecure each month. However, you’ll find hefty savings in its long-term plans. If you subscribe to VPNSecure by going for its 12-month plan, this comes down to $6.66 per month. This means that you could save up to 33%, which should definitely make this VPN interesting to more users.

We have to say that paying $6.66 per month is a bit above what top-rated VPNs offer. It’s true that your private data will be safe and that you’ll get pretty fast speeds. However, this VPN’s competitors also offer some advanced features and the ability to unblock media streaming websites. In other words, by having its price lowered, VPNSecure would gain on value.

When it comes to refunds, you have 90 days to change your mind. Please note that you’re eligible for the refund only after you’ve contacted support and gone through troubleshooting.

Do We Recommend VPNSecure?

VPNSecure Website

Yes – we can recommend VPNSecure, but only to a specific group of users. This VPN can truly keep your safe online by granting you total anonymity. There are strong encryption and VPN protocols, complemented by the company’s no-logs policy. However, if you want to unblock websites (media streaming services, in particular) or if you seek something more advanced, we’re afraid that this VPN shouldn't be your pick.

If you need more information, or if you’re looking to try this VPN out, make sure to check out the official website of VPNSecure. Once again, we’d like to highlight that those looking to protect their data in the best way possible should be more than happy with this VPN.

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Review Summary

VPNSecure seems like an interesting VPN service. However, it currently comes with numerous downsides that prevent us from recommending it. Even though it takes proper care of your data, it brings nothing more than bare essentials.

5.6
Overall Score
Background, Jurisdiction & Reputation
3
Supported Platforms & Devices
7
Installation & Initial Configuration
8
Prominent Features
5
Server Count
2
Ease of Use
3
Media Streaming & Torrenting Support
2
Security & Privacy
10
Speed & Performance
8
Customer Support
9
Pricing
5


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