VeePN Review

VeePN is a Hong Kong-based provider, which means your activity is beyond the reach of US and EU jurisdictions. Established in 2006, VeePN offers a service that includes a full-featured app and an impressive range of server locations spanning the globe. It works well with Netflix and most streaming services while maintaining your privacy and comes at a very attractive price point.

For most VPN users who frequently stream content and want to tighten up security while browsing on the move, VeePN is a worthwhile choice given the affordability of its 12-month plan and excellent range of server locations, some with eye-catching performance.

However, we must point out that the savings do come at a cost. The app has some great ideas and excellent features but is clunky and doesn’t deliver on all its promises all of the time. More importantly, if achieving maximum privacy at all times when using a VPN is paramount, VeePN just isn’t reliably robust enough.

What we like

·        Works with Netflix

·        Good range of servers

·        Best servers are very fast

What we like less

·        Auto mode frequently defaults to less secure protocols

·        Unable to connect via OpenVPN protocols in our tests

·        Very inconsistent speeds, ranging from a crawl to blazing fast.

Privacy 6.0

It’s hard to recommend VPN Master by VeePN for anyone with stringent privacy needs. It defaults to PPTP, the weakest and most vulnerable protocol, while the go-to OpenVPN protocols were not available through the app. Through some extremely manual configuration using the open-source OpenVPN client, we were able to connect via TCP but not UDP. StealthVPN is unstable, leading to dropouts. L2TP/IPSec and SSTP are available if you select them manually but don’t perform all that well.

It’s a shame as the app has one of the richest set of privacy features available, including a killswitch, split tunneling (that lets you direct specific traffic through the VPN, leaving the rest to be directed via your ISP), options around encryption, IPv6 leak protection and secure DNS. It also offers a dedicated IP address for an additional fee. If all you need to do is dodge regional restrictions on content or use public Wi-Fi more securely, then don’t let our criticisms deter you, especially given the price point.

Speed & Performance 7.1

VeePN speeds are maddeningly inconsistent. When they are fast, they are very, very fast but when they are slow, they are glacial. Our advice is to check our speed breakdown to review performance for locations you are likely to use. Bear in mind that 10Mbps may not seem fast but it’s enough for basic streaming. There’s also a seven-day money-back guarantee so you can test for yourself.

Locations 9.5

VeePN offers an impressive range of server locations with 47 locations across Europe and 35 in North America, including 14 in the US. Asia is well represented, including two servers in China with surprisingly reasonable speeds given local limitations. VeePN offers a choice of cities in popular locations and identifies the host city of all its servers within its app.

Ease of use 8.3

What we like

·        Customised dashboards and server groupings based on intended activity

·        Auto mode is easy and reliable way to connect

·        Advanced options are comprehensive and well laid-out

What we like less

·        Desktop interface is clunky

·        Some specialised streaming servers were blocked

·        Unable to connect to OpenVPN despite multiple attempts

The VeePN app looks great at first glance and has some good ideas about user experience, however the execution can be a bit hit and miss. We love the concept of choosing a purpose (streaming, internet freedom, file sharing, security, dedicated IP) that customises your dashboard accordingly.

This concept of using purpose to direct you to the best experience extends to server choice with the option to group servers under such headings as BBC iPlayer (Faster Streaming) or Optimized for China. The problem is that the interface on desktop is clunky with noticeable input lag and a general sense of fiddliness. Worse, some of the promised server purposes don’t deliver, ie iPlayer being blocked in our tests or connections failing/dropping out.

In thorough tests across several devices, we could not successfully connect via OpenVPN protocols TCP nor UDP. The proprietary Stealth VPN was also very unstable. Auto mode is your best bet and reliably connected to servers (albeit by the less desirable PPTP protocol).

The mobile app experience was better although slightly confusing at first, however it was less broadly compatible with streaming services, which detected it as a proxy and blocked it accordingly, regardless of your location. Advanced settings are reasonably comprehensive and well laid out with an optional killswitch and split tunneling (that lets you direct specific traffic through the VPN, leaving the rest to be directed via your ISP). Overall the app is easy to use if a little frustrating at times.