PandaVPN Pro Review
[Presented by BestCloudBest.com]
Are you wondering how to protect your privacy and security online? You need a “Virtual Private Network” (VPN). Many VPNs operate in a competitive market, therefore, choosing one can be hard. PandaVPN Pro is one such VPN service.
VPNs often make tall claims about their products and services. They claim to offer privacy, security, speed, access to geo-restricted content, and secure access to P2P/torrenting sites. Many VPNs state that they support a wide range of platforms. Most VPNs claim to offer excellent customer support. Finally, they promise competitive pricing.
These claims often don’t match the reality though. We have evaluated PandaVPN Pro against all of the above-mentioned yardsticks. Does this VPN meet your requirements? Should you buy a PandaVPN Pro subscription? Our PandaVPN Pro review answers all of these questions, therefore, read on.
The main features of PandaVPN Pro
Let’s review the features offered by PandaVPN Pro.
Your privacy with Panda VPN Pro
You likely consider privacy as an important factor, and that’s why you are evaluating VPNs. You need a VPN that masks your IP address, encrypts the Internet traffic, and follows a “no logs” policy.
PandaVPN Pro masks your IP address and encrypts Internet traffic. In its privacy policy, this VPN claims to follow a “no logs” policy. It states that it doesn’t collect any form of logs.
When you buy a VPN subscription, PandaVPN Pro provides a randomly-generated account number. You don’t need to provide even your email address. Providing your email address while registering for a PandaVPN Pro subscription is optional.
PandaVPN Pro states that it doesn’t sell, rent, or transfer your personal information to 3rd parties. So far, we like the commitment of PandaVPN Pro toward your privacy.
However, we found potential privacy risks when we continued our research. PandaVPN Pro states that it’s subject to the jurisdiction of Seychelles. That’s a privacy-friendly country, and it’s not a part of the 5/9/14-eyes coalitions. Seychelles doesn’t force VPNs to hand over the data of their users to the government authorities. While this sounds promising, we found discrepancies here!
First of all, the customer support representative of PandaVPN Pro claims that it’s an American company. This doesn’t match with its claim that it’s subject to the jurisdiction of Seychelles.
Secondly, on multiple websites, we found indications that PandaVPN Pro is actually a Chinese VPN provider. We found several social media posts of different users that claim PandaVPN Pro is a Chinese company. Upon reviewing its GitHub repository, we found that commits are in the Chinese language!
If PandaVPN Pro is indeed a Chinese company, then we find multiple challenges with that. These are as follows:
· PandaVPN Pro doesn’t mention anywhere on its website that it’s a Chinese company. If it indeed is a Chinese company, then it’s misleading its customers. That’s not encouraging.
· All VPNs have logging capabilities. When you buy a VPN subscription after believing its claims of a “no logs” policy, then you are trusting the company. Can you trust a company if it hides information about its origin?
· The Chinese government imposes stringent Internet censorship. It conducts intrusive surveillance, and the country doesn’t have the ideal reputation as far as privacy is concerned. If PandaVPN Pro is indeed a Chinese company, your data will be visible to the Chinese government.
Based on our research, we can’t confirm if PandaVPN Pro is a Seychelles-based company or a Chinese company. If you prioritize privacy, then you should explore transparent VPN providers that follow a strict “no logs” policy.
Data security used by Panda VPN Pro
Along with privacy, you probably want strong security features when you buy a VPN. VPNs that support secure VPN protocols, provide strong encryption, prevent data leaks, and offer advanced security features can provide good security.
PandaVPN Pro supports OpenVPN, which is the most secure VPN protocol. It also uses Shadowsocks, a protocol to bypass Internet censorship in China. PandaVPN Pro doesn’t work in China though.
PandaVPN provides AES-256 encryption. This is the strongest encryption that you can find in the market.
The website of PandaVPN Pro doesn’t say anything about preventing IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. We asked its customer support representative about how it prevents IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks. The support representative didn’t provide a direct answer and stated that strong encryption will prevent hackers from snooping. While that’s good news, we know about VPNs that can’t prevent IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks despite offering AES-256 encryption. We aren’t convinced that PandaVPN Pro can prevent such leaks consistently. Leading VPNs can prevent such leaks and they maintain transparency about that.
PandaVPN Pro claims to offer a kill switch. A VPN kill switch blocks the Internet connection as soon as the VPN connection drops unexpectedly. This prevents hackers from accessing your sensitive information even if the VPN connection terminates suddenly. A VPN should offer this feature on all of their apps. PandaVPN Pro doesn’t provide this on its iOS app. Leading VPNs offer a kill switch on all of their VPN apps, and PandaVPN Pro lags behind in this respect.
We checked whether PandaVPN Pro offers the “PFS” (Perfect Forward Secrecy) feature. This feature changes the encryption key regularly. Even if hackers get hold of your encryption key once, they can’t use it for long. PFS will soon change it! The customer support representative of PandaVPN Pro didn’t respond to our question when we asked if this VPN offers this feature.
We aren’t convinced with the security solutions of PandaVPN Pro. We doubt if it can prevent IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks, moreover, the company doesn’t offer a kill switch on all of its apps. Explore leading VPNs if you want top-of-the-line security features.
Where are the servers of Panda VPN Pro located?
You want a VPN that offers good speed. VPNs with enough servers in all key geographies and high-quality server infrastructure can offer good speed.
PandaVPN Pro doesn’t specify the number of servers on its website. This provider doesn’t specify the number of locations either. It shows a map on its website that shows the countries where it has servers. PandaVPN Pro offers reasonable speed.
We noticed that PandaVPN Pro has servers in mainland China. The Chinese government bans VPNs regularly. If a VPN operates servers in China, then one or more of the following conditions will apply:
· The company is sharing its users’ data with the Chinese government.
· The company is a Chinese company and it’s operating a VPN service with the approval of the Chinese government. Again, this will mean that the company shares data with the Chinese government.
As we have stated earlier, we suspect that PandaVPN Pro is a Chinese company. The map of PandaVPN Pro server locations makes our suspicions stronger. For privacy-focused VPN users, a VPN with servers in China may pose privacy risks.
What platforms are supported by Panda VPN Pro?
You want a VPN that supports all the different kinds of devices you have. Among desktop platforms, PandaVPN Pro supports Windows, Mac, and Linux. This VPN offers custom VPN apps for all of these desktop platforms.
Among mobile platforms, PandaVPN Pro supports Android and iOS. It offers custom VPN apps for them. PandaVPN Pro supports Android TV. This VPN doesn’t support routers, and we can’t find any manual configuration guides for any other platform.
PandaVPN Pro allows 3 simultaneous connections. We are happy to see that PandaVPN Pro supports all key platforms and offer custom apps for them. However, all leading VPNs support routers. PandaVPN Pro lags behind them in this regard.
Can Panda VPN Pro unblock streaming services?
Popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer impose geo-restrictions on their content. These companies do this due to business reasons, however, many people try to bypass such geo-restrictions. They use VPNs for that, however, companies like Netflix know that.
These streaming companies aggressively identify and block VPNs. Very few VPNs can unblock these streaming services. While PandaVPN Pro claims to unblock Netflix, it can’t do that. You need to explore other leading VPNs if you want a VPN that consistently unblocks Netflix.
Torrenting with Panda VPN Pro
On its website, PandaVPN Pro doesn’t state whether it allows P2P/torrenting on its servers. However, we checked with its customer support representative about it. The support representative mentioned that PandaVPN Pro allows P2P/torrenting.
However, we don’t recommend you use this VPN for P2P/torrenting. Let us explain our rationale.
Many countries have banned P2P/torrenting sites. Even in countries that allow them, you can get into legal troubles if you access copyrighted content. If you are trying to access such sites legally, even then you might get into such issues inadvertently. Therefore, users of P2P/torrenting sites want to remain anonymous. That’s only possible with a VPN that follows a “no logs” policy. PandaVPN Pro claims to follow a “no logs” policy. However, we suspect that it’s a Chinese company. If it’s a Chinese company, then the proclaimed “no logs” policy will not have any weightage.
You also want a VPN that offers a kill switch. That will keep hackers away even when the VPN connection terminates suddenly. PandaVPN Pro offers a kill switch except for its iOS app. That shouldn’t be a problem since you can use a desktop VPN app.
Our suspicion that PandaVPN Pro is a Chinese company makes us apprehensive about it. Given the risks associated with P2P/torrenting, we don’t recommend you use this VPN for such activities.
Bypassing the “Great Firewall” of China
PandaVPN Pro doesn’t work in China. The Chinese government imposes stringent Internet censorship and many people try to circumvent that using a VPN. However, the Chinese government knows that.
It uses advanced technologies like “Deep Packet Inspection” (DPI) to identify VPNs and block them. Not many VPNs can bypass the “Great Firewall” of China. We aren’t surprised that PandaVPN Pro can’t circumvent Internet censorship in China. If you want a VPN that consistently works in China, explore other leading VPNs.
How much does PandaVPN Pro cost?
You would want a VPN that offers reasonable pricing plans. PandaVPN Pro offers the following pricing plans:
· Monthly billing: You pay $9.99 per month.
· Quarterly billing: Your monthly average cost is $6.99.
· Billing once in 6 months: You pay $3.99 per month on an average. At the time of this review, PandaVPN Pro offers 6 months for free with this plan.
· Yearly billing: Your monthly average cost is $2.49. At the time of this review, PandaVPN Pro offers 1 year for free with this plan.
You can pay for a subscription using popular credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, and Discover. PandaVPN Pro accepts PayPal, Alipay, and Paymentwall. The company offers a secure payment process.
You can get a 3-days free trial for the PandaVPN Pro mobile apps only. This VPN offers a 7-days money-back guarantee. It states a few conditions for a refund though. For example, you need to give PandaVPN Pro a chance to resolve your issues.
The monthly plan from PandaVPN Pro is expensive. We find that the other plans are reasonable.
The pros and cons of PandaVPN Pro
We now evaluate the pros and cons of PandaVPN Pro. This VPN offers the following advantages:
· It supports OpenVPN, the most secure VPN protocol.
· PandaVPN Pro offers AES-256, the strongest encryption algorithm.
· It offers a kill switch.
· PandaVPN Pro offers reasonable speed.
· This VPN supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Android TV.
· PandaVPN Pro offers useful custom apps for all the platforms it supports.
· PandaVPN Pro offers a 7-days money-back guarantee.
We find that this VPN has several disadvantages too, which are as follows:
· Multiple sources of information suggest that PandaVPN Pro is a Chinese company. That puts its proclaimed “no logs” policy in question.
· This VPN doesn’t state how it prevents data leaks.
· PandaVPN Pro doesn’t offer a kill switch on its iOS app.
· PandaVPN Pro doesn’t support routers.
· This VPN can’t unblock Netflix.
· Due to apprehensions about its “no logs” policy, we can’t recommend you use it to access P2P/torrenting sites.
· PandaVPN Pro doesn’t work in China.
· This VPN doesn’t demonstrate sufficient customer support capabilities.
· PandaVPN Pro offers a free trial for its mobile apps only.
· Its monthly plan is expensive.
A few quick facts about PandaVPN Pro
We now summarize the following quick facts about PandaVPN Pro:
· Wildfire Inc. owns PandaVPN Pro. The company claims to be subject to the jurisdiction of Seychelles. The customer support team of PandaVPN Pro states that it’s an American company. However, we found plenty of information that suggests that it’s a Chinese company. If PandaVPN Pro is indeed a Chinese company, then its proclaimed “no logs” policy will not have any effect.
· This VPN provides basic security features, however, it’s doubtful if it can prevent data leaks.
· PandaVPN Pro provides a kill switch, however, its iOS app doesn’t have this feature.
· This VPN offers reasonable speed, however, it doesn’t state the number of servers it has.
· PandaVPN Pro can’t unblock Netflix.
· While this VPN allows P2P/torrenting, we don’t recommend you use it for this purpose. If PandaVPN is indeed a Chinese company, then its “zero logs” policy will not have any relevance. That will make this VPN a risky one for P2P/torrenting.
· This VPN supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Android TV. It offers user-friendly custom apps for all of these platforms, moreover, it allows 3 simultaneous connections.
· PandaVPN Pro offers live chat support, however, it’s not 24x7 live chat support. The company doesn’t provide sufficient customer support.
· PandaVPN Pro offers a 3-days trial period, however, it’s available for its mobile apps only.
· PandaVPN offers a 7-days money-back guarantee with a few conditions.
Is PandaVPN Pro user friendly?
You want an easy-to-use VPN. For this, a VPN should offer user-friendly custom apps, great documentation, and an easy-to-use website.
PandaVPN Pro offers user-friendly custom apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Android TV. This VPN provider doesn’t provide much documentation.
When you visit the PandaVPN Pro website, you might find it slightly hard to navigate it initially. However, you will find all the key menu options if you spend a few minutes on the website. PandaVPN Pro doesn’t describe its technical security solutions on its website though. While the customer support representative of the company stated that it’s an American company, the content on the website doesn’t always follow American English.
In our overall analysis, we find it a user-friendly VPN.
The customer service at PandaVPN Pro
You want great customer support when looking for a VPN. PandaVPN Pro offers easy-to-use custom VPN apps, which will reduce the need for customer support. Customer support capabilities are still important though!
PandaVPN Pro doesn’t offer much documentation about its products and services. The company doesn’t offer any manual configuration guides. Unlike many other VPNs, PandaVPN Pro doesn’t offer any troubleshooting guides. It provides an FAQ page, however, it has limited information.
PandaVPN Pro offers live chat support, however, it’s not a 24x7 live chat support. We asked a few simple questions to the support representative. The representative offered irrelevant information in one case and didn’t respond to our question in one case. We don’t find this chat support useful.
You can contact the PandaVPN Pro support team via email. We contacted it with a few straightforward questions. We didn’t receive answers for a few of them, and we received irrelevant information in some cases. The email support isn’t very helpful.
PandaVPN lacks customer support capabilities. For the price it charges, it should offer great customer support. This VPN provider lags behind leading VPNs in this regard.
What's the jurisdiction of PandaVPN Pro?
PandaVPN Pro states in its privacy policy that it’s subject to the jurisdiction of Seychelles. This country isn’t a part of the 5/9/14-eyes coalitions, therefore, it doesn’t conduct mass surveillance. Seychelles is a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
The customer support representative of PandaVPN Pro states that it’s an American company. This doesn’t match its claim that the company is based in Seychelles.
Moreover, as we have already mentioned, we suspect that PandaVPN Pro is a Chinese VPN. Various websites indicate that, moreover, various social media posts mention that it’s a Chinese VPN. The PandaVPN Pro GitHub repository has commits in the Chinese language, which strengthens our suspicion.
China isn’t a privacy-friendly country. The Chinese government conducts intrusive surveillance and imposes a stringent Internet censorship regime. We aren’t fully convinced that PandaVPN has a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
Does PandaVPN Pro keep any logs?
PandaVPN commits to a “no logs” policy in its privacy policy. The company states that it doesn’t log anything. Typically, we consider that good news.
However, we have enough reasons to suspect that PandaVPN could be a Chinese company. The company states that it’s registered in Seychelles. However, information on the Internet suggests that it’s a Chinese company. The GitHub repository of PandaVPN Pro has commits in the Chinese language.
All VPNs have logging capabilities. If PandaVPN is indeed a Chinese company, then it might log its users’ Internet activities. The Chinese laws compel companies operating there to share data with the Chinese government. Therefore, PandaVPN Pro might be forced to share its users’ data. We aren’t fully convinced about the “no logs” policy claimed by PandaVPN Pro.
Technical security of PandaVPN Pro
PandaVPN Pro supports OpenVPN, and we are happy to see that. OpenVPN is the most secure VPN protocol. It also supports Shadowsocks, which allows VPNs to bypass the “Great Firewall” of China. However, PandaVPN Pro doesn’t work in China.
This VPN offers AES-256, which is the strongest encryption available. We couldn’t assess whether PandaVPN Pro can prevent IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. It offers a kill switch, however, its iOS VPN app doesn’t have this feature. We find that PandaVPN Pro offers only very basic security features.
The conclusion of our review
While PandaVPN Pro claims to be a Seychelles-based company, its customer support representative states that it’s an American company. We find that strange. Moreover, we found enough information to suggest that it’s a Chinese company. If that’s indeed the case, then you can’t trust this VPN to protect your privacy. It's professed “no logs” policy will not have any meaning if it’s a Chinese company.
This VPN offers basic security features only, and questions remain about its security solutions. You can’t unblock Netflix using PandaVPN Pro. While it allows P2P/torrenting, we don’t find this VPN suitable for this. We say this due to our apprehensions about its Chinese links. PandaVPN Pro provides reasonable speed.
This VPN supports all the key platforms and it offers user-friendly custom apps for them. It doesn’t support routers though. PandaVPN Pro doesn’t work in China. While this VPN doesn’t state the number of servers it has, it indicates that it has servers in mainland China. This increases out apprehensions about its Chinese links. The Chinese government will only allow VPNs with a Chinese link to operate servers in mainland China.
PandaVPN Pro doesn’t provide adequate customer support. Its monthly pricing plan is expensive, whereas, the other plans are reasonable. PandaVPN offers a 3-days free trial for its mobile apps only. This VPN offers a 7-days money-back guarantee, however, it imposes a few conditions for this. We don’t consider PandaVPN Pro a good buy.
