VPN99: A review
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Looking for a way to protect your privacy and security when you browse the Internet? You need a VPN (“Virtual Private Network”). Choosing a VPN can be hard since the market for VPNs is competitive and many VPNs operate there. VPN99 is one such VPN, and it’s based in the UK. This VPN markets its flat rate of $0.99 per month, which explains its name.
How do you choose a VPN? You need to consider its privacy and security features, moreover, you might want to see if it unblocks geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Check whether it allows secure access to P2P/torrenting services. You need to check its speed and which platforms it supports. Finally, you need to evaluate its customer support capabilities and price.
We have reviewed VPN99 using all of these yardsticks. Does this VPN work for you, and should you buy a subscription? Read this review, and find out.
Features you get with VPN99
What does VPN99 offer? Let’s find that out by evaluating its features.
Is your information safe with VPN99?
Most VPN users start using a VPN since they want to protect their privacy online, and you probably want that too. You need a VPN that masks your IP address, encrypts your Internet traffic, and refrains from logging your online activities.
VPN99 masks your IP address and encrypts the Internet traffic of its users. It doesn’t log what its users do online using this VPN. The company states this as part of its FAQs, however, we couldn’t open the FAQ article. We received this confirmation from its customer support team over email.
The privacy policy of this VPN doesn’t talk about logging the online activities of its users. It confines itself only to the use of the VPN99 website. The company collects your email address when you buy a subscription. It also collects your IP address, browser type, and operating system.
VPN99 collects this data to provide services to you. It uses this data to understand how Internet users use the VPN99 website. The company also uses this data to send you emails, however, you can unsubscribe to these emails.
We don’t like the fact that VPN99 collects the IP address of the visitors to its website. However, the company processes this data per applicable laws including GDPR. It also secures your personal information. In any case, this doesn’t amount to logging the online activities of its VPN users.
VPN99 displays its data retention policy on its website. This doesn’t refer to the online activities of its VPN users. This policy addresses the personal data that VPN99 collects, which the company describes in its privacy policy. VPN99 retains this personal information for 5 years. Once again, this doesn’t concern the online activities of its VPN users.
LILLIOZ SOFTWARE LTD, a company registered in Cyprus administers VPN99. However, this VPN is subject to the jurisdiction of the UK. The UK is a part of the “5 Eyes” coalition of countries that conduct mass surveillance. It’s not the ideal jurisdiction for privacy-focused VPNs, however, VPN99 doesn’t log the online activities of its users. Therefore, the jurisdiction of the UK doesn’t pose a privacy risk for its VPN users.
We are satisfied with the “no logs” policy of VPN99. This VPN can protect your privacy.
What security measures are implemented by VPN99?
Many Internet users look for a VPN since they want to securely access the Internet. Are you one of them? You need a VPN that supports secure VPN protocols, provides strong encryption, and offers advanced security features.
VPN99 supports OpenVPN, which is the most secure VPN protocol. It supports L2TP, which is another secure VPN protocol. While VPN99 supports PPTP, we don’t recommend you use it. PPTP isn’t a secure VPN protocol since it has several vulnerabilities. We suggest you use OpenVPN since it has no known security vulnerabilities.
VPN99 supports various encryption technologies. For the OpenVPN protocol, this VPN supports AES-256-GCM. This is the strongest encryption that you can find in the market. For the L2TP/IPSec protocol, VPN99 uses AES-128 encryption. While it’s not as secure as AES-256, it offers sufficient security.
VPN99 uses MPEE for the PPTP protocol. Apart from these, it offers options like TLS 1.2, and ECDHE_RSA with P-256. We recommend you use the OpenVPN protocol and AES-256 encryption since this combination offers the best encryption.
VPN99 can’t prevent IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. Most leading VPNs prevent such leaks, therefore, VPN99 lags behind in this aspect. The VPN99 customer support team states that the company is working on this.
This VPN doesn’t offer a kill switch. Most leading VPNs offer this useful feature, which blocks the Internet connection as soon as the VPN connection terminates unexpectedly. This keeps hackers at bay even if the VPN connection drops suddenly. VPN99 lags behind its competitors in this regard.
This VPN provider doesn’t offer the PFS (Perfect Forward Secrecy) feature. Since PFS changes the encryption key regularly, hackers can’t use your encryption key for long even if they somehow get hold of it. Several leading VPNs offer PFS, therefore, VPN99 lags behind them.
VPN99 supports secure protocols and strong encryption. However, it doesn’t prevent IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks. It doesn’t provide a kill switch either, therefore, we don’t consider that this VPN provides enough security features. If you want excellent security features, then you should explore other leading VPNs.
Where are the servers of VPN99 located?
While looking for privacy and security with the help of a VPN, you probably don’t want to sacrifice speed. VPNs that have enough servers in all key geographies can offer good speed, however, they also need to invest in high-quality infrastructure.
VPN99 has 14 servers in 13 countries. The company displays its list of servers on its website. This VPN provider has a presence in the USA, the UK, Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
VPN99 has a considerably smaller server network than leading VPNs. It offers reasonable speed, however, it can’t match the speed offered by VPNs with thousands of servers all over the world. If you want excellent speed, then you need to explore other leading VPNs.
What devices can you use VPN99 on?
You would prefer a VPN that you can use with the different kinds of devices that you have. VPN99 supports Windows, Mac, and Linux, which are key desktop platforms. This VPN doesn’t offer custom apps for these platforms, however, it provides manual configuration guides. For Linux, this VPN provides a manual configuration for the Ubuntu distribution.
Among mobile platforms, VPN99 supports Android and iOS. It offers custom apps for these platforms, moreover, you can manually configure a VPN connection using its guides. Additionally, VPN99 provides a manual configuration guide for Windows mobile.
VPN99 provides browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. It offers installation instructions for them.
VPN99 supports any router that’s compatible with OpenVPN, L2TP, or PPTP protocols. This VPN provides a manual configuration guide for MikroTik router. You can contact its customer support team for configuration instructions if you have another compatible router. VPN99 allows 2 simultaneous connections.
We are happy to see that VPN99 is compatible with a wide range of platforms. It provides a custom app for Android and iOS only, which is a disadvantage for users that aren’t tech-savvy. This VPN provides manual configuration guides though.
Unblocking streaming services with the help of VPN99
Are you looking for a VPN to unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer? These streaming services impose geo-restrictions on their content due to their business reasons, and many Internet users try to circumvent that by using a VPN.
However, these streaming services know that and aggressively block VPNs. Not many VPNs can consistently unblock them. According to the customer support team of VPN99, some of its servers may unblock Netflix. However, this VPN can’t unblock Hulu and BBC iPlayer. If you want a VPN that can consistently unblock these popular streaming services, then you should explore other leading VPNs.
Does VPN99 allow torrenting?
VPN99 doesn’t allow P2P/torrenting activities. Many Internet users look for a VPN to securely access P2P/torrenting services. Accessing P2P/torrenting services might have legal implications due to copyright laws. Therefore, a VPN that doesn’t keep logs is ideal.
Moreover, hackers target users of P2P/torrenting sites. Therefore, you need a VPN that encrypts your Internet traffic and offers a kill switch. VPN99 doesn’t keep logs, moreover, it encrypts your Internet traffic. However, it doesn’t offer a kill switch.
We wouldn’t recommend you use VPN99 to securely access P2P/torrenting services. Seen from this standpoint, we are happy that VPN99 doesn’t allow P2P/torrenting activities.
However, when you compare this VPN with its competitors, you can see how VPN99 lags behind. Leading VPNs offers secure access to P2P/services, and they offer a kill switch. VPN99 falls short of its competitors in this regard.
Note: VPN99 can’t bypass the “Great Firewall” of China. This VPN doesn’t use obfuscation technologies that can bypass the kind of Internet censorship that countries like China impose.
How much does VPN99 cost?
VPN99 offers one pricing plan only, and that’s a flat rate of $0.99 per month. It’s certainly one of the cheapest VPNs that we have seen.
At the time of writing, VPN99 can’t accept card payment. Its customer support team provided this information and informed that customers need to buy a subscription using Google Play or Apple App Store.
As a result, you can only use the payment methods accepted by Google Play and Apple App Store. VPN99 offers a 3-days free trial for its Android and iOS apps.
This VPN offers a 30-days money-back guarantee, however, it’s not available for its mobile apps. You need to send an email to support@vpn99.net with your refund request.
We find that VPN99 is a very cheap VPN. If the price is your priority, then this VPN is a good choice.
The pros and cons of VPN99
VPN99 offers the following advantages:
· It protects your privacy, thanks to its “no logs” policy.
· VPN99 supports secure VPN protocols and offers strong encryption.
· This VPN supports all key desktop and mobile platforms, moreover, it supports routers.
· The VPN99 Android and iOS VPN apps are easy to use.
· VPN99 is one of the cheapest VPNs around with its flat rate of $0.99 per month.
· This VPN offers a 3-days free trial for its mobile apps.
· VPN99 offers a 30-days money-back guarantee except for its mobile apps.
· This VPN offers prompt email support.
There are a few disadvantages to VPN99, which are as follows:
· This VPN can’t prevent IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks.
· VPN99 doesn’t offer a kill switch.
· This VPN can’t unblock Netflix consistently, moreover, it can’t unblock Hulu and BBC iPlayer.
· It’s not a good choice for P2P/torrenting, moreover, VPN99 doesn’t allow P2P/torrenting.
· This VPN can’t bypass the “Great Firewall” of China.
· VPN99 doesn’t offer a custom app except for Android and iOS.
· This VPN doesn’t offer a searchable knowledgebase, moreover, its FAQ page doesn’t work.
· VPN99 has a small server network, therefore, users might experience slow speed.
A few quick facts about VPN99
We now summarize a few quick facts about VPN99, which are as follows:
· LILLIOZ SOFTWARE LTD, a Cyprus-based company administers VPN99.
· VPN99 is subject to the jurisdiction of the UK. However, its “no logs” policy eliminates privacy risks due to the UK being a part of the “5 Eyes” coalition of countries.
· VPN99 provides secure VPN protocols and strong encryption, however, it doesn’t prevent data leaks.
· This VPN doesn’t offer a kill switch.
· This VPN can’t unblock popular streaming services like Hulu and BBC iPlayer. It can unblock Netflix at times, however, it can’t do that consistently.
· VPN99 has 14 servers in 13 countries, which is a small server network.
· This VPN supports all key platforms, however, it offers custom apps for Android and iOS only.
· VPN99 doesn’t allow P2P/torrenting activities.
· This VPN offers a flat rate of $0.99 per month, which makes it one of the cheapest VPNs around.
· VPN99 offers a 3-days free trial for its Android and iOS apps.
· This VPN offers a 30-days money-back guarantee, however, this excludes its mobile apps.
· VPN99 offers email support, which is very prompt.
Is VPN99 user friendly?
We consider a VPN easy to use if it provides user-friendly custom apps, excellent documentation, and an easy-to-use website. Let’s examine the ease-of-use of VPN99 against these criteria.
The VPN99 website isn’t the most user-friendly one around. You can certainly find key menu options buying a subscription, download, and tutorials. However, its privacy policy doesn’t mention its “no logs” policy. Its FAQ talks about its “no logs” policy, however, we couldn’t access the FAQ articles despite multiple attempts.
VPN99 offers custom apps for Android and iOS only. It doesn’t offer a custom app for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This VPN offers manual configuration guides for desktop platforms, routers, etc. However, users that aren’t tech-savvy prefer to use custom apps. This eliminates the need for manual configuration. Leading VPNs offer custom apps for all or most of the key platforms they support, and VPN99 lags behind in this aspect.
VPN99 Android and iOS apps are easy to use. VPN99 provides useful guides, therefore, you can configure a VPN connection manually on other platforms without too many difficulties.
In summary, we wouldn’t rate VPN99 very high on user-friendliness. This is due to the lack of custom apps for several key platforms and the limitations of its website.
About the customer service of VPN99
We now evaluate the customer support capabilities of VPN99. If a VPN provides excellent documentation, a searchable knowledgebase, detailed FAQs, and prompt support, then we consider that it excels in customer support.
VPN99 provides sufficient documentation so that you can manually configure a VPN connection. This VPN doesn’t provide a searchable knowledge base. While it provides an FAQ page on its website, we couldn’t access any of its FAQ articles.
After multiple attempts to access FAQ articles, we reached out to the VPN99 customer support team. The customer support team answered our questions promptly, and it provides sufficient information. When we mentioned that the FAQ links don’t work, the customer support representative advised us to forward our questions to support representatives. We would like VPN99 to provide a FAQ section that works.
The VPN99 customer support team is prompt, knowledgeable, and professional. You can find a “Feedback” button on the VPN99 website, which looks like a live chat function. However, it doesn’t offer live chat support. You can click this button and send your questions to the VPN99 support team. You will receive answers promptly.
While VPN99 provides reasonable customer support, it isn’t the best. If you want great customer support, then you need to explore other leading VPNs.
Where is VPN99 based?
LILLIOZ SOFTWARE LTD, the company that administers VPN99 is registered in Cyprus. However, this VPN is subject to the jurisdiction of the UK. The customer support representative of VPN99 has confirmed this over an email.
The UK is a part of the “5 Eyes” coalition, and countries in this coalition conduct mass surveillance. While this country isn’t the ideal jurisdiction for a privacy-focused VPN, this doesn’t pose a privacy risk to VPN99 users. This is because VPN99 doesn’t log its VPN users’ online activities.
Does VPN99 keep any logs?
VPN99 doesn’t keep any logs of its VPN users’ online activities. This company doesn’t clarify this in its privacy policy or data retention policy. Instead, VPN99 writes this in the FAQ section of its website. We couldn’t open the FAQ article despite multiple attempts. The customer support team of VPN99 confirmed via email that this VPN doesn’t keep any logs.
Technical security and encryption used by VPN99
VPN99 supports the OpenVPN protocol. It enjoys the reputation of being the most secure VPN protocol, and we recommend you use it.
This VPN supports L2TP, another secure VPN protocol. We noticed that VPN99 supports PPTP. Since this VPN protocol has security vulnerabilities, we don’t recommend you use it.
VPN99 supports AES-256-GCM for the OpenVPN protocol, which is the strongest encryption. This VPN provider supports AES-128 encryption for the L2TP/IPSec protocol. Technically, AES-128 offers lower security than AES-256. However, this difference doesn’t matter much for practical purposes.
For the PPTP protocol, VPN99 uses MPEE. It also offers options like TLS 1.2 and ECDHE_RSA with P-256. Since VPN99 provides the option of using the OpenVPN protocol with AES-256 encryption, we conclude that it offers strong enough encryption.
VPN99 can’t prevent IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks, which is a disadvantage. This VPN doesn’t offer a kill switch, moreover, it doesn’t offer PFS (Perfect Forward Secrecy). The security solutions of VPN99 don’t compare well with leading VPNs that prevent data leaks and offer a kill switch.
The conclusion of our review
VPN99 follows an effective “no logs” policy, therefore, this VPN can protect your privacy. It supports secure protocols and offers strong encryption. However, IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks and the lack of a kill switch means it doesn’t offer enough security features. This VPN has a small server network, which can impact its speed at times.
VPN99 can’t unblock popular geo-restricted streaming services, moreover, it doesn’t allow P2P/torrenting. This VPN supports a wide range of platforms including all key ones. However, it offers custom apps for Android and iOS only. VPN99 provides manual configuration guides for other platforms. In the overall analysis, this makes it less user-friendly than other leading VPNs.
VPN99 provides useful manual configuration guides, however, it doesn’t offer a searchable knowledge base. The FAQ page on its website doesn’t work. While VPN99 doesn’t offer live chat support, its email support is prompt. The company has a knowledgeable and professional customer support team.
VPN99 offers a flat rate of $0.99 per month, which makes it one of the cheapest VPN that we have come across. It offers a 3-days free trial for its mobile apps. While it offers a 30-days money-back guarantee, the company doesn’t provide this guarantee for its mobile apps.
If the price is your sole criterion for choosing a VPN, then VPN99 is a good choice. However, you need to explore other leading VPNs if you want a feature-rich VPN.
