VyprVPN Review

By creating a virtual private network from a public internet connection, a VPN is designed to provide anonymity and privacy for users. Swiss-based Golden Frog’s VyprVPN has been a part of the internet privacy market for over a decade. In recent years, it has been undergoing changes and improvements in an attempt to earn its place at the forefront of the market alongside popular choices like NordVPN and ExpressVPN. In this review, we’ll be looking at how far these changes have brought it, what specific features VyprVPN brings to the table and whether it really has managed to attain the previously elusive goal of matching up against the top contenders.

Pros and Cons of VyprVPN

Key Features of VyprVPN

To evaluate VyprVPN, we looked at the four key features that make a quality virtual private network: security and privacy, which is the core mission of any VPN; sever coverage, as having a large network of servers in numerous countries goes a long way toward optimizing performance; performance, including how many devices you can connect to the network, how much it affects the speed of your devices and whether it enables streaming; and finally price, where analysis for the available plans ensures that you’re getting genuine value for your buy-in.

• Network uses undisclosed “virtual server” locations
• Lack of cryptocurrency payment options
• Below-average speeds

Security & Privacy

The security of a VPN can be best assessed by whether it blocks leakage of any private user information (IP addresses, DNS, and WebRTC included), whether it sports a reliable kill switch that ensures it’s blocking all traffic when the VPN connection is discontinued, whether it connects automatically to the VPN when your device encounters an untrusted network (such a public Wi-Fi) and whether it uses up-to-date encryption using the 256-bit AES industry standard. VyprVPN delivers reliably on all of these points; it’s a safe and reliable VPN solution. Modern VPNs should also address the growing trend around the world toward VPN blocking, used where governments and other institutions want to prevent private citizens from evading various forms of online censorship. The common solution to this is called obfuscation, the disguising of VPN traffic as normal internet traffic. VyprVPN offers obfuscation through a self-developed OpenVPN protocol called Chameleon, which encapsulates 256-bit encrypted VPN encryption within regular HTTPS encryption. This protocol is currently one of the best obfuscation features on the market for getting around restricted network environments. Finally, a really secure VPN solution should have a fully implemented policy of not logging or tracking user behavior or what they’re using the VPN for, as that information could wind up in the hands of hostile parties. The company’s privacy policy should explicitly commit to no-logging and should have that policy verified by third-party independent audits. VyprVPN embarked on becoming a verified no-log provider in 2018 with the help of third-party auditor Leviathan and now checks out as secure on this metric as well, with the added reassurance that the company is headquartered in privacy-friendly Switzerland.

Server Coverage

When a VPN has a large number of servers distributed in various countries, and in particular when some of those servers are located geographically near the user, it can deliver better performance and more consistent “up” time. Because internet bandwidth invariably takes a hit from the usage of a VPN, the edge provided by a really comprehensive and robust server network is crucially important. Many providers make use of third-party servers to extend their reach, but VyprVPN makes a point of avoiding this, using only servers it directly owns to give it greater control over security. It lays claim to 700 servers in 65 countries by this route, and while this isn’t an extraordinary number of servers by comparison with leading competitors, the fact that these servers are all proprietary is a potential trade-off in VyprVPN’s favor. There is, however, a significant drawback to VyprVPN’s server network: It employs a large number of virtual server locations, meaning servers that are not physically located where they claim to be (a virtual server purporting to be in Tokyo might just as easily be in Singapore). While the company discloses in general terms the fact that it does this, it says nothing about how many such servers it uses and what their identities are. An independent analysis of its server network indicates that fully 59% of VyprVPN’s servers are virtual. Of those, 30% of the real server locations appear to be in Nuland, NL, and another 11% are in Singapore. The rather dismaying lack of transparency revealed here does not necessarily present a security risk, but it does seriously impair the efforts of users to select servers in preferred geographical areas, and it may well go some way toward explaining why VyprVPN underperforms in terms of speed.

Performance

Any VPN will have an effect on the speed of your internet connection. The best ones will be able to minimize that effect and deliver high-performance speeds, making it possible to access torrents and streaming content and worthwhile to unblock sites like Netflix. VyprVPN does deliver enough speed to make streaming possible and worthwhile, but it’s far from being among the fastest VPNs and does not perform up to the standards of the “world’s fastest VPN” to which it lays claim. It delivers an average download rate of 44 Mbps, which is just over 20% slower than ExpressVPN’s overall average, nearly 40% slower than StrongVPN’s average download speed and just over 60% slower than NordVPN. Moreover, speeds in the network vary widely, with servers in some places significantly outperforming or underperforming that mark. VyprVPN overall performs well enough to meet most streaming and downloading needs, but its speeds might not be ideal for users looking to employ their VPNs for online gaming, for example. VyprVPN provides apps for the most popular major devices and operating systems, including Windows and macOS, Android and iOS, Linux, Anonabox, QNAP, and Blackphone. Some users report spotty performance on Linux, but in general, the VPN works smoothly across platforms, is easy to install and is user-friendly. Each license comes with the capacity to connect five devices to the VPN, which is, by industry standards, an average but unspectacular offering.

Price

VyprVPN’s Standard Plan costs $9.95 per month, and its Premium Plan (which provides extra device connections and includes the Chameleon protocol for obfuscation) costs $12.95 per month for users choosing to pay monthly. Year-long plans for each tier of service are considerably cheaper: $5 per month for Standard and $6.70 per month for Premium. The company also offers a 30-day free trial. This isn’t as cheap as the company’s offerings once were, but for users whose most important priority is strong security and privacy features, VyprVPN really does compete with the best on the market and still offers solid value for money. An unfortunate gap in VyprVPN’s approach to pricing and customer service, however, is that it still doesn’t accept payment in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. Given the extremely privacy-oriented nature of much of its customer base, this continued omission is something of a surprise.

VyprVPN Overview

* Note the real extent of the network is more limited than it looks due to VyperVPN’s extensive use of virtual server locations. See above under Sever Coverage.

What Customers Are Saying

VyprVPN gets generally positive word-of-mouth from customers: “VyprVPN has the smoothest-sailing and most secure connections that a VPN client has to offer. The premium service is excellent and I primarily use this to access geo-blocked content but my family from overseas can use it simultaneously while I’m using it. No logs, less hassle and errors, I can say it will be my go-to VPN client for years ahead.”

Bottom Line

VyprVPN is a solid, but not flawless, supporter of internet privacy that delivers strong protection through innovative security and obfuscation features, along with decent performance even if it isn’t the fastest on the market. The heavy reliance on virtual locations in its server network and the lack of cryptocurrency payment options may give some users pause but won’t detract too much from its positive features for most.