Buffered VPN Review 2024 — Read This Before Buying

Buffered VPN has a lot to offer due to its user-friendly interface, fast connection speeds, and reliable security. One thing it can't do is unblock Netflix, you'll need a premium vendor like ExpressVPN for that.

In addition to dedicated apps available for all major platforms, Buffered VPN also offers router compatibility. There are 40+ servers available in 37 different countries, including three server locations within the US.

Here is a detailed overview of Buffered VPN’s performance and features:

Streaming - Does Buffered VPN Work with Netflix?

Unfortunately, Buffered VPN was unable to bypass any tough geoblocks on popular streaming sites during our tests. We tried connecting to Netflix through the UK, Canada, and all three US server locations but Buffered was caught by the VPN ban each time.

We had similar luck with other popular streaming sites. Buffered was unable to get through the VPN bans on Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and HBO GO.

On the bright side, our connection speed was fast enough that we were able to stream HD YouTube videos with no buffering delay.

Buffered VPN Speeds

Buffered VPN claims that they always score highly among the top five fastest VPNs during speed tests. To find out if that claim is true, we ran some tests of our own. We started out with a base speed of 70 Mbps.

Overall, we were impressed with the results when connecting to Buffered VPN’s nearby servers. We barely saw a decrease in speed when connecting to the US East Coast server.

We were similarly pleased with our speed results when connecting to Buffered’s UK server.

However, there was a big decrease in speed when we tried to connect to servers farther away in Japan and Australia. Both locations averaged under 5 Mbps download speed.

Despite these last few results, we found that Buffered was able to provide consistently fast connection speeds in all but the most distant server locations.

Is Buffered VPN Good for Torrenting?

Buffered is a torrent-friendly VPN that does not restrict P2P activity on any of its servers. Since all of Buffered’s servers allow torrenting, you should be able to achieve good torrenting speeds when connected to nearby servers.

Security - Is Buffered VPN Safe?

Buffered VPN offers robust security with 256-bit AES encryption, DNS leak protection, and an automatic kill switch (once activated in the settings) on Windows and MacOS platforms. No leaks were detected during our testing.

For an extra layer of protection, Buffered VPN also provides Perfect Forward Secrecy, which generates a unique encryption key for each session. This means that even in the very unlikely case that one of your encryption keys is compromised, your past and future data is still secure.

Buffered VPN exclusively supports OpenVPN protocols and allows you to choose between UDP and TCP. OpenVPN protocols are widely considered to be the most secure, meaning that your connections are safe from any of the vulnerabilities that can be found in older protocols.

Does Buffered VPN Keep Logs?

According to their privacy policy, Buffered VPN does not keep any records of user activity. However, they do keep partial connection logs for up to 30 days.

These logs include the following information:

• Your real IP address
• The duration of your connection
• The amount of data transferred during your session

The privacy policy also states that some information about your device may be collected for troubleshooting purposes, but you have the option to opt out of this data collection in the app’s settings.

While collecting partial logs is not ideal if your goal is total anonymity, Buffered VPN’s privacy policy is likely good enough for most users.

Buffered VPN also recently moved its headquarters from Hungary to Gibraltar, where there are no mandatory data retention laws. Although Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, it is actually fully autonomous, privacy-friendly, and free from the eyes of the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance.

Price and Value for Money

Buffered VPN offers a choice of different length pricing plans. Each of the plans includes the same features.

Although there is no free trial, Buffered VPN does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all subscription plans.

You can purchase a Buffered VPN plan using any of the following payment methods:

• Major credit cards like Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express
• PayPal
• Bitcoin for the highest level of anonymity

Is Buffered VPN Compatible with My Device?

Buffered VPN operates seamlessly with all primary platforms. Along with their specialized apps for Windows and MacOS, they have recently introduced dedicated applications for Android and iOS. Consequently, there's no necessity for manual configuration.

Buffered VPN is compatible with the following devices:

• Windows
• MacOS
• Android
• iOS
• Linux
• Tomato- or DD-WRT-enabled routers

The VPN’s features are similar across platforms, with the exception of no automatic kill switch available for mobile devices.

You can connect up to five simultaneous devices with a single Buffered VPN subscription.

Buffered VPN Customer Service

We were pleased with our experience with the Buffered VPN customer support team. You can contact support through an email form or their 24/7 live chat service. Both methods are responsive and helpful.

The Buffered VPN website also provides a lot of information and resources to help with common issues. You can find extensive FAQ section, troubleshooting guides, set up tutorials, and a lot of detailed information about VPNs and cybersecurity in general.

User Experience

The Buffered VPN app has an intuitive layout that makes it very easy to navigate. The app opens to a list of server locations, and connecting is as simple as clicking on the one you want.

You can also easily view your recent server locations or create a list of favorites. Once you’re connected to a server, the Buffered app displays some basic information about your data transfers and connection duration. It also displays whether the kill switch is currently activated, which is nice.

You can allow the app to automatically select a port for you or you have the option to manually select one from a list of options. Other nice features include the ability to test your current bandwidth and firewall protection within the app.

Buffered VPN has plenty to offer if you are looking for a simple, easy-to-use VPN with robust security and fast connection speeds. Since this provider is focusing on quality over quantity of features, VPN beginners can take advantage of Buffered VPN’s secure protection without being overwhelmed by advanced options. It’s also a good choice for torrenting.

On the other hand, we were disappointed by the lack of a kill switch on mobile devices. We also would not recommend Buffered VPN for streaming since it was unable to bypass the geo-restrictions on most popular streaming sites.

If you’re looking for a reasonably-priced VPN that is great for torrenting and offers industry-leading security across all major platforms, we recommend going with one of our top-rated providers like ExpressVPN.