ioloVPN Review 2024 — Keep This in Mind Before Buying

ioloVPN says it helps you access the internet in full privacy. It also claims to offer high speeds, a no-logs policy, and strong security. Since the company also provides various PC security and performance software, I had high expectations that it could deliver on these claims.

So I tested every aspect of the service including speeds, streaming capabilities, security features, privacy policy, torrenting, ease of use, and more.

While it performed well in one area, the rest of my results were disappointing. Not only does the VPN not live up to most of its promises, but is far behind the best VPNs currently available. Even worse, I looked into iolo’s privacy practices and I found that it might not be safe to use.

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Streaming — Good Quality With Some of the Top Platforms

ioloVPN can securely access many major platforms from anywhere — but not all of them. Even with the services my international team and I viewed, there were sometimes difficulties reaching the absolute best quality. There were also some troubleshooting issues as many servers were unsuccessful during our tests.

Works With: Netflix, Disney+, Max, Peacock, BBC iPlayer & ITV Hub

We could securely view Netflix US with ioloVPN. However, it took many attempts with various US servers to find one that worked. This is because many locations were too slow. In the end, the servers that were successful were still too slow for UHD viewing. No other Netflix libraries could be watched with ioloVPN’s encrypted connections.

I could only stream in HD on the servers that worked

Disney+ could also be streamed from anywhere securely. But, once again, it took a lot of trial-and-error, and we could only watch in SD quality once we found a working US server. We had a similar experience with Max, which could eventually be viewed, but only in diminished quality.

My connection remained stable and I had no buffering while watching Peacock

Thankfully, ioloVPN makes it possible to safely access BBC iPlayer and ITV on the first try. We were impressed that we could even use the “Highest available” quality on BBC iPlayer right away.

Doesn't Work With: Hulu and Amazon Prime Video

There was no way to watch Hulu with ioloVPN. We tried every troubleshooting technique available to us, like switching servers and using multiple browsers. Unfortunately, the VPN could never facilitate safe viewing with this platform.

I wasn’t able to view shows on Amazon Prime Video US

All things considered, ioloVPN gave us good streaming results though our connection was never fast enough for UHD. Finding the right server also takes some work.

It's possible to access all of these platforms in great quality from anywhere. To find a VPN that works with Hulu & Prime Video, check our our list of the best VPNs for streaming.

Speeds — Significantly Slows Down Your Speeds

ioloVPN provides decent speeds in some locations, but a lot of the servers were too slow for most online activities.

The VPN advertises super-fast speeds, so I expected to experience no more than the usual 10-20% speed drop that you get with premium VPNs.

Before testing, my base connection (my regular internet speed without using a VPN) was 50.24 Mbps download, 2.37 Mbps upload speeds, and a 7 ms ping.

First, I tested the Best Location feature, which connects you to the fastest servers based on your actual location. For me, that was Turkey. The speeds were disappointingly slow, with 19.86 Mbps download, 0.59 Mbps upload speeds, and 86 ms ping.

Then, I tested some popular European locations, such as the UK and Germany, several US servers, Canada, South Korea, and Australia.

It was challenging to find a consistently fast server

Strangely, locations that are closer to me (like Germany and the UK) slowed my speeds down by up to 77%. Other servers that are more distant (like in the US), were faster.

My guess is that the most popular servers, (such as the UK, Australia, South Korea, and some US locations) get overcrowded, which results in significant slowdowns.

Here are my full speed test results:

Overall, ioloVPN gave me disappointingly slow speeds on most servers, entirely opposite of its promise.

These VPNs are a better alternative if you're looking for blazing-fast speeds to perform all your high-bandwidth activities (including streaming and gaming) without delays.

Server Network — Few Servers and Poor Location Coverage

ioloVPN has a small network of 193 servers in 193 countries. The majority of its servers are located in Europe and America and it covers only a handful of locations in Asia and Australia.

These are the server locations:

The VPN does not provide information about the server network on its website. It does say that it has server clusters, rather than single servers in the covered locations. This means that several servers handle the traffic for each location.

The server list is available in its app in the menu tab under “Advanced Settings,” which I find unusual as most VPNs clearly display their locations. The VPN is set to automatically choose the best and fastest server for you based on your real location and its current server load. I like that it remembers your last-used location the next time you connect.

All the servers I tested connected quickly (under 10 seconds) and provided me with a stable connection. However, at one point, I experienced a “serious system error” and couldn’t connect to any server. Luckily, the problem was resolved and I could connect again after 15 minutes. Other than that outage, the VPN worked fine and I didn’t experience any other issues.

Security — Very Basic Features

The service uses 256-bit encryption, which is the industry standard and is virtually impossible to break. This means your traffic and online activity are protected against hackers and third-party monitoring.

However, I couldn’t find any information about the protocols the VPN uses. I tried asking customer support but never got an answer to my email or live chat queries. From what I could tell, there’s no kill switch or any other additional security features like split-tunneling, ad/tracker blockers, RAM-only servers, or perfect forward secrecy.

Passed IP/DNS Leak Testing

I tested the VPN for data leaks, and I’m happy to report there were none. ioloVPN successfully concealed my IP address and DNS requests, and stopped WebRTC leaks.

My real location remained private

While the VPN passed my leak tests and provides good encryption, it lacks a lot of the vital security features provided by most services. For peace of mind, I recommend you try a premium VPN with robust security features.

Privacy — Collects Your Data

Unfortunately, ioloVPN logs lots of data. The VPN claims it has a no-logs policy. However, I found out that it potentially collects a lot of information about its users.

The first problem is that the VPN doesn’t have a specific privacy policy. There’s only a general policy for RealDefence LLC (the VPN’s parent company) that covers all of its products.

ioloVPN's website only has one FAQ answer that states the service does not monitor your online activity and so wouldn't be able to share any data with the authorities. Upon reading through its privacy policy, it clearly states that it may collect information from logs, the device you're using (including the operating system), and software on your computer, to name a few.

I dug deeper and was shocked to read that the company admits to collecting plenty of personal and device information through its software and services, including:

• Contact information
• Payment information
• Information collected through “log files”
• Customer service and demographic data
• Information collected from third-party providers
• Other transaction-related data

There’s another concerning section in the policy explaining that, under the California Consumer Privacy Act, the company also collects data in the following categories:

• Identifiers
• Commercial information
• Financial data
• Internet and other network or device activity (including browsing history and information on interaction with a website/app or ad)
• Geolocation data, and much more

The company claims this data is “generally” anonymous and aggregated, which isn’t very reassuring. Even worse, the policy states that the company may sell, transfer, or disclose your personal data to their service providers, affiliates, licensees, partners, and other third parties.

ioloVPN’s parent company reserves the right to share and sell your information

Since there’s no separate privacy policy for ioloVPN itself, RealDefence’s terms potentially allow them to harvest your data from the VPN if they want to. The language used is all very vague and there’s no legal guarantee that the no-logs claim on the website is true.

This is especially worrying as RealDefence LLC is located in California. The US is part of the 5 Eyes Alliance — a group of countries that collects and shares information about its citizens with members. Theoretically, any information the VPN collects about you could be handed over to the US authorities — and other Alliance member states.

I can’t recommend a VPN that potentially logs your data and is located in the US. If you value your privacy I suggest you choose a VPN that follows a verified no-logs policy.

Torrenting — Allowed, but May Not Be Safe

ioloVPN can be used for torrenting, but I recommend you do so with caution.

There’s no info about P2P traffic on the VPN’s website, so I contacted support via live chat to find out. The agent confirmed you can use the service for torrenting but didn’t provide additional info. So I can’t confirm whether you can use all servers or only certain ones.

However, I don’t recommend using this service for P2P transfers. It lacks a kill switch, so your identity may be exposed to the P2P network if the VPN drops. Plus, the privacy policy is questionable, meaning all your torrenting activities may be logged.

Keep in mind that a VPN is first and foremost a way to keep you safe online and should never be used for downloading copyrighted materials — my team and I don’t condone any illegal activities.

If you’re looking for a P2P-friendly VPN, take a look at these services for fast and safe torrenting.

Does ioloVPN Work in China? Not Clear

I couldn't find any information on whether ioloVPN works in China. I tried contacting support but never got a definitive answer. My emails also went unanswered. The agent ignored this particular question when I tried live chat.

For unrestricted internet access in China, pick one of these VPNs that are proven to bypass the Great Firewall.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Up to 5

ioloVPN allows you up to 5 simultaneous device connections with one subscription.

You can’t use the VPN on as many devices as other VPNs — PIA allows up to 5, while IPVanish covers an 5 number. However, I find the number sufficient for me.