Liberty Shield Review 2024: Read This Before Buying

Liberty Shield was formerly known as UK Proxy Server and was founded in 2008. It provides VPN and proxy services and pre-configured VPN routers. It advertises itself as a VPN for streaming, so my international team and I tested it with Netflix, ITV, and more.

Liberty Shield uses military-grade encryption and says that it commits to a no-logs policy. It also provides security through 3 protocols: L2TP, PPTP, and OpenVPN, but it lacks a kill switch, and it’s located in a Five Eyes country, so is it really safe to use?

I wouldn’t say so because I had to uninstall the Windows app after detecting malware in the installer. Because of this, I recommend you try a safer VPN instead.

It has 218 servers in 8 countries. The servers are either on the Tier 2 or the legacy network.

Liberty Shield is easy to install. It has native apps for macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Android TVs, and 2nd generation Fire TV.

The VPN offers 5 subscriptions (including a router bundle), a 48-hour free trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Try Liberty Shield

Streaming — Good Quality With Most Major Platforms

Liberty Shield can safely access a variety of top platforms with minimal buffering. For the most part, we could stream in HD or even higher quality. There was hardly any troubleshooting required either, so I don’t have many complaints in this department.

Works With: HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, ITV Player, Disney+, and Netflix

First, we tested HBO Max and managed to stream an episode of The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay without any buffering. The quality was excellent throughout.

We also enjoyed watching Prime Video in HD without any major buffering. The video only buffered for a few seconds at the start, but overall, the quality was great. Thankfully, this was our experience with nearly every service we tested. There's only one big platform that Liberty Shield can't safely access.

Doesn't Work With: ESPN+

There was no way to securely watch ESPN+ from anywhere. We encountered an error screen during all of our tests, and switching browsers did nothing to help.

Overall, Liberty Shield is great at streaming although I have other concerns about it I’ll delve into later. But, if you need to keep up with your favorite sports streams, check out our list of the best VPNs for ESPN+.

Speeds — Most Servers Are Fast

Liberty Shield’s speeds are excellent on all Tier 2 servers, though you’ll experience somewhat slower connections with the legacy servers. If you would like to enjoy faster speeds, switch to the proxy connection, which is less secure but offers the same locations as the VPN.

I tested its Tier 2 servers in the UK, and the US, and the legacy servers in Canada and France. Without Liberty Shield connected, my download speed was 9.5 Mbps.

My speed before turning Liberty Shield on

The percentages below show the decrease in download speeds while connected to Liberty Shield’s servers, with servers on the legacy network registering the highest drop.

• France: 24%
• Canada: 20%
• US: 8.4%
• UK: 10%

Notably, its speeds impressed me even though the servers I tested were far away from my location.

I got excellent speeds on long-distance servers

Connections via Liberty Shield’s router also offer great speeds. On Liberty Shield's official website, it says that the PRO router has a max download speed of 90 Mbps.

Are Liberty Shield’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? No

Liberty Shield isn't ideal for gaming. You will still be able to play but you won’t have the ultimate gaming experience. I got latency higher than 160 ms on all servers I tested. An ideal latency is anywhere around 40 to 60 ms.

Server Network — Small-Sized

Liberty Shield has 218 servers located in 8 countries. Servers on the Tier 2 network (those in Germany, the US, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, and the UK) get you excellent speeds, while those on the legacy network (Canada and France) are somewhat slower and require a manual reset. Customer support further confirmed servers in the legacy network won’t run on OpenVPN on routers, only OpenVPN via the VPN app.

The differences between the Tier 2 and legacy servers

The servers have numbers instead of names — for example, US 1, US 2, etc., and you can utilize the Optimal server option to connect to the fastest and nearest server to you. Moreover, Tier 2’s auto-connect feature facilitates a smooth switch from one server to the other. Also, any change of location on the Windows app automatically reflects on your dashboard. While you're on the dashboard, you can also change from a VPN to a proxy connection or vice versa.

Liberty Shield’s website dashboard

Security — Military-Grade Encryption, but Lacks Important Features

Before installing the app, I tested it on VirusTotal and it turned out that Liberty Shield’s Windows installer had malware. So, I was forced to uninstall it to protect my device.

VirusTotal detected malware in Liberty Shield’s Windows installer

It uses military-grade (AES 256-bit) encryption, but it doesn’t back it up with Tor over VPN, multi-hop, kill switch, or perfect forward secrecy. A kill switch prevents your IP and browsing activity leakage in case the VPN connection drops. Perfect forward secrecy ensures session keys aren’t compromised when the VPN is on. The VPN further lacks built-in ad and tracking blockers and malware protection, which is essential for your online safety and privacy.

I tested a US server to see whether there are any DNS, IP, or WebRTC leaks, and there weren't.

Liberty Shield passed all my IP and DNS leak tests

Liberty Shield’s VPN uses the OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) protocol only. You have to set up a manual VPN on your devices to use the L2TP and PPTP. However, the router runs on all 3 protocols.

The VPN uses OpenVPN while the router runs on OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP

Privacy — No-Logs Policy, but No Audit

Liberty Shield says that it doesn’t log traffic data, but there’s no evidence to support that. Moreover, it's based in Scotland, which is part of the UK. The UK is a member of the 5 Eyes Alliance and supports the Snooper's Charter law. All of this makes me wonder if my data is going to be safe with this VPN.

Additionally, it clarifies that it may use the services of a third-party server to store users' information. However, its Privacy Policy and ToS don’t mention much about those servers and how they safeguard information.

Besides the information you provide when signing up, Liberty Shield may record the times you use the VPN, the server locations you choose, and the overall amount of data you transfer each day.

Liberty Shield collects extra information besides that provided during account creation

I would recommend using a no-logs VPN if privacy is one of your top priorities. Besides, the company clarifies it stores limited personal data in accordance with the UK’s jurisdiction for 2 years maximum after the last use of its services.

Liberty Shield follows UK's jurisdiction to store your data

Torrenting — Reliable Speeds, but Risky

Liberty Shield is fast enough to torrent on most of its servers. However, you need to be careful because it lacks a kill switch and dedicated P2P servers. If you experience low speeds when torrenting, it’s possible your VPN app isn’t running correctly, allowing your internet service provider to throttle BitTorrent traffic.

With that in mind, my team and I do not condone any illegal torrenting. However, you’re free to use the VPN to keep prying eyes away while you download copyright-free materials. Besides, since some countries don't allow torrenting, be sure to thoroughly check the laws of your country.

Does Liberty Shield Work in China? Unclear

I reached out to customer support regarding this matter, but unfortunately, they were unable to provide me with a conclusive response. Their suggestion was to utilize the free trial to evaluate the VPN in the desired location. Regrettably, this was not feasible for me as I am not residing in China.

Liberty Shield didn't give me a specific answer about whether it works in China

Moreover, considering China’s Great Firewall, you want to be cautious using this VPN there as it fails to pack top-notch protection. However, it’s worth noting there are secure VPNs that still work in China.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Unlimited

Liberty Shield’s router allows you to connect all your home devices at once. Besides, the support team confirmed that you can also use the VPN on as many devices as you want in one location using a single account.

Just keep in mind that you have to select a different server for each device

Device Compatibility — Works on All Major Devices

Liberty Shield has native apps for macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Android TVs, and 2nd generation Fire Sticks (but won’t run on 1st generation Fire TV Sticks without the Alexa option).

You can also use it on a router. Ordering the LITE or PRO router lets you select a free UK, US, or EU power supply option. Additionally, you can use Liberty Shield’s router with Kodi, Now TV boxes, Linux, and Apple TVs.

You can set up the VPN manually on your Linux device

It lacks browser extensions, but you can install its proxy solution on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. You can also set up proxy connections on gaming consoles such as Wii, PlayStation, and Xbox. Just keep in mind that while the proxy connection offers the same locations as the VPN and better speeds, it’s less secure.