Netnut.io Review 2024 — Keep This in Mind Before Buying

Netnut.io advertises itself as a superfast proxy service that lets you unlock anything you need on the web. It also claims to be highly secure and offer millions of IPs with a variety of proxy types. But can it really live up to all this hype?

To see how good it really is, I tested out every aspect of Netnut.io. Speed tests showed me if it could maintain fast connection rates for browsing, gaming, and torrenting. I found out if it works with the top streaming platforms and performed leak tests to test its security. On top of that, I did a deep dive into its policies to see if it can be trusted to handle your data.

After my tests, I do not recommend Netnut.io. It slowed me down worse than nearly any other proxy or VPN I’ve used. There are several key security features it doesn’t offer, and it asks for tons of personal information when you sign up. It’s better to try one of the best VPNs available today that are all safer, faster, and more privacy-friendly.

Although I could access a few popular platforms, there are much better overall options for streaming. Especially since I was never able to unblock Netflix. There are many VPNs available that can unblock 10+ Netflix libraries, so this is disappointing. Netnut’s slow speeds also affected the video quality and caused long load times with some services. Many people use proxies to gather data from popular websites. So the one positive is that it let me connect to Instagram, Pinterest, Ticketmaster, and Craigslist.

Unblocked: HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer

HBO Max was the first service I could unblock. I used a rotating residential server in the US to access it. It took a few seconds for the video to load, but eventually I got A Christmas Story Christmas to start. The picture started out in blurry low quality, but after 10 seconds it resolved into HD and played without buffering.

I could also access Amazon Prime Video which played back great. That’s one issue you run into with the rotating servers. The quality can be a little unpredictable since your IP is continuously changing. I could load videos in HD nearly instantly.

The last service I could access was BBC iPlayer with a static residential IP in Gloucestershire, UK. The long-distance between myself and the server gave me slow speeds, so it took at least 30 seconds to sign in. But after that, I could watch Strictly Come Dancing without any issues.

Blocked By: Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu

I couldn’t even reach Netflix to get an error screen.

I thought static residential IPs would work better, but they were blocked too

I got a similar error screen on the Opera browser when I tried to access Hulu and Disney+. This surprised me because I can usually unblock a ton of platforms with a proxy’s residential IPs. These are addresses shared by real households, so they’re not blocked as often as datacenter IPs are.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t test other browsers due to issues I had with Netnut.io. I also wasn’t able to test its datacenter servers because they weren’t offered in my free trial. On top of all that, I wouldn’t recommend using a service like Netnut.io for streaming because it charges for bandwidth. If you want to stream as long as you want, check out this list of VPNs that can unblock all the major platforms.

I had a tough time even testing Netnut.io’s speeds because it was so slow. Normally, I do my speed tests on a site called Ookla. However, I couldn’t get it to complete a speed test while connected to a Netnut server.

There are 3 main factors speed tests measure.

• Download speed is how fast you can receive data and is important for activities like torrenting and loading webpages.
• Upload speed is the opposite, how fast you can send data. You’ll want it high if you’re doing things like posting on social media or uploading videos.
• Ping is crucial for gaming since it tells you how quickly your inputs can be responded to.

My tests were done on a Windows Surface Laptop running Windows 10. I tried doing tests with my Android phone, but I couldn’t complete any of the online speed tests I tried there.

Since Ookla didn’t work, I had to use Google’s speed test. I wanted to test more servers but I had a tough time connecting to any of the proxies. Some locations, like one in Illinois, were too slow for the speed test to complete.

Overall, the results are very slow compared to top the VPNs. With them, I might only lose 10-15% of my download speed on a server in Atlanta since it’s only 1,496 KM away. Monterrey is even closer at 603 KM away (although it shouldn’t have been included on a rotating US server since it’s in Mexico). That server lowered my speeds to almost nothing. This never happens to me with a high quality VPN no matter how far away the server is.

You can stay safe and maintain your connection speed if you use one of the fastest VPNs included in this list.

You can’t use Netnut for most online games since it only changed the location of my browser. After you change the proxy settings on your device, you’ll have to enter your username and password before your browser connects to the internet.

While there are some simple browser based games, most people go online to play with people around the world on a service like Steam. Based on the way you log in to Netnut, I have no idea how to use it with Steam and customer service wouldn’t answer my questions about gaming. Plus, I wouldn’t recommend it even for browser games, since Netnut charges for bandwidth. Gaming would get very expensive very fast.

It’s best to have a ping rate between 50 and 85 ms for online gaming. This ensures the character responds to your buttons instantly so you can play competitively. If you want to protect yourself while you play games lag-free, you can get one of the best VPNs for gaming.

Netnut.io has many servers that are available in 200 countries total. However, it depends on which category of proxy you connect to.

It offers 3 proxy types:

• Datacenter: These offer locations in France, the US, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, India, Romania, the UK, and Spain. They’re the fastest proxy type but are more easily blocked. Netnut recommends them for managing social media accounts, marketing research, and monitoring competitor ads.
• Rotating Residential IPs: You can connect to all 200 countries Netnut.io offers with this proxy category. People generally use these proxy types for web scraping. This is because you’re less likely to get blocked using credible IPs that are always changing (it’s a P2P network). This relies on end users, people who get paid to share their IPs. It’s good that they’re ethically sourced, but it also means they disconnect when the owners of the IPs do.
• Static Residential IPs: These are available in around 30 counties (but it’s always changing). However, you can only choose city or state-level locations in the US. Netnut also calls these ISPs. These don’t rely on end users, so you can connect to them as long as you like. That makes them better for things like streaming and unblocking websites.

I had a tough time connecting to any of Netnut’s proxies. First, I couldn’t connect to the proxies with Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge. It’s not easy to get a hold of Netnut support, and I didn’t receive good answers to my questions. So I wasn’t able to troubleshoot as much as I’d like. After nearly a week of tests, I was finally able to get a few rotating residential and static residentials IPs to work with the Opera browser. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the datacenter IPs.

If you’re a marketer, you’ll probably have several uses for Netnut.io’s network. On the proxies that rotate, you have nearly infinite customization options. However, it comes with less preset rotation scheduling choices than many of its competitors. Plus, it comes with a developer API that lets you get real-time data usage statistics. Once again, this will only help you if you’re a serious marketer.

If you’re looking for an easy, reliable way to change your location, you’re better off using one of the top VPNs with more user-friendly networks.

Netnut.io doesn’t offer military-grade encryption or a kill switch, so it’s not secure. Most of the top VPNs use the same encryption as militaries and banks, so they’re nearly impossible to crack. Netnut only protects you with HTTP or HTTPS protocols, which aren’t safe. A kill switch blocks your internet connection if your VPN ever disconnects, so it’s a crucial feature. I don’t feel safe with Netnut.io since it doesn’t come with one.

While a proxy can usually hide your real IP device-wide, that wasn’t the case in my tests with Netnut.io. For example, while I was connected to Netnut on my Opera browser, leak tests showed me my real location could be seen by anyone when I connected to Microsoft Edge. This would make sense if I was using a proxy switching extension, but I had changed the proxy settings on my device. This is another reason why it’s not a service you should rely on to hide your identifiable data.

Most proxy services aren’t worried about security. People often buy them to perform marketing research or to purchase fast-selling items like sneakers or tickets. A premium VPN is designed to protect you from anyone spying on your data, and the best ones come with additional security features like split tunneling, more secure protocols (OpenVPN for example), and more.

If you want to stay safe online, try one of the safest VPNs around that won’t ever leak your real location.

You have to give Netnut.io your address and phone number to sign up, so it’s not privacy-friendly. On top of that, you have tell it at least 3 different websites you intend to access before it will let you purchase a subscription or start a free trial. Plus, the privacy policy is concerning.

I'm also uncomfortable with how vague it is about who it will share your data with

The policy states it can store any information you give them for 7 years or longer. It says it does this to protect itself from people misusing the service. This implies it monitors your browsing history, although it’s quite vague.

Its headquarters are in Israel, which has been known to cooperate with the 14 Eyes Alliance. This is a collection of governments that share their citizens’ data. So Netnut could be asked to share your information with several countries that aren’t concerned with online privacy.

One of the most important reasons I use a VPN is to make sure bad actors can’t access my vital information. So, I need to trust that the services I use won’t be irresponsible with my data. If you’re worried about online privacy, choose a VPN from this list that has a verified and audited no-logging policy.

I was unable to conduct a torrenting test with Netnut.io due to its operational restriction to the Opera browser on my end. When I attempted to initiate a download with Utorrent, using the proxy configured on my laptop, the process didn't commence. Additionally, I wouldn't recommend using Netnut for torrenting purposes, given its substantial charges per GB of data usage. Furthermore, it lacks the necessary security measures.

In most countries, torrenting is legal. But it’s not legal to download copyrighted material. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities. Since it’s possible you could download the wrong file by mistake, I wouldn’t torrent with any VPN or proxy that doesn’t have a trustworthy privacy policy. If you want to stay safe while you torrent, read this list of the best VPNs for torrenting.

Does Netnut.io Work in China? No

I couldn’t confirm with the live chat if Netnut works in China.

I had a tough time getting answers to my questions over live chat or through email

Because of this, I just have to assume it doesn’t work in the country. The Chinese government has banned many VPNs, but it usually doesn’t go after individuals. It generally focuses on preventing the technology from working. However, I recommend you read up on the laws and regulations before you choose to use a VPN or proxy in China.

If you decide to use a VPN to get past the Great Firewall, you can try one of these VPNs that have confirmed they work in China.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Unclear

Similar to my questions about China, I couldn’t get an answer about how many devices can be set up at the same time. Many proxies only let you use static IPs on one device at a time, but you can connect to rotating IPs on as many devices as you want. But since they generally charge for bandwidth, it’s best to only use them on one device at a time.

I like being able to protect all the devices in my household with one subscription. To easily protect multiple devices at the same time without worrying about data limits, check out this list of VPNs that allow several simultaneous connections.