UTunnel VPN Review 2024: Decent for Small Businesses

UTunnel VPN lets you create your own server in-house or in the Cloud using utunnel.io. The service offers a clean static IP address and customizable options for personal users and businesses. But is it as safe as it claims, and is there any reason to use it instead of more popular VPNs?

After running extensive tests, I found UTunnel VPN to be a suitable choice for some small businesses. The biggest drawback is its questionable privacy policy, which might risk your business or individual information. You might want to review and compare it to our top-ranked VPNs since they offer better privacy protections.

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Speed — Can Be Fast Depending on Your Location

Your speeds depend on the server you choose for your company. With utunnel.io, you can create locations at your own in-house servers or with integrated cloud providers, like AWS, DigitalOcean, and Linode.

The speed drop depends on the distance between the user and the server. Typically, the farther away you are from the server, the slower the speeds. This is because your data has to travel longer to reach its destination. For instance, your speeds are less likely to drop significantly if you’re in the same building as the server.

Usually, our speed expert conducts fair tests for all VPNs by using the same connection. We check the download and upload speeds while connected to various servers provided by the VPN. However, our tests with UTunnel VPN were limited since you can only test the servers that you create — whether in-house or in the cloud.

To complete the tests, I personally tested speeds while connected to a cloud server hosted on Heztner in Helsinki. That’s over 10,000 km from where I live, and my speeds dropped by a mere 5%. This was impressive since the average speed drop, even for top personal VPNs over long distances, is at least 20%.

I also tested an in-house server, but I was thousands of kilometers away from its location in the US. So, I wasn’t surprised to see a significant drop in speeds. However, I noticed that my speeds were faster while using the OpenVPN protocol than when using IKEv2/IPSec.

Although my test results were impressive, it’s difficult to say whether or not utunnel.io is fast compared to premium personal VPNs. Your speeds depend on which integrated cloud provider you use or how far away you are from the in-house server. For comparison, you can check out some of the top personal VPNs with the fastest speeds in this list.

Server Network — Limited and Expensive

You can set up your own in-house server with UTunnel VPN. Alternatively, you can choose to set up a cloud VPN server with cloud providers like Digital Ocean, Hetzner, Linode, and UpCloud.

Here are the cities where these integrated cloud providers have servers:

When you sign up, you can bring your own VPS or choose one of the integrated cloud providers. With UTunnel, you can't freely switch between servers as you would with personal VPNs. You can only change servers if you have multiple in-house or cloud servers configured. But remember that you will need to pay more for each additional server.

You can create as many servers as you need under one account

Business data is sensitive, so the fact that third parties run all the cloud servers it offers could be concerning. This means it’s possible that utunnel.io might not have full control over the security of your information. I contacted customer support with this concern but never received a response.

Each server you set up comes with a clean and unique static IP address, a great feature for business purposes. This gives you complete control over your IP address and helps you reduce geoblocks. However, it may not be beneficial if you’re trying to connect a remote team. If you’re looking for a VPN for remote workers, check out this list of reliable personal VPNs.

Security — Good Features for Businesses

With a decent suite of features, utunnel.io offers robust security for businesses and individuals. It has most of the security features that personal VPNs offer, including military-level encryption, security protocols, split tunneling, and more. It also has additional features, such as fine-tuned access control and MFA, which increases access security for businesses.

However, it doesn't offer a kill switch for all devices and operating systems. A kill switch is vital in protecting your data online if your connection drops unexpectedly.

Encryption and Security Protocols

Like premium VPNs, utunnel.io uses military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, the gold standard for safeguarding online activities. This level of encryption is so strong that it's nearly impossible, even for the most powerful supercomputers, to break and access your data. It also offers a choice between the IKEv2 protocol or the widely trusted OpenVPN (UDP or TCP).

It doesn’t offer the OpenVPN TCP protocol for in-house servers

These protocols establish a secure tunnel for your data to travel through, shielding it from potential threats. If you don’t have any preference, I recommend sticking to OpenVPN. It's open source, which means it undergoes continuous scrutiny for vulnerabilities by a global community of experts. So, it’s widely considered the safest choice.

Secure Agentless Access

The Secure Agentless Access feature offers a way to connect to private networks from a distance without the hassle of installing additional software. This not only makes the process more convenient but also enhances security by reducing potential vulnerabilities associated with extra software installation.

Fine-Tuned Access Control

This is an advanced permission setting that gives you meticulous control over which individuals or groups can access specific network resources. This level of precision improves overall security and ensures that only authorized users can reach sensitive data or services, making it an effective tool for managing and safeguarding your network environment.

Split Routing

This feature lets you choose which apps or traffic go through the VPN while other traffic directly accesses the internet — which can be useful for businesses. It lets employees access work resources with the VPN while regular web browsing still uses their normal internet. However, you have to set it up from the admin account and not on the app.

Multi-Factor Authentication

This advanced feature requires users to provide multiple types of authentication, like passwords, biometrics (such as fingerprints or facial recognition), or hardware tokens, before gaining access to the network. It’s a powerful way to enhance login security, particularly important for maintaining data protection while your teams work remotely.

External DNS

The External DNS feature offered by utunnel.io VPN adds an extra layer of protection to your online activities. Securely channeling your internet traffic through their own DNS servers, it shields your browsing habits from prying eyes and significantly improves your online privacy and security. This ensures that your data remains confidential and your online experience stays safe.

Static IP Address

With Static IP Addresses, you can count on a consistent digital identity that remains the same each time you connect. This stability is beneficial for tasks when you need a reliable and recognizable online presence, such as securely accessing your workplace network or ensuring uninterrupted online banking sessions. Plus, Static IP Addresses are preferable for server maintenance and management, as they simplify access control and monitoring.

Privacy — Logs Your Data

In its privacy policy, utunnel.io states that it logs your personal information while you’re using the VPN. It’s also based in the US, which is the heart of the data-sharing group of countries, known as the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance.

That means utunnel.io will track and store your online activities and could possibly share the data with government bodies when requested. This is a huge concern for individuals who are worried about their privacy.

However, it may not be as big of a concern for some businesses since many are very transparent about their practices. Ultimately, I recommend reading the full policy before choosing to incorporate UTunnel into your company. You can also check out this list of top VPNs that follow audited no-logs policies.

Does utunnel.io Keep Logs? Yes

Unfortunately, utunnel.io does log your data, including your IP address and pages visited. I was a little taken aback when I discovered that the privacy policy states that it keeps “Log Data,” which means it tracks all your activities while using the service. This also includes your location, operating system data, and more.

The privacy policy also states that utunnel.io collects information related to legal requirements

However, I also found a published article in the Support Portal stating that utunnel.io enforces a no-logs policy, which was pretty contradictory. Once again, I contacted customer support by raising a ticket asking for clarification, but I never received a response.

Most organizations and individuals use VPNs to stay safe and private online. So, the fact that utunnel.io logs your information is pretty concerning.

Was utunnel.io Audited? Yes

I was told by support that UTunnel VPN was audited. When I contacted them regarding this, the agent told me that it held a GDPR compliance certificate and had completed a SOC 2 Type II audit. This is a specific type of audit done for cloud-based services.

Unfortunately, its logging policies mean it doesn’t make much difference whether or not the privacy policy has been audited. It might even be better if it didn’t follow them. It’s also strange that it doesn’t advertise this audit more strongly. The top VPNs have no logging policies, and they make it easy for you to read the reports produced by their audits.

Based in the US

The US is the heart of the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance agreements. These alliances function as a global surveillance system where participating countries share citizens' data.

The location of a VPN service is always a concern because it directly affects my level of control over my online privacy. Sometimes it’s not a huge deal if a VPN has a very strict no logging policy, but UTunnel does not. Its location also makes it obligated to share data the government requests. If this happens, it can potentially compromise your business’ privacy.

Does utunnel.io Work in China? Yes

You can use utunnel.io in China. I contacted the customer support team to find out more, and the agent confirmed that it has customers in China who use utunnel.io for various business needs.

The agent assured me that utunnel.io works in other heavily censored countries too

Using VPNs in countries like China, where internet access is restricted, can be tricky. While many VPNs are officially banned, individuals are usually not singled out for using them. But, I recommend you always study the local laws before choosing to use a VPN. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities.