VPN Nederland Review 2024: Is It Fast & Safe Enough?

VPN Nederland predominantly caters to residents of the Netherlands who need reliable local servers and a friendly, Dutch-speaking team of support reps.

I wanted to find out how the VPN compares to other premium services that also have reliable Dutch servers. My tests covered speeds, streaming abilities, and security, along with ease of use and customer support. Not only did the VPN perform badly in some tests, in other areas it was downright dangerous.

If you need a reliable VPN that keeps your identity fully secure while you stream, try one of my top-rated premium VPNs instead.

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Streaming — Unblocks Many Platforms, Including Netflix

VPN Nederland did quite well in my streaming tests. It couldn’t unblock every platform I tried, but it did help me access some big ones. Plus, I had good speeds on local servers, so I could watch in HD.

Unblocked: US Netflix, HBO Max, Ziggo Go, NPO Start, BBC iPlayer

I had no trouble unblocking Netflix using the VPN’s US servers.

I had fast connections for UHD streaming

VPN Nederland helped me bypass BBC iPlayer’s geoblocks too.

Graphic showing BBC iPlayer streaming using VPN Nederland

I could also watch HBO Max with its US servers. The process wasn’t a long one, as I was connected to the server in less than 15 seconds. The VPN also worked well with a couple of Dutch streaming platforms, such as Ziggo Go, and NPO Start.

Blocked by: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+

VPN Nederland couldn’t get past Hulu’s geoblocks though. When I tried to log in, the streaming service knew I was using a VPN and blocked me at the home screen.

The VPN couldn’t get past Hulu’s geoblocks

None of the servers I tried could access Amazon Prime Video. I tested the France, UK, and US servers, but APV knew I was using a VPN every time.

I couldn’t get into Amazon Prime Video using any of VPN Nederland’s servers

Disney+ brought up a black screen whenever I tried to log in. When the site knows you’re using a VPN, it doesn’t bring up a warning message, you just won’t be able to see anything.

I was impressed by VPN Nederland’s ability to unblock some streaming platforms. Although it struggled with a few of the major streaming providers, it could easily unblock Netflix and other popular sites using servers around the world. It was also great at accessing Dutch TV channels, catering to its main audience.

Speeds — Mixed Results, but Decent Overall

VPN Nederland's speeds were disappointingly mixed — some local servers performed well, but others had significant drops. During my speed tests, I looked at:

• Download speed — this indicates the amount of data transferred per second. Faster download speeds mean you get less buffering while you stream.
• Upload speed — shows how much data you can send through your connection at any given time.
• Ping — how long it takes for your device’s data to reach its destination and come back again. Unlike speed readings, the higher your ping, the more lag you’re likely to experience.

Local Speeds

My tests began with a base reading of 65.41 Mbps, an upload speed of 74.61 Mbps, and ping of 3 ms. A base reading means the speeds I had without a VPN being connected.

I then tested servers in different locations, to see what effect the VPN would have on my base speeds. Nearly every VPN is expected to slow you down somewhat, as they work by rerouting your traffic through an additional server. But the best VPNs are fast enough that you shouldn’t lose more than 10-20% of your speed.

I had mixed results when I tested local servers, including The Netherlands, France, and the UK. There was a really strong download speed result on the French server, with just a 2% decrease from my base reading. The Netherlands servers gave me a 20% speed decrease, which was acceptable.

The UK result was pretty disappointing, giving me a download speed decrease of 50%. My ping readings shot up to around 50 ms on all of VPN Nederland’s European servers, which was quite high for relatively local server results.

Its UK server gave me a 50% speed decrease, while the France and Netherland locations had a good performance

Long-Distance Speeds

When I tested the US server, I had a drop in speed of 35%. My base connection is fast enough that I was still able to stream on the server. If you have a slower connection though, this speed decrease could make viewing US content frustrating.

Even though I am located far from the US, this was a disappointing result

Lastly, I checked servers in Australia and Japan. I experienced drops in speeds of 27% and 42% respectively. Both locations' ping results were extremely high, at 301 ms in Australia and 248 ms in Japan. This means that it would be almost impossible to game online or download files on these servers without experiencing serious disruptions.

Here is a rundown of all of my server tests:

Because this VPN gave me poor speed results on lots of servers, including its UK server which is just 2000km from my location, I can’t recommend it for its speed performance. Instead, try one of these top rated VPNs, which give you fast speeds and low ping no matter how far away you are.

Server Network — Extremely Small With Few Locations

VPN Nederland has a very small network of 150 servers in most European countries, the US, Singapore, Canada, and Australia. I usually recommend looking for a VPN that has more servers in each location. When there are fewer servers, overcrowding occurs which can cause frustrating slowdowns. Plus, if you need a VPN to connect to a specific country, you’re less likely to find the one you need.

The VPN has servers in the following locations:

This is an extremely limited bank of server locations, but on the bright side, I didn’t experience any major issues with any of its locations. My speeds dropped on some servers, but not to the point where I couldn’t use my connection anymore.

Because I like to have a broad list of countries to choose from, I recommend using a VPN that has servers around the globe.

Security — Exposed my DNS Requests

VPN Nederland failed my DNS and IP leak test, which has huge safety implications. Here is a rundown of its security features:

Encryption and Protocols

VPN Nederland uses Wireguard which is an extremely fast protocol. There is the option to amend your protocol to either OpenVPN and IKEv2 in the settings area. Wireguard is fast becoming the most popular protocol because of its speeds and is considered the best choice for mobile users due to its smooth network change transitions.

Your data is protected by 256-bit AES encryption which is nearly impossible for a hacker to crack, so you can use the VPN knowing your information is hidden from prying eyes. It’s also safe from brute-force attack.

IP, DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 Leaks

VPN Nederland failed my DNS and IP leak test. Using an online testing tool, I discovered leaks on its US server.

This VPN failed to protect my online privacy, as my DNS requests weren't hidden from the websites and apps I accessed

A DNS leak allows your ISP to see your internet activity. Additionally, if there was a cyberattack during an IP and WebRTC leak, your personal IP address would be revealed. That means you lose all the protection the VPN should provide.

Kill Switch

You can find the kill switch in Advanced settings. A kill switch disconnects you from the internet completely in the event that your VPN fails. This stops cyberattacks, IP address leaks, and your data from being mined by third parties if your connection goes down. The kill switch is not set to work automatically. I fully recommend you turn this feature on, though enabling it didn’t protect me from data leaks.

There is no option for split tunneling, and no dedicated IP availability. Split tunneling allows you to keep a local server location for personal use (such as banking apps), while simultaneously using another VPN to stream from a different country. A dedicated IP is where you are provided with a specific IP address that is for your use only, unlike the usual VPN server IPs, which are shared with multiple users. While these features aren’t necessarily essential, I do look for them when I’m choosing a VPN.

Because of its DNS/IP leak failure, plus a lack of advanced features, I can’t recommend VPN Nederland for its security. Instead, I suggest you try one of these VPNs, that have been proven to keep your data fully secure.

Privacy — Keeps Your Data Protected

VPN Nederland has a strict no-logs policy. This means that it doesn't store any of your personal data, such as IP address, DNS requests, timestamps, or traffic data.

The VPN seems to value your privacy, which makes its DNS leaks even more disappointing

A solid no log policy means that the sites you access and your online activity is not monitored or stored. There is also no risk of your data being sold to third parties by this VPN.

Location

VPN Nederland is based in Curacao, which is outside of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. This is reassuring as it means the country is privacy-friendly. The VPN isn’t legally obligated to store or hand over any data about you.

Torrenting — Allowed, but Risky

You are allowed to torrent using VPN Nederland’s servers. There are no limits on bandwidth, so you’re not restricted in how many files you can download or upload.

However, even though torrenting is encouraged by the provider, I recommend you avoid P2P file sharing with this VPN. This is because it failed my DNS and IP leak test, meaning that your online activity is at risk of being exposed to your ISP and your IP address could be leaked to other peers in your network.

You can torrent on any VPN Nederland server, but your identity may be visible

Keep in mind that downloading copyrighted content is illegal in most parts of the world. My team and I don’t condone these activities, so make sure to check every link you access, and read your country’s rules and regulations on torrenting.

Because of the risk to your privacy, I’d advise you to steer clear of VPN Nederland if you want to torrent. Always use a safe and secure VPN for P2P traffic.

Does VPN Nederland Work in China? Possibly

VPN Nederland states that its servers work in China, but the answer was pretty vague when I tried to confirm this with the support team. They said the VPN “should work, to our knowledge.” Since getting a VPN to bypass the notorious Great Firewall can be extremely difficult, and often requires manual configuration or use of specific ISPs, this isn’t the confident response I wanted to hear. It makes me doubt that the VPN really does work in the country.

To avoid risk, I recommend choosing one of these VPNs that have been proven to work in China.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Unlimited

VPN Nederland offers unlimited device connections at a time, so you can use the VPN on all of your devices under 1 subscription. This comes with all of its payment plans.