VPN Unlimited comes across as a very capable VPN, with its main focus being optimized streaming performance. I wanted to see if it delivered on this promise, and to test whether its security, privacy, and customer service stacks up against the best VPNs in the industry.
While it certainly delivered on some of its assertions, unfortunately, it fell short in some essential areas.
For example, it can securely access many popular streaming platforms, but its speeds can be unbearably slow.
Read on to find out more.
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Pros
Cons
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VPN Unlimited Features — 2024 Update
6.8
💸
Price
|
4 USD/month
|
📆
Money Back Guarantee
|
30 Days |
📝
Does VPN keep logs?
|
No |
🖥
Number of servers
|
3000+ |
🛡
Kill switch
|
Yes |
🗺
Based in country
|
United States |
🛠
Support
|
Live Chat |
📥
Supports torrenting
|
Yes |
Streaming — Can Safely Access Top Platforms
8.8
VPN Unlimited makes it possible to securely watch the most popular streaming platforms from anywhere. It offers dedicated streaming servers for Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Max, Hotstar, Hulu, and more. My global team and I were impressed with how well our streaming quality held up during our tests too.
Editor’s note. The VPNs we recommend usually follow strict no-logging policies. This means they won't track or record your online activities. So, you’re responsible for using them lawfully. The vpnMentor team and I urge you to please never violate any copyrights.
Works With: Netflix, Hulu, Max, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hotstar, and ESPN
Every optimized server we tested worked successfully with its intended platform. Our first test was with Netflix. The optimized server offers a US location, but we could safely stream libraries from the UK, Canada, and several other countries.
The video immediately played back in the highest quality
The dedicated Hulu server facilitated safe streaming during our first test. We were impressed that we never had to switch browsers or protocols like you often have to do with other VPNs less optimized for streaming.
There was no buffering even after skipping forward
We could also stream many UK platforms, like All 4, with minimal load times. Tests with Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and ESPN yielded similar results. Overall, we rarely had to wait longer than 10 seconds for videos to load, and we had stable connections with zero disconnects throughout.
Doesn’t Work With: Fubo.tv
This was the only platform that we couldn’t safely access during our tests. Unfortunately, we received an error message any time we tried to stream it with encrypted connections.
Overall, VPN Unlimited is on the higher end when it comes to streaming VPNs. Its dedicated streaming servers work as advertised, and we’ve only tested a handful of providers that top it in this regard.
Speeds — Very Disappointing Results
1.6
VPN Unlimited’s speeds are terribly slow, even on local servers.
During my speed tests, I looked at:
- Download speed — this measures the amount of data you can receive from the internet to your device per second. Faster download speeds mean you have less buffering during streaming.
- Upload speed — shows how much data you can send through your connection at any given time.
- Ping — refers to how long it takes for your device’s data to reach its intended location and come back again. It’s measured in ms and is important in gaming.
I started my test by taking a base reading without a VPN. My base results were 283 Mbps download speed, 270 Mbps upload speed and 7 ms ping.
Local Servers
WireGuard protocol was my first choice for my test because it usually gives the fastest speeds. However my speed had a huge drop of 79% (down to 58.11 Mbps) on its Singapore server, which was close to my actual location.
While it is normal to have a decrease in your speed while using a VPN, this is far too much of a drop. Top VPNs usually decrease between 10-20%, and the impact of even a small drop can be significant if your base speed is slow to start with.
The results were very poor with a 79% drop on the closest server
It has no servers in Thailand for me to try, so I checked another nearby location and connected to its Hong Kong server. However, this also gave me poor results, with a 91% drop in download speed.
Distant Servers
The server I tested in the US gave me a 96% loss in speed, leaving me with just 12.43 Mbps download speed. If I had a slower connection to begin with, downloading, and even regular browsing would be pretty much impossible.
Its Australia location gave me just 1 Mbps download speed, making it pretty much useless
While I had better luck with its UK server, it was still a 91% speed loss, which is unacceptable. The worst result I had was its Australia server.
Here are the full results from my tests.
Country |
Download Speed |
Upload Speed |
Ping |
My location |
283.15 Mbps |
270.54 Mbps |
7 ms |
Australia |
20.91 Mbps (93% drop) |
1.40 Mbps (99% drop) |
290 ms |
Germany |
21.87 Mbps (92% drop) |
61.22 Mbps (77% drop) |
187 ms |
Hong Kong |
24.17 Mbps (91% drop) |
89.45 (67% drop) |
53 ms |
New Zealand |
1.43 Mbps (99% drop) |
1.50 Mbps (99% drop) |
152 ms |
Singapore |
58.11 Mbps (79 % drop) |
111.66 Mbps (59% drop) |
36 ms |
UK |
25.42 Mbps (91% drop) |
116.32 (57% drop) |
183 ms |
US |
12.43 Mbps (96% drop) |
87.96 Mbps (67% drop) |
266 ms |
While speeds will vary for a variety of different reasons, these results are some of the worst I’ve experienced, so I cannot recommend this VPN based on its speed. There are many VPNs that perform exceptionally well and give you UHD picture quality without lag.
Gaming — Works Well With Nearby Locations
7.0
Despite its slow speeds, I had few issues while gaming with VPN Unlimited. As we mentioned above, ping is crucial for gaming. When it gets too high, the latency creates a delay between when you press a button and when your character reacts. This makes it impossible to stay competitive, and you don’t want your ping above 85ms while gaming.
For the most part, I could aim and shoot without any delay
On the nearest server, my ping stayed below 30ms, so I enjoyed relatively smooth gameplay. There were a few instances where the game would briefly freeze or stutter, but this occasionally happens to me with no VPN connected. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to play online with distant servers as the ping gets way too high, but that’s common with VPNs. Altogether, VPN Unlimited is good in this area.
Server Network — Wide Coverage But Few Servers
6.0
VPN Unlimited has only 3,000 servers, and covers 56 countries. That is a small number of servers when you compare it to top-tier VPNs such as ExpressVPN that have 3,000+ servers. The problem with having a small number of servers is that they can get over-crowded and slow down your speeds.
That said, I was impressed with its distribution. It has servers in countries that aren’t always available, such as Oman, UAE, Libya, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Its server list is as follows:
Europe |
Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine |
Americas |
Canada, US, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil |
Asia |
Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Russia |
Pacific |
Australia, New Zealand |
Africa |
Libya, South Africa |
For additional safety you can pay to have a dedicated IP address, on a server in India, Bangalore, Karnataka, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, UK, or the US. A dedicated IP address gives you more security and privacy as you are the only person who can use it.
There is also the option to buy a personal server that offers you extra security and performance. Since most VPN servers have hundreds of people using them at the same time, you can also avoid issues such as congestion, hackers, data theft, and snooping. Personal servers also include locations that are optimized for streaming and gaming. When you choose to purchase a dedicated server, you get your VPN subscription for free.
While it has good coverage, there are not enough servers for me to recommend it. If you want a VPN with thousands of available servers in multiple locations, choose one of these great options.
Security — Safe, With Many Protocol Choices
6.6
VPN Unlimited has good security practices in place and was able to keep my connection secure.
Encryption and Protocols
The VPN uses military-grade AES 256 bit encryption with an RSA-2048 handshake and SHA1 authentication as well as perfect forward secrecy. Simply put, this means that the encryption it uses is virtually unhackable. If a hacker got hold of your details, it would take them over 100 years to crack the code and read it.
The protocols it offers are OpenVPN, Wireguard, and IKEv2. It also offers IPSec for older versions of macOS and iOS. When you first open the VPN, it offers you an Optimal Protocol. This means that the VPN will choose which protocol best suits your needs and assign it accordingly.
WireGuard is the fastest protocol available and also offers good security. It is best for streaming or playing online games. OpenVPN comes with the most security but suffers a bit when it comes to speed. IKEv2 is a good alternative for older devices.
Its proprietary KeepSolid Wise technology (also known as a stealth protocol), can be used if you’re blocked by a school, hotel, or business network. It works to mask your encryption, making it look like regular HTTPS traffic which easily bypasses the restrictions.
IP and DNS Leak Protection
VPN Unlimited kept my IP address and DNS requests private.
A leak means that your real DNS and IP address is revealed to your ISP and other prying eyes, removing all the protection of your VPN. I tested its servers using an online DNS leak test and found that they were all completely secure.
VPN Unlimited did not leak any of my information in the tests
Although I didn’t experience any DNS leaks on the servers I tested, VPN Unlimited advises that it doesn’t yet fully support IPv6. This means that you may be at risk of an IP leak unless you manually disable IPv6 on your devices. You can also activate its “Stop DNS Leak” feature in the settings area. I tried to get some more information about this from customer support, but didn’t get a response. My tests confirmed that it does seem secure but, going by the information on VPN Unlimited’s website, its DNS protection could be a little outdated.
DNS Firewall and Trusted Networks
The VPN offers a DNS firewall, which protects you from phishing, malware attacks, and malicious pop-up ads. Trusted Networks allows you to Whitelist specific sites to ensure you browse safely. Blacklisting sites that are known to contain malicious scripts can prevent you from accidentally infecting your devices. This is also useful if your devices are shared, as it gives you an extra layer of control over what can be accessed.
Kill switch
VPN Unlimited has a kill switch on its Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android (version 8.0 Oreo and higher) apps. A kill switch cuts your internet connection in the event the VPN malfunctions, keeping your IP private and preventing malicious attacks.
VPN Unlimited’s security is pretty solid, and I had no issues when I was using its apps. Even though it warns that it doesn’t have IPv6 support on all of its servers, I didn’t experience any leaks. If you would prefer to use a VPN that has full protection, try one of these top choices.
Privacy — Keeps You Private Online
7.0
VPN Unlimited has a strict no-logs policy, meaning it does not track or store any of your data or online activities.
Privacy Policy
VPN Unlimited’s privacy policy states that it does not monitor, store or log your online activities. This includes your browsing history, connection times, metadata, downloads, server usage, or data content during your session.
If you rent a private server as an added extra, it may collect and store the amount of traffic and the dates used by this server, but not the sites accessed or any personal data.
It cannot share your data because it is not collected
Location
My one concern about its privacy is that VPN Unlimited is headquartered in the US, in New York.
This is not a great place for a VPN to be located, because the US has very invasive privacy laws, and it’s one of the founding members of the 5 Eyes Alliance. This is an agreement between countries to collect and share information with each other. In short, VPN Unlimited can be pressured to share information about its users with the US government. However, since it doesn’t keep any information this shouldn’t be a problem.
If you are privacy conscious and would rather use a VPN with offices in a country that is outside the 5 Eyes Alliance, choose one of these VPNs which are located in countries with less strict data laws.
Torrenting — Allowed, but Limited to 3 Servers
4.6
Three servers located in Canada, France, and Romania permit torrenting. These can be located under the torrenting tab in the server list. VPN Unlimited has explicitly stated its lack of support for torrent activities, which might result in these servers not performing as efficiently as other VPNs that are more supportive of P2P file sharing.
It's clear that they don’t prioritize torrenting
Although it has specific servers for torrenting use, since VPN Unlimited is located in the US and actively discourages torrenting on most of its servers, I don't recommend this VPN for torrenting. There are many fantastic VPNs that allow P2P traffic on all servers.
Does VPN Unlimited Work in China? Yes
According to customer support, VPN Unlimited does work in China.
Use its KeepSolid Wise protocol to bypass restrictions in China
You will have to use its KeepSolid Wise protocol as it is a stealth protocol to make VPN Unlimited work in China.
The customer service rep also mentioned that you can connect to 6 regions when you’re located in China: the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India. So, if you need to access a specific country that isn’t in this list, you may wish to consider an alternative VPN that is proven to work in China. There have been no publicly reported cases of tourists getting into trouble for using a VPN in China. Still, it's always best to familiarize yourself with the rules before visiting the country.
Simultaneous Device Connections — Unlimited
VPN Unlimited offers subscribers Unlimited simultaneous connections. It also gives personal users the option to add extra devices for a fee. You can choose between 1, 5 and 10 additional devices.
Opting for VPN Unlimited's Teams plan allows you to link as many as 25 devices.
Installation & Apps
8.7
Device Compatibility — Available on Most Devices
VPN Unlimited supports a wide range of devices.
Apps
It supports native apps on all the standard devices such as Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux. For Windows, it has support for Vista and above. For macOS, you can get the app for version 0.14 via the Apple Store. For all versions above, you can get them either from the App Store or directly from the website. VPN Unlimited has apps for iOS versions 11.2 and later. If you’re using Android, you can find the app for version 7.0 (Nougat) and newer on Google Play store, or as an apk download on the website.
Streaming Devices & Consoles
You also have the option to configure the VPN to your router, which makes it compatible with most devices that don’t usually support VPNs. It has an online guide so you can follow the steps and get it working in around 15 minutes. There’s even the option to purchase a pre-configured router if you prefer, which is great if you don’t want to mess around setting it up yourself. VPN Unlimited is compatible with AppleTV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Kodi, Smart TVs, Xbox, PS5, Nintendo and more. You can find step by step instructions for all of them, making it simple to install.
If you struggle to follow the guide, you can purchase pre-configured routers
Browser Extensions
There are browser extensions for Opera, Chrome, Safari and Edge. They all come with WebRTC leak protection as standard, and KeepSolid Wise stealth protocol for use in heavily restricted areas.
This is a versatile VPN that can be used on pretty much any device you can think of.
Setup & Installation — Quite Easy, but Buggy
Installing the VPN Unlimited app on Windows is easy. Be sure to install the Standalone version, which you can download directly from its website. This is because the Microsoft Store version has fewer features than the standalone version — for example, the kill switch is missing.
Although the application was installed rapidly, it required a system restart during the installation process. This wasn't a critical issue for me, but it was bothersome, and there are numerous VPNs that do not necessitate this step.
Its interface is clean and things are pretty easy to find. You can click the large “Start” button to instantly connect using a server and protocol that the VPN assigns to you. Alternatively, you can click into the “Optimal” dropdown to be diverted to the full list of servers. Choose streaming or torrenting-optimized servers lists, or pick by country.
These servers give you the best connections to streaming platforms
Although it was easy to install and use, I encountered some bugs which were quite frustrating. At one point, the VPN got stuck in a loop and was connecting and disconnecting constantly. Although restarting the VPN solved the issue, it was disruptive.
The biggest problem I had was when I used the WireGuard protocol. Disconnecting or even closing the VPN wouldn't stop my connection. I had to manually disable WireGuard each time. After that happened, the only way to enable it and restart the connection was to completely shut down and restart my computer. Since this was the second time I had to do this in the same day because of this VPN, I wasn’t too happy.
I contacted support and followed its suggestion of reinstalling the app, but this did not solve the problem. This was the only suggestion the customer rep had, so I was stuck using OpenVPN instead. While this is still an industry-standard protocol, I prefer WireGuard because of its fast speeds.
If it wasn’t for the glitches I experienced, I could happily recommend VPN Unlimited for its ease of use. It’s interface is easy to follow, and I was connected to the right server in no time thanks to its simple menus. If you prefer smooth-sailing when you’re using a VPN, try one of these glitch-free choices instead.