VeePN Review: Does it Protect Your Privacy?

VeePN is among the lesser-known VPN services in the industry. There are good reasons for that. This is a VPN with much to offer in terms of high quality, but it still has a lot of room for improvement. In addition, its service includes two critical errors that make it a dubious choice for any privacy-savvy user.

So, what are those errors? We heard you ask. The following full, unbiased VeeVPN review answers your questions and provides much more information.

VeePN review at a glance

Servers	2,500+ servers in 60 countries
Zero-log policy	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Torrenting	Yes
Country-based	Panama
Price	1.67 USD/month
Simultaneous devices	10 devices
Customer support	Live chat option available
Money-back guarantee	30 days

Pros and cons of VeePN

Our VeePN full review: The gist

VeePN is not the best-known VPN service out there, to say the least. But it’s headquartered in Panama, one of the world’s best jurisdictions for having a VPN. It has an extensive server network that is comparable to that of a provider in its league. With VeePN, you will not get the best speeds in the industry, but they’re also not the worst you could have.

VeePN supports many different platforms and has some exciting features. For instance, you can set up a multi-hop VPN link (for added layers of encryption) and get a welcomed ad blocker. In addition, it can unblock a decent number of video streaming services (but not that many), and the pricing plans are fair enough.

Privacy, however, leaves something to be desired. The company has a firm no-log-keeping policy. However, it collects more user data than we’d like, and its apps have tracking features. We don’t like these things in a service supposed to help protect our privacy.

The VeePN server network

VeePN has over 2,500 nodes (servers) across 60 countries. Admittedly, this network is small compared to NordVPN or InternetPrivateAccess, but let’s not forget that this is not an industrial giant. So, this is quite an extensive server network for a provider in the “small” category.

The critical feature of a network of this kind is that it has machines in the essential locations of the world from which you want to connect. Then, the quality of the service depends much more on the quality of the individual servers and their resources than on node cardinality.

This provider has plenty of servers in the US, Canada, Western Europe, and Australia. But it’s almost non-existent in Latin America, which could be a problem for you, depending on where you are or what you want from the VPN.

In essence, as with many other features in VeePN, it’s far from being the best in the business, but it will suffice for most tasks.

Speeds – Does VeePN offer sufficient speed?

Speeds will always be a central feature in any user’s VPN experience. There are two reasons for this: bandwidth is at the core of anybody’s digital experience. Second, a VPN’s security, privacy, and anonymity advantages come at a price–speed.

Encrypting all of your traffic, decrypting it, and rerouting it through one or several servers in your network takes calculations, and those calculations take time. Therefore, your VPN connection will never be as fast as your open connection. Even with the best vendors, you will lose some speed–and yes, some VPNs have a focus on security that is so heavy that navigation becomes almost useless.

So the question becomes, how much is too much? Or, more concretely, how much speed are you going to lose if you choose VeePN? The answer isn’t terrible. But it’s far from excellent.

We tested the network’s speeds using the OpenVPN protocol over UDP. We chose this tunneling protocol because it’s available in almost every VPN out there (so it allows for direct comparisons) and because it’s the default protocol on offer at the VeePN network.

It surprised us that neither the time of day nor a server’s physical location influenced overall speeds. Every location tested at any time gave us about 24 Mbps. So what will that mean for you?

Before we answer that last question, a word on internet speeds: they are a highly complex thing. Too many factors can affect your connection, including your ISP, the local weather, hardware, etc. Consequently, we cannot predict how our speed results match your digital environment. So think about this information as a general trend only.

If you have an excellent high-speed connection (say, 100 Mbps or more), you will notice your overall speed become slower, but nothing you would complain about. So you will lose a bit of speed but nothing to break the deal if you choose to use VeePN. However, you will still be much better off if you pick ExpressVPN or Surfshark.

We found the Hong Kong server to be the one that gave us the best speeds within this VPN network despite being on the other side of the world. This could be because the American and European servers had vast traffic and users.

Then we had a go at this VPN for online gaming. It went well. The links were solid enough to remain online for extended periods, and the speeds were good enough to support our gaming activities. No lags, freezes, or disconnection, which is how we like to play.

Server	Download speed (Mbps)	% Download	Upload speed (Mbps)	% Upload	Ping (ms)
No VPN	94.34	100%	94.02	100%	3
Netherlands (Amsterdam)	89.52	94.8%	89.29	94.9%	6
Germany (Frankfurt)	89.21	94.7%	89.87	94.5%	9
US ( New York)	69.22	73.6%	82.32	87.1%	90
Japan (Tokyo)	61.56	64.9%	82.05	86.9%	227

VeePN security features

VeePN offers AES 256-bit encryption, which is good. It’s the industry standard in VPNs and the military and intelligence communities worldwide. So this is a good feature.

The protocols on offer include IKEv2, OpenVPN, and Shadowsocks. IKEv2 is a protocol that works well when you’re on the go because it keeps the link to the VPN server alive even as the environment changes, which happens when you’re walking around town.

OpenVPN is an open-source project that produces and keeps the protocol of the same name current. It’s the golden standard for VPN tunneling protocols because it’s been audited a zillion times (one cool thing you can do to open-source software), and it always passes the tests with flying colors.

VeePN can make multi-hop connections for you. Instead of one, these are links in which your traffic goes through at least two servers within the network. Each server hides the previous IP address and adds a new layer of encryption. This would make tracking you online impossible.

But, of course, every new encryption layer reduces performance significantly and slows down your activities.

The VeePN tech platform includes an optional ad blocker that you can manage from the app. Ad blockers are always welcome, especially if you like free streaming websites where the ads are not just obnoxious but even risky from a security point of view.

VeePN also has something called a “Warrant Canary.” This writing is refreshed periodically to ensure that the service provider (VeePN, in this case) has not been served with a secret warrant or a gag order for any governmental agency.

But, of course, the idea is that if VeePN ever gets that gat order or secret order, it couldn’t tell you, right? Of course not. But then the canary would disappear, and its disappearance would let you know that something fishy is happening. So, this gives you the information you need while keeping VeePN off the hook because it tells you nothing.

We also ran tests for VPN leaks, and VeePN delivered good results. Your IP will not slip away into the open internet through a DNS query or a WebRTC call, so everything is okay in this regard.

VeePN offers a kill switch feature that enhances your data security. When using the VPN for the first time, you need to enable the kill switch, but once activated, it will automatically function in the background. The purpose of a kill switch is to safeguard your data. If the internet connection drops for a specific region, the kill switch will instantly block your data from being exposed online by temporarily disconnecting your internet connection.

This feature proves especially valuable when connected to a public Wi-Fi network or an unstable network environment. We encountered no issues with VeePN’s kill switch during our testing. It reliably disabled our connection each time we switched between VPN servers and promptly alerted us about the status.

Does VeePN offer a split tunneling feature?

Split tunneling is a VPN feature in which the VPN app lets you customize how your programs use the VPN. Thus, you can choose which applications will have their traffic encrypted and which will go through your regular open internet link. This feature can be helpful if you need to access a LAN that won’t take incoming connections from computers not in the vicinity.

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Is VeePN Private?

Privacy is an entirely different thing. It’s not about technology but human decisions, enforcement, and a matter of policy.

Every VPN claims to be private and secure. Yet, even free VPNs, far from privacy champions, still make those claims. So, how does VeePN do in this regard? Let’s see.

We start with the policy:

VeePN follows a strict No Logs policy, which means we do not record or store any of your personal information, including browsing history, location, and IP. VeePN cares about your privacy!

Well, so far, so good; this is what we want from our VPN providers regarding privacy.

However, there is always the small print. As we kept reading the privacy policy in more detail, we found that the website admits that VeePN collects the following data about you:

• Partial payment details
• Connection timestamps
• Time zone
• IP address
• Location
• App usage statistics
• Device information (including the operating system version you are using, your unique device identifier number, and browser user-agent; everything they need to create a digital fingerprint).

This is right there, on the policy, blatantly flying in the face of the previous “No logs policy” statement. So, let’s face the facts: VeePN keeps logs, and it’s not a privacy-friendly VPN.

Wait, there’s more.

If those data points were not bad enough, the privacy policy also admits that several third-party trackers are embedded into its apps. What trackers, do we hear you ask? These:

• AppsFlyer
• Facebook
• Amplitube
• Google Analytics
• Firebase

If the app only allowed the Facebook tracker, that would be bad enough, but there’s plenty more. Do you remember the mass migration we saw a couple of years ago from WhatsApp to Telegram? That was just to prevent Facebook from dipping its long digital nose into other people’s business. And VeePN is giving it away just like that.

Everything we’ve told you so far about privacy is just unacceptable. It’s a deal-breaker as far as we’re concerned. A good VPN that protects your privacy can’t keep any logs on its users for a start. And having third-party trackers installed on our devices through the app’s back door is even worse.

There was a minor torrenting controversy related to VeePN. Certain independent filmmakers have targeted VPNs they believe are not doing enough to discourage piracy. Following a legal dispute, VeePN agreed to block specific torrenting sites, but this measure is only applicable to its US servers. Thankfully, this agreement doesn’t impact its overall policies. 

It is worth mentioning that VeePN’s infrastructure and privacy policy has not been independently audited. Many leading VPNs engage third-party auditors to ensure compliance with their stated claims. Unfortunately, VeePN has not yet completed this process. While we understand that audits can be costly, we hope that the service considers conducting one in the future to enhance transparency and user trust further.

The VPN is based in Panama, a privacy-friendly country outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. These alliances consist of countries that have agreed to collaborate and share information about their citizens. Being beyond the jurisdiction of these alliances adds to VeePN’s privacy-friendly reputation.

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Apps and device compatibility

VeePN excels in support of different operating systems, platforms, and devices. It’s better than most other VPNs (even premium ones) in this regard, as it supports all the usual suspects (Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS) along with some others that are not so common, such as Linux, Amazon FireTV, Amazon Kindle Fire and two families of routers. It is remarkable how far VeePN has gone to include as many platforms as possible, and they are up there with the best in the business.

The provider also offers two browser extensions, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Browser extensions, of course, do not protect a system as a whole. Whenever you connect to a VPN through a browser extension, only your web browsing traffic goes through the encrypted VPN tunnel.

The app

The app is pretty when you look at it, the design is functional, and the navigation is intuitive. Moreover, it is friendly enough that even the least expert and newer VPN users can find their way around it without additional help.

The left-hand side of the app allows you to choose the section of the app you want to use. For example, “Locations” will bring up the server list so you can pick the network node you wish to use.

Next, in “General Preferences,” you can set up the app’s behavior on startup and choose the VPN tunneling protocol of your preference. Then, “Advanced Preferences” lets you decide how your VPN link will behave under WiFi connections. Lastly, the “Privacy Preferences” menu is the most useful. This is where you can block ads, trackers, and malicious web pages and manage the kill switch.

Considering everything, VeePN’s app is very nice, and even some market-leading apps could improve their software by looking at this one.

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Router support

The approach to router installation in VeePN is also top-notch. The company supports Tomato and DD-WRT routers, and very few vendors make it so easy for you to install your VPN into your router than VeePN. You can download VeePN’s OpenVPN configuration files from your “Account” page on the website.

This procedure needs more expertise than the average, but having your home router linked to the internet directly through your VPN has many advantages.

For instance, every device in your home that goes online through the router in question will be automatically within the VPN tunnel. And all those tablets, phones, computers, and Internet of Things gadgets will count as a single connection as far as VeePN servers are concerned.

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Does VeePN unblock Netflix and other streaming services?

Security, privacy, and anonymity are the primary use cases for VPN networks. However, the world has evolved, and while that use case remains important, unlocking video streaming services successfully has become the most crucial use case for VPNs.

This trend was discernable as soon as users worldwide noticed that US-based Netflix users get all the goods. Then, however, the Covid-19 pandemic forced millions worldwide to stay at home for extended periods. Thus, the demand for digital entertainment exploded beyond the wildest, most optimistic expectations. And that’s how bypassing video streaming geoblocks with a VPN became a thing in VPN-land.

Unsurprisingly, many VPN vendors try to hook new users by advertising their geo-unblocking capabilities. But, of course, VeePN has its claims on this subject–it says it can deal with HBO, Hulu, and Netflix. That would be a pretty good deal if it were true. Is it? Kind of.

Since VeePN’s publicity mentions three video platforms by name, we started our tests with those, but we went forward and did a few more to tell you all about it.

We start with Netflix. It works. But only with the US servers–useless against the German and French services. It is not a terrible thing when considering that it’s the US service that almost every Netflix user wants to get.

We had no luck when we tried Hulu–no, it didn’t work. But HBO GO worked fine. Then we turned to BBC iPlayer, and it didn’t work again.

So, when considering everything in this department, VeePN is not that bad. Yes, Netflix US is almost the only video streaming service that can unblock, which is not that much.

VeePN and torrenting

VeePN doesn’t have any servers optimized for P2P networks. NordVPN, for example, has those servers. The good news is that you don’t need such specialized servers with VeePN because torrenting is allowed on every server. So, as long as your link to the network is online, you can launch your BitTorrent client and go for it.

Our torrenting test was smooth. It’s a bit slower, but without lost links, reconnections, or other inconveniences.

Does it work in China?

This is the big question. Bypassing the Great Firewall of China is the VPN holy grail, and it’s the test that separates the big boys from the rest. 

VeePN’s marketing says nothing about China (or Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Korea, or any other jurisdiction known for its oppressive internet restrictions). However, this couldn’t be different.

This time, we were unable to test this service from within Chinese territory. So, we searched for our answers within the VeePN infrastructure. Unfortunately, the support section on the website says nothing about China, either. Not in any articles, FAQs, or tutorials.

So, we went a step further and emailed the customer service team. They answered us that VeePN does work from China indeed, but you need to tweak a couple of things first, which happens with any VPN that can do this trick.

According to the information we received, it’s best to access the VPN network using the nearest servers in the Far East (Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan) if you’re in China. We were also told to prefer the Shadow Socks protocol from that jurisdiction.

The preference for Shadowsocks is a logical choice. It’s very popular with the Chinese. It offers the encryption of TCP links instead of overall system traffic.

Should we believe VeePN’s customer service agents? They are not the marketing team; it’s their job to provide accurate information to paying customers, so the chances are that they told us the truth.

However, if having a VPN service in China were a priority for us, we would instead pick NordVPN or some other premium service whose track record is beyond any doubt.

VeePN’s customer support

VeePN’s customer support department offers many options, including email, support ticketing, and an online live chat at all times. As described earlier, we asked them if the service was good in China. Unfortunately, the live chat never gave us an answer. The agent on the other side was supposedly online and ready to talk, but there was no cigar.

We had an answer, nevertheless. It took a whole day to arrive. This was unexpected. If we had asked the question through an email, answering it within 24 hours would qualify as good customer service.

However, we asked on a live chat window. The whole idea is to have your question answered immediately, not within a day. If the live chat agent on duty could not answer the question, we should have had at least a “Need to do some research, sir, and I will email you later.” Instead, we were ghosted on the live chat even if we had an answer the following day.

In the end, we had our answer. It was helpful, polite, and thoughtful, addressing the issue we needed “solved.” So in this regard, we have to say that the customer service is good enough, not chatty or quick.

VeePN pricing

VPN’s pricing plans are very fair indeed. It’s not the cheapest service out there, but it’s certainly much more affordable than any of the premium options we usually recommend–even Surfshark, which is the budget option. And it’s cost-effective.

Many of the smaller VPNs charge too much for their service, so the price they ask turns out to be too high for the meager service they provide. Likewise, VeePN is not the best VPN out there, but its service is commensurate with the price.

You can have a VeePN account for as little as 2.49 USD if you choose the two-year plan. This is a great price. If all you want from your VPN is a service that unlocks Netflix US, it’s an excellent deal. But it requires a two-year commitment.

Each account allows for ten concurrent connections into the network, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.

There are three subscription plans at VeePN:

• Monthly, 10.99 USD
• Yearly, 47.88 USD (3.99 USD monthly)
• Two years 59.96 (2.49 USD monthly)

The monthly plan is probably the one most users will use. In this context, the pricing is terribly high if you consider that you can get NordVPN or SurfShark instead for an extra buck or two, which offer superior services by far.

Our thoughts about VeePN

VeePN is a smaller VPN service with plenty of good things to offer, and it’s making the most of its resources. But two reasons prevent us from issuing a recommendation.

First, the monthly price is ludicrous as it comes too close to the best VPNs in the industry, which will give you so much more. Second, tracking your users surreptitiously breaks the deal on the privacy front.

Although VeePN is doing several things very well, we still do not suggest that you choose it.

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