Disclaimer: The below review is my opinion, which I will try to provide as many examples for and as much evidence as possible to support. Readers can learn more about how I conduct my reviews, my methodology, etc – here. More information on review badges here.

This review’s roll was #158 (at the time of the roll, VPNTunnel)

Written Oct 27, 2016

Signing up for the service: Signing up for service through VPNTunnel was relatively simple, but with a few things to look out for. The service requires an email address, which is the most I’m personally willing to provide to a given VPN service. However, they not only require the email address be given, but that it also be confirmed, which I think is stepping over the line for a service that is supposedly geared towards privacy. The VPNTunnel website is fairly professional if a little cluttered with marketing. I was pleased to see that the user is given the option to choose whether their purchase is a one time or recurring subscription. Once logged in, a sidebar appears in the client portal containing download links, server status, and so forth.



Configuring the service: The downloads link mentioned above don’t include manual config files, only links to download the Windows, Android, and iOS apps. Sometimes VPN companies have manual ovpn files tucked away somewhere on their site, but in this case it wasn’t obvious, so I contacted support for guidance. After some digging, I found what I was looking for (which was actually on the Server Info, not the Downloads page). As a side note – the link to follow for “Ubuntu” was workable, but directly above it was a line of text for “Linux” with no link, but which indicated files could be downloaded “here”. This is a bit sloppy in my opinion. I would have dinged them pretty hard had they not had manual config files, but to my surprise, they actually had what I’ll call a “light” config file generator, where you can check the boxes next to the servers you’re interested in downloading files for and clicking radio buttons for your desired connection port. This was a good way to allow the user to download manual config files, but it should have been more obvious and accessible.

Speed & Stability tests: Do NOT let these speeds fool you. Tests were run using UDP and the hilariously insecure Blowfish-64. Had VPNTunnel actually used a serious encryption standard, speeds would have been much more in line with what seems typical. To make matters worse, stronger encryption standards could NOT be chosen from the configuration section of the site. Desktop – Singapore – Trial 3 also timed out.

Speed Tests – VPNTunnel – Desktop Latency Download Upload No VPN Trial 1 29 ms 97.32 mbps 12.45 mbps Trial 2 29 ms 93.65 mbps 12.42 mbps Trial 3 31 ms 96.72 mbps 12.54 mbps Average 30 ms 95.90 mbps 12.47 mbps USA Trial 1 57 ms 89.34 mbps 11.01 mbps Trial 2 58 ms 86.28 mbps 11.54 mbps Trial 3 58 ms 87.09 mbps 10.52 mbps Average 58 ms 87.57 mbps 11.02 mbps Comp to Bench +28 ms 91.32% 88.40% UK Trial 1 293 ms 45.98 mbps 6.34 mbps Trial 2 286 ms 57.48 mbps 3.89 mbps Trial 3 297 ms 78.61 mbps 4.75 mbps Average 292 ms 60.69 mbps 4.99 mbps Comp to Bench +262 ms 63.29% 40.04% Singapore Trial 1 418 ms 3.00 mbps 0.75 mbps Trial 2 437 ms 2.99 mbps 0.58 mbps Trial 3 414 ms 0.00 mbps 0.00 mbps Average 423 ms 2.00 mbps 0.44 mbps Comp to Bench +393 ms 2.08% 3.56% Australia Trial 1 365 ms 13.16 mbps 3.51 mbps Trial 2 364 ms 12.21 mbps 1.99 mbps Trial 3 363 ms 6.78 mbps 1.95 mbps Average 364 ms 10.72 mbps 2.48 mbps Comp to Bench +334 ms 11.18% 19.91%

Speed Tests – VPNTunnel – Mobile Latency Download Upload No VPN Trial 1 34 ms 72.47 mbps 13.62 mbps Trial 2 29 ms 73.62 mbps 13.66 mbps Trial 3 30 ms 74.79 mbps 13.95 mbps Average 31 ms 73.63 mbps 13.74 mbps USA Trial 1 61 ms 18.31 mbps 11.75 mbps Trial 2 61 ms 17.38 mbps 10.99 mbps Trial 3 61 ms 17.86 mbps 11.77 mbps Average 61 ms 17.85 mbps 11.50 mbps Comp to Bench +30 ms 24.24% 83.70% UK Trial 1 295 ms 5.46 mbps 10.41 mbps Trial 2 308 ms 2.31 mbps 9.66 mbps Trial 3 293 ms 2.54 mbps 9.99 mbps Average 299 ms 3.44 mbps 10.02 mbps Comp to Bench +268 ms 4.67% 72.91% Singapore Trial 1 445 ms 1.69 mbps 1.98 mbps Trial 2 424 ms 2.10 mbps 2.08 mbps Trial 3 429 ms 1.83 mbps 3.25 mbps Average 433 ms 1.87 mbps 2.44 mbps Comp to Bench +402 ms 2.54% 17.73% Australia Trial 1 406 ms 2.43 mbps 8.09 mbps Trial 2 367 ms 2.26 mbps 7.77 mbps Trial 3 367 ms 2.54 mbps 10.40 mbps Average 380 ms 2.41 mbps 8.75 mbps Comp to Bench +349 ms 3.27% 63.69%

Getting support: Support replied by the next morning with links to the relevant pages, but were attempting to persuade me to use their Windows client and avoid manual configs. I disagree with this, as many of the official VPN clients fail to prevent leaks and I trust OpenVPN to handle my connection and provide more details about my configuration (for example, that the data cipher being used is pitifully inadequate, cough cough).



Getting a refund: After requesting a refund, I was quickly granted one without any questioning or hassle.



Concerns in Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy: VPNTunnel’s terms were pretty lengthy and full of all kinds of nonsense.

In order to use our service the connection to the Internet is vital.

They should mention that a user must be capable of operating a computer and have a functioning brain, as well.

This product incorporate/utilize cryptographic algorithms…

They forgot to put speech marks around “cryptographic algorithms”.

The User agrees to consult an attorney if he is unaware of all relevant issues and requirements.

Yes, I’m sure most of us interested in a single user license of a commercial VPN have our lawyers on speed dial to dissect terms of service.

The software is provided “as is”, and the User uses the software at his own risk. We make no warranties as to performance, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or any other warranties whether expressed or implied.



Translation: We don’t stand by our product.

The VPNTunnel.com website uses cookies, tracking pixels and related technologies. Cookies are small data files that are served by our platform and stored on your device. Our site uses cookies dropped by us to operate and personalize the website. Also, cookies may also be used to track how you use the site to target ads to you on other websites

A privacy service – a PRIVACY service is telling you this, mind you.

Majority of the servers in our network are servers that we own and manage ourselves. We keep no logs on these servers, and our policy is to guarantee connection to these servers at all times.

…And the others?

VPNTunnel.com may update these Terms of Service from time to time without notice. Any changes in these Terms of Service will be incorporated into a revised Agreement that we will post on the Site. Unless otherwise specified, such changes shall be effective when they are posted. If we make material changes to these Terms, we will aim to notify you via email or when you login at our Site.



I’ll aim to pretend this isn’t a joke.

This website and its owners take a proactive approach to user privacy and ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of its users throughout their visiting experience.

Just when I thought I’d go one review without the company insisting in their terms that they take user privacy seriously despite everything else indicating to the contrary… I need to come up with a name for this… stay tuned…

To maximize user’s privacy, we collect the minimum information required specifically… Google analytics data… User’s cookies (only for advertising purposes in order to analyze advertising trends and administer the site properly).

To maximize my privacy, you need to collect MORE data? I love how they also say “only” for advertising purposes.

You agree that VPNTunnel.com has the right to change this privacy policy at any time without any given notice at its discretion by posting such changes on the website. But VPNTunnel.com will take every reasonable step to notify users by email.

Or at least “aim” to, right?

Final thoughts: VPNTunnel started out okay with a website that wasn’t a total joke – but then immediately fell apart. Config files were tricky to find, and were misconfigured using obsolete encryption. Support replied relatively quickly, which was good. Their terms are highly unfavorable and obtuse, and their asking price given all of this is a laugh and a half. I simply can’t think of anyone I’d recommend VPNTunnel to.

Cherry on the top: VPNTunnel supports and participates in an unethical native advertising (paid affiliate/reseller) business model. I’ve beat this to death, so I’ll forgo the explanation on why I hate this so much. (If you really want to read more about it, check my guide to choosing a VPN).

FROM THE VPN COMPARISON CHART CATEGORY VPN SERVICE VPNTunnel JURISDICTION Based In (Country) Seychelles Fourteen Eyes? No Enemy of the Internet No LOGGING Logs Traffic No Logs DNS Requests Logs Timestamps No Logs Bandwidth Logs IP Address No ACTIVISM Anonymous Payment Method Email Accepts Bitcoin Yes PGP Key Available No Meets PrivacyTools IO Criteria Yes LEAK PROTECTION 1st Party DNS Servers No IPv6 Supported / Blocked No Offers OpenVPN Yes OBFUSCATION Supports Multihop Supports TCP Port 443 Supports Obfsproxy Supports SOCKS Supports SSL Tunnel Supports SSH Tunnel Other Proprietary Protocols PORT BLOCKING Auth SMTP P2P Some SPEEDS US Server Average % 91.32 Int’l Server Average % 25.51 SERVERS Dedicated or Virtual SECURITY Default Data Encryption Blowfish-64 Strongest Data Encryption Blowfish-64 Weakest Handshake Encryption Strongest Handshake Encryption AVAILABILITY # of Connections 5 # of Countries 18 # of Servers 80 Linux Support (Manual) Yes WEBSITE # of Persistent Cookies 40 # of External Trackers 17 # of Proprietary APIs 0 Server SSL Rating C SSL Cert issued to Self PRICING $ / Month (Annual Pricing) 2.99 $ / Connection / Month 0.6 Free Trial No Refund Period (Days) 7 ETHICS Contradictory Logging Policies Falsely Claims 100% Effective Incentivizes Social Media Spam POLICIES Forbids Spam No Requires Ethical Copy No Requires Full Disclosure No AFFILIATES Practice Ethical Copy Give Full Disclosure No

If you like the project and find my work useful, please consider donating – your generous contributions help pay for the hosting, tools, and time I need to do my research and keep the data fresh.