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FastestVPN Review – Worth It or a Nightmare?

Pros

  • Versatile support for platforms
  • High-end security and encryption
  • Fair server speeds
  • Cheap pricing
  • Access geo-restricted content
  • Anonymous torrenting
  • Built-in ad-blocker

Cons

  • No free version
  • Lacks double encryption
  • Slow customer support
Price: $ 1.1/mo a month
Good for:
Compatibility:

Technical Features

  • Max devices supported: 10
  • Number of IP addresses: 124
  • Number of servers: 550
  • Number of server locations: 50

Features

fastestvpn features

FastestVPN boasts a lot of effective features to take your private networking to the next level. Whether it’s about the support for different platforms, security, or privacy, the provider has paid particular attention to these key areas.

What’s exciting about FastestVPN is the DNS leak protection to make sure your private browsing is protected. The additional features like Internxt cloud storage, Password Hulk password manager, ad-blocker, kill switch, and smart tunneling are other substantial benefits of FastestVPN.

But there also are some downsides of choosing FastestVPN, like the lack of double encryption and limited streaming platforms.

For detailed information, let’s now take a close look at FastestVPN’s performance in different aspects. 

Security

FastestVPN has intensely focused on security as a private networking service to ensure no one can monitor your online activities.

The powerful ad-blocker and NAT firewall are strong security precautions of FastestVPN.

Furthermore, the platform also supports AES 256-bit encryption. It’s the most secure encrypted connection at the time, and people also remember it as military-grade encryption (more on this below).

fastestvpn security

 

Aside from that, the platform supports a variety of protocols to make your online activity unbreakable.

The best part is the support for the IKEv2 protocol, known to be a highly secure option compared to PPTP and other protocols used here and there. What’s even more exciting is that it comes applied by default on the applications.

However, where FastestVPN performs well in security, it also has some drawbacks.

Firstly, it doesn’t offer double encryption, which secures your online activity even if the VPN server is hacked. The feature is also known as double VPN.

Secondly, the protocols and other security features are different depending upon the platform.

For instance, you don’t get the support for PPTP and L2TP protocols with macOS, iOS, and Android. But thankfully, other security protocols like IKEv2, TCP, and UDP are available across these devices.

Anti-Malware

When browsing through the internet privately, there’s always the risk of coming across malicious software. Such a program can not only leak your online activity but can also open spammy links or start downloading infected apps on your device.

To keep you safe from malicious programs, the anti-malware feature of a VPN comes in handy. Thankfully, FastestVPN supports this feature, and our experts found FastestVPN an excellent software in this regard.

VPN Network

fastestvpn network

The network offered by FastestVPN is not the most versatile. However, the platform does offer over 350 servers spread across 40 countries.

You can always switch between different servers when using the VPN. It’s just a click away.

Although the connection network is pretty small, it does cover wide locations, including Asia, Europe, Russia, and the US. But there’s a catch: the company doesn’t offer good server coverage across Africa and South America.

Another point to note is, connecting to any of the servers is not possible in some cases. For instance, our review experts were unable to connect to the South America server.

We found out the company recommends changing the security protocol to connect, which is not a reliable solution when finding a solution.

However, what’s good about FastestVPN is the smart connection feature. Using it connects you to the fastest server with the click of a button.

fastestvpn connection

Privacy Protection

Providing top-tier privacy protection is one of the primary purposes of a VPN. It makes sure the websites you visit and the data you send or receive are encrypted, and no one can track it. However, there are many types of encryption used by VPNs.

FastestVPN is an excellent option in terms of security and offers 256-bit AES encryption which is known to be the most secure. Most of the prominent organizations around the world take it as the standard. 

fastestvpn encryption

Device Support

As mentioned before, FastestVPN is a versatile VPN offering support for a variety of platforms. Whether it’s about a personal computer, a mobile phone, or a smart TV, the provider has you covered.

For instance, below are the types of devices you can run FastestVPN on.

  • Personal computers/ laptops
  • Smartphones/ tablets
  • Game systems
  • Wifi routers
  • Smart TVs/ digital media players

fastestvpn device compatibility

Furthermore, the VPN also supports various operating systems (OS). These include all the popular ones like Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. You can also use FastestVPN on Linux, Apple TV, Android TV, and Kodi Fire TV.

fastestvpn on multiple platforms

Aside from that, the company also lets you browse privately with the convenient Firefox and Google Chrome extensions.

Pricing

The pricing at FastestVPN is pretty affordable. The standard plan starts from as low as $1.11/mo on choosing the 3-year contract.

If you’re not comfortable paying for three years right away, you can consider the annual or month-to-month plan starting from $2.49/mo and $10/mo, respectively.

fastestvpn plans

But whichever way you go, there might be the fear of losing money if you don’t like the service. That’s where the 15-day refund policy of FastestVPN comes in. As you’ve guessed, it means that you can ask for a refund within 15 days of the initial plan.

Furthermore, FastestVPN makes the payments convenient with the option for various credit cards, online services like PayPal, and even Cryptocurrencies.

fastestvpn payment

All plans at FastestVPN come with ten multi-logins by default. So, you can use the VPN on ten devices at once. To increase the limit, you can add more multi-logins at an affordable price of $1/ additional device.

What’s Special About FastestVPN?

fastestvpn homepage

If you’re wondering what stands out FastestVPN, well, know that it offers 2 TB Internxt cloud storage with a 90% discount.

Internxt Drive is a zero-knowledge cloud application that offers private online storage to users. Yes, you can call it an alternative to Google Drive and iCloud, but it’s more known for privacy and security.

Customer Support

Customer support can be pretty helpful in case a problem arises, or you just want some information. Despite being a relatively new VPN, FastesVPN has managed 24/7 support to help you with issues and queries. 

In our testings, the support was somewhat slow. We got the answer to a question after over 15 minutes. Of course, this is not an ideal response time but not the worst either.

Logging Policy

Where it’s recommended to go for a no-log VPN, many of them do store logs. Logging in VPNs refers to storing the IP addresses you used, your actual IP address, the servers & server locations you used, and your browsing history when using VPN.

When it comes to FastestVPN, it thankfully offers a zero-log policy and doesn’t store any logs at all. So, you get peace of mind knowing you’re anonymous on the internet.

Performance

Performance is a significant aspect of a VPN service. If you cannot enjoy simultaneous internet surfing & browsing after connecting to the VPN, then what’s the use?

The speed at FastestVPN is not the fastest but pretty fair in most cases. Our review experts found FastestVPN to offer a decent response rate on connecting to the nearby server locations.

With 2ms Ping, 506 MBs download speed, and 504 MBs upload speed, FastestVPN performs well in speed tests.

But the problem arises when you try out remote servers. The speed gets way too inconsistent. However, you can switch to the IKEv2 protocol from the default OpenVPN protocol to achieve better performance.

fastestvpn protocols

Streaming

If you’re willing to watch Game Squid using FastestVPN or other series & movies on Netflix, know that the VPN supports unblocking on Netflix. To be clear, you can access Netflix from a different server location if it’s blocked in the country you’re in.

But the possibility isn’t all that matters; consistent performance also does. In our Netflix streaming tests, FastestVPN performed fair.

Though the performance wasn’t the smoothest and movies took over 30 seconds to load on average, it’s still okay. We ran tests using different server locations, and as a rule of thumb, streaming gets better when choosing a nearby one.

Moreover, the VPN also works with other streaming platforms like Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime.

Torrenting

Torrenting refers to uploading and downloading data through a Torrent network. In such a network, the users’ devices have the data that you may be downloading.

Most of the torrenting programs, movies, and other data are pirated. This is why it’s recommended to use a VPN during torrenting activities. It keeps your Govt. and ISP from tracking such of your activities.

Thankfully, FastestVPN comes with the support for torrenting. We tried it for downloading software, and the speed was fair. I also tried to track the IP address, and it was different than my device, which is good.

Kill Switch

When you’re connected to a VPN, your internet activities are secure and hidden from others on the internet. But, in typical cases, they get exposed as soon as the VPN connection disconnects.

Some VPN networks come with a unique feature that prevents data leakage even if the VPN disconnects to overcome such a risk. This is known as Kill Switch.

Thankfully, FastestVPN also supports this feature. So, if the connection drops when using FastestVPN, your device is taken offline automatically to make sure none of your data is exposed to others on the internet.

fastestvpn kill switch

Smart Tunneling

With the smart tunneling feature, the traffic to any background apps and browsers is provided after passing through the VPN.

In other words, if you’re using many apps at once with VPN on, you won’t have to worry about the leak of your internet activity from any app in the background. The point to note is, it’s different from split tunneling, which helps to avoid bottlenecks.

However, FastestVPN supports smart tunneling and ensures all the traffic to your device is passed from the VPN when it’s turned on.

Ad-Blocker

Ads on the internet are a common way of cybersecurity attack for hackers. The ad popups can contain spammy links and may install malicious spyware software on your device to track the activities on your device.

The fastest VPN comes with a built-in ad-blocker. It prevents any ads and popups during internet surfing to keep you away from cyberattacks and trackers.

Leak Tests and Leak Protection

In this age of cybercrimes, it’s common for hackers to break into VPN networks and track people’s online information. 

To prevent your online activity from getting exposed to snoopers, FastestVPN offers DNS leak protection. It adds a security layer to your connection, and the hackers cannot track the domain or website you’re visiting. 

Aside from that, the provider also offers WebRTC Leak protection. WebRTC refers to the exposure of an IP address, i.e., the device you’re using to surf the internet.WebRTC Leak protection keeps your IP address hidden and protected.

Tor Compatibility

Tor is a special private browser designed to keep your online activities and data secure. It has a dedicated private network around the world where users interact with the network.

How it forms an encrypted connection is with the help of nodes.

Suppose that you want to visit a specific URL. When you type it on the browser, the data is transferred to different nodes. It would travel from Node 1 to Node 2 all the way to exit Node.

It will be encrypted during the data traveling as Nodes cannot read the data but the exit Node only. And when data reaches the exit Node, your IP address won’t be visible to the node anymore.

But not all the VPNs work with the Tor browser due to some reasons. Thankfully, you can use FastestVPN on Tor.

Double Encryption

Double encryption is an advanced security feature offered by some VPNs. In standard cases, if the VPN server you’re connected to gets hacked or damaged, your online information like your IP address might get exposed.

But when a VPN offers double encryption, you’re automatically connected to another private network which keeps your information from getting leaked. Double encryption is also known as the double VPN. Unfortunately, FastestVPN doesn’t support it.

Server Number and Locations

How many servers and server locations does a VPN offer can dramatically enhance your user experience. FastestVPN claims to have 550+ servers around the world with 50+ network locations. According to the platform, these are widespread across 40 countries.

fastestvpn servers

The company had a significantly smaller number of server and server locations back when it came out. But the growth of FastestVPN has been rapid, and the server locations keep expanding.

But, as compared to the giant VPNs out there, 550+ locations are less. However, since these cover all the critical areas, you most likely won’t have a problem. But if you have to use specific server locations, be sure FastestVPN supports them.

Conclusion

FastestVPN is one of the best cheap VPN services on the market. Besides the affordable pricing, it performs pretty well in user-friendliness, security, and encryption.

Although not the fastest VPN around, the platform offers adequate performance for the price.

Speaking of the price, it gets as cheap as $1.1/mo with the 3-year plan. The availability of a lifetime purchase offer is another significant addition, indeed.

If you’re looking for great value for your money, FastestVPN is an excellent option to consider, hands down.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Great value for money
  • Fair speed
  • Cheap lifetime subscription offer
  • Built-in adblocker
  • Anonymous torrenting
  • Smooth Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime streaming
  • Zero-log policy for privacy

Cons

  • Slow customer support
  • No free version is available
  • Lacks double encryption

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FAQ

Is FastestVPN any good?

FastVPN is a reasonably affordable VPN offering powerful features for the price. It performs pretty well in terms of reliability, security, and protection. The speed is also somewhat fair. However, the performance gets mediocre on choosing faraway server locations.

 

Does Netflix work with FastestVPN?

FastesVPN works pretty well on Netflix. In our testings, we were able to smooth on Netflix smoothly with FastestVPN on. It lets you unblock Netflix in many locations. However, not all the server locations offer consistent and stable streaming performance.

 

How much does FastestVPN cost?

The plans at FastestVPN start from $10/mo. But if you choose to pay for long-term straight away, the pricing of the 3-year plan gets as low as $1.1/mo. It’s even cheaper with the 5-year special plan. All the standard plans offer ten multi-logins by default.

 

How to install FastestVPN?

The installation procedure for FastestVPN depends upon the platform you’re installing it on. You can install it from Google Play Store on Android and Apple Store on iOS. The same is the case with Android tablets & TVs and Apple TVs & iPads. If you’re on Windows or Mac, you can download FastestVPN from its official website for installation.

 

 

 

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