VyprVPN Review: My Experience Using VyprVPN

The guiding idea behind the world-wide spread of Internet access is to make the world’s information available to all; however, Internet access continues to be restricted and restrictions are increasing in many parts of the world. Unfortunately content restrictions are not the only troubling development. Apparently your data, what you do, what you look at, whom you communicate with, is of major interest not only to corporations for marketing purposes, but also to governments from around the world. The best defense against such intrusion is connecting using a VPN, such as VyprVPN. VyprVPN is owned by the Switzerland based company Golden Frog.

Golden Frog is more than just another VPN company; the people behind it are committed to developing applications that preserve an open and secure Internet while respecting user privacy. In addition to VyprVPN they also offer DUMP TRUCK, professional grade secure online storage.

What makes VyprVPN different?

Most VPN providers are very secretive about who they are, where they are located and what they stand for. The problem with that is not knowing who the VPN provider is makes it difficult to trust them. Not so VyprVPN, the company and their leadership team are vocal advocates of Internet freedom and openly support EFF and similar organizations. The other aspect that differentiates VyprVPN from many VPN providers is that they write their own software and run their own hardware in data centers they own. This minimizes the risk that comes with relying on third party software and services, such as lack of control over your data or security risks associated with running proprietary software. Compared with many VPN providers on the market, the combination of knowing who your VPN provider is and how they secure your data makes VyprVPN an offering worth looking into if you are serious about online security.

Compatibility – Supported OS

VyprVPN has setup instructions for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android operating systems and also device specific instructions for iPhone, iPod, iPad, Chromebook, Boxee Box, Synology NAS and DD-WRT Firmware, in essence it will run on just about anything. Fortunately you don’t have to be a tech-wiz to get it up and running because the team from Golden Frog wrote Desktop and Mobile Apps for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS that make installation a breeze. I tested their apps for Mac and iOS, both were easy to install and only required your VyprVPN username and password to connect.

VPN Protocols

VyprVPN lets you choose from the common VPN protocols PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, but they also offer a proprietary protocol ‘Chameleon’ which scrambles OpenVPN packet metadata to make sure it is not recognizable via deep packet inspection. Chameleon allows you to bypass restrictive networks put in place by overly protective governments and corporations, great for users in countries like China, Russia, Iran etc…

Server Locations

VyprVPN has servers in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand with more than 200,000 IP addresses and counting. With that many locations to choose from it is easy to gain access to almost all region restricted content from around the world, for example watching Hulu from outside the US or enjoying Netflix content from other countries.

Free Trial

VyprVPN offers a 3-day free trial that requires registration and payment information. If you cancel within those 3 days, your credit card will not be charged.

Installation

Installing VyprVPN on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android is as simple as downloading the appropriate app and going through a normal install like you would with any other software. Once installed you open the app, enter your username and password and connect. Of course the website has manual installation instructions for those with other devices or the overly paranoid. Either way, you’ll be up and running in a few minutes. I have found VyprVPN to be one of the most pleasant VPNs to setup on my computers and mobile devices.

Subscription Pricing

VyprVPN offers three subscription options, Basic (1 connection) for USD 9.99/month, VyprVPN Pro (2 connections) for USD 14.99/month and VyprVPN Premier (3 connections)  for USD 19.99/month. While that sounds pretty pricey compared with other VPN providers, you can opt to pay annually which drops the prices to USD 6.67, USD 8.33 and USD 10.00 respectively, right in line with what other providers charge for their services. All plans come with unlimited data usage and varying amounts of DUMP TRUCK cloud storage. The plans differ in the number of simultaneous connections, but only VyprVPN Pro and Premier allow you to use all VPN protocols and include NAT Firewall, the Basic plan is restricted to PPTP.

Support

Golden Frog is a Switzerland based company with a US based support team. I contacted them several times and support was fast, competent and courteous. The support section on their website is well organized and the instructions easy to follow. Should you require further help you can reach them via email or, my preferred method, Live Chat.

Summary

During my one month trial VyprVPN performed almost flawlessly. I installed it in the office, my MacBook Air, iPhone and iPad. Installation on each device was straight forward and easy. I had a problem on my iMac with VyprVPN not reconnecting after waking the computer, looking like I lost Internet, but after a quick chat with support and a setting change, this problem went away. Connection speeds were great and allowed for smooth streaming of video content, like streaming the Sochi Winter Olympics online from CBC through VyprVPN’s  Canadian server. Default settings worked well for everything I do on my devices on a daily basis. If you are looking to buy a solid VPN from a reputable company, you should give VyprVPN from Golden Frog a try!

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