TechRadar Verdict
VPN Monster is a basic service with simple apps, torrent support, and some extras that make it appealing to users, with one catch - you have to be fluent in Russian to use it without any problems. It also has below-average performance and doesn’t unblock Netflix but hey, at least it’s cheap.
Free version
Reasonably priced
Simple-to-use apps
Major streaming channels are not unblocked
No live customer service
Russian language-only
Opaque logging policy
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We are all aware by this point that the government, businesses, and cybercriminals are watching everything we do online. By encrypting your online data, a VPN can help you feel more secure and give you peace of mind, however, it can be difficult to find a trustworthy VPN.
Due to the fact that many VPNs are only effective at talking and working, when we come across a VPN that claims to be able to unblock any website or server and protect you online, we test it out and give an unbiased review to determine its suitability. And that brings us toVPN Monster.
The Russian VPN provider has 120 server locations spread across 40 nations. Comparing this to thebest VPNson the market, which offer thousands of servers, coverage is incredibly inadequate.
VPN Monster: Pricing & plans
VPN Monster offers three paid packages (all of which have the same features) as well as a three-day free trial that requires your email address. You can also net a 35-day free trial depending on whether or not you are willing to surrender your email and phone number; however, the free trial is limited to a small number ofVPN servers. And there’s no truefree VPNoption here either.
The premium plan, which includes three packages, comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service; however, this isn’t impressive given that the industry standard is 30-days. The following are the packages:
Monthly: $9.73
Tri-monthly: $32.10
Annually: $46.68
VPN Monster accepts credit cards, PayPal, Qiwi Wallet, UMoney, WebMoney, and evenBitcoinfor anonymity.
VPN Monster: Privacy & encryption
It should be noted that although VPN Monster claims to have a strict no-logs policy, you shouldn’t just take its word for it because they haven’t asked an independent auditor to check the servers for any logs. Without aVPN audit, this claim is difficult to accept at face-value.
However, we reviewed VPN Monster’s privacy statement and discovered that it does log some of your information, such as your email, order status, and cookies. VPN Monster claims that cookies are only stored in order to prevent re-registration for the free trial. If you are oblivious to the fact thatbrowsercookies can be used to track you, this should worry you.
Although VPN Monster is a Russian product, the company that created it is registered in Seychelles, so it is not subject to Russian legal restrictions. Seychelles' government has strict guidelines regarding online privacy. As it is not under the jurisdiction of the Five Eyes Alliance, you can use this VPN with confidence, knowing that no one can access your data.
Though we prefer having a wide range of protocol options, VPN Monster offers only theOpenVPNprotocol (TCP/UDP) with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, a double VPN feature that navigates your online activity through two servers rather than one, encrypting your data twice. VPN Monster also has aVPN kill switchthat disconnects your device from the internet in the event that your VPN connection drops unexpectedly. This helps prevent the disclosure of your information to uninvited parties like websites and hackers.
When we checked for IP andDNS leaks, we were pleased to see that the VPN did not reveal our IP address or DNS requests. You can browse now without worrying about your privacy being invaded.
VPN Monster: Streaming
When we tried, the US server could connect and stream Netflix. But, regrettably, it didn’t work for Disney+,AmazonPrime Video, Hulu, or BBC iPlayer, which most often put locational restrictions on access to their content.
This part is getting more and more crucial as more people learn about the benefits VPNs have for bypassing geo-restricted content - in other words,changing location and IP address with a VPN. Selecting the correct provider who can meet your needs is advisable if this is a top priority for you - and thankfully, there are plenty ofNetflix VPNsandstreaming VPNsthat do provide this service.
VPN Monster: Speed & experience
Despite the fact that every VPN will, to some level, slow down your connection, the best ones have quite a negligible effect that restricts lags or buffering. The location, connection, and internet network you are using may also affect the speed.
Running ourspeed testdid not provide us with particularly impressive connection speeds. On a connection that can handle 70.02Mbps, we only received a comparatively small 12.05Mbp. Then after, we ended up choosing to use a server in Luxembourg, which delivered only 9.89Mbps and performed worse than we had anticipated. we used a 25 Mbps internet connection and connected to its Italian server; we got a download speed of less than average at 25 Mbps.
VPN Monster: Customer support
On its official site, VPN Monster doesn’t provide live chat, email support, or even a ticketing system. While submitting a ticket was simple, the customer service team at VPN Monster occasionally takes a while to give a response.
After having to wait for 10 hours, we eventually received a response, but it lacked both professionalism and technical assistance. Besides that, it has a FAQ section with answers to technical questions, primarily troubleshooting instructions. The FAQ section was helpful to me, so I found it to be useful.
VPN Monster: Apps
Linux, Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, and routers are all supported by VPN Monster through its desktop andmobile VPN apps. You can configure VPN Monster on your router, but it must support TLS authorization, the OpenVPN protocol, and configuration files with the .ovpn extension.
On your desktop Mac or Windows computer, VPN Monster is simple to install. You can just register for any of the trials if you want to try it out first. You can easily navigate the app because both the Mac and Windows versions of the user interface are identical.
The installation of the applications on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers went without a hassle; but even so, since VPN Monster supports the OpenVPN protocol, we had to confirm that our routers also support TLS authorization and configuration files with the.ovpn extension.
VPN Monster: Alternatives
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN services available. It has lightning-fast, live chat support 24 hours a day, servers in over 94 countries, and excellent security measures. It enables five concurrent connections on devices and unblocks everything. It also has a rigorous no-log and privacy policy, so you can be confident that your data will not be shared.
Read our fullExpressVPN review
NordVPN
NordVPN is a VPN industry giant. The service has over 5,200 servers scattered across 60 countries, provides live chat help, 24/7 email support, military-gradeencryption software, and supports up to six simultaneous device connections.
Read our fullNordVPN review
Proton VPN
Proton VPN is an alternative that does not monitor your actions and does not utilize any of your personal information. Furthermore, Proton VPN offers a feature that prevents trackers from following you, as well as a built-in kill switch that automatically stops all network traffic if the VPN connection is lost.
Read our fullProton VPN review
PureVPN
This VPN provides the finest protection against ISP speed limiting, allows you to access prohibited websites, and protects you from third-party online snooping. With the availability of sophisticated features such as intrusion detection systems, anti-spam, IP protection, and web threat monitoring, you can expect the greatest degree of network threat security.
Read our fullPureVPN review
VPN Monster: Verdict
Due to the lack of available servers in a few locations, VPN Monster does not stand out when compared to its competitors. It is slow, has poor unblocking capabilities, and there hasn’t been any independent auditor to inspect the servers, so you cannot be certain that they do not log your data.
Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.
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