ZenMate is a company that was founded in Berlin, Germany and the creators of this virtual private network. Their VPN is their only product currently but they have branched out to various different platforms in an attempt to gain a foothold in the market. Should you subscribe? Find out in our review below.
Browse the web like a ninja: anonymously and without leaving any trace. Try it 30 days, risk-free.
They are slightly new, having only started in 2014, but they have a decent user base of around 40 million users worldwide. The team focuses on providing a secure and efficient product, even stating they have a ‘turbo speed’ feature built-in.
Zenmate VPN uses the latest protocols, like LS1.2 (RFC 5246) that ensure it keeps users’ identity secure and allows them to access content that was previously unavailable to them. They have a no-logging policy that promises to keep your data secure, even from them.
This VPN has many uses and is a reliable way to gain access to your favorite website whether it is social media from restricted countries or content streaming sites from alternate locations.
There are numerous pricing options as well as free and trial versions available for those that just want to see what the service is like before making any financial commitments. When it comes to VPNs it is recommended to do your research on a few options to see which one best suits your needs.
There are plenty of online reviews about this VPN which has both positive and negative things to say about the company. Overall, they have tried to improve where they needed to and generally people are satisfied with the server, but there have been a few instances where customers were not happy with the response that the company provided.
There are three pricing plans to choose from. You can either pay month-by-month, twice a year or once a year.
It can seem like a big commitment to purchase a subscription to a VPN, especially if you aren’t that sure what a VPN actually does. Can’t you just download a free one instead? You can, but with anything free, there are always strings attached. Free VPNs are usually less reliable, offer access to fewer servers, have less customer interaction; but they do provide the same level of security.
This provider does offer a free version, 2 actually. These versions do not allow you to pick the server, only the country, and may leave you without access to your favorite streaming site. ZenMate Firefox and ZenMate for Chrome are two easy places to try out the free version as they can be downloaded as extensions.
If you are feeling wary about spending the money, you can always make use of their 30-day money-back guarantee.
These packages can be purchased using Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Paypal, and Union Pay.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| No logs? | Yes, this provider has a no-log policy |
| Can use it for Torrenting? | Yes, it works fine with torrents |
| What kind of Netflix does it work with? | US, FE, DE, UK |
| Simultaneous connections | 5 |
| What countries does it cover? | 74 |
| What Operating Systems does it support? | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Money-back guarantee policy | 30 |
| What protocols does it offer? | OpenVPN (TCP, UDP), L2TP, PPTP |
| Does it offer unlimited traffic data? | Yes, it does |
| Cipher | Most secure encryption: Military AES 256 bits |
| Number of IP Addresses | |
| Number of Servers? | 3500 |
Zenmate VPN is a very simple VPN to operate and does not require prior knowledge or additional learning. As long as you know the basic functions of a VPN and how they operate, you will be good to go.
Before you can get started, you need to register and decide what package you are going for. Once you have decided you can download the VPN on your device. They have numerous platforms so if you have Windows, Mac, Android, Chrome, Firefox, or Opera, you will be able to get your free VPN download.
The download bar is easy to find on the main page of their website and you will be prompted to the page after having signed up. Once downloaded, the installation is straightforward.
Zenmate VPN has some mixed reviews, especially over recent years. But, generally, you see a lot of positive comments about users who are able to unblock Netflix and other streaming sites or that they find the extensions to be simple and reliable.
We have tried it and we could watch Netflix with their dedicated servers!
This is good news! The German provider allows the downloading of torrents and P2P through its service.
The no data logging policy that Zenmate has also ensured that no one, not even Zenmate, can access your original IP address. That is how to hide your IP address, for real. And this is a necessary feature for any modern VPN.
This is one thing that Zenmate VPN makes sure it does correctly as it is arguably the most important aspect of any VPN. Security is what ensures that no one can trace your IP address to the original device. And it also ensures that all your information, whether transferred or received, stays hidden from prying eyes.
This provider limits its exposure to risky protocols. There are certain protocols that have been brought into question with regard to security. PPTP is one such protocol and Zenmate VPN does not offer it at all, sticking to options that have held up to rigorous testing.
Kill Switch is an important feature that keeps your IP private, even when the secure connection drops. It allows you to only connect to the Internet with your encrypted connection.
The EverSecure feature allows ZenMate to connect automatically even if you delete it from applications running in the background.
So if you are used to using the Internet without activating the VPN, you will not have to turn it on again and again manually.
Sometimes, especially on Windows, the system sends your DNS requests to the ISP and exposes your online activities. And this is where DNS leak protection comes in.
This feature ensures that all your requests only go through your encrypted connection.
This feature gives you the benefits of your real IP address without having to disconnect the VPN or share your real IP. This helps users in several ways and allows you to:
This is a useful feature for users who want to access content that is not available in their geographic location and visit local websites at the same time.
Using the VPN is not difficult. If you are using the Windows version you will open the application, sign in, and then have access to everything you will need. These desktop versions have a few additional features like download and VoIP capabilities. Using the Zenmate for Chrome or Zenmate Firefox is simple and no additional features are added other than secure browser tunneling.
When connecting to a Zenmate VPN server, you need to decide what you want to do. If you are going to stream content from a site, you will need to make sure you are connecting to a country that allows this. After choosing the country you will have access to plenty of servers.
The VPN will automatically try to connect to the best server, but if you run into any connection troubles you can just flick through the various available servers. For those that are a bit more tech-savvy, Zenmate VPN also allows you to alternate between protocols, which can improve your overall experience.
These are the browser extensions available for download off the website or the respective browsers extension store.
Zenmate for Chrome and Zenmate Firebox are both reliable means of tunneling and ensuring that your IP address stays hidden on the server of your choosing. The only thing to note about these VPNs is that they make use of a proxy, which is slightly less secure than a VPN.
A proxy function similarly to a VPN in that it still tunnels the users’ IP to a new location, but the differences lie with how this tunneling takes place. Regardless of it being less secure, you can still be assured that your information is secure and that you will be able to access the sites of your choosing.
These extensions are very basic and do not give you additional options and settings to adjust. You choose the country you want to connect to, and the VPN extension does the rest. For those that want a no-hassle VPN, these extensions could be an option.
There used to be quite a few comments referring to customer service issues. Most of these comments were quite similar and involved a lack of communication from their team. And at the time you could expect to wait over a week before getting the most basic of replies.
Luckily this era is now over! And you can easily get in touch with them through their 24/7 live chat.
Overall you will find that Zenmate is a decent VPN that comes at a reasonable price. They perform in the areas that they promise, but you may find periods where service is interrupted. During these times, it may be futile to try and contact the customer support team because they have proven to be a bit unreliable when it comes to responding to users.
There are numerous nice features including their ‘turbo-boost’, which promises faster connections, and their Zenmate business option which offers free setup and a dedicated account manager.
There are plenty of servers to choose from and the protocol options are limited to ones that are guaranteed to provide a sufficient level of security. Pricing for this VPN is reasonable and their month-by-month subscription rate is very competitive.