Our Review
Safer VPN is a relatively new service, established in Israel in 2013. Throughout its service, it has been consistently improving the quality and coverage of their service, becoming one of the most well-established VPNs around.
The Safer VPN founders, Amir Bareket and Sagi Gidali, have stated their mission is to “provide secure, private and uncensored Internet access to anyone, anywhere”. Working towards this goal, they have been pioneers in launching the first-ever automatic open WiFi security.
Safer VPN has greatly expanded its accessibility in recent years. Their software is available for every major operating system – Windows, Android, iOS and Mac OS X. They have over 400 servers in North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. Therefore, using their VPN service is an option for almost every Internet user on the planet.
But how does Safer VPN measure up in terms of features, pricing and performance? Let’s have a closer look.
- PROS
- Easy to install and use
- Multiple operating systems Good customer support Kill switch Prices are competitive
- CONS
- Torrents are completely banned
Features
SafervPN offers a free trial period as well as a 14-day money back guarantee. Another factor contributing to enjoyability of use is that SaferVPN does not limit bandwidth or server switching, so you can use it without a worry.
Let’s have a closer look at the protocols, encryption methods and privacy policy of SaferVPN.
Protocols: multiple options provide a customisable user experience
The key strength of SaferVPN is its flexibility, which also applies to its protocols; the service offers every most popular protocol available.
Naturally, one of the protocols offered is OpenVPN, which is the most widely used option. This software offers reliable speed and security, enabling users to free themselves from most firewall limitations. For maximum security, OpenVPN uses authentication keys to set up secure connections between the VPN server and your device.
For most users, OpenVPN covers everything they really need from a VPN. But for users who need an alternative for whatever reason, SaferVPN provides options as well. These include the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), the Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol (L2TP), and the newer Internet Key Exchange Version (IKEv2).
The PPTP is an older version with some security issues, while L2TP is often used to complement it. The Internet Key Exchange, developed by Microsoft, is the newest and potentially fastest protocol available on SaferVPN – but unfortunately, it’s not available on iOS or Mac OS X. Encryption provided by protocols is strong (AES 265-bit)
Poor encryption has traditionally been a problem with VPN protocols, especially PPTP. However, this view is now largely outdated: in recent years, the encryption of VPN protocols has improved in leaps and bounds.
Newer protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2 utilise the same encryption methods employed by security professionals, corporations and government officials – AES 265-bit.
Because of the extremely high number of possible combinations, AES 265-bit is considered immune to cracking,. To put things in perspective, the number of possible AES 265 combinations is more than the number of atoms in the entire universe.
Using SaferVPN, encryption strength depends on the protocol you choose. While PPTP has dated quite badly in terms of security, the standard OpenVPN employs the advanced AES-265 encryption method, as does IKEv2. For most users, security is not going to be an issue with SaferVPN.
SaferVPN also significantly improved user security in February, when they added a kill switch feature. A kill switch means that even if your VPN server connection drops, your IP address and other details will still be secured. This is important especially if you are transmitting data that may otherwise be subject to hacks in case of a lost VPN connection.
Privacy policy
The SaferVPN has relatively a user-friendly tracking policy. Namely, they do not track or monitor users’ traffic or activities online, so you can retain your privacy when surfing on their servers. However, they do log some things about each session, such as login and logout timestamps and the amount of data transmitted.
According to SaferVPN, this is to prevent and detect fraud against their service and abuse of their network; but more heedful users might not be happy with this aspect of their privacy policy.
Torrenting is completely unsupported and forbidden on all SaferVPN servers, as is transmitting “obscene” content. The vagueness of this definition – what exactly is classified as obscene? – might open the door for false alarms and sticky situations. While it is good that transmitting sensitive and illegal content is banned, there is a lot of possible gray area here, as the definition of obscene content is not specified.
Customer service
SaferVPN offers 24/7 user support through their Help Center, website live chat, and email. They also have a strong social media presence on accounts like Twitter. Overall, they seem to have a good and helpful approach towards customer service. In case you have problems, you should be able to contact someone who can help you on their side.
They tend to respond within hours, even minutes, and have a relatively human touch to customer service compared to many other companies who take a more corporate-drone approach.
- Supported Platforms>
- Android
- IOS
- MAC
- Windows
Speed and performance
Among its chief competitors, SaferVPN holds up well in terms of speed and performance.
While speeds can vary according to server location, they are generally good. Accessed from Britain, European servers had speeds above 30Mbps. Even geographically distant locations like Australia and the US gave at least 10-20Mbps, a decent speed.
If you want to download P2P or stream in HD, the speeds provided by SaferVPN servers should have you covered without a hitch.
Pricing
SaferVPN offers a free trial period and a 14-day money back guarantee. There are no tricks or schemes here – you just get your money back if you aren’t happy, period. This is definitely a nicer approach than many other VPNs who severely restrict their money back options.
Subscription plans come in 1 month, 1 year or 2 year options. SaferVPN is currently running a limited time 80% offer, giving serious value for money if you need a VPN.
At present, a 2-year subscription costs $3.49 per month, while the normal price is $12.99 per month. Comparatively, the SaferVPN price is competitive enough, even at normal price.
How to install SaferVPN
Installing and getting started with SaferVPN is a breeze. You just need to register, verify your email address and install the appropriate client.
SaferVPN offers apps for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Moreover, they also offer VPN routing and Chrome extensions. In terms of ease of installation and use, it is one of the best options on the market.
Setup can be done via an automatic “select a location and click connect”-option, but there are also more advanced options available for users who want to customise their settings.
Countries provided
SaferVPN offers over 400 servers in more than 30 countries. You won’t be able to select a specific server, just a country, but this isn’t critical as all the servers are generally performing well and running at decent speeds.
The countries included are quite diverse, with the standard US and Europe options complemented by locations like Thailand, Japan and South Africa. SaferVPN doesn’t limit switching between servers and locations, offering a flexible user experience.
Summary
SaferVPN is a good all-rounder for someone who needs a reliable VPN, both first-timers and more seasoned users. Customer support is easy to reach in case of issues. Pricing is competitive, especially during campaigns. Overall, all servers offer decent speeds for the average user.
SaferVPN is easy to install and set up, but offers space for customisation for advanced users. Multiple protocol options provide flexibility. Most protocols use AES 265 encryption, which is the industry gold standard. In February, SaferVPN also added a kill switch feature (which they should really have done a long time ago), enhancing user security.
SaferVPN is a smooth service with no significant issues in terms of performance. The only major issue with it is its somewhat contradictory privacy policy, promising to respect user privacy but collecting a comparatively large amount of data. Aside from this, SaferVPN can be wholeheartedly recommended as one of the best in business. Since their establishment in 2013, they have also been consistently improving their service and adding enhanced features.
