12VPN review
While this 12VPN surely has its pros, we recommend checking our top services first before buying.
12VPN is one of the easiest to use VPNs in the market which also works flawlessly in China. However, it is held back by its lack of features and its inability to torrent. Read more in our in-depth 12VPN review.
12VPN is not only extremely easy to download and use, but it also offers a lot in terms of security. For one, it is one of the few VPNs that work in China. On top of that, it also seems to have a really solid no-logging policy along with decent prices.
12VPN is no slouch when it comes to speed either, as we found good speeds all across the network. Although the chance of the network being able to actually hit 1000 Mbps as the developers claim is virtually nonexistent, you can still enjoy the high speeds on multiple devices as you are allowed to have unlimited simultaneous connections on 12VPN.
Although there are certain problems such as the fact that you cannot torrent except on 2 servers (your account can be suspended if you do) and the complete absence of a kill switch, 12VPN can still be a great tool for novice VPN users and people residing in China (you can also access Chinese websites without the VPN because of filtering).
Though if you need a reliable VPN that offers torrenting protection, and unblocking streaming platforms, should choose from our best overall VPNs 2024.
Is 12VPN safe to use?
12VPN has a lot of features which make it secure. First of all, you have access to industry-standard AES-256 encryption, the same encryption used by militaries and banks worldwide to guard sensitive data.
12VPN logs certain data, including connection time, IP address, and data used, for 30 days:
You also get a lot of protocols to use with 12VPN. Not only do you have the standard OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and SSTP, but you also get additional protocols such as OpenConnect, vMess, WireGuard, and Shadowsocks. These protocols give you a lot of options when it comes to privacy and allow you to access various different types of encryptions.
When it comes to DNS and IP Leaks, 12VPN passes all the tests with no problems whatsoever. This is an area where a lot of VPNs fail so it’s great to see a smaller VPN actually making sure to protect their users from this.
However, there are many features missing as well. The most obvious one is the kill switch, which is used to disconnect your internet in case the VPN stops working so that your true identity doesn’t leak. On top of this, there are no additional security features such as the ability to multi-hop (use 2 VPN servers) or use the VPN with TOR.
Overall, 12VPN is a decent VPN when it comes to security. There is a noticeable lack of features and the logging policy is not great, but it seems that users can rest easy knowing that they are safe when using the service.
Speed and performance
12VPN has servers in a total of 25 different locations. Almost all of their servers are in the US and Europe. This is probably not a great idea since one of the main positives of their service is its amazing performance in China.
Chinese users (and other people in Asia) still have a few viable options such as Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, and most noticeably Hong Kong where they could get good speeds. Unfortunately, there are no servers in Africa or South America, and people residing there will be better off with an alternative service.
When it comes to speed, 12VPN is not bad but not great either. We found that although the ping increased massively when connected to the VPN, the drop in speed was not massive and about the same as in other VPNs (although it was nowhere near as fast as industry leaders like ExpressVPN.
Overall, 12VPN has good enough speeds for home and entertainment use. However, it’s held back by its lack of server locations as well as low upload speeds. Those who like to upload a lot of data or want to get the best possible speed from their VPN should probably look for other alternatives.
How to download 12VPN
12VPN’s website is just like the app, extremely intuitive and easy to use. Let us take you through the process of downloading 12VPN.
- Head to their website and click Get 12VPN.
- Choose one of the plans. The longer your subscription, the more you save.
- Register by providing your details (such as email) and payment method.
You’ll now be able to download the app and log in to begin using 12VPN.
Apps and extensions
12VPN is available on a wide variety of platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. This, coupled with the unlimited simultaneous connections you get, allows your entire family to protect their network.
On top of this, 12VPN also has a Chrome extension and support for routers. You will be able to protect your entire home network as long as you have a DD-WRT or an Open-WRT router. Unfortunately, you will not get any tutorials on how to set these applications up and will have to learn it on the go.
12VPN seems to be aimed at new VPN users, and it does a fine job of catering to these users’ lack of experience by having an extremely intuitive GUI.
12VPN for Netflix
Although 12VPN does not have a lot of servers, we found most of them to be working with Netflix as well as other streaming platforms such as Hulu and Kodi. Most importantly, the US server was working without any issues, allowing you to access one of the largest Netflix libraries.
As for the speeds, 12VPN will allow most users who have the capability to stream in HD, but being able to stream in 4K (UHD) will be difficult unless you have great high-speed internet and you are online at a time when the server is not loaded.
Although there are better tools for Netflix and streaming available on the web, 12VPN is not too bad at it either and could be a viable option for people residing in China who want to access the US version of Netflix.
12VPN for torrenting
Until recently, 12VPN did not allow torrenting at all. However, they now have 2 servers which you can use to torrent safely. However, these servers will almost always have a lot of users and you will probably not achieve great speeds when using 12VPN for BitTorrent.
If you are looking for a VPN to mainly torrent, then TorGuard is a much better alternative in a similar price range. As for 12VPN, we recommend staying away from it if your main reason for purchasing a VPN is to torrent files.
Does 12VPN work in China?
Yes, in fact, 12VPN is one of the best VPNs we have seen that’s useful for China. We were consistently able to connect to any of the servers and had no problems whatsoever during our test runs.
One thing to note here is that there is a noticeable lack of servers around China. However, we were always able to get decent speeds and you should be okay unless there is an unusual amount of load on the servers.
Support
Although 12VPN does not have any live-chat feature, their Customer Support is still very quick to respond (with response times of less than an hour). While live-chat is always a welcome feature, most major problems need to be solved through the ticket system, and 12VPN shows that while it may be low on resources, it still cares about its customers.
Apart from this, there are not a lot of troubleshooting tips on their website apart from an FAQ page and some minor guides on how to use 12VPN.
Pricing
12VPN is priced close to the industry average. You can get the monthly version for $10.99, but save money if you subscribe for 6 months ($8.99/month) or a year ($5.99/month). You get access to unlimited simultaneous connections with each of these plans, which is a huge plus (just make sure you connect each device to a different server to avoid conflicts).
Although the prices are by no means ridiculous, the distinct lack of features and servers that 12VPN has does mean that we would like to see it being sold at a slightly lower price than it is as of now.
You get access to a lot of payment methods including PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, UnionPay, and Bitcoin (Bitpay). This gives you a lot of versatility in how you want to pay and allows you to pay anonymously through cryptocurrency as well. On top of that, you have a 14-day money back guarantee in case you do not like the service.
Bottom line
12VPN is primarily aimed at people who are either new to the VPN market or those living in China. We would not call 12VPN an amazing VPN, but it is by no means a terrible VPN either.
The good thing is that 12VPN has a specific purpose which it does very well. Although short on features, it still offers you all the basics including the ability to watch Netflix and torrent.
The lack of a live-chat, as well as poor server locations, means that this VPN is not for anyone who is serious about protecting themselves, but the good news is that 12VPN has a secure foundation on which they can build their service. Maybe they could challenge the market leaders one day.
Pros
- Extremely easy to use
- Great for China and other restricted countries
- Works with Netflix
- Has support for routers
- Good privacy practices
Cons
- No kill switch
- Low number of servers (only 25 countries)
- No live chat
- Torrents only work on 2 servers
- Keeps certain logs for 30 days