BoxPN review
When it comes to choosing the right VPN provider, be sure to check all the best ones first before committing.
Based in the privacy-friendly Seychelles, BoxPN promises impressive speeds, no data limits, and smooth streaming. It comes with 256-bit AES encryption (which should provide an impregnable degree of security), while 200+ dedicated servers is pretty good by global standards.
The company stresses its “no-logging” credentials, offers generous money-off deals for new sign-ups, and offers clients for Windows, MacOS, Android and iPhone devices. Cryptocurrency payments are available to anonymize your transactions, while 5 device connections should suit most users.
So what’s not to love here? Well, as always there are some things that users need to know. And there’s no reason to trust the claims made by companies like BoxPN.
As we’ll see, issues with support, speeds, and apps could put off customers. But there are some positives as well. Our BoxPN review will try to cover every aspect to reach a definitive verdict.
Best BoxPN alternatives
Security
First off, let’s talk about security. With VPNs, security is the number one concern. Without solid encryption, industry-leading security protocols, infallible leak protection, and add-ons like kill switches, there’s not much point in using a VPN at all. So where does BoxPN stand?
On the encryption side of things, it does pretty well, offering 2048-bit AES encryption. And when it comes to protocols, users can choose between OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and the more primitive PPTP. So you can play around to find the best speeds, and lock down your connection if required.
A kill switch has been bundled with all of BoxPN’s clients, which is always a good sign. And leak protection is top notch, meaning that Hulu or Netflix will struggle to detect your real identity – ensuring excellent access to blocked content.
But what about privacy? Well, BoxPN certainly talk a lot about avoiding surveillance and logging. But it’s strange that their pages about privacy don’t link to the actual Privacy Policy.
When you drill down into that document, it’s not too alarming by VPN standards, but some issues stand out.
For instance, BoxPN is happy to collect Google Analytics data. BoxPN also states that it will share personal information if requested or to protect the “property” of BoxPN itself. And that could mean many things – not all of them good.
However, the key takeaway from the Privacy Policy for this BoxPN review is the passage which assures readers that “We NEVER keep online activity logs or store private information about individual user activities on our network.”
Until evidence emerges that BoxPN has been sharing personal data, or folding to official requests, we should probably give them the benefit of the doubt. But some doubts remain in the background, that’s for sure.
Speed and performance
Moving onto speed, things start to get a little rockier. Reviewers on the web have routinely reported speed drop-offs of 70-80% when using BoxPN – even when connecting to nearby servers. That’s really not acceptable and puts a massive dent in the viability of using the VPN.
And when we tried the client, it was very hard to find genuine P2P or streaming-friendly connections. So while BoxPN talk a good game about not restricting bandwidth or imposing throttling, that’s not much use if the actual server speeds are pedestrian. And sadly that seems to be the case here. If you’re looking for VPNs that can retain high speeds and provide you with many more servers around the globe, NordVPN is a better alternative to BoxPN.
Apps and extensions
When it comes to apps and extensions, BoxPN performs pretty well. The Windows GUI is nice and clean and everything is a breeze to set up. When you create an account, you can pay via numerous cryptocurrencies, and you don’t need to submit personal details. So it’s possible to stay virtually anonymous – something which not all VPNs allow.
When you boot up the Windows client, you’ll be able to choose from servers in 32 countries (with over 200 choices at the time of writing). Drop down menus let you pick the right country and protocol, and you can log your “favorites” to quickly access the fastest servers.
And the clients on MacOS, iOS and Android are just as user-friendly, if slightly less feature-rich. However – there’s a big gap here in the BoxPN offer. There’s no Linux client, no router-specific client, and no support for Amazon Fire Stick or Kodi devices.
Then again, you can hook up 5 devices at one time, so families with two or three laptops, tablets, or smartphones should have enough scope to keep everyone protected.
BoxPN VPN for Netflix
BoxPN claims to unblock Netflix and other similar streaming platforms seamlessly, but is that really the case? In most instances, yes. BoxPN does a great job of working around geofilters, hiding your actual location and routing your traffic through servers around the world.
However, you’ve probably guessed the drawback. When you do connect to Netflix, the speeds aren’t usually good enough to make it worthwhile. And if you’re keen on HD streaming, think again. It’s highly unlikely you’ll find a decent server on the BoxPN network. Check our Best VPN for Netflix list to find a more suitable VPN provider for Netflix streaming.
This also means that using BoxPN for Kodi won’t be a viable option. You can technically install the VPN on Kodi devices, but there’s not much point if the speeds don’t check out. IF you need a reliable VPN for Kodi, check out our list of Best VPNs for Kodi.
BoxPN VPN for torrenting
BoxPN also markets itself as an excellent VPN for P2P downloaders. Again, the picture is mixed here. On the positive side, there’s no throttling and no data limits to contend with. So, in theory, you could download as many movies or TV shows as you desire. And the encryption is strong as well.
But the speed issue really hinders torrenting, making it all but impossible to get a reliable connection. If you’re happy to leave P2P downloads for long periods, that might be fine. But most people won’t be so tolerant.
Is it good for users in China?
While BoxPN doesn’t have too many servers in east Asia, it might still be worth checking out if you are based in China. The few servers located in Japan are among the VPN’s fastest and most reliable, and it provides sufficient encryption to work around the Great Firewall with impressive results.
This also applies to countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia or Belarus, where internet censorship is sadly prevalent. If you are happy to accept speed drop-offs and want a reliable, safe VPN, it’s definitely worth giving BoxPN a try.
Support
At first glance, BoxPN seems to score highly in the support stakes, with a huge library of FAQs and informative how-tos. But when you look more closely, you’ll notice that most of the documents date back to 2015 or earlier. And in a fast-changing environment like online privacy, that’s actually a serious problem.
If you want to contact BoxPN, you have the option of a live chat or the dreaded Contact Us page (and we know how variable response times can be).
So support is another area where BoxPN is average at. It’s just not good enough when other VPNs closely cater for the needs of customers, and offer plenty of contact methods.
Pricing
So, what about value for money? Well, the first thing to note here is that there’s no free version of BoxPN. That’s actually a little confusing, as the website urges customers to “upgrade now.” But when you download the client, you can’t log on without paying. That’s pretty deceptive in the opinion of this BoxPN review.
Having said that, prices are low. One package offers 12 months of protection for around $2.99 a month, although monthly rates can be as much as $9.99/month.
And you can protect 5 devices at one time, meaning that BoxPN potentially offers an affordable way to protect household devices. There’s also a “7 day money-back guarantee” – although details about how to use this aren’t easy to come by.
Bottom Line
So while BoxPN is cheap, its pricing information is confusing, there’s no free option, and don’t assume you can easily redeem the guarantee. More importantly, remember that you get what you pay for. And, as we’ve seen, there are some major flaws in the BoxPN package.
Pros
- Easy to use client
- Choice of security protocols
- 200+ servers
- Unblocks Netflix
- Strong AES encryption
- Kill switch
- Based in privacy-friendly Seychelles
- No logging policy
- 5 simultaneous connections
- Affordable pricing
- Anonymous payments
Cons
- Very slow performance in most cases
- No free trial option
- Some concerns about privacy policy
- Not suitable for Netflix and P2P due to performance issues
- Servers in only 32 countries, with limited numbers outside Europe
- No Linux client
- No support for routers
- Not Kodi-friendly
- Poor and outdated documentation