iTop VPN review
Top VPN provider globally
iTop VPN is a well-performing and affordable VPN based in Hong Kong, China. It provides a multitude of specialized servers and security features to choose from.
iTop VPN is a relatively unknown player in the VPN industry. It offers either a limited free plan or a fully-featured premium option. Pricing is acceptable for the level of performance and security that you’re getting. But is there anything else that makes this a VPN worth considering? Read our iTop VPN review and find out!
Speed tests
Let’s begin with a rudimentary speed test. After all, potential customers will barely use a VPN if it provides poor connectivity.
iTop VPN provides three different protocols – TCP, UDP, and HTTPS. We’ll be using UDP since it’s considered the fastest option of the three. On the other hand, TCP provides stable connections, while HTTPS is the most secure of the three.
The measurements will be conducted with the Ookla speed test. As always, bear in mind that these speed tests don’t show the whole picture and indicate iTop VPN’s performance at a particular time. In any case, the baseline download and upload speed are 100 Mbps.
| Download speed | Upload speed | |
| Baseline | 100 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| United States (New York) | 90 Mbps | 95 Mbps |
| United Kingdom (London) | 95 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| Germany (Frankfurt) | 95 Mbps | 95 Mbps |
| Australia (New South Wales) | 53 Mbps | 55 Mbps |
| Poland (Warsaw) | 96 Mbps | 95 Mbps |
| Singapore | 75 Mbps | 94 Mbps |
I was pretty surprised by the outcome of these tests. Speed reduction was minimal in nearby European countries and even the United States. Unsurprisingly, Australia and Singapore dropped more, but not to a point where loading times would become unbearable.
Of course, this could be attributed to the fact that the baseline speed is relatively unimpressive, and the connection is conducted through a wired connection rather than Wi-Fi. Regardless, iTop VPN appears to perform well with its UDP protocol.
We have a special offer for you if you’d like to test the premium version performance yourself. The first 50 readers that use our link can get a 30-day iTop VPN subscription completely free of charge.
Security
iTop VPN is based in Hong Kong, China, according to its website. This could be a red flag for privacy enthusiasts since the Chinese government usually doesn’t allow VPNs to operate. Unless they assist with ongoing surveillance and don’t interfere with the Great Firewall.
Of course, such accusations don’t have much weight without solid evidence. Additionally, the VPN touts a no-logs policy but does mention that some data is collected to maintain a quality service.
When I installed the VPN on my Windows machine, I noticed that the application got pinned to the taskbar. This isn’t normal behavior when installing any app and made me slightly concerned. Furthermore, a mini dashboard on the desktop now shows my IP address when the VPN is disconnected or connection information when the VPN is enabled. Not a huge deal, but it’s another feature that I didn’t enable willingly. Plus, it doesn’t go away even when I turn off the iTop VPN application. Thankfully, you can disable it in the settings menu.
Plans and pricing
iTop VPN provides a free and premium VPN option. The no-cost plan comes with fewer features and a 700MB daily data cap. Meanwhile, the premium plan has three subscription alternatives:
- $11.99/month for the monthly plan
- $3.99/month for the annual plan
- $2.31/month for the two-year plan
The lengthiest two-year plan grants a whopping 80% discount. On the other hand, the monthly plan comes with no discount, while the annual plan grants 65% savings.
Each plan allows users to connect up to five different devices simultaneously. Additionally, they mention a 100% money-back guarantee, but that doesn’t clarify how long the warranty lasts. Most providers offer at least a month, sometimes more. Lastly, payment methods include PayPal, credit card, and bank transfer.
Interface and ease of use
The iTop VPN user interface is well-designed and pleasant to use and look at. As mentioned earlier, the app includes a tiny dashboard on the desktop, which you can see in the top right corner of the screenshot below.
The main area of the app shows a large round button that’s used to enable the VPN connection. Below it, you can see the details about the IP address, which server location is chosen, and which tunneling protocol is enabled.
On the left is the server selection menu. It’s categorized based on use-cases and gives users plenty of options to peruse. For example, the downloading-focused servers enable P2P connections and permit torrenting. Meanwhile, streaming is split based on particular video platforms and regions.
Below is the Privacy Protection menu that’s used to configure the numerous security features iTop VPN offers. Further down is the Quick Access menu with some shortcuts to some of the most-used servers.
The general settings were harder to find at first. They’re tucked away in the hamburger menu in the top left corner of the app. There you can disable the mini dashboard and customize other options.
Features
iTop VPN is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The company also provides a VPN-enabled web browser if you want to secure your browsing further. Besides that, the VPN brings a fair number of security features to the table. Naturally, most of these are only available to premium subscribers.
- IP configuration. Users can choose whether they need a static or dynamic IP address.
- IP checker. You can check your home IP address conveniently through the app itself.
- Adblocking. The software includes a feature that blocks unwanted ads and prevents malware from entering your system.
- Split tunneling. You can customize which apps should have exclusive access to the VPN connection.
- IPv6. iTop VPN supports IPv6 connections for improved security.
- Kill switch. This feature ensures that your IP address and DNS requests do not leak if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
- DNS protection. Enable this option if you want your DNS settings to remain unchanged.
Naturally, one of the essential features of a VPN is circumventing geographical restrictions. And since iTop VPN has specialized servers for this, it’s fair to assume that it will work without issues.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for me. The only available Netflix server is in the US, and it couldn’t unlock the exclusive content that I was after. Meanwhile, the two Hulu servers couldn’t grant me access to the US-exclusive broadcaster either.
Support
Most online services offer customer support in some way. iTop VPN says its agents are available 24/7. However, users can’t get in touch with them via live chat. Instead, they have to opt for email communication if something goes wrong. Luckily, extensive user manuals are available for each platform if you’d prefer to try some fixes yourself first.
Conclusion
iTop VPN is a decent VPN option if you want to avoid big-name brands. It’s surprisingly fast, has multiple VPN protocol choices, and has plenty of servers across the globe.
However, the privacy of this service is not 100% solid since it’s based in China and hasn’t been audited independently. Additionally, we had no luck circumventing geographical restrictions on streaming platforms with this service. Thankfully, you can take the VPN for a spin and see if it’s right for you with the free plan.
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