Speedify VPN Review

A speed-boosting service and VPN in one, Speedify is what you need if you’re looking for a super fast and super secure connection.

Speedify VPN is a mobile-focused virtual private network that boosts your internet speed. To keep your private data secure, it uses AES-256-GCM and ChaCha 256-bit encryption (which are both essentially impenetrable to hackers).

As we were testing the waters for this Speedify VPN review, we found that the connection is lightning-fast thanks to a technology known as Channel Bonding. What this feature does is it allows the VPN to draw from all of the available ‘internet juice’ and create a faster connection. Speedify combines various internet channels, including your cellular network, Wi-Fi connection, and ethernet connection, to build a faster and more stable connection.

If, however, the connection is lost regardless of Channel Bonding, Speedify has a Kill Switch feature. This cuts off all internet traffic and protects your IP address and other secure information from detection. This feature is essential because your IP address can be collected within seconds of it being revealed to an outside source.

One of our favorite things about this VPN is that they offer a Starter Plan so you can test the VPN out without making a commitment. With the Starter Plan, you get up to 5GB of secure data per device per month for free. You don’t even need to sign up for an account.

The next option is the Individual Plan, which gives you unlimited data transfers across five devices for either $8.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Speedify accepts major credit cards and debit cards, Amazon Pay and PayPal.

One of the major downsides of Speedify is that you cannot use Netflix with it. This is because Netflix content is licensed per region which led to them barring the use of proxy servers.

Speedify allows torrenting, but only on some servers, so we would advise to check whether there’s a P2P server near you before investing. Speedify is registered in the US and currently has servers in nearly 30 countries (a decent figure). Unfortunately for some users, following the tightening of VPN control measures, Speedify has not been available in China or Russia.

If, for any reason, you need to reach out to the customer support team at Speedify, you can do so via email or social media. The Knowledge Base is another platform you can use to search for information before emailing the support team. There is no live chat so you may find yourself waiting for a few days.

We have found that Speedify has a very intuitive and user-friendly interface that’s similar across mobile and desktop versions. The service is available through the use of custom iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac apps.

Let’s get into a more detailed look at each of these in our Speedify VPN review.

Is Speedify VPN safe to use?

As we mentioned in the Overview, Speedify VPN uses the AES-256-GCM and ChaCha ciphers to ensure data protection. AES-256-GCM is used in most cases, while ChaCha 256-Bit is used for the performance advantage it gives on processors that don’t have hardware AES support (essentially, older mobile devices).

For users who aren’t concerned with privacy, it is possible to disable encryption and take advantage of the speed improvement.

One downside on the privacy front is that Speedify is based in the United States. The US, as a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, is known for carrying out mass government surveillance, as well as corporate surveillance.

If you check out the Privacy Policy page (as we did for this Speedify VPN review), the first thing you see is the following in big bold letters; “TL;DR: We DO NOT log what you do or what sites you visit through the Speedify service”. Since nothing is TL for us to R, we know that they do log a bunch of other things though, so…

Speedify VPN DNS leak protection and kill switch

Smartphone and PC users can utilize the universal Speedify VPN UI app to get internet access. The Windows app used to offer users a feature known as the “Super Secure Mode,” which was found under Settings->Privacy.

The Super Secure Mode was a combination of the Internet Kill Switch and DNS leak protection. Newer versions of Speedify no longer offer the Super Secure Mode, which was separated into its separate parts (DNS leak protection and kill switch) instead. The DNS leak protection helps prevent Windows from executing DNS requests outside the VPN tunnel. This eliminates, or at least greatly diminishes, the risk of leaking DNS queries to your ISP.

Although DNS leak protection is not available as a feature on Android and iOS, this isn’t a reason to worry too much. The need for this feature on Windows is a reflection of the issues this OS has with DNS leaks. Both Android and iOS have inbuilt DNS leak protection, but only the Windows version requires a separate feature.

The kill switch is also available on smartphones: iOS users will find it under Settings->Privacy, whereas Android users will have to use the native Always On VPN feature.

Speed & Performance

Speedify VPN operates a relatively small network with around 200 servers across 28 countries. The majority of these servers are in Europe and North America. Because of this, users in Asia and Africa may not enjoy the same speeds as their counterparts in Europe and North America.

When using the VPN, users can choose which server they want to connect to based on the city or country, or, alternatively, you can ask it to choose the fastest server available. As mentioned above, there are also options for servers that allow P2P transfers.

For our Speedify VPN review, we used an iPhone 6 to run speed tests and see the difference between just a Wi-Fi connection versus a combined 4G and Wi-Fi connection.  After a series of tests, we found that the combined speed was 70% higher than the Wi-Fi speed.

Speedify’s channel-bonding feature is great for a lot of uses, not least of which is online gaming. It not only increases the connection speed, but also helps make the connection more stable by fighting packet loss.

Network switching

One of the most annoying things, when you’re using your Wi-Fi network, is when it suddenly drops and interrupts the music or video you had previously been enjoying. This occurs when you move to an area where the Wi-Fi signal is weak. When this occurs, it takes a few seconds for your mobile data to kick in, which is why there ends up being an interruption.

Working on this Speedify VPN review we found switching between servers is very easy. Not only that, but you can do so without dropping your connection. That’s because of a feature called “Failover Protection” – it keeps you connected to the internet via your mobile data network until the Wi-Fi network becomes available.

Server connections

There are times when a user will want to connect to servers in a particular location or country. The app is set up to connect to the nearest geographical server since this will give the fastest connection. Of course, one of the reasons for having a VPN in the first place is to access region-locked content which requires connecting to a server in said region.

Changing your server couldn’t be simpler. When you open the VPN’s interface, whether you’re on mobile or desktop, look for the panel that says “Connected” and shows the location of the server. Click anywhere in that panel and you’ll be brought to a drop-down menu. When you scroll down, you’ll be given the option to connect to the fastest server, a torrent-friendly server or to choose by country and the city.

How to download & install Speedify VPN

Downloading and installing this VPN could not be any easier. We went through the process for this Speedify VPN review; all you have to do is:

• Visit their download page
• Select your operating system
• Launch the app and follow the instructions to set it up

Speedify’s website is great because it’s organized with both newbies and seasoned tech pros in mind. When you load their main page, you’re presented with a quick overview of the product and two big buttons with the options to either “Download” or “Learn More”.

Speedify is easy to download and install even for users who are new to VPNs. Furthermore, with a free 5GB Starter Plan, low-level users will never need to delve deeper into the platform if they don’t want to.

How to use Speedify VPN

As we’ve just said, getting started with this VPN is very easy. Again, since the app provides a recommended server, you don’t need any technical skills to set it up. On the other hand, if you know you want to download torrents or get access to region-blocked content, you can play around with it and test the speed on a few different servers.

Once you’ve done this, you’re all set for your first 5GB per month. You can monitor this usage at any time by click on the right-facing arrow on the Speed panel. This will bring you to a split panel where you’ll find your daily and monthly usage of the app.

For heavier users, you’ll want to upgrade to the unlimited data package so you need to invest in the Personal Plan. In order to do so, you’ll need to create an account and choose whether you want to pay monthly or annually.

Apps & Extensions

We haven’t tried all the software for this Speedify VPN review, but it has a fairly comprehensive set of applications and extensions. There are apps available for iOS and Android in their respective stores. Additionally, you can download it for your Windows or Mac computer. Unfortunately, Speedify does not support Linux, nor will it work with your router.

System Requirements for Speedify VPN:

• Windows 7+
• MacOS 10.10+
• iOS 9.0+
• Android 4.4 Kitkat+

Along with these apps, you can also use Speedify with both Kodi and Amazon Fire TV (Fire Stick). However, it is currently not available on smart TVs or gaming consoles.

Although installation on Amazon Fire TV is not as straightforward as installing the VPN on your phone or computer, the Speedify Customer Service Knowledge Base offers an article that gives step-by-step instructions.

In fact, the entire Speedify Knowledge Base is well set out. The articles are a mix of updates about the software, answers to frequently asked questions, and news about the industry.

Speedify VPN for Netflix

We have mostly bad news when it comes to using Speedify and Netflix. According to Speedify’s website, Netflix doesn’t allow you to stream movies while connected through the VPN.

It does, however, allow you to see the content based on the region that you have the VPN set to. For this Speedify VPN review, we were able to see what’s available on the US Netflix but then when we tried to play our favourite episode of Parks & Recreation, it gave us that frustrating “You seem to be using a proxy” error message.

Speedify VPN for Torrenting

On the other hand, if you’re someone who likes to torrent and download movies and TV shows, then you’ll be in luck with Speedify. For legal reasons, torrenting and other P2P is available only on some servers.

To set up the VPN for torrenting, change the server from “Fastest Server” to “Torrent Friendly Server” and you’re good to go. If you’re using this option, you’ll definitely want to upgrade to the unlimited paid membership.

Is it good for users in China?

Unfortunately, the VPN is difficult to use in China. In 2017, both China issued a ban on most private VPN software. As a result, it will be hard to get the app and it’s unlikely to be very reliable. There are a lot of good options for users in restricted countries, but Speedify VPN is simply not one of them.

Support

Speedify VPN offers a few different options to turn to in terms of customer support. Firstly, users will want to review the Speedify Knowledge Base which offers a comprehensive list of articles answering the most frequently asked questions.

We found that the Knowledge Base is easy to navigate – there’s a search bar and suggested articles to help you find the answer to your question.

If, however, you have a more complex or unique problem, you’ll need to reach out to them via email (using the Contact form on their website). Considering many other VPNs offer a live-chat customer service option, we weren’t too impressed to receive an autoresponse with their office hours.

Our experience when writing this Speedify VPN review has been that response time to these emails seems to depend on the inquiry, with simple questions answered within an hour (during business hours, of course) and more complex questions remaining unanswered for a day or two. We hope to see Speedify add a live-chat feature as their user base continues to expand.

Pricing

Speedify has kept things simple with three membership tiers, all of which include the standard options we’ve covered in this article. There are two personal membership plans and one business membership option.

Starter Plan – Free

• Limited to 5GB per month
• Maximum 1 device

Individual Plans:

• $9.99/month;
• $5.99/month for the 1 year plan;
• $3.99/month for the 2 year plan;
• $2.99/month for the 3 year plan.

• Unlimited data
• Maximum 5 devices

Families Plans:

• $14.95/month 
• $8.95/month for the 1 year plan;
• $6/month for the 2 year plan;
• $4.5/month for the 3 year plan.

• Admin dashboard
• Unlimited data

Team Plan – $9.99/month or $5.99/month for the 1 year plan per user

• Pay per user
• Unlimited data
• Additional corporate features including Centralized Account Management, Teams Management API and URL API for Mobile Apps
• Dedicated Team Server Option for $75/month or $900/year

All paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. We’ll admit to not having tried it for this Speedify VPN review, but the word on the street is there are no issues.

Conclusion of our Speedify VPN review

Our biggest complaints against Speedify are that it’s registered in the US and that it doesn’t offer support for Netflix. From a security standpoint, ChaCha 256-bit and AES-256 encryption, the kill switch and DNS leak protection (on Windows and Mac) ensure that your information stays secure.

Speedify’s channel-bonding technology is a unique feature that sets it apart from the competition. Moreover free service has been increased from a measly 1GB to 5GB and at less than USD $5 (on an annual plan), it’s very affordable as well.