VPN Monster Review

VPN Monster is not much to look at

Unlimited Free VPN Monster (that’s the full name) is a service created by Autumn Breeze 2018. We weren’t surprised to find out nothing about this company with its strange name, but our previous research on VPN ownership uncovered that it belongs to Innovative Connecting Pte. Limited, together with nine more mobile products. The company is based in Singapore, which is known as a partner of the 5 Eyes surveillance alliance.

Below is our in-depth VPN Monster review in case you want to know all the reasons behind the horrendous score we gave this tool. If you don’t want to waste time, simply select one of the best VPNs in 2024 or go with the best option: NordVPN.

Security features

VPN Monster has the following security features:

• Unspecified encryption
• OpenVPN protocol (TCP & UDP)

VPN Monster can provide an encrypted connection through the popular OpenVPN protocol. Unfortunately, they don’t talk much about the type of encryption they use, so it’s hard to judge just how secure the service actually is.

One thing for sure is that the creators didn’t bother to add a kill switch. Luckily, Android users can turn on the Always on VPN function and be safe in case of a malfunction.

The situation with leak protection is worse. VPN Monster doesn’t advertise any means of avoiding IP and DNS leaks, and while our test has shown that it doesn’t leak, we’d be happy if some pro-active measures were taken to keep it this way.

Does VPN Monster keep logs?

The privacy policy of VPN Monster states that the company behind it is in Singapore, which is known for partnering with the 5 Eyes members. But the official Facebook page states the company is “in HongKong and in the tech industry.” Whichever the case, it would mean that your data is closer to the government’s hand than you’d like it to be, even though there are no data retention laws in both Singapore and Hong Kong.

The company is very upfront about their privacy policy and information collection habits. They don’t collect activity logs, including browsing history, traffic destination, data content, or DNS queries. VPN Monster also doesn’t store connection logs that would include your IP, timestamp, or session duration.

The bare minimum that this service collects includes:

• Which Apps and versions you have activated
• If a VPN connection was successful (without a timestamp)
• Diagnostic information if and how a VPN connection failed
• Speed test data
• Crash reports (anonymized)
• To which country from which country you connect (without IPs included)
• A total sum of data transferred by each user
• Minimal usage statistics and anonymized analytics data (if you permit)

So, apparently, the information collected is mainly to ensure proper service. You shouldn’t have to worry about your privacy too much when using VPN Monster, but the lack of security features keeps us from recommending it.

Speed and performance

Even the safest VPN is rendered useless if the speed drop-off is too big. After all, there’s no fun in watching a stuttering live show in SD or keep downloading the same file for the second night using P2P. In this chapter, we’ll take a look at VPN Monster’s capabilities to perform.

Server coverage

VPN Monster has 26 server locations in 11 countries. That’s a very poor server coverage, considering that the free version gives only eight server locations in 7 countries. Even if a company owns all of its servers and makes sure they are working at full capacity, there’s simply too few of them to give decent speeds to every user around the globe.

Speed test results

We’ve made our test from Europe, with a baseline speed as follows:

Then we’ve checked the speed in a nearby location to see what the drop-off is when the distance is not that much of a factor.

• Download: 24 Mbps
• Upload: 37 Mbps

And here are the results from different continents with a drop-off percentage from the nearby-location’s speed.

The United Kingdom

• Download: 15 Mbps (drop-off 37%)
• Upload: 31 Mbps (drop-off 16%)

The United States

• Download: 12 Mbps (drop-off 50%)
• Upload: 27 Mbps (drop-off 27%)

Singapore

• Download: 11 Mbps (drop-off 54%)
• Upload: 15 Mbps (drop-off 60%)

Overall, we were surprised by the low latency and above-average speeds that VPN Monster offered us. The connection times were also pretty fast, aside from the occasional video ads that you need to watch before changing the server.

Ease of use and multiplatform support

This is a mobile VPN that works on Android only. There is no sign that would tell about VPN Monster adding an iOS or any other app in the future.

The app is available on the Google Play store and is extremely easy to download and install. Your smartphone will handle all the technical rigamarole for you – all you need to do is hit the Install button.

Most users will probably want to try the free version before spending on VPN Monster which is reluctant to give it away, offering the VIP with a 7-day money-back guarantee. Choosing Use free with ads on another screen will finally give it to you.

Using VPN Monster is easy. Simply hit the big circular button to start connecting. In case of success, the little monster that looks like a horrid cross between Jake the Dog and Fin the Human from Adventure Time will get a big smile on his face, letting you know that now you can browse safely.

The other two buttons are for Settings and Server locations. Neither of the two offers much to select or tweak.

The one Setting (written in singular) offers to toggle Notifications and read About us. Hitting the button on the right gives you VIP and Free server options. Looking at the VIP section shouldn’t get the Free version users too jealous because upgrading from 7 to 11 countries is hardly anyone’s VPN daydream.

Changing a server might be a bit counter-intuitive because the first click will prepare an ad and do nothing more. Going back to the Main menu and clicking the Connect button will offer you the old server. The trick here is to click on the preferred country twice after which you will get an ad and a location switch.

Unblocking Netflix and other streaming platforms

VPN Monster is incapable of unblocking Netflix. We’ve tested different libraries across the continents, and the result was the same. But in the end, what’s the use of having Netflix with VPN Monster if it doesn’t have any apps other than the one for Android?

If you’re serious about streaming, we advise taking a look at our list of the best VPNs for Netflix.

P2P and torrenting

The app is not useful for hiding P2P file sharing activity and thus is not effective for torrenting. While the speeds would be enough, the fact that it lacks a kill switch and is located in Singapore gives us doubts big enough to not recommend VPN Monster.

We suggest choosing one from the best P2P VPNs instead.

Online censorship in China and elsewhere

Since this is a mobile-only VPN service, and the app is only available on Google Play, it is unfortunately not available in China. The company actually warns users about this on their page, noting that the app is disabled in the Chinese app store.

You still might be able to download an unofficial version of the app from a third-party website, but it is unlikely that the app will connect from China. Even if it did, using it is ill-advised due to the lack of a stealth protocol and a kill switch.

Customer support

Since the company offers its services in the form of an Android app, its support avenues are relatively limited. You can only really contact the support team through email, or by posting on their social media pages.

Our questions we had about their service went unanswered for an extended period of time, although it’s possible that the company prioritizes actual support needs.

Pricing

VPN Monster has a free version and a paid version for $14.05.

The paid option comes with a 7-day money back guarantee which should be enough to see if you’re ready to pay for this Android app. And since it’s available on Google Play only, your payment options are limited to in-app purchases.

The price is way too high, knowing that you’re paying for an Android app that doesn’t offer multiple simultaneous connections and lacks many other features that are readily available even for much less money. Looking at VPN Monster’s website or Facebook activity should give you enough clue about the general direction of this service.

Bottom line

We cannot recommend VPN Monster. Its paid version is outrageously pricey and the ad-ridden free version, while offering decent speeds, lacks essential security features, such as a kill switch. The other limitations in terms of customizability and device support are all very huge drawbacks even for a free version.

The lack of transparency is also a huge drawback. It’s hard to get gung-ho about a VPN service when you have no idea whether it’s in Singapore or Hong Kong and what kind of encryption it uses. If you’re the type that isn’t picky about the privacy, and you just need a simple, free solution for safeguarding your phone while you browse using public wifi, then this may be the VPN for you.

If your requirements are more stringent, however, it’s definitely a good idea to start looking elsewhere, like in the list of best VPN services.