VPN Proxy Master Review
A free VPN for mobile, VPN Proxy Master seems good on paper but has more bad than good: no customer support, no information on protocols and logging, and it’s also pretty slow and unreliable.
One of the most popular free VPN downloads for smartphones, VPN Proxy Master scores well on ease of use but is disturbingly poor when it comes to security. So there’s no reason to give this provider anything but a failing grade.
If you’re looking for online protection, avoid VPN Proxy Master.
Those who need the security and privacy that a reliable VPN offers, including torrenting protection, and unblocking streaming platforms, should choose from our best overall VPNs instead.
Is VPN Proxy Master safe?
Here are the basic security features you’ll encounter with VPN Proxy Master:
- Military-grade encryption
- Double VPN (multi-hop)
- Zero-logs policy
- Auto-detection of public wifi connections
At first glance, those features look fine, especially for a “totally free” VPN. Much of the time, smartphone VPNs offer very limited encryption, and double VPN is a very unusual (and welcome) addition. So credit to Proxy Master for including it. However, what’s missing here?
For one thing, there’s no mention of protocols, so we don’t know for sure how secure your VPN tunnels will be. There’s nothing about how the VPN protects against WebRTC, IPv6, and DNS leaks, and there’s no kill switch. Those are significant omissions that we shouldn’t overlook when answering the question is VPN Proxy Master safe?
Nevertheless, security is a decent start, and a good foundation to build a competitive free smartphone VPN.
Does VPN Proxy Master keep logs?
Short answer: probably.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to prove whether the VPN keeps logs, as the developers haven’t decided to include a privacy statement on the download site or the iTunes and Google Play listings. That’s a huge omission that should raise suspicions.
Even worse, little research indicates that the VPN was developed by a Singapore-based company called Innovative Connecting. IC isn’t a specialist VPN provider. Instead, business listings describe its specialty as “data analytics, processing, and related activities.” So, it’s a digital marketing operation, with all that entails – including collecting customer data to sell to third parties.
The Singapore jurisdiction may not be a huge red flag. The country isn’t known for intelligence sharing with the USA, but it is a relatively repressive place when it comes to digital censorship. So there are some worries there are as well. Overall, things aren’t looking good.
Apps and extensions
While ease of use can’t rescue an insecure and slow VPN, it might help users with very relaxed attitudes towards privacy who need a lightweight smartphone VPN. So here’s a list of the platforms that VPN Proxy Master currently supports:
- Android
- iPhone
- macOS
So there’s no service for PC, but there is one for Mac users – a very strange marketing decision. The Mac version is available as a direct download from the VPN’s website, while smartphone versions can be obtained from the iTunes Store or Google Play.
Unblocking Netflix and other streaming platforms
Sadly, unblocking isn’t an area where VPN Proxy Master will excite VPN downloaders. We had no luck when trying to work around Netflix geo-blocking systems, and the situation was no different regarding Hulu.
We even had difficulties beating the less sophisticated BBC iPlayer geo-restriction barriers. We could beat YouTube filters very reliably, which is handy, but overall there are far better options for streamers who want to maximize their TV show and movie options.
Check out our list of Best VPNs for Netflix
Customer support
VPN Proxy Master is pretty typical of free smartphone VPNs, in offering very limited customer support options. Here are the possible ways to get in touch with support:
- The official Facebook page (very rarely updated)
- Indirectly via the developer or payment portals
Sadly, that’s it. There’s no facility for live chat or phone support. Users can’t engage with their peers in forums, and there’s not even an FAQ to deal with basic queries. That’s utterly inadequate from a tool that claims to safeguard user privacy and a major reason why we can’t recommend this service.
Pricing
As we stated from the outset of this VPN Proxy Master review, this is a free smartphone VPN. However, that’s actually half true. As with many smartphone providers, users will find that they have the option of upgrading to a premium service when they have the app running. That’s a sly business strategy, but not surprising given the lack of transparency elsewhere.
When you do run the app, the following price points apply:
- Monthly: $11.99
- 3-month: $9.90/month
- 6-month: $8.83/month
- Annual: $5.83/month
As you can see, the monthly price is extremely high, and not worth bothering with. You can find much cheaper VPNs elsewhere with far better performance. The annual fee isn’t too bad, but more than companies like NordVPN – so why choose the less reputable supplier? There’s nothing here to entice users to buy.
However, the free version is the core of this product. So most users won’t feel the need to deal with payment methods or the company’s refund policy (which was nowhere to be seen). We also couldn’t find any details about a money-back guarantee, which all good VPNs should offer. More reasons to stay well clear.
Bottom line
The search for a safe and reliable free smartphone VPN continues. VPN Proxy Master gets a few things right. It offers genuine encryption and features like Double VPN, and it’s very easy to use on iPhones and Android phones.
But this is a case where the bad certainly outweighs the good. There’s no information about logging or protocols, connection speeds are slow, beating streaming blocks isn’t on the cards, customer support is non-existent, and the service is provided by a marketing company. So why would you use it?
The answer is – you shouldn’t. Instead, we recommend our #1 VPN provider in NordVPN, now 74% off.
GOOD
- Military-grade encryption
- Double VPN
- Easy to use
- Free version
BAD
- No info about protocols
- No info about logging
- Slow and unreliable
- Doesn't unblock Netflix
- No customer support
- Expensive paid packages
- No Kill Switch