Unlocator Review

The internet is becoming a more and more complex place as we venture further into the information age. Solutions that kept us safe in the past are falling behind the practical applications and threats from new forms of software and new methods of attack. As the information age evolves, so too must our technology, and how we adapt to it.

Unlocator is a proxy service designed to safely customize your apparent location, allowing you to unblock region-specific content on streaming services, or access streaming services that are unavailable in your area. The service includes functionality for connecting from multiple regions, and includes a smart VPN solution for bypassing DNS hijacking and using DNS over mobile connections.

In order to get a well-rounded idea of what Unlocator can do for you, we’ve aggregated some of the most relevant information, and have broken it down into a few easy-to-understand categories.

Is Unlocator safe?

There are a few things we need to consider when evaluating the safety features of an encrypted proxy. The most important factor is the encryption standards used by the service. Although the Unlocator service doesn’t always employ encryption, the VPN solutions and Smart DNS options included can allow users to unblock content by working through an encrypted VPN. In Unlocator’s case, the military-grade AES 256 encryption paired with secure L2TP, IKEv2, and OpenVPN protocols is an industry-standard protection solution. While Unlocator offers the “obsolete” PPTP and IKEv1 protocols as well, users should skip those in favor of the former, more secure options.

The one drawback of this is that this solution only allows users to connect through a single device at a time. Other things to consider for safety are the legal ramifications and privacy policy. The parent company is based in Denmark, which is a decent jurisdiction for a VPN solution. They don’t have any strict anti-privacy laws, but Denmark is part of the Fourteen Eyes intelligence alliance.

For privacy, it’s important to check the company’s policy on logging and sharing user data. Unlocator’s privacy policy notes extensive collection of user data in a wide range of categories, and usage logs are kept for 24 hours. This isn’t the best privacy policy for a proxy service, but it’s not the worst either.

Speed & performance

The speed of the Smart VPN function can be kind of erratic. Your results will ultimately depend on your location, your internet connection, your hardware and lots of other things. That being said, we were able to perform a speed test to see if our connection was affected at all by using Unlocator.

First off is our baseline test:

As you can see, this is nothing special, and will depend on where you are and which services you are using. Next up is the speed text after configuring and employing an Unlocator connection:

As you can see, our download speed actually went up. This is a huge thing for proxy solutions, since they tend to slow down connections considerably.

How to download and install Unlocator

Unlocator provides a wide range of services that all require their own configurations and considerations. That being said, the basic service employs an internet configuration that allows users to connect through custom DNS information. This is the basic function that Unlocator provides, and it is actually easier to set up than it sounds.

There isn’t actually anything you will have to download to access Unlocator. You will simply have to reconfigure some network settings and register an account on the website in order to connect and access your proxy settings. This process is similar for most proxy services, but Unlocator actually provides a comprehensive connection tutorial for a wide variety of platforms.

Apps & extensions

Since the service doesn’t require you to download proprietary software and is set up through a simple reconfiguration and registration, it can actually provide support for a wide range of devices. The most notable systems that are supported are Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. There are also a wide range of routers, smart TVs, and gaming consoles that are supported.

Netflix & torrenting

Unlocator is not very effective for unblocking Netflix. It is, however, effective for unblocking a host of other streaming services.

For torrenting, it’s important to note that this proxy solution doesn’t provide certain protections and encryptions that a VPN would, and even the VPN solution provided by Unlocator is likely less secure than some other alternatives. Torrenting is technically allowed by their ToS, but users may want to exercise caution, or use a more secure alternative. The speed is one area where this client may be good for torrenting, but the lack of advanced features makes it a bit iffy.

What about users in China?

The Chinese government employs an extremely powerful suite of censorship measures to keep the information in their country heavily controlled. Unfortunately, since Unlocator lacks many of the advanced security features that help get through China’s Great Firewall, it is not particularly effective or safe for usage inside of China.

Support: Unlocator live chat, email, and knowledge base

Unlocator provides support through a live chat, as well as a sizable knowledge base included on their website. The information on the knowledge base is very pertinent and presented in an easy-to-understand format that should help anybody with minor-to-intermediate issues with the service. There’s also include a ticket system for contacting their support team directly.

Although the support team itself seems competent, it would be nice to have a live chat feature for contacting them. The knowledge base is extensive, but the ticket system can be slow, and doesn’t do much to make the customer feel attended to.

Pricing: is Unlocator a good deal?

As you can see, Unlocator’s prices for both the Smart DNS plan and the Smart DNS+VPN bundle are fairly average and the savings increase for longer commitment periods. All of the plans can be canceled at any time and include a 30-day free trial. It’s nice to see a company that offers a generous money-back guarantee for their services, since that can alleviate some of the anxiety of putting money down.

Conclusion

Overall, Unlocator is a relatively effective VPN/proxy solution for accessing streaming services (except Netflix). Although it does not provide the same high standard of protection that top-tier privacy solutions do, it does have a comprehensive knowledge base and a good amount of transparency.

If you’re looking for a solution with the best protection on the market, then Unlocator may fall short for you.