Their logo has a medieval knight in the middle, so noble and stern. But can we say the same for VPN Master?
This could go two ways. Either they can be that dependable, heroic knight who serves others, or they can be a relic of the past, forgotten by the majority of modern society.
Today, we’re here to tell you where they fall.
VPN Master Pros
Payment Methods: Bitcoin welcome
Users may pay through a credit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin. It’s cool that they accept Bitcoin, but you’re limited only to these three options. They don’t accept gift cards or other online payment systems.
VPN Master is also equipped with protection to secure your payment from any risks of cyber attacks. It makes us wonder if it’s just as active as their customer support.
IP and DNS Leak Test: All good here
We tested servers located in the following regions: France, Germany, New York.
For this portion, we were fortunate enough to have the servers work until we were done with the batch of IP and DNS leak tests.
As you can see, VPN Master passed our leak test.
Same thing with our DNS leak tests. All options were linked to OpenDNS, ensuring your privacy.
VPN Master Neutral Points
Torrenting Policy: Try it in Europe
According to VPN Master’s knowledge base, their American servers don’t support torrenting. Rather, they point you gently towards the European servers.
While they don’t say torrenting isn’t allowed, we don’t feel that this VPN would be the best choice for torrenting.
Pricing & Plans: No difference between plans
You can get VPN Master on a month-to-month basis for $7.95 per month, or for 3 months for $5.95 per month. There’s also a yearly plan that brings down the cost even more to $3.95.
Before you think this is cheap, consider that there’s only one plan in terms of what they offer. That is, whichever pricing you go with, you’re still getting the same features: unlimited bandwidth, the same servers, and instant setup. Obviously, this last feature doesn’t mean anything, only that you can start using the VPN service right away. The fact that they’ve included this as a selling point suggests that they really don’t have many features to speak of.
Yet another minus is that they don’t offer free trials and only offer a 24-hour money-back guarantee. Still, it’s better than nothing.
Refund policy: 24-hour money-back guarantee
24 hours may not really be enough time to test everything to your heart’s content. Nonetheless, you have a full day to change your mind before settling with this VPN.
Just remember that if you decide to go with this option, be careful to ask for your money back ASAP. It’s all too easy to forget to do something like in such a short period of time.
You’ll probably find that it’s a tricky VPN that’s very slow. So maybe 24 hours is enough to test it out after all.
Device Compatibility: Windows and Android-friendly (and older versions of Mac & iOS)
When you sign up, you’ll get an email with download links for setup guides. Immediate downloads are available for Windows, Android, and OpenVPN.
MacOS, iOS, and Linux users have to connect their devices manually.
Users can only connect one device per account.
A quick look at their FAQs reveals that VPN Master is compatible with Mac OS X Leopard. But as this operating system was released way back in 2007, we’re not sure if it would work with other newer Mac systems. The same probably goes for iOS.
Sign-Up Process: Email download
During checkout, you’ll need to provide your personal information like your billing address.
After that, VPN Master will send an email that contains the download links and account information.
It should be noted that the username and password you put in for your account are not the same credentials you’ll enter in the software. For that, they auto-generate a password and include it in the sign-up email.
VPN Master Cons
Servers and Locations: North America and Europe Only
VPN Master offers 25 servers in 14 countries located in North America and Europe. This is definitely not a lot.
10 of these servers are in the United States, but they don’t specify which state they’re in. The same goes for the United Kingdom and Germany, which both have 2 servers each.
VPN Speed and Performance: Error, not working
We tested a server in France. Upon trying to do a speed test, we were met with a pop-up window informing us that VPN Master has stopped working. No explanation was given for the error. We had no choice but to shut it down.
It should also be noted that we had to wait a really long time for the server to connect before we got this error message. As dependable as a knight? That’ll be a no.
Netflix Test: Don’t believe it for a second
If you go on VPN Master’s website, you’ll see a banner with a bold statement that the VPN actively fights censorship, accompanied by another banner claiming to unblock streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.
Of course, we checked if their claim was true.
…
Do you hear that?
It’s the sound of empty space. Otherwise known as the black screen of death.
Yup, as a rule, don’t trust anything that looks like a PowerPoint presentation whipped up in the 90s. No matter how many brand logos they put in the banner, our test proved that none of the geo-restricted streaming sites are accessible through VPN Master.
Product Interface: Website and VPN client are outdated
The tabs on their website make it easy for users to access their accounts and support.
Their website looks fine. It looks like an average website before you notice the little things like their broken customer support.
Overall, VPN Master’s website is easy to navigate, but it’s difficult not to notice the outdatedness of it all.
You might also notice a typo or maybe even a premonition if you’re superstitious.
It’s safe to say that their website needs to be updated because some still judge the book by its cover.
Obviously you’ve seen the VPN client itself above as well. It’s not pretty.
Customer Support: One word… dead
At this point, we were already pretty tired of the list of things VPN Master claims. So when we saw that they had 24/7 customer support (mis-written as 7/24 customer support), with live chat, phone, and email, we didn’t expect a lot.
Lo and behold, clicking on the Support tab led to this result:
Since the link leads to a Zendesk page, it’s likely they had customer support through Zendesk at one point. It’s clearly been discontinued since.
As for phone and email support, the website says you can call them at 914-363-2825 or email them at support@vpnmaster.com.
But when we tried sending them an email, their inactive status was confirmed.
Looks like they’re dead, folks!
Logging Policy: Nothing about it on their Privacy Policy
VPN Master’s Privacy Policy says that they may collect personal information from users. The document was last updated in 2015.
The variety of information they collect through their website includes name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and credit card information. They do note that users can submit this information on a voluntary basis and that they can browse VPN Master’s website anonymously.
This is all pretty standard when it comes to paid VPNs. The gathered data is used to improve customer service and process payments. They may also use this to send periodic emails or run their promotions.
What’s concerning is that there’s absolutely no information related to their logging policy. While they note that they don’t share or sell personal information to third parties, this information seems to be related to website use only.
Encryption and Protocols: 128-bit and PPTP
Military grade security is not in the equation with VPN Master. But before you close the tab and throw away all your prospects with VPN Master, ask yourself: Is 128-bit encryption really that bad?
The answer is, it’s not as bad as you think it is. It’s still a very stable encryption. Windows users will also enjoy strong desktop support. Logically, it’s still close to impossible to crack this code.
128-bit or PPTP is often underestimated, but it will still prevent cyber attackers from tapping into your stuff.
Still, if you really think you need that extra protection, it’s not hard to find other VPNs with stronger encryption methods.
As for protocols, this is probably the main reason to stay away from VPN Master. They seem to be stuck on PPTP (point-to-point tunneling protocol), which is an older protocol that has major security issues. So unless you’re not concerned about security at all, it’s game over.
Kill Switch: No!
VPN Master does not have a kill switch. If you’re still reading and expected something different… we don’t know what to tell you.
VPN Master as a Business
Originally, VPN Master, Inc. was a proxy service called Proxylord.com based in Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded in 2002 by Eylem Culculoglu. Its biggest market was China. In 2008, it started to offer VPN services.
As of 2011, the company was incorporated in the U.S.
Jurisdiction
VPN Master is currently registered in Wilmington, DE. This makes it part of the Five Eyes Alliance.
So, yes, users still risk their data being accessed to some extent.
VPN Master: Conclusion
VPN Master may have been at the top of their game before, but it seems like they’re in a decline.
The outdated, buggy website indicates that they’re not actively developing their VPN service. They’re barely alive at this point.
Users may find their encryption weak and their download process is difficult. Their customer support has been questionably inactive. Since they’re still taking payments from users, the least they can do is provide some semblance of support. That’s not the case here.
Their servers are also unreliable. The connection process takes too long, which makes us think if the server is actually down. It may take up too much of your golden time to be considered worthy of your hard-earned money.
Maybe the VPN worked for Netflix in the past, but that’s certainly not true today. Even if you could somehow access Netflix, it would be difficult to watch any shows with their slow speeds.
Clearly, there are other up-to-date VPNs that offer better features than VPN Master, with a functioning customer support system and an email address that actually works.
Since continuous development and communication is key for any software, we’re going to stay far away from VPN Master unless they come back in full force with an updated product.
So long, knight in rusty armor.
Leave a Reply