FastestVPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

FastestVPN Is Actually Quite Slow

Not only does FastestVPN not live up to its high-speed claims, but it may also be one of the slowest VPNs I have ever tested. The company is quite new and has only about 100 servers, so I did expect some slowdowns and inconsistent connections. What I did not expect is a speed reduction of 96% from my baseline ISP speeds. Not only did the reduction make streaming difficult on most servers, but speeds were also too slow for browsing.

Speed Test Results

While connected to FastestVPN, I had an average download speed of around 3Mbps, a whopping 97% decrease from my baseline speed. My speed before connecting to FastestVPN was 91.01Mbps downloads, 14.06Mbps uploads, and a ping time of 32ms. As soon as I established a baseline, I proceeded to test the speeds of 4 server locations – the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan.

While connected, the highest speed I recorded was 4.31Mbps, which is hardly fast enough for standard-definition streaming. And with ping speeds up to 757ms, online gaming just isn’t an option. I expected better performance on servers closer to me, but there didn’t seem to be any difference in speeds based on distance.

FastestVPN offers a Smart Connect feature that automatically connects you to the fastest server available based on your location. However, when I tried it out, I noticed a significant decrease in download speed, dropping from 91.01Mbps to just 3.58Mbps – a staggering 96% decrease!

On the whole, FastestVPNs speeds were too slow for reliable streaming, gaming, and in some cases, browsing. If you’re looking for super-fast connection speeds, I suggest using ExpressVPN. While connected, I usually forget that I’m using a VPN at all and use it for everything from streaming to gaming.

Server Network — Small Server Network in a Handful of Countries

FastestVPN is a relatively young company, and as expected, its server network is limited. I was taken aback by the lack of specificity regarding the number of servers on the company’s website. While they assert their presence in 39 countries across 55 locations, they do not provide any details on those.

I found that the United States currently boasts the highest number of server locations, totaling 15. Meanwhile, Europe exhibits exceptional coverage, with a total of 30 server locations. However, in the continent of Asia, FastestVPN’s server count is limited to a mere seven, with only three servers present in South America, and none to be found on the African continent. Surprisingly, the provider offers servers in regions known for mandatory data retention laws, such as Russia and India.

Additionally, FastestVPN passed my IP, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests. All my tests showed the IP address of the FastestVPN server I was connected to at the time, and my own details were kept hidden. Overall, I thought that FastestVPN’s security features promised more than it could deliver.

Privacy — Strict No-Logs Policy

FastestVPN’s privacy policy unequivocally affirms its commitment to maintaining user privacy by implementing a stringent no-logs policy. This means that it does not keep any records of your internet activity, browsing history, connection timestamps, or IP addresses. This is particularly important for privacy-conscious individuals who do not wish to have their online behavior tracked or monitored. Even if law enforcement authorities request user information, there is no data to disclose, as none is stored by FastestVPN.

To provide you with the utmost privacy, FastestVPN only stores your email and payment details for account creation purposes. You can also opt for generating a new email address that doesn’t contain any personal information or purchase the VPN using Bitcoin or other digital currencies if you prefer to remain completely anonymous.

I was able to confirm that FastestVPN’s servers are designed to use only RAM, which allows for the quick and complete erasure of your activity report once you disconnect. This ensures that your privacy and security are fully protected.

The VPN is headquartered in the Cayman Islands, a location that’s great for protecting your privacy. This is because the company is not under the watchful eye of the countries that make up the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes alliance, and the Cayman Islands does not have any laws that require companies to store your personal data.

Torrenting — P2P Is Supported, but FastestVPN Is Vague About the Details

FastestVPN’s website claims that their service allows for peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing on nearly all of their servers, but they do not specify which ones are exempt. They do advise against using their servers in the United States, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore for torrenting.

FastestVPN may seem like a good choice for torrenting due to its privacy features such as a no-logs policy, strong encryption, and a headquarters located in the privacy-friendly Cayman Islands. However, the reality is that FastestVPN’s speed is consistently slow and its servers are unreliable, which can lead to a frustrating torrenting experience.

ExpressVPN is a more reliable and secure way to share files while ensuring your privacy. This service goes beyond just protecting your information and even provides guidance on how to use it for torrenting purposes.

Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

Does FastestVPN Work in China? Maybe

Based on the information provided by customer support, it is possible to utilize the Fastest VPN service while in China. However, there is a caveat that should be noted. The native applications of FastestVPN are unable to bypass the Great Firewall, which means that you would need to manually configure the service or utilize third-party software such as Cisco’s OpenConnect or AnyConnect to make it work properly.

Personally, I was disappointed to learn that I would need to put in extra effort and time to use the service in China. Additionally, the customer support representative was not very helpful when I asked for further guidance on the manual configuration process for China. When I inquired about it, the rep sent me a link for setting up OpenVPN on Windows (which I do not have) and then ended the conversation.

Overall, it isn’t too surprising that FastestVPN is not tried and tested for China since only a handful of VPNs can bypass the Great Firewall. While using a VPN in China, it’s important to note that the security it provides does not grant permission for engaging in unlawful activities. Therefore, it’s advisable to use it responsibly and exercise reasonable caution.

Customer support at FastestVPN is disappointing. On the website’s “Support” tab, you are given the option to reach out to an agent via 24/7 live chat, send an email, or find answers to your questions in the FAQ section and Setup Tutorials.

As someone who values efficient communication, I find live chat to be the most favorable means of contacting customer service. Throughout my experience with this particular service, I utilized the live chat function on three occasions to inquire about different aspects of the service. It was especially convenient to have access to this feature through the mobile app, freeing me from being tethered to a desktop. I was impressed with the swift response time during my first interaction and appreciated that the entire exchange was concluded in a matter of minutes.

For my second and third messages, I waited at least 10 minutes for someone to respond and the same amount of time between every message I sent. I got the impression that many of the messages were cut-and-paste responses and not directly related to my questions.

My questions about using the kill switch on Android remained unanswered after talking to the rep for over an hour. The only tech “support” he provided required me to restart the app, disconnect from the server and reboot my phone. Each time I told him I had done what he asked, he seemed to get a bit more impolite.

Finally, I tried to send an email to support via the website. But, when I clicked “Email Support”, nothing happened — it was just an unlinked “button”.

Overall, I felt like FastestVPN support provided less information than a Google search and took longer. And, every time I used the live chat, I was helped by the same rep, which makes me wonder if the VPN really has the resources to provide adequate customer service through live chat.