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

Fast, but Inconsistent Speeds Across Servers

Despite inconsistencies in speed, Betternet manages to deliver impressive results when connecting to nearby servers. To my surprise, I even experienced an increase in speed when connected to certain Betternet servers — an uncommon occurrence when using other VPNs.

Speed Test Results

To evaluate Betternet’s performance, I conducted speed tests in four different countries, recording my average speeds in each location. Before using Betternet, I first established a baseline for comparison by running a speed test without the VPN service, recording 25.2 Mbps for downloads and 3.08 Mbps for uploads.

When I connected to a local Betternet server, I was pleasantly surprised to see a significant boost in my speeds, which increased by around 50%. This remarkable performance remained consistent across local servers for both the free and paid versions of the service.

However, when testing servers outside of the US, my speeds noticeably slowed down. The UK server showed a significant decrease in speed, with downloads being 87.8% slower at 3.03 Mbps, and uploads being 88.7% slower at 0.35 Mbps. I had the slowest speeds when testing servers in Australia, with downloads taking 95.1% longer and uploads being 78% slower.

China’s server proved to be the fastest among the distant servers. Although there was a slight decrease of 3.9% in download speeds, upload speeds actually increased. Instead of the initial 3.08 Mbps, China’s servers provided an upload speed of 9.96 Mbps, marking a 69.1% increase.

Server Network — 100+ Total Servers

Betternet has over 100 servers in 80 countries with city-level servers available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, and Spain. The free version of Betternet restricts you to servers solely located in the United States, with server selection done automatically rather than through a list of options. This means that free users are more likely to experience lag from servers being overcrowded.

Since Pango and its partners own Betternet, the service does not have control over its own servers. This can be a problem when technical issues arise. There are more steps when fixing a problem because of how many parties are involved behind the scenes, which has contributed to slow improvement for Betternet. Additionally, this can be a red flag for users who value privacy as this means your data could be shared with these parties.

CyberGhost is a good option if you’re looking for a VPN with multiple servers in each country and no reliance on third parties. With an impressive list of over 11,780 servers at your disposal, you can make an informed decision while resting assured that your information remains exclusive to you with no external parties in the mix.

Security — Solid Protection for a VPN

Betternet provides basic security features but is not as advanced as other leading VPN providers.

Some of the features available are:

• Military-grade encryption – Betternet employs AES 256-bit encryption, the same standard used by the military, to safeguard your online activity.
• Strong protocols – Betternet provides a section for configuring VPN protocols. Hydra, a protocol that guarantees security on par with the banking industry, is one of the available options. IKEv2 (IPSec) is another option, but while it’s a speedy protocol, it’s also easy for ISPs to block.
• Kill switch – the kill switch activates and cuts off your internet connection in the event of a server drop or a lapse in coverage, preventing unauthorized parties from accessing your information. With Betternet, you also have the ability to block specific domains altogether that you don’t trust.
• Split tunneling – this feature is the most recent addition to Betternet VPN that enables you to selectively route specific internet traffic through the VPN connection while bypassing the VPN for other traffic. However, take note that it is restricted to the Windows version of the program.

Betternet worked reliably despite not having any features to prevent IP or DNS leaks. My IP address and DNS information were both hidden during my leak tests across multiple servers.

Privacy — Not Log-Free

Even though Betternet VPN has updated its privacy policy, I’m still worried about how safe my personal information is when I use their service. Upon a thorough examination of the policy, I identified several vulnerabilities related to the collection, storage, and utilization of my data.

Betternet guarantees that it does not monitor the websites users visit. Nevertheless, it does collect certain types of data, which could potentially have implicating consequences.

These data include:

• Identity and Account Information
• Billing information
• Usage information
• Device information (including device identifiers, browser types, device types and settings, operating system versions, and ISP name)
• Diagnostic information
• Location data
• VPN-Specific Information

I appreciate Betternet’s openness about its data collection practices; however, as a user who prioritizes privacy, I find the extent of the information gathered to be concerning. This concern is heightened when considering the 2017 hacking incident, where Betternet’s Chrome extension was compromised by malicious code. The fact that I haven’t been able to find any substantial explanation of what Betternet did in response to this event to improve its security raises additional red flags for me.

The location of Betternet VPN’s headquarters in Canada can also have implications for your privacy. Canada is a member of the 5-9-14 Eyes Alliance, a group of countries that share intelligence information with each other.

This means that the Canadian government may have the ability to access Betternet VPN’s data if required. Canada’s data retention laws require service providers to keep user data for a certain amount of time, so the government could force the company to hand over user data if needed.

ExpressVPN is an excellent choice if you value your online privacy. Unlike Betternet, it does not collect personally identifiable data, except for your billing information. Additionally, it gives you the option to opt-in for anonymized diagnostic data collection, ensuring that your online activities remain completely private. On top of that, it is also more affordable than Betternet.

Torrenting — Safe for Torrenting

Betternet allows for torrenting on all of its servers. In addition, if your server goes down while torrenting, you can protect yourself from threats like hackers and malware with Betternet’s kill switch, which is only available to paid subscribers.

Since Betternet is headquartered in Canada, where torrenting is lawful, you can do so with complete peace of mind. I will say, however, that if you do attempt to torrent any content you should do your due diligence and confirm it is in the public domain. Also, make sure you adhere to your local laws before engaging in P2P file-sharing.

Does Betternet Work in China? No!

During a conversation with a representative from Betternet, I was informed that its service may not always provide reliable performance in China. However, it’s not just the service’s functionality that requires attention. Betternet’s logging policy is also a point of concern, especially for those using the free version. ExpressVPN is a trustworthy VPN option for those who want privacy protection and functionality in China.

If you do plan on traveling to China, make sure to download your VPN of choice ahead of time. The Chinese government has been known to block non-approved VPNs. While these policies do exist, there are currently zero reported cases of officials punishing travelers for using non-approved VPNs.

Betternet offers two options for support – a 24/7 assistance center and an email contact feature. You can access both by clicking on the “contact support” tab in the main menu if you have any inquiries or problems.

I experimented with the premium version of the VPN and then sent a message to request a refund. Betternet responded to me within a day and quickly processed my request.

The support center option took me to Betternet’s website and offered a list of questions for me to choose from to assess any problems I was having. While they were fairly thorough, I would recommend sending an email if you really have something specific you need to discuss.