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8.7 / 10 |
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7.1 / 10 |
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7.8 / 10 |
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7.6 / 10 |
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7.0 / 10 |
CM Security VPN Review 2025: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?
CM Security VPN Overview
“2025 UPDATE! Unfortunately CM Security VPN is no longer available. Why not check out our list of the best VPNs in 2025 or find out more about our top recommendation, ExpressVPN.”
Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WizCase, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
While CM Security is a decent VPN, you can get better quality VPNs at an affordable price. Surfshark, for example, offers premium VPN features for a super low monthly fee — so you don’t have to settle for less.
It’s rare to see a true Chinese VPN — Cheetah Mobile’s CM Security VPN is one of these rarities.
At first glance, this Android-only VPN offers an alluring package. OpenVPN and SOCKS5 protocols, decent server variety, and a bunch of neat features — all for free. What more can a mobile user want?
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
One thing this VPN doesn’t provide is guaranteed privacy. Sure, you’ll feel safer on public WiFi, and hackers and ISPs will have a much harder time looking at your traffic, but you’re not as safe as you think.
Cheetah Mobile collects information that ranges from your device’s brand and history to your IP address, photos, personal details, and more.
We’ll put it this way: CM Security VPN will unblock geo-restricted websites and services in your current location and it will encrypt your traffic, but the extensive logging is not a worthwhile tradeoff.
VPNs should be about anonymity and peace of mind. This is their original purpose — anything else comes secondary. Although this one has “security” in the name, we’re not sure how secure we can feel knowing its knack for monitoring our data and activities.
We won’t even talk about the points-earning program of this “free” VPN. Frankly, it has no place in a serious service.
Speed - 8.7 / 10
Why Most Speed Tests are Pointless & How We Correctly Test VPN Speeds
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
Servers - 7.1 / 10
CM Security VPN currently has 7 servers in 6 countries.
Server Locations
User Experience - 7.8 / 10
CM Security VPN looks good, but functionality has a long way to go.
The app is light and optimized, with plenty of features available. You can use the smart location for picking servers, and the speed test offers valuable info on which locations are fastest for you.
However, to keep using this VPN you’ll need to keep logging in, as well as referring friends to the service. Coupled with Cheetah Mobile’s policy on gathering various user data, this raises some eyebrows, in addition to being a usability nightmare.
CM Security’s customer support starts and ends with an email address you can direct your questions towards.
Before you make a final decision, we highly recommend you check out some alternative VPNs which may offer better features and prices.
Support - 7.6 / 10
How We Test Customer Support and Why Should You Care
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.