Seed4Me VPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Seed4Me VPN Isn’t Fast Enough

If you are looking for a great VPN for high-end online activities, Seed4.Me isn’t your best bet — unless you are an average internet user with no need for streaming and other demanding tasks. The difference in my surfing speed when I switched to this VPN was drastic. Task juggling and the launch of software that requires considerable data consumption became particularly challenging on my device.

It is common knowledge that the velocity of VPNs deviates somewhat negatively as compared to your actual internet service provider. Nevertheless, the Seed4.Me VPN has numerous gaps to address if it intends to remain competitive within the proliferating VPN industry.

Speed Test Results

With every server that was farther from my actual location, my internet speed decreased noticeably. Just like most other VPNs, Seed4.Me favors the locations that are closer to you. I began my tests on Seed4.Me VPN with a significantly swift internet speed as my base speed measured up to 58.95 Mbps with an upload speed of 20.15 Mbps.

The moment I launched into this VPN provider, I had to say goodbye to double-digit internet speeds. For instance, my server speed when connected to the US location was 7.10 Mbps — a decline of about 85% from my base ISP. The narrative was similar when I plugged into a server supposedly in the United Kingdom as my download speed only ran at 9.53 Mbps. As you would expect, trying to connect to a VPN as far as Australia was a bad idea because my internet speed was reduced by more than 90%. Seed4.Me VPN cannot be compared in terms of speed with ExpressVPN known to only minimally affect internet speed.

Server Network — Servers Available in 40+ Locations

Seed4.Me VPN may not possess the highest server count when compared to other VPNs, yet it remains unwaveringly committed to regularly refreshing its server selection. At the time of crafting this review, Seed4.Me currently boasts a server count surpassing 200, spread out over more than 40 countries. The majority of these servers are active in European and American regions.

Regrettably, you can only change your IP location to different countries, but you can’t specifically choose cities. Despite this, my testing of the US location proved successful, with IPLocation detecting three distinct American cities after I connected on three separate occasions.

This particular VPN provider showcases an impressive offering of cluster-optimized servers tailored to function optimally in an internet-censored locale such as China. Moreover, a substantial array of Asian servers and locations are also available, not limited to China alone, but inclusive of other countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Middle Eastern entities like Israel, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, it boasts torrent-optimized servers stationed in Sweden, Switzerland, and Norway for optimal user experience.

Notwithstanding, Seed4.Me’s server options remain restricted to those offered by leading VPN providers. Take CyberGhost for instance, which presents an impressive array of over 11,780 servers across 100 locations, thereby ensuring optimal accessibility irrespective of your whereabouts. You are welcome to examine the capabilities of CyberGhost VPN, which is backed by a 45-day money-back guarantee.

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

Security — Military-Grade Encryption

Notwithstanding an array of inadequacies, Seed4.Me VPN displays exceptional efficacy in its security mechanisms. Several noticeable security features are provided, comprising:

• Solid encryption – The allotted size of its SSL certificate runs up to 2048-bit encryption which implies that it provides up to 112-bit security. The certificate allows users to choose different encryption levels, including 256-bit, 128-bit, and lower levels of encryption. In simple terms, it’s close to impossible to break the encryption algorithm of this SSL certificate.
• Strong protocol option – Seed4.Me VPN boasts the implementation of an OpenVPN protocol that provides you with the ability to establish highly secure VPN connections. It also skillfully utilizes the OpenSSL library, along with the L2TP Protocol, an advanced version of the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol.
• Kill switch – Seed4.Me provides a kill switch function, which blocks internet access if your VPN connection fails for any reason. My tests confirmed that this feature works well.
• Always on Mode – The “Always On” mode automatically connects your device to the VPN server whenever an internet connection is available, ensuring a persistent VPN connection for privacy and security, particularly in corporate environments.
• Shadow mode – Utilizing the shadow mode function enables one to circumvent the restrictive firewalls implemented on webpages and locations subject to internet censorship, such as those in China and Iran. It should be noted that this attribute is not pre-activated.

In order to test the DNS protection on this VPN, I subjected it to IPLeak.net testing and found no IPv4 address leaks, which was truly impressive. My webRTC leak examination also yielded a positive outcome. It should be noted that Seed4.Me does not currently offer support for IPv6 addresses.

A significant limitation in the security infrastructure of this VPN lies in its lack of ad-blocking capabilities. During my assessment of the free plan, I was subject to a distressing number of intrusive advertisements, while even those with premium access would still experience some degree of targeted ad content. This may be a concern for individuals prioritizing privacy.

Privacy — Temporarily Logs Data

This US-based company says it does not store user data but logs some user activity. These are stored for about 7 days to detect technical issues and proffer lasting solutions to them.

While this might be quite acceptable, it does leave room for worry. Most VPN providers aren’t often honest about keeping user logs and because only independent auditors can ascertain if this is the truth or not, it becomes increasingly difficult to pinpoint who keeps tabs on your online activities.

As per the service agreement, the legal purview of this VPN lies in the state of Delaware within the United States. However, the prime headquarters of the VPN are not readily discernible on the website. My inquiry to the support staff regarding the primary jurisdiction of this VPN has yet to receive a response. Notably, the US is a preeminent member of intelligence-sharing alliances, such as the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. Hence, the possibility of the government requiring the disclosure of user information cannot be discounted. I suggest using ExpressVPN for reliable online privacy, as it boasts an authentic zero-logs regulation that has undergone third-party examination.

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

Torrenting — Two Dedicated Servers for Torrenting

During my tests, I verified that Seed4.Me is quite a good tool to torrent safely. My confirmation of this VPN’s torrenting capabilities was strengthened after I downloaded multiple movies and heavy software of about 2GB leveraging BitTorrent. I completed the download for each movie in about 4 minutes and that of the software in 25 minutes — pretty decent. These files were downloaded from Legit Torrents which is one of the many sites where you can download torrent files legally.

To enjoy smooth torrenting with this VPN and prevent malware, Seed4.Me has designated servers in two special locations. These servers are based in Switzerland and Sweden and are elegant for nearly all torrent purposes. However, torrenting must be done legally as my colleagues and myself do not support the illegal acquisition of copyrighted materials. Be sure to check local regulations within your jurisdiction before torrenting.

Does Seed4Me VPN Work in China? Yes!

Due to the advanced security features that Seed4.Me VPN offers, it can survive the strict internet censorship in China and other locations. To determine if this VPN would work in China, I sent a message to customer service inquiring about the obtainability of this feature. Interestingly, the response confirmed that I could effectively utilize this VPN in China.

According to the response I received, I would only be able to use this VPN in China if I download the VPN and enable “shadow mode” before traveling to China. The response further suggested that I should select the UK location while in China due to the availability of newer IPs. It is pertinent to note that Seed4.Me’s website is blocked in China, therefore, you wouldn’t be able to navigate it or make onsite ticket submissions.

You can only reach customer support through an official email account or via a ticket submission detailing the problems that you need help with. Seed4.Me does not offer a live chat which users often find suitable. I didn’t enjoy the fact that I couldn’t get instant access to customer service, however, the email response was swift enough. My issue was addressed less than an hour after submitting it. The customer support handled my issue professionally and knowledgeably. The information provided was clear and helpful.

For less constricting issues, the VPN has a designated FAQ section where you can find your answers. As I mentioned earlier, the FAQ section greatly helped me fix the TAP adapter issue I encountered after installing the VPN. Moreover, in the blog section of Seed4.Me VPN, one can obtain supplementary knowledge regarding cyber-security matters as well as the entirety of the technological realm; however, the provider’s blog section has not been updated recently.

Lastly, Seed4.me maintains a media presence on social media platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, allowing one to communicate with the company in order to resolve any concerns.