SwissVPN
3.8
Okay
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What do we look at?
Content: Our Score:
Speed 2.0 / 10
Servers 2.0 / 10
User Experience 4.0 / 10
Support 7.0 / 10
Pricing 4.0 / 10
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SwissVPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

SwissVPN Overview

SwissVPN’s reputation for its exemplary level of privacy and security caught my attention. The fact that it offers only one server made me want to assess its performance to see if it could avoid common issues like overcrowding and IP blacklisting. So, I tested SwissVPN to discover what it is, how it works, and whether it is worth using compared to VPNs with more traditional networks.

Switzerland has some unfriendly regulations regarding data retention and surveillance. For example, it enforces that ISPs store information about their customers for six months. Having SwissVPN on your PC and Phone will protect you from Switzerland’s privacy laws and provide you with a secure connection. On the downside, SwissVPN is inefficient at accessing streaming platforms and has unreliable speeds.

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Don’t Have Time? Here’s a 1-Minute Summary

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SwissVPN Unblocks Netflix and Amazon Prime (But Can’t Access Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+)

SwissVPN was not developed for unblocking global content. Rather, it is designed to let Swiss residents access their favorite shows from abroad. My colleague from Switzerland was able to access Swiss versions of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but he could not access Netflix US, Amazon Prime Video US, YouTube US, Disney+ US, BBC iPlayer or HBO Max.

Netflix and Amazon Prime: Unblocked

SwissVPN is unfortunately a country-specific VPN, so you won’t be able to access the large American Netflix library or any of your other local streaming libraries. As I am not located in Switzerland, I requested assistance from a colleague there to carry out the Netflix test. Upon playing the Swiss-exclusive film Stay Close, the video began playing immediately but was heavily pixelated.

Screenshot of SwissVPN unblocking Netflix

Watching shows on the switzerland version of Netflix was possible but not enjoyable with SwissVPN

Additionally, SwissVPN unblocked Amazon Prime, but the stream was frequently interrupted by lags and never loaded in full HD.

Screenshot of SwissVPN unblocking Amazon Prime

SwissVPN unblocked Amazon Prime Video even though it streamed in terrible quality

Amazon’s global service implements geo-blocking in a similar manner to Netflix, by assigning specific catalogs to specific locations. Therefore, content was delivered to my colleague based on his Swiss IP address.

Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, BBC iPlayer: Blocked

It was disappointing that my colleague was unable to access every other platform that he sought to access. As far as I can tell, the service’s greatest strength appears to be its anonymity.

Hulu and HBO Max have developed a VPN blocking system unlike any other in order to detect circumventing attempts. And my colleague could not access the streaming media section of these platforms due to proxy errors like the one below.

It looks like you are using an anonymous proxy or a VPN.

Additionally, he was unable to access Disney+ due to geo-restriction alerts. He was restricted by the channel because of his IP address. SwissVPN is unable to access BBC iPlayer in the UK since it has no servers in the country.

This provider has proven to be a poor choice for accessing streaming services. If you are an avid streamer or just desire to check what is available overseas, then ExpressVPN is a perfect pick. The VPN unblocks all of the most popular streaming services, and its servers are fast enough to handle an HD marathon of your favorite shows and movies.

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Speed

- 2.0 / 10

Speeds Were Disappointingly Slow

Despite a considerable drop in my base connection speed, I was still able to surf the internet, download torrents, and watch movies. Speeds are restricted to only 15Mbps with the standard package that I purchased, but you can get higher speeds by spending $2.20 more. You can initiate a free Speed Boost option several times a month, which supposedly increases your speeds for three hours. However, I didn’t notice any increase in speeds.

Considering SwissVPN only has one server hub, I didn’t have the option to select a server. After initiating the speed boost option with the standard package, the VPN redirected me to a Zurich server and a Lupfig based server.

Speed Test Results

SwissVPN significantly reduced my upload and download speeds. Keep in mind that the results may vary depending on your location, your internet provider, and the time of day. Tests like this will help you understand how SwissVPN is likely to affect your connection.

My first step was to test the speed of my web connection to establish a baseline data, after which I added SwissVPN to the mix. As shown below, my base download speed was 41.84 Mbps and upload speed was 346.77 Mbps.

Screenshot of speed test results while connected to SwissVPN

SwissVPN performed significantly worse than advertised

I ran the test again after I connected to SwissVPN using the OpenVPN client. I got a download speed of 3.47Mbps and upload speed of 1.02 Mbps.

SwissVPN will use a significant portion of your bandwidth and provide slow download and upload speeds. Since your device and the VPN server exchange data faster when its server network is large, you can usually expect much higher bandwidth and lower ping from larger server networks. With just a single server hub, SwissVPN simply can’t keep up.

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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

- 2.0 / 10

Server Network — Overly Limited Server Network

Unfortunately, SwissVPN’s number of servers won’t blow you away. There is only one data center in Zurich, which is extremely limited in comparison to the many data centers offered by top competitors. As this VPN focuses on privacy rather than unblocking content, I suppose it isn’t entirely unusual.

SwissVPN does not require registration and represents itself as a solution that allows you to browse the internet safely by connecting you to a Swiss encrypted server. Despite that, SwissVPN is rather limited in its functionality as you can only connect to Switzerland-based data centers.

Security — Basic Security Features

While SwissVPN provides a decent level of encryption, it isn’t the strongest standard available. It uses AES (128-bit) tunnel encryption and Diffie-Hellman (1024-bit) key exchange to ensure your information and activities on the web remain anonymous.

Supported protocols include OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP, so you can select the level of security that you prefer and the option that best suits your platform. OpenVPN is considered an industry standard with no known weaknesses.

As shown below in the screenshot, SwissVPN is not capable of protecting your data or keeping your real IP address or physical location anonymous. Despite testing several randomly-assigned swiss IP addresses for DNS leaks, I always came up with disappointing results.

Screenshot of leak test results while using SwissVPN

SwissVPN leaked my DNS data

But if you need an added layer of security, you can subscribe to a packet firewall filtering service for $2.20 per month. I purchased this firewall feature and was able to block all incoming internet connections and allow all outgoing ones. It also ensured my IP address and DNS requests remained private during connection dropouts.

Overall, SwissVPN appears to be a capable VPN service that offers just enough to satisfy average users if you’re willing to pay for extra security features that should very well come standard. The service does not provide advanced features such as a kill switch or split tunneling. If you’re an advanced user who might want more control over your web connection, it’s best to opt for a stronger VPN, like ExpressVPN, that’ll meet your needs comprehensively.

Privacy — Logs Some Data

SwissVPN’s official website states that your personal data is never logged. According to the privacy strategy of its owner, Monzoon Networks, your specific identification information including a login, password, session ID, location address, hardware MAC address, IP address, and request information will be collected to give you access to the network.

Screenshot of SwissVPN’s Privacy Policy

The privacy policy outlines the data the provider collects

This VPN service collects a great amount of information when compared to other VPN services. It would be very beneficial if it were possible to provide transparency regarding the data it collects and what it does with it without making claims to provide a “no-log service.” As some of its competitors have done, it would be great to have an independent auditor examine these cases in detail.

All the data is stored in the company data centers in Zurich and Frankfurt, although it is stated that it may store data in another country “if the handling is actually intricate.” This means that your data could end up practically anywhere without your prior knowledge, which gives me some pause when it comes to using this service for critical tasks. There is simply too much ambiguity with how SwissVPN handles your personal data.

Being headquartered in Switzerland gives SwissVPN an instant edge on privacy compared to most of the competition. Besides having strong privacy laws, it is not part of the 14-Eyes surveillance network and is not governed by US or EU law. While this fact is comforting, I am still troubled by all of the data that this VPN keeps and stores.

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Torrenting — Supported But Not Advised

SwissVPN is unacceptably slow and lacks sufficient security features to be recommended as a VPN for torrenting. SwissVPN makes no mention of torrenting or P2P traffic on its website, so I reached out to customer service. Support was able to confirm that you are allowed to torrent or participate in P2P file-sharing activities as long as you follow the law and are not violating anyone’s rights.

To test its effectiveness, I connected to the VPN, opened a torrent client, and downloaded a file available in the public domain. My average speed while torrenting with SwissVPN was 4.2 Mbps, compared to 41.84 Mbps without a VPN. The speed of SwissVPN is not the only limitation in terms of torrenting as it also lacks a kill switch and has no adequate logging policy.

My team and I don’t condone participation in any illegal activities. Please check the rules and regulations in your country to ensure you are not in breach of any laws.

Does SwissVPN Work in China? No!

The company’s website does not reference the VPN’s ability to circumvent censorship in countries like China. Even though SwissVPN may be able to bypass China’s Great Firewall through its SSL VPN protocol, its distance from China will make this advantage insignificant. Even if online surveillance cannot detect your activities, you are unlikely to get fast speeds since there are no servers located near China. Additionally, this VPN doesn’t offer any additional obfuscation tools that would make it work in censored regions such as China.

Non-government approved VPNs are illegal in China, but there have been no public cases of tourists being penalized by the Chinese government. The common practice is that China fights VPNs by technologically blocking them, and not by chasing after the people who use them.

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User Experience

- 4.0 / 10

Simultaneous Device Connections — 1 to 3 Devices Per License

Unfortunately, only one connection is allowed, although 3 synchronous connections are available for an additional fee. The top VPNs these days allow you to connect to at least 5 devices at a time, so I was not impressed with SwissVPN’s limited connection to a single device with its standard package. It simply doesn’t offer enough coverage to protect all of your frequently-used household devices.

In case you need to connect multiple devices at the same time, I would recommend you try IPVanish which can connect to an unlimited number of devices. I used IPvanish on 6 devices at once and experienced good speeds on all of them.

Device Compatibility — Supports Major Operating Systems

The service does not have a dedicated VPN client, but it can be set up on a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and macOS. Detailed instructions are available on the service’s website for each operating system. The default address is the public one, however, a static Swiss IP address may be acquired at an additional cost.

Ease of Setup & Installation — A Little Complicated

The process for setting up the service on your device is a little complicated. Thankfully, the VPN had well-made instructions on the website that I found easy to follow. A link will also be emailed to you after you’ve purchased the service that will take you directly to these instructions.

As noted earlier, SwissVPN does not offer a client application. The software uses OpenVPN’s GUI and Viscosity, software applications designed to provide VPN services to businesses without a custom client. The options here aren’t exactly appealing for beginners, but they aren’t overly complex either. Additionally, be prepared to have to re-enter your VPN credentials each time you connect, at least if you’re using OpenVPN.

How to Set Up SwissVPN on Windows with OpenVPN GUI

  1. Using SwissVPN requires the OpenVPN GUI client software to be installed. This software can be downloaded from OpenVPN’s website. 
    Screenshot of the download page for OpenVPN's Windows setup file
  2. Follow the simple prompts in the OpenVPN GUI to install the program.
    Screenshot showing the installation process of OpenVPN GUI
  3. Next, download SwissVPN’s configuration file and the CA certificate from the instruction page of SwissVPN website. 
    Screenshot showing SwissVPN's setup files download page
  4. Move the configuration file and the CA certificate and save them in C:Program FilesOpenVPNconfig. 
    Screenshot showing how to move the setup files to OpenVPN config folder
  5. To complete the process, login with the username and password provided on the VPN’s website, then click “OK” to open the connection interface. 
    Screenshot showing the OpenVPN GUI login interface

Support

- 7.0 / 10

I recommend that those who are seeking a live chat system start looking elsewhere, as SwissVPN does not offer this service. To contact the company, you can use the web-based email form provided on its website.

Clicking “Help” on the site will take you to a form where you have to fill out some data before you can submit the message/ticket. It is required to fill in a name, an email address (to check if they have responded), a subject, and a message.

The screenshot upload function is not currently available, so you will have to be very explicit if your problem is of a specific nature. A captcha is also required to prevent bots and automated submissions.

Screenshot showing my email conversation with SwissVPN support

SwissVPN customer service responded in 30 minutes to my torrenting question

The customer service team responded fairly quickly and was very helpful when I had questions related to torrenting. The staff is available to assist in both English and German. Additionally, SwissVPN maintains an active Twitter account where updates are regularly posted.

The website offers an extensive and growing collection of helpful articles that are sure to get you up and running quickly if you prefer troubleshooting on your own first. But you should be aware that it only contains 31 articles, most of which are FAQs.These are short questions and answers rather than full-length informative articles in the traditional sense.

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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.

Pricing

- 4.0 / 10

Even though the website only offers one month-to-month pricing option, you can choose for how long you want access to the service. You can pay for just a month or upwards of a full year up front.

SwissVPN offers the convenience of test credentials on their website, allowing users to assess the connection quality before committing to a purchase. However, it’s worth noting that only the domain SwissVPN.net is permitted for use with the testing account.

As opposed to many other providers, I was not required to register (other than leaving an email address) when purchasing the VPN service. Thus, I was not providing any personal information to the company, which was helping promote a greater level of privacy.

Payment methods recognized for monthly billing include American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Swiss PostFinance, Twint, and PayPal. Sadly, the provider does not offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee, so you’ll be unable to test it before making a purchase.

SwissVPN offers the following plans

1 Month
 
$6.94
per month
 
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Final Verdict

SwissVPN is, as the company’s name describes, a Swiss-based VPN service that can protect your connection from being watched, in addition to unblocking restricted services. While the VPN does accomplish this to a certain extent, it falls short in other areas.

In terms of security, my tests revealed DNS leakage. More so, my speed tests indicated that it is not the fastest VPN available. SwissVPN does not offer any kind of free trial or guarantee of any kind and has limited support for server networks, native apps, and geo-locked content.

I consider this service to be overpriced, considering there are cheaper alternatives that offer more at the same price or less. Yet, the privacy and security laws that SwissVPN abide by will still attract those customers who wish to benefit from such features. Even so, this VPN does collect some data that some users may find excessive.

Should these elements prove to be a major detriment to you, you should try a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN instead. Despite the fact that ExpressVPN is more expensive, it offers extensive features, comprehensive security tools, easy-to-use native apps, and a 30-day unconditional guarantee. Additionally, it unblocks geo-restricted online content such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer while you travel abroad.

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FAQs About SwissVPN

Is SwissVPN good?

No, SwissVPN is lacking in several VPN features, and those that it does offer are not particularly noteworthy. I strongly recommend against using this VPN as it may compromise your privacy.

Can I use SwissVPN for free?

Yes, you can use the test credentials provided on SwissVPN’s website to test its connection before purchasing an account. You can plug in these login details where SwissVPN username and password are required. Sadly, the SwissVPN testing account allows connection only to SwissVPN.net. However, the VPN indicator next to the SwissVPN logo will let you know if the VPN connection succeeded. Contrary to other popular VPN services, SwissVPN does not offer any money back guarantees.

Many of the free VPNs available on the market come with certain bandwidth and security limitations. In case you’re interested in checking out other free VPNs, these are a few safe and reliable options.

Is SwissVPN really safe?

No, not entirely. Even though the VPN uses decent encryption methods to ensure the safety and security of your data, its privacy policy is somewhat ambiguous, so your personal information could still be at risk. It also lacks some basic security features like a kill switch, and my tests found that its OpenVPN servers did not prevent DNS leaks.

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We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research, and also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.