Speed
|
6.0 / 10 |
Servers
|
5.0 / 10 |
User Experience
|
7.0 / 10 |
Support
|
6.0 / 10 |
Pricing
|
6.0 / 10 |
FrootVPN Review 2023: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?
FrootVPN Overview 2023
FrootVPN’s promise of ensuring all-round privacy for every internet activity caught my interest. The Seychelles-based VPN promised top-notch privacy and security for torrenting, streaming, and surfing the internet. As a privacy-minded VPN user, I wanted to check these claims and see if FrootVPN could provide me with full anonymity on the web.
After running extensive tests, I found that FrootVPN performed averagely. The VPN ensures users’ privacy with 2048-bit encryption and offers different security protocols. However, it couldn’t unblock some streaming sites during my tests. Moreover, the speeds weren’t fast enough for speedy downloads.
Nonetheless, you can try FrootVPN for yourself risk-free. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to test all its features to see if it’s a fit for you. If you’re not satisfied after trying it out then you can get a refund and check out these top-rated VPNs that offer top-notch privacy.
Don’t Have Time? Here’s a 1-Minute Summary
- Unblocks popular streaming services. I was able to unblock Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer. See my full streaming result here.
- Provides fast speeds on some servers. I didn’t get super-fast speeds with FrootVPN even with nearby servers. Take a look at my speed test results.
- Offers top-grade security and privacy features. I was happy that FrootVPN doesn’t keep logs and offers military-grade security. Find out about FrootVPN’s security.
- Connects up to 5 devices. You can only connect 5 of your devices with your subscription. Check out the devices that are supported.
- Slow support response time. I was disappointed to find out that FrootVPN didn’t respond on time. See how long it took before I got a response.
- 30-day money-back guarantee. FrootVPN offers a conditional 30-day money-back guarantee. Find out how to get your money back.
FrootVPN Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer (But Can’t Access Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video)
I was impressed seeing how quickly FrootVPN unblocked popular streaming platforms during my tests. I successfully unblocked Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max. My colleague in the UK also unblocked his BBC iPlayer account seamlessly and streamed buffer-free. However, I was disappointed that the service couldn’t unblock Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer: Unblocked
I was pleased that FrootVPN successfully unblocked most streaming sites that I tested. I enjoyed HD streaming quality while watching different shows with the VPN. I unblocked my Netflix US account and watched Money Heist without lags on my smart TV. My colleagues in Germany, Japan, and Canada were also able to effortlessly unblock their respective Netflix libraries.
Similarly, FrootVPN also unblocked other popular streaming platforms. During my tests, I unblocked my Hulu and HBO Max accounts. I watched several shows in HD on my PC and TV.
My colleague in the UK didn’t have any issues unblocking his BBC iPlayer account with FrootVPN. He connected with the server in Coventry and streamed lag-free as he watched all of his favorite shows.
Amazon Prime Video and Disney+: Blocked
It was disappointing that FrootVPN couldn’t unblock some streaming services during my tests. I tried to connect with the specialized streaming servers and regular US servers. Unfortunately, none of the servers could unblock my streaming account with Disney+ and Prime Video. The sites detected that I was connecting with a VPN and gave a similar error message to the one below for both platforms.
Nonetheless, I was pleased with the overall streaming quality of FrootVPN with the platforms that it could unblock during my tests.
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Speed
– 6.0
/ 10
FrootVPN Offers Fast Speeds but Not on All Servers
FrootVPN speeds weren’t consistently fast on all servers. Only servers close to my location saw considerably fast speeds. Servers far away from my location saw a significant drop in speed. With the servers close to my location, I streamed in HD, downloaded public domain torrents, and played a couple of online multiplayer games.
Speed Test Results
I started my tests with a base internet speed of around 23Mbps. After connecting with FrootVPN servers, I got an average download speed of 12.49Mbps — a 46% drop in my internet speed. The speeds I got varied with the distances of the servers from my location. The nearby servers in the US saw a speed of around 15Mbps, the server in the UK got a speed of 14.89Mbps, while the server in Canada saw a speed short of 13Mbps. With distant servers like the one in Japan, I got a download speed of 6.7Mbps — a 71% drop in speed.
Also, the upload speeds dropped significantly during my tests. I got an average of 1Mbps on a 14Mbps base internet upload speed.
FrootVPN Is Fast Enough for Gaming, but the Latency Is High
FrootVPN works just fine for multiplayer games. With the average upload speed of 1Mbps with the VPN, I was able to play a couple of online multiplayer games. Although FrootVPN servers produced a latency of more than 100ms (which isn’t ideal for gaming), I could still play Krunker without lag.
Keep in mind that the recommended requirements to play online multiplayer games are upload speeds of 3Mbps and latency between 20ms – 40ms. Since FrootVPN falls short of these standards, I suggest you check out how ExpressVPN produces better upload speeds and lower latency, making it the most suitable VPN for online gaming.
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.
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Servers
– 5.0
/ 10
Server Network — 50+ Servers in 30+ Countries
FrootVPN has a small network of 50+ servers in 48 server locations. These servers are found in 34 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, India, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and South Korea. FrootVPN maintains a page with the entire server list and the real-time server uptime.
The other thing I was pleased with was seeing specialized streaming servers for Netflix and BBC iPlayer. Even with specialized servers, there is the possibility of the servers being overcrowded if FrootVPN sees a surge of users beyond its current 300,000 users given how small the network is.
Security — Offers Top-Grade Security
FrootVPN offers standard security features for its service. It uses different security protocols such as OpenVPN, L2TP, and PTPP, in addition to 2048-bit encryption. These security measures ensure that your data is protected from hackers and surveillance by governments. FrootVPN also has a functional kill-switch that severs your internet connection to prevent data leaks if your connection becomes unstable.
FrootVPN uses Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) to encrypt and protect users’ data. This method involves using a single private key to encrypt data. With this, the private key used for encrypting your data automatically and periodically changes so that even if a hacker somehow gets hold of the private keys, they won’t have access to all your data. For complete security, FrootVPN provides additional security through Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS).
Moreover, I was pleased that FrootVPN completely hid my IP address during my tests. There weren’t any DNS, IPv6, or WebRTC leaks on any of the servers.
FrootVPN supports SSL 1.1 and has an A+ SSL (Secure Socket Layer) rating from 2015. When the kill-switch is activated, you will have to manually disconnect from a server before connecting with a new one. FrootVPN supports IPv6 and passed my webRTC, DNS Leaks, and virus tests. All of these advanced features make the VPN pretty safe to use.
Privacy — Strict No-Logs Policy but No Independent Audit
FrootVPN does an excellent job of ensuring its users’ privacy. The VPN maintains a strict no-logs policy. A further look at the legal statement shows that the VPN doesn’t record any logs, connection durations, connection timestamps, IP addresses, DNS requests, locations, or the server users are connected to. However, it logs the bandwidth used and the number of simultaneous device connections.
FrootVPN also has a Warrant Canary — a document that shows each time law enforcement has requested users’ information from the VPN. I was pleased to see that since the founding of FrootVPN in 2014, there haven’t been any such requests from any government or its agencies.
FrootVPN is owned by Edelino Commerce Inc., a Seychelles-incorporated entity. This means it doesn’t fall among any 5/9/14 Eyes countries that compel VPN providers to share data with governments for surveillance.
Torrenting — Torrenting and P2P Supported on All Servers
FrootVPN works seamlessly with torrenting and P2P. I was surprised to learn that the VPN supports torrenting on servers. When FrootVPN operated as an entirely free VPN, the popular torrenting website PirateBay advertised the VPN on its homepage. I was able to download some public domain torrents with popular torrenting clients like BitTorrent.
FrootVPN states that P2P and torrenting are supported across all its servers. It took less than 25 minutes to download a 700MB movie on my connection. Keep in mind that my team and I don’t endorse illegal torrenting, downloading copyrighted files, or breaking the rules of any country. So make sure to check with the regulations of your country before torrenting.
Does FrootVPN Work in China? Yes!
I was pleased to learn that FrootVPN works in China. Although I don’t live in China and couldn’t personally test the VPN there, I reached out to support to find out if the VPN works over there.
FrootVPN’s support informed me that the VPN works effortlessly in China. Note that using a VPN that the government does not approve of is illegal in China. However, there haven’t been any cases of tourists being penalized for using a VPN. Instead, the country makes use of tools that technologically block many VPNs from working over there.
Server Locations
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User Experience
– 7.0
/ 10
Simultaneous Device Connections — Connects Up to 5 Devices
FrootVPN allows up to 5 simultaneous device connections. With my subscription, I connected my Android phone, Windows PC, iPhone, and Android TV. This allowed me to browse the web and stream on those devices lag-free. However, I was disappointed that I couldn’t connect more devices. Unlike FrootVPN, IPVanish allows for an unlimited number of device connections. With a single IPVanish subscription, I connected all my devices and hosted a watch party with my friends in different countries.
Device Compatibility — Native App Only Available for Windows
FrootVPN works with popular operating systems but only offers a native Windows app. The VPN works on Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Chromebook, and DD-WRT/Mikrotic routers. To install it on these devices, I had to use the Installation guides on my dashboard to set it up using OpenVPN manually. It supports setups for PTPP, IPSec/IKEv2, and L2TP. FrootVPN also offers manual configurations for Synology NAS and Stunnel.
Ease of Setup & Installation — Requires Manual Setup Except for Windows
FrootVPN requires manual setup on all devices apart from Windows. Setting up the VPN on my Windows PC was straightforward. For a VPN that’s almost a decade on the market, I expected it to have native apps for all popular operating systems. However, to use it on my phone and router, I had to follow the installation guide, download config files for OpenVPN, and manually set up the service.
How to Download FrootVPN for Windows
- Subscribe to a FrootVPN premium plan.
- Login to your dashboard and download the app.
![Screenshot of FrootVPN dashboard]()
- Run the installer and launch the app.
- Log in with the email/username and password you signed up with.
- Select a server from the list.
![Screenshot of FrootVPN Windows app interface]()
- Hit ‘Connect’ to start using the service.
The FrootVPN Windows app supports 6 different languages. You can switch between English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. You can also switch between the OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), L2TP, and PPTP protocols in the app. However, I was disappointed that there wasn’t any Automatic or Fastest Server option within the app. Instead, it has an “Any Country” option that randomly assigns a server location.
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Support
– 6.0
/ 10
FrootVPN offers a few support options but with a slow response time. To get help, you can choose between contacting us via email or using our ticketing system. Another option is to explore our Knowledge Base, which offers a wealth of FAQs and installation guides to assist you. There’s also a live chat button on the website (which is only available to registered users), but support is always offline via that channel. After dropping a message on the live chat, I got a response 9 hours later. Seeing this, I wouldn’t rely on FrootVPN for urgent assistance.
When I navigated to the support tab on the dashboard, I was able to submit a ticket and also check the status of any ticket I’ve sent. Although the ticket took about 12 hours in most cases before I got a response, the feedback was very helpful. All my questions were answered directly and satisfactorily.
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.
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Pricing
– 6.0
/ 10
FrootVPN offers decent pricing for its service but some of its plans are somewhat expensive. The VPN has 3 premium plans — Monthly, 3-Months, and a 12-Month subscription. You can pay for the service with credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express), PayPal, Perfect Money, and Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, USDT, Zcash).
Getting a refund process isn’t entirely straightforward. Although FrootVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, it is conditional. You’ll have to prove reasonable expectations you had for the service which FrootVPN wasn’t able to fulfill before you are issued a refund.
FrootVPN offers the following plans
Final Verdict
FrootVPN provides a pretty good VPN service. The VPN offers top-grade security and privacy features. I was also impressed to find out that it works in China. However, the small server network wasn’t ideal, and setting up the service for other devices apart from Windows was quite technical.
While FrootVPN provides a good service, it still falls short when compared with top VPNs on the market. If you want exceptional VPN service, I recommend trying ExpressVPN for its top-grade service. It’s backed by a 30–day money-back guarantee that ensures you’re buying confidently. You can easily install ExpressVPN on all popular devices, enjoy lightning-fast speeds, and use a large server network.
FAQs About FrootVPN
Is FrootVPN good?
Can I use FrootVPN for free?
No, but the VPN offers a conditional 30-day money-back guarantee. With it, you can get a full refund if you prove why the service didn’t meet your expectations.
If what you need is a VPN you can try for free then FrootVPN wouldn’t cut it for you. Keep in mind that many free VPNs often compromise on security, privacy, and speed, so I mostly don’t recommend them. However, you can check these reliable free VPNs.
Is FrootVPN really safe?
We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links.
| Seychelles | |
| 2014 | |
| No | |
| 5 | |
| 30 days guaranteed |
