Pros
Offers Servers in 10+ Locations
Zero Activity Logging Policy
No Bandwidth Caps
No Data Caps
Easy-to-use
Free Trial Without Credit Card
One Touch Server Selection
Decent Connection Speed
Cross-Platform Compatibility (Android, Mac OS X, iOS, Windows)
Cons
Fewer Encryption Protocols Offered
Service Sponsored by 3rd Party Advertisers
No Version Available for Mac Operating System
What is Betternet ?
Betternet is a Canadian VPN service provider which serves more than 38 million users worldwide. With its headquarters located in Vancouver, British Colombia, Betternet offers free of cost service and distinguishes itself from traditional VPN providers. Despite charging from subscribers, Betternet monetizes and covers the service costs from 3rd party advertisers.
Subscribers can avail prime benefits of Betternet and achieve instant protection and security against the rising threats of cyber world. Betternet gives exclusive online freedom to those who want one-touch access to geo-blocked sites and services for free.
In our Betternet review, we will critique each and every aspect of Betternet which makes it a top choice among free VPN services.
Pricing Plans
Betternet serves users of all levels with its pocket-friendly plans. Currently, Betternet offers two premium plans.
The premium users get an edge over the freemium subscribers with 5 simultaneous connections, dedicated servers, better speed, zero ads policy, great server locations and round the clock customer support. The pricing plans are offered as following:
Monthly plan costs $4.99
Annual plan costs $29.99
Note: Both premium packages offer similar features. However, no protocol selection option is offered in both the packages.
Payment Methods
Despite being fans favorite service, Betternet only accepts payment via Play Store and iTunes. However, this can be considered a positive aspect of the service as Betternet retains no credit card information of users.
Moreover, when subscribing to premium version , a user agrees to get automatic account renewal once his account expires. We suggest subscribers in our Betternet review to cancel the service on time if they don’t want to get charged for next month.
Multi-Login Feature
The simultaneous connection is an incredible benefit offered with premium version . It gives subscribers an option to use a single Betternet account on up to five devices at a time.
Once subscribed to Betternet premium account, a user can access geo-blocked services and play region-restricted games on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac by using a single Betternet account.
Free Trial Version Without Credit Card
Betternet is widely acclaimed for its free service model. The VPN service doesn’t require any credit card information from subscribers but displays unwanted ads.
In addition to this, upon starting the free version of Betternet, users are asked to view a video. These video views and target advertisements are Betternet’s chief source of income.
Money Back Guarantee
Although Betternet offers a free trial version, but to deliver subscribers with a realistic experience of paid version, Betternet offers a 30-day fair usage refund policy. However, the refund policy consists of a surprising limitation according to which a subscriber shouldn’t consume more than 50 MB of data.
We VPNRanks in our Betternet VPN review consider the offered data limit to be very unrealistic, as 50 MB of data is inadequate to evaluate a service for streaming and online gaming.
Server Locations
Betternet has its servers located in all prime regions of the world. However, the freemium version offers no option for server selection, but premium subscribers get an opportunity to spoof their location to the US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore.
Surprisingly, Betternet hasn’t disclosed the exact number of servers, but we expect them to offer servers in Australia, allowing users to unblock Seven Network and more channels.
We decided to evaluate Betternet’s high-speed performance claims and tested their service using a 10 Mbps intentionally throttled connection. After carrying out the tests, we achieved surprising results:
Before connecting to Betternet:
After connecting to Betternet UK server:
As soon as we connected to Betternet’s UK server, our download speed dropped slightly with a noticeable increase in ping speed. But to our surprise, we were able to stream various popular videos on YouTube, Netflix, Dailymotion and Vimeo hassle free without interruptions.
Customer Support
Being a free VPN service, Betternet does not offer a 24/7 live tech support at the moment. However, the provider offers an informative knowledge base area, FAQs section, and e-mail ticketing system. Users can get an instant solution for common queries through FAQs section.
Interestingly, the email query system is powered by Zendesk, and it aims to provide a detailed solution for complex issues faced by subscribers.
For Betternet review, we decided to evaluate Betternet’s customer support and dropped off a query enquiring about the offered protocols.
However, we received no response from Betternet until the next day. We hope that provider improves customer support in future.
Security & Encryption Protocols
Most VPN providers in the market offer a traditional set of encryption protocols (PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2, and OpenVPN), but Betternet distinguishes itself by providing a unique set of tunneling protocols.
We conducted in-depth analysis of Betternet services for our Betternet VPN review and discovered following secured protocols with respective encryption keys:
OpenVPN with AES256 bit of encryption
IPSec with AES-CBC 128 bit of encryption
Note: After studying the offered encryption protocols of service in Betternet review, we suggest users choose Betternet solely for unblocking sites, as it doesn’t provide an adequate protection for torrenting and P2P file sharing.
Log & Usage Policy
Being located in Canada, Betternet isn’t obliged to follow any strict data retention regimes. In addition to this, Betternet apparently claims that it doesn’t collect, log or store users’ data on any of its servers or elsewhere.
However, Betternet only keeps subscribers’ data which is mandatory for service delivery. After examining Betternet’s privacy policy we came up with following data which is recorded by Betternet:
Connection time
Total amount of data transferred per day
Note: Although Betternet states to retain users’ information for service delivery purposes, a surprising part of their privacy policy confirms that Betternet works with partners and third parties. Interestingly, Betternet takes no responsibility for what its partners or third parties do with the retained data.
How Does Betternet VPN Works?
A VPN requires a massive amount of hardware and monetary resources. On another hand, a free VPN services are sponsored by third party advertisers and so does Betternet.
Now, if you’re already wondering about what does Betternet do? Then Betternet VPN works with one-click encryption model. As soon as a user installs and starts Betternet on one of the supported device, the VPN service routes his entire network traffic through a secured encrypted tunnel.
This ensures a top-notch protection to confidential information of a user against hackers, snooper, phishers, identity thieves, spy agencies and every person on earth who wishes to eaves drop on user data privacy.
Once a user becomes anonymous on internet, Betternet allows him to bypass the geo-restriction and gives him access to geo-blocked services (BBC iPlayer, NBC, CBC, Pandora, Spotify, HBO Now, Fox Go, 4oD, Netflix and more) from anywhere in the world.
What is Betternet for?
Betternet offers a range of privacy benefits to users of various platforms. Now, if you want to know what Betternet does? Then following are the perks of using Betternet on your device:
Bypass state censorship & firewalls
Access geo-blocked sites from anywhere
Achieve unbeatable online protection
Become 101% anonymous on internet
Spoof location to 10 locations of the world
Access your favorite channels and sports while travelling abroad
How To Use Betternet
Betternet VPN follows a simple seven step installation process. If you’re unfamiliar with VPN installation on different platforms then here’s how to install Betternet VPN on Windows:
Go to official site of Betternet VPN
Now, go to download section
Download the Betternet VPN app on your system and install it
Upon successful installation, open Betternet software
Proceed by skipping the guide and hints
Now click on connect button and wait till you’re connected
Upon successful connection, enjoy accessing thousands of websites and services that were previously blocked in your region
Is Betternet A Good VPN
There’re plenty of reasons to consider Betternet VPN as the first choice for data privacy. Instead of choosing the premium service, we suggest users give a try to Betternet free VPN and witness the unmatched benefits of a true VPN service.
On top of all, Betternet VPN doesn’t require credit card information or any other detail from users. With Betternet installed on your device, you can access thousands of geo-blocked sites with just a single click.
In addition to this, 100% online protection, reliable security, and protection against every cyber goon are the benefits you get with Betternet.
How is Betternet Free?
How exactly is Betternet free? is Betternet safe? These are the frequent questions among every user on internet. To resolve the query of masses, Betternet doesn’t asks for any fee or financial information from its users. However, Betternet do require huge funds to keep the servers up and service running.
In our Betternet VPN review, we unveiled three main sources that keep Betternet’s service running:
Video ads
Sponsored apps
Betternet products
Betternet usually shows video ads of 10 to 15 seconds before connecting to VPN server. Moreover, “app suggestions” are displayed at the bottom of connecting window, consisting of sponsored apps.
VPN Like Betternet
Like Betternet, various VPN providers in the market offer free service to subscribers. However, security aspects of these services can’t be compared with full featured premium VPN services.
Not to forget, there’re providers in the industry who sell users’ data to third parties and even law enforcement agencies.
Moreover, choosing a free VPN alternative is similar to gambling with one’s digital privacy. However, according to users’ reviews and security experts’ suggestions, following are some trusted VPN like Betternet:
Hotspot Shield
Spotflux
Tunnelbear
Hola
Cross-Platform Availability
Multi-platform availability is an unusual aspect of a VPN service. Betternet VPN takes an edge over competitors by offering excellent in-house apps for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Chrome, Firefox and Android.
Betternet for PC
Betternet for PC offers instant access to almost all geo-blocked websites and services on PC, making a user anonymous and protected against a range of cybercrimes. Just download the Betternet VPN for PC from its official website, connect to the fastest servers and surf the web like never before.
Betternet For Chrome
Betternet for Chrome allows users to enjoy unrestricted access to unlimited blocked sites and services. Once installed on Chrome browser, Betternet VPN extension gives one-touch anonymity to users. Using Betternet, Chrome users can spoof their location to 10+ locations of the world.
Betternet For Firefox
Betternet for Firefox browser is the most suitable solution to access internet with zero restrictions. With Betternet add-on installed on Firefox, top-notch privacy, and 100% identity protection is guaranteed. Moreover, single tap connectivity gives subscribers with simple, easy and fast connection to the nearest available server.
Betternet For Mac OS X
Betternet for Mac offers super-fast connection, location spoofing, and anonymity to Mac OS X users. Accessing any geo-blocked sites (YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and more) on Mac OS X is just a click away with Betternet. Betternet for Apple offers a simple and sleek design with one-touch connection feature. Betternet for Mac OS X can be downloaded from iTunes.
Betternet for iPhone
Betternet for iPhone offers superior online freedom to users. Once installed on an iPhone, Betternet allows users to access all geo-blocked sites from school, workplace or anywhere else in the world.
Also, the service allows users to evade ISP bandwidth throttling and state censorship while ensuring 100% online freedom. Betternet for iOS can be downloaded from iTunes.
How to Use Betternet on iPhone
Now, that you know about the perks of using Betternet on iPhone, here’s how to use Betternet on iPhone:
Go to iTunes
Search for Betternet
Download and install Betternet on your iPhone
Once installed, open it and hit connect
Upon successful connection, you will be able to access geo-blocked sites that were previously unavailable for you
Betternet For Android APK
Betternet on Android offers free-of-cost service with zero data or bandwidth limits. When installed on an Android device, Betternet instantly unblocks tons of sites and services (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Line, WhatsApp and more). In Betternet VPN review, we consider Betternet Android app to be the safest and highly economical solution for top-grade privacy.
Betternet vs. Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield stands among top alternatives for Betternet. But difference among the offerings exist. Following is a head-to-head comparison of Betternet vs. Hotspot Shield service:
Offerings
Betternet
Hotspot Shield
Locations Offered
10
18
Security Protocols
OpenVPN with AES256 bit,
IPSec with AES-CBC 128
OpenVPN with 256-bit AES
Available Platforms
Android, iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, Chrome, Firefox
Android, iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, Amazon Kindle
Plan Starting From
$4.99/month
$11.95/month
Conclusion
After completing our Betternet VPN review, we have concluded that Betternet is relatively a new service in the privacy space, but includes some shortcomings. The service quality is decent and is preferred for subscribers who only want to access geo-restricted sites.
Lack of secure tunneling protocols, loopholes in the privacy policy and fewer servers are the cons of using Betternet.
However, free of cost service, fast connectivity and ease of access are the benefits which make Betternet VPN first choice for netizens around the world. We at “VPNRanks” give Betternet VPN a 3/5 in our Betternet VPN review.