VPNs are virtual private networks that can offer you privacy, security and more freedom online. They can establish a protected network connection that encrypts your internet traffic and disguises your online identity so that you are no longer vulnerable to online attacks, and no one can track or restrict what you browse online.
There are so many different VPN services available nowadays, with all offering different levels of privacy, protection, features and perks. When it comes to VPNS, you’ll want to ensure that you have only the best so that you can browse the web unrestricted, with the top speeds and easy access to multiple servers.
One of the more popular VPN services is Zenmate VPN. So, we’re going to take a look at the Zenmate VPN service for ourselves, examining the features, benefits, pros and cons, to determine whether it is worth your time and money!
What Is ZenMate?
ZenMate is a highly used, premium VPN that protects your data and gives you a more secure experience online.
This VPN service offers users free Chrome VPN extensions and has multiple server locations to let you use the application on a variety of devices at the same time so that your online data whether it is from a computer, laptop or phone is unbreachable.
ZenMate VPN Overview
ZenMate is a popular, easy to set up and user friendly VPN. It’s perfect for those of us new to the world of VPNs and can protect you both at home or on public WiFi networks.
The great thing about ZenMate is that it has a very extensive line of servers and a large network of servers that are optimized for streaming services such as Disney+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and so much more.
What this means is that you can use one of these servers to stream content from all over the world, regardless of your location and whether the content is available in your region.
But not only this, ZenMate covers all of the bases with the usual appeal of VPNs, such as DNS leak protection, and a killswitch in the event of a problem so that you are always protected and secure online.
In addition, the draw of ZenMate is its competitive and affordable prices, along with a multitude of plans and a 30 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the service.
The plus points of ZenMate are that it’s very cost efficient especially when it comes to long term users and plans, and offers simple, easy to use protection and security.
It also has lots of free versions for browser extensions, and offers the IKEv2, L2TP protocols and IPSec protocols, but it does not have OpenVPN which is one of the most secure protocols.
ZenMate also offers two options when it comes to high standard encryption, either 128 or 256 bit, which are perfect for protecting you when surfing the net on public WiFi or in public spaces.
However, if it is 100% privacy you want, then ZenMate may not be in your favor as it stores a lot of personal information when you sign up, and has few gray areas in the privacy policy.
In addition, ZenMate is not able to break through the Chinese firewall, so it may not be suitable if you need a VPN that works in China.
So, as with anything, ZenMate is a great service, but it is not without its pros and cons. Let’s take a look at ZenMate and review the service in depth to see whether it is the right choice of VPN for your needs.
Key Features Of Zenmate
| Features | ZenMate |
| Number of servers | Over 4000 in 80 countries |
| Number of devices allowed | Unlimited devices permitted |
| Kill switch | Yes |
| Does it keep logs? | Strict 100% no logs policy |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Customer support | Live Chat Support available 24/7 |
| Does it support torrenting? | Yes |
| Money back guarantee | Yes – 30 day guarantee |
| Price | Depends on plan – as low as $2 a month* |
| Suitable for China? | No |
*Price is dependent on the particular plan you choose. For a 3 year plan, you can pay around $2-$3 per month. 1 year plans may be around $5 per month, whereas monthly plans are around $8 per month. Check the payment plan details on the ZenMate website for further information.
Overall Pros
- Offers users free trial period to try out the service
- Additional 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied
- Competitive and cost effective prices and plans
- No connection limits- you can use unlimited devices at once
- Easy to set up, user friendly server network
- Over 4,000 servers in 80 countries
- Trustworthy and reliable customer service and support
- Unblocks streaming services like Netflix and Disney+
- Compatible with most operating systems like Android, Windows, MacOS, iOS and Linux
- Fast, reliable speeds
- Has a kill switch and DNS leak protection
- 100% no logs policy
What Are The Speeds Like?
One of the great benefits of ZenMate is the speeds that this VPN service can offer users. The speeds in general are very fast and consistent so that you can rely on them.
This also goes for both the close by servers and the long distance ones, ZenMate does not seem to have any issues when it comes to speeds even if downloading large files.
After using the VPN for local servers and long distance servers, it seems that the speeds are quite impressive.
When using ZenMate for nearby servers, you will not see that much difference in your speeds as VPNs do tend to slow your speeds down a little bit, but local servers are typically better and faster than long distance ones, so we suggest that you use servers closer to you for online gaming and streaming.
But, the speeds for nearby servers on ZenMate are exceptional for streaming in SD, HD, live and 4K UHD content. Local server connections give you a little bit of a better ping, but the download and upload speeds are not that much different if you are using a local server or a long distance one on ZenMate.
When using a long distance server on ZenMate, the speeds are still good, and the download speeds are pretty standard, but can slow down sporadically.
Upload rates are slightly slower, but the speeds in general are still manageable and useful. However, if using a server that is rather far from you, or on the other side of the world, then you may struggle with online gaming as this could slow you down massively and cause some lagging.
Is Zenmate Fast Enough For Gaming?
In general, ZenMate is fast enough for online gaming, and ZenMate actually works well with consoles such as Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo, albeit it is rather difficult to set up ZenMate on these consoles, so you may need help from customer support or an experienced professional for this.
However, ZenMate provides efficient and fast enough speeds for gaming only if you are on a nearby or local server, as the long distance ones will have a ping ranging up to 275 which will not give you a smooth, lag free gaming experience. If you stick to local servers, you’ll have a ping of 100ms or lss, which is perfect for online gaming with ease.
Server Network
The server network of ZenMate is also rather impressive when you consider how low the cost is for this service.
There are currently over 4,000 servers in up to 80 countries! These can be accessed with the full ZenMate Ultimate and Premium plans, but if you have the cheaper or free plans, then you may only be able to access the 4 common servers which are US, Germany, Romania and Singapore.
Having a vast range of servers is essential in a good VPN because you won’t want to lose speed and efficiency because the servers are simply overloaded by users. However, ZenMate does offer a large variety of servers, and you never have to worry or compromise on speed when using ZenMate.
The network of servers is so large that there is never any congestion or overloading that could affect your internet connection.
The only issue is that you cannot see the exact location of the servers, such as the cities, and choose based on this information.
Instead, you are only able to select servers by the country and you cannot look for the best yourself, as ZenMate will locate one for you. This is a slight issue for some, but if your speeds are still good, then it should not be an issue for you.
When it comes to ZenMate’s server network, the service has servers in the US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, so you have really good coverage.
There are even servers available in stricter countries such as Russia, Vietnam and Turkey. There are however no servers in Pakistan, and it can be hard to access Chinese content on some servers.
ZenMate Has Servers In:
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andora
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bangladesh
- Bahamas
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Cambodia
- China (mainland)
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
…and that’s just to name a few!
Another great bonus when using ZenMate is that your IP will keep changing when in use. This is called a Dynamic IP, which is a useful tool to keep your actual IP address hidden entirely.
By giving you an IP address that is constantly updated and replaced, you are untraceable online, no matter where you are or what server you are using.
Unblocking Streaming Content
One of the draws for many people new to the world of VPNs is the fact that you can unblock streaming content that would otherwise be restricted in your region. This means that you can watch content that is on Netflix, YouTube to Disney+ all over the world in the US, UK, Germany and other countries, despite the restrictions in your location.
After testing out ZenMate for ourselves, we found that ZenMate can successfully bypass the geo restrictions of most popular streaming services such as:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Android TV
- 6 Play
- 7 TV
- ARD
- BBC iPlayer
- CBC
- Comedy Central
- Disney +
- ESPN +
- Fox Sport
- France TV
- Globo
- HBO Max
- Hotstar
- NBC
- Netflix (in multiple regions)
- Rai Play
- Servus TV
- Sling TV
- YouTube
- Zattoo
- ZDF
And many more! In addition to this ZenMate has multiple servers so that streaming your favorite TV shows is much faster, and you don’t have as much buffering going on.
There’s a vast range of servers on ZenMate that are optimized for streaming, which give you the best chance of using an IP address that works to bypass geo restrictions and VPN bans so that you can stream whatever content your heart desires without any issues or delays.
There are also other servers that are specifically designed and optimized for accessing German and French streaming platforms such as Netflix, and you can even use ZenMate to get through to Japan’s Netflix content.
In addition to this, ZenMate has 4 servers optimized just for Amazon Prime Video in the US, UK, Italy and France so that you can watch Amazon shows and originals without any issues. No matter where the server is based, there is little to no buffering for easy use.
ZenMate also personally guarantees that you can watch things like BBC iPlayer on the UK servers, so that you can watch all of the best British TV shows whenever you want.
Nowadays, more and more streaming services are working to block VPNs to protect their content, but ZenMate is able to bypass these obstacles quite easily.
That being said, you may have some trouble accessing Hulu, ITV Hub, Amazon Fire and Kodi as there are no servers on ZenMate optimized for this. This does not mean that you cannot access them with ZenMate, it just may be a bit more of a struggle.
What Is Security Like?
ZenMate offers its users extensive security across all devices, but the security is best on devices run by Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS and Linux.
It is also important to note that ZenMate has two protocols, IKEv2 and OpenVPN. The first is available for Windows and MacOS or iOS devices, whereas OpenVPN is only suitable for Windows, Android and Linux devices.
If you’ve used VPNs before, then you know that OpenVPN is the most extensive, secure and well tested of the protocols, which will give you the most protection online.
In addition to this ZenMate offers DNS leak protection which prevents any information being leaked accidentally through default settings rather than the VPN. DNS leak protection is essential when it comes to protecting yourself online, so this is a big perk.
Is There A Kill Switch?
Yes, with ZenMate, you also have a kill switch feature which is available on all of ZenMate’s applications and services. The Killswitch will always be on and secure to keep you protected at all times.
The killswitch can also help to prevent data leaks by ensuring that you can only access the internet if the connection is securely going through the VPN.
If it is not, then the killswitch will temporarily disconnect your device until it can use the VPN correctly. This is to help you in the event of the VPN connection being lost, and your information being compromised.
With a killswitch, you never have to worry about this. This feature is always on automatically, but you can customize this to disable it if you want to.
Device Compatibility
One of the benefits of ZenMate is that you can use unlimited devices on the platform. This means that you are entirely covered for your phone, laptop, computer, iPad, and all of the people in your household will be too.
It’s also compatible with a range of devices including Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Linux, Amazon Fire TV, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, Playstation, Chromebook, Microsoft Edge, Apple TV, Android Smart TV, Chrome and Firefox.
Does It Work In China?
No, ZenMate does not work in China, and this is one of the cons of the service. China as a country is actively blocking VPNs, so you will not be able to bypass this and have access to Chinese content if you are using ZenMate.
Overall Cons – Privacy Issues
The only issues we have with ZenMate VPN is that it lacks a few security features that other services can provide. For instance, ZenMate does not offer split tunneling which can enhance your security online, along with double VPN services that will re-route your online information and traffic through two VPNs for extra encryption and protection.
In addition to this, ZenMate has a pretty vague privacy policy with a lot of gray areas that you should know about. For instance, this VPN service states that it shares your personal data with third parties which can be a big no-no for some people.
This personal data includes your email address, name and address, IP address and ISP, the operating system and browser version, along with your payment information and location. The company is also based in Germany, which is part of the 14 Eyes Alliance, which can access your private personal data.
The Nitty Gritty – Set Up, Pricing & Support
The only other thing you need to know is that ZenMate is super easy to set up and use as the interface is incredibly intuitive and user friendly.
Additionally, you have 24/7 chat support to help you along the way. The support agents are approachable, reply quickly and are extremely helpful. There are also a vast range of plans that you can take out, starting from as little as $2. You can check out offers here.
Our Verdict
To summarize, ZenMate is a simple, useful and affordable VPN service with a lot of helpful features such as IP address encryption, a killswitch, DNS leak protection and an extensive range of servers with impressive speeds.
However, there are some drawbacks in terms of privacy agreements, that it does not work in China, and the fact that some features only work on certain operating systems. That being said, ZenMate is still a user-friendly, useful VPN with unlimited device connections, cheap plans and a money back guarantee!
- IPSec vs. OpenVPN: Which Is Better? - December 10, 2022
- How to Turn Off VPN on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide - December 10, 2022
- What Is a VPN Concentrator and What Does It Do? - December 10, 2022
