ClearVPN Review 2024: Is It a Clear Choice for a VPN?

ClearVPN might be one of the easiest virtual private networks (VPNs) to use for your everyday activities, like streaming. The Ukrainian service is a blend of the best encryption protocols out there at a low cost.

ClearVPN also sports a well-designed interface that has everything to get you up and running quickly: a location changer, a smart connection option, and a streaming tool.

When we tested ClearVPN, it unblocked every international streaming service we threw at it, though it didn't do so hot when it came to speed tests.

So does it have what it takes to stand out as one of the best VPN services? Let's dive in further and see what else makes ClearVPN so recommendable, as well as some of its flaws.

ClearVPN review at a glance

Our experience

Installing ClearVPN is very straightforward and simple. Once downloaded, the interface boots up and you're welcomed to a nice violet-hued app. But wait! Before you hit the button, first log in so you can unlock all your premium features.

You can pick from any of the 45+ countries to connect to. You can scroll, search, and sort the list by name and speed. Plus ClearVPN will also suggest servers based on a variety of categories, including speed, content, and privacy.

You can also click on "Streaming services" to get recommendations based on what streaming service you want to connect to, or just choose "Optimal location" so you can get the fastest speeds.

Unfortunately, that's where our experience started getting a little weird. When we clicked "Optimal location," we expected to be connected to a server on the East Coast of North America (near where we are). Instead we were connected to Australia, which would mean very high ping.

Once we started testing the VPN's speed, this little weird thing got worse, since we got some of the worst speeds yet out of all the VPNs we tested. We'll discuss that further in our test results below.

Other than those two weird instances, our experience with the app was good. It was fast to connect to servers, had an aesthetic interface, and didn't feel too slow (despite its abysmal scores).

Who is ClearVPN best for?

• Recommended for beginner VPN users who are interested in privacy and ease of use.

Ease of use is one of ClearVPN’s main highlights. It's clear that MacPaw, the developer, took time to assess what is necessary in a VPN interface. While the design looks simple, it is very inviting and lays out everything in big clickable icons.

The settings are also clear and understandable, with no cumbersome jargon getting in the way of your privacy. That makes ClearVPN an excellent choice if you’re a VPN newbie — or if you prefer a simple approach instead of a features-packed service.

The service’s privacy aspect is equally as important. ClearVPN uses the same AES 256-bit encryption that the best VPNs like NordVPN use. It has a no-logs policy, keeping your most private data out of anyone's hands.

This all comes at a competitive price that’s based on the length of the plan you subscribe to. Paying for a plan with a longer subscription length is one way you can easily save money on a VPN if you intend to use it for a while.

ClearVPN pricing

ClearVPN's subscription prices are duration based. This means that you unlock all the features even if you pay for only one month of service. However, you may save money in the long run if you choose the annual plan.

Comparing these prices to say, NordVPN, ClearVPN comes in at about the same price — especially if you choose the longer plan terms. 

ClearVPN features

With a paid subscription you unlock ClearVPN's full server network, with locations in 40 different countries. You can also connect up to six devices, which isn’t a lot compared to ExpressVPN’s eight-device limit and Surfshark’s unlimited device support, but it may be more than enough for you.

ClearVPN comes with a kill switch, an ad blocker, and a smart connection tool, which we'll dive into as well. It's a little disappointing that there's no split tunneling or antivirus. But for what you pay, it's pretty robust for a VPN.

Server count and countries

• 50+ servers in 40 countries

ClearVPN servers operate in at least 40 countries with over 50 servers, which isn't much compared to something like NordVPN with over 6,300 servers under its belt.

Why does this matter? A high server count can be necessary to limit server congestion, as it gives you more servers in the same location to choose from. If you connect to a congested server and experience slow internet speeds, you can hop over to the next nearest server to see if your connection improves.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• ClearVPN logs policy: No logs
• ClearVPN headquarters: Kyiv, Ukraine

ClearVPN is a product of MacPaw, a company that's centered around creating Apple-based solutions. Based out of Kyiv, Ukraine, MacPaw and therefore ClearVPN operate outside of the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes Alliances. These alliances allow certain countries to collect and share surveillance data that may include VPN logs.

In this case, Ukraine is not beholden to the government to keep or show any record of your activity. And ClearVPN doesn’t collect any logs outside of the information necessary to create your account, upholding its strict no-logs policy.

However, at this time, ClearVPN hasn’t completed a logs audit by an independent company, something we’d like to see it address in the future.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is a common VPN feature that lets you choose which websites you want to be channeled through your VPN and which ones you don't. This is useful for people who want to be protected while using certain apps (like their browser), but want full speed for other apps (like video games).

Unfortunately, split tunneling is not available with ClearVPN.

Kill switch

If your VPN service drops for any reason, a kill switch disconnects your device from the internet until the VPN connection is secure again. This is important to keep your connection encrypted and not leak your IP address or other data if the VPN stops working.

Since this is an important security feature, it's fortunate that ClearVPN does have it. You can find the kill switch in the system settings tab.

VPN protocols

When we strip away the fun streaming aspect, a VPN is, at its core, a cybersecurity tool. The encryption and protocols do a lot of the heavy lifting to keep you safe.

ClearVPN offers two strong protocols, IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN. The best option is to let the service choose the protocol, which is easy with the "auto" option.

Ad blocker

A relatively new addition to the ClearVPN feature lineup is an ad blocker that they call ClearWeb. You can enable it in your VPN app to work while you're connected, or you can install a free browser extension.

We tested this feature by visiting a few sites notorious for having a lot of ads. While it was able to block sponsored Google results and all the banner ads on Forbes, it's unable to block YouTube video ads.

Still, it's a nice and lightweight addition to an affordable VPN.

ClearVPN test results

A VPN is a great tool to use when you want to keep your data private while using the internet. But routing your IP address through servers far away to disguise it, can slow down your internet speeds. That's why we test VPNs beforehand to know how much it affects performance.

We also check to make sure the extra features they boast about actually work as intended.

Speed tests

• Speed test results: ClearVPN slowed down our internet speed by an average of 80%.

For real-world speed tests, we used a Windows 11 laptop with 1 Gbps internet service located on the East Coast of Canada. Our control test showed download speeds at around 242 Mbps and upload speeds of about 53.73 Mbps. Then we turned on ClearVPN to see whether it slowed our connection.

The download speeds slowed down considerably in all servers, coming in at an average speed reduction of 80%. Though some loss is expected when connected to a VPN, ClearVPN unfortunately showed some of the worst speeds we've seen during our tests.

We even saw a 67% reduction in download speed from a nearby Montreal server, which went up to 73% reduction when connected to New York. Usually these nearby servers perform decently, but this was not the case with ClearVPN.

We were also shocked to see a result under 1 Mbps for our connection to London, England. 

The good news is that despite the scary slow numbers, the internet was still very much useable and we didn't notice any huge disruptions when connected to nearby servers. Just be wary if you need to do any activities that require a lot of downloading or uploading (this is where that split tunnel would come in handy...).

ClearVPN speed test results

ClearVPN streaming support

• Does ClearVPN work with Netflix?: Yes, ClearVPN unblocks Netflix.

Watching Netflix is a breeze with ClearVPN — we streamed with no hiccups from the U.S., U.K., and Canada. To unblock geo-restricted content on Netflix and other streaming services, all you have to do is pick a country from ClearVPN’s server list and you're off and running. 

The only issue we had was connecting to Australia. Netflix was able to detect that we were using a VPN, so they blocked us from watching any content.

But what about Disney+? For some of us, Star Wars is life, and we need to catch up on "Ahsoka" wherever we are. Well, good news! Not only will ClearVPN open up region-locked catalogs on Disney+, but you're able to watch them too.

Here are a few other streaming services that work seamlessly with ClearVPN:

• Hulu
• Amazon Prime Video
• AppleTV+

In fact, ClearVPN even suggests servers that works best with certain streaming services in specific countries. You can find them under the #RichContent tag in their server list, or choose from their Streaming Services category:

ClearVPN Netflix test results

DNS and WebRTC leak tests

• DNS leak test results: Pass
• WebRTC leak test results: Pass

We tested ClearVPN for both a DNS leak and a WebRTC leak using the trusted site Browserleaks.com. Testing a VPN for leaks is important, especially if you plan to use it to remain anonymous online.

DNS (Domain Name System) is the link between you and a website. IP address information is exchanged with a DNS and can be seen by your internet service provider (ISP) or unwanted third parties like hackers.

What we wanted to know is if ClearVPN would hide or leak information about our DNS, and fortunately, it passed the test. 

WebRTC handles peer-to-peer communication on a website, specifically over video. We tested this and the WebRTC came up leak free as well.

Kill switch test

• Kill switch test results: Pass

To make sure a kill switch is working, we go to IPleaks.net while connected to a server and let it run while we connect to a new server. If our real IP shows up in between the first and second servers, then the kill switch isn't working as intended.

Thankfully, ClearVPN passed the kill switch test since our real IP didn't show up when switching from a U.S. to Canada server.

That said, it did show several different U.S. servers before and after switching to Canada. This may indicate that it was trying to find a better server to connect to, and may have ended up switching countries to achieve this.

ClearVPN compatibility

Even though MacPaw specializes in Mac products, ClearVPN can handle most device types. Which is great if you have six devices on different operating systems. These include:

• macOS
• Windows
• iOS
• Android

It also has a Chrome web extension.

ClearVPN customer support

ClearVPN offers 24/7 customer service via live chat, email, and an online guide. If you can't find your information in the guides, you're encouraged to reach out to get your answer.

Online guide

If you go to the ClearVPN support page, you'll be given a search bar and several drop down categories you can choose from to find an answer to your questions.

Most of these guides were very short, with some of them coming in at only one sentence long.

That said, we were able to find some of the answers to our questions during our research for this review, so it wasn't completely unhelpful.

Live chat

On the bottom right of your screen in the support section should be a small chat bubble. Click on that, and you'll be told you can send a message to the support team and hear back in around two minutes.

We reached out to verify that ClearVPN did in fact no have split tunneling and were connected pretty quickly to a chat agent named Eugene.

He was very kind and answered our question fully and to the point.

Email

You can email the ClearVPN support team by filling out a form on their site.

Since we couldn't originally find an answer to how many servers ClearVPN has, we contacted customer support via email.

We received a reply a day later and the support team was very nice and provided help. A while afterward, we got another email checking in on us and asking if we needed any more help.

This is a sign of great customer service.

Top alternatives

If you've decided ClearVPN isn't for you, then we have some alternatives you might like better.

Price	$3.39–$15.99/mo	$2.19–$17.95/mo	$2.03–$12.99/mo
Free version
Max # of connected devices	10	Unlimited	7
# of servers	6,300+ servers in 111 countries	3,200 in 100 countries	Servers in 100 countries
VPN protocol	NordLynx (WireGuard), OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2	Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2
Encryption	AES-256-GCM	AES-256-GCM	AES-256
No-logs policy	No logs	No logs	No logs
Headquarters	Panama	The Netherlands	Romania
Netflix access
Learn more	Get NordVPN	Get Surfshark	Get CyberGhost

ClearVPN FAQs

Bottom line: Is ClearVPN any good?

ClearVPN is an overall good VPN service that unblocks Netflix and other streaming services and comes at a reasonable price. We like that it has a strict no-logs policy, strengthened by its headquarters in Ukraine. ClearVPN also has great streaming connectivity and responsive customer service.

At the same time, when we tested for speed, ClearVPN was slower than other VPNs we've tested. That's something that could cause concern. We also found its self-help articles not expansive enough to help with potential problems. (We recommend talking to customer service instead, they’re fantastic.)

So while ClearVPN has a few flaws, that doesn't mean we don't recommend it. Although it's not as powerful as NordVPN or Surfshark, ClearVPN is still a great option in the VPN landscape. And it supports Ukraine by offering free VPN app access to all residents.

3.4

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On ClearVPN's website

VPN

ClearVPN

• User-friendly interface
• Streams Netflix and other services
• Poor speed test results

Author Details

Sameer Narain

About the Author

Sameer M. Narain is a freelance writer with a foundation in systems, software, and hardware. With over 10 years of experience in testing various antivirus programs, data encryption programs, VPNs, and drive defragmentation software, he is adept at synthesizing information for the everyday reader and tech enthusiast. He has a special interest in staying secure for big team-related projects where confidentiality is king, therefore his writing often attempts to solve the bigger picture with easily accessible programs.

Kalleigh Lane