ZenVPN Review 2025: Overpriced and Underperforming

ZenVPN is too expensive for its lackluster performance and lack of security. Our speeds were tanked with almost every server we tested and it failed all the leak tests.

ZenVPN also lacks a kill switch and its server library is so limited, you'd be better off choosing another VPN. Its starting price is more expensive than more comprehensive services, like Surfshark and CyberGhost.

If you’re looking for a VPN to watch geo-restricted content, play online games, speed up your internet, and keep you anonymous online, we have some great suggestions that shine where ZenVPN falters.

Overview

Price	$4.00-$5.00/mo
Free version	Yes
Max # of connected devices	Unlimited
# of servers	Unlisted in 47 countries
VPN protocol	WireGuard
Encryption	Unlisted
No-logs policy	No logs
Headquarters	United States
Netflix access	No
Learn more	Get ZenVPN

We last tested ZenVPN on May 21, 2025.

Our experience

We installed ZenVPN on our Windows laptop. Unfortunately, the download was blocked as potentially malicious by Microsoft Defender, and we had to allow access around the protection, which felt wrong.

Once we downloaded it and set it up, we were surprised to see very little functionality in the app. We could choose from the available servers and connect to the virtual private network (VPN).

The first thing we noticed was that the site didn’t advertise the number of server locations that we saw in the dashboard. When we logged in to our dashboard via our browser, we saw there were more server options available.

Since we wanted to test out U.S. servers, we attempted to add one to our available options and were prompted to agree to an additional $15.00/mo for that server. That would’ve taken our overall monthly total to $20.00/mo, which is the most expensive VPN we’ve seen.

Obviously, we declined. We did attempt to test the split tunneling with Netflix, but it failed to bypass any geo-blocks. ZenVPN also slowed our speeds detrimentally. 

Our experience with ZenVPN was lackluster from start to finish. As soon as we were done testing it, we removed it from our device. If you’re looking for a traditional, easy-to-use VPN, this is not it.

Who is ZenVPN best for?

• Recommended for work teams/environments

ZenVPN doesn’t have a lot of the features and functionality that you’d want from a personal VPN. We found that servers from many major countries were missing from the Basic VPN option, even if you have the paid tier, and adding them incurs an additional cost monthly.

This would be better for work teams or work environments where a VPN was being used to connect safely with applications (hence the API integrations).

ZenVPN prices and subscriptions

ZenVPN offers two subscription tiers for personal use, a free plan and a Basic VPN for $4.00-$5.00/mo. The free plan allows you to reroute traffic through their encrypted server for one website at a time. 

When you upgrade to the Basic tier, you can route all your traffic through their servers, as well as change your location. The $5.00/mo price tag on the Basic plan is a little high compared to other competitors who offer a lot more for their monthly cost. 

NordVPN, for example, gives you every feature you could dream of in a VPN, including Netflix access, kill switch, and more, for only $4.39/mo (billed every two years). Choosing from one of our alternatives will help you save money on a VPN while getting better features.

Features	ZenVPN Free	ZenVPN Basic
Price	Free	$4.00-$5.00/mo
Number of devices	Unlimited	Unlimited
Number of servers	Unlisted in 47 countries	Unlisted in 47 countries
Basic VPN
Kill switch
Split tunneling
API integrations
Dedicated gateway	Yes — $15.00/mo	Yes — $15.00/mo
Learn more	View plan	View plan

ZenVPN features

ZenVPN really pushes its split tunneling abilities. Other than that, however, there are very few features.

There are fewer included servers you can use than are advertised on the site, including no United States servers. Overall, we were pretty disappointed with ZenVPN’s offerings.

Server count and countries

• Unlisted in 47 countries

Though the site lists about 47 server locations, we were only able to see Unlisted servers in 47 countries when using the app.

You can also purchase additional servers, but it can get extremely expensive as they’re each $15.00/mo. There are other products, like NordVPN, that are constantly increasing server options without making their customers pay more for them.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• ZenVPN logs policy: No logs
• ZenVPN headquarters: United States

ZenVPN notes it has a no-logs policy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t collecting A LOT of your data. The privacy policy explicitly states that ZenVPN, or the third-party services it uses, can collect things like unique identifiers for your personal device, your IP address, what browsers you use, ways you interact online, and a lot more.

Seeing the blanket phrase “no-logs policy” makes people feel safe and think they can trust the service. You don’t actually need logs to collect the data ZenVPN is collecting. It can be acquired in real time, which would still mean it's not keeping logs. Instead, it’s gathering information on you as you use it.

Additionally, ZenVPN allows third parties to serve you cookies and collects them itself. Cookies store data. Since they’re technically not logs, however, ZenVPN can still claim it doesn’t keep logs. It’s all very dicey, and we don’t like any of it.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is ZenVPN’s flagship feature. ZenVPN seems to be pushing you to use it both on its site and when you have the product downloaded, even if it’s not something you would need.

Split tunneling involves routing some traffic through one VPN server and other traffic through another VPN server. You also have the option to route some traffic without VPN protection at all.

Kill switch

On the other hand, you do need a kill switch, but ZenVPN doesn’t have one.

A kill switch severs your internet connection if the VPN connection drops. This protects you from hackers who could potentially find your IP address or other information if your VPN fails, even briefly. This is why it’s important for a VPN to have a kill switch.

VPN protocols

ZenVPN uses WireGuard protocol, which is one of the most common options. We prefer to see multiple choices when it comes to protocols, so you're able to choose which works best for you and switch between them if you're running into problems. Unfortunately, ZenVPN doesn't have this option.

ZenVPN test results

We test every VPN for speed, security, and Netflix access.

While there are many other streaming services out there, Netflix tends to be the most aggressive toward VPNs. If a VPN can thwart Netflix’s VPN blockers, it will usually work with most streaming services.

As far as speed and security, without proper speeds, a VPN is unusable. Likewise, if it leaks your data, it’s not worth your time. Our tests returned some pretty interesting results.

Speed tests

• ZenVPN speed test results: ZenVPN slowed our download speeds by an average of 65%.

We tested ZenVPN on our Windows laptop in a Wi-Fi environment with other devices connected. Since we weren’t able to access free servers for the U.S., we tested a server in Mexico.

We looked at how much slower download and upload speeds were and how much longer it took the ping to execute our request. For fast internet speeds, you want high download and upload speeds and very low latency (ping).

Test type	No VPN	US to MX	US to CA	US to EU	US to AU
Download speed	261.94 Mbps	22.12 Mbps	2.17 Mbps	2.60 Mbps	339.94 Mbps
Upload speed	368.66 Mbps	29.51 Mbps	0.61 Mbps	3.90 Mbps	450.48 Mbps
Latency (ping)	17 ms	58 ms	82 ms	106 ms	219 ms
Download speed % difference	N/A	-91.56%	-99.17%	-99.01%	+29.78%
Upload speed % difference	N/A	-92.00%	-99.83%	-98.94%	+22.22%
Latency % difference	N/A	+241.18%	+382.35%	+523.53%	+1,188.24%

Because there was no U.S. server for us to use, we chose a Mexican server to get an idea of how ZenVPN would impact our speeds with a nearby server. This server dropped our download speeds by over 91% and they only got worse from there with the Canadian and Irish servers.

Our device became practically unusable with most ZenVPN servers. We almost had to just restart our device because it was taking so long for us to load any webpage or even switch desktop apps. 

Surprisingly, the Australia server increased our speeds by almost 30%. Normally, servers that are further from your physical location would decrease your internet speeds but ZenVPN somehow had the opposite result. 

Netflix tests

• Netflix test results: ZenVPN failed to bypass Netflix blocks.

One benefit of using a VPN is the ability to unblock geo-restricted content. Ideally, you'd be able stream shows available in other countries as if you were physically located there.

But ZenVPN was of little help with unblocking Netflix.

	US to US	US to CA	US to UK	US to AU
Did it work with Netflix?

First, Netflix lacked a U.S. server with the paid plan, so we couldn't test this location. Then, the Canada and Ireland servers were immediately detected by Netflix and we couldn't stream anything. 

Surprisingly, the Australia server actually let us stream on Netflix without issue. But we wouldn't consider ZenVPN reliable for Netflix by any means. 

DNS leak tests

• DNS leak test results: ZenVPN failed its DNS leak test.

Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet’s address book. It’s how it translates human language to computer language to take you where you want to go online.

Let’s say you typed in AllAboutCookies.org into your browser. The computer reads it, converts it to code to access the AAC website, and then delivers it back to your browser, which translates it back into a language you can read. During all of this exchange of information, your personal data, like your IP address, will be shown.

Unfortunately, we were able to see our internet service provider (ISP) come through when performing a leak test while connected to an Irish server. The same happened while testing other servers as well.

WebRTC leak tests

• WebRTC leak test results: ZenVPN failed its WebRTC leak test.

Similarly, when you want to make a video or audio transmission, be it an Instagram Live or a Skype call, WebRTC functionality takes that data and transmits it to make the connection. A WebRTC leak is when the data transmitted during those instances shows up even with a VPN connection.

A VPN is meant to hide the personal information contained in these data transfers to keep you safe, secure, and anonymous online. If it leaks, it’s not worth using.

We were relieved to find that ZenVPN can at least protect you from WebRTC leaks.

Kill switch test

• Kill switch test results: ZenVPN doesn’t have a kill switch.

Without a kill switch, ZenVPN can leak your data as you change servers or when your VPN connection unexpectedly drops. This can be especially concerning if you use public Wi-Fi, as it’ll leave your device open to hackers.

ZenVPN compatibility

ZenVPN notes it’s compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. There's also a proxy for Chrome and apps for Android and iOS are listed as coming soon. 

In our opinion, this is pretty limited. Competitors like ExpressVPN and Surfshark offer compatibility with laptops, desktops, mobile devices, gaming systems, routers, streaming devices like Fire TV Sticks, and more.

ZenVPN does offer API integration. When you’re looking at the features included with the free and paid plans, you may be wondering what API integration and dedicated VPN server gateways are.

API integration, simply, is a connection between two or more applications. A dedicated VPN server gateway is a personalized server that lives in the cloud. These aren’t very useful for everyday home use.

ZenVPN customer support

There’s no place on the site to contact customer support, so you’ll have to do that through your online dashboard.

Ironically, when we tried, the site was blocked because a secure connection couldn’t be reached, even with the ZenVPN client turned on and active.

Top alternatives

Since ZenVPN doesn’t really seem to be a great choice for individuals, we’ve given you a few options below that would work well for you and your family. These are some of the best VPN services available and all come with a variety of features, servers, and extra security options.

FAQs

Bottom line: Is ZenVPN good?

ZenVPN isn’t very useful for the average person. It feels like a business tool that the company decided to sell to individuals.

The minimal features and limited server options won’t appeal to VPN users. In fact, the lack of a kill switch could actually put your data at risk. The icing on the cake is the fact that ZenVPN is actually a lot more expensive long term than purchasing a quality VPN service with a multi-year contract.

There are better options out there if you’re looking for a VPN to keep your data safe, access geo-restricted streaming libraries, thwart throttling, and provide online security. You can find them in our top alternatives or view our list of the best VPNs, but the #1 rated one we've tested is NordVPN.