While I typically review VPNs for streaming, geo-block bypassing and gaming, I wanted to review a different kind of VPN that has become quite popular in the business VPN category. No, I’m not talking about NordVPN. I’m talking about Perimeter 81.
When it comes to the best business VPNs, no list can be complete without Perimeter 81. The versatile cloud-based VPN solution offers much more than the basic business essentials.
I wanted to see for myself what the hype was about and take it for a test drive myself. After using it for a week, I must say, the VPN is one of the best options for business owners with dedicated servers, fast speed, and top-notch security. Though it is not the best option for gaming or streaming. Then again, it’s not marketed as a personal VPN service.
But is the VPN worth the price? What makes it better than its competitors? Continue reading as in this Perimeter 81 review, I’m going to share everything about this VPN, and the features that make it stand out to be featured on TheVPNExperts.
Key Findings From Perimeter 81 Review
If you’re short on time, here are the key findings of my in-depth Perimeter 81 review.
| Servers | 700+ in 34 countries |
| 🍿 Streaming Services | Netflix and more |
| 🕵️♂️Does it keeps logs? | No |
| 🖥Dedicated IPs | Yes |
| 🗺Based in country | Israel |
| 🔥Price | $8/month |
| 💰Money-Back Guarantee | 30 Days |
Get Started with Perimeter81 Now!
Perimeter 81 Speed Test Analysis
Perimeter 81 is a speedy VPN service, great for businesses of all sizes. Just like other top competitors, Perimeter 81 offers WireGuard protocol, so you ought to expect fast connection speeds on its servers.
I tested the VPN on my 100 Mbps base connection and was quite impressed with the results. If you don’t have time to dig into full in-depth speed results, here is a brief table showing the speed I got on various servers.
| Server Location | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|
| US | 88.91 Mbps | 90.03 Mbps |
| UK | 89.71 Mbps | 84.01 Mbps |
| Japan | 79.81 Mbps | 82.36 Mbps |
| Australia | 76.01 Mbps | 61.93 Mbps |
| Germany | 91.37 Mbps | 89.04 Mbps |
| UK Private Gateway | 92.05 Mbps | 94.81 Mbps |
As you can see, the speed offered was pretty amazing on all its servers, especially short-distance servers. I was really surprised to see that Perimeter 81 offered a download speed close to my actual speed when I connected to its UK Private gateway server.
Anyways, let’s break down the speed test results into long-distance servers and short-distance servers.
Speed on Short Distance Servers
Before running speed tests, I recorded my base connection speed in the Netherlands, so I could compare the results after connecting to Perimeter 81. The base connection speed that I am starting with is a download speed of 97.01 Mbps and an upload speed of 95.23 Mbps.
On the German server, which was the closest to me, I got a pretty fast speed. I recorded a download speed of 91.37 Mbps and an upload speed of 89.04 Mbps. As you can see, it’s less than a 10% speed drop which was amazing.
Surprisingly the upload speed was also close to my actual speed (without the VPN) so I did not experience any slowdowns, or lags while browsing the internet.
It is worth noting that I used both WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols during the speed test. While using Perimeter 81, I got great speeds with WireGuard, however, with OpenVPN, I noticed a significant speed drop.
Speed on Long Distance Servers
To check the speed output on long-distance servers, I connected to Perimeter 81’s Australia server. Considering the physical distance from my location, I was expecting a slight drop in speed, however, it was more than what I expected.
On the Australia server, I recorded a download speed of 76.01 Mbps with an upload speed of 61.93 Mbps. This was a more than 25% loss in connection speed. That said, comparing it to other VPNs, this kind of speed drop is pretty normal.
It is worth noting that even though the speed drop was a lot, I could still download a 2 GB file in 30 minutes. Basically, if you set aside the numbers, the performance was great even on long-distance servers.
If you want maximum speed, you can go with short-distance servers or a private gateway. Yes, I also tested speed while connected to a private gateway (UK), and surprisingly the results were very close to what I was getting before connecting to the VPN.
On the private gateway, I recorded a download speed of 92.05 Mbps, with an equally fast upload speed of 94.81 Mbps.
Perimeter 81 private gateways or servers are offered in different countries like the UK. It allows you to securely access company data over private servers, without your IP address being shared among other accounts.
After taking everything into consideration, I would say Perimeter is a fast VPN, delivering reliable connection speeds, and it is capable of offering its promised speed of up to 1000 Mbps if your internet connection allows for it.
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Perimeter 81 Pricing Plans
Perimeter 81 associates itself as a business VPN rather than a personal VPN software, therefore, its pricing plans are a bit different from conventional providers like ExpressVPN or Surfshark.
One thing that needs to be highlighted here is that Perimeter 81 pricing is based on the minimum number of users – thus adding more users would cost extra.
Here are the plans currently offered by Perimeter 81:
- Essentials: $8 per user/mo – Minimum 5 users ($40/mo per gateway)
- Premium: min. $12 per user/mo – Minimum 10 users ($40/mo per gateway)
- Premium Plus: $16 per user/mo – Minimum 20 users ($40/mo per gateway)
- Enterprise: No fixed pricing – Minimum of 50 users
These are the prices if you choose to go with an Annual Perimeter 81 plan. However, if you choose to go with the monthly plan, the prices are a little more expensive:
- Essentials: $10 per user/mo – Minimum 5 users ($50/mo per gateway)
- Premium: min. $15 per user/mo – Minimum 10 users ($50/mo per gateway)
- Premium Plus: $20 per user/mo – Minimum 20 users ($50/mo per gateway)
- Enterprise: No fixed pricing – Minimum of 50 users
So, as you can see, the annual plans offer the best savings. If you are a big organization, you can go for the Enterprise plan that does not have any fixed costs, and you can negotiate with customer support if you are considering the option.
What’s good is that all plans are backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test out the service risk-free. Speaking of the money-back guarantee, you can also check out a separate blog covering the refund policies of different VPNs. I’ll make sure to add Perimeter 81 too to the blog when I ask for a refund. Stay tuned for that.
Essentials Plan
This is the cheapest subscription available for Perimeter 81. It requires a minimum of 5 users making it a great option for a small business VPN.
Here are some of the key features offered in this plan:
- Cloud network management
- Secure application access to up to 2 apps
- Unlimited data
- Unlimited network tunnels
- Activity audit and reports every 14 days
- The maximum speed of 500 Mbps/ Gateway
Premium Plan
The Premium Plan requires a minimum of 10 users, and offers everything that the Essentials plan comes with, including:
- Secure application access to up to 10 apps
- Activity audit and reports every 30 days
- The maximum speed of 1000 Mbps/ Gateway
- Device Posture Check (3 Profiles)
- 3 User configuration profiles
- Firewall as a service (10 Policies)
- DNS Filtering
Premium Plus Plan
Premium Plus plan is the upgraded version of Perimeter 81’s Premium Plan and it requires a minimum of 20 users. This plan offers everything that the previous plans offered, plus:
- Secure application access to up to 100 apps
- Firewall as a service (100 Policies)
- Device Posture Check (20 Profiles)
- 10 User configuration profiles
- Site-to-Site interconnectivity
- Two-factor authentication
- SIEM Integration
Enterprise Plan
The Enterprise plan does not have a fixed price, but it needs a minimum of 50 users. Aside from all the features offered by the Premium Plus plan, it includes:
- Secure application access (unlimited)
- Activity audits and reports for 60 days
- Device Posture Check (unlimited)
- User configuration profiles (unlimited)
- Firewall as a service (unlimited)
- Phone support
- SCIM
Perimeter 81 Passed DNS Leak Tests
VPN users fear having their sensitive information leaked. Therefore, I conducted tests to make sure that Perimeter 81 did not leak IP, DNS, or WebRTC information. After all, it is a VPN intended to be used for business.
Perimeter 81 comes with in-built IPv6 leak protection that is automatically enabled when you connect to a VPN server.
To test if this feature worked properly, I connected to Perimeter 81’s Australian servers and ran leak tests via ipleak.net. As expected, there were no leaks and my real IP address was well hidden.
On the same connection, I ran another leak test after 45 minutes into the session to confirm if it is still working, and the results were the same, as there was no information leak.
Perimeter 81 Offers Great Apps
Perimeter 81 is compatible with all major operating systems and even offers apps for iOS and Android devices. Downloading the apps is quite easy. When you have subscribed to Perimeter 81, you can find the links for apps available on your console.
All configuration options are very simple and accessible from the management console. Its desktop apps are quite simple and easy to use.
The servers, tunneling protocols, features, and support – all are stacked into separate tabs on the side. With a few clicks, you can easily disconnect from the VPN or change your server location.
What’s great to see is that there are full-blown applications for Linux, Android, and iOS users, making it a great option for those working remotely. Its mobile apps are available on Google Play Store, and App Store.
Overall, Perimeter 81 is a great VPN for multiple devices with easy-to-use apps.
Perimeter 81 Privacy Policy for Businesses
From a privacy point of view, Perimeter 81 is a secure option. It does keep logs in order to comply with its zero-trust security policy. This is common for a business VPN, as it is essential to keep track of user traffic to make sure the VPN is working in order.
According to the company privacy policy, Perimeter 81 tracks the following activities on its network:
- All admin actions (inviting new team members, changing team permissions, etc.)
- Connection and login timestamps
- Location of the device that was connected
- Server connected.
- Web browsing activity
Moreover, if you are using a private access gateway, Perimeter 81 also logs the origin IP address for business audits. However, if you are using a public gateway, IP addresses are not logged.
This may seem like a lot of data, but Perimeter 81 is a business VPN so it keeps more data than a personal VPN does for offering the best security. According to the company, most of these checks are directly linked with audit reports and monitoring the functionality.
If we talk about jurisdiction, Perimeter 81 is based in Israel, which is not part of the 5 Eyes Alliance, but the country has close ties to the intelligence block countries like the US and Australia.
One thing that is concerning about Perimeter 81’s privacy policy is that it states that it will hand over your data if there is a request from authorities, in case of bankruptcy, etc.
Let me be clear this is not your typical no logs VPN service like ExpressVPN. But to be fair, Perimeter 81 is not your typical VPN either. If you want a legit no logs VPN, check out our list of top verified VPNs that don’t keep user logs.
Key Features of Perimeter 81
Here are the key features offered by Perimeter 81 with a closer look at each one so you know what you are getting with the VPN.
- Agentless Access
- Two-factor authentication
- Automatic Wi-Fi Protection
- Identity Management
- Monitoring Dashboard
- Data Centers & PoPs
- Dedicated servers/IPs
- Split tunneling
- Site to Site Interconnectivity
- SWG Web Filtering
- Cloud Management Console
- Encryption and Secure VPN protocols
- Cloud VPN Architecture
- DNS Filtering
- Device Posture Check
1. Agentless Access
Perimeter 81’s Agentless Access feature allows users to access company resources securely via web browser without the need to install the VPN app on their device.
You can easily sign up for Perimeter 81 private network and add favorite applications to the management console. You will then be able to access resources securely via a web browser.
2. Two-Factor Authentication
2FA adds an extra layer of security while logging in on the company network. It allows you to combine passwords with an extra layer of security via Google Authenticator, or other means.
There are 4 authentication factors that you can choose from:
- Knowledge factor
- Possession factor
- Biometric factor
- Location factor
3. Automatic Wi-Fi Protection
Perimeter 81 offers automatic Wi-Fi security to protect your employees and team members when they are working remotely from a local cafe or public Wi-Fi.
Logging into company resources via unsecured public Wi-Fi can be dangerous, resulting in the theft of private information. Perimeter 81 ensures that your connection is routed through secure servers when you connect to unsecured Wi-Fi through the Automatic Connection feature.
4. Identity Management
Perimeter 81 allows you to integrate identity providers like Google, Azure AD, and SAML 2.0 solutions like LastPass, and OneLogin to enable one-clock logins across the networks for employees.
Identity management enforces easier and safe access to the company network. Some of its supported SAML 2.0 and IdPs include:
- Okta
- Azure AD
- ADFS
- Auth0
- Rippling
- OneLogin
- JumpCloud
- PingFederate
- PingIdentity
5. Monitoring Dashboard
The monitoring dashboard gives you instant visibility into your networks with graphs and other visual representations. The monitoring dashboard is updated every 1-2 minutes giving you a real-time representation of network usage.
It gives you information regarding apps in use, gateways in use, and more. You can also filter the information by time range, region, and network.
6. Data Centers & PoPs
Perimeter 81 offers data centers and PoPs (Point of Presence) in 25 locations. These data centers provide low latency and fast speed to remote workers who need to access critical company resources.
The data centers are located in San Francisco, Singapore, London, San Jose, Dallas, Amsterdam, Miami, Sydney, Fremont, Seoul, Mumbai, and more.
7. Dedicated servers/IPs
Perimeter 81 offers dedicated servers and IP addresses, so no one outside your employees can connect to your company’s internal network. In other words, no one can access your company resources while not connected to the dedicated VPN server.
It protects your valuable data from outside access. This feature is great for companies with remote employees, as it prevents cybercriminals from stealing your company data and trade secrets.
8. Split Tunneling
The split tunneling feature allows you to select the websites and apps that should use the VPN connection or should work on your normal internet connection. This way, you can configure the VPN according to your requirements.
However, in Perimeter 81, it works a bit differently, as instead of websites and applications, you can select subnets that you want to use the VPN tunnel.
9. Site to Site Interconnectivity
The site to Site internet connectivity allows admins to organize networks within Perimeter 81. You can easily deploy secure communications between your employees located in different countries.
With Perimeter, you get site-to-site WireGuard tunnels that ensure your network is never exposed. Admins can deploy private gateways for remote workers so your company data is always secure.
10. SWG Web Filtering
A Secure Web Gateway (SWG) web filtering monitors your web traffic and filters out malicious intrusions or websites. It can be used to block websites and applications like social media, streaming sites, and more on the company network.
It allows admins to track incoming and outgoing data on the company network, and restrict harmful websites.
11. Cloud Management Console
Perimeter 81’s Cloud Management Console allows admins to manage the employees’ VPN remotely. You can use it to enable two-factor authentication, reset passwords, change access rights, and view devices that are connected to the network.
It even allows you to restrict or allow access to a few employees and designate who gets access to which area of your company network.
12. Encryption and Secure VPN Protocols
Perimeter 81 uses AES 256-bit CBC encryption for data protection. This is the highest level of encryption available and is impossible to hack. This encryption cipher can stand against brute force attacks, as its keys are long.
When it comes to VPN tunneling protocols, Perimeter 81 offers three choices as follows:
- WireGuard – Combines speed with security to make sure you have the best connection speed possible.
- OpenVPN – More focused on security and encryption. It is used by most of the VPNs in the industry thanks to its reliable speeds.
- IKEv2 – This protocol is most recommended on mobile devices because it allows an easy shift from Wi-Fi to mobile data.
13. Cloud VPN Architecture
Perimeter 81 runs on zero-trust architecture, which is great for businesses as it keeps all online traffic secure.
The Cloud VPN architecture is highly scalable as it does not need additional security hardware. Therefore setting up the VPN is very easy and it allows all employees to use the network without preset rules and regulations by the company.
14. DNS Filtering
DNS Filtering allows network admins to limit the websites and IPs that your team can visit. This feature prevents the security risks that arise when sites with dangerous scripts load. Therefore, it stops phishing attempts, and malware, and makes sure that no one on your team accidentally engages in harmful activities while using the company network.
15. Device Posture Check
Device Posture Check (DPC) is another great feature offered by Perimeter 81 that makes sure your employees can only connect to your company network while using secure devices.
With this feature, the admin gets the freedom to decide which device is secure. For example, you can skim through all the available devices, and only allow access to the ones that use a specific antivirus program, or have an appropriate authentication certificate.
You can even create profiles for different device groups from the management portal.
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User Management
The cloud-based VPN service offers a variety of management features for businesses that can be set in advance and used by everyone who needs to sign in to the network. Some of these include:
- 2-factor authentication
- Kill switch
- User configuration profiles
- Disable public/ private VPN servers
- Reset user passwords
- Set a default protocol for different devices
As Perimeter 81 is a cloud-based VPN service, managing users can be very easy. You can easily create different groups and assign user permissions for each person. For example, you can block access to certain files, or websites for some users. You can even block IPs or categories of content according to your desire.
Overall, Perimeter 81 gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to user management.
Analysis of Servers
Perimeter 81 has a network of only 700+ servers in 34 countries. It offers servers in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. NordVPN on the other hand offers 5200+ servers. Even Surfshark offer 3200+ servers which is significantly more than what Perimeter 81 offers. But still, 700+ servers is pretty decent.
The server locations are as follows:
| Perimeter 81 Servers | |
|---|---|
| Europe | Austria, Cyprus, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, UK, Ireland, Portugal, Romania |
| North America | The US, Canada |
| South America | Brazil, Argentina, Mexico |
| Asia | India, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel |
| Africa | South Africa |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand |
Apart from the regular VPN servers, Perimeter 81 also offers dedicated VPN servers in 8 different countries including Canada, the US, Japan, the UK, Netherlands, India, France, and Singapore.
Perimeter 81 Apps Compatibility
Perimeter 81 is a business VPN solution that offers custom apps for several popular operating systems and devices. You can use it on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, and Chromebooks, and can be manually configured on other devices.
It also helps integrate with cloud infrastructures such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
I tried installing Perimeter 81 app on both mobile devices and desktops and the process was quite easy. Unlike most business VPN solutions that require hardware and manual installation, Perimeter 81 had dedicated apps for devices, and installing them takes just a few minutes.
Perimeter 81 apps for macOS and Windows
As far as the VPN applications go, Perimeter 81 apps for desktops (Windows, and Mac) are quite simple and easy to get around.
Everything you need (protocols, kill switch, support, servers) is neatly stacked into separate tabs. All the features and advanced settings are accessible from the main app window, and with a few clicks, you can use the app however you want.
Linux users also get a full-blown application which is rare for VPNs, as most services only support manual configuration.
Perimeter 81 apps for Android and iOS
What I liked the most about this business VPN is that there are apps for mobile devices (Android and iOS) which are similar to the desktop versions, meaning they have all the functionality.
This way you can make sure that your employees are using a VPN on their smartphones as well to access company data while on the go.
However, the mobile version of Perimeter 81 lacks a few features as compared to the desktop version, such as automatic updates, and Connect on Launch. Other than that, you get all the available VPN protocols, servers, kill switch, etc.
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Other Use Case of Perimeter 81
Perimeter 81 Unblocking Capabilities
Streaming is another activity that is not really associated with a business VPN, but it’s nice to be able to unwind at work with a quick episode of your favorite show on Netflix during lunch break.
Naturally, the first streaming service that I checked with Perimeter 81 was Netflix. It did not work with a lot of international libraries, but I could access the US, UK, and Australian Netflix libraries with ease.
As for BBC iPlayer, I was not able to access it on any of its servers. Moreover, it did not allow me access to Japanese Netflix as well.
Overall, Perimeter 81 would not be my go-to streaming VPN, but it’s not to blame as the service is not intended for this purpose primarily.
Perimeter 81 is a Good Choice For Torrenting
Even though torrenting is something you don’t usually do at workplaces, I wanted to check if Perimeter 81 does support P2P traffic.
According to testing, I found out that Perimeter 81 not only allows torrenting/ P2P traffic but also offers great speeds.
On its private gateway, I was able to download large files within minutes and got a bitrate of 8.7MB/s. However, the speed on shared/ public servers was not that fast.
Perimeter 81 for Gaming
Perimeter 81 is not intended for gaming, so websites like gaming, gambling, and others might be blocked on your company network through DNS filtering. However, I wanted to see if it did work with games.
On its UK private gateway, I played Fortnight for an hour without getting lags or buffering. The ping I got was also great for lag-free gaming, without any latency.
However, on its public servers, the speed was not so good, as the graphics took time to load, and latency increased.
If you are looking for a VPN for gaming, I would suggest going for ExpressVPN or Surfshark as both offer super-fast speed with thousands of servers that you can connect to for playing geo-restricted games.
Does Perimeter 81 Work in China?
There is no certainty if Perimeter 81 works in China. The VPN lacks obfuscations tools to cope with China’s heavy privacy restrictions and censorship.
The Chinese government’s stance about VPN usage remains unchanged, as the authorities continue to use the Great Firewall to block VPN services from operating in the Chinese network space.
If you are running a business in China, or other restrictive countries like UAE, you can utilize other VPN services like ExpressVPN or Surfshark as they work in China.
Best Alternative to Perimeter 81
Perimeter 81 is a great service overall, with advanced features and protocols – overall, there is nothing to complain about.
However, if you are looking for something different, maybe with more servers, obfuscation, Double VPN, and VPN apps, then luckily there are plenty of premium choices available.
You can read my individual reviews of the best VPNs available in 2023:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Perimeter 81 safe?
Yes, Perimeter 81 is one of the safest VPN providers available. Like most services, this cloud-based VPN provider uses AES 256-bit cipher to encrypt your data and internet traffic protecting it from external access. There is DNS filtering, private servers, 2FA, and tons of advanced security features.
Which services does Perimeter 81 provide?
Perimeter 81 offers various services such as:
- Business VPN
- SASE
- Zero Trust Network Access
- Firewall as a Service
- Software-Defined Perimeter
Is Perimeter 81 good?
Yes, Perimeter 81 is a great choice for businesses with multiple networks and employees working remotely across the world. It offers outstanding security features and control access to create a secure shared network.
Can I use Perimeter 81 for free?
No, Perimeter 81 is a paid service that offers various pricing plans. However, all its plans are commitment-free as you have a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk-free.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that Perimeter 81 is a great business VPN with lots of features that can be extremely helpful in a corporate setting. Apart from security features like kill switch, tunneling protocols, and encryption, Perimeter 81 offers user management, and full control of your company network to ensure a safe system.
After an in-depth Perimeter 81 review, I can confidently say that Perimeter 81 is worth investing in if you want to protect your business. If you are looking for an alternative, NordVPN offers a business VPN solution that is budget-friendly and customizable. Feel free to check out our NordVPN review for details.
