Despite being less renowned in the industry, ZoogVPN is a surprisingly fast VPN with a trustworthy privacy policy and a worthwhile free version. The price of ZoogVPN is very tempting but it does come with a few caveats. For instance, we did notice a few connection issues here and there during testing. We also noticed that it took ZoogVPN multiple attempts to unblock popular streaming services.
Nonetheless, ZoogVPN’s small server network is consistently growing to fulfill the needs of its users. But is it worth it in 2023?
To help you make the decision, our team at TheVPNExperts has tested ZoogVPN for over a month, bringing you this detailed ZoogVPN review to help you make an informed decision. Read on to see if the ZoogVPN is worth your money.
Key Findings From ZoogVPN Review
If you’re short on time, here are the key findings from our in-depth review of ZoogVPN:
| Servers | 45+ servers in 26 countries |
| Best Features | Optimized servers, Free version |
| Does ZoogVPN work with Netflix? | No |
| Is ZoogVPN good for Torrenting? | Yes |
| Customer Support | 24/7 Live Chat Support |
| Best Deal | $1.87/mo – Save 85% Off |
| Money Back Guarantee | 7-Days |
ZoogVPN Speed Tests
ZoogVPN is fast on both short distance and long distance servers as we recorded a speed loss of only 25%, which really impressed us.
We have tested ZoogVPN speed on various servers with our 100 Mbps base connection and were amazed by how fast it was. Even though the VPN offers a small server network, it manages to provide fast speeds on most of its servers.
Connecting to a server location took us only a couple of seconds and we received solid download speeds – 81 Mbps on a 100 Mbps testing connection.
Upload and download speeds were quick enough for downloading large files while torrenting and streaming in Ultra HD.
Here’s how ZoogVPN performed during testing on different servers:
| Countries | Upload Speed | Download Speed | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | 68.01 Mbps | 81.62 Mbps | 191 |
| Canada | 71.13 Mbps | 78.48 Mbps | 121 |
| Australia | 59.14 Mbps | 48.91 Mbps | 217 |
| UK | 76.91 Mbps | 81.01 Mbps | 96 |
| The Netherlands | 83.10 Mbps | 84.61 Mbps | 91 |
While testing, we connected to both short-distance and long-distance servers to see how ZoogVPN performed – so you can easily pick the best server for different purposes like streaming, browning, and torrenting.
ZoogVPN Speed on Short Distance Servers
Since, we are located in the Netherlands, we decided to connect to the France server first to see how ZoogVPN performs. Surprisingly, the French server gave a fast download speed of 82.75 Mbps with an upload speed of 78.01 Mbps.
That is less than a 20% speed drop, which is great for lag-free streaming, and general browsing.
To further probe ZoogVPN’s performance, we also ran speed tests while connecting to its Norway and Poland servers. The results were quite impressive.
On short-distance servers, we could enjoy streaming movies in Ultra HD, and download large torrent files easily without buffering.
ZoogVPN Speed on Long Distance Servers
To test speed on its long-distance servers, we chose to connect to the US and Australia servers. The US server failed to connect at first, but we were able to establish a connection on our second try. On the bright side, there were no disconnections during the session.
On its Australia server, we got a download speed of 59.14 Mbps and an upload speed of 48.91 Mbps. Hence, we noticed a sharp decrease in speed on its long-distance servers. Overall, the Australia server was slower than the France servers.
Switching between servers was a bit slower as we had to disconnect from one server, before connecting to a different one. It wasn’t a seamless process.
We also tested its Singapore and Canada servers and the results were a bit similar, with around a 30% drop in speed. Even though the speed was considerably less, we did not experience much difference in the performance as it delivered fast browsing and buffer-free streaming without any issues.
We also tried gaming with ZoogVPN, to check the drop in speed and latency. While playing Fortnight: Battle Royale, we received a ping of around 120ms on nearby servers, and on long-distance servers, it reached over 200ms.
Therefore, when it comes to gaming, make sure to connect to a nearby server for maximum speed and results. You can even try out ZoogVPN’s P2P servers for faster connections while playing graphic-intensive games.
ZoogVPN Passed DNS Leak Tests
ZoogVPN lacks advanced features like double VPN, but it does have fool-proof IP and DNS leak protection. Instead of routing your DNS requests through your internet service provider (ISP), ZoogVPN privately routes your DNS requests through its servers.
This way, anything you do online gets hidden, and no one can see what you are doing, the websites you visit, and your online activities.
We tested ZoogVPN’s leak protection and it passed every time. We connected to its US server to test it out. Even after multiple tests, it managed to mask our real location and only showed the IP address of the server we were connected to.
Check out the screenshot below:
ZoogVPN also passed our tests for DNS and WebRTC leaks, proving that it offers great privacy online.
ZoogVPN Streaming – No Netflix, Hulu, or BBC iPlayer
ZoogVPN is very disappointing when it comes to streaming. Although the VPN has a lot of streaming servers, we were only successful at unblocking Disney+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
If you are looking for a VPN for streaming, ZoogVPN is not your best choice. We tested it with various popular on-demand streaming services, and it could only access a few.
It failed at unblocking US Netflix, or other popular regions like the UK, Australia, and Japan. The results were similar in the case of Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer, as ZoogVPN failed at giving us access to the services.
Check out the table below:
| Streaming Services | Unblocking Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Netflix | No |
| Hulu | No |
| Disney Plus | Yes |
| HBO Max | No |
| BBC iPlayer | No |
| Amazon Prime Video | Yes |
During testing, we tried to unblock US Netflix on its servers, but it failed at unblocking the library.
On its US server, we searched for “Criminal Minds” which is a US-exclusive title, not available anywhere else. However, to much disappointment, we were not able to find the show on Netflix.
Next, we decided to try ZoogVPN with HBO Max, and it sadly did not work. As soon as we tried accessing it, we were prompted with a geo-location error as its US server was not successful at unblocking the platform.
We also tried streaming Hulu, and Funimation on ZoogVPN’s US servers, and it did not work. To test its UK servers, we tried watching BBC iPlayer, but unfortunately, it only prompted us to the typical geo-location error.
If you are looking for a way to watch your favorite shows on BBC iPlayer like Peaky Blinders, Doctor Who, and more, you can try using Surfshark VPN as it’s the best VPN for BBC iPlayer currently available.
Next up, we tried accessing Disney Plus. After connecting to the US server, we could not unblock Disney+ on our first try but were able to access the streaming service on our second try.
After logging in, ZoogVPN worked flawlessly with Disney Plus as we were able to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi without any issues. It’s not the best Disney Plus VPN out there, but if you are looking for a VPN to access your favorite Marvel movies and shows, ZoogVPN is a decent choice.
So, to conclude, ZoogVPN is not the best at unblocking streaming services. But, it does work with Disney+, and Amazon Prime. What we’re trying to say is, that there are better options out there.
ZoogVPN P2P servers and Torrenting
ZoogVPN offers tons of P2P servers that are optimized for torrenting. In addition to that, with a SOCKS5 proxy and a capable kill switch, ZoogVPN is a great choice for torrenting.
One feature that we absolutely love about ZoogVPN is its torrenting support. The VPN offers plenty of P2P-optimized servers for torrenting that are clearly marked in the app, so you can easily pick one and connect.
Some of its P2P server locations include Canada, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and others.
After connecting to ZoogVPN’s Germany server, we got a fast bitrate of 9.6 MiB/s. With great download speeds, we were able to download a 1 GB torrent file within a few minutes.
In addition to being fast for torrenting, it comes with advanced security features like a kill switch and SOCKS5. Needless to say, ZoogVPN is a great choice for secure and private torrenting.
Fool-proof DNS leak protection and a no-logs policy are also prominent features of this VPN. These features make sure your IP address remains hidden while you download torrents. We tested it with various clients such as qBittorrent, BitTorrent, uTorrent, and Deluge and found it to work flawlessly. Not once did it disclose our actual IP address.
ZoogVPN Offers Easy-to-use Apps
ZoogVPN offers easy-to-use apps for Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, Android TV, as well as Firestick. You can also download it on your router and secure as many devices as you want. Overall, there are plenty of options available. Sadly, it doesn’t offer browser extensions.
ZoogVPN apps are lightweight and easy to install, so they will not burden your device with background processing. You can either get the app from mobile app stores or its official website.
ZoogVPN’s mobile apps are as great as the desktop version and the best part is that they’re very lightweight. ZoogVPN’s iOS app for example is just around 10.6 MB which is great in terms of keeping your device’s performance optimal.
Overall, we love the dark theme of the app which looks super cool, and the fact that you get all the usage data displayed on the screen makes it even better. Furthermore, you can easily choose the server you want to connect to based on your requirements as they are marked for P2P, and streaming.
Aside from the iOS app, its Android and desktop apps for Windows and macOS work great too. The apps from ZoogVPN will be immediately recognizable to everyone who has ever used a VPN and simple to use for those who haven’t.
Their apps show a large center connect button and an alphabetized server list making it very easy to find and connect to different servers.
That said, you won’t find a lot of options in their apps. A kill-switch toggle and a protocol selection are the only controls available in their apps. Overall, their apps are easy to use, but we would like to see more options for customization in the future.
Key Features of ZoogVPN
If we talk about key features, ZoogVPN comes equipped with all the basic features that you can expect a premium VPN to have. Here are the ones that are worthy of highlight:
1. Military-Grade Encryption
ZoogVPN offers strong 256-bit encryption which is the industry standard. The encryption cipher is almost unhackable – offering the best data security. ZoogVPN is super secure, keeping your private data hidden from the prying eyes of snoopers and hackers.
2. Protocols
ZoogVPN offers two VPN protocols to choose from – you can use OpenVPN (TCP/ UDP) or you can choose IKEv2.
If you are not sure, you can go for the OpenVPN protocol that is not only fast but also super secure as compared to IKEv2.
Unlike other VPNs, ZoogVPN does not offer basic protocols like PPTP, and L2TP/ IPSec which is a letdown because some devices need PPTP protocol to function.
Similarly, we also did not like the fact that there was no Automatic protocol selection option so ZoogVPN can choose the most optimal protocol according to the user’s need.
3. Kill Switch
ZoogVPN’s kill switch is available on its Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS app. Like most services, its kill switch feature is easy-to-find in the app and makes sure your data stays private in case of VPN disconnection.
Unlike some VPNs like CyberGhost, you can also turn the kill switch functionality on or off according to your needs. Speaking of which, you can check out our review of CyberGhost. Perhaps you might find this VPN worth checking out.
4. IP/ DNS Leak Protection
Last but not least, ZoogVPN offers IP/ DNS leak protection ensuring your true location does not get leaked.
This feature is the most important one when it comes to VPNs because some services don’t offer protection against leaks – Hola VPN for example. If a VPN leaks, you cannot bypass geo-blocks or circumvent censorships.
In the ZoogVPN app, the protection against IP and DNS leaks is enabled automatically when you connect to a server, so you don’t have to worry about manually turning it on in case you forget.
5. Legit No-logs Policy
This no-log VPN service is owned by Zoog Services IKE, which is based in Greece. If you don’t know, Greece is not a part of the 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, which is great as it means there are no data-retention laws.
However, Greece is part of the EU, which might be concerning for a few privacy-focused users. To make sure the VPN is safe, we delved into its logging policy ourselves.
Upon reading through the privacy policy, we discovered that the service has a trustworthy no-logs policy and only stores non-identifiable data needed to run the service. We can confidently say that ZoogVPN does not log any user data that is identifiable.
Its privacy policy clearly states that it does not log data regarding
- Online activities
- Websites or apps visited
- Timestamps
- User IP addresses
- Log in and Log out sessions
ZoogVPN only keeps records of minimal data such as email addresses to process payments.
The only downside is that ZoogVPN has not undergone any third-party audits yet. However, according to its customer support, the service is planning an audit soon. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for that.
ZoogVPN Analysis of Servers
ZoogVPN offers a small network of servers with only 45+ servers in 26 countries. Among these, there are only 50 IP addresses and no servers in South America and only a handful of them in Asia.
To make matters worse, during testing, we experienced a lot of server connection failures, thus further narrowing down our choices. We had to try multiple times just to connect to a specific server location. That being said, once connected, we didn’t notice any abrupt disconnections.
The majority of ZoogVPN’s servers are located in North America and Europe. There isn’t much choice of servers at the city level, but there are two options in Germany, and eight in the US.
On the plus side, ZoogVPN’s website asserts that users have access to “thousands” of shared IP addresses, which could help ease server congestion.
ZoogVPN Custom Apps for Devices
ZoogVPN has a wide range of custom apps for various devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, FireTV, and Android TVs.
Here is a table covering the OSes and devices ZoogVPN is compatible with:
| Windows | iOS |
| Mac | Android |
| Linux | Router |
| Apple TV | Amazon Firestick |
| Roku | Chromecast |
| Xbox | PlayStation |
Apart from popular devices, ZoogVPN also works with Linux, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. It even allows up to five simultaneous connections on one subscription.
There are custom apps for Android TV, and Firestick – making it a great choice for streaming live sports and entertainment channels on the big screen.
You can even set up ZoogVPN on your router, and protect multiple devices at once. However, the process is pretty complex, but there are simple instructions available on ZoogVPN’s website.
ZoogVPN for Windows and macOS
ZoogVPN’s desktop apps work great and you can use them on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Native apps for all operating systems are available on ZoogVPN’s websites.
If we talk about usability, we found both ZoogVPN’s Windows and macOS apps to be very user-friendly. If you are a beginner, you will have no trouble moving around the ZoogVPN app and customizing it to your liking.
Another thing that we like about the ZoogVPN app is that it marks streaming, P2P, and ZoogShadowing servers, so you will have no trouble finding the server according to your requirements.
ZoogVPN for Android and iOS
ZoogVPN app on App Store has a rating of 4.6/5.0 with 3.8/5.0 stars on Google Play Store. Its Android and iOS apps are quite similar to the desktop version.
With a dark theme, ZoogVPN mobile apps are easy-to-use with great features. You get an auto-connect feature, along with launch on app start where ZoogVPN automatically connects to a server when the app is launched.
However, the iOS app only has IKEv2 protocol, while the Android app features OpenVPN protocols as well. Moreover, ZoogShadowing is also missing from the iOS app. For those who don’t know, ZoogShadowing is an advanced obfuscation feature that helps bypass censorship.
ZoogVPN Browser Extensions
ZoogVPN used to offer browser extensions, but not anymore. It does not have browser extensions for Chrome Firefox, or any other browser. The only way to use the VPN is to download it on your device or set it up on a router.
If you want to use a VPN with lightweight browser extensions, you can check out Surfshark or ExpressVPN as both offer great extensions for various browsers.
ZoogVPN Router App
ZoogVPN also offers a router app that is compatible with Tomato, Asus, DD-WRT, and other routers. With the VPN set up on your router, you can secure all household devices with ease.
ZoogVPN’s router app supports major protocols like PPTP, L2TP/ IPSec, and OpenVPN. Your data is encrypted with 256-bit encryption, and there is a detailed setup wizard as well in case you face issues while setting up the VPN on your router.
Does ZoogVPN Work in China?
ZoogVPN has in-built obfuscation tools to get around censorship, but we cannot guarantee that it will work in China. It does work in other restrictive countries – Russia, UAE, and Turkey according to our tests.
ZoogVPN offers a Shadowing feature that allows you to get access in censored countries. There is even a Manual API IP option to help you bypass ZoogVPN app blocks and give unrestricted access to the VPN app.
The Shadowing feature offers obfuscation to make your VPN traffic look like normal traffic in order to help you beat geo-blocking. That said, this feature is only available on ZoogVPN’s Windows and Android apps.
It works decently well in slightly less censored countries like Turkey, and Russia, but we are not sure about China yet.
For now, we recommend using Surfshak VPN as an alternative for its No Borders feature.
ZoogVPN Pricing and Money-Back Guarantee
ZoogVPN is very cheap, with a free version available as well – making it more tempting. Even though there are more cheap VPNs out there, ZoogVPN is a pretty good deal considering its best plan is available for $1.87/mo (with 82% off).
ZoogVPN offers multiple pricing plans. Check out the pricing table below:
| Monthly Plan | $9.99/mo – Save 23% |
| 12 Months | $2.99/mo – Save 77% |
| 2 Years | $1.87/mo – Save 86% |
At $1.87/mo, ZoogVPN’s 2-Year plan offers the best deal and savings. However, if you’re looking for a short-term plan, you can subscribe to its 12-months plan which is available for $2.99/month.
Payment Options and Refunds
ZoogVPN accepts various payment methods to facilitate its users including
| American Express | PayPal |
| Bitcoin | MasterCard |
| Visa | UnionPay |
With standard payment methods, like credit and debit cards, ZoogVPN also accepts payments via Bitcoin, AliPay, and other services.
ZoogVPN’s money-back guarantee is a bit complicated as compared to its competitors. It offers a 7-day money-back guarantee but it comes with certain terms and conditions.
- Only users who have paid via credit/ debit cards or PayPal are eligible for a refund.
- You are not eligible for a refund if you have used more than 2GB of data. But you can request a partial refund.
- Users who qualify for a refund are subject to a 5% admin fee.
ZoogVPN Free Version
For users who want to test the service risk-free, ZoogVPN also offers a completely free version. The best part is, that it does not require any payment details.
The free version gives you access to five server locations: the US, UK, Singapore, Netherlands, and Poland.
Further limitations are imposed on monthly data usage which is limited to only 10GB/mo. Even though it is very less, but in comparison to other VPN services, we found it to be a generous data allowance. Just to draw a comparison, TunnelBear only offers 500 MB of data per month.
The free version is restricted to one device per account, with 128-bit encryption as opposed to the 256-bit encryption that it offers on its paid version. This is a major limitation in terms of data security.
You can unblock mainstream services like YouTube, or Disney Plus with ZoogVPN, but it does not work with Hulu, HBO Max, and other popular platforms.
However, what we most liked about the free version is that its Amsterdam server is P2P optimized, so you can download torrents easily. We also got fast speeds on its free servers, which was quite impressive.
Most importantly, ZoogVPN free is safe as its security features are almost identical to its premium version, except for the encryption.
So, if you want a simple VPN, free of cost, ZoogVPN is a good choice for browsing, and light streaming.
ZoogVPN Customer Support
While ZoogVPN has proven to be a great option for users, problems can arise from server disconnections or trouble accessing your desired websites and online content. That is where VPN customer support comes in.
Currently, ZoogVPN offers the following customer support options:
| Live chat support | Yes |
| Email support | Yes |
| Knowledgebase | Yes |
Thankfully, ZoogVPN offers 24/7 live chat support that is available on its official website. We asked a few questions from the support team and each time a real person replied within minutes – making it evident that we were not talking to a bot.
In case chat support is not your cup of tea, there is an FAQ section with brief answers to various queries, along with in-depth blogs on various topics that can help you if you need assistance.
Even though you might think you won’t be needing such type of support, it is incredibly useful to have a 24/7 live chat feature available when things are not working out. Overall, ZoogVPN’s customer support is impressive.
Best Alternatives to ZoogVPN
Although ZoogVPN is a decent service, with fast speed and zero logs, it falls short when it comes to stability and unblocking – which can become very frustrating.
As compared to its competitors, it lacks advanced features like Double VPN, split tunneling, port forwarding, and streaming capabilities. That is something to consider while choosing ZoogVPN.
If you are looking for the best VPN alternative, you can read our in-depth Surfshark review, ExpressVPN review, and IPVanish review to compare the features of ZoogVPN and decide for yourself.
Is ZoogVPN Recommended?
After extensive testing of ZoogVPN for over four weeks, we have come to the conclusion that ZoogVPN is a promising VPN with a no-logs policy and fast speed connections – good for users.
Its budget-friendly pricing plans and free option makes it a desirable option for VPN users. Overall, if you are okay with compromising on advanced features, then ZoogVPN is a good option. But, there are plenty of other options that offer much better services at a slightly higher cost.
