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Betternet couldn’t come through for you, so drop them like a hot rock and try a provider that will deliver a reliable connection to Netflix – a provider like NordVPN. NordVPN provides reliable access to Netflix, as their 24/7 support department responds quickly to blockades. Betternet Premium unlimited VPN for Windows allows you to get started as soon as you download the app. Make sure your web browsing experience is a secure one. Betternet is a free VPN utility for Windows that helps mask your identity and prevent your online activity from being tracked. Betternet is a VPN for Windows with no ads and no registration.

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Betternet

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Betternet is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider with 38 million users worldwide. It is a free service that has come under a lot of criticism in the past year. This is mainly due to a CSIRO study that found it to be serving adverts to its users. However, that same study discovered that 75% of free VPN apps use similar tracking to serve adverts.

This is one reason why ProPrivacy.com regularly reminds consumers about the difference between paid VPNs and free VPNs. Running a VPN isn’t easy – or cheap. Thus it’s common for free VPN services to create revenue by serving adverts. Is Betternet guilty of this? Yes. Is it any worse than the other 75% of free VPNs out there? Well, with 14 tracking libraries for serving adverts, it may not be worse, but it is definitely better at it.

This review is of Betternet’s premium (paid) service. The paid Betternet service wasn’t criticized by the CSIRO study and isn’t funded by advertising. As such, any complaints made about Betternet’s free VPN do not necessarily apply to the premium service.

If the free Betternet VPN service is your only interest, then please check out the relevant subsection below. For everybody else, let’s dive in and see if the paid Betternet service can compete with other premium VPN services.

Pros

No adverts on the premium version
Fast connection speeds
Seven-day free trial for premium service
30-day money-back guarantee for premium service
Free version

Cons

Poor privacy policy (collects and sells data on user activities)
Free version serves adverts (has tracking libraries)
Keeps logs (free version)
Cooperates with information demands by the authorities
IP address and Domain Name System (DNS) leaks
No kill switch
Slow connections (on free version)
Free service only has US servers

Features

The paid Betternet plan provides the following features:

Servers in ten countries: Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Canada and seven US cities. With the free VPN, subscribers only get access to one server in the US, which is allocated at random.
Five simultaneous connections
No adverts (unlike the free version)
Free access to a browser extension for Chrome
Apps for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android
OpenVPN encryption

Speed and Performance

I performed speed tests from the UK, using beta.speedtest.net. For each category, I performed five tests. Base tests were done for both the US and UK without a VPN first. I used test servers in the US (New York) and UK (London). The Netherlands VPN server was tested from the London test server. The US New York server was tested from a New York test server.

See our full speed test explanation for more detail.

The VPN slowed my download speeds considerably. The good news is that upload speeds remained pretty similar with and without the VPN engaged. In the UK tests, the UK Betternet server brought down the average connection speed from 48.20 Mbps to 18.62 Mbps. The Dutch server fared a little better. Its average download speed over five tests was 29.86 Mbps. Although these are pretty big drops, they aren’t the worst I’ve seen by any stretch of the imagination. You could still stream in HD.

The performance on the New York server was worse. My base test from the UK to the US achieved an average speed of 38.78 Mbps. Betternet’s New York server brought my average download speed down to 7.82 Mbps. Not great.

I checked online, and it appears that I got lucky with my download speeds. Subscribers often complain of even slower speeds. Most people don’t believe that Betternet can be used to unblock streams as it’s just too slow and results in a lot of buffering.

IP Leaks and DNS Leaks

I checked for Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and DNS leaks using ipleak.net. I performed these tests while using the Betternet London server. In both tests, Betternet for Windows showed no IP leaks or DNS leaks on my system. I was unable to test for IPv6 leaks because my Internet Service Provider (ISP) doesn’t provide IPv6 connections.

The Chrome proxy browser extension did result in a DNS leak and a Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) leak. As such, I recommend against using the Betternet browser proxy extensions for privacy. For unblocking content they may well work, but for concealing what you did online you’ll need to stick to the full VPN service.

The Firefox proxy browser should be avoided. It doesn’t even conceal your true IP address and is literally completely useless.

Test Your VPN

Since writing this, we have created our very own VPN testing tool. Our tool is the easiest to use out there and it gives 100% accurate results..

Streaming Services

I tried to access US streaming services from the UK by using the VPN to mask my true location. I was unable to access watch US Netflix using the premium VPN connected to a US server. The ABC website, however, allowed me to watch a show without any issues. Betternet VPN also successfully unblocked NBC.com. I tested the UK server to see if I could watch iPlayer, and found it to work fine.

Price

To access the premium version of Betternet, you must first download the free version. Using that software, you can then upgrade. Betternet VPN premium only comes in one plan, with price variations based on the subscription period. Committing for a longer period of time gives you a hefty loyalty discount. The three price options are as follows:

You can subscribe for one month, six months, or a year. The payment process sets up a recurring billing agreement. If you don’t cancel the agreement before your subscription ends, Betternet will automatically charge you for another period.

The Betternet Refund Policy

Betternet provides a 30-day money-back guarantee to allow you to test the premium service. However, the refund is only given if you’ve used less than 50 MB of data. As such, you have to ask for your money back during the 30-day period and with only minimal use. 50 Mb is a very small amount of usage allowance. This means that, in reality, it’s very hard to qualify for a refund. This is really mean: it’s the worst 30-day money back guarantee I have seen from a VPN.

A better option is to use the seven-day free trial of the premium account. Sadly, to use the free trial you must enter your credit card details. If you don’t cancel within the seven-day trial period, Betternet will automatically put you onto the monthly tariff, which is the most expensive plan. As such, be sure to cancel before your seven days are up if you’re not keen on the service.

The Website

The website is professional and easy to navigate. There aren’t a huge number of pages on the site. Visitors are directed to the free app download button. Frustratingly, you can’t see the cost of the premium service without downloading the free app. In fact, you would never even know Betternet VPN had a premium service from visiting the website.

Eventually, I did find a mention of the premium service on the “How We Make Money” page (and in a few responses displayed in the help center’s knowledge base).

The website’s main menu purposefully follows you down the page as you scroll down, which is useful. On the right-hand side, you’ll find the link to download the VPN client. If you’re going to use the free VPN, or want access to the premi