This one’s a little different than the others. ClearVPN, unlike its contemporary VPN providers, has developed an interesting location-specific approach for its services. For example, if you are an American, you can just opt for the USA-only service, if that suits your needs. The VPN provider allows subscribers to access these servers on an individual basis and conceals the user’s identity to render him or her anonymity. Quoting from the official website, “ClearVPN uses the software based OpenVPN Connect client protocol for a secure and stable VPN connection.”
The company concentrates its services over a few countries which include the United States of America, Canada, and the United Kingdom, among others. The servers’ help you access content on the internet which is otherwise restricted geographically or is censored. With a package based system that is aimed mainly at expats or travellers, ClearVPN follows a simple approach for novice users. Its speeds are optimum, and it serves the purposes of using a VPN well. The review that follows aims to provide insight into what’s right with the VPN provider and touches upon a few glitches that could have been avoided.
Features
ClearVPN supports a plethora of operating systems which include Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, amidst the others like iOS, Android, MAC OS, and much more. This is possible because it uses the OpenVPN client which is available on all kinds of platforms. Any device that has a configuration to support OpenVPN connect the client or L2TP protocol will be able to support ClearVPN. The services are available mainly in the three countries of USA, Canada, and the UK.
You will not get an IP address of your own, but will have to share it with other users. Moreover, none of the ports or applications will be blocked. An added advantage is the no-advertisement policy. Unlike many other VPNs, ClearVPN does not show any advertisements during its running period. This is an added advantage as these ads can often get on your nerves.
To get users acquainted with the workings of a VPN, ClearVPN offers everyone a 7 day free trial period where the user can explore the various features of this provider. If the service suits him, then he can opt for the various packages that are on offer. ClearVPN sells its country-specific services individually. One can opt for dual and triple country packages also.
Here’s a little reminder of the free trial period. These are offered only after you have successfully registered for a package. If by chance, the service doesn’t suit you – then you should cancel it before the end of this free trial period. Otherwise, the payments for the services will begin automatically the moment the trial period ends.Taxes are applicable according to the region-specific needs.
If you cancel your subscription within the free trial period, then you will get a complete refund of your money.
The most crucial purpose that a VPN servers are to maintain privacy and anonymity over a virtual network. The security foundation of any VPN must be strong enough to endure the wrath of external infiltrations, and it is from the VPN provider to ensure that such privacy is maintained online. Quoting the privacy policy of Clear VPN, this is what they promise:
“ClearVPN takes your privacy very seriously, and our policy is simple: We will never sell, loan, or distribute any of your personal information to another party. Additionally, we use Bluesnap as a payment provider, so you are assured that we never have access to your credit card information and are fully PCIDSS compliant.
When you log onto ClearVPN, the only personal information we monitor is related to the establishment of the connection itself. We do this in order to be able to troubleshoot connection problems and keep the network running. We know that you have connected to the service, but we do not know or record anything about the actual data you are transmitting. Your data comes in encrypted and, once the data is unencrypted on our server, it is sent directly out to its destination without any logging or monitoring of any kind.”
ClearVPN uses the OpenVPN protocol armed with a 2048 bit encryption to secure its servers. For the devices that aren’t capable of supporting OpenVPN, the company offers L2TP programs – this is especially beneficial for mobiles. Open VPN is one of the strongest and most able encryptions available that offers access in regions like China, Oman, Qatar, Dubai, and any other country, where PPTP VPN is blocked. It runs well on all kinds of Operating Systems.
Moreover, ClearVPN has a well-defined stance on its security. It does not monitor any information exchanged by the user on the internet nor does it maintain any logs. Surprisingly, the service provider states that since they operate through a third party payment provider like Plimus, they have no sort of access or hold over the financial information provided by their users. Kudos to that!
Pricing Plans
The pricing options come under two broad categories- namely, the monthly and the yearly options. The first one costs around $9.75 per month while the latter costs around $90 for a complete year. The difference is quite justified – the longer the period you sign up for, the greater is the discount. Payments can be made through MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or through the immensely trustworthy PayPal.
The dual and triple country packages, come at a greater price and are payable on a six month or a twelve month basis. The cost of the annual subscription under this plan is around $125.
Conclusion
While ClearVPN more or less hits the right notes, there are certain areas where it does lack the finesse. Firstly, it lacks a quintessential customer service area. The Signup process and the installation procedure is quite complex, but it does come with a simple set of instructions which can be accessed through the link that is sent to your email address. Secondly, the speed provided by the VPN is quite unsatisfactory. It’s just optimum, and there is nothing praiseworthy there. Thirdly, the packages provided by Clear VPN are slightly towards the steeper side, and it doesn’t provide a wide array of locations to choose from.
But, all in all, ClearVPN serves its purpose well. It’s user-friendly and trustworthy when it comes to privacy and security. The official website of the VPN provider shows immense clarity on most issues and sums up everything pithily. Frankly speaking, it is mainly designed to unlock key locations for web services.