DotVPN is a solution that seeks to offer simplicity for anyone who wants to unblock content and protect their privacy on the internet. Although the service is mainly recognized as a proxy service and browser extension, it states that it also offers encryption to help users to keep their information secure. The free browser extension for Firefox and Chrome enjoys a high level of popularity, but there is also a Premium service available for those who need faster performance and access to a wider selection of servers. We will go through the most important aspects of the service to find out if DotVPN is a good option to protect your data.
Privacy and Security
Android and Desktop users of DotVPN can use OpenVPN protocol to secure their online traffic, while IPSec is the option available for iOS users. The browser extensions use SSL-proxy connection with a 4096-bit key. Although the service uses encryption to safeguard your online browsing, the free service doesn’t cover all your traffic. That being said, DotVPN states that Premium users enjoy double encryption and enhanced security for all their activities. Still, it is important to keep in mind that DotVPN is mainly a proxy plugin for your browser and as such, it doesn’t provide the level of security that a VPN service can give you.
DotVPN is based in Hong Kong, which sets it away from the influence of major privacy enemies such as the NSA and the GCHQ. The provider claims to have a zero-logs policy, but they do keep connection logs. Your IP address is stored for 24 hours and the details of your contacts with the customer support team may be kept for up to 2 years. It should be noted that Bitcoin is not accepted as a method of payment and at the moment, P2P is not supported. In general, the service is more suitable for bypassing geographical restrictions in order to access websites that are blocked in your location, but don’t expect a high level of security and privacy for your data.
Features
One of the benefits of using a proxy server like DotVPN is that it offers fast performance, allowing you to access websites, watch videos and more, without experiencing significant delays. They offer unlimited bandwidth for both free and premium customers, but only paid customers can access audio and video streaming services. The integrated data compression allows you to save up to 30% of your data traffic. DotVPN offers extensions for Opera and Chrome, as well as an add-on for Firefox. The service can also be used on Android and iOS. A desktop client for Windows is set to be launched later on this year.
The mobile apps offer protection against trackers and block ads and analytics and this feature will also be included in the desktop client. The browser versions offer Flash Player protection to keep security issues at bay. Free and Premium customers can also enjoy cloud firewall protection. DotVPN offers a network with over 700 servers in over 10 countries including United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, United States and Sweden. Premium users get access to all the options available and they can enjoy faster performance. In addition, the Premium plan supports up to five devices at the same time.
Plans
As previously noted, DotVPN offers a free solution that comes with some restrictions. The free plan allows you to bypass geo-blocks to enjoy more versatility when you are browsing the internet. However, in order to enjoy access to streaming services and a wider selection of content, as well as encryption for your data, you will need to upgrade to the Premium plan. The Premium plan costs $4.99 per month but if you subscribe for a full year, the monthly price is reduced to $2.99. There is a money-back guarantee that covers you for 30 days. However, you need to have used less than 10 GB of bandwidth and your number of connections to the service should be less than 100.
Customer Support
The website has an appealing, modern design and it features a Support section where you can find information about different aspects of the service. Only ticket-based support is available at the moment and the responses can take several hours in some cases. While the support team is polite, the answers are usually not very detailed. A live chat and more information on the website are some of the additions that we feel that DotVPN should consider. This would improve the customer experience and help to resolve urgent issues more effectively.
Conclusion
DotVPN’s free proxy service can be a practical option if you only want to bypass blocks in order to get access to websites that are not available in your location. The Premium plan allows you to access a wider selection of content and it also provides better protection for your data. However, DotVPN is not the most secure solution available and it should only be considered for general browsing and streaming. It is important to consider that the price of the Premium plan is higher than what you pay for VPN services that offer stronger security and a larger selection of servers.