Originally, ZenMate was a free privacy extension for Chrome, but it has been upgraded and it now offers a comprehensive solution to protect your privacy and defeat restrictions on multiple platforms. With ZenMate, you will be able to keep your identity undisclosed while you are accessing websites, chatting or doing anything else on the internet. The service markets itself as an easy to use option that provides high grade encryption and in this review, we’ll find out if it lives up to these claims.
Privacy and Security
The protocol supported by ZenMate is the latest TLS 1.2 (RFC 5245) and the encryption is 128-bit AES-GCM with RSA handshaking and for authentication, SHA256 is used. In order to boost the security of your traffic, ZenMate also uses Perfect Forward Secrecy. It is worth noting that as ZenMate states, although at first sight AES 256-bit would be considered as the strongest solution due to the higher encryption, the truth is that AES 128 is a better choice in most cases. It offers a good balance between security and speed. AES 128 can protect your connection effectively without having a significant impact on the speed of your connection.
The privacy policy establishes that no logs are kept of your online activities, but they do keep some connection logs, which may include time of your sessions and bandwidth used. Still, we should mention that in their terms they state that while they don’t actively monitor what you do when you are connected to the service, in certain cases (probably if a legal request is received) they would investigate further. In addition, the fact that ZenMate is based in Germany may raise some concerns since it is a location that is not P2P-friendly and where surveillance and threats to privacy exist. It is not clear what is ZenMate’s approach to P2P, but it would be safe to assume that it is not the best option for torrenting.
Features
ZenMate can be used on all major platforms: Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. There are also extensions available for Chrome, Firefox and Opera. ZenMate delivers on its promise of being an easy to use solution, with a VPN client that keeps things simple and convenient. The statics of the service are displayed and you can launch the service automatically. The Eversecure feature is a kill switch that will keep your real IP address protected in the event the VPN suddenly disconnects. You can select the server you want to connect to or let ZenMate choose the bets option with its Smart Location function. ZenMate also features a Malware blocker.
Premium users can enjoy fast speeds and access to servers in over 20 countries including Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Poland, Hong Kong and Germany. The free plan offers limited speeds and access to servers in only four countries. Apart from offering good speeds, ZenMate passed the test in terms of protection against DNS leaks and IPv6 leaks. Overall, it works well and it provides a solid layer of security, particularly when you are using public WiFi and networks that are not very secure.
Plans
The premium service provides protection for your entire traffic and it is considearbly faster. The price for one month is $8.99. You can get 6 months of service for $44.99, which means that the monthly cost is reduced to $7.49. To save even more money in the long run, you can opt for the yearly plan and pay $59.99, meaning that the monthly cost is just $4.99.
Customer Support
The webs website provides general information about VPNs, as well as specific details about the service that ZenMate offers. The knowledge base contains useful information to get started and to solve common queries. Direct support is available via email and the responses are generally fast.
Conclusion
ZenMate works well for users who want to get an extra layer of protection for their online traffic when they use public WiFi. It provides good encryption and it promises not to log your online activities. However, it may not be the best option if you want to download torrents anonymously or need to ensure that your connection is completely private. But if you just want to bypass geo-restrictions and get extra protection for general browsing and streaming, ZenMate could be what you are looking for.