ZenMate is based in Berlin, Germany. ZenMate provides a desktop client, a browser extension and a mobile app that can establish a VPN connection using an IPsec protocol. A registration is needed to be able to use ZenMate VPN, but it is a quick, effortless one and your email also doubles as a user name if you choose to use the Premium plan. Using ZenMate is simple and easy, but has its drawbacks.

ZenMate VPN has some good features, but there are quite a lot of disadvantages when compared to other VPN providers. Server availability is restricted, the FAQ page is informative, but the lack of support can be frustrating to those who want to get solutions to their problems right away. Nevertheless, it is a satisfying service.

ZenMate general highlights

ZenMate is based in Germany and there are some tricky laws there, including the DRD (Data Retention Directive) - one that is known for its strict copyright and a hypocritical approach to surveillance. ZenMate VPN is also said to keep connection logs, but according to their team, it’s only for specific situations. ZenMate utilizes a TLS 1.2 protocol that has 128-bit AES-GCM encryption, but it can be said that the TLS encryption protocol is old and requires constant updates.

Even though the general security is good, it is recommended not to engage in sensitive online activities. This includes P2P filesharing, as it can be illegal in many countries and it’s not recommended to use ZenMate VPN for such a thing. ZenMate provides a variety of features: Smart Locations, malware blocker and others.

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Feature / Criteria	ZenMate	VyprVPN	SaferVPN
OpenVPN
PPTP
L2TP/IPSec
IKEv2
P2P allowed
Encryption (strongest)	aes-128	AES-256	AES-256
Internet activity logs
Connection logs
Killswitch

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ZenMate VPN’s speed depends on server locations and their distance from your original location. Specifically, it is better to connect to servers that are nearer to you, as the speed can be slower if you decide to connect to distant servers. You can check the statistics of the download and upload traffic to get a better understanding of which server is better and faster for you to use.

When you search for a VPN, fast speed is an extremely important factor. You want your streaming services to work well and without annoying buffering and your browsing experience to be smooth. Moreover, it is known that in general, Internet speed drops when using a VPN, so it's important to try and find a VPN that still offers good speed even when using VPN services. We check the speed when connecting from the US to the UK, as it's half across the globe. It is a big distance, so keep in mind that closer locations may provide better speed and latency.

Internet speed without a VPN shows your general Internet Service Provider download and upload speed. On the other hand, it is known that you lose speed when using a VPN service. So be sure to take into consideration if your speed drops too much.

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Feature / Criteria	ZenMate	VyprVPN	SaferVPN
Unlimited speed
Server switches	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Unlimited data
Speed consistency & reliability	3.6	4.5	4.3

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ZenMate is available on phones and tablets that run on Android or iOS. Also, the desktop client is available on Windows and Mac. It is functional and easy to switch servers from one to another. The browser extension protects traffic as well and is available on Opera, Firefox and Chrome, but can be compatible with a few other browsers (the ones that are based on the Chromium Open Source Browser Project).

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Feature / Criteria	ZenMate	VyprVPN	SaferVPN
Mac
Windows
Linux		Manual configuration	Manual configuration
iOS
Android
Blackberry		Manual configuration	Manual configuration
Windows phone			Manual configuration

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Servers in more than 78 countries. Smart Locations is a neat feature that allows you to choose a certain server when visiting a specific website (for example, you can choose the US server for the times you visit Netflix, Hulu and other American based websites).

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Feature / Criteria	ZenMate	VyprVPN	SaferVPN
Countries	78	70	50
Server locations	2900	700	1300

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ZenMate VPN has a knowledge base through a FAQ. The knowledge base has answers to most of the questions that the users might have. The FAQ page is a great one - it includes many feature questions, troubleshooting tips and basic knowledge about VPN, its services and information about privacy and security.

Even though the knowledge base is educational and useful, the lack of direct approach to support is upsetting. There is no live chat and even no contact form to fill out if you want to get your errors or other problems sorted out quickly.

Eventually, you will run into a problem - payment method not working, servers not connecting, pretty much anything can happen. That's where support comes through - many different customer support options mean that there are multiple ways to contact the support and get help from a professional.

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Feature / Criteria	ZenMate	VyprVPN	SaferVPN
Live chat
Email
Knowledge base
FAQ
24/7 support

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ZenMate VPN has three Premium plans and the Premium plan is offered in tiers: 1 month, 1 year and a 3 year subscription. The monthly subscription is $10.99, 12 months is $4.49/month and the three year is $1.64/month.

ZenMate accepts most of the major payment methods: credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AmericanExpress, Maestro), as well as UnionPay, PayPal and Qiwi Wallet. A refund can be requested in the time period of 30 days from the start of your first billing.