How we tested Proton VPN

Proton VPN review scores

Proton VPN price plans

• Proton has a single VPN plan, from $2.99 per month.
• Lower auto-renewal price increases than almost any other VPN.
• Proton Unlimited bundles other Proton products with the VPN.

Unlike many top VPNs, Proton VPN doesn’t offer tiered pricing. Instead, there is a single paid plan (alongside the Proton VPN Free product). This plan is offered in three lengths: 1-month, 1-year, and 2-year. The price of the plan drops as the length increases. All of these plans do, however, come with a 10-device limit, much like NordVPN.

We always recommend picking up the two-year plan, since it is the cheapest overall. As with all VPNs, you pay the full cost upfront. Just make sure you turn off auto-renewals, so you’re not stung by unwanted price rises. That said, Proton’s price rises are almost non-existent.

Right now, picking up a 2-year plan costs $2.99/month, paid as $71.76 upfront, and renews at $79.95 every 12 months (or $159.90 over two years). By comparison, NordVPN Basic costs $80.73 for the first two years, then auto-renews at $312.93 for the next two years – and that’s including far fewer features than you’d get with Proton.

NordVPN also charges VAT on top of these costs, making the overall price rise even further both on initial sign-up and at renewal. By comparison, Proton’s price is all you pay; tax is included in the advertised cost, barely a renewal increase, little to worry about.

What's more, it's important to remember that Proton Plus is compared here to all of the other entry-level plans of our recommended VPNs. It comes with features that aren't available with other VPNs unless you go up a price tier. So, Proton VPN is, in fact, far better value than it appears.

One option you do have with Proton is to upgrade to its Proton Unlimited plan. This plan gives you Proton VPN, and all its features, but also Proton Mail, Pass, Calendar, and Drive. So, if you want added security for your emails, photo storage, or personal events, you can get it all bundled into one package.

Proton Unlimited costs only a fraction more than NordVPN’s super-premium Prime Plan. That's $191.76 for two years compared to $186.03. What’s more, you’re not stung with the huge price increase you’d face with NordVPN, and you can access a whole suite of products.

What's quite astounding is that a single, on-off month of Proton Unlimited is actually cheaper than a one-month plan from any other of the best VPNs. For only $12.99, you get the full Proton experience, including all its apps and features.

For comparison, 1 month of NordVPN Basic (which gives just the VPN and basic Threat Protection) is the same price, while one month of Surfshark Starter is even more at $15.45.

So, for one month of security, Proton will struggle to be beaten. If you don’t need the additional Drive, Pass, Mail, and Calendar apps, Proton VPN for 1 month is only $9.99 with all features included too, so you’re always going to save compared to even its biggest rivals.

All of this sits Proton VPN somewhere in the middle for value. At regular two-year pricing it's in the same ballpark as NordVPN and ExpressVPN. It's only Surfshark that is significantly cheaper out of our top choices.

Score: 8/10

Features: What can Proton VPN do?

• Ad blocking from NetShield is excellent.
• Profiles are a very handy feature.
• Fewer tangible features than other top VPNs.

Proton’s one-price-gives-all approach means you get the full suite of VPN features straight away. That said, it doesn’t offer a great deal in terms of add-ons.

NetShield is the primary example of this. As Proton VPN’s biggest additional feature, NetShield blocks your device from ads, trackers, malware sites, and phishing sites. It works at a system level, meaning no additional installs for browsers or apps; they’re all automatically protected.

It is highly effective at blocking ads online. However, in our most recent testing we noticed a drop off in performance concerning the blocking of phishing and malware sites.

Testing it across Windows, Android, and iOS, we never saw it impact our battery life, nor did we encounter issues with most apps or websites despite the warnings Proton gives that problems may occur.

The only sites that struggled were streaming sites. VPN ad-blockers and streaming sites are known enemies, especially when the streaming site is regional and relies on ads to run. We’ll cover this in more depth in the unblocking section later.

Profiles are another key tool in Proton’s arsenal. While some VPNs have functionality to auto-connect on using specific apps or WiFi connections, Profiles goes a step further.

Proton’s solution allows users to create multiple, uniquely tailored settings combinations, 'profiles', for when using the VPN in specific situations. The profiles can be tailored to according to:

• Server type (Standard, Secure Core, P2P)
• Country selection
• Whether NetShield is turned on or off
• Whether port forwarding is turned on or off
• What protocol you use (WireGuard, Stealth, OpenVPN)
• What NAT type

It’s also got what Proton calls ‘Connect and Go’, which allows you to pick an app or website that loads automatically when you turn on your profile.

In testing, we set up a ‘US Streaming’ profile. We used WireGuard UDP and turned NetShield off to avoid ad-blocker issues, and auto-loaded Peacock so we could get straight to watching shows. It worked flawlessly every time.

Usefully, the profiles you create also appear on Proton’s mobile widgets if you’ve connected to them recently. That means you don’t even need to enter the app to get streaming if you’re on the go and want to save time.

On desktop, you can also pin any profile you create to the top of your recents list.

I really like Proton VPN's profiles. They're easily accessible, work flawlessly, and supremely helpful, top marks!

Proton recently added "Exclude locations" for Android (allowing users to blacklist specific cities from "Quick Connect") and a "Discreet Icon" feature, which lets users hide the VPN app as a decoy (e.g., a calculator) to bypass physical device inspections.

The final unique aspect of Proton VPN’s experience is VPN Accelerator. It supposedly increases performance by up to 400%.

We’ll get into the results of that later, but it works by splitting the processing needed to handle VPN traffic across multiple processors rather than just one.

This reduces the risk of overload to the processor, which would impact performance and result in reduced speeds for a user. It's on automatically for paid Proton VPN users and it’s unavailable for those on the free plan. We recommend leaving it that way to ensure the best speeds.

That's it for Proton's features, and, while it's not a lot, as I say, it functions well, and there are plenty of 'added value' features on other VPNs that don't.

I'd like to see Proton offer a little more with its VPN going forward but, if all you need is a VPN, then you shouldn't have any complaints.

Score: 7/10

Server network and locations

• Second-most countries and locations offered of any tested VPN
• The most locations of any tested VPN in Asia and Africa.
• Fewer locations in the Americas and Oceania.

Proton VPN offers the second-largest number of total locations of any VPN we tested (188, tied with ExpressVPN), and the most countries covered (145). Only NordVPN, with 211 locations, offers more.

While the number of locations and countries can be a good indicator of a provider’s spread, it’s never perfect. Often the global spread of these servers can be more telling.

Of all the VPNs we test, Proton VPN has the most locations in Asia (48) and Africa (31). By comparison, NordVPN offers 41 Asian locations and 21 African ones.

However, Proton scores lower in North America (39), South America (10), and Oceania (7). Its 53 European locations put Proton slightly below average here too – with the likes of NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN offering 54, 54, and 58 locations in the region, respectively.

It's important to put that in context, though. Proton company mission is to provide private and secure internet access to all, and that's very much reflected in the server spread of its VPN network.

While it might not have as big a concentration in certain areas – mainly North American and Europe Proton makes sure its product is available to as may parts of the globe as possible. That also means it can open up servers and provide free access in times of trouble for local people.

Proton has regularly become a popular choice for people during periods of heightened internet censorship. Recently, Proton recorded an 8,000% increase in sign-ups from people in Uganda during the country's elections and the associated internet shutdown. The company also recorded a spike in interest in Argentina after two popular streaming platforms were blocked.

That's a unique and laudable pillar of Proton VPN identity. It's a great reason to choose Proton if you live in these areas of the world or your likely to travel to them for work. These are also areas where internet restrictions can be toughest, and present a very immediate need for privacy software.

It's also important to realize that Proton has a large number of servers in its network and that makes it good for handling the ebbs and flows of capacity needs.

Proton’s total number of servers currently sits at nearly 20,000 (19,704 at the time of our latest research). This is not only a huge jump from the 5,000 Proton claimed to have back in June 2024, but also puts the VPN provider far in advance of almost any other.

The more servers a provider has in total, the less likely your connection is to be impacted by excessive server load which, in turn, can lead to reduced download speeds and increased latency or jitter. Those are both things to be avoided if you're looking for a gaming VPN or streaming VPN with consistent, high-speed connections the ideal.

Among Proton’s many locations are some virtual locations. Using virtual servers is common among even the top VPNs, but it’s refreshing to see Proton’s level of transparency surrounding the matter.

That said, it’s not perfect. In our testing, it was quickly apparent that the app lacks clear visual indicators for virtual servers. For instance, the Windows app currently doesn't display any icons to let you know a server is Smart Routed.

What’s more, we found a few instances where these virtual locations didn't appear to connect from exactly where Proton VPN’s website said they were hosted.

However, it's worth noting that the vast majority of servers were hosted exactly where Proton claimed they were. The few exceptions we found were generally hosted in neighboring countries, which is unlikely to cause a noticeable performance drop.

It's most likely that Proton's website server lists are just a bit out of date, rather than anything nefarious.

The real diversion from the norm for Proton's server network, though, is that it doesn't use RAM-only servers. Proton believes the security benefits of such servers are minimal and consequently not worthwhile, which they explain in a blog post.

Instead, Proton runs full disk encryption on their servers. This means that even if a server were to be taken away, it would not be possible to access the server certificates that might allow bad actors to create an attack, or attempt to track customers.

Alongside these servers are Proton’s own Secure Core servers. These servers are owned and run by Proton itself, stored in high-security locations, including a former military base and an underground data center, and form the basis of Proton’s multi-hop offering.

Based in Sweden, Switzerland, and Iceland, these servers are deliberately in physically hardened locations with strong privacy laws, reducing the ability of other countries to file legal challenges for data. Plus, the servers are connected to the internet by a dedicated network Proton owns, with IP addresses owned and operated by its own Local Internet Registry.

The average user won’t see a huge difference in performance but any multihop connection does reduce download speeds and increases latency owing to the added VPN server connection. However, those extra measures mean you’re far more protected when using Secure Core than you would with any other VPN multi-hop system. If that doesn't add peace of mind, then we don't know what will.

Overall, then, a great number of locations, backed by strong, secure infrastructure. There's little you need to worry about when it comes to where to connect with Proton VPN.

Score: 10/10

Privacy

• Based in Switzerland – giving users protection from strict data privacy laws.
• Detailed, clear, privacy and no-logs policies.
• Key privacy features: Stealth, full-disk encryption, Secure Core.

Proton is as a privacy-first company. Its VPN product is no different – and doesn’t disappoint!

We should first address the fact that it is a Swiss company. Being based in Switzerland means the company is protected by some VPN customer-friendly data privacy laws. Switzerland isn’t part of any intelligence-sharing agreements, and sees such importance in privacy that rarely will a Swiss court grant any data request it receives from another country.

This is furthered by Proton’s full, detailed privacy policy, no-logs policy, and transparency reports when it is subject to legal requests by Swiss authorities. We read through Proton’s privacy policy and were pleased to see a high level of detail, without unnecessary complexities.

The same is true for its no-logs policy. It covers everything we’d expect, including linking out to explainers surrounding the technology Proton has in place to secure your data, such as full-disk encryption and bare-metal servers, both of which we’ll cover later.

The future of Switzerland's reputation as a privacy haven is not certain, however. In recent months, there has been discussions about changes to the country's surveillance legislation. Proton has said it will leave the country if Switzerland no longer offers the privacy protections it feels it requires to operate securely.

This no-logs policy has also been audited four times. The last was in August 2025.

These audits have regularly confirmed there is nothing to worry about, even emphasizing the lengths Proton goes to internally to ensure security.

This includes monitoring server configurations and raising alerts if there is an unauthorized change. It also has a change management system which means an employee cannot change any configurations without another employee’s approval.

If that wasn’t enough, Proton’s no logs policy was tested in 2019 when a Swiss court approved a request to hand over customer information. However, since Proton’s no logs policy was watertight and well enforced, there was no information to hand over.

If you’re interested in how many requests Proton receives over a year, you can look over its transparency report. This report is updated whenever a new request is received, even if, as is most common, the request is declined due to Swiss privacy laws.

Proton’s quest for privacy superiority doesn’t just stop with the legalities, though; its Stealth protocol is a staple part of its infrastructure and offers a stellar solution to remaining secure when you need to hide that you’re using a VPN to connect.

Stealth is a protocol based on traditional WireGuard over TCP. By tunneling WireGuard over TCP, having already encapsulated your traffic in TLS, your connection appears as any normal online traffic would.

This is because TCP runs your traffic through the same port that normal HTTPS traffic goes through, port 443. By disguising your traffic in this way, you’re much less likely to be picked up by VPN detection technologies, allowing you greater success when bypassing censorship restrictions, VPN bans, and the like.

All this protective technology does mean that Stealth is by no means the quickest protocol, though that doesn’t mean you’re short of options if you need speed.

Alongside Stealth, you can also pick from WireGuard connection types across all apps, or OpenVPN if you are on Windows, both of which are available in TCP or UDP configurations.

In January 2026, the company announced that it be retiring older manual OpenVPN configurations due to security concerns. Although users of the official app will be unaffected, those running manual setups or on Linux will need to refresh their credentials by February 28 to avoid losing connectivity.

Picking TCP gives a more reliable connection, while UDP is more speed-focused. So, if you’re after a secure, reliable connection, OpenVPN on TCP is the pick, while if you want speed, WireGuard over UDP is ideal, especially with VPN Accelerator enabled.

We’ve mentioned already how Proton avoids using RAM-only servers in favor of full-disk-encrypted servers instead, but it’s also worth mentioning its commitment to physical locations in regions of high risk.

In ‘unfriendly jurisdictions’, as Proton describes them, Proton uses third-party, physical servers to ensure that it’s not subject to local laws and remains a Swiss company, since the infrastructure is owned by a third-party, and it has full control of the server all the way to the base operating level.

Using physical servers, rather than virtual, ensures the hardware is solely dedicated to Proton VPN, allowing for greater security and control when navigating the difficulties faced in these regions.

In terms of privacy features in-app, there are several that are particularly handy.

We’ve already mentioned Proton’s version of multi-hop, Secure Core. This is a super-secure solution to a two-VPN connection, though the added security does mean it sacrifices country availability. Every connection must go through one of Proton’s Swiss, Icelandic, or Swedish Secure Core bases, and the connection can then only exit in 68 of Proton’s usual 145 countries.

While this may seem like a sacrifice initially, 68 is far more than the 12 multi-hop locations NordVPN offers. Only Surfshark’s Nexus network offers more since it allows a multihop connection between any two Surfshark locations without limitation.

Much like NordVPN, you also get Tor over VPN connectivity should you wish to access .onion sites. Again, Proton comfortably beats NordVPN for locations in this respect, with six to Nord’s two.

As with any Tor over VPN connection, performance does take a hefty hit. Our tests showed a maximum download speed of only 1.89 Mbps, though this is more than double NordVPN’s result, which barely scraped over 700 Kbps.

It’s unlikely that, if using the Tor network, you’re doing anything requiring a huge amount of bandwidth, but beware that you’re never going to get the same speeds you would with a different protocol. If you’re unsure how to safely use Tor over VPN, Proton does offer a handy guide you can access from within the app.

Score: 10/10

Security

• Excellent current encryption standards but no post-quantum yet.
• Kill switch that can now be used alongside split-tunneling on Windows
• Poor recent malware site blocking result.

Proton does almost all the necessary security steps well. AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20 encryption using Diffie-Hellman key exchanges are standard practices, and Proton only uses protocols that support perfect forward secrecy. This means not only are you secure, but even if a session were to be compromised, none of your older or later sessions are at risk since they’ll use unique encryption keys.

On the topic of encryption keys, Proton uses 4096-bit RSA keys, a step above VPN providers such as Surfshark, which only use 2048-bit, though you won’t notice the difference day-to-day. 2048-bit encryption keys are extremely safe, which is why top VPNs still use them, but 4096-bit keys add additional security through the increase in key length – why the likes of Proton and NordVPN now use these instead.

Proton’s VPN hasn’t yet implemented post-quantum encryption (PQE). However, it is currently working on adding this feature. In October 2025, the company announced it had started working on a new, in-house VPN architecture This will enable the company to introduce PQE in the coming months. The architecture is now being deployed and PQE rollout is imminent.

In an April 2026 update, the company said it was still working on this and currently laying the groundwork for PQE.

That said, its introduction is still lagging behind NordVPN and Express, who already offer PQE. For a closer look, we've also written an in-depth comparison of NordVPN and Proton VPN.

Despite lacking PQE, Proton has plenty of features to keep users secure.

Auto-connect is an option right out of the gates. However, it’s not the most flexible system we’ve seen, especially when compared to NordVPN. While you can set your desktop to auto-connect on launch, and mobile apps feature a basic 'Always-on' toggle to re-establish dropped connections, it lacks advanced condition-based triggers.

This lack of any customization is surprising. The likes of NordVPN or Surfshark allow you options such as creating a trusted network list or enabling auto-connect under specific connection circumstances. Without this Proton is a distance behind.

Next comes split tunelling. Proton’s split tunelling is advanced, but until recently Windows users couldn't use the split tunnel with the kill switch enabled. Fortunately, this was resolved in an update in February.

Proton does have several advanced features for split-tunneling. You can choose to split-tunnel both apps and IP addresses on Windows and Android, while Mac users are currently limited strictly to apps. On these supported platforms, you can decide whether your tunnel excludes or includes what’s selected from the VPN connection.

Proton’s app detection on desktop is very good. Any .exe file we had was found and properly thumbnailed on our list – a list which usefully retains any app you add permanently, should you wish to amend your list in future.

On mobile, Proton did a great job finding any app we’d installed (including those installed via Chrome), and could even identify and isolate specific system apps. That said, it did take a few seconds to collate the full list of apps, and didn’t give options for specific Chrome ‘apps’ we’d set up on our Android device to quickly access specific websites.

That won’t impact many but it does mean you’re left split-tunneling Chrome as a whole instead of having specific, unencrypted access to sites where VPNs cause issues, including financial sites.

Finally, we should mention Proton’s kill switch. On desktop, you get two kill switch options: Standard, and Advanced. Standard works as you’d expect. You turn it on, and your internet connection drops if your connection to Proton VPN is interrupted.

Advanced adds another layer to this. It only allows internet access when connected to Proton VPN, and it remains active even after restarting your device.

Testing the kill switch over Stealth, WireGuard, and OpenVPN, Proton foiled all of our tricks to forcibly drop the VPN. We were disconnected instantly and saw no signs of leaks, and that's exactly what you want.

iOS and Mac users get the equivalent of Windows’ Standard kill switch, which is more than good enough. Android users use the Android-native kill switch, which is essentially the Windows Advanced option. While it would be great to see consistency across the board, none of our testing suggests any reason to worry about Proton’s kill switch no matter the platform.

Diving into Proton’s advanced settings offers several other ways to improve your security too.

That means using non-Proton server network methods to ensure online access to Proton users in crisis situation.

You can also choose to allow LAN connections while still connected to the VPN, set up custom DNS servers, choose your specific NAT type and OpenVPN network driver, and enable IPv6 support and leak protection.

This is extensive customization for any VPN. What’s also great to see is that mobile users get almost all of these functions, losing only IPv6 leak protection and OpenVPN network driver choices from the otherwise extensive list.

The final tool in Proton VPN’s security arsenal is NetShield. This is Proton’s ad, tracker and malware blocking tool. It works at a system level, meaning there’s no need for separate installs for at-risk programs such as your browser. It instead protects all of your apps instantly.

We put NetShield to the test against 36 brand-new malware and phishing sites and attempted to access them. We also ran it through an ad-blocking tester. These are our most recent VPN lab results:

Proton’s results raise a number of discussion points. Its 32% phishing sites blocked score is a drop from its previous highs, putting it behind competitors like NordVPN. However, blocking 88% of ads means Proton remains top-tier here, achieving double the successful blocks of Surfshark and four times that of NordVPN's basic blocker.

Its 4% malware sites blocked score is concerning, of course. Though curiously, we also found this with ExpressVPN, which scored just 16% in this round, despite both testing well in the past.

As with speed testing, these ad and site blocker tests are only a snapshot in time, and are relative to the latest threats of that particular day. In other words, it might have just been a bad day at the office for ExpressVPN and Proton VPN.

The takeaway message is that, while Proton VPN currently misses a significant number of malware and phishing threats compared to the top performers, its core ad blocking remains highly effective.

Score: 7/10

Speed

• Very fast WireGuard speeds over long and short distance connections.
• OpenVPN speeds a long way behind the competition.
• Stable jitter recorded on recent tests.

Proton shot to the top of the pack in our most recent VPN lab speed tests. That's likely thanks in part to its VPN Accelerator technology.

We recently broadened our testing parameters, adding more data points to our testing and increasing our maximum speed capacity to 10 Gbps. This allows for more precise, comparable testing across all VPNs to discern even the smallest differences.

Having previously recorded only 871 Mbps, Proton now hits an impressive 1475 Mbps download speed using WireGuard over a short-distance connection.

What’s more, when connecting to the US from the UK (i.e. over long distance) using WireGuard, Proton VPN's download speeds have leapt from 436 Mbps to a staggering 1548 Mbps this time round, making it the fastest performer in this test and easily beating ExpressVPN's Lightway Turbo.

Both of these results are more than fast enough for any household looking to protect a Netflix binge, gaming session, or just their emails. Among top VPNs, Proton actually takes the top spot for outright speed on short-distance connections (1475 Mbps), comfortably beating out Surfshark (1021 Mbps).

This lead continues over long distances, where Surfshark's respectable 935 Mbps UK to US connection is still nothing like as quick as Proton VPN's staggering 1548 Mbps.

Additionally, gamers will be pleased to know that Proton recorded very stable jitter in our most recent test (16.8ms and 17.8ms on WireGuard).

While for most these figures won't mean much, gamers should take note, since high jitter can contribute to inconsistent online gaming — a trap some competitors fell into this round. Fortunately, Proton VPN's latency recordings were also highly competitive and comparable with the other best VPNs.

The main area we'd like to see improvements is with Proton VPN’s OpenVPN performance. It's better than it was but, at 449 Mbps download speeds over a local connection, it's still trailing behind the likes of NordVPN (688 Mbps), Surfshark (825 Mbps), and ExpressVPN (1038 Mbps).

OpenVPN is commonly considered more secure and stable than WireGuard. If you’re using Proton for security, you’ll likely find yourself using its Stealth Protocol instead, given it's far more security-focused.

In most other circumstances, WireGuard is more than up to the job. However, you'll definitely need to look elsewhere if you want to use OpenVPN on non-Windows platforms, as Proton now completely excludes OpenVPN support from its Mac, Android, and iOS apps.

Score: 9/10

Unblocking streaming services

• Successfully unblocks Netflix libraries all round the world.
• Was able to unblock both Disney+ and YouTube in the US.
• Needed NetShield switching off to unblock some ad-funded services.

Proton VPN has a good track record in successfully unblocking streaming service all around the world but it's by no means the best streaming VPN. The accolade goes to NordVPN.

We lab test VPNs for their unblocking capabilities with Netflix libraries in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, and Canada, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube. To check its regional capacity, we also put them against BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV, 7plus, 9Now, 10Play, and TVNZ+.

Proton handled every Netflix library with ease, just the same as all of our top VPN choices. However, it did hit a few snags this time around, failing with several Amazon Prime Video libraries and requiring a bit of initial trial and error on other major sites.

On the plus side, it comfortably dealt with the likes of iPlayer, 7plus, 9Now, 10Play, and even TVNZ+ (which it had failed to unblock in previous testing cycles). But server-side issues did crop up elsewhere.

Trying to access Disney+ UK and ITV saw us blocked when trying to connect from Proton’s London servers; luckily, though, switching over to a Belfast server saw these issues quickly dissipate.

Similarly, un-signed-in US YouTube wouldn’t work via New York servers, but connecting to Colorado was a quick fix. This is still a great win for Proton, though it's worth noting that top rivals like NordVPN and ExpressVPN also successfully unlocked US YouTube from abroad this time around.

It was the local ad-funded streaming services where Proton VPN required a little extra troubleshooting. Beyond just switching server locations, we've found that services like Channel 4 in the UK can struggle unless you temporarily turn off the NetShield ad-blocker.

Fortunately, there are no special "streaming servers" you have to hunt down; you should theoretically be able to stream content from any server in any country. When faced with a block, as happened with Disney+ or YouTube in our tests, we were simply able to click a different city or server in the same country and try again.

A streaming-friendly network allows a greater spread of server load, reduces performance impact, and even allows you to pick servers with better latency to ensure a high-quality experience. So, while we can't claim that Proton is the absolute tip-top for streaming, it's certainly up there with most of the premium contenders.

Score: 7/10

P2P and torrenting

• P2P supported in all Proton VPN server locations on paid plans.
• Proton VPN supports port forwarding.
• Loads of helpful guides and how-tos on torrenting for beginners.

Proton VPN is arguably the best VPN for torrenting out there right now.

P2P is fully optimized and supported across its entire network of 145 countries for paid users. You can filter into the P2P-optimized servers at the click of a button. I downloaded several test torrents, and had no issues at any point in the process.

Proton VPN supports port forwarding which helps to get the best torrenting speeds. Many major VPNs lack this support owing to the known security risks it brings. That's understandable to a degree, but not only does Proton VPN have features to help people using P2P networks, it's also one of the few VPNs to have a wealth of information in its user base on how to actually do it with guides such as how to torrent safely with a VPN.

You can port forward across Proton VPN’s Windows, Linux, and Mac apps – the last of which was finally added in summer 2025.

If you’re confused or need guidance, Proton has more in-depth posts outlining the risks of port forwarding, how to set it up on its apps, how to manually set it up, and even how to manually set it up on the likes of qBittorrent and uTorrent.

This level of guidance is something we’d rarely expect, let alone the level of support on its apps.

If you want to use a VPN for torrenting, then given all this, and Proton's speeds and server network spread, then you really have to have it on your P2P shortlist.

Score: 5/5

Compatibility

• Apps for almost every platform.
• Lots of capability iOS and Mac users.
• No OpenVPN support on Apple or Android devices, though.

Proton VPN does a remarkable job of not only offering a strong spread of apps, but also ensuring there aren’t huge gaps in features from one app to another.

You can use Proton VPN on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android as expected – plus it has a GUI client for Linux users. Android smart TVs also get an app, as well as Fire TV Sticks and Apple TV boxes.

The Proton VPN browser extension is available on Chrome or Firefox. As with ExpressVPN, PIA, and CyberGhost, you need to download the Chrome Web Store extension onto Edge to get Proton VPN on Microsoft's browser.

Proton VPN is also router-compatible and has a handy, detailed guide that explains what methods you can use to set this up.

In terms of parity across platforms, Proton VPN is near-perfect nowadays, unlike VPN providers such as NordVPN.

The anomalies for Proton to speak of are that its mobile apps lack advanced condition-based auto-connect rules (relying instead on a basic "Always-on" reconnect function), and non-Windows users completely lose native OpenVPN support. This makes Windows the exclusive home for OpenVPN on official desktop/mobile apps.

Proton has pulled native OpenVPN support from mobile and Apple apps to favor faster, more secure modern protocols like WireGuard and Stealth. Interestingly, while iOS lost IKEv2 support alongside OpenVPN, macOS actually still retains native IKEv2 support within its app settings. Should you wish to use OpenVPN on Mac, Android, or iOS, Proton does, however, offer in-depth guides to manually configuring those connections.

Prior to summer 2025, Proton users on Mac were also short of both port forwarding and split tunneling capabilities. These features have since both been introduced—though it's worth noting that split tunneling on macOS is currently labeled as an "experimental" feature, giving Mac users slightly less parity than Windows.

Score: 4/5

Usability

• Apps well designed and consistent across platforms.
• Advanced features are explained well and easy to access.
• The browser extension could be better.

Set up

After signing up for Proton VPN, you have two main ways to get your app downloaded.

First off, if you click the ‘Download’ tab at the top of your screen, you’re quickly presented with every app Proton has, including its extensions, mobile apps, and Smart TV apps – though I highly doubt you’ll be downloading Proton to your Smart TV via the website! If you’re on a smaller screen, the download tab is hidden in the hamburger (three-line) menu in the top right corner.

Alternatively, from the website, if you go into your Proton account (found in the top-right corner of your screen), you can access some more specific application types.

In the downloads section, you can quickly access APK, GitHub, and F-Droid versions of its Android, Android TV, and Chromebook apps. You’ll also find here your configuration settings to manually set up OpenVPN or WireGuard on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, or a router.

Once you click the download button, you’re on your own, in the app, at least. The download client gives you the option to install Proton Drive, Proton Mail, and Proton Pass, alongside the VPN, and then, once Proton VPN is loaded, you log in, click ‘Get Started’, and go.

User Experience

Once you’re in, Proton’s hues of reddish purple and black could leave a beginner wondering quite how complex an experience they’re in for; luckily, all of Proton’s apps are simple.

This visual identity is consistent across all of Proton’s platforms, as is the simplicity. The key differentiator between Proton VPN on desktop and Proton VPN across other platforms is the map aspect of its interface. On Windows and Mac, the map can be used to identify and connect to a server.

On mobile, this map isn’t navigable, though it shows the country you're connected to from the list. On smart TVs, there isn't a map at all.

In reality, I rarely find myself using the map as a connection location tool with any VPN I use. A search field and list proves quicker in my experience.

No matter the platform you’re on, you’re directed towards everything you’d need straight away.

Smart TVs understandably have the fewest quick action options, but everything other than server location is found under settings, so you’re not left trawling a bunch of submenus using a TV remote – even though Android TVs have to go to the bottom of the locations menu to find the settings panel.

Finding the server you’re after couldn’t be simpler, either. The app doesn’t hide its Tor, Secure Core, or P2P servers entirely. Instead, it offers dedicated tabs across desktop and mobile, and shows each country’s server types in their server lists on Smart TVs. You can even search by individual server code if you know the one you want.

One area Proton previously struggled with was its browser extension, but it has bounced back significantly. While it used to suffer from poor user reviews, it has climbed to a solid 4.0 rating on the Chrome Web Store, matching rivals like Surfshark.

It still offers less customization than the main apps, allowing access only to standard or Secure Core servers, and its settings menu remains primarily focused on data sharing rather than technical features. However, it's a much cleaner experience than it used to be.

I’d also like to see Proton make more efficient use of space in its desktop apps. The Proton map interface takes up an extraordinary amount of space for fairly limited use – one reason why NordVPN completely overhauled its desktop dashboard layout in early 2026 to favor a search bar instead.

Meanwhile, key features such as protocol selection and auto-connect aren’t front and center where they could be.

Proton VPN's mobile and smart TV apps do a much better job of managing space. They prioritize quick access to server locations and connection types, with the map present only once connected.

Quibbles aside, I'm really impressed with the Proton VPN apps. Using features is simple thanks to high-quality explainers under each option, plus links out to some key guides when the setting is more advanced, such as port forwarding.

You can also tell what features are active by whether they’re greyed out or in full color, and on desktop platforms, you’re given a bunch of keyboard shortcuts to make accessing sections of the app quicker than it already is.

The main anomalies across platforms are that mobile apps only offer standard "Always-on" auto-reconnection rather than advanced condition-based rules, and native OpenVPN support is completely missing from Mac, iOS, and Android apps — making Windows the exclusive home for the protocol inside Proton's native software.

You also get full customization of your security options, should you wish, but equally, beginners won't feel pushed into making changes they're not ready for, and they won't get bombarded with complex terms.

Of course, the most prominent feature of any VPN app should be the big Connect button, and that's nice and clear with Proton. There's no fuss, no confusion, just simple security on every platform.

Score: 4/5

Accessibility

• Excellent language support.
• Great keyboard-only experience.
• Proton VPN's website scored fairly low for screen reader accessibility.

Putting ProtonVPN.com through accessibilitychecker.org’s accessibility scan gave us some interesting insights.

Proton VPN’s accessibility audit scored 53% overall, closing the gap on the likes of NordVPN (65%) and Mullvad (95%), while pushing well ahead of providers such as Surfshark (23%). PureVPN remains tied with Proton's historical baseline at 35%.

Diving into the report, the site's issues primarily surround screen reader testing. The automated auditing highlights that multiple page structure and coding problems remain, which greatly reduce its overall screen reader compatibility.

In relation to the industry as a whole, however, Proton’s new 53% score is quite respectable, placing it a mid-range 6th place out of 14 major tested providers. Accessibility is clearly an area that still needs greater focus across the entire industry.

Outside of web-based metrics, Proton VPN's actual application does a great job of accommodating people's physical needs.

Ditching our mouse still meant we rarely struggled using the desktop app with the keyboard alone. On a few instances, we were jumped to unintended areas of the app, and sometimes our selection rectangle just disappeared entirely, but never often enough to stop us from connecting successfully. We also never struggled to search servers specifically, nor did adjusting settings prove difficult.

From our experiences, you’ll likely only find a better keyboard experience using either PIA or ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN has long focused on simplicity in its apps, so success in this regard is no surprise. Proton VPN did a better job in this regard than NordVPN, though.

Proton also completely knocks other premium VPNs out of the water when it comes to localized language support. It natively offers 36 languages across its clients. That makes Proton VPN’s language total significantly larger than major competitors like NordVPN and Surfshark.

So, while Proton could still do better in terms of visual screen-reader compliance, it remains highly accessible in almost every other practical metric.

Score: 3/5

Customer support

• Good depth of support guides
• Live chat and priority support available for paid tiers
• Agents began to struggle once diving deeper into issues

Accessing support for Proton VPN is simple. First off, you can use its FAQs, guides, and resources hub to access guides on almost any topic.

Testing the depth of its guides using ‘DNS’ as a search, it was great to see guides on everything from DNS leaks, to flushing DNS caches, and how you can use custom DNS.

It even filed in instances where DNS was a related topic and highlighted the relevant text. For example, it pulled in Proton’s streaming troubleshooter guide since DNS over HTTPS can contribute.

These guides are easily accessible, too. Whether it’s via a couple of clicks in the Windows app or two taps on mobile, you can quickly enter the Proton Support Center, report issues with your service, or access debug logs to help support assistants troubleshoot your problem.

If you are a paid user on the VPN Plus or Unlimited plans, you also get access to priority support and a dedicated live chat feature to bypass the ticket queue entirely. Keep in mind that if you are using the completely free version, live chat is locked away and you'll be reliant solely on the help documents and email ticketing.

Alternatively, if you run into a unique technical glitch, Proton has one of the absolute busiest Reddit communities in the entire VPN space. With roughly 600+ weekly contributions, the r/ProtonVPN subreddit is a thriving hub for user-to-user troubleshooting that regularly beats out rivals like NordVPN or ExpressVPN for active community help.

Next, we tested the skills of Proton’s support agents. We raised the question, “What do we do if we can’t access .onion websites while connected to Tor over VPN?” and got a reply via ticket in around five minutes!

What was more impressive was that our response wasn’t just an automated acknowledgment — we got some sensible suggestions right off the bat around testing different servers, switching browsers, and disabling NetShield. We were also asked for more details to help pinpoint the issue.

At this stage, though, the standard slipped a bit. Our agent became bogged down in browser troubleshooting, and response times jumped from five minutes to around three hours. What we received at the end of that wait felt a bit underwhelming for the amount of information we’d provided.

To be fair to the agent, browser and platform quirks are common culprit areas for Proton's Tor integration. For instance, desktop Firefox requires a manual configuration tweak to resolve onion URLs, Firefox for Android won't open them at all, and Apple users must have their app Kill Switch turned on just to get Tor traffic to pass cleanly.

Even so, the handling could have been smoother. By comparison, we’ve put the same question to NordVPN in the past, and, while the initial response was slower, we received a much more cohesive set of diagnostic questions and an all-around more reassuring experience.

Proton’s lightning-fast initial response does deserve credit, though. Plus, our broader experiences with their team over our months of testing have generally been highly reliable more often than not.

Score: 4/5

User reviews

While not perfect by any means, review sites often prove a good initial gauge of how trustworthy a VPN is, how well it performs, and what issues it’s had in the past.

Proton VPN’s mobile apps are among the best on the market. Its stellar ratings of 4.7 on the Google Play Store and 4.6 on the Apple App Store are a fair reflection of its capabilities and put the VPN provider very much on par with our other top recommended services.

On the desktop side, its Chrome Extension has undergone a major redemption arc. While it historically lagged behind with a mediocre user rating due to early performance bugs, a series of major software overhauls has seen its score climb to a highly respectable 4.1/5 on the Chrome Web Store.

It’s a massive improvement that brings it right back into the conversation with competing browser extensions.

Proton’s Trustpilot reviews offer further food for thought, since scoring a 2.2 out of 5 is still quite low compared to its app store success. There isn’t a single trending theme driving the negative reviews either—unlike, for example, NordVPN’s frequently targeted auto-renewal policy.

It's also worth noting that Proton has a comparatively tiny footprint here with just 901 reviews in total, while the likes of ExpressVPN and Surfshark have accumulated over 25,000.

It is somewhat strange that these complaints aren't widely reflected in the highly positive mobile app store reviews. Ultimately, while a chunk of 1-star Trustpilot reviews shouldn't be ignored completely, the actual day-to-day performance of the product and our rigorous long-term lab testing simply do not tally with those specific negative metrics.

Track record: can you trust Proton VPN?

• All Proton VPN apps are open source.
• Annual no-logs audits since 2022.
• Proton Mail privacy requests raise concerns for some users.

Proton has a strong track record of proving its commitment to privacy. Since 2022, the VPN provider has undergone yearly no-logs audits. The latest was published by independent auditors in September 2025, but its history of transparency goes back long before this.

What’s more, all of Proton VPN’s apps are open source. This means that anyone can look at, and judge, the code found in each app. By going open source, anyone can check and confirm that Proton’s apps work properly and do everything they’re supposed to safely – providing peace of mind that there isn't anything malicious happening behind the scenes.

The company also helps fund external projects that work to protect people's privacy and in January 2026, it donated over $1.27 million to a variety of digital rights groups. Organizations included Transparency International, Witness, EDRi and Lighthouse Reports.

Despite this, there are a handful of high-profile legal incidents involving its sister product, Proton Mail, that continue to concern some privacy advocates.

In September 2021, Proton was compelled to log and hand over the IP address of a French climate activist. Later, in May 2024, Proton complied with a request to hand over the optional recovery email address of a Catalan independence activist, which authorities then used to identify them via Apple.

Most recently, in March 2026, Proton was forced to share credit card payment data with the FBI regarding an activist in Atlanta.

What many critics fail to realize is that Proton did not directly cooperate with foreign governments in any of these cases. Foreign law enforcement agencies had to apply through international legal channels to Swiss courts.

Because Proton is a Swiss company, it cannot ignore a legally binding Swiss court order. Crucially, in none of these cases was Proton's end-to-end encryption broken — no email content, message text, or core data has ever been compromised. The users were ultimately exposed due to peripheral metadata they chose to provide, such as personal credit cards or personal recovery emails.

It also must be remembered that these cases strictly surround Proton Mail, not Proton VPN, and these products are handled entirely differently under Swiss law.

Proton’s privacy policy does a good job explaining this, explicitly noting that Swiss regulations do not force VPN providers to log data, whereas email services can be required to disclose IP logs or account metadata in the event of a Swiss criminal investigation.

The other sensible move for people using Proton Mail is not to register a recovery email address in the first place, although that comes with the obvious risk of losing access to your account.

While it's understandable why these legal disclosures shook the trust of some users who mistook privacy for total anonymity, they do not warrant concern about the VPN itself. To Proton’s credit, it goes to great lengths to remain transparent about its legal obligations, and its core zero-knowledge encryption architecture remains entirely intact.

Score: 4/5

Final verdict

Proton VPN is, without doubt, a top VPN. It offers a huge array of locations, superb speeds, and rock-solid security. It's surprisingly good value too, when you compare it to the equivalently-featured tiers of other VPNs.

Proton VPN's track record and high levels of privacy are what it should be most proud of, though. Of all the VPNs we recommend, it's the one we'd bet our lives on if we really had to.

It’s also a highly customizable VPN with stunning apps. Its whole ecosystem of Big Tech alternative software is well worth using if you like them.

Who should use Proton VPN?

✅ Torrenters: Proton’s breadth of P2P support, and, more importantly, port forwarding support, make it perfect for torrenting. Plus, it offers a wealth of knowledge guides to help you stay safe and effective.

✅ Those wanting to move away from Google: Picking up a Proton Unlimited plan opens the door to more than just Proton VPN, you can use its secure storage, email.

Who should try a different VPN instead?

❌ Streamers: While Proton VPN can definitely unblock streaming services, it struggles more than some may like. You can likely find stronger streaming performance for a similar or cheaper price if this is a priority.

Also consider

Proton VPN FAQs

Proton VPN testing methodology

Alongside the features that I've tested on my own devices, I'll also refer to what "we" have tested in this review. When I talk about "we", I'm referring to anything found during our lab testing. This testing is conducted by VPN Technical Editor, Mike Williams. Mike has been lab testing VPNs for over 11 years.

Each VPN is tested every six months. We measure speed, ad-blocking, anti-phishing and malware, streaming service unblocking, local IP address leaks, and more. Each server network is spot-checked to confirm that the VPN server locations are accurate. We also confirm a provider's security credentials, privacy policy, and executable files are secure and safe.

To find the full details of our VPN review processes, you can take a look at our VPN testing methodology.

This review has been fact-checked by the TechRadar VPN team, as well as with information provided by Proton. We update this review regularly to include any new features or information about the product. That means that this review is always up to date and as you would find the product if you downloaded and used it today.

If you notice anything in your experience of using Proton VPN that doesn't match what you read on this page, please let us know in the comments or by emailing us.

We will then do our best to offer product support information or include corrections and warnings to other users, depending on which is appropriate.

Dell XPS 16 (2026) Two-minute review

Dell's XPS line finally returns at long last. The company may have shifted tack in its naming scheme, but the XPS has returned, and it's back with a bang. The Dell XPS 16 (2026) I have tested here is beyond impressive. With a clean, crisp aesthetic, stylised CNC black aluminum chassis, super-thin bezels, and a keyboard that genuinely makes you question what other laptop manufacturers have been doing for the last 10 years, it's otherworldly in appearance.

There's no drama, no ostentatious LEDs or illuminated logos, just clean, tidy lines and materials that complement it perfectly. Even the screen (in my review spec, a 3K touch OLED 3,200 x 2,000 @ 120Hz) leaves little to be desired.

But that's not where it ends; it's how it performs that really drives home the point. Thanks to Intel's latest Panther Lake architecture, that Core Ultra X7 358H, combined with Intel's own Arc B390 discrete GPU, delivers buckets of both battery life and performance across the board. You can game on this thing quite comfortably on titles like Total War: Warhammer 3, Cyberpunk, Black Myth Wukong, the works. And it has a battery life that'll run for the entirety of your working day and then some.

Honestly, it's hard to critique this thing. But there are a few blemishes that do need highlighting. You get a grand total of three USB-C ports, and that's it (admittedly Thunderbolt 4), and the price is a little bit higher than what you'd find on the likes of Apple's MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5).

Is that the end of the world, though? No, not really. Dell has absolutely delivered here. The XPS 16 is, by far, the best laptop I've ever tested.

Dell XPS 16 (2026) review: Price & release date

• Available globally
• Premium pricing without the B390
• Non-upgradable RAM, so buy your spec now

Available right now, you can pick up a Dell XPS 16 (2026) starting at around $2,029.99 or $2,769.99 in the US. The UK and Australia also have some slightly more affordable configurations available as well (where you can change the screen, shift the processor, and drop the memory and SSD capacity further, but I wouldn't recommend you go below the above specs. Still, for global availability, it's a clean sweep, no matter where in the world you are.

The base chassis itself is the same across the board, and there is a Dell XPS 14-inch edition too, if you'd like something a little more compact. By design, you can't upgrade the XPS 16's memory as it's utilizing LPDDR5X soldered directly to the motherboard. So do bear in mind, it's better to pick a higher-end spec now than regret it later.

The SSD, however, you can swap out at a later date if you so desire, albeit with a bit of effort.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Dell XPS 16 (2026) review: Specs

Dell XPS 16 (2026): Design

• Exceptionally premium
• Can't upgrade memory, but you kinda don't need to
• Lack of ports could be a deal breaker

This thing is beautiful. I've said it enough at this point, but the XPS 16 just absolutely oozes class. From a beautifully sophisticated anodized CNC-machined black aluminum chassis, to the super-thin bezels surrounding that high pixel density 3K OLED touch display, to the softly backlit keyboard, and the subtle XPS branding, it is just gorgeous through and through.

Dell's not held back on its design chops here. This is for professionals and minimalists who want something that's clean, pristine, and exceptional, all packaged up in a beautifully weighted 16-inch package. One negative perhaps? It is a bit of a fingerprint magnet, so do keep a microfiber cloth handy before you jump into that board meeting.

The keyboard's gorgeous, too. Low profile. Quiet. Backlit. With keys that don't stand out or shout. The feel of the actuation, too, although obviously nowhere near akin to a mechanical keyboard, is comfortable enough. There's plenty of spacing as well, and although the bottom row is slightly offset compared to a traditional QWERTY design, it doesn't take long to get used to.

The ports are a little sparse, admittedly, to accommodate all of that, but on the flip side, each and every one of them is Thunderbolt 4, meaning you've got power delivery and draw up to 100W, 40Gbps data transfer, PCIe 4.0 tunneling, and DisplayPort 2.0 alt mode as well (meaning basically you can hook up two 4K displays without worry. All built out of the USB-C connection standard). It's phenomenal. There are some laptops out there now debuting with Thunderbolt 5 this year (typically workstation models), but this is by no means poor at any level.

The only other negative (again, if you can call it that) is that you cannot upgrade the RAM. The XPS 16 uses LPDDR5X memory, which is soldered directly to the motherboard.

The advantage of this is that the interconnect isn't the bottleneck, and memory speed is through the roof, with the 32GB in my review unit topping out at staggering 9,600 MT/s. That's nearly 70% faster than the most mainstream kits you get on a high-end desktop.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Dell XPS 16 (2026) review: Performance

• Surprisingly potent at gaming
• Solid CPU performance too
• SSD could be better

My only reservation with the Dell XPS 16 is the lack of higher-capacity storage at this price. That is more of an issue with the global supply chain right now. SSD pricing is still through the roof due to AI consumption being a little more unwieldy than manufacturers can accommodate.

But still, it does feel a little harsh that this £2,800 model only comes with 1TB of storage (again, all configurable on Dell's shop anyway). And to be fair, even competitors like Asus's ZenBook A14 are similarly priced at that capacity anyway.

The reason that feels harsh, though, is because in-game, the XPS 16 is a monster. That Arc B390 is one of the best discrete graphics cards I've ever seen in a laptop of this form factor. For those not in the know, Intel's own GPU line has quietly been building up momentum and offers some of the best performance per $ that money can buy. It's fantastic to see that architecture becoming more proficient generation on generation, and it shows.

Our benchmarks for laptops like this typically test games at lower resolutions on medium profiles, to accommodate poor GPUs, but I didn't really need to with this. Total War: Warhammer 3, on Ultra at 1200p, managed 58.6 fps. That's near desktop levels of performance on an aggressively CPU-bound title.

CPU performance too was equally impressive, in no doubt thanks to that 16-core Panther Lake chip. It's got low base clock speeds, but that's mostly thanks to some super-efficient low-power economy cores that keep everything ticking at idle without consuming much in the way of juice.

Jump into a high-demand task, and those four performance cores kick into life, delivering an outstanding score of 881 in Cinebench R24 and 124 on the single core. Intel has stepped away from hyper-threading with its Ultra line (based on a new architectural shift from the original Core line), but despite the lack of threads, its performance per thread has shot up considerably.

Here's the thing: this laptop isn't just for execs; it's for designers, and gamers, and developers, and it just ticks box after box with wildly broad performance chops with seemingly little loss anywhere else.

• Performance: 5 / 5

Dell XPS 16 (2026): Battery life

• Rapid fast charging
• A 17-hour battery life

I've long been a fan of Snapdragon-based laptops, purely because the battery life typically ran rings around Intel and AMD's best laptop offerings (The Vivobook S 15 Copilot+, is particularly impressive).

It's the benefits of that ARM architecture over x86 (the latter being typically less efficient and far more power hungry than its RISC-esque competitors).

I don't know how Intel has done this with Panther Lake (I hazard again it's likely because of those low-power, efficient cores), but in our battery benchmark, the XPS 16 scored a phenomenal 17 hours and 16 minutes, before going into standby mode.

• Battery life: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Dell XPS 16 (2026)?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the Dell XPS 16

• Tested at home and in the office
• Benchmarked and used across gaming and productivity tasks
• 11 years of testing laptops, and 4 weeks with the XPS 16

I spent the last month or so living with the XPS 16 as my daily driver, moving over all of my workflow to it for my own agency work, and all of my freelance journalism as well as the odd recreational task, including writing my first novel. I streamed YouTube and Netflix on it, alongside using it for Tidal as well as some light work in Affinity.

I also benchmarked the XPS 16 extensively, utilising a mixture of CPU, gaming and storage-based synthetic and real-world tests, to truly understand exactly how it performed under targeted loads.

It is worth noting that all of this testing was performed in a cooler environment, so your performance may vary depending on where you are in the world.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Two-Minute Review

Back in 2024, MSI released a ‘Lite’ version of its Wi-Fi 7 Roamii mesh system that skipped the 6GHz band. The Roamii BE Pro adds that missing piece. So, should you buy it?

Once again, the kit consists of two white, triangular prism-shaped nodes, but this time there’s some snazzy RGB lighting at the bottom. It’s a refreshing change from the robot space spider school of router design, but how does the neat-and-tidy, completely hidden antenna array affect performance?

I ran my usual Wi-Fi tests in my single-story, Sydney weatherboard cottage by downloading large video files from a tethered 10Gbps Synology NVMe network-attached storage (NAS) device to a high-performance Wi-Fi 7 laptop up close, two rooms away (at the front of the house, where the second node was placed) and 15 meters (49 feet) away in the back garden.

MSI quotes a top speed of up to 11Gbps, depending on the region, spread across the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands. The system also sports potentially limiting 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports. However, theoretical performance counts for nothing.

With the laptop next to the router, the Roamii BE Pro achieved a consistent transfer speed of 2,003Mbps. That’s the fastest speed I’ve ever seen from a consumer Wi-Fi router! Of course, a problem with many mesh systems is that performance can fall off a cliff when devices connect to nodes. I was disappointed to see that, with the laptop next to the second node, performance plummeted to 782Mbps.

That’s still quick in the scheme of things, but it seems that only TP-Link and Asus regularly create mesh kits that don’t butcher performance when using multiple nodes. Outside in the garden, the Roamii BE Pro dropped all the way to 14Mbps, which is just enough for basic web browsing. So, performance was a (very) mixed bag.

Setup was generally straightforward thanks to a phone app that’s become more responsive over the years and remains generally intuitive and feature-packed. On the first page, there are network status diagrams and options that facilitate easy access to separate networks for visitors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and kids. A ‘FortiSecu’ security tab provides Trend Micro-powered, edge-based cybersecurity protection to both the network and devices connected to it.

There aren’t many options to configure here, but it does check for and log the most common threats. It’s also provided for free, unlike some rivals.

Parental controls are also included for free. They allow you to associate devices with different people across different age ranges and (attempt to) block various types of content. It can also force Google SafeSearch browsing and Restricted-mode YouTube access.

You can set bedtimes throughout the week and set time limits for different days. The latter two options will please many parents who routinely fight with their kids on this matter.

A fourth tab provides access to most of the usual router configuration options, with less-popular extras available via a (desktop-optimized) web browser interface.

Ultimately, all the important bases are covered in terms of features, and while I’m disappointed by the performance drop-off, this two-node kit costs a fraction of many rivals. As such, it’s a great-value buy and I’m happy to recommend it.

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Price And Availability

• How much does it cost? $300 / £270 / AU$499
• When is it available? Now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK and Australia

With premium Wi-Fi mesh kits often costing an arm and a leg, it’s refreshing to see a budget(ish) model. It costs $300 in the US, £270 in the UK and AU$499 in Australia. In all territories, those prices represent only a minor premium over the lesser Lite version.

There are now plenty of cheaper standalone Wi-Fi 7 routers on the market (including from MSI), but few mesh kits can match the Roamii BE Pro’s price.

Want more options? Check out our guide to the best mesh Wi-Fi systems.

• Value: 5 / 5

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Design

• Smart-looking, lightweight, RGB prism design
• App is intuitive
• Three LAN ports and USB 3.0

I can’t think of any other prism-shaped Wi-Fi routers or nodes, so kudos to MSI for designing something different that doesn’t instantly polarize all those who lay eyes upon it. It can sit on a desktop or be wall-mounted (a wall-mounting kit is included).

Unlike the Lite version, it also has some cool RGB lighting at the base. However, you can’t schedule when to deactivate this so, unless you want its bright lights shining all night, you may wish to switch it off in the app.

At 830g (1.8lb), each node is heavier than the Lite version, but it still feels a little lightweight and plasticky compared to some premium rivals.

Setup is simple via the responsive and intuitive app. It’s worth noting that while each node has different login credentials, either can be used as a primary node. Once the primary is set up, it’ll automatically locate and connect to the secondary node and merge all credentials.

The browser-based firmware interface is slick and responsive. It doesn’t offer access to too many features beyond the standard router fare. However, in the Advanced tab you can access incredibly geeky settings like Beacon Period, Guard Interval and Request to Send (RTS) Threshold: the sort of stuff that will break the router if you don’t know what you’re doing, but also the sort of settings that some enthusiasts love to hack.

As for the hardware itself, this Pro version addresses some of the criticisms I had with the Lite version: the two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports have been replaced by three 2.5Gbps LAN ports. These are also joined by a USB 3.0 port.

• Design: 4 / 5

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Features

• Free parental and security features
• Simple multi-network setup
• Powerful parental controls

It’s good to see that the app’s home screen has large tabs to easily add a Guest Network, IoT Network and Children’s Network, as it should encourage novices to actually make use of them. There’s also a QR code for adding devices to the primary network, though this would surely be more useful to have for the guest network.

The Network Status panels usefully show you the status of the network along with what’s connected to it. It’s more responsive than when we first saw it with the Lite version back in 2024.

A Trend Micro-powered ‘FortiSecu’ Security tab can scan all connected devices and protect them against threats using edge security. That includes isolating dumb IoT devices on a separate network, reducing the risk that a compromised gadget could cause trouble elsewhere.

A third tab handles the parental controls. These offer more options than many rivals, including inappropriate app installation notifications plus forced Google SafeSearch and forced YouTube Restricted Mode. It also manages YouTube watching time separately from regular internet access, which many parents will approve of.

Unlike the Lite version, a USB port now adorns the Roamii BE Pro. While related applications are limited, it still enables you to add storage as a file server, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server or Samba media server.

General router tools are housed in the Advanced Settings tab. If you want more, you can press the ‘Web UI’ button, which launches a web page that isn’t optimized for mobile and contains more settings.

While there aren’t too many features beyond the basics, you’re able to mess with the more intricate networking and power settings if you dare. Don’t try if you don’t know what you’re doing, though.

• Features: 4 / 5

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Performance

• Incredibly fast at close range
• Not great at long distance
• Sluggish node interconnect speed

The Lite version of this router was dual-band Wi-Fi 7, so it missed out on the 6GHz band. The Pro variant adds 6GHz support and boosts the rated aggregate wireless speed to a region-dependent maximum of 11Gbps. Naturally, real-world speeds won’t come close to that.

I ran my usual tests of downloading large video files from a fast, 10Gbps Ethernet-equipped Synology NAS to a Wi-Fi 7-equipped laptop in a single-story cottage with thin walls.

Up close, the Roamii managed an incredible 2,003Mbps, which is the fastest score I’ve seen from any router and more than double the 943Mbps that the Lite version managed. That’s more than quick enough for wireless, multi-stream 4K video editing.

Two rooms away (at the front of the house), by the second node, the Roamii dropped to 782Mbps. While that’s not slow (and quicker than the Lite’s 455Mbps), it’s still a disappointing drop-off for a mesh system.

Finally, 15 meters (49 feet) away, in the back garden (where signal strength drops much more quickly), the Roamii dropped to 14Mbps. That’s even slower than the 24Mbps of the Lite version (likely due to shorter range on the 6GHz band), but neither score is particularly good. It should afford some basic web browsing and basic streaming capabilities. It’s worth noting that some other, lesser routers couldn’t even connect at this distance.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should You Buy The MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system?

Buy the MSI Roamii BE Pro if...

Don’t buy it if...

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Scorecard

MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system: Also Consider

If you're undecided about the MSI Roamii BE Pro Wi-Fi mesh system, I've compared its specs with two other options that might be a better fit.

Gigabyte MO27U2: Two-Minute Review

We’ve seen many glitzy gaming monitors over the past few years, so it’s almost refreshing to see a premium model that eschews all the in-your-face RGB lighting and pointy bits for a more sober option that better suits a mixed work-and-play environment.

But is the Gigabyte MO27U2 actually worth buying?

It’s a tandem QD-OLED screen with a multi-layer OLED structure that boosts brightness and efficiency, while Gigabyte’s OLED Care features help reduce burn-in risk. Its latest-gen sub-pixel technology fends off the spidery text that blighted predecessors, and this, plus the high resolution, high-pixel-density, reflection-reducing, glossy coating, means it’s also very good for work: multiple windows can be comfortably used at once and large spreadsheets can be more easily viewed.

When it came to multimedia, the QD-OLED’s penchant for color vibrancy and contrast quickly came to the fore, but there were some issues.

Despite a huge number of image-tinkering options in the on-screen display (OSD) menu, finding a perfect balance of HDR contrast and image clarity proved trying. No matter what I did, highlights would blow out noticeably in bright areas while patchy image aberrations often blighted content. I haven’t seen image-processing issues like that for a while.

Switching color spaces and preset modes often felt like installing a too-small carpet: shifting in one direction might smooth out some color issues but introduce horrendous blocky artifacts to gradients. It’s not altogether terrible, but I expect better from a premium gaming monitor.

The 240Hz refresh rate keeps rapidly moving objects practically blur-free, with G-Sync helping prevent image tearing.

Motion clarity is supposedly enhanced by Gigabyte’s ‘Ultra Clear’ technology, but the setting was grayed out no matter what settings I adjusted. Indeed, fighting with settings became a regular annoyance: while some changes provided instantaneous results, others would see the monitor essentially reset and potentially require a full Windows reconfiguration. A firmware upgrade made no difference.

The new Gigabyte Control Center app also felt like a broken mess. It struggled to identify the monitor, offered fewer options than the OSD and didn’t automatically sync with them. While you might not change settings regularly, you won’t want to tinker with this too much.

Beyond the 4K QD-OLED screen, the MO27U2 hangs its hat on its gaming enhancements. The OLED variable refresh rate (VRR) anti-flicker feature will appeal to console gamers keen to reduce flicker when variable refresh rates are in play. The ‘Tactical Switch’ button quickly drops the display size down to a 24-inch mode and switches the aspect ratio to 4:3 or 5:4 to suit particularly persnickety competitive first-person shooter (FPS) players.

There’s an all-green-screen night-vision feature, an Eagle Eye sniper-zoom window plus the usual on-screen crosshairs and contrast-busting Black Equalizer features to stop enemies from jumping out of shadows. Some feel gimmicky, but they’ll appeal to niche audiences.

Another core feature is Gigabyte’s multifaceted anti-burn-in technology, backed by a three-year warranty, which potentially provides additional peace of mind.

Ultimately, though, the MO27U2 is priced as a premium gaming monitor but misses the mark in just too many areas. There are better options for similar money.

Gigabyte MO27U2: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $650 / £539 / AU$1,499
• When is it available? It’s out now in most regions
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, Australia and elsewhere

Gigabyte’s MO27U2 is available at significantly different price points all over the world, yet it’s expensive everywhere.

It’s worth comparing it with other premium UHD, 240Hz QD-OLED monitors in your region as it’s likely you’ll find a better deal, especially in Australia where the price is significantly higher, for some reason.

• Value: 3 / 5

Gigabyte MO27U2: Specs

Gigabyte MO27U2: Design

• Sober, work-friendly design
• Good connectivity
• Excellent gaming features

The Gigabyte MO27U2 has a thin yet robust glass screen that’s supported by a (refreshingly small) sturdy base. It’s simple to assemble owing to the stem clipping onto the back of the screen and screwing onto the base with a single thumbscrew.

The stem affords plenty of adjustment: there’s -5° to +21° of tilt, -15° to +15° of swivel, 90° of counterclockwise pivot and a generous 130mm (5.1in) of height adjustment. Its small footprint means competitive gamers can get right up close to it.

All of the important ports are covered. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, one USB-C port (that supports DisplayPort, 18W power delivery and USB hub connectivity) plus one USB-B upstream port and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 downstream ports. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack and (usefully) two 5W speakers. Some may lament offering only 18W of power delivery in the modern market, but that’s nitpicking. DisplayPort 2.1 is also an omission that few in the real world will miss.

You can access the settings by a joystick button (and two programmable buttons) at the bottom of the screen. It’s mostly responsive and intuitive, but some adjustments can reset the screen and even require setting up in Windows all over again.

I'm not sure what’s happened to the Gigabyte Control Center app, which is now barely functional. On the occasions that it did detect the display, it only provided access to a handful of settings and then wouldn’t always sync them with the screen.

A Game Assist menu provides access to ‘Game Info’ such as an on-screen timer, refresh rate display and multiple on-screen crosshairs. The Tactical Switch setting allows configuration of the shortcut button (next to the joystick button). You can also use it to automatically switch the display from a 16:9 ratio to 4:3 or 5:4. Resolution can be switched to a 24-inch mode with 4:3 and 5:4 options, something that makes a difference when playing competitive shooters.

Other features include an Eagle Eye sniper zoom box in the middle of the screen. I find this unusably annoying, but if you’re a camping sniper-type player, it might be beneficial to your ‘gameplay.’ There’s also ‘green-screen-style’ night vision (which I couldn’t get on with) plus (a welcome) flash dimming setting.

Other gaming features include AI Black Equalizer, which flattens contrast to reveal enemies hiding in shadows.

If you’ve got a console, then VRR mode can help prevent tearing in supported 120Hz games. Separately, Ultra Clear inserts black frames at 120Hz to reduce motion blur. It’s very effective and something that pro-gaming esports screens often make use of.

Other features are the usual monitor fare. There are plenty of image adjustment options and presets, so you can (at least attempt to) set up the monitor just so.

Finally, there’s a suite of OLED Care options including Pixel Clean, Static Control, Pixel Shift, Sub-Logo Dim, Corner Dim and much more. It also regularly performs an automatic maintenance cycle, but you can delay it if you’re in the middle of something important (unlike some rivals).

All in all, there are few features missing from the Gigabyte MO27U2, but it gets marked down for the terrible partner app and slow adjustment of some settings.

• Design: 4 / 5

Gigabyte MO27U2: Performance

• Impressive QD-OLED panel
• Mediocre HDR handling
• Fast 240Hz gaming performance

The tandem QD-OLED panel is generally very impressive. It gets bright (1,000-nit peak HDR brightness), with rich and vibrant colors, very good contrast and very nearly true blacks. The issue of spidery text (that we’ve seen with previous-generation panels) has been banished, and this, plus the UHD resolution and a physics-defying, low-reflection glossy screen means it’s excellent for work as well as multimedia consumption.

However, being a premium monitor means my expectations are higher. HDR performance is an issue: while details are visible in dark areas and bright lights pierce through them in localized areas of the screen, highlights get lost in bright areas too easily.

Transitions and gradients are mostly very smooth, but most adjustments will transform them into a stepped, blocky, artifact-riddled mess. This will be a minor point for many gamers, but there are better performers for similar money (not least from Gigabyte) available, so it’s marked down accordingly.

Still, the 240Hz refresh rate marries with a fast, 0.03ms pixel response time to banish blur to a degree where only the most demanding competitive FPS players might grumble. Nvidia G-Sync compatibility ensures image tearing isn’t an issue.

The twin 5W speakers might not offer the best fidelity, but they get loud and punchy and are very useful for watching casual videos from time to time, so I appreciate their inclusion.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Gigabyte MO27U2?

Buy the Gigabyte MO27U2 if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

Want more options? Check out our guide to the best gaming monitors.

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36: One-minute review

OLED display tech has some killer advantages over traditional LCD panels. But it also has some weaknesses. Enter the new MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36. It's a 34-inch ultrawide model that debuts Samsung's very latest 5th Gen QD-OLED technology. Is this the OLED monitor gamers have been waiting for?

The basic proposition here is actually quite familiar. We're talking 34 inches, 21:9 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 3,440 by 1,440. That doesn't make for terribly impressive pixel density. But then this is a display that's unambiguously aimed at gamers.

The argument for this form factor is that there's decent image detail for games while not generating a massively debilitating load for your graphics card. That's important if you're going to make the most of the 360Hz refresh rate.

Speaking of which, that's the first obvious upgrade over previous 34-inch QD-OLED panels, which topped out at 240Hz. Next up is brightness. This panel is rated at 300 nits full screen and 1,300 nits peak HDR, up from 250 nits and 1,000 nits respectively. The HDR certification has also been bumped from True Black 400 to True Black 500.

Another important improvement involves ambient light. Up to now, all QD-OLED panels reflect a purple tint in strong ambient light, which compromises outright black levels and contrast. This new 5th Gen QD-OLED panel reduces, but doesn't quite eradicate the problem.

Finally, there's sub-pixel structure. This is the first QD-OLED panel generation to offer true vertical RGB-strip subpixels. To cut a long story short, that helps with detail rendering precision, including text and fonts, albeit that even with RGB-strip subpixels, this isn't a true high-DPI display and the font rendering is never going to be that crisp. But it does now match an LCD of the same size and resolution.

All told, the new panel tech is seriously sweet. It's that bit punchier on the desktop in SDR mode and, if anything, feels stronger than the 300 nit rating. But it's in games where this ultrawide QD-OLED really sings.

The combination of 0.03ms response and 360Hz refresh makes for incredibly rapid and responsive gaming. The motion clarity is pretty awesome. 21:9 monitors aren't the classic choice for esports, but this thing certainly has the speed for very competitive titles.

But the best bit is HDR gaming. MSI includes its EOTF boost mode for optimal HDR visuals and the result is stunning. This is the first OLED gaming monitor that looks almost as good in bright, sunlit game scenes as it does in darker scenes punctuated by sizzling details like lazers or neon lights.

In short, no LCD monitor, even one with full array local dimming, even comes close to the precision of the per-pixel lighting offered by this type of display. Once you've gone OLED, you won't want to go back, especially this OLED.

For the record, the feature set on offer here is strong, too, with comprehensive connectivity including USB-C with 98W of power delivery, a fully adjustable stand and a three-year warranty that includes burn-in cover.

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $899 / £999 / AU$1,899
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

At around $899, the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is retailing for around $150 more that its direct predecessor based on 3rd Gen Samsung QD-OLED tech. In the context of OLED gaming monitors, which are generally pretty expensive, that's probably a decent deal in return for the upgrades on offer.

Of course, an LCD-based panel of the same size, resolution and refresh rate can be had for half the money or less, but then that's OLED for you. It's the pricey option among the best monitors. One caveat to all this is that the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is proving popular and is often sold out of sites like Amazon and Newegg.

• Value: 3 / 5

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36: Specs

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36: Design

• Well built
• Good connectivity
• Three-year warranty

If the QD-OLED panel in the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is fancy and new, the design of the chassis and stand is largely familiar. And that's broadly no bad thing.

It's solidly built and the stand offers a full range of adjustment , including height, tilt and rotate. There's pivot, too, but only 20 degrees each way. In other words, you can't pivot this panel into portrait mode. But then it is a 21:9 aspect ultrawide gaming monitor.

As for connectivity, we're talking DisplayPort 2.1, two HDMI 2.1 ports, USB-C with 98W of power delivery and a two-port USB-A hub. In other words, pretty much all your connectivity bases are well covered. Just note that if you aren't interested in the USB-C connectivity, MSI may well release a cheaper version of this display in future with that feature either stripped out or with the power delivery reduced.

MSI also includes a three-year warranty with burn-in cover. The issue of OLED burn-in is likely to run and run. We are now several years into the the availability of QD-OLED gaming monitors and they are broadly proving pretty robust, albeit they will exhibit some light burn-in with heavy use.

Along with the three-year warranty and plenty of burn-in compensating features like pixel shifting, it's worth noting that Samsung claims that this latest 5th Gen QD-OLED panel is twice as durable as the previous generation. That bodes well for long-term resistance to burn-in.

Oh, and if you were wondering, yes, the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 has a glossy rather than matte screen coating, which is great for contrast and visual punch, but does come at a cost in terms of added reflectivity.

• Design: 4 / 5

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36: Performance

• Improved brightness
• Sizzling HDR visual
• Incredible speed

Out of the box the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is immediately brighter and punchier than its predecessor, albeit the difference isn't immedaitely dramatic. That said, the overall vibe is, if anything, more impressive than the 300 nit full-screen brightness rating implies.

Part of that is thanks to the fact the QD-OLED panels use pure RGB subpixel technology. Monitors using LG's competing WOLED tech rely on an additional white subpixel to achieve their brightness ratings.

That can be problematic because most real-world content as opposed to test patterns are a mix of colors rather than pure white. For color brightness, the white subpixel either won't boost brightness at all, or can blow colors out. Consequently, QD-OLED has better true color brightness.

Anywho, for almost all use cases, this new generation of QD-OLED panel tech has sufficient SDR full-screen brightness. But for HDR content, it positively sizzles. It's at its very best rendering a game scene that's a mix of very bright and very dark elements, all rendered at the same time with incredible precision and contrast.

Think an inky black background punctuated by a bright strip light, a control panel full of fizzing LEDs, or sparks, gunfire and lazers. On this monitor, that kind of thing looks stupendous.

MSI has also once again included its EOTF boost mode functionality. It basically combines the best aspects of the VESA HDR 500 mode with the Peak 1300 nits mode, enabling the highest brightness for both darker and brighter gaming scenes. In practice, you can use EOTF boost mode for pretty much all HDR content and get the best possible experience, instead of having to switch modes to suit the scene lighting. That's a real benefit.

The MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 admittedly isn't quite so impressive in brighter outdoor game scenes. But full-screen brightness is much improved on previous generations of OLED in that respect and pretty close to being a solved problem.

Along with all the HDR goodness is the usual speediness of OLED. This new pane ups the refresh rate to 360. Combined with the ridiculously quick 0.03ms pixel response, the result is pretty outrageous response and clarity. This is a very fast display.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36?

Buy the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 if...

Don't buy it if...

• Originally reviewed in May 2026

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition: One-minute review

The Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition is one of the more unusual keyboards to land on my desk in recent memory, purely because it's made of concrete. I mean, it's right there in the name.

The popular peripherals brand has taken its already well-regarded K2 HE and encased part of it in concrete, resulting in a 75% TMR gaming keyboard that tips the scales at 3.5lbs / 1.59kg and carries an air of brutalist confidence that few peripherals can match.

The concrete bottom casing sports a pleasant speckled finish with a satisfying density to it, while color-matched gray PBT keycaps pull the whole aesthetic together into something that looks like it was hewn from a single slab. It's a genuinely distinctive design, and the fit and finish throughout is strong, sustaining Keychron's fantastic build quality, but just with a different material altogether.

Under the hood, the K2 HE Concrete Edition features Gateron's potent double-rail Nebula switches which feel excellent under finger. Paired with Keychron's clever Launcher software, it also provides access to features such as rapid trigger, analog actuation, dynamic keystroke and more besides to make this a very potent gaming keyboard indeed.

Connectivity covers Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, and wired USB-C, allowing the keyboard to be connected to up to three devices, backed by a 4,000mAh battery rated for up to 240 hours with the lights off, which is pretty strong. The only thing more pro-grade players may not be as content with is the lack of a proper 8000Hz polling rate, although for most mere mortals, it's completely fine.

Then we get to the price: $199.99. That's a hefty premium to pay for this concrete variant of a keyboard that's otherwise identical to the standard $130 K2 HE inside, especially when a similar price (or slightly less) can net you some of the other best gaming keyboards out there that are a little more performance-focused, such as the Cherry Xtrfy K5 Pro TMR Compact and Corsair K70 Pro TKL.

With this in mind, keyboards as versatile and feature-rich as the K2 HE Concrete Edition from bigger manufacturers, such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3, will command a higher price.

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition Price and availability

• $199.99
• Available now
• Towards the top end of the market

The Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition is available to purchase online now from a variety of retailers, including Amazon and Keychron's own store for $199.99. It doesn't seem to be natively available in the UK, though. This puts it more towards the top-end of the gaming keyboard market, especially as it carries a bit of a premium over the standard K2 HE with purely cosmetic upgrades.

To be fair to Keychron, you do get a fair bit in the box, with the keyboard itself alongside a keycap and switch puller, plus cables, USB receiver and documentation. There is also a wrist rest available, although that is a separate purchase.

For a similar (or lower price), you can get other Hall effect gaming keyboards, such as the Cherry Xtrfy K5 Pro TMR Compact and the Corsair K70 Pro TKL. Other more pro-oriented products, such as the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL and the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3, cost a bit more, though.

• Value score: 4/5

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition: Specs

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition review: Design and features

• Partially concrete chassis
• Immensely sturdy
• Rich software when digging into it

The talking point of the K2 HE Concrete Edition is right in the name, with some of the chassis being made of, well, concrete. Of course, the entire keyboard couldn't be comprised of the material, owing to its fragility in smaller elements, but Keychron has tried its best to put it where it matters.

For instance, the entire bottom casing of this keyboard has a pleasant speckled finish and a dense thickness to it that marks it out as concrete. Even if that's as far as the use of the material goes, I'm still a big fan of it. It's a keyboard that reminds me of the funny Roger Stevens Building from my days at the University of Leeds, with an almost brutalist finish.

Keychron's keyboards have a bit of a reputation for their heft, and I've noted in the past that the likes of the Q1 Pro and Q60 Max models in my own collection could conceivably be used as weapons with their machined aluminum finish. The concrete chassis on the K2 HE Concrete Edition takes that to another level, tipping the scales at 3.5lbs / 1.59kg – for a smaller form factor keyboard like this one, that's seriously heavy.

The fit and finish elsewhere is strong, with color-matched grey PBT keycaps that look excellent and feel pleasant under finger. PBT is a more durable plastic than the swathes of ABS I'm used to seeing on more mainstream keyboards, and is also much less resistant to the horrible keycap shine that plagues ABS-capped boards after a fair amount of use.

The 75% layout on offer here is a favorite, providing a good blend of functionality and the ability to save desk space. We get everything from a proper F-row to arrow keys and a single-column nav cluster, plus the usual alphanumeric keys. It's essentially a TKL layout that's been squished up a smidgen.

On the left side of the chassis is where you'll find the interface, with a USB-C port for charging and wired connectivity, plus toggle switches for both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz operation, and for switching between Windows and macOS. The only thing I think is a slight shame is that there isn't a place to store the USB receiver when it isn't in use.

Keychron's lightweight, web-based Launcher handles software and customization duties for this keyboard, providing identical functionality to the standard K2 HE models. You can fiddle with actuation points on a scale from 0.5mm to 3.8mm of the switch's travel on a per-key basis, while dealing with things such as rapid trigger, analog powers, dynamic keystroke and so on. It's a slick and feature-rich interface that I think other brands could learn something from.

• Design and features score: 4 / 5

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition review: Performance

• Brisk and responsive TMR switches
• Rapid trigger powers, plus more advanced software choices
• Versatile wireless connectivity

As much as Keychron has fiddled with the outside of the K2 HE Concrete Edition, the inside remains unchanged from the original keyboard. That means we're getting Gateron's double-rail Nebula switches, which are a linear TMR switch with a smooth and brisk keypress and lots of customization to make this a powerful gaming keyboard.

You actually have to dig into the spec sheet to find that these are TMR switches, rather than Hall effect, which is something we're seeing become more common with gaming keyboards in 2026. Without getting too much into the weeds, TMR stands for Tunnel Magneto-Resistance, and is a technology we've mostly seen applied to game controllers rather than keyboards. It's essentially designed to offer a greater degree of precision and general responsiveness over the litany of Hall effect products we see in controllers and keyboards.

It's also meant to be more power efficient, theoretically helping the rated battery life of wireless keyboards such as the K2 HE Concrete Edition.

These Gateron double-rail Nebula switches, on their own, are a 40g linear switch that felt surprisingly responsive for general productivity tasks. Sometimes magnetic switches such as these can feel a little soulless for extended periods, but that isn't the case here. Being pre-lubricated, they also benefit from being especially smooth under finger, helping both their acoustics and perceived responsiveness.

Technically, the K2 HE is also hot-swappable, although much like a lot of other TMR and Hall effect gaming keyboards out there, the choice of switches you can swap in is minuscule. Not even all of Gateron’s other Hall effect switch models are compatible.

As much as this is a keyboard you can use for general day-to-day stuff, it's most at home when you're in games, and when you've fiddled about in software for a little bit. It's here where I chose to set the actuation and reset points as high as they'd go for the WASD and weapon select keys in Counter-Strike 2, essentially turning those switches into hair trigger. It meant inputs required very little effort, which becomes very handy in quick-draw scenarios where you need to bring a weapon out or throw a grenade as quickly as possible.

Configuration in Keychron's Launcher software for this is easy, as it's possible to select a few switches, and then set actuation and reset points with one slider in one fell swoop. It can also be done globally if you want it across all switches.

The software also opens up much more advanced means, such as dynamic keystroke and multiple actuations per key, so you can go through one switch's travel and do everything from walking to running, and even crouching without moving a finger to a neighboring switch. It's a handy addition for FPS titles, preventing you from needing to stretch across the keyboard for other controls, depending on how you have it mapped.

Also hidden in the software are analog powers, unlocking this keyboard's ability to be used with controller-like precision. This makes playing racing games such as my customary Forza Horizon 5 much easier with a keyboard, although I still prefer the intuitiveness of a controller, or even better, a proper wheel and pedals setup.

Keychron provides its own flavor of SOCD tech with the K2 HE Concrete Edition. This allows you to activate one key while holding down the other for especially quick actions. In this instance, it works based on the most recent one pressed; for instance, if mapped to the A and D keys, it can allow for unnaturally quick side-to-side movement. It's very clever, although not something you'll probably use too much in online games, given Valve wields the ban hammer for anyone who uses it in online Counter-Strike 2 games.

As with the Cherry Xtrfy K5 Pro TMR Compact I tested recently, the key thing with this keyboard is whether you'll notice the purported step up in precision and responsiveness against more 'normal' Hall effect choices. Even as someone rather well-versed in these types of products, it isn't necessarily something I can appreciate as much as the pro-grade players this keyboard is arguably designed for. I want to believe it's making a difference, of course, although it's hard to scientifically judge without turning this review into more of an engineering paper.

The K2 HE Concrete Edition connects via Bluetooth, a bundled 2.4GHz or over wired means, and will work on up to three devices. I've found pairing and connectivity to be stable and easy in my week of testing. It is a shame that more pro-grade players don't get an 8000Hz polling rate wired or wireless for even brisker input reporting, although for most folks, the standard 1000Hz will be more than fine.

The 4000 mAh battery inside is also rather large for a keyboard of this size, and powers it for up to 72 hours with the vivid backlighting on. Turn it off, and that rises to 240 hours, which is excellent endurance.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition review: Also consider

How I tested the Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition

• Tested for around a week
• Used for gaming and productivity across Windows and macOS
• A decade of experience as a journalist and mechanical keyboard hobbyist

I tested the K2 HE Concrete Edition for around a week, using it as my main keyboard for work and play during this time with both Windows and macOS.

I played various games, including Counter-Strike 2 and Forza Horizon 5, to best gauge its optical switches for speed, precision, and the benefit of its TMR switches. I also made sure to use Keychron's web-based Launcher software to test every facet of the keyboard.

I've been a tech journalist for the best part of a decade, and have reviewed plenty of keyboards in that time from brands big and small. I'm also a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, so I have a keen eye for peripherals and have been involved with the hobby before it hit the mainstream.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

Adobe InDesign is the industry-standard desktop publishing and page layout software. And it's been that way for many years now, ever since the tool stole the crown of QuarkXpress to become the best DTP software.

So, with some new updates, I wanted to take a look at some of the new features I feel will be valuable to most of our workflows. As changes do occur to the software over time, the version I explored was 21.3.

Adobe InDesign: Pricing & plans

• Subscription-only
• Creative Cloud discounts for students and teachers

Adobe isn’t cheap. It’s high-end professional software that comes at a cost. On top of that, you don’t buy your software with Adobe, you merely rent it. Stop paying and it no longer works.

Yes, initially it’s cheaper than purchasing software outright, but over time that saving becomes questionable, as it is for all subscription services. You do get the advantage of enjoying the latest features as and when they’re released though.

Subscribing to InDesign on an annual contract will cost you $23 a month. Scrolling through the available plans, you might think getting the Creative Cloud Pro plan would be a better deal: after all, it’s $35 a month for over 20 apps, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and more. That’s just $12 more. But bear in mind this price is only an introductory offer. After three months, it jumps to $70 a month on an annual contract.

If you’re curious about the software, a free 7-day trial is on offer, and if you decide to go for a subscription, Adobe won’t charge you for the first 14 days.

Additionally, students and teachers have a sweet deal: $20 a month for the entire Creative Cloud Pro portfolio.

• Pricing & plans: 3.5 / 5

Adobe InDesign: Performance & online work

• Improved performance on PC
• A refined experience when working with files online
• The collaboration tool shows promise, but somewhat glitchy

Let’s take a look under the hood first, shall we? Not the most glamorous of new features, but InDesign now makes use of your computer’s GPU to help render your files. Usually, renders are done in low-res to help speed up document manipulation and scrolling, but by using the GPU, these previews should be of higher quality, while freeing up the CPU to handle text layout and general multitasking, thereby improving performance.

This feature is on by default as long as your graphics card is compatible, but you are free to disable it should you want to. You’ll find a tick box in your Settings, under ‘GPU Performance’ to do just that, but if the new rendering works as expected for your needs, why disable it?

Designing on your computer is one thing, but what if you need to work on the go and use a different machine while doing so, or better yet, collaborate with other member of your team?

All that’s been improved in the latest version of InDesign. Take organising, and sharing your work online. You can now do this within the app itself, by using the Creative Cloud app, or by login online and perform the same actions from a web browser. You’re able to create new folders, move docs around, rename, duplicate and delete them. All standard fare.

What I quite liked was the ability to “Sync for 7 days” - say you need to work offline for a while. This allows you to grab those files and the moment you reconnect, they’ll sync up once more.

Then there’s the Share options. The most interesting one is being able to ‘Share for Text Editing’. This allows you to collaborate with others as they make modifications which will be reflected instantly on your own version. Sounds exciting, right? And I’m sure in time it will be, but there are some pretty big caveats.

For one thing, as the command suggests, you can only perform edits to the text. You can’t alter the layout, change images, or anything else. It still has its uses, but it is limited. Next, this service is still in Beta, so there will be glitches, and I encountered a few, like not having permission to edit my own document online because apparently, I didn’t have the right to access it.

Thankfully a bit of swearing and repeated annoyed reloads of the page eventually got it to work. And lastly, this service only works on Chrome. I tried it with other browsers such as Firefox and Safari, and just got an error message.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

Adobe InDesign: New features

• Welcome addition of compatibility with complex math symbols and PDF editing
• Some new tools are a puzzler through
• Why link to Adobe Express templates if you can’t use them in InDesign?

On InDesign’s Home Page, you’ll find a ‘Templates’ menu in the left sidebar. This allows you to browse Adobe Express templates directly from within InDesign. Pretty cool, right? Except… not really. You see, once you select a template, it launches your web browser and takes you to Adobe Express online.

You’d think if you can browse the template inside InDesign, you should be able to work on it in InDesign, but no. There is a cumbersome workaround: download the template from Adobe Express as a PDF, and load that PDF in InDesign, but why would such a step be necessary is a mystery to me (at least you’re not restricted to Chrome here).

Opening a PDF in InDesign is a pretty big deal, especially since everything in that document becomes editable. You’ll find that most of the formatting is preserved - your mileage will vary, and I suspect depends on the complexity of the original file - but in my experience, the results were brilliant. Whenever you need to make alterations to a PDF, InDesign may well have become your go-to app.

And rounding up this list, is support for maths equations. You can work with complex equations and symbols and they will all be displayed as they should inside an InDesign document. There’s even a ‘Math Expressions’ panel for you to manually add said symbols to your document (you can also copy and paste them from elsewhere). This’ll no doubt be great for scientific papers.

• New features: 4 / 5

Adobe InDesign: Flex Layout

• A great way to create a responsive layout inside your document
• Big potential to quickly create alternative layouts in seconds
• It’s only let down by the feature’s inability to resize the objects within it

But perhaps the biggest new feature for this version of InDesign is Flex Layouts. Its purpose is to make it easy to create different layouts in seconds, and a great way to provide options for your team or clients. You get to select a number of assets on your page and link them together by ticking the ‘Create Flex Layout’ box. This essentially makes a responsive design inside InDesign.

The selected items are in a bounding box. Resize the box and the items will move around according to set parameters you control. You can alter the spacing between objects, and the orientation that they will take within the boundaries. It gives you great flexibility.

The only downside I found is that the Flex Layout cannot alter any selected asset’s size, which does limit its usefulness somewhat: you have to resize them manually, should you find the resulting space too big or too small for them.

• Flex Layout: 4 / 5

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

If you’re in the market for a feature-rich desktop publishing application, with a series of useful new features, and are already wedded to the Adobe ecosystem.

Don't buy it if...

You’re not a fan of Adobe, or of subscriptions, and are looking for an alternative that isn’t as expensive, even if it doesn’t have all the features InDesign has.

For more design tools, we tested the best Adobe InDesign alternatives

• ^ Back to top

Regular readers of my reviews will know I’m not a big fan of renting software (developers erroneously refer to those as ‘subscriptions’). I prefer to purchase - and therefore own - my software.

But what’s better than paying for stuff? Getting it for free of course! So what do you do when your budget’s just too tight, not only to afford expensive ongoing monthly commitments (like Photoshop), but even just one-off costs (like Pixelmator Pro)? You set out on a search for free alternatives, such as GIMP, that’s what.

GIMP: Pricing & plans

• A free image manipulation tool. What’s not to like?

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program - an acronym within an acronym! GNU is the backbone of the free software movement. it's a massive collection of free software designed to create a UNIX-like operating system with a focus on user freedoms. GNU stands for ‘GNU’s Not Unix’.

GIMP has massively evolved since those origins, and has been multi-platform, available on Linux, Windows and Macs, for a while.

It’s a free and open source raster-based photo editor. Raster means you’ll be working with and can manipulate pixels, just like in paid-for alternatives such as Photoshop, Affinity, and Pixelmator.

You can grab your own copy by clicking here.

GIMP: Interface

• Simple and similar to its competition
• But it can be totally customized to fit your style

Launch the app and you’ll find an interface that’s very similar to most other image manipulation software. You’ve got a sidebar on either side, containing tools, inspectors, layer and channel info, and more.

But you’re not constrained by that layout. In a way similar to Photoshop, you’re able to move those panels to other locations on the interface, or close them altogether. You’ll find a list of all available parameters by going to Windows > Dockable Dialogs.

This flexibility can be very welcome to set up an interface exactly as you want it - the flip side of course, is that it can make it tricky when using the exact same software on another computer, although admittedly, that would only affect a small number of users.

Another way to customize GIMP is via its Settings options. From there, the colour theme can be altered - which means this is where you choose between a white, grey or black interface, or have this be linked to the general preference you set in your operating system. Icons can be bigger or smaller than the default (which can be useful when working on very large displays).

If you prefer coloured icons as GIMP used to have, rather than the new mono-colour minimalist look, reverting to them is but a click away.

GIMP: Tools

• A vast collection of tools for altering and improving photos
• You can create complex layer-intensive projects

When it comes to the available tools, pretty much everything seems to be there. You have selection tools, both rectangles and elliptical ones, a lasso tool, and a wizard wand.

There’s a crop tool, transform options, including distortion and smudge capabilities, colour application tools like a bucket, pencil, pen, gradient, and eraser, a healing brush, text options, and the ability to create paths. Basically, this is everything you’d expect from a modern raster-based image manipulation program.

As for Layer work, your project can have as many of them as you need. You can move them around, lock or hide them, apply filters to each of them, and there’s even a handful of composite modes you can apply to them (although not as many as other programs).

Speaking of filters, you have dozens to work with, from the basic blurs and sharpen tools, to more artistic ones. Again, there is nothing there that I haven’t seen before, and they’re all most welcome. The same can be said about all colour correction parameters.

All in all, on paper it looks great, and if that’s not enough for you, GIMP is compatible with 3rd party plugin, including Photoshop-compatible ones. With them, you could import hundreds of new brushes for instance. The most popular plugin collection comes from G’MIC, which brings over 600 filters to GIMP (and other compatible software). These plugins are free, and you can get them all from here.

GIMP: In use

• A good selection of tools, but some appear to be missing
• Scrolling through a zoomed in image can be a serious struggle
• Room for improvement

How all this will work for you in a real-world workflow will be greatly subjective, so here’s where I’m coming from so you can understand my own perspective: I regularly use Affinity, Adobe Photoshop, and Pixelmator Pro.

Although GIMP provides most of the tools I’d need, like 98% of them, there were a handful of things which made it tricky for me to use. The absolute worst for me was zooming in and scrolling through an image. I use my trackpad a lot for this and with any of the other image manipulators I’ve used regularly, I could do this and move through the canvas effortlessly.

Not so with GIMP. Zooming in and out was fine, but scrolling through the image to get to where I needed was practically impossible - unless I needed to go to an edge or corner - it did that in a flash - but it was impossible for me to slowing move around and make the alterations I needed up close.

Sure, I could do it by grabbing the handle bars to the right and bottom of the image, but that’s far from an intuitive way of altering projects. I’m not sure why this wasn’t working, but it was a serious hindrance.

As for the tool I missed the most: background removal. It’s a relatively modern one, and it’s never perfect when the background is complex, requiring a lot of touch up, but it’s so much faster than any previous methods… yet GIMP doesn’t appear to have it in its portfolio. Instead, you need to do it the old fashioned way, by manually selecting the object and clean up the selection.

OK, that’s what I used to have to do in the past, but I shouldn’t expect to have to do it now. A part of me hopes such a tool is present and I just missed it, because not having it sure is a chore, even if the app itself is free.

Having said that, what tools GIMP does have are well designed, easy to use, and effective. If you’re looking for an image manipulator with simple to moderate tools, you really have nothing to lose by checking out GIMP. Who knows: it might meet or even exceed your expectations, and will save you a bunch of money in the long run.

Should I try GIMP?

Buy it if...
You’re looking for an image manipulator program that provides a wealth of tools, is compatible with third-party plugins, and won’t cost you a dime.

Don't buy it if...
You need a workspace that is way more forgiving than GIMP is, and you’d rather have access to some advanced tools, instead of doing it “the old fashioned way”.

GIMP: Also consider

For alternatives to GIMP, I recommend Affinity by Canva, Adobe Photoshop, and Pixelmator Pro.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review

The Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless is a premium low-profile gaming keyboard built for those who want one board for gaming and productivity shortcuts, with enough flexibility to handle use across multiple setups. It uses a 99% layout, so you still get a numpad and function row, but the overall footprint is smaller than a regular full-size board.

Add fast polling over both wired and 2.4GHz wireless, OPX low-profile optical switches, per-key RGB, an LCD screen and six Stream Deck-friendly keys, and it’s clear the Vanguard isn’t aimed at users who just want a simple wireless keyboard.

The high price feels purposeful, but it does mean the board won't appeal to everyone. At $260 / £240 / AU$429, it sits well above plenty of great options in our best keyboards guide. The value proposition makes most sense if you’ll actually use the Stream Deck keys, Virtual Stream Deck, Web Hub profiles, LCD and rotary dial, and love RGB, but it’s still a lot to spend if you really just need a slim keyboard for games or productivity.

The physical design and build quality are two of the areas where the Vanguard Air 99 really stands out. The aluminum-topped frame gives the keyboard a more premium feel than many low-profile boards, while the black or white finish keeps the look clean enough for a work desk.

At 26.27mm (~1-inch) high, it’s very slim for a keyboard with a full numpad, and the 99% layout is a sensible middle ground if you need number keys but still want more mouse room than a standard full-size board would leave.

That said, the tighter layout does take some getting used to. A 99% board keeps almost everything, but it compresses the nav cluster and pushes the six Stream Deck keys to the left edge. The layout works well overall, but the Vanguard Air 99 isn’t quite as immediately familiar to type on as the near-full-size spec suggests, and it took me a while to adjust.

The aspect that took longest was avoiding occasional accidental presses of the Stream Deck keys, so you’ll have to bear with it if you’re coming from a conventional full-size keyboard.

The OPX low-profile optical switches make for a very enjoyable typing experience. They have a short 1.5mm actuation point and 2.5mm total travel, so key presses feel quick without bottoming out too fast.

The switches are linear, pre-lubed and not hot-swappable, which lets Corsair set up the feel but does limit future tinkering.

The combination of the gasket mount and internal sound dampening gives the Vanguard Air 99 a more polished feel than many low-profile keyboards. I find that some (admittedly, much cheaper) designs can sound thin or plasticky, but the Vanguard Air 99 Wireless uses its gasket mount and five internal sound-absorbing layers to make each key press feel solid, smooth and very quiet.

The PBT keycaps, which use a tougher, more wear-resistant plastic, also help the premium impression, and the double-shot molding means the legends are made from a separate layer of plastic rather than printed on top. Be aware that some regional layouts may use ABS keycaps, which are made from a smoother, more common plastic that can develop shine more quickly, so buyers should check the exact version.

The appeal to gamers is pretty straightforward. The Vanguard Air 99 Wireless supports 8,000Hz polling over USB and Slipstream v2 2.4GHz wireless, plus FlashTap SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions) handling for resolving overlapping directional inputs. For most users, 8K polling is more about headroom than making a clear difference in games, but it’s good to see wireless performance has no compromises.

Switch customization is one area where the Vanguard Air 99 lacks flexibility. Many expensive gaming boards now offer magnetic or analog switches with adjustable actuation and rapid trigger-style features. The Vanguard Air 99’s optical switches are fast and consistent, but actuation isn’t adjustable.

Competitive players chasing that exact level of tuning may be better served by one of the best gaming keyboards with analog switches.

Customization control is split across Corsair Web Hub, the Stream Deck app and iCUE support. I like the Web Hub approach because it lets you adjust key assignments, macros, lighting, polling and profiles in a browser without installing anything. This is especially handy if you want to use the keyboard across multiple machines.

For example, you might have iCUE installed on your gaming rig, but not bother with it if connecting to a work laptop. The Web Hub also makes it easier to configure the keyboard on a machine where you are restricted from installing unapproved apps.

The software side still feels like a work in progress, though. That’s important because the Stream Deck keys, LCD, RGB lighting, rotary dial and onboard profiles are a large part of what buyers are paying for.

While the Stream Deck app is great, the keyboard management software feels like it’s playing catch-up to the hardware. For example, iCUE support wasn’t initially available for the Vanguard Air 99, and it’s easy to hit limitations in both the Web Hub and iCUE at times.

RGB control is a good example. You can select from a range of RGB customizations, with different layers for making certain keys stand out, but there’s no proper per-key color and effect control that lets you truly make it your own. You also can’t build your own effects — something even my cheap RGB Christmas lights allow.

The selectable effects only have three speed options, and the slowest setting was still too fast for my taste. For a keyboard at this price, the lighting control is a lot less granular than I had hoped for.

The six Stream Deck keys are the aspect that had me most excited about the Vanguard Air 99, even though they are just normal keys without an embedded LCD. If you already use Elgato Stream Deck, mapping shortcuts for your favorite apps or repeated productivity actions is very useful.

The limitation is that these keys are still physical buttons with static legends (though you can change the keycaps), not full Stream Deck display keys, so the setup works best for a small number of repeat actions rather than constantly changing layouts.

The included keycap sets are a useful touch too. Corsair includes one set of six Stream Deck icon keycaps and one set of six Mac keycaps, and there’s a Windows / Mac switch key to go with them. The caps were easy enough to swap by hand on my sample, but there’s no keycap puller in the box, which feels like an odd omission when replacement caps are included.

The package also includes the Slipstream Wireless v2 adapter, a female USB-C to female USB-A adapter and a USB-C to USB-A cable. The 2.4GHz receiver magnetically slots into the keyboard next to the buttons and is easy to access, while the little adapter is used with a USB-C cable to help make positioning the receiver more convenient if your desktop is tucked away or the rear USB ports are crowded.

The included USB cable is soft and has a braided fabric shell, but I’d still have preferred a standard USB-C to USB-C cable with a USB-A adapter, which would give more flexibility for port selection.

The 1.9-inch LCD is best considered as a small status and personalization display rather than a major productivity feature. It’s a 1.9-inch IPS full-color display with a 320 x 170 resolution, 350 cd/m² brightness and 30 FPS image support, so the hardware itself is pretty good. It gives the Vanguard Air 99 some extra visual character, it can show images and GIFs, and it’s useful for quick feedback on remaining battery and modes. It can also be configured to show system data like temperature sensor readouts.

Uploading images or animations is an easy way to customize the look, but note that it has to be done over wired USB, and while the adjustment tool lets you center a picture, the fixed zoom steps are fairly large and make fine-tuning harder than it should be. The screen feels like software upgrades could make it more useful in the future.

The battery life is respectable, but I wouldn’t call it exceptional. Corsair quotes up to 55 hours with keyboard lighting off and the LCD at 20% brightness or 29 hours with both keyboard lighting and the LCD at 20%. I tended to like it brighter, so I only managed about 20 hours, which means this is a keyboard you’ll likely keep plugged in most of the time if you use the RGB and screen heavily. Still, being able to go full wireless is very much appreciated.

Overall, the Vanguard Air 99 looks like a good fit for certain buyers. The keyboard is slim, well built and well suited to fast gaming, but also has enough productivity features to feel more flexible than a typical gaming keyboard.

That software maturity is the main thing that complicates my recommendation. The Vanguard Air 99’s price feels more reasonable when you look at the hardware: the low-profile build, Stream Deck keys, LCD, rotary dial, wireless 8K polling and compact numpad layout all support a specific premium desk setup. But because the software isn’t as polished, buyers may be left waiting to get full value from the keyboard.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: price & release date

• Available for $260 / £240 / AU$429
• Released March 17, 2026
• Available in black and white

The Vanguard Air 99 competes with low-profile wireless models like the Logitech G915 X Lightspeed TKL and Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro, plus analog gaming boards such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3.

Corsair’s advantage is the blend of low-profile design, numpad and Stream Deck-adjacent controls. It isn’t a value-first keyboard, but it is easier to understand as a deliberate premium board for people who want low-profile typing, gaming wireless and desk-control features in one setup.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: specs

Should I buy the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: also consider

How I tested the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless

• Used as my primary keyboard for two weeks
• Tested wired USB, 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth
• Swapped keycaps and tested software controls

I tested the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless by using it as my main keyboard for two weeks across work, productivity tasks and gaming. I used it on both an Apple MacBook Air and a Windows laptop, switching between wired USB, 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth modes, and I typed this review and other work on it during that period.

I also swapped the included keycaps, checked the magnetic receiver storage, used the Windows / Mac switch and adjusted lighting and profiles in Corsair Web Hub and iCUE. I set up the Stream Deck keys through the Stream Deck app, used the LCD and rotary dial in daily use, and kept the lighting and screen bright enough to compare my real-world battery life with Corsair’s quoted figures.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

InfinityFree is a US-based web hosting provider launched in 2016, and, as its name suggests, it offers one of the best free web hosting services for an indeterminate period of time. We all know that not everything presented as free hosting is truly free, but Infinity Free manages to live up to its name and does that without overloading your site with ads.

• Want to try Infinity Free? Check out the website here

Despite providing fully free services, InfinityFree is sustainable thanks to its business deal with iFastNet, whose services are marketed on Infinity Free’s official site. Therefore, if you ever feel the need to upgrade your free plan to one of the premium ones, expect to be forwarded to iFastNet’s site.

Although we can’t be fully confident, InfinityFree’s data center appears to be located in Chicago (Illinois, the USA).

InfinityFree’s official site is pretty plain and overrun with ads, but it is easy-to-use (partly due to its simplicity). Unfortunately, like with most free hosts, it doesn’t feature an official blog nor is it particularly active on social media sites.

Plans and pricing

There's one plan, and it's free. However, the site advertises paid-for hosting plans. If you click on premium hosting, you're directed to iFastNet. For this review, I'm leaving out iFastNet, as this is just a review of InfinityFree's free hosting.

The free hosting plan is surprisingly robust, offering 5GB of SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth (with some terms and conditions). It supports PHP versions up to 8.2/8.3, 400 MySQL databases, and full .htaccess support.

A standout feature is the integrated SSL tool, which allows users to provision and renew Let's Encrypt certificates directly from the dashboard without needing external technical workarounds.

Ease of use

To start your free hosting trip, tap the “Register Now” button, insert your email address, think up a password, go through terms of service and deny being a robot (sorry, robots). After verifying your email, it is time to create your hosting account through three simple steps.

The first step includes choosing a domain name and there you can use a free subdomain (seven of them are available as we write) or a domain you already own and point it to Infinity Free nameservers. If you decide on a second option but are not sure how it all works, there is an in-depth guide describing every step of the way (with screenshots and everything).

After this, your account username will be generated at random, and the same goes for your account password if you (for whatever reason) decided to leave the space empty. In any case, your account will be created within seconds making this one of the simplest and most straightforward experiences of this kind. That being said, you might need to wait for up to 72 hours for your hosting account to “start working everywhere” and your newly created site to become accessible.

Managing your hosting account is done through VistaPanel, a specialized control panel for free hosting environments. This control panel is surprisingly similar to cPanel, right down to design and color scheme. In any case, if you're used to web hosting control panels, this should be a breeze to handle.

Infinity Free's version of VistaPanel covers all the essentials, including an online FTP manager, MySQL database control, phpMyAdmin, domain name management, mail management, and more.

The biggest plus is that Softaculous is included, letting you access one-click setups for over 400 applications, including WordPress and Joomla. The combination of freebies at Infinity Free is impressive, to say the least.

Speed and reliability

Given that we are testing a free service, we didn’t expect to be blown away by either speed or uptime. Using our pre-built standard test site, we tested Infinity Free with a WordPress benchmarking tool and then hit it with Siege, our load tester.

Core WordPress speeds at Infinity Free were a real eye-opener. With an overall score of 5.7, this free hosting provider outperformed several paid hosting providers. The downsides, notably, were in file system performance, which we suspect is due to limitations in the plan provided.

Load testing results at Infinity Free were even more surprising, and in a highly positive manner. This is perhaps the only free host that's managed to survive a load test from Siege. With up to 15 concurrent users over a 5-minute period, Infinity Free successfully processed all transactions.

Not only did it pass, but Infinity Free produced such consistent results that we ended up re-running the tests several more times. In the end, we concluded that, aside from limitations, Infinity Free servers are quite well configured for load balancing, even without the benefit of a CDN.

Support

As you might have guessed, customer support provided by a free host is almost always nothing to write home about. Such is the case with Infinity Free, so don’t expect to get one-on-one consultation via telephone, live chat, or email. Although there are a few email addresses available for contact, it is stated that they are not meant for support and that all of your questions are going to be left unanswered.

The one alternative you are left with is to seek help on their community forum, which is actually an amazing option to have since most of the questions there (if not all) are answered by fellow users.

The other one is to consult InfinityFree’s comprehensive knowledgebase that contains, among others, a novice-friendly category called “Getting Started”. There are ten categories in total and over 80 in-depth guides that cover everything from managing your domain and DNS to making your SSL certificate work with WordPress.

The competition

A nice alternative to InfinityFree and one of the better free hosting providers out there is India-based GoogieHost (not to be confused with Googlehost). It comes with a bit more in terms of features, since their free plan includes Cloudflare, VistaPanel web hosting control panel, a user-friendly website builder, and up to 2 business emails (Infinity Free currently provides none). However, in terms of security and stability, Infinity Free wins the day.

FreeHostingNoAds is another noteworthy alternative to Infinity Free, and it delivers exactly what its name implies - free hosting without ads. What is more, it also includes a drag-and-drop website builder, while Infinity Free doesn’t. However, unlike InfinityFree, which puts no limits on disk space and bandwidth, FreeHostingNoAds is severely limited.

If you are not looking exclusively for free web hosting, there are quite a few budget-friendly hosts able to cover all the basics and more while providing round-the-clock customer support. Some of the fan-favorites are HostGator, Bluehost, and DreamHost, and all of them offer a wide variety of services and hosting packages, ranging from simple shared and flexible cloud setups to VPS and dedicated server hosting. They may not be completely free-of-charge, but as with most things in life (web hosting included) you get what you pay for.

Final verdict

Are you trying to find a free host for a blog, small portfolio, or any other personal project on a similar scale? If the answer is yes, then InfinityFree is worth a look. With user-friendly VistaPanel, Softaculous, and easy-to-follow how-tos you’ll be able to build a captivating website without too much trouble.

However, if you have bigger dreams for your website and don’t mind spending a few bucks each month to make these dreams come true, check out hosts such as HostGator and Bluehost.

Namecheap is known as one of the best domain registrars where you can find and buy whatever dot-com or other TLD you'd like to use for your website. According to Domainstate, it handles more than 14 million domains: only GoDaddy has more.

But there's much more to Namecheap than domains. The company has steadily been increasing its range of the best web hosting products, covering everyone from bargain-hunting first-timers to demanding business users.

Recent additions include Namecheap's own content delivery network (CDN), which accelerates your website's speed for visitors worldwide. The company even offers a budget VPN to keep you safe on public Wi-Fi and let you access regional content from other countries.

• Want to try Namecheap? Check out the website here

What types of hosting does Namecheap offer? 

Namecheap's range starts with low cost and easy-to-use shared hosting, a perfect choice for first-timers and less demanding websites. There are Namecheap promo codes for bringing the cost down even more too.

Namecheap also offers EasyWP, a managed WordPress hosting option with valuable site management features and more resources delivering extra speed. If you need more power and freedom than that Namecheap' also offers VPS and dedicated hosting.

Namecheap shared hosting

Using a shared hosting plan means your site is hosted on a single server along with many others. That's great for value, as the server costs are shared across multiple accounts, but it can hurt speed and reliability. Sharing a server's CPU, RAM, and network connection with other sites can disrupt your services because they may experience traffic spikes that consume shared resources. There's no sign that Namecheap's shared hosting is overloaded, but it's always something you need to keep in mind when choosing a shared hosting service.

Namecheap's shared hosting range is very low-priced, with headline prices starting at $1.88/mo for a two-year subscription ($5.88/mo on renewal). This price was recently updated to reflect a lower starting point and higher renewal prices. They dropped the starting prices but significantly increased renewal fees, which isn't great overall.

A good set of core features includes a free domain, free migration, a bundled website builder, unlimited bandwidth, and at least twice-weekly backups. Softaculous is on hand to speedily install WordPress and 150+ other apps, and cPanel has all the power you'll need to manage your web space.

Even the cheapest plan supports hosting three websites, too (the others allow unlimited sites). Most providers only allow a single site on their starter shared plan.

All shared hosting plans come with 50 free SSL certificates for the first year. If you do not want to pay the $6.99/year to renew one, you still get free SSL through cPanel.

Namecheap WordPress hosting 

WordPress is a hugely popular website creation platform with over 40% of the world's sites using the CMS. It's easy for beginners to use, yet powerful enough to build huge business websites and leading-edge web stores.

Namecheap's EasyWP plans are more expensive than its shared hosting plans, but they offer more resources and are specifically optimized to deliver faster WordPress speeds (Namecheap says they're at least three times faster than regular WordPress on its shared hosting account).

EasyWP Starter offers 10GB of NVMe storage, a free CDN to boost performance, and support for a single site with unlimited monthly visitors. It looks cheap at $3.14 a month on the annual plan and $5.24 on renewal, though there is one catch: the SSL is free only for Namecheap domains.

This is where the price can start to increase: Positive SSL for 5 years is $5.99 and renews at $6.99 per year. If you want to manage all your hosting and services in one place, Namecheap is a good option, but if you want to distribute your services across multiple providers, hosting with Namecheap might not be the best option.

The other EasyWP plans add more storage and resources. The top-of-the-range EasyWP Supersonic plan comes with the most goodies, but still offers fair value at $5.32 a month on the annual plan and $10.22 on renewal.

These prices were updated in 2026 and show a surprisingly large overall drop. In fact, Namecheap is the only vendor I've come across so far this year that has lowered its WordPress hosting prices, even if only by a few cents.

The plans have some weaknesses. They support creating only one website, and you don't get the same range of WordPress-oriented features as some of its top competitors offer.

If Namecheap doesn't have the power you need, consider SiteGround's WordPress hosting range. These start at $3.99/mo with relatively modest resources. However, SiteGround also offers advanced WordPress and AI-based tools for you to play with.

Namecheap VPS hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is faster and more configurable than shared hosting. But it's also relatively expensive, and more complex to set up and manage, which means it's not an ideal choice for novice users with simple, low-traffic sites.

If you're an expert or have a more demanding website, though, it's a very different story. A good VPS can give you massive control over your server, and the power to handle hundreds of thousands of visits a month, sometimes for less than the cost of high-end shared hosting.

Namecheap's VPS hosting starts at $6.88 a month, billed annually, for a 2-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 40GB NVMe storage, and 1 TB bandwidth (renews at $9.88). While that looks cheap, keep in mind that it's an unmanaged system, which means you're left to run the server yourself (add, install, and update software, restore a failed server, and more). You don't even get a control panel.

Managed VPS is easier to use, but also more expensive. The unmanaged Quasar plan is $12.88 billed monthly for a 4-core, 6GB RAM, 120GB storage, and 3TB bandwidth system. Adding complete server management and cPanel lifts the price to $54.76 (and you can add $1.50 a month if you need Softaculous to install WordPress or anything else).

Namecheap's top-of-the-range Magnetar VPS plan is more powerful, with 8 CPU cores, 12GB RAM, 240GB storage, and 6TB bandwidth. It's $28.88 billed monthly for an unmanaged system, rising to $63.76 with the managed option.

The significant advantage of Namecheap's VPS range is its price. We often recommend Hostwinds' extensive VPS range, but what do you get for $29 a month there? Two CPU cores, 6GB RAM, and 100GB storage, a far less capable system.

The problem with Namecheap is that it offers only three VPS plans, and they're not as configurable as the best in the competition. If Namecheap's choices don't suit your needs, you'll find far more appealing deals elsewhere.

If you're on a budget, IONOS' cheapest VPS plan starts at $2 billed monthly, for instance. It's as basic as a VPS gets (1 core, 1GB RAM), but it's ideal for learning how the technology works.

At the other end of the market, InMotion Hosting's VPS hosting is crammed with features, with great support, and is primarily for more demanding business users.

Namecheap dedicated hosting

Opt for shared or VPS hosting and you're forced to share your web server with others. Sign for a dedicated package, though, and it's entirely yours. RAM, CPU time, the network connection, it's all reserved for your website only, so you'll never again be slowed down by what's happening with other accounts.

Namecheap used to offer only a handful of dedicated server deals, but right now there are 58. There's something for everyone, with prices starting low at under $50 billed monthly for an unmanaged 4 core, 8GB RAM system, rising to around $250 for a 16 core CPU with 128GB RAM and fast-as-it-gets 4 x 1.92TB SSD NVMe storage. All plans include free site migration and a 99.99% uptime guarantee.

As with VPS hosting, the lowest prices are for unmanaged systems (you must run the server yourself.) Choosing the Complete Management option (Namecheap maintains the server for you) with a cPanel Solo license adds around $65 to the server cost (billed monthly.) But that's still great value, especially as there's no setup fee, and you can pay significantly more elsewhere.

The main issue with Namecheap is the lack of configuration options. You can't take a base server and pay extra to add more RAM, or an extra backup drive, for instance: what you see is more or less what you'll get. There's still no Windows hosting option, and servers are only available in the Arizona data center: you can't choose the UK or Netherlands.

If you don't have any special configuration needs, and you're looking to run a high-traffic or business-critical site where speed and reliability are vital, then Namecheap's lengthy list of base servers and great value should earn it a place on your shortlist.

Also consider IONOS. It doesn't have as many server plans, but there are some very cheap managed and unmanaged deals, and other options you won't find at Namecheap (Windows hosting on some servers, storage servers with up to 48TB storage and US or Europe data centers).

Elsewhere, both A2 Hosting and InMotion Hosting have a wide range of managed and unmanaged plans, with unusually flexible billing to keep costs down (1, 3, 6 and 12 months.) And if you're looking for real power, check out Liquid Web. Its high-end servers can handle just about anything, and the company's 100% uptime and power guarantee (and excellent support) should get you an ultra-reliable service.

Namecheap domain names

Historically, Namecheap built its reputation on offering cheap domain names. While that may still be relatively true in some cases (special offers, $0.99 promos, etc), I find that Namecheap is no longer as competitive as before.

Normally, domain name renewal prices fly by me since I have so many in hand. However, one renewal fee gave me a rude wakeup call recently. I happen to have a .consulting domain with Namecheap, and they wanted $68 or something like that for my annual renewal.

That piqued my interest, and I shopped around, eventually discovering that the renewal cost for this TLD at Namecheap was significantly higher than at many other places. Renewal fees for other TLDs have also gone up, though mostly in line with approved registrar annual increases.

Does Namecheap have a website builder? 

If you don't have a website yet, and WordPress looks too complicated, a website builder could be the answer. Choose a starting design from a site gallery, then add content to a page by dragging and dropping text, images, maps, contact forms and more.

Namecheap includes a free website builder with its shared hosting packages. This has 230 templates of various types (business, blogs, food, more), and a decent selection of widgets allows you to add plenty of content to your site: image galleries, maps, forms, blogs, product listings, payment buttons, and more. It's not a bad product, especially for free, and it provides an easy alternative to WordPress for simple site creation.

Namecheap also has a paid website builder called Site Maker, which is part of the Visual suite of design tools. Answer a few questions, upload an image or two, choose a color scheme, and Visual automatically creates your site. You can then replace the default text with your own and add pre-built blocks to insert new content, such as forms and photo galleries.

Namecheap doesn't stop with the website. Bonus free tools allow you to create a logo, design business cards, and more.

This isn't the most powerful of website builders (there's no web store support, for instance), but it's enough for simple personal sites, and the price is right. Visual is $3.88 billed monthly, with a free SSL certificate, 99.99% uptime, and support for creating a single site. There's a free .contact, .design, or .xyz domain, too, though beware, .com, .net, and other top-level domains must be purchased separately.

Can I build a web store with Namecheap? 

Namecheap doesn't have any specialist ecommerce products, at least yet (we suspect the new Visual website builder will add something soon), but you're free to build a web store using any of the company's shared, dedicated or VPS hosting plans.

Sign up for shared hosting, for instance, and you'll get a copy of Softaculous. It's a capable platform which can help you install OpenCart, PrestaShop, WooCommerce or other ecommerce systems. Namecheap doesn't give you any special tools or store-building support to point you in the right direction, so you'll have to learn the basics yourself, but it's not too difficult (if you know your way around WordPress, you can learn WooCommerce.)

If you're looking for something simpler, try HostGator's website builder, which has the option to add a web store. Bluehost's WooCommerce plans are a good mid-range alternative that add a bunch of useful business-friendly marketing extras, and Wix offers great templates, a wealth of features, and the power to build almost anything.

How fast is Namecheap?

To test Namecheap shared hosting performance, we uploaded a pre-created WordPress website, then ran core benchmark and load tests. This enables us to see a snapshot of how the server should perform for WordPress websites and how it can cope with increasing user loads.

Reliability is also a factor in a hosting provider's performance, so, as a side note, Namecheap offers a 100% uptime guarantee for many of its hosting plans. That includes much of its shared hosting range, VPS, and Dedicated server accounts.

Unfortunately, Namecheap's shared hosting didn't do quite as well as we would have liked. The overall score is 4.7, which wasn't dragged down by any particular WordPress key performance segment, but showed overall weakness across the board.

There are several other hosts in the best cheap web hosting space to have this lacklustre performance in shared hosting. It's only unfortunate that some cheap yet high-performance solutions also exist, such as Hostinger, which scored an impressive 8.1 for its WordPress core benchmark test.

Given the not-so-great results in core WordPress benchmarks, we weren't too hopeful about Namecheap's load test. This is where we were proven wrong, and Namecheap pulled a whopper on us.

As user loads increased, Namecheap's shared hosting server maintained a 100% successful transaction rate and a reasonably low longest transaction time of 8.95 seconds. While the overall transaction volume was middling, it does mean that Namecheap's servers are highly reliable under load.

Based on these results alone, we can definitely recommend them if you're in the market for a reasonably priced host that can run a steady WordPress website.

How easy is Namecheap to use? 

Namecheap's account control panel looks a little cluttered at first glance, with lists, and sidebars, and menus and icons everywhere you look. But spend just a moment exploring, and it begins to make a lot more sense.

There's a list of your domains over here, for instance, hosting panels over there, and some of these pages are hugely useful. Visit your hosting plan's Manage panel, for instance, and you'll find its disk space and bandwidth allowance; server hostname, IP address and data center; cPanel Launch button and shortcuts; usage stats, auto-renewal settings, a Cancel button and more.

That's a huge improvement on many providers, where key settings and options are scattered around, and you can spend an age trying to find the features and details you need.

You'll probably spend more time managing your website rather than your hosting plan, of course, but Namecheap scores here, too. While IONOS, iPage and some other hosts try to cut corners by providing their own custom management tools, Namecheap uses industry standards such as Softaculous to install and manage WordPress, and cPanel to set up your domains, emails and just about everything else.

This is good news, for a couple of reasons. First, it's a guarantee of quality (that's how these tools got to be industry standards.) But mostly, it makes life easier for everyone. If you've ever used cPanel or Softaculous before, you'll feel at home here immediately. And even if you haven't, the time you spend learning the cPanel basics won't be wasted. If you move from Namecheap in a few years, there's a good chance your next provider will also use cPanel, and you'll already know how to do all your most important hosting tasks.

What is Namecheap's support like? 

Namecheap has 24/7 support via its website, live chat and ticket (there's no telephone support).

The web knowledgebase is a vast collection of articles organized into common hosting categories: email, SSL certificates, domains, EasyWP (Namecheap's WordPress range), and more.

Choosing a section like WordPress displays articles in subsections: Getting Started (Dashboard Overview, How to create a website etc.), WordPress migration, plugins and themes (How to install a new theme), database access, domains and more.

It's both hugely comprehensive, and also surprisingly easy to use. Just scrolling down the WordPress category page reveals articles that many users will want to read: 'What's the different between managed WordPress hosting and shared hosting?', 'How to access your WordPress dashboard?', 'How to improve WordPress website security', and many more. This isn't just a place for troubleshooting specific issues; it's somewhere we might happily visit just to learn about a product.

Sometimes you need to solve an immediate problem, of course, and that's where live chat comes in. This worked well for us: chat was always available, the longest we waited for a conversation to begin was around three minutes, and the agents did a good job of identifying our issues, and clearly explaining what to do next.

Our test ticket left us waiting for a little longer, but we still had a reply in around 90 minutes. It was helpful, summarizing everything we needed to know in a single paragraph, and providing a link if we needed to know more.

The lack of any phone option might be an issue for some, but overall Namecheap's support worked well for us, especially considering the (very low) prices you're paying. If this is a key priority for you, check out the support site for yourself; you don't have to be a customer to view it, and just browsing the categories and articles will give you a good idea of how the service could work for you.

Final verdict

Namecheap’s hosting doesn’t quite have the power or features you’ll see with the best of the competition. Still, it could be a wise value choice for first-timers with relatively basic sites, or businesses that can make good use of its more powerful dedicated hosting range.

While the plans we tested didn't offer blazing-fast speeds, we did note that they're steady workhorses that can pull along just fine even at somewhat heavy loads. Combined with their "all-in" services, Namecheap is as good as it gets if you want decent hosting and everything else in one service provider.

Namecheap web hosting FAQs

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: 30-second review

Ugreen has been a busy bee since the DXP4800 Plus launched in 2024. The DXP series made a considerable impression on the NAS market, arriving with proper build quality, a sensible feature set and pricing that put established names under pressure.

Two years on, and the company has returned to that same four-bay formula with a notable upgrade. The DXP4800 Pro is here, and it does not mess about.

This is not a ground-up redesign. Ugreen has kept what worked and focused on what needed changing. The chassis is largely the same excellent aluminium alloy shell. The networking remains a combination of 10GbE and 2.5GbE. The storage layout of four SATA bays and two M.2 NVMe slots is unchanged. What Ugreen has done is swap out the processor, push the memory ceiling higher, and rework a few smaller details along the way.

Having spent time with the Plus model previously, I found the Pro immediately familiar. That is not a complaint. The Plus was already one of the better-built four-bay units on the market, and the Pro continues in that tradition. The question is whether the upgrade justifies the price premium over its predecessor.

What it offers is a punchier CPU, a more capable GPU, better M.2 slots, faster memory and a greater total memory capacity.

But Ugreen is not immediately removing its predecessor from its shelves. Therefore, those who don’t think all those improvements are worth the roughly $60/£60/€60 price increase over the DXP4800 Plus can still buy that model and save some money.

From this reviewer's perspective, these enhancements are easily worth the extra, and the DXP4800 Pro is destined to become one of the best NAS devices for home and small business users.

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $680/£586
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from Ugreen or through an online retailer

Before we get into pricing, we need to talk about how Ugreen initially wanted to repeat its Kickstarter approach with newer hardware, since that's how they launched the original DXP machines.

This all went horribly wrong when Ugreen changed its mind about how it wished to launch the iDX series, having already taken deposits on the hardware, throwing a complete curveball at those who thought they’d secured an early system at a reduced price.

I’ve long been critical of companies that use Kickstarter as a marketing tool rather than for what it was meant to achieve. And, after this public relations mess, I suspect Ugreen will probably avoid using it in the future to channel interest.

You will be glad to know that the DXP4800 Pro isn’t part of a Kickstarter exercise, so you can buy it directly from Ugreen without jumping through any overly complicated marketing hoops.

For Americans, the Pro is $679.99 versus $619.99 for the Plus, a $60 hike. And for EU countries, the cost is €679.99, a €60 difference from the Plus model.

The official UK price for this NAS is £689.99, but the current offer is a much more realistic £585.99, more than £100 less.

That makes it £59 more expensive than the DXP4800 Plus, which seems reasonable considering the enhancements. At this time, Ugreen seems happy to sell both, but perhaps once the Plus model's stock runs out, the Pro might replace it.

I've also seen it available for $679.99 at Amazon.com and £585.99 at Amazon.co.uk.

Who gets the best deal? Converting the UK and EU prices to US dollars, the UK is paying $797.33, and the EU is paying $798.36. Therefore, the US price is about $120 lower than in Europe, but much of this is due to the current weakness of the dollar.

Heading the competition is the Synology DS925+ at around $640. It runs an AMD Ryzen V1500B, which is a genuinely old chip at this point, supports only DDR4, has dual 2.5GbE rather than 10GbE built in, and getting 10GbE requires a pricey add-in card.

It could be argued that DSM is the best NAS operating system available, but the hardware is not in the same league as the Pro. Synology has also had well-publicised issues with its drive compatibility policies recently. It rolled back on the SATA drive limitations, but you must use Synology-branded M.2 drives in the DS925+. That makes it a non-starter for many.

QNAP TS-464 sits in a similar price bracket with a lower-spec Intel Celeron N5095 or N5105, dual 2.5GbE, M.2 slots, and PCIe expansion. QuTS Hero is a mature and capable OS. The PCIe slot is a meaningful advantage if you want to add a 10GbE card yourself, but you are paying extra to reach parity with what Ugreen gives you out of the box.

TerraMaster F4-424 Pro is probably the closest hardware match. It uses an Intel Core i3-N305 or similar, has 10GbE, M.2 slots and is priced competitively at around $690. TOS 5 is more mature than UGOS, but the interface is not as polished. TerraMaster is another NAS maker embracing third-party OS options, but I don’t think its hardware is as well finished as Ugreen's.

Asustor has a new 4-bay in the AS6804T. But that’s north of $1300 for a system that has a quad-core Embedded Ryzen V3C14, 16GB of ECC DDR5, dual 10GbE and 2.5GbE LAN, and USB4 ports. But at this price, you can buy a six-bay NAS with Thunderbolt.

My honest summary is that the Pro's hardware specification at $680 is difficult to match. The main trade-off buyers are making is between Ugreen's maturing software and the deeper ecosystems of Synology and QNAP.

Ignoring the software part of this equation, the DXP4800 Pro easily delivers the best hardware for the asking price in this part of the NAS market.

• Value: 4 / 5

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Specs

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Design

• Largely unchanged from Plus model
• Lockable Trays
• Simple and silent

If you know the DXP4800 Plus, the Pro will feel like home. The same compact aluminium alloy shell sits on the desk, looking rather purposeful in its near-black dark grey finish. Rounded edges take the industrial edge off things, but I did notice that the bend profile on the Pro is slightly tighter, saving perhaps a millimetre off the height of the NAS.

Four numbered drive bays occupy most of the front face. Numbering them is a small thing, but it avoids that horrible moment when you cannot remember which drive is which.

It’s also incredibly useful if you go from the Plus to the Pro, or from the Pro to one of the six or eight-bay designs later. All the trays seem identical, so you might not even need to take the physical drives out.

Drive trays use a tool-free telescopic mechanism for 3.5-inch drives, and SATA SSDs can be mounted in the trays using the included screws. Screws and a screwdriver are provided for 2.5-inch mechanisms, if you intend to use them. A lockable key system on the caddies adds a layer of physical security that many cheaper NAS devices simply do not bother with.

Below the bays sit the power button, activity LEDs, an SD card slot, and a pair of USB-A and USB-C 3.2 ports. The USB-C port runs at 10Gbps, which is genuinely useful.

Around the back, you find the 14cm diameter cooling fan behind its magnetic dust filter. That filter is attached magnetically, making it easy to pop off for cleaning, and it shows the kind of real-world thinking that separates good NAS designs from average ones. Also on the rear are HDMI 2.0 for 4K 60Hz output, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port at 5Gbps, two USB-A 2.0 ports, the 10GbE and 2.5GbE Ethernet jacks, and the DC power input.

The M.2 slots sit beneath a spring-loaded cover on the base of the unit. Access is straightforward. Two SO-DIMM slots are right next to them. The base 8GB module lives on one stick, leaving the other slot free for immediate expansion. Ugreen includes two adhesive thermal pads for the M.2 drives, which is exactly the sort of thoughtful addition that saves you a trip to the accessory drawer.

Build quality throughout is hard to fault. It was great when the DXP4800 Plus came out, and Ugreen haven’t dialled it back in any noticeable way.

• Design: 4 / 5

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Features

• Better CPU and GPU
• Faster memory
• Enhanced M.2 slots

The key upgrade is the processor. The DXP4800 Plus ran a 12th Gen Intel Pentium Gold 8505, a five-core part with a top frequency of 4.4GHz. Capable enough, but not a chip that was ever going to set the world on fire with heavy concurrent workloads. The DXP4800 Pro replaces it with a 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1315U.

That Core i3 is a genuinely better chip. It brings six cores in a hybrid configuration: two performance cores capable of full multi-threading and four efficiency cores handling background tasks. Turbo boost reaches 4.5GHz. The integrated GPU supports AV1 decoding natively, which matters if you are running Plex or Jellyfin and want hardware transcoding. The i3 also supports DisplayPort 1.4a and HDMI 2.1, though the hardware outputs them via HDMI 2.0.

Another significant change is the memory used. The Plus topped out at 64GB of DDR5 4800MT/s. The Pro raises that ceiling to 96GB (dual 48GB modules), which aligns with the i3-1315U specification. More importantly, the DDR5 speed steps up from 4800MT/s on the Plus to 5600MT/s on the Pro. That boosts bandwidth, although you still get a single SODIMM of 8GB by default.

Personally, I’d recommend any buyer to get at least another 8GB module, if the budget allows. I can imagine some reading this section and saying they would never buy a NAS that didn’t use ECC memory. And, it's true that this NAS doesn’t offer ECC support. Synology is keen on that technology, should you insist on it.

All the hardware changes in this NAS revolve around the improved platform, and another of those is the enhanced PCIe lanes situation. On paper, the Intel Core i3-1315U offers up to 20 PCIe lanes, with a mix of PCIe 4.0 on the CPU and PCIe 3.0 on the chipset.

That’s identical to the Intel Pentium Gold 8505, so how is it seemingly better on the Pro NAS?

Given that the needs of all the external ports are almost the same, clearly some reorganisation of the PCIe lanes has occurred on the new Pro platform. On the Plus, one of the M.2 NVMe slots was PCIe 4.0, and the other was PCIe 3.0. Logically, that suggests that the Gen4 slot was connected directly to the CPU and the other Gen3 to the chipset.

Where now it looks like both slots on the Pro are connected to the CPU, and the chipset lanes are then reallocated for LAN ports and USB.

On the Intel Core i3-1315U, there are eight PCIe 4.0 lanes and twelve PCIe 3.0 lanes, meaning that all available PCIe 4.0 lanes have been used for the M.2 slots, unless Ugreen has introduced a PCIe switch. Why this wasn’t done on the Plus machine originally is a mystery, but it's definitely an improvement for the Pro.

The SD card reader receives a quiet upgrade to SD 4.0, which is a small but welcome improvement for anyone who shoots a lot of card-based media. Everything else, the chassis, networking, port selection and accessory bundle, remains essentially identical. The Plus is still available and costs less, so buyers need to decide whether those CPU, memory, card reader and M.2 improvements are worth the premium.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Software

• UGOS Pro
• Limited applications
• Yes to TrueNAS and other 3rd-party OS

UGOS Pro runs everything on the DXP4800 Pro, and it continues to be a system with a genuinely friendly face. Setup is fast. Visit find.ugnas.com, let the discovery portal find the device on your network, name it, create an admin account, and you are off. UGOS walks you through pool creation with sensible guidance on RAID options for people who have never had to think about parity drives before.

Day-to-day management is handled through a clean web interface. Docker runs properly, and there is a Virtual Machine app for full hypervisor work. The Sync and Backup app handles local-to-remote and Rsync-compatible server tasks. Cloud Drives connects to seven cloud services, including OneDrive and Google Drive. Security Manager provides real-time malware scanning with quarantine. Samba sharing is disabled by default, which is a correct security decision even if it catches people out initially.

The harder truth is that UGOS still has 29 apps for this model. Synology DSM and QNAP QuTS Hero offer far larger ecosystems. Btrfs snapshots work well for shared folders, but iSCSI LUN snapshots are not yet supported. The mobile app lacks Wake-on-LAN unless you run a UPS. Power-loss notifications require the same UPS dependency. These are not dealbreakers, but they are the kinds of gaps that remind you this platform is still growing up.

Ugreen is clearly listening to its user base and pushing updates at a reasonable pace. Jumbo frame support at 9000 bytes arrived with a recent UGOS update, which makes a real difference to 10GbE throughput. A Surveillance Station equivalent remains on the roadmap but has not yet arrived. Being pragmatic, the trajectory for UGOS Pro is positive, but the destination is still some distance away.

What I do like is that Ugreen has a published roadmap for their operating system, which can be found here.

Therefore, if there is a feature you especially want to see on this hardware, you can check whether it is planned for next year. More of an issue is that some of the requested features do not appear on this list.

But, as Ugreen supports TrueNAS SCALE, Proxmox VE and Unraid, owners aren’t stuck with using UGOS Pro if an alternative provides that feature by default. Obviously, Ugreen won’t provide support for any issues you might have with TrueNAS if you install that, but it will still provide warranty support for the NAS hardware.

Overall, UGOS Pro has gotten dramatically better, but is still a little behind what QNAP and Asustor offer. However, the closure rate suggests it will be equivalent in the near future, and for many users, it already provides sufficient functionality.

• Software: 3.5 / 5

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Performance

• Plenty of power
• Network expansion possible
• More power consumed

With four Seagate IronWolf NAS drives fitted and a RAID 5 volume configured, the DXP4800 Pro connects to a 10GbE network and delivers what you would expect from properly specified hardware. Sequential reads reach around 9.2 GB/s with jumbo frames enabled. Sequential writes come in at approximately 8.1Gbits per second. Those numbers comfortably saturate a 10GbE connection, and that’s without needing SSD caching.

Real-world large file transfers sustain roughly 3.2Gbits per second in both directions. That is the nature of spinning disk technology. It’s fast enough for most serious workflows, but not the paper-limit headline figure. If you fit NVMe SSDs in the M.2 slots and run them as a dedicated pool, transfers between SSD pools are considerably faster, though they do not always reach theoretical ceilings.

It’s also worth noting that both LAN ports can be channel bonded with the right switch, and it is possible to add extra LAN bandwidth using USB adapters, and Ugreen also makes these.

Adding a 1GbE port will cost about $10, 2.5GbE is $26, and 5GbE is $36. Using these inexpensive add-ons can enable those sharing M.2 storage to get more of the performance they see internally out on to the network.

The Core i3-1315U earns its keep in mixed workloads. Running Docker containers alongside active file transfers while Plex transcodes video is the kind of scenario where the Plus would start to feel the pressure. The Pro handles it with more composure. The two performance cores with HyperThreading are particularly useful for tasks that benefit from high single-thread speed, while the efficiency cores absorb background processes quietly.

Power draw is higher than some competing alternatives. The external 150W PSU is a practical acknowledgement of that, but it’s no larger than the one on the Plus model.

Possibly due to the second PCIe Gen 4 drive, but also the extra performance core on the CPU, the Pro

If power efficiency is your primary concern, simpler ARM or low-wattage Intel N-series NAS units will serve you better. The DXP4800 Pro is not built for frugality; instead, it is more about capability. And, with more capability, the horizon of possibilities widens.

• Performance: 4/5

Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Final verdict

The Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Pro does exactly what a mid-cycle refresh should do. It addresses the performance ceiling of its predecessor without trashing a perfectly workable form factor. The jump to a 13th Gen Core i3 is not a cosmetic upgrade. It translates into better concurrent workload handling, proper AV1 decode, and more headroom for virtual machines and containers. The 96GB memory ceiling and dual PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 slots round out a hardware package that looks very attractive at this price point.

If only memory and SSD storage were cheaper, allowing more of us to exploit these options.

Thankfully, at some point, the insanity of stockpiling memory, storage, and production capacity for AI datacentres that will never be built will end, and these systems can be enhanced with the parts needed to make the most of them.

The other elephant in the room remains UGOS. It is a capable operating system with a clean interface and a sensible setup flow, but the app ecosystem is shallow compared with what Synology and QNAP have built over many years. Missing features like iSCSI LUN snapshots and a surveillance application are genuine gaps for some buyers.

I know a surveillance app is being developed, so that one bugbear might soon be eliminated.

Given how far this OS has come since its work-in-progress launch, I’m confident that all the features people want will be added eventually. But unlike most competitor NAS, Ugreen have no issue with you installing TrueNAS on their hardware without invalidating the hardware warranty, should you want some of those features today.

The difference between this open, flexible approach and Synology’s absolute control-freakery is striking, and it’s undoubtedly driving market share toward Ugreen.

Also, for the right user, though, software limitations are perfectly manageable or even circumventable. If you need Docker, virtual machines, media serving and solid file storage performance in a well-built four-bay chassis with excellent 10GbE throughput, the DXP4800 Pro delivers all of that and more. Ugreen is improving UGOS with every update, and the hardware they have built around it gives the platform room to grow. The Pro is a compelling NAS that builds on the Plus version in a highly logical way.

Ugreen barrelled into the NAS market roughly two years ago like a bull in a china shop, and now has a reputation for exceptional hardware that’s priced competitively. And, nothing about the DXP4800 Pro suggests a misstep in their grand plan to dominate the SOHO NAS market in short order.

Should you buy a Ugreen DXP4800 Pro?

Buy it if...

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Windscribe is a solid all-rounder in the VPN market. It's got plenty of privacy-boosting tools, can keep up with HD streaming, and has a fresh, non-corporate approach to its UI and branding. Ultimately, Windscribe doesn't feature in our top VPN rankings, but it's still worth checking out if you're looking for a lightweight and reliable VPN.

We put Windscribe to the test ourselves during our latest round of reviews, and were impressed with its core tools and unblocking power, but felt that today's best VPNs offer more for a similar price. Keep reading, and we'll dig in.

Servers

Windscribe has servers in 124 locations. It sounds like a lot, and it's certainly a good spread, but other VPNs have more servers in more places. ExpressVPN, for instance, has 188 server locations.

The global distribution of these servers is more impressive. Windscribe's servers cover 71 countries in total, which puts it 35th overall for total countries covered. This is on par with the likes of VyprVPN (64) and Private VPN (62).

The lion's share of these servers is in North America and Europe, which is par for the course. However, we noticed that Windscribe's coverage in Asia is particularly weak, with only 16 locations covered. This means that if you live in Asia, travel there, or otherwise want to spoof your location to somewhere in the continent, you may have to settle for a server outside of the country or city you're targeting.

Features

Windscribe apps are widely available for all popular platforms, too, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. We're glad to see that feature and UI parity are consistent across all of these apps. Plus, if you want a lightweight option and not a full-blown app, Windscribe's browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Users have a choice of VPN protocols, too, with WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 all on the table. WireGuard employs industry-standard AES-256 encryption, which ensures that your web traffic is kept safe from third-party snoopers and cybercriminals. To further enhance your online security, Windscribe has built-in stealth technology designed to conceal your VPN usage entirely, so you can avoid VPN bans enforced by schools, workplaces, and oppressive governments.

The powerful apps look great and are easy to use for beginners.

In September 2025, Windscribe rolled out a major app revamp, focused on improving the overall usability and adding more customization options. The refresh introduced a new home screen, redesigned settings menu, and the ability to rename server locations. These updates aren't particularly groundbreaking, but they are valuable quality-of-life improvements that highlight the provider's dedication to its userbase.

It's important to note that these apps also include many advanced features including split tunneling (on the desktop as well as mobile devices), MAC address spoofing (a clever way to reduce the chance of being tracked), versatile auto-connect rules, full IPv6 support, and even a command line interface to automate the VPN from scripts.

ROBERT is Windscribe's DNS-based tool for blocking ads, malware, trackers, and various internet content types like gambling, porn, fake news, clickbait, and so on. How effective is it? We'll take a look later.

There's no 24/7 support but Windscribe does have a decent web knowledge base and a helpful support chatbot. You can raise a ticket if you need more advice, and in our experience, replies are detailed and helpful.

New features include Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) that can bypass SNI filtering so others can't try to view or maybe block the domains you're trying to access.

While many VPNs offer no control over DNS at all, Windscribe allows you to define which DNS to use when the VPN is connected or disconnected. The latest addition includes support for DNS-over-HTTPS, and as Windscribe also runs Control D (a very configurable DNS service, with a free plan) we expect to see more related features appear over time.

Windscribe pricing

Windscribe's free plan offers a generous 10GB of data transfer a month if you register with your email address, and 2GB if you don't. You're limited to 11 countries – North America, across Europe, and Hong Kong – but that's still far better than some (Hotspot Shield and a few others don't give you any choice of locations at all).

Upgrading to a commercial plan gets you unlimited data and access to all 110 locations.

One of our favorite things about Windscribe is the fact that it gives users unlimited simultaneous connections to play with. So, if you have a lot of devices you need to protect, or want to share your account with friends and family, you only need to pick up a single subscription. It's great value for money that you don't see everywhere.

Prices are fair. Monthly billing is only $9 – many VPNs charge $10-$13. Pay for a year upfront, and the price falls to an equivalent $5.75. That's not cheap but it's within the range we expect for a premium VPN, and it's still far lower than some. ExpressVPN and Hide.me both ask $8.32 a month on the annual plan, NordVPN charges $8.29 from the second year.

If low prices are top of your priority list, though, there's money to be saved elsewhere. As we write this, Private Internet Access has a three-year plan that's only $2.03 a month for the first term, while Ivacy's five-year offering is only $1 a month. Sure, we don't like long-term contracts either, but look at the totals. Hand over $69 to Windscribe and you get one year of protection. Give Ivacy $60 and you're covered for five.

Windscribe does offer a 'Build a Plan' scheme that cuts costs by allowing you to buy only the locations you need for $1 each. Each location adds 10GB to your free bandwidth allowance, and your plan must have a minimum of two locations.

For example, providing your email address gets you 10GB of data a month. Add the US and UK locations, and you'll get 30GB of data for $2 a month. You can upgrade to unlimited data for another $1, or a total of just $3 a month, and that's billed monthly. No need to sign up for years.

If you only use a VPN for occasional short trips, say, that looks like a great deal. Surfshark's monthly-billed plan is more than four times as expensive at $13, for instance – okay, that's the full service with all the locations, but if you don't need them, who cares?

Another option, ScribeForce, enables signing up a group of users (a business, a family) with the same account. There's a five-user minimum, but you'll pay just $3 each, billed monthly, for access to the full and unrestricted service.

Unusual add-ons include static IP addresses. Adding a US or Canadian residential IP costs $8 a month (data center IPs are $2) and could greatly improve your chances of accessing any blocked sites, and enable connecting to IP-restricted business and other networks. Once you have a static IP, you can also enable port forwarding in the Windscribe web console.

Whatever your preference, Windscribe supports payments via card, PayPal, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies via CoinPayments.net, along with gift cards and assorted other options via Paymentwall.

Windscribe doesn't have the lowest headline prices, then, but it's fairly priced for the features on offer, and there are huge savings to be made if you're covering multiple users.

There is a small catch in Windscribe's money-back guarantee, which only covers you for three days and if you've used less than 10GB of traffic. So, if you think that might be an issue, download and try the free version before you buy to make sure it delivers what you need.

Privacy and logging

Windscribe's privacy features include strong AES-256 encryption, SHA512 authentication, a 4096-bit RSA key, and support for perfect forward secrecy (keys aren't re-used, so even if a snooper gets hold of a private key, it will only allow them to view data within one session).

The apps use multiple techniques to reduce the chance of data leaks, including redirecting DNS requests through the tunnel to be handled by the VPN server, and optionally using a firewall to block all internet access if the connection drops.

We checked Windscribe's performance on a Windows 10 system using the websites IPLeak, DNSLeakTest, and DoILeak and found no DNS or other leaks.

Windscribe claims its ROBERT DNS filter can protect you against ads, trackers, and malware but how well does it work? It blocked 76% of phishing sites, 30% of malware sites, and 97% of ads. The ads score is seriously impressive, higher than any other VPN we tested, and its performance with phishing sites puts it ahead of Proton VPN (32%) and Surfshark (48%) as well as numerous other VPNs.

While its malware score was lower, our testing this time proved difficult for many VPNs, with the likes of Surfshark, Proton, and ExpressVPN all scoring lower.

We then enabled the Windows app's firewall (similar to a kill switch) and began using various tricks to forcibly close the VPN connection and see what happened.

We found the app didn't display a notification to warn that we'd been disconnected. If it wasn't able to reconnect immediately, that might leave the user with no internet, and no idea why.

This situation probably won't last long, though, as the app tries to reconnect as soon as it spots the problem, and we were typically online again within a few seconds. This may be a small usability issue, but in privacy terms, the client worked perfectly, handling every oddball situation we threw at it and always protecting our traffic.

Windscribe's stance on logging is covered in a clearly written and refreshingly short privacy policy which explains what the company does and doesn't collect.

There's a tiny amount of very minimal long-term logging, but it's limited to the total bandwidth you've used in a month (essential to manage usage on the free plan), and a timestamp of your last activity on the service to allow identifying inactive accounts.

The system collects some connection details – username, VPN server connected to, time of connection, bandwidth used during the session, number of devices connected – but these are held in the VPN server's RAM only, and are lost when the session closes.

Other than that, there is no logging of connections, IPs, timestamps or browsing history. Or as the privacy policy puts it, 'we do not store any logs on who used what IP address, so we cannot tie user activity to any single user.'

As there is no data on your activities, Windscribe points out that there's nothing to share. This is backed up by a transparency report which covers the numbers of DMCA and Law Enforcement data requests over the year, and in both cases states that: 'Exactly zero requests were complied with due to lack of relevant data.'

This is all good, but we would like to see Windscribe go further. Many VPNs have had their systems publicly audited to check for logging or other privacy issues, and that gives far more reassurance to potential customers than comforting words on a website. We hope that Windscribe (and all other VPN providers for that matter) will soon do the same.

In June 2023, Windscribe's Co-Founder and CEO, Yegor Sak, was hit with a lawsuit in connection with alleged offences committed by an unknown user. Fast forward to April 2025, and the case was dismissed in court due to a lack of evidence, becoming a landmark victory for no-log VPNs as law enforcement bodies increasingly pressure VPNs to keep lawfully accessible records of user records.

In the meantime, it's worth remembering that Windscribe gives you 2GB of data per month, for free, without requiring an email address or any other personal data. If you're just looking to protect email and basic browsing, and can live with the data limit, this automatically gets you more guaranteed anonymity than you'll have with almost everyone else.

Performance

We put Windscribe's performance to the test using a 10 GB line and a cloud PC. We then measured download speeds using benchmarking services, including SpeedTest (both the website and command line app), Cloudflare, Measurement Lab, and more. We ran each test using at least two protocols and in both morning and evening sessions.

Windscribe's WireGuard speeds are, in a word, awesome. The VPN clocked in at 2263 Mbps - making it one of the fastest providers in our most recent round of testing, beating every VPN aside PrivadoVPN, which achieved 2334 Mbps.

OpenVPN speeds tend to be a little slower than their WireGuard counterparts, primarily because the protocol isn't as streamlined and efficient. It's made up of more lines of code, too.

So, it wasn't a huge surprise when we saw Windscribe clock in at 770 Mbps using OpenVPN. It's not a chart-topping performance, as ExpressVPN and Surfshark were both faster, but you'll still have no trouble checking out HD streams or enjoying stable torrenting.

We can only measure the speeds for our test locations, of course, and you may see different results. If performance is a top priority for you, using the free version gives you the chance to check local speeds (from the 11 free locations) without as much as handing over your email address.

Alternatively, Windscribe's 'Build A Plan' option could give you a month of unlimited traffic to a couple of locations for only $3, a low-priced way to run all the intensive speed testing you need.

Netflix and streaming

Plenty of today's biggest and best streaming platforms geo-restrict their content - meaning the shows you love won't be available if you head overseas on vacation or for work. Luckily, VPNs like Windscribe can help you regain access by geo-spoofing your location. All you need to do is connect to a server back home.

However, some platforms are cracking down on VPN usage, blocking IP addresses known to belong to VPN services. It's why only the best VPNs, and the ones that frequently refresh their IP address pool, actually work as streaming VPNs.

To put Windscribe's unblocking powers to the test, we first threw it at a selection of Netflix libraries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan libraries. We're happy to report that it worked like a charm every time.

The good news continued. We had no trouble tuning into Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Channel 5, and Australian services 9Now and 10 Play.

Previously, Windscribe had struggled performing with Amazon Prime Video. Now, we were pleased to see these issues mainly gone, with the service becoming accessible after a couple of attempts. Disney+ proved similarly awkward, though again was fixable. The only site to stump almost every VPN was US YouTube, so it was no suprise it failed here.

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Torrents

VPN providers generally don't boast about their torrent support, and it can be a challenge to figure out what you're allowed to do. TunnelBear was so quiet about its P2P policy that we had to email tech support to ask.

Windscribe is much more open and transparent. Just point your browser at the company's Status page and you'll see its full list of locations, which of them support P2P (most) and which of them don't (India, Lithuania, Russia, and South Africa, at the time of writing).

Your options are just as clear in the Windscribe apps. Locations where torrents aren't allowed are marked with the same crossed-out 'P2P', but select anything else and you can download whatever and whenever you like.

We don't like to take a provider's website promises for granted, even when they're from a VPN we trust, so we tried downloading torrents from three P2P-approved servers. Everything ran smoothly, and our downloads completed with no connection or performance issues at all.

Factor in Windscribe's free plan and various anonymous payment options (cryptocurrencies, gift cards), along with its decent performance levels, and the company makes a great torrenting choice.

Client setup

Tapping the 'Get Started' button on the Windscribe site took us to the Download page. The website detected and highlighted the best choice for our laptop – the Windows client and Chrome extension – but there were also links to downloads for Mac, Android, and iOS, extensions for Firefox and Edge. Plus guides to cover setup on routers, Linux, Kodi, Amazon Fire TV, and other devices.

Still not enough? No problem. Paying customers get tools to build custom configuration files for OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2. These can be used to manually set up connections with third-party apps, routers, and more.

Installing the Windows app is easy. You're able to create an account just by entering a username and password, which gets you 2GB of data a month. Hand over your email, too, and you get 10GB. Tweet about Windscribe, just once, and you get an excellent 15GB a month forever (not just a one-off.)

To put all that in perspective, TunnelBear's generosity stops with a 2GB monthly data allowance, and Avira Phantom VPN's free package gives you a tiny 500MB.

• Check out our exclusive Windscribe offer

Windows app

Windscribe's Windows app has real visual panache, with rounded corners and classy flag backgrounds (check the screenshot above) to highlight your current location.

It's more cluttered than most, with plenty of text, icons, and buttons crammed into a very small space, but there's also been real thought put into the design and overall it works well. Hover your mouse over an icon, for instance, and a tooltip explains what it's about.

The app displays your current protocol and port, always helpful, but it's not just a static label. Click it and you can change the protocol and settings to whatever you need. The app even offers to set the protocol as a default for that network. So, if you have to use one protocol to get online at the library and another at the coffee shop, you don't have to change them manually. Once you've connected, allow the app to save your settings for that network, and it'll automatically connect next time.

Tapping Locations displays the full location list. This opens with a list of countries and you can expand any of these to view its available servers. Each server has a latency indicator to help you find the fastest option. You can also mark countries as Favorites, displaying them at the top of the list for zero-scroll reconnections later.

The interface is very configurable. You can order locations by alphabet, latency, or location. You can even display latency as bars or figures, have the interface docked or a free-floating window, display notifications for events or hide them, and the list goes on.

There are many interesting connectivity features, and these are often as tweakable as the UI.

Supported protocols include WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth, and WStunnel, connection times were speedy at 1-2 seconds, and the app uses helpful notifications to tell you when you're connected, and when you're not.

OpenVPN is securely configured with AES-256-GCM encryption and SHA512 authentication. We couldn't find any issues with Windscribe's WireGuard setup, and it's good to see IKEv2 connections that don't store your credentials and are configured to use maximum-strength encryption so that they're not vulnerable to theft.

Split tunneling allows you to decide which traffic is routed through the VPN, and which bypasses it. Unlike most VPNs, this isn't just for apps, you can set up rules for specific IP addresses and host names, too.

Unusual extras include the ability to set up your device as a Wi-Fi hotspot (if your OS and network adapter supports it), or as a proxy gateway for use by TVs, gaming consoles, or anything else that can work with a proxy server.

One surprising feature is that Windscribe's desktop clients can import custom OpenVPN and WireGuard configuration files from other providers, and then display those servers alongside their own. If you use another VPN but its app is underpowered, you might be able to use Windscribe's instead. You don't need a subscription.

There's a lot to like here, especially for advanced users who like to tweak every aspect of their VPN. If you can find the settings you need, that is. We got lost several times scrolling up and down, clicking various icons, opening drop-down lists, and generally trying to figure out what's what.

If you're happy with the basics, the good news is you won't even see most of the complexities unless you go looking. As long as you can choose a country from a list and click a Connect button, Windscribe's apps will work just fine.

Mac app

If you're a Mac user then you'll doubtless be very familiar with VPN providers largely ignoring all your needs, saving their best features for Windows and leaving you with the bare minimum. But here's some good news: Windscribe hates that approach just as much as you do, and its Mac app is as close a match to the Windows edition as anyone could expect.

Take the interface, for instance. There are no pointless variations, no 'do it this way on Windows, but that way on Mac' rules to remember. It's the same stylish look, the same icons, the same main menus, and almost the same options, all in the same order.

Mac VPN apps generally don't have as many advanced features as Windows, mostly because Apple's security model doesn't give them as much control over your device. Seems like no-one told Windscribe this, though, because its Mac app has all the key features we saw on Windows: WireGuard support, the firewall (kill switch), custom DNS settings, MAC spoofing, split tunneling, port and protocol options, network allow-listing, proxy support and more.

If your VPN needs are simple, or you're just not interested in the low-level tech, all this power might sound intimidating. No need to worry, though: unless you click the Menu icon and go exploring, you'll never even know these options are there.

Whether you fine-tune every setting or ignore them entirely, the Mac app is generally very easy to use. Tap the On/Off button and you're speedily connected to your nearest server, then tap again to disconnect, and there's a list of other locations if you need them.

The app still looks a little more complex than some of the competition, just because it has more icons, buttons and status information. But, generally, it's a well-designed mix of functionality and ease of use, and a must-see for any Mac user looking for a little extra power.

Mobile apps

Windscribe's Android app follows a similar design to the Windows version, with the same gorgeous background flags, the big On/Off button, and details on your new IP and preferred protocol.

A list of countries (expandable to city level) makes it easy to find the server you want. You can switch to list Favorites and specialist Streaming locations. There's also a Custom Config list that might enable using other VPN servers with Windscribe's interface and features.

A comprehensive Preferences screen comes absolutely stuffed with features. The Connection panel alone enables choosing between WireGuard, OpenVPN UDP, TCP, IKEv2 or Stealth, and selecting your preferred port, as well as choosing which apps use the VPN, and which don't (split tunneling). It also provides integration with Android's Always-On feature to let you set up a system-wide kill switch, or enable GPS spoofing, define a packet size, allow or block local network traffic, and more.

A Network Whitelisting tool enables automatically connecting to Windscribe whenever untrusted networks are accessed while ignoring others. So, for instance, you can configure the service to automatically connect when you access Wi-Fi on the train, but stay offline when you're at home or work.

Windscribe's iOS app earned bonus points immediately for an unusual privacy plus. The app detects your external IP and network but can blur them, ensuring you won't give away clues to your identity if you share a screenshot.

Although the app can't match the Windows edition for power, it still has wide protocol support, kill switch, and ad, malware, and content blocking. That's already outperforming most iOS apps, but it's Windscribe's more unusual options that really help it stand out from the crowd. Most VPN apps can't access servers from another provider, for instance, or allow you to set a preferred protocol depending on the network you connect to.

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Browser extensions

Windscribe's Chrome, Edge, and Firefox extensions provide a quick and easy way to connect to the VPN from your browser. This has its limitations – they're simple proxies and only protect your browser traffic – but if you only need the VPN for basic browsing tasks, they're your most convenient and straightforward option.

The extensions make an immediate positive impression, courtesy of a stylish interface along the lines of the desktop and mobile apps. The basic operations work much as you'd expect. Autopilot mode enables connecting to the best location with a click, you're able to choose countries or individual cities from a list, and set your most commonly used cities as Favorites.

Need more? The extension can block WebRTC leaks, fake your GPS location, time zone, and language to match your chosen Windscribe server, keep switching your browser user agent to make you more difficult to track, stop websites begging you to let them show notifications, and even delete first or third-party cookies when you close the tab.

The browser extensions support Windscribe's ad and malware-blocking tool ROBERT, even for free users. Known malicious and phishing sites, bandwidth-sapping ads, trackers, social media widgets, and other nasties can all be exterminated in a click or two.

The sheer volume of options can make the extensions look complicated but Windscribe does a lot to help. A small start-up tutorial explains which buttons do what, and a useful additional introduction is that the many settings each have a sentence or two describing what they're all about.

Put it all together and this is a very capable extension that delivers far more than you'll get with other VPN providers, and even many standalone Chrome privacy extensions. Don't just take our word for it – the excellent 4.7 rating on the Chrome store suggests most users agree.

Support

If you have any technical troubles, Windscribe's support site is a good place to begin looking for answers. Resources start with collections of articles on common topics, including 'getting started' guides, technical troubleshooting, billing questions, and some general FAQs.

These tutorials don't always have the range and depth we'd like, but they more than cover the basics. The Android setup guide doesn't just say ‘go install the app at Google Play', for instance, as we often see with lesser providers. It quickly explains what a VPN is for, gives a link to the Play Store, an alternative direct APK download if you need it, and covers the setup and usage basics, complete with helpful screenshots.

If your problem isn't covered by the website, you can always contact support directly via a ticket system (there's no live chat). In our experience, replies can sometimes take around a day to arrive. When they do, they're friendly, accurate, and complete. We think they're generally well worth the wait.

Windscribe review: Final verdict

Windscribe is a likable VPN, with good-looking and powerful apps, expert-level features, and one of the most generous free VPN plans around. The array of advanced options and settings means this probably isn't the best choice for newcomers or anyone only looking for the VPN basics. If you're unsure about Winscribe, there's an easy and risk-free way to find out for sure. Just install the free version and see how it works for you.

• We've also highlighted the best VPN

Windscribe's free plan is one of our favorites. It comes with a reasonable amount of monthly data, servers in key locations, and a long list of security tools that aren't hidden behind paywalls and upgrades.

Windscribe Free isn't without its downsides, though. A free VPN will always struggle to keep up with premium providers, and Windscribe's paid plan doesn't land in our overall rankings of today's best VPNs. However, if you need a free VPN that'll improve your overall online privacy and throw in some reliable tools, too, well, Windscribe Free does the job.

Keep reading, and we'll cover Windscribe Free from top to bottom, covering everything from its lightweight UI to its unblocking capabilities.

Features

Windscribe Free gives users 10 GB of data per month to use as they see fit. This is fairly generous and should be enough to get you through four weeks, but it will run out quickly if you use Windscribe Free for streaming or online gaming. However, there is the option to post on X for an extra 5 GB a month or upgrade to unlimited data for $3 a month.

If you’d rather not shout Windscribe Free’s praises from the rooftops or provide an email during signup, you’ll still receive 2 GB of data a month. It’s a great option for the more privacy-conscious who find themselves in need of a reliable free service.

We were also glad to see that Windscribe Free offers unlimited simultaneous connections. That means you can share your login details with friends and family without worrying about how many people are using the VPN at any one time. The same goes for Windscribe’s paid plans, too, if you choose to upgrade.

Windscribe Free offers up most of the core VPN features you'd expect from a well-known name in the industry. There's a kill switch, called Firewall, that's easily accessible in the Windows, Android, and Linux apps, and we found that it was pretty easy to toggle on and off.

Firewall is set to "Automatic" mode by default. This means that it's toggled on whenever you connect to a Windscribe Free server, so you'll remain protected even if the VPN connection fails for some reason. It also means that Firewall will toggle off whenever you manually disconnect from a server. The "Automatic" setting is the one that most people will use, as it removes the need to flip Firewall on and off manually.

Some folks will want to maximize the protection offered by Firewall, however, and the "Always On" option does just that. It blocks internet access entirely until you connect to a Windscribe Free server, reducing the risk of divulging any identifiable information. It'll certainly add extra steps to your usual browsing routine, but if you're considering it, you're probably at peace with trading a bit of convenience for a lot of security. We're ultimately glad that the free version of the VPN offers it.

The same goes for the auto-connect feature, which is customizable, and the split tunnelling tool. Both of these features are often excluded from free VPNs, so it's great to see that Windscribe Free doesn't water down its offering.

We were impressed by how customizable the split tunnelling tool is, too, especially compared to other free VPNs on the market. The only downside here is that it's not available on iOS. There are two modes to choose from: "Exclusive" allows users to build lists of apps that won't route traffic through the VPN tunnel, which is how most split tunneling tools work.

"Inclusive" works slightly differently, and lets you build a list where only the apps on it will have their traffic routed through the tunnel. It's a real time-saver if you only intend to use Windscribe Free for a few specific purposes (like unblocking streaming platforms) and aren't hugely concerned about your privacy.

The real star of the show, however, is R.O.B.E.R.T. - Windscribe's built-in ad and malware blocker. Paid users get more out of the tool, but it's still available and effective on the free plan, and works quietly in the background to flag potential risks. During testing on our Windows 11 Chromebook machine and iPhone 13, we found that it was effective at steering us away from malicious domains and removing invasive ads.

During our review process, we assembled a list of 50 brand-new malware-hosting links and pitted Windscribe Free against them. The provider successfully blocked 30% of these threats. It also blocked 76% of phishing links we tested it with, and, most impressively, 97% of ads.

We were intrigued by Windscribe Free's claim that none of its tools are hidden behind a paywall. That's not the norm, after all, and we just had to put the boast to the test. Windscribe Free says that its premium and free users have access to the exact same roster of tools and, well, we found that this is mostly true.

For a start, free users miss out on port forwarding, which is readily available to paid users. You'll also need to pony up for a subscription to take advantage of Windscribe's full server network spanning 71 countries - and not the meagre 10 that free users have access to. Similarly, some advanced aspects of R.O.B.E.R.T are only available to paid users.

Features score: 7/10

Server network

Free VPNs don’t offer as many servers in as many places as premium VPNs – and Windscribe Free is no exception.

Windscribe Free has servers in 10 countries (and 13 locations), total: USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.

It's a pretty good spread for a free VPN. Proton VPN Free matches it, but doesn't allow users to actually pick which server they'd like to connect to. We're glad that Windscribe does things differently.

The server distribution is heavily weighted towards Europe, which may be an issue for folks in Asia, Africa, or South America looking for a nearby VPN server to connect to in order to maximize their performance.

We think that including a free server in Hong Kong is a pleasant surprise, as very few VPNs typically offer servers in or around China, even if they charge a subscription fee.

Windscribe Free claims that all of its servers are physically in the countries that they're advertised in. So, no virtual servers. It's something we had to see for ourselves.

After we ran some tests, we were pleased to learn that Windscribe Free lives up to its word. We didn't find any discrepancies between the advertised locations and the reality. This means that, if you need to connect to a specific location to access content, sports, or sites from back home, you can rest assured that the server will be right where it needs to be (and not on the other side of the world).

During testing, we found that Windscribe’s Free servers didn’t suffer from any discernible congestion, as the VPN doesn’t shunt free users into specifically designated free servers (which could cause slowdown).

Plus, Windscribe Free makes it perfectly clear which servers are restricted to paid users in the app, marking them with a star icon.

Server network score: 4/10

Apps

Windscribe Free is available for all of today’s most popular platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and even Linux. In fact, we found Windscribe Free's Linux GUI to be one of the best on the market. It looks and feels just like the other desktop apps.

Additionally, Windscribe Free is compatible with Fire TV and Apple TV, and has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Windscribe Free doesn't support routers, however, and you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan to download the necessary configuration files.

During our day-to-day use, we found Windscribe Free’s apps to be basic and serviceable. The core features, like the on/off switch and server list, are easy enough to navigate, but the layout proved to be unintuitive – especially compared to the polished offerings from PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN.

We did enjoy that the experience remained similar across all platforms, although there are a handful of key differences to point out. The iOS app, for example, lacks split tunneling, and the Mac app doesn't support split tunneling for apps (meaning you can only exclude specified IP addresses or hostnames).

Finally, Windscribe Free's Android and iOS apps don't have a standard kill switch/firewall, but they do come with an Always-On VPN option, which works in a similar way.

Apps score: 7/10

Ease of use

Windscribe Free’s apps, while easy enough to set up and navigate, were not our favorite to actually use.

We found that the installation process was a piece of cake, however. Simply download the Windscribe Free app from the website, run through the installation wizard, and log in with credentials when prompted.

Windscribe Free opens as a small tile, similar to ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, and clicking on options, like the server list or settings, expands dropdown menus and new tabs to explore.

We found this to be relatively easy to navigate through – the large on/off button makes connecting to a server nice and quick, and it was great to see that Windscribe Free clearly states how much data remains for the month (and gives users the option to upgrade to a paid plan).

Some of the visual elements of Windscribe Free look pretty snazzy. When we chose a location, for example, the background of the app changed to a hi-res flag, and the location list drops down like a physical panel when you click or tap it.

During our testing process,, however, we did notice areas where the UI was not as intuitive as it could (or should) be – on both desktop and mobile.

For a start, changing VPN protocol isn’t signposted clearly. You need to tap or click the protocol to choose which one you use, and this might seem obvious, but VPN newbies may be unaware that this text is a clickable element at first glance.

Similarly, there’s an odd gap between the “Firewall” text and the actual toggle switch, which had us wondering, at first, if it was something else that wasn’t labeled.

Finally, Windscribe’s settings could be grouped more intuitively. Currently, users have to do a lot of scrolling to check out all of the options and toggles which, on a mobile device, gets tiresome quickly – especially when we were just looking for one setting in particular.

These are small design quibbles, but today’s top VPNs have truly mastered the art of crafting consumer-friendly apps that don’t raise these questions, which puts Windscribe Free on the back foot in terms of ease of use.

Ease of use score: 6/10

Speed and performance

Windscribe Free impressed us during our in-house performance tests. We recorded respectable speeds of 1594 Mbps using the WireGuard protocol, marking it as one of the quickest free services available today. As you might expect, however, Windscribe's premium version was faster, clocking in at 2263 Mbps.

We found that these speeds correlated to a smooth, seamless browsing experience where we forgot that Windscribe Free was even running in the background. This was the case regardless of whether we were connected to a local UK server or a transatlantic US server. This kind of consistency is fantastic, and even the lowest speeds we recorded, of 466 Mbps, are more than the average user needs for a stress-free browsing session.

One thing to note is that Windscribe Free took over five seconds to connect to a server when we began our testing process. Subsequent connections only took a fraction of a second, however, which is what we’d expect to see, so we can’t totally knock the service.

Speed and performance score: 6/10

Unblocking

Free VPNs typically struggle when it comes to accessing streaming platforms, as they don’t have the resources necessary to evade VPN bans and blacklisting. Plus, with limited monthly data caps, free services aren’t all that suited to movie marathons or binge-watching.

The good news is that, for us, Windscribe Free accessed Netflix without any hiccups at all. We were able to browse through the UK, US, and Canada libraries without waiting an age for the page to load.

Similarly, Disney+ worked like a charm alongside smaller regional services, including BBC iPlayer, ITV, and Channel 4. YouTube US proved problematic for every VPN, so it's no surprise that Windscribe failed here, while it also had occassional problems with Amazon Prime Video.

The picture quality of these streams was high-quality, too, and we didn’t experience any dropouts or stuttering, which is in large part due to Windscribe Free’s excellent speeds.

However, as mentioned earlier, streaming in HD or 4K gobbles up a lot of data, so you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to really enjoy Windscribe’s streaming capabilities (and its dedicated Windflix servers).

If you're looking for a solid VPN for torrenting, however, Windscribe Free doesn't quite achieve a perfect score. While the service allows P2P traffic across all of its free servers, the port forwarding tool is reserved for paying customers, which means you may run into issues when seeding files.

Unblocking score: 7/10

Privacy and Security

Windscribe supports a variety of VPN protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. WireGuard uses ChaCha20 encryption, and OpenVPN and IKEv2 use AES-256 encryption. The WSTunnel (OpenVPN over web sockets) and Stealth (OpenVPN over SSL) are also included in the mix, and are designed to bypass VPN detection.

We were able to switch between them easily – although the app did fail to connect at first when using the WireGuard protocol. After switching to IKeV2 and back again, however, the issue resolved itself.

This selection of protocols is pretty par for the course, and we found we had the best overall experience with WireGuard, as it’s a fantastic blend of speed and security.

OpenVPN is a better pick for the security-conscious, though you can expect slower overall speeds. IKEv2, as it automatically reconnects, tends to be the option of choice for mobile VPN users.

During testing, we found Windscribe Free’s R.O.B.E.R.T. tool to be especially effective. We didn’t encounter any ads while going about our day-to-day browsing while it was enabled.

It won’t take the place of a dedicated ad-blocker, but it’s a nice additional layer of security that can help save that precious data by preventing ads from loading and eating it up.

R.O.B.E.R.T. is also customizable, though we found that free users can’t tweak it quite as much as its paid counterparts. For example, R.O.B.E.R.T. allows free users to create just 3 custom rules for blacklisting sites and IPs, and customizable blocklists can only contain ads and malware, and not the adult content, cryptocurrency, social media posts, and more that paid users can add to the mix.

Windscribe’s censorship circumvention tool claims to be able to evade VPN blocks in highly restricted territories – though the service is cagey about how it actually works.

We appreciated that Windscribe Free offers other options for privacy purists, like the ability to pay with cryptocurrency. Plus, users have the option of whether to hand over an email address or not during sign-up. This gives users more control over how much identifiable data they hand over to the VPN.

Finally, Windscribe Free is quietly preparing for a post-quantum world by boosting its KEM (Key Encapsulation Mechanism) in TLS and OpenVPN protocols. In Windscribe's own words, this means: "Our encryption covers more than a 14-year-old boy with a bottle of Axe body spray".

Privacy and security score: 7/10

Track record

Windscribe Free abides by a clear no-logs policy that, refreshingly, is easy to read through and digest. It makes it clear that the VPN isn’t interested in collecting or storing identifiable data.

However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing. Back in June 2021, two Windscribe servers were seized by Ukrainian authorities, though the VPN asserts that it has: "[....] no reason to believe that the servers were compromised or that there was any unauthorized access before seizure."

Given that, on the disk of these two servers, there was an OpenVPN server certificate and private key, a bad actor could feasibly impersonate a Windscribe VPN server and capture and decrypt traffic. This is, however, extremely unlikely, and Windscribe Free invited third-party auditors to comb through its infrastructure to confirm its safety.

This is exactly what we like to see, but this audit took a seriously long time. Windscribe intended to complete the audit in 2021, but the full audit wasn't released to the public until the summer of 2024.

It is also worth noting that, according to recent release notes, there's a "known issue" with the Circumvent Censorship feature – where it does nothing when using the TCP protocol. That could be a major issue for folks living under an oppressive regime who were drawn to this tool, and we'd prefer it if Windscribe Free warned users about the issue when they select TCP and enable Circumvent Censorship. Currently, the only way to figure out that this hiccup even exists is by reading the release notes, and not everyone is going to do that.

Windscribe is headquartered in Canada, a country that’s part of the infamous Five Eyes Alliance, an intelligence-sharing network. Windscribe claims that this “doesn’t matter”, but given the scope of past NSA surveillance, it’s something that users should decide for themselves.

Track record score: 6/10

Customer support

Windscribe Free offers all of the most common avenues of customer support you’d expect from a VPN: live chat, email ticketing, FAQs, and a knowledge base.

During testing, our first port of call was Garry, Windscribe’s AI chatbot. It was able to point us in the direction of well-written articles related to our problem. When it comes to responses from the support team beyond Garry, however, Windscribe warns that it ‘aims’ to reply to your initial ticket within "24 hours", and that "Free users might wait a little longer than Paid users."

Windscribe has also built a chatty userbase in its years of operation, and users have the option of joining the conversation on Reddit and Discord if they want to do some community troubleshooting.

Customer support score: 6/10

Pricing and plans

Windscribe Free doesn't cost a penny, though users have the option to upgrade at any time.

A monthly subscription costs $9.00, which makes the yearly plan a better budget-saving option at $5.75 a month. Windscribe also lets users create their own plan, if they're so inclined, charging $1.00 a month per location.

These prices are pretty steep. Even ExpressVPN, the most expensive VPN in our top rankings, comes in at $4.99 per month (for a 2-year plan). Ultimately, if you're after a feature-rich VPN service that can handle ads, trackers, and malware, it's worth checking out NordVPN, instead, which costs just $3.09 per month if you pick up a 2-year plan.

Pricing and plans score: 4/10

Should you use Windscribe Free?

Windscribe Free is a decent free VPN that has your back if you need VPN protection for absolutely no cost. The addition of R.O.B.E.R.T., a wide selection of server locations, and speeds that rival premium providers make it a fairly tempting option – but it’s let down by its apps.

We found Windscribe Free’s interface to be clunky, especially on mobile, which could be a deal-breaker for VPN newbies looking for the best VPN for beginners. In that case, you’d be better off with Proton VPN or PrivadoVPN, both of which offer more user-friendly apps.

However, if your main use case is scrolling through social media, checking emails, and other day-to-day activities, Windscribe Free will serve you well, so long as you're not using it for anything mission-critical.

Overall score 60/100

Windscribe Free alternatives

Windscribe Free FAQs

Honor MagicPad 4: Two-minute review

With the Honor MagicPad 4, it’s hard not to think that the Chinese tech brand read my Honor MagicPad 3 review last year and set out to address every single criticism that I raised.

Honor advertises the MagicPad 4 as the slimmest tablet on the market — and for our money, that’s true. At just 4.8mm, it's incredibly thin (beating the already impressively slim 5.1mm iPad Pro by a slight margin), which, combined with its light 450g weight, means the MagicPad 4 is a massive 12.3-inch tablet that’s easy to travel with and even hold comfortably in one hand.

Although being the thinnest tablet makes for a decent ad campaign, it’s actually the wealth of other upgrades that put the Honor MagicPad 4 among the best Android tablets right now. Seriously, Honor fixed everything negative that I pointed out last year — it’s almost a little uncanny.

The display is a gorgeous 3K OLED with a butter-smooth 164Hz OLED (compared to last year’s less vibrant LCD) and a superb 2,400-nit peak brightness. Paired with an incredibly punchy eight-speaker stereo setup, this has become my go-to tablet for media consumption both at home and while travelling.

With a viewing experience this good, it’s almost no surprise that this is one of the few IMAX Enhanced-certified tablets on the market. An OLED panel is no small feat at this price range, too, and the vibrant colors alone put the MagicPad 4 lightyears ahead of similarly priced competitors like the OnePlus Pad 3.

The divisive plastic material of the MagicPad 3 is also out, replaced with a full metal unibody chassis that looks very premium and is so much better to the touch.

This design refresh has been paired with a subtle spec upgrade under the hood. The MagicPad 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, which is not quite the latest flagship chip, but a high-end offering that powers through productivity and holds its own in demanding games. You also get a beefy 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (upgraded to 16GB and 512GB, respectively, if you splash out for the more expensive model that I tested).

Even this tablet's software has received a noticeable upgrade. MagicOS 10 is more Apple-like than ever (complete with its own version of Liquid Glass), but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

As an ex-Apple user, I really appreciate the familiarity of MagicOS, and find that it’s perfectly easy-to-use while still offering a decent level of customization. Importantly, though, this latest incarnation finally introduces a proper desktop mode with taskbar and apps in resizable windows, and it’s hard to overstate how much of a difference this makes to productivity.

I just about managed a full day of work with the MagicPad 3, but it was a little fiddly and awkward at times. Now, I can pack the MagicPad 4 for any business trip and, having already brought it with me on a couple, I haven’t found myself missing my laptop yet.

Obviously, your mileage will vary depending on your specific tasks and software, but for my day-to-day work of responding to emails, updating spreadsheets, and typing away in Google Docs (with the optional keyboard add-on), I can’t complain.

The only possible flaw here is the battery, which is smaller than that of the MagicPad 3. Still, the MagicPad 4's battery life remains excellent, and this tablet will easily put up with hours and hours of video playback in a single sitting.

Honor MagicPad 4 review: price and availability

• Starts at £599.99
• Expect regular discounts and freebies
• Not available in the US or Australia

The Honor MagicPad 4 is available via Honor's website, where it starts at £599.99 for a 12GB + 256GB model. You can upgrade to the 16GB + 512GB model that I tested for an extra £100. That’s already amazing value for the specs (you’d struggle to find anything in this price range with an OLED screen alone), but as with other Honor products, you can expect a deluge of discounts and freebies to crop up throughout the year.

At the time of writing, you can nab £100 off either version, and pay an extra £50 to add in a compatible keyboard case and the latest Honor Magic Pencil 3 stylus. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see free smartwatches, earbuds, chargers, and more thrown in over the coming months, so be sure to buy with at least a few freebies available to maximize value. Even if you pay the full asking price, you’re still getting a great deal, though.

As with other Honor devices, the MagicPad 4 isn’t officially sold in the US, so it's very tricky to get there. Australian availability also seems limited.

• Value score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: specs

Here’s a look at the Honor MagicPad 4’s key specs:

Honor MagicPad 4 review: Design

• iPad Pro-beating thinness
• Premium metal chassis
• Small bezels

The most impressive aspect of the MagicPad 4’s design is, of course, its thinness. This is currently the slimmest tablet you can buy, beating even the high-end iPad Pro, and it looks seriously thin in person. In fact, there seems to have been barely enough room to cram in the USB Type-C charging port. You might think that this slight profile would make the MagicPad 4 feel cheap or flimsy, but that's not the case.

The tablet has a wholly metal body, consisting of a single piece with no visible manufacturing seams. There’s absolutely no flex if you try to bend it, and my unit has picked up no noticeable scratches or marks in my use so far. The MagicPad 4’s thinness isn’t just for show either — on top of being easy to chuck into your backpack, I found that it made the tablet very easy to hold in one hand.

I conducted an hour and twenty-minute-long interview with the MagicPad 4 gripped in my left hand for notes, and experienced no noticeable fatigue. The interviewee even asked what brand the tablet was when we wrapped up, and remarked on how thin and light it looked. The screen is large and spacious, with roughly 4mm bezels for a very modern appearance. There’s actually a little 9MP selfie cam nestled in there at the top, but it’s hard to see outside of direct sunlight.

This camera isn’t amazing, but it gets the job done for video calls and would be on the better end of most laptop webcams. It’s a similar story with the rear 12MP shooter, found in a square camera module alongside the flash. It’s good enough to scan documents, but you obviously shouldn’t be using (or even expect to use) a massive tablet like this for your holiday snaps. Please, just take a few extra seconds to pull out your phone like a normal person.

For sound, you’re getting an eight-speaker stereo setup that’s impressively clear and crisp. The bass isn’t as strong as that of thicker tablets, but it still offers a detailed and well-rounded listening experience.

As someone who routinely uses tablets to watch entire concert recordings with the sound blasting at full volume, I really value a good speaker setup, and the MagicPad 4 is up there as one of the best I’ve tested at this price. Just make sure that you go into the settings and turn off all of the Honor sound features that are, for some reason, enabled by default, as they can make everything sound artificially tinny.

The tablet has all the expected buttons, namely a power button and volume rocker. There’s also a little magnetic strip for attaching the compatible Magic Pencil 3 stylus if you have one. And yes, Honor’s stylus will automatically charge and pair when stuck onto the tablet. Take notes, Lenovo.

I tested the Honor MagicPad 4 in conjunction with the white Honor MagicPad 4 Smart Touch Keyboard. It seems very similar to the keyboard I was sent with the Honor MagicPad 3, and it's once again fantastic.

It attaches to the tablet via a magnetic accessory port on its rear and pairs automatically. The touchpad is quick and responsive, the keys have a good level of travel, and it’s not too bulky to be practical. I do also still love the folding design of the stand, which folds down to expose the top half of the tablet and show off its slimness.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: Display

• Beautiful OLED colors
• Fantastic refresh rate
• Perfect for media consumption

On the display side of things, I can’t fault the Honor MagicPad 4 in any way. This is an absurdly good screen for the price, simply decimating what OnePlus, Lenovo, and especially Apple will give you for under £600. This 12.3-inch 1920 x 3000 (3K) OLED panel is pin-sharp and delightfully crisp, with vibrant colors and rich black shades.

I’ve been on a bit of an anime binge, having recently renewed my Crunchyroll subscription, and every show that I’ve dipped into has been absolutely beautiful to watch. Games look lovely too; the high-fidelity visuals of the recently released Neverness to Everness, for instance, really blew me away. And opening the Kindle app, the 3K resolution leads to great-looking text in books and detailed panels in comics.

With HDR support and a peak brightness of roughly 2,400 nits, the MagicPad 4's display can get jaw-droppingly bright and remains visible in even the strongest possible sunlight outdoors. Honor also deserves some kudos for applying a 5,280Hz PWM dimming rate to this screen. This subtle spec isn’t going to matter for most people, but could be a game-changer for those with sensitive eyes and massively reduces the chance of eye strain or fatigue over extended periods of use.

Even if you’re just browsing the web or flicking through the system menus, motion is seriously smooth, too, as a result of the tablet's 165Hz refresh rate. The slightly pricier Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is the only model I can think of that comes close to this level of display performance without asking that you pay a huge amount more, but that device has a lower refresh rate and is dimmer, so it loses to the MagicPad 4 overall in my book.

In other words, whatever you’re watching, playing, or reading on the MagicPad 4, this tablet is simply perfect.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 3 review: software

• Apple-inspired UI
• Six whole years of support in the EU
• A good level of customization

Update support is one of my biggest concerns when buying an Android tablet. There are too many brands out there that will charge iPad prices while offering only two or three years of update support. Honor was actually guilty of this last year with the MagicPad 3, which only came with one Android version upgrade and two years of security patches (something I described as the device’s “fatal flaw”).

This time around, Honor has promised six years of major Android updates for consumers in the EU. That’s without a doubt the best level of support I’ve seen for an Android tablet under £600, putting basically every other brand to shame. There’s no telling how regular these updates will be, but at least shoppers aren’t splashing out for a tablet with a looming expiration date right out of the box.

As for MagicOS 10 (which is based on Android 15), the biggest change this time around, aside from the new Liquid-Glass-like design language, is the addition of an upgraded desktop mode. It features the option of a persistent taskbar (at last!) and displays apps in easily resizable windows that you can snap to different parts of the screen. It’s much less fiddly than the equivalent ‘Floating Window mode’ of MagicOS 9 and makes serious productivity on the MagicPad 4 much easier.

Otherwise, my words from last year still ring true. In my eyes, MagicOS is the best possible middle ground between the attractive look of iOS and the customization offered by Android.

Former Apple users will find the design of menus familiar, but with a few interesting twists here and there. Quirky customization features like the 3D Avatar — a little person that you can create and set as an animated wallpaper — are still present and just as charming as before.

• Software score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: performance

• Powers through productivity tasks
• Also a capable gaming tablet
• Stays cool under heavy loads

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 isn’t the latest and greatest flagship chipset, but it’s still a capable SoC that delivers great all-round performance when paired with 12GB (or 16GB) of RAM. The MagicPad 4's interface is always quick and responsive, with no noticeable slowdown or reloading when flicking between streams on the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.

Effective multitasking is a piece of cake, too, and I've not had any issues running Gmail, Slack, Google Docs, and Chrome simultaneously as I work.

The MagicPad 4 is also a capable gaming tablet. It supports both WiFi 7 for speedy game downloads and holds its own in even the most demanding titles. Delta Force and Zenless Zone Zero both run very smoothly at their default graphics presets, and I’ve been particularly impressed with how well the Honor MagicPad 4 handles the extremely graphically intensive Neverness to Everness. It defaulted to the extreme graphics preset with 60fps cap and, despite the odd stutter in the most built-up areas of the city, was more than playable for driving around and tackling missions.

This particular title looks absolutely breathtaking, and paired with a compatible gaming controller, you’re easily getting a console-quality experience when playing it on the MagicPad 4.

The tablet's cooling system is remarkably effective as well. I was a little worried that such a thin tablet would get very hot, yet it’s not actually a big problem. You’ll feel it getting slightly warmer to the touch during sustained play, but it doesn’t become uncomfortably hot or thermal throttle to the extent that it noticeably impacts performance. Honor says this is all thanks to the MagicPad 4's dual-direction vapor chamber, which has somehow been crammed in alongside everything else.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: battery

• Great battery life
• Easily lasts more than one day
• A small downgrade compared to last year

The battery is the only area where the Honor MagicPad 4 falls short in comparison to the MagicPad 3. This year’s tablet is powered by a slightly smaller 10,100mAh silicon-carbon cell, which shaves a few hours off the total running time. Luckily, you’ll likely not notice a dramatic difference, as the MagicPad 4 still packs a very big battery, and its battery life is still pretty impressive as a result.

This tablet will easily last for a full day of use, with a mix of browsing the web, watching videos, and even a few hours of gaming thrown in there. I packed the tablet for a 14-hour flight and finished with more than 70% left in the tank after completing some decently heavy tasks with brightness cranked up and an intermittent WiFi connection.

You can expect well over a week of juice from the MagicPad 4 if you only use it for an hour or two a day, which makes this a great choice if you’re looking for a tablet to keep around the house. When it does run low, charging times are refreshingly quick as well, with 66W wired speeds that should see it back up to full from zero in under an hour and a half with a compatible charger.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Honor MagicPad 4?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

After some Honor MagicPad 4 alternatives? The older OnePlus Pad 3 is available at a lower price, while the iPad Air 13-inch is a good (albeit much more expensive) option for those who prefer the Apple ecosystem.

How I tested the Honor MagicPad 4

I tested the 16GB + 512GB version of the Honor MagicPad 4 for multiple months, using it on an almost daily basis as my go-to tablet for work and play.

I watched a vast amount of video content on it, read some digital books and comics, and spent plenty of time browsing the web and gaming. I also took it with me on multiple business trips in place of my laptop, where I used it to edit documents and respond to emails.

Throughout my time with the tablet, I frequently compared it to other models I've tested, including multiple iPads and both the Honor MagicPad 3 and Honor MagicPad 2.

First reviewed May 2026

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) has been a fixture in creator email marketing since Nathan Barry launched the platform in 2013. It rebranded in 2024, expanding its identity from a pure email marketing tool to what the company calls an "email-first operating system for creators," with newsletter management, visual automation, and a built-in commerce layer now sitting under one roof. Notable users include authors like James Clear and New York Times bestselling writer Nisha Vora.

TechRadar Pro has been reviewing business software since 2012, and, email marketing platforms are a regular part of our coverage. Our contributors have tested everything from enterprise tools like ActiveCampaign to creator-focused alternatives like beehiiv. This Kit review draws on hands-on testing across the free and Creator tiers to assess where the platform delivers and where it falls short.

My experience with Kit

When you sign up with Kit, an onboarding survey routes you to the relevant features based on your goals. If you're migrating from another platform, Kit provides tailored import instructions for the tool you're leaving. The dashboard splits into five top-level menus (Grow, Send, Automate, Earn, and Learn), and navigating between them is straightforward.

The visual automation builder is where Kit earns most of its goodwill. Building a branching email workflow based on subscriber tags or behavior takes a few minutes rather than a few hours, and the drag-and-drop interface doesn't require any technical background. I did find the email editor underwhelming by comparison: the template library is limited, layout options are sparse, and there's no block-based editor of the kind you'd find on Mailchimp or Brevo.

One caveat worth flagging early: Kit is designed for individual creators and small operators, not marketing teams or large businesses. If you need multi-brand list management, a CRM layer, or complex ecommerce automation, you'll hit the platform's ceiling fairly quickly.

Kit review: Features

Kit's features fall into three areas: growing your audience, sending to it, and earning from it.

On all plans, including the free tier, you get unlimited landing pages, opt-in forms, and email broadcasts. The visual automation builder and unlimited email sequences unlock on the Creator plan, giving you the flexibility to build multi-step subscriber journeys based on behavior, tags, or custom triggers.

The commerce layer is a genuine differentiator. Through Kit Commerce, you can sell ebooks, digital downloads, courses, and paid newsletter subscriptions, with Stripe as the primary payment gateway. The Creator Network lets you exchange paid or free recommendations with other Kit users to grow your audience, a useful tool if you're in a well-populated creator niche. Both features are baked into the platform at no extra transaction fee beyond Stripe's standard rates.

Where Kit falls short is depth. The email editor's template selection is narrow, and layout customization is limited compared to what rivals offer at similar price points. A/B testing is available on paid plans, but content testing requires Creator Pro, while Creator plan users are limited to subject line tests. There's no built-in AI writing assistant, and the native integration library is smaller than what you'd find on Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, though connecting via Zapier extends your options considerably.

Kit review: User experience

The interface is one of Kit's strongest points. The dashboard is clean and consistent, and tasks like building automation sequences are presented as visual flowcharts with plain-language labels. If you've used a cluttered platform before, the simplicity here is immediately noticeable.

Power users will find some friction, though. There are no folders or tags for organizing automations, which becomes messy as your library grows. Reporting is capped at 90 days on the lower tiers, and the analytics dashboard is thin compared to rivals. Creator Pro adds subscriber engagement scoring and a dedicated insights dashboard, but it still won't satisfy anyone used to detailed behavioral analytics.

Kit review: Customer support

Support access varies by plan. Free (Newsletter) users are limited to the community forum and a self-serve knowledge base, with no live help available. Creator plan subscribers get 24/7 email and chat support. Creator Pro bumps you to a priority queue, which typically means faster first responses.

Beyond tickets, Kit has invested in practical educational resources. Kit University, the Tradecraft blog, and a library of creator business guides cover everything from list growth to monetization strategy, and the content quality is solid. If you're on the free plan and hit a technical wall, though, you'll be relying on community threads rather than direct support, which can be frustrating when you need a quick answer.

Kit review: Pricing

Kit's free tier covers up to 10,000 subscribers with no time limit, making it a realistic starting point rather than a teaser plan. You get unlimited broadcasts, landing pages, and digital product selling without paying a cent. The tradeoff is a single automation, Kit branding on your content, and no live customer support.

Paid plans are priced by subscriber count, so it's worth thinking through your projected list size before you commit. Both paid tiers include a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Kit review: Specs

Should I buy Kit?

Buy it if...

• You're building a creator business around a newsletter or digital products. Kit's free plan, visual automations, and built-in commerce tools are purpose-built for bloggers, podcasters, educators, and independent authors. Few platforms match this combination at the same entry price.
• You want automation without a technical learning curve. The drag-and-drop workflow builder is accessible for beginners but flexible enough to handle multi-step subscriber journeys built on behavior and tags.

Don't buy it if...

• Design control matters to your brand. The email editor is functional but limited. Platforms like Mailchimp and Brevo offer significantly more layout flexibility and template variety at comparable price points.
• Your list is large or growing fast. Subscriber-based pricing scales aggressively. At 25,000+ subscribers on Creator Pro, monthly costs run well over $200, at which point flat-rate platforms start making more financial sense.

Also consider

• Mailchimp offers a broader feature set and a more polished email editor, making it a better fit for teams with complex marketing needs or strong visual branding requirements.
• MailerLite covers similar ground to Kit at a lower price point, with more design flexibility. It's worth a look if your list is already sizable or growing quickly.
• beehiiv is worth a look if newsletter monetization is your primary goal; its built-in ad network and sponsor marketplace can deliver revenue more directly than Kit's Creator Network.

How I tested Kit

• Signed up for the free Newsletter plan and explored the dashboard, automation builder, landing page editor, and email broadcast workflow.
• Reviewed Creator plan documentation and tested subject line A/B testing tools, app integrations, and sequence builder.
• Cross-checked pricing against Kit's official pricing page and verified feature claims against primary documentation on kit.com.

I tested Kit across multiple sessions on both the free and Creator tiers, building a sample automation sequence, creating a landing page, and drafting an email broadcast from scratch. Pricing figures are sourced directly from Kit's pricing page, while feature details were verified against official product documentation.

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro: Two-minute review

The Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro is the kind of interesting ereader innovation I want to see more of, even if the biggest appeal is still just how unusual it is. My ereader expert colleague reviewed the original Palma and the newer Palma 2, but I have been able to use both of these devices as my main ereader, to ensure a good basis for comparison.

The Palma 2 Pro takes the same pocket-friendly, phone-like form of the Palma 2 and adds a color E Ink display, more memory, Android 15, SIM support and stylus compatibility. The Palma is already somewhat of a niche ereader (and a niche we are big fans of), so these new features are quite ambitious.

The 6.13-inch, 2:1 screen is still the main reason to consider the Palma. It looks and feels more like a smartphone than a typical ereader, and comes complete with a speaker, dual microphones, side buttons, a rear camera and now a hybrid SIM tray. But rather than an LCD or OLED display, it uses an e-paper display that means it’s a much nicer experience for long reading sessions.

In other words — if you already consume books, articles or newsletters on your phone and want something easier on the eyes, the Palma 2 Pro has a lot of appeal.

Another new advantage is stylus support — like some of the larger models, the Palma 2 Pro works with a compatible stylus and enables note-taking directly on the device. Another great little extra is a combined SIM/SD card slot, which means you can upgrade the storage or add in a data SIM and access books (and the internet) when on the go.

Physically, the Pro is very similar to the Palma 2, though there are a few useful changes that show how the design has progressed more than just changing to a color display. The power button (that also houses the fingerprint reader) is still on the right edge but the volume/page-turn buttons now sit on the left with the smart button — a layout that feels a lot more intuitive.

The SIM/SD card tray is on the bottom and the body is a little thicker. At 172g bare on my scales (Boox lists it as approximately 175g), it’s still easy to carry around, and even with the soft case from my review package fitted, it remained pocket-friendly enough for daily use, plus there’s an excellent magnetic flip cover.

The biggest change, of course, is the screen. The Palma 2 Pro uses a Kaleido 3 color E Ink panel, whereas the Palma 2 has a Carta 1200 monochrome display. The upgrade to color immediately makes the interface, book covers, comics, web pages and some apps feel more engaging and useful than they do on the black-and-white Palma 2. To be clear, it’s not bright, glowing color like you get from a phone or tablet, or glossy like a magazine — it’s closer to soft pastels on paper.

While the black and white part of the display has the same resolution and DPI as the Palma 2, the Kaleido 3 color layer gives the screen a slightly grainier look, with grayer whites, compared to the sharp Carta display on the Palma 2.

While reading on the Palma 2 Pro is still great, it does mean the Pro is not an automatic upgrade for everyone. For pure monochrome text, the Palma 2 still has a clearer, more paper-like display, with better perceived contrast and cleaner whites.

That means the Palma 2 is still a solid choice, while the Palma 2 Pro is at its best for those who will actually make use of the color screen.

The Pro has had a slight bump in spec, which in turn makes the user experience a little slicker. An upgrade to Android 15 (the Palma 2 runs Android 13) gives the Palma 2 Pro a more current interface, while 8GB of RAM (up from 6GB), Android 15 and updated software tuning help it feel slightly smoother when opening apps, scrolling through menus and using gesture navigation.

It’s still an E Ink device, so you won’t mistake it for the responsiveness of a smartphone, but third-party apps such as Kindle, Kobo and Google Play Books work well, and Google Play Store support gives it far more flexibility than most ereaders.

I also found the fingerprint scanner accurate and very handy on the Pro. It’s quick to set up and, in daily use, it rarely failed to unlock the device. In comparison, the Palma 2 doesn’t unlock quite as reliably.

The stylus support worked well, and the Boox stylus is easy to start using — no pairing is needed. Handwritten notes can be made in compatible apps, like Boox’s Notes app, or on your ebooks with NeoReader. The small screen means it takes a little getting used to and it’s not as capable as a larger note-taking device, but it is a nice little extra for those who like to jot down handwritten thoughts.

Making it slightly less appealing though, is that buying the Boox stylus adds around an extra 10% to the price, and there’s no neat way to carry it with the flip cover.

The Palma 2 Pro continues some of the little niggles that felt out of place considering the price of the Palma 2. The body still feels plasticky rather than premium, the camera is more useful for quick scans than for taking photos, the speaker is basic and performance is on the low end compared to a phone. The Palma 2 Pro is also considerably more expensive than the regular Palma 2 and other mainstream 6-inch ereaders.

Still, I like the Palma 2 Pro for the same reason I like the Palma 2: it’s compact, versatile and something genuinely different. The color screen won’t suit everyone, but if you want a pocketable Android ereader that can handle books, apps, light web use, color-rich documents and the occasional note-taking session, it’s a great upgrade to one of the most interesting ereaders around.

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Price & availability

• Announced October 2025
• List price: $379.99 / €399.99 / £379.99 / AU$679
• Available now directly from the Boox Shop and select retailers

The Palma 2 Pro is a much more expensive device than the regular Palma 2, with current pricing sitting at $380 / £380 / AU$679. That makes it pricey even by premium ereader standards, and it’s a notable step up from the Palma 2’s current $250 / £249 / AU$499 pricing.

On the plus side, that higher price does give you a tasty set of new and updated features. The Palma 2 Pro adds a Kaleido 3 color E Ink display, 8GB of RAM, Android 15, a hybrid SIM slot with mobile data support and compatibility with the Boox InkSense Plus stylus.

While these are all great additions, they won’t all matter equally to every reader, so the best value proposition is only going to apply to a smaller subset of potential buyers. If you mostly want a pocketable device for reading typical ebooks, the regular Palma 2 is still the better choice.

The Pro starts to make more sense if you’ll actually use the color display for book covers, comics, web pages, documents or apps, or if mobile data support is important to you.

The Boox website has a range of compatible accessories available. For the Palma 2 Pro, stylus support helps it feel more useful beyond reading, though it’s worth noting that the Boox stylus is sold separately and is priced around $46 / £47 / AU$72 — adding around 10% to the total purchase cost.

The standard box includes the Palma 2 Pro, USB-C cable, card tray eject tool, quick start guide and warranty card. My review package also included the Magnetic 2-in-1 protective flip case, which is another $22 / £22 / AU$38 or so from Boox.

Compared with mainstream 6-inch ereaders, the Palma 2 Pro is expensive, and it is on par with a mid-range smartphone. In fact, you could buy almost three Amazon Kindle or Kobo Clara BW ereaders for the price of the Palma 2 Pro, but they also don’t offer the same Android flexibility, color E Ink display, large storage capacity or phone-like form factor.

That said, I could better stomach the price if the Palma 2 Pro came with the stylus and case as standard, but as it stands, it only really offers decent value if you truly need the unique form factor and will actually use the full set of features.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Specs

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Design & display

• Available in Charcoal Black and Ivory White
• Color E Ink makes the Palma format more versatile
• Phone-like and pocket-friendly

The Palma 2 Pro mostly sticks to the Palma 2’s design, but the small changes do make it feel a little more polished in daily use. It’s still unmistakably a Palma, with the same tall, phone-like shape, rear camera, speaker, dual microphones, USB-C port and compact footprint, but it’s slightly thicker at 8.8mm (up from 8mm) and a little heavier at 172g on my scales, up from the Palma 2’s measured 166g.

The button layout has changed too. The power button with fingerprint scanner now sits on the right edge, while the volume/page-turn buttons have moved to the left with the smart button. The hybrid SIM tray is on the bottom beside the USB-C port, while the microphones have shifted closer to the speaker.

None of these changes dramatically alter how the Palma 2 Pro feels, but I think the layout is a bit more intuitive than the Palma 2 as volume buttons on the left mean they sit under a forefinger, rather than under a thumb on the right.

If you don’t use the volume buttons for page turning (or you are left-handed), then the smartphone-like layout on the Palma 2 might be preferable.

Build quality is very similar to the Palma 2 — it’s a little plasticky, and the rear panel has a rough, grippy texture. The Pro is white rather than cream, and the surface of the plastic is a matte gloss, rather than being purely matte, but isn’t slippery.

Unlike the silver buttons on the Palma 2, the Pro uses the same shade of white on the buttons and the body, giving a sleeker, understated look. While most ereaders use a lot of plastic, the build certainly doesn’t feel as premium as its price suggests.

While I didn’t run into any issues of the surface staining like my colleague experienced in her Palma 2 review, it’s still plastic, so even with the flip case, I wouldn’t leave it loose in a bag with keys or other sharp objects. Like a phone, it is best kept in a protected pocket of a backpack, and while the glass screen feels reasonably tough, damage is still worth guarding against.

My review package included the magnetic flip case, which is a big upgrade over the flip case that came with the Palma 2. It has a cloudy-clear flexible shell that clips around the device, plus a detachable flip cover that connects magnetically. The shell is the part with the magnets, not the Palma 2 Pro itself, and it also carries through MagSafe-style support so it can be attached to a compatible stand.

This makes it very easy to keep protected when on the go, but also allows it to be instantly pulled out from the flip case for more relaxed at-home use.

The case doesn’t give heavy-duty protection, but it’s an excellent compromise between a bulkier folio and a slim shell. The flip cover attaches easily but stays secure, the fake-leather material feels well made and there are no sharp or rough edges. It also adds good grip without making the Palma 2 Pro feel too big, and in fact I wish I could get this style flip case for my phone.

Sadly the new flip case is only available for the Palma 2 Pro, which feels like a misstep from Boox, as there is a Palma/Palma 2 flip case with magnetic attachment available, just in the older style. This means either of the outer, magnetically attached parts of the case could work fine with either device, but you can’t buy the actual shell with the magnets separately, which is needed due to the changed button locations.

Pocketability is still one of the biggest reasons to buy the Palma 2 Pro as it feels much closer to carrying a phone than a conventional ereader. Even in the flip case, it’s still easy to slip into a jacket or pants, and it is the right size to work with phone-specific bag pockets, or even accessories like waterproof pouches.

The display is where the Pro version will pique a lot of new interest over the Palma 2. It uses a 6.13-inch Kaleido 3 color E Ink screen, with the same 300ppi black-and-white resolution as the Palma 2, but color content is displayed at 150ppi. That’s normal for this kind of color E Ink panel, and it means the Palma 2 Pro can show book covers, comics, web pages, app icons and more in color but still give a crisp black and white e-paper experience for text.

There is a trade-off, and overall clarity suffers somewhat. The color layer sits over the monochrome layer and adds a fine grid-like texture, so plain text doesn’t look quite as crisp or contrasty as it does on the Palma 2, and blank areas have a slightly grainy, screen-door-type look.

It’s still very readable, and I had no issue using it for long sessions, but the monochrome Palma 2 has cleaner whites and better contrast if all you care about is text.

Color on the Palma 2 Pro also shouldn’t be confused with color on a phone or tablet, or even a magazine print. It’s muted and pastel-like rather than glossy and bright, but that works well for an ereader.

The small touches of color throughout the OS make the device feel nicer to use, and switching back to a black-and-white ereader feels rather limiting, despite offering a better display for reading text.

Touch response is similar to the Palma 2. Page turns are quick enough, menus respond well enough and the touchscreen is accurate, but there’s still noticeable lag compared to a phone if you drag items around.

Screen refreshes can also look slightly fuzzier on the Pro because the color screen shows a little more ghosting, though if you tweak the settings to your own preferences, it produces a fairly clean image overall.

As with the Palma 2, the 2:1 aspect ratio won’t suit everyone, but it’s still the standout part of the design. It makes the Palma 2 Pro a very good fit for people who already read on their phones and want something easier on the eyes, while still keeping the same portable feel.

Boox describes the Palma 2 Pro as water-repellent, with protection against daily exposure such as spills, splashes and light rain, but it’s not waterproof and doesn’t have an IP rating. That’s fine for normal use, but I wouldn’t treat it like a waterproof ereader and take it in the bath.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: User experience

• Android 15 with Google Play Store support
• More customizable than a Kindle or Kobo
• File transfers are easy

The Palma 2 Pro still isn’t a phone, even if it looks more like one than most ereaders. Setup is much like using a small Android device: you connect to Wi-Fi, sign in, activate the Play Store and start installing apps. It’s familiar enough if you’ve used Android before, but there are still plenty of Boox-specific settings to get used to.

That extra control is part of the appeal. You can adjust refresh behavior, navigation, power-saving settings, app optimization and reading layouts in far more detail than you can on a Kindle or Kobo. It can feel like a lot at first, but in daily use, the Palma 2 Pro gives you useful control over how much speed, clarity and battery life you want to prioritize.

Getting your documents and ebooks onto the device is quite easy. BooxDrop is a good starting point — it lets you transfer files from a phone or computer over Wi-Fi. If you are in the Google ecosystem, you can use the Drive app (or other Android app of your choice) and wired transfers over a USB cable on Windows just require plugging it in.

The Android to Mac experience isn’t as simple, and Apple requires its users to install third-party apps such as MacDroid to connect to an Android device.

USB-C OTG support also worked seamlessly, and like the Palma 2, the Pro will happily read files straight from a USB stick. For most users, though, BooxDrop or cloud storage is probably still the simplest option.

While the two devices are very similar, in my testing the touchscreen is a little better on the Pro compared to the Palma 2, but it still doesn’t feel anywhere near as responsive as a phone. Light taps are occasionally not picked up and swipes don’t always give enough instant feedback to help show you are doing it right.

Once I adjusted and used slightly slower, more purposeful touch interactions, it worked just fine, but there is a little recalibration compared to the haptic feel of a smartphone.

I didn’t have a lot of patience for NaviBall, Boox’s floating shortcut tool that opens when tapped. The idea is useful, but in practice it often sat over text or stopped pop-up buttons like confirm and cancel from working correctly and had to be moved before those buttons could be used. You can move it around easily enough, but I eventually stopped using it, as it added more friction overall than convenience.

The Boox InkSense Plus stylus is very capable, with 4,096 pressure levels, tilt support, a shortcut side button and replaceable 0.6mm tips. It’s also an active stylus, so it needs charging via USB-C, unlike the passive pens used by some note-taking tablets.

I found it great for quick annotations, short notes and rough sketches, but the small screen size makes sustained handwriting impractical. The Notes app can also convert handwriting to text, but I didn't find this useful due to the limited amount of writing I did.

If writing is important to you, check out my colleagues' reviews of the 7-inch color display Boox Go Color 7 Gen II, the monochrome 7-inch Boox Go 7 or the 10.3-inch Boox Note Air5 C.

While Boox hasn't noted any hardware changes, the fingerprint scanner feels slightly improved on the Pro. It is easy to set up, and in daily use, I found it rarely failed to register and unlock on the first go. That makes it feel far more usable than it did on the Palma 2, where the sensor needed more careful finger placement.

Audio is still best judged by ereader standards compared to the surprisingly good results from some smartphones. The built-in speaker is fine for audiobooks and podcasts, but Bluetooth headphones or a small speaker are still the better option if you care about sound quality.

I had no issue with pairing Bluetooth devices, but using your favorite music streaming app needs a little setup to get it to work correctly. For example, with YouTube Music, I had to unfreeze the app and adjust power settings so Wi-Fi and Bluetooth weren’t turned off when the device slept.

The downside is that this has a noticeable impact on battery life, and if you use it as a music streamer, expect to charge it every few days. If you are serious about using it to play music, then the best bet is downloaded files and local playback through the built-in music app.

Video playback works, but only in the loosest sense, and it does not give a very watchable result. That said, music videos can be oddly pleasant if you lean into the low-resolution, low-frame-rate, pastel-color look.

The same is true for many mobile games — anything where high resolution or non-glacial framerates matter won’t be much fun, but some titles are perfectly playable.

The extra flexibility of being able to install and use regular apps is great overall, but despite the color screen, the Palma 2 Pro is much better thought of as a reading-first device that happens to handle audio playback and other light Android tasks better than most ereaders.

• User experience score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Performance

• Faster than the Palma 2, but still limited by E Ink
• Handles Android apps well for an E Ink device
• Battery life is very good

Thanks to extra RAM, Android 15 and software tuning, the Palma 2 Pro is slightly faster than the Palma 2 in daily use, though it’s not the kind of spec upgrade that changes what the device is good at.

It’s still an E Ink ereader first, so the improvements are more about smoother user experience than enabling phone-like usage.

Boox doesn't specify the exact processor, but CPU X identifies the chipset as QTI SM6350, with two cores running at 2.07GHz and six at 1.71GHz, plus Adreno 619 graphics.

That's the same class of hardware as the Palma 2, but the Pro pairs it with 8GB of RAM rather than 6GB. Android 15 and Boox’s software tuning also help the Pro feel smoother in daily use.

In Geekbench 6 benchmark testing, the Palma 2 Pro scored 632 for single-core, 1,586 for multi-core and 835 for GPU, compared to the Palma 2’s 519, 1,211 and 723 respectively.

That puts it 22% ahead in single-core testing, 31% ahead in multi-core and 15% ahead for GPU, giving the Pro a measurable advantage even if the real-world difference is a bit more modest than the numbers might suggest.

In real-world use, page turns feel slightly faster and smoother than on the Palma 2, but the difference is small. App launching and multitasking are a little better too. Apps open a touch quicker, menus feel more responsive and gesture navigation is noticeably easier to live with than it was on the Palma 2.

You still need to allow for the usual E Ink delay, but the Pro feels a little less hesitant when jumping between apps or digging into settings.

As with the Palma 2, gaming on the Pro is also workable, as long as you keep expectations realistic. Simple games like Alphabear 2 and Two Dots run fine, while more visually involved games such as Monument Valley 2 and Sky: Children of the Light are playable in a way that feels odd, but not unpleasant, on the E Ink screen.

The color display does help here, though the muted tones and lower refresh rate mean this is still more of a novelty than a device you’d pick for gaming.

Battery life is a little lower than the Palma 2, which isn’t surprising considering the better performance. The Pro uses the same 3,950mAh battery capacity as the Palma 2, and overall endurance is still very good.

The color screen itself does not use any extra power when it isn’t being refreshed, and even refreshes only use slightly more. The bigger impact comes from usage: when displaying a lot of color, the lower reflectivity means you tend to have the front light set slightly brighter than when reading plain text.

With conservative settings and around an hour of reading a day, I’d expect about five to six weeks from a charge, whereas the Palma 2 will do a week or two longer. If you’re using more apps, streaming audio, browsing the web and making use of wireless connections, two to three weeks is a more realistic expectation of battery life.

Charging speed will still depend on what you plug it into, but the Pro tops up quicker than the Palma 2 does in the same test. Using a wall adapter, the Palma 2 Pro went from 20% to full in around two hours, while charging from a laptop dock took it from 25% to 71% in an hour.

Overall, the Palma 2 Pro is a modest but useful step up in performance. Responsiveness is still limited by the lower-end hardware and E Ink display, but it feels smoother, handles Android better and has more than enough battery life to work well as a daily ereader.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

There aren’t many direct rivals to the Palma 2 Pro, which makes recommending alternatives a little tricky. Its phone-like shape, color E Ink display, Android flexibility, mobile data support and stylus compatibility put it in a very small category. Devices like the Bigme HiBreak Plus/Pro have very similar features, but we have not been able to test one yet, and they are harder to buy plus not as well supported as a known name like Boox.

Ultimately, most buyers will be choosing between the Palma 2 Pro and a more conventional ereader, or deciding whether the regular Palma 2 is enough. I’ve included the closest practical options below, covering the standard Palma 2 and two mainstream 6-inch ereaders.

For even more options, check out our guide to the best ereaders.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro

• Used as my daily reading device for 8 weeks
• Sideloaded eBooks, music and other files via BooxDrop, cloud, email and USB
• Downloaded Android apps for benchmarking, reading, streaming, browsing and light gaming

I began by following the on-screen setup process, connecting the Palma 2 Pro to Wi-Fi, activating Google Play and adjusting the main Boox settings for refresh rate, power-saving and system navigation. Like other Boox devices, there are more customization options here than you’ll find on a Kindle or Kobo, so I spent some time tuning the setup before using it as my daily ereader.

I used BooxDrop to transfer ebooks and music files, then tested other transfer methods including Google Drive, email, OTG and wired file transfer.

I downloaded Android apps from the Play Store, including Geekbench 6, CPU X, Google Play Books, Kindle, Kobo, Chrome, YouTube Music and a small selection of games. The reading apps were used to check page turns, refresh behavior and display optimization, while the music and browser apps were used to test how well the Palma 2 Pro handles more general Android tasks.

For most of the eight-week testing period, I used the Palma 2 Pro daily as an ereader. I also used it for web browsing, local music playback, YouTube Music streaming, audiobooks, light gaming and occasional video playback to test where its E Ink limitations stood out.

To compare it directly with the Palma 2, I used both devices side by side for reading, app use, navigation, scanning, sample photos and benchmarking. That comparison was especially useful for checking whether the color display, extra RAM and Android 15 made a practical difference in daily use.

Read more about how we test.

[First reviewed May 2026]

Logitech G512 X two-minute review

The Logitech G512 X reminds me of what Citroën tried to do with the C3 Pluriel — a car so busy trying to be everything that it ended up being not quite enough of anything. This is a keyboard that seeks to blur the lines between gaming and enthusiast-grade, which is a tricky line to walk — and one that the G512 X doesn't quite manage.

On one hand, it's trying to be one of the best keyboards money can buy, with capable tactile switches, gasket mounting and strong acoustics, and on the other, it's positioning itself as a top-end TMR gaming deck with potent HE switches with rapid trigger, dual actuation and all the rest of it. For $199.99/£199.99, this feels like a two-for-one deal I can get behind, but only in some respects.

In practice, the G512 X impresses with strong mechanical credentials and fast analog switches that can be swapped in an instant with the bundled pullers to provide the precision and power more competitive gamers will appreciate. I also like the clean software and the pleasant and rather striking black and purple chassis (it can also come in white and mint).

However, there are several limits to its powers that, to me, stop it from being a top contender for one of the best gaming keyboards out there. For instance, the chassis here is predominantly plastic and can flex at the corners, meaning the Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition is a much stronger bet for build quality, while the fact that the analog hot-swappable powers only extend to 39 of the keyboard's switch sockets just feels like an oversight. The likes of the Cherry Xtrfy MX 8.2 Pro TMR Wireless and Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE have already addressed this more convincingly with full hot-swap support.

Likewise, the high price tag is hard to ignore, even if you're getting some genuine cleverness here. The likes of the Cherry Xtrfy K5 Pro TMR Compact and Corsair K70 Pro TKL offer as much, or more, gaming grunt for a lower price, and the aforementioned Keychron adds wireless connectivity for an identical price. Nonetheless, it's still more affordable than the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3.

Logitech G512 X review: Price & release date

• Costs: $199.99 / £199.99
• Available May 2 2026
• Towards the top end of the market

The Logitech G512 X is available in two sizes, and therefore two prices, with the 96% option I have here the dearest at $199.99/£199.99. If you wanted the smaller 75% option, you'll be paying $179.99/£169.99. The keyboard is currently available for pre-order, with shipping from May 2 2026.

The price puts it towards the top end of the market for similar Hall effect gaming keyboards, and it's similar in a lot of respects to the Corsair K70 Pro TKL. The Cherry Xtrfy K5 Pro TMR Compact is also a potent wired choice, and is a fair bit cheaper than Logitech's offering, although it lacks some of the versatility of the G512 X.

Other more pro-oriented products that this keyboard is designed to compete with, such as the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL and the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3, cost a bit more, though, arguably due to having extra software trickery or wireless connectivity options.

In the box, Logitech provides the keyboard itself, a USB-C to USB-A cable for wired connectivity, switch and keycap pullers that double as feet and documentation. There is also a wristrest available, although that is a separate purchase.

• Price score: 3.5/5

Logitech G512 X review: Specs

Logitech G512 X review: Design & features

• Stylish black and purple chassis
• Build quality leaves a lot to be desired
• Reasonably intuitive layout

Logitech has opted for a different look to a lot of its other past gaming keyboard efforts with the G512 X, adding a welcome splash of color, such as the purple-accented Esc and arrow keys, alongside the dual dials in the right corner and the color that's sandwiched in between the black of the frame down the sides and around the back. Both sizes of the Logitech G512 X can also come in white with mint accents, and you can swap out the colored keycaps for ones that match the rest of the body for a more uniform look.

There's a certain style here that I'm quite a fan of, alongside the diffused lighting aesthetic across the front.

For a $200 keyboard, the fact that the frame feels like it's mostly plastic isn't a great first impression, especially as rivals incorporate a lot of metal for sturdiness, or even go as far as to make the case out of a material such as resin, or concrete, in the case of Keychron's latest entry.

This has the effect of making the chassis flex under heavy pressure both in the middle and at the corners, giving the G512 X a much cheaper feel that I'm not a fan of, not least from a brand that should (and can) do better. Despite this, there is a decent amount of heft to the frame, with it tipping the scales at 2.2lbs/1kg, which means some thought has gone into it. Just not enough in my book.

The fit and finish elsewhere is quite reasonable, with pleasant PBT keycaps under the finger that have a nice grip for comfortable typing. PBT is a more durable plastic than the swathes of ABS I'm used to seeing on more mainstream keyboards, and is also much less resistant to the horrible keycap shine that plagues ABS-capped boards after a fair amount of use.

Logitech offers the G512 X in two layout varieties, with either a 75% or a 96% configuration available. The former offers the benefit of a TKL layout (also known as Tenkeyless, which means the keyboard doesn't have a numpad) in a slightly squished-up fashion, with an F-row, arrow keys and a single column nav cluster alongside the usual alphanumeric keys.

The 96% layout is the one I have, and it supplements this with a number pad. The placement of keys against other keyboards of this form factor I've tried is different, owing to the two dials in the top right. By default, the dials control backlight level (left) and media volume (right), although they can be remapped in Logitech's G Hub software. Usually, the navigation keys are moved above the number pad, but they're now part of a function layer, with only the Print Screen key above the number pad. Otherwise, this is a method of packing in most of the functionality of a full-size keyboard into a slightly space-saving chassis.

The interface around the back is where things get a little interesting, as you'll find standard features such as a USB-C port for wired connectivity, plus two buttons – one for scanning the keyboard to check for any analog switches installed (this is then reported into software for customization purposes), while the other enables Game Mode. In the middle, there is a cubby hole for the nine Gateron KS-20 analog switches that can be swapped into the keyboard and a shelf for five silicon rings that can be placed around a switch to help denote where a secondary actuation point is (if they're set in the software).

I like the clever use of storage space on the rear of the G512 X, and I think it's a smart feature that other keyboard makers could take notice of. The silicon rings do tend to fall out of the back of the keyboard, though, if you move it around.

On the underside, you'll find some small feet that raise the keyboard up by default to a more comfortable angle, although the included keycap and switch pullers also double as feet for an even taller angle. Getting these into place in between the existing feet is quite finicky, and they don't feel the most secure.

On the topic of software, G Hub handles configuration duties for everything from RGB lighting control to key remapping and dealing with rapid trigger and actuation point options. For rapid trigger and such, you can program inputs on a scale from 0.1mm all the way down to 4mm, giving a lot of configuration. There are also options here to set two actuations per key and deal with SOCD tech, which I'll get into later.

The RGB lighting here is rather bright, and there is a good deal of customization offered in the software to change colors, patterns and the like. My only criticism is that in a lot of cases, the backlighting doesn't extend to the edges of some of the legends.

• Design and features: 3.5/5

Logitech G512 X review: Performance

• Tactile mechanical switches by default…
• …which can be swapped to HE switches for more speed and precision
• Solely wired connectivity, although with 8000Hz polling rate

It's on the front of what's inside the G512 X where things get quite intriguing, as this is one of only a handful of keyboards out there that'll accept both more standard mechanical switches and magnetic or analog switches in one go. The only others that spring to mind are the Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE and the Cherry Xtrfy MX 8.2 Pro TMR Wireless, although in this respect, I'd argue both of them have a leg up on Logitech.

That's because this 'board only accepts its analog TMR switches on 39 of the hot-swappable sockets, mostly on the left side of the keyboard, as that's where most of the switches pressed for gaming exist – the arrow keys are the only notable exception, according to Logitech. I understand why they've done this, but surely it would've made more sense to offer that precision and power across the entire alphanumeric set, rather than just over half of it.

This keyboard ships first and foremost as a more traditional mechanical choice, with it available either with indeterminate Linear or Tactile switches; my sample shipped with the latter. I feel it is quite important to note that some of the documentation I was provided with for this keyboard calls these switches 'MX Mechanical Switches' when I can find no evidence that these are proper Cherry MX switches. There isn't any branding on them to suggest so, for instance, and the housing doesn't look like the MX Browns I'm so used to, leading me to believe these are some form of clones.

To be fair to Logitech, the clones it has fitted provide a positive actuation with a healthy bump halfway down the travel alongside a smooth travel and a surprisingly light 38g weighting.

Acoustics here are strong, with no case rattle or ping from the stabilisers or internal mechanism, while the G512 X also has internal gaskets to provide a slightly more responsive, 'bouncier' feel under finger. There is a fair amount of key wobble, though.

Hot-swap support for the standard mechanical switches is the usual MX-style three or five-pin switches, and it works the way you'd expect, with no soldering or funny business required. Just note that the bundled switch and keycap pullers Logitech has provided aren't great at doing their job, so you'll want to find a combo puller or separate ones from elsewhere. It took me several attempts before I even got a grip on either the keycap or the switch.

When it comes to the analog switches, Logitech has opted to use Gateron KS-20 Hall effect switches for the nine included on the rear of the keyboard, which I've seen fitted to HE keyboards in the past from the likes of Wooting and even Sony. These feel as I expected, with a smooth keypress afforded by having no physical mechanism inside and all the benefits of speed and precision over what comes by default inside the G512 X.

The key thing here is that these are powered by TMR sensing sockets, rather than the more ubiquitous Hall effect, which is something we're seeing become more common with gaming keyboards in 2026. Without getting too much into the weeds, TMR stands for Tunnel Magneto-Resistance, and is a technology we've mostly seen applied to game controllers rather than keyboards. It's essentially designed to offer a greater degree of precision and general responsiveness over the litany of Hall effect products we see in controllers and keyboards.

It's also meant to be more power-efficient, although as this is a purely wired keyboard, it isn't that important compared to wireless TMR keyboards from other folks.

As much as this is a keyboard you can use for general day-to-day stuff with its full mechanical set, it's more at home when you use the keycap and switch pullers and swap out the mechanical switches for analog ones, which is very easy. For my testing, I elected to swap the WASD keys, Shift and the 1, 2, and 3 number keys for speed in Counter-Strike 2 for movement, crouching and weapon selection.

With those switches swapped out, you can go into Logitech's G Hub and scan the keyboard, which will recognise the new switches as being analog, and you can then configure things such as rapid trigger, dual actuation and more. I didn't set the actuation and reset as high as 0.1mm, as I've often felt that's too sensitive, and instead set it to a more reasonable 0.5mm.

This decision essentially turns these switches into hair triggers. It means inputs required very little effort, which becomes very handy in quick-draw scenarios where you need to bring a weapon out or throw a grenade as quickly as possible.

Using G-Hub also opens up more advanced features, such as dual actuation, where you can go through a switch's travel with two inputs mapped. This is where the little o-rings that Logitech provides come in, as they're specifically designed to notify you when that second input should be recognised.

There are limits to the G512 X's powers, though, as its switches don't support more progressive and controller-like analogue inputs, as you'll get on rivals from the likes of Wooting and Keychron at this price. This is handy if you wanted to play racing titles such as Forza Horizon 5 with your keyboard.

Logitech provides its own flavour of SOCD tech, known as 'key priority', which is controllable in G Hub, and can be mapped to seemingly any pair of switches. It allows you to activate one key while holding down the other for especially quick actions. In this instance, it works based on the most recent one pressed; for instance, if mapped to the A and D keys (the typical default in a lot of rival choices), it can allow for unnaturally quick side-to-side movement for a tactic known as 'jiggle strafing' in Counter-Strike 2.

It's very clever, although not something you'll probably use too much in online games, given Valve wields the ban hammer for anyone who uses it in online Counter-Strike 2 games.

Connectivity with the G512 X is strictly wired, with no Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless choices available. Over this wired connection, you also get an 8000Hz polling rate for more frequent reporting of inputs than 'standard' gaming keyboards, which can lead to a more responsive feel. This isn't necessarily something that mere mortals can feel, although for the pros, where every millisecond counts, it's a useful addition.

• Performance: 4/5

Should I buy the Logitech G512 X?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the Logitech G512 X

• Tested for around a week
• Used for gaming and productivity across Windows and macOS
• A decade of experience as a journalist and mechanical keyboard hobbyist

I tested the G512 X for around a week, using it as my main keyboard for work and play during this time with both Windows and macOS.

I played various games, including Counter-Strike 2 and Forza Horizon 5, to best gauge its TMR switches. I also made sure to use Logitech's G Hub software to test every facet of the keyboard.

I've been a tech journalist for the best part of a decade, and have reviewed plenty of keyboards in that time from brands big and small. I'm also a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, so I have a keen eye for peripherals and have been involved with the hobby before it hit the mainstream.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: April 2026

ZimaCube 2: 30-second review

The original ZimaCube was a Kickstarter campaign by IceWhale that delivered a workable NAS with a reasonable specification. Having proven the concept, the ZimaCube 2 Personal Cloud NAS is a direct-to-retail launch that addresses several shortcomings of the original.

Replacing the N100 CPU is a Core i3-1215U, an Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake chip with six cores, eight threads, 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes, and DDR5 memory support.

At $799, it ships with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD pre-installed, along with ZimaOS already loaded, which can be upgraded to ZimaOS+ for a small fee. Six SATA bays are ready for drives, and four M.2 slots sit in the expansion section for NVMe storage.

That puts it in direct competition with the UGREEN NASync DXP6800 Pro, which costs north of $1,000, though that machine does come with an i5-class CPU.

Where the ZimaCube 2 stands out is its pair of free PCIe slots, which make it straightforward to add 10GbE LAN, a discrete GPU, or additional M.2 capacity. It also accepts up to 32GB of DDR5 memory.

That flexibility extends to software as well. The internal 256GB NVMe drive runs ZimaOS, a Linux-derived NAS platform, but IceWhale also supports TrueNAS for those who prefer it.

On the whole, the ZimaCube 2 addresses many of the complaints levelled at the N100-powered original, while keeping the minimalist styling intact. But with memory and storage prices what they are, is it offering enough performance for buyers looking to run local AI workloads?

This might not be one of the best NAS devices for home and small business users, but the impressive functionality and build quality make it an interesting alternative.

ZimaCube 2: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $799
• When is it out? On pre-order
• Where can you get it? Direct from IceWhale

The ZimaCube 2 is only available direct from IceWhale for $799.

At that price, this Personal Cloud NAS sits above the mainstream six-bay offerings from Synology and QNAP but below their higher-end units with comparable processing power. The QNAP TS-664 in the same bracket uses a Celeron N5105. Neither offers Thunderbolt 4 nor any of the open-platform flexibility.

The Synology DS1825+ is an eight-bay machine that also ships without 10GbE as standard, uses the same AMD Ryzen V1500B with four cores, and comes with 8GB of DDR ECC. Synology asks $1,149.99 for the privilege.

The DS1621+ is now end-of-line and has not been replaced. The only six-bay DS series NAS Synology currently offers is the ageing DS620slim, built for 2.5-inch drives.

Closer in price is the five-bay DS1525+, at $799.99. That gets you the same AMD Ryzen V1500B, the same 8GB of DDR4 ECC, two M.2 slots, USB-C (not Thunderbolt), and a single proprietary PCIe expansion slot with Gen3 x2 lanes. Networking is dual 2.5GbE, though you can add higher speeds via the PCIe slot with a $109.99 E10G22-T1-Mini card.

It is worth noting that since Synology began restricting compatible drives to its own-brand range, you can no longer use third-party M.2 SSDs in these machines. Synology's own SSDs arrive in remarkably small capacities and at eye-watering prices. The SNV5420-400G Enterprise Series M.2 NVMe SSD, a 400GB drive with a 650MB/s write speed, costs $484.99. If Synology is still positioning itself as a prosumer and small-business NAS vendor, its pricing makes that argument difficult to sustain.

Asustor has the Lockerstor 6 Gen3 AS6806T, a six-bay machine with a Quad-Core AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14, 2.5GbE LAN ports, the option to add 10GbE via PCIe, and four M.2 slots. It lacks Thunderbolt but does support USB4. Asustor wants $1,539.99 for that, which puts it on par with the ZimaCube 2 Pro.

A more balanced comparison is with Ugreen, which launched its iDX series at CES 2026 with Intel Core Ultra 7 processors, dual 10GbE, and Thunderbolt 4 at competitive prices. Those units are entering the market at the same time as the ZimaCube 2, and their specifications closely overlap with those of the ZimaCube 2 Pro.

From Ugreen, and currently on offer, $679.99 gets you the four-bay NASync DXP4800 Pro, which uses the i3-1315U, comes with 8GB of DDR5 RAM, 10GbE and 2.5GbE LAN, and dual M.2 slots running at Gen 4x4. It lacks Thunderbolt and has two fewer bays, but the processor is 13th Gen rather than 12th.

Six bays from Ugreen means stepping up to the NASync DXP5800 Pro, which uses the i5-1235U found in the ZimaCube 2 Pro. It comes with dual 10GbE LAN, 8GB of RAM, dual PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 slots, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a single PCIe x4 slot. The asking price is $1,027.99. The ZimaCube 2 Pro costs $1,299 and comes with 16GB of memory.

Circling back to the ZimaCube 2, the pricing is reasonable for what you get, particularly when compared to Asustor or Synology.

• Value: 4 / 5

ZimaCube 2: Specs

ZimaCube 2: Design

• All-metal construction
• Bays are not lockable
• Easy internal access

From the outside, the ZimaCube 2 looks remarkably similar to the original. It is the same size, the same aluminium box, with storage below and the system above, which makes sense from a heat management perspective.

The six front-loading SATA bays sit behind a plastic grille held in place by magnets, but there is no obvious way to remove it. The designer left no tab to pull it or get a fingernail underneath. Having removed it a couple of times, I would be more likely to leave the grille in the box than deal with it repeatedly.

With the grille off, there are six vertically mounted drive trays and a seventh for the four M.2 drives. The trays were a disappointment on several counts.

They are not lockable and require screws, regardless of whether you are fitting 2.5- or 3.5-inch drives. Virtually every branded NAS maker now offers tool-less 3.5-inch trays, and installing 24 screws for a full build is a tedious way to spend an afternoon.

Extracting the M.2 bay means unscrewing a retained thumbscrew, but that alone is not enough to pull it free. Getting it out required me to remove bay six first, just to find something to grip. These are the sort of issues that should have been caught at the prototype stage.

Another carry-over from the original is the placement of the ports 14cm up the cube. Three USB 3.0 ports sit on the front (two USB-A, one USB-C), alongside an audio jack and the power button. Around the back are the power inlet and reset hole, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, dual Thunderbolt 4, dual USB 3.0 Type-A, DisplayPort 1.4, and HDMI 2.0 video outputs.

The problem with routing USB and Thunderbolt cables from mid-height is that most external drives ship with cables that are not long enough to reach a desk without some awkward draping. Placing the ports on top would not be much better. This is why most NAS designs put the mainboard, and its associated ports, at the base.

The upside of IceWhale's approach is that the system is genuinely easy to access. Remove four screws, lift the top, and everything is exposed: the DDR5 SODIMMs, the two PCIe slots, the CPU cooler, and an unoccupied M.2 slot on the motherboard.

What I found slightly odd is that there are no fans pushing or pulling air through this area, only small perforations in the sides and rear. Warm air will naturally rise and collect where the system lives, but there is no active mechanism to extract it. The CPU cooler in this model is noticeably larger than the one in the original ZimaCube, which helps, but once the heat leaves the chip, it still has nowhere obvious to go.

Keeping the same enclosure no doubt reduced the cost of bringing the ZimaCube 2 to market. But the fact that almost none of the physical design problems have been addressed is hard to overlook.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

ZimaCube 2: Features

• Intel i3-1215U
• 20 PCIe lanes
• Not an AI platform

More than anything else, the N100 processor is what damaged the original ZimaCube. Intel gave that chip just nine PCIe lanes, which was simply not enough to service six hard drives, USB ports, and dual 2.5GbE LAN simultaneously.

The ZimaCube 2 swaps that for the Intel i3-1215U, a CPU with six cores, eight threads, and, critically, 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes. Since those lanes are PCIe 4.0 rather than PCIe 3.0, the total available bandwidth is more than four times what the N100 could offer.

The architecture splits those six cores into two performance cores with hyperthreading and four efficiency cores, giving eight simultaneous threads in total. That is not as capable as the ZimaCube 2 Pro, which uses the i5-1235U with ten cores, but it is more than sufficient for the typical NAS workload mix.

In practice, the ZimaCube 2 can handle Docker containers, media transcoding, RAID rebuilds, and light virtualisation running concurrently, without the processor becoming the obvious throttle.

That said, the 20 lanes have to stretch across a lot of hardware. The bandwidth consumers include two M.2 slots on the mainboard, four M.2 slots on the bay-seven riser, two PCIe slots, six SATA drives, all the USB ports, dual 2.5GbE LAN, and the two 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 connections. That is why there is no 10GbE LAN port included on the standard model.

The four M.2 slots in the expansion bay also deserve some clarity. Each runs at PCIe Gen 3 x1, which gives an individual bandwidth ceiling of around 800MB/s per slot. That is adequate for tiering or caching, but it is not the full-speed NVMe performance the slot count might suggest. Users expecting PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds will be disappointed. Those planning to use them as high-capacity supplementary storage on top of a SATA array will find them perfectly serviceable.

The obvious answer to both the missing 10GbE port and the slow M.2 slots is the PCIe expansion slot, but what those slots appear to offer and what they actually deliver is worth clarifying.

The larger x16 slot looks as though it could take a low-profile video card, but electrically it is only PCIe 4.0 x4. Each lane delivers 2GB/s, so there is enough bandwidth for a single PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe drive or two 10GbE LAN ports.

The second PCIe slot is physically x4 but electrically only two lanes of PCIe 3.0. IceWhale sells an accessory card for this slot, with two M.2 2280/2242/2230 positions, though it was designed for PCIe 4.0 and would perform better in the x16 slot. With two PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives on that card, each would get around 4GB/s.

There is also a PCIe to 2.5GbE Ethernet adapter available, offering a relatively inexpensive way to add network bandwidth if your infrastructure supports channel bonding. Alternatively, Thunderbolt adapters can deliver 5GbE or even 10GbE if you need it.

It is hard to overstate how much of an improvement the i3 represents over the N100. The bandwidth increase alone unlocks possibilities that simply were not available before. Even so, this is 12th Gen Intel silicon built on Intel's 10nm Enhanced SuperFin process, a considerable distance behind the Series 100, 200, and 300 silicon Intel currently ships.

There are no AI accelerator components here whatsoever. Ugreen's iDX series has moved to the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, rated at 96 TOPS. Neither the ZimaCube 2 nor the Pro model can compete with that, so if running a local LLM on your NAS is the goal, this is not the right machine.

One last point worth flagging is the memory configuration. The machine ships with a single 8GB DDR5 module. There is a free slot, so getting to 16GB is straightforward, but a single module means the NAS is not running in dual-channel mode. DDR5 4800MT/s is inherently dual-channel in specification, but most systems only enable it with two modules fitted. Adding a matching module would noticeably improve memory bandwidth.

IceWhale states the system accepts two 32GB modules for a maximum of 64GB, which is four times the total in the N100. At current RAM prices, most buyers are unlikely to go that far, but there is headroom if needed.

The ZimaCube 2 platform is a significant step forward from the original. The problem is that the NAS market has moved forward, and some of the competition is now ahead of where this machine has landed.

• Features: 4 / 5

ZimaCube 2: Software

• ZimaOS Plus
• Paid licensing tier
• TrueNAS approved

ZimaOS arrives pre-installed and boots straight to a browser-based dashboard, with no keyboard or monitor required during setup, provided the machine finds a network connection.

The interface has matured considerably since the early CasaOS days. Drive management, RAID configuration, Docker container deployment, and an app store covering Plex, Jellyfin, Immich, Photoprism, Home Assistant, and several hundred more are all accessible from the same web UI, with no command line needed.

Compared to the relatively limited app selection that Ugreen currently offers, ZimaOS looks well-stocked. Plex, Home Assistant, Jellyfin, Nextcloud, Syncthing, Pi-hole, Portainer, Tailscale, and WordPress are all there.

It is worth noting, though, that most of these apps are not native ZimaOS applications. When you launch them, they open as web-based applications with their own port numbers rather than appearing within the main system interface. That suggests the App Manager is essentially managing pre-configured Docker installations behind the scenes.

There is a reasonable argument that with tools like Portainer now widely available, the concept of native applications matters less than it once did. That was previously one of the strongest selling points for Synology. What ZimaOS does is make Docker installs feel as seamless as native apps while still delivering the functionality users actually want.

What users do not want is an unexpected bill.

The introduction of a paid ZimaOS Plus tier, priced at $29 for life, has generated debate in the community. IceWhale frames it as a contribution to sustainable development rather than a subscription, and states that a third of licence revenue is distributed back to community contributors.

Core functionality for most home users is available without the Plus licence. The paid tier unlocks unlimited disk support, unlimited users, and certain advanced features. Whether that feels fair depends on how much of the Plus tier a given user actually needs. Given the overall cost of the machine, asking for a licence on top feels like a second bite of the cherry.

If you don’t pay the extra $29, you get a version of ZimaOS that can support a maximum of four disks and three users. And, although basic RAID is available in the free version, Plus enables advanced configurations for better redundancy and data protection, including enhanced support for ZFS and larger storage arrays. There are also enhancements in remote access, backup/sync and priority support.

It’s worth noting that the license is ‘lifetime’, but it applies only to that specific hardware, not to any other ZimaOS devices.

That said, the cost and the debate can both be sidestepped entirely. The platform was designed with OS flexibility in mind, and TrueNAS, Unraid, Proxmox, and OpenMediaVault all run without modification. pfSense and OPNsense are options for anyone wanting to repurpose the hardware as a network appliance.

• Software: 4 / 5

ZimaCube 2: Performance

• Network options
• Expansion possibilities
• Limited M.2 performance

The case for buying the ZimaCube 2 Standard over its predecessor rests almost entirely on the Core i3-1215U. The original ZimaCube's N100 was a four-core, low-power processor with nine PCIe 3.0 lanes, which proved wholly inadequate for a six-bay NAS running dual 2.5GbE networking alongside M.2 storage and any active workload.

The i3-1215U changes things fundamentally. Six cores and eight threads with 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes means the bus contention that plagued the N100 is no longer a concern. Docker containers and media transcoding can now run at the same time without the processor struggling, and the system can handle light virtualisation on top of that.

Networking on the standard model tops out at dual 2.5GbE, which in practical terms means a ceiling of around 280MB/s per port. For home backup, media streaming to multiple devices, and general file serving, that is adequate. For workloads demanding higher throughput, the Thunderbolt 4 ports offer a direct-attach path at up to 40Gbps, which is a meaningful alternative to 10GbE for single-machine workflows.

Anyone wanting permanent 10GbE over the network will need the Pro model, or will need to use the PCIe 4.0 slot for a 10GbE card. These are not expensive, and you are not limited to IceWhale-approved options.

From a performance standpoint, the weak link in the ZimaCube 2 is the M.2 expansion section. Gen 3 x1 per slot does not offer a dramatic improvement over SATA SSD speeds. If you plan to use the slots for hard drive caching, one slot for reads and one for writes, the speeds are acceptable. For anything more demanding, the PCIe 4.0 slot is again the route to better performance.

And that is the underlying tension. The PCIe 4.0 slot is the answer to the 10GbE question, the faster M.2 question, and the GPU question. But there is only one of them. Giving this machine four times the bandwidth of its predecessor turned out not to be quite enough.

• Performance: 3.5/5

ZimaCube 2: Final verdict

The ZimaCube 2 is a much better machine than the original, but several problems have been carried straight over from the first generation without being fixed.

IceWhale seems committed to the cube form factor, even though NAS buyers generally do not care what shape their hardware is. What is telling is that the team listened carefully to criticism of the N100 processor and acted on it, yet largely ignored feedback about the missing drive tray locks and the awkward port placement.

Perhaps the third generation can fix what this one has not, while still keeping the distinctive shape.

In other respects, the ZimaCube 2 is the machine the original should have been. Swapping the N100 for the Core i3-1215U removes the architectural ceiling that undermined the first generation, and Thunderbolt 4 gives the standard model a high-speed access path that partially offsets the 2.5GbE networking limitation.

The M.2 expansion section is slower than its slot count implies, and 8GB of RAM is tight for a machine capable of running Docker containers alongside a six-bay RAID array. But both are straightforward to fix, and the open platform means the hardware is not held back by the software running on it.

At $799, this is a genuinely compelling option for anyone who wants a capable, expandable, properly hackable six-bay server without paying Pro prices.

Should you buy a ZimaCube 2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more NAS solutions we've collated the best NAS hard drives around

How we tested PrivadoVPN Free

This PrivadoVPN Free review was written by VPN Editor, Rob Dunne. I've been researching and writing about VPNs, like PrivadoVPN Free, for two years.

I have PrivadoVPN Free installed on my iPhone and Android mobile devices, my Lenovo laptop, and my Chrome browser. I used it during my commute to keep my data secure (from snoopers and man-in-the-middle attacks) while connected to the free Wi-Fi hotspot, and to access US-based streaming services (think Peacock and HBO Max).

Read more about our PrivadoVPN Free testing methodology below▼

PrivadoVPN Free review scores

Below, you'll find our breakdown of how PrivadoVPN Free scored in our testing, across all of the categories. Click on the links in the Comments column to jump to specific sections for a more in-depth read.

PrivadoVPN Free price plans

• PrivadoVPN Free plan is free forever.
• Free users are limited to a monthly data cap of 10 GB.
• PrivadoVPN premium plans start from $1.11 a month.

PrivadoVPN Free is a free VPN, and that means there are no paid subscription tiers to choose from.

The free plan has a lot to recommend it. It's quick, works with some streaming platforms (something most free services can't claim), and comes with core VPN tools. These include a kill switch and split tunnelling.

PrivadoVPN Free is light on additional features, but this is par for the course for most free VPNs. However, if you've used the free version of PrivadoVPN and want to expand its functionality (and remove the 10 GB monthly data cap), a premium version of the product is available.

The cheapest PrivadoVPN plan comes in at $1.11 per month for 2 years of coverage. Plus, it also gives users access to the Control Tower, which is unavailable in the free version. Control Tower is PrivadoVPN's ad, malware, ransomware, and crypto blocker. It also houses some parental control features.

The full-fat version of PrivadoVPN includes unlimited simultaneous connections, too, servers in 67 locations, and various connection customization options.

Below, we've included a table detailing the difference in feature parity between PrivadoVPN's free and paid plans.

These are nice extras to have for more advanced users who want to tailor their VPN connection and protect multiple devices. If not having these extras isn't a deal-breaker for you, however, then PrivadoVPN Free is still a solid option that can do more than most free VPNs.

Score: 10/10

Features: What can PrivadoVPN Free do?

• Strong encryption protocols.
• Auto-connect tool is surprisingly customizable.
• Low feature count compared to paid VPNs.

Unlike paid alternatives (including PrivadoVPN premium), PrivadoVPN Free doesn't come with an extensive toolkit of security-boosting features. This isn't unusual for a free service. Paid VPNs often offer a free subscription tier as a sample – a small taste of what the full product has to offer.

As a result, free VPNs typically have fewer features, fewer servers to choose from, and less support for streaming. This applies to PrivadoVPN Free, too.

Starting with the monthly data allowance, PrivadoVPN Free gives users 10 GB of data per month. That's not a lot, and won't go far if you regularly stream, torrent, or game with the VPN, but it's enough to use with social media or when checking emails.

Something to keep in mind is that, unlike other free VPNs that limit user data (like Windscribe Free), PrivadoVPN Free's allowance isn't updated automatically each month.

During testing, we logged into our PrivadoVPN Free account after not using it for a while, and the app told us that our free account was ready to be "refilled to 10 gigs".

We were prompted to click a link. It opened a PrivadoVPN webpage where we logged into our account, then followed another link that opened a "Buy" page. We ignored the paid options and clicked the "Refresh Data" button under the free plan info.

This isn't a big deal, as the process was simple enough, but it's a hassle that other free VPNs don't have. Plus, if you live in a country where you can't access the PrivadoVPN website because of nationwide VPN blocks or bans, it might preclude you from using the service at all.

If you exceed the 10 GB monthly cap, PrivadoVPN Free doesn't cut you off entirely. You can still use the VPN in Lite Mode. Lite Mode users can't choose their server location (the VPN automatically selects the closest server) and are subject to throttled speeds (we saw speeds of 1 Mbps).

It's not ideal, but we're glad that some VPN access is permitted, as it'll no doubt come in handy to users who can't risk accessing the internet without protection.

PrivadoVPN Free supports the OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), WireGuard, and IKEv2 VPN protocols on all platforms. This is a pretty standard spread that gives users some flexibility.

OpenVPN provides tried-and-tested security, WireGuard is quick and ideal for streaming and gaming, and IKEv2 is well-suited for mobile devices, seeing as it remains especially stable when switching between networks (like Wi-Fi and mobile data).

A kill switch is an important part of any VPN's toolkit, free or paid, and PrivadoVPN's kill switch is a mixed bag (which we'll dig into in the Security section). PrivadoVPN Free also has a split-tunnelling feature called SmartRoute.

We're also glad to see that PrivadoVPN Free offers a basic auto-connect feature. It's available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices, and automatically connects the user to a server when the app starts.

It's more configurable than most free auto-connect tools, too. We were able to connect to one of four options when using Windows and Android devices: a recommended country, the last used location, a random location from our favorites list, or a random location from the full server list. The same applies to Mac devices, though iOS users miss out on this configurability.

Unfortunately, this is where PrivadoVPN Free's feature toolkit comes to an end. There's no Tor over VPN functionality that'll let you access Tor sites while also benefiting from VPN protection, and no multi-hop tools that route your connection through two (or more) VPN servers for an extra layer of encryption and security.

Again, this is what we expect from a free service. Proton VPN Free, for example, restricts its Tor over VPN and multi-hop tools to paying users.

If these features are a must-have, you'll be better off subscribing to a premium service like NordVPN or Surfshark. Both of these VPNs also come with built-in ad, tracker, and malware blocking tools.

PrivadoVPN's premium plan has its own DNS-based version of ad and malicious site protection, called Control Tower, but it's not available to free users.

Score: 5/10

Server network and locations

• Free servers in 13 locations
• Coverage incudes servers Asia and South America as well as US and Europe.
• Mostly virtual servers hosted in data centres far from labelled server location.

PrivadoVPN's site claims that there are "hundreds" of available VPN servers. When you consider that most premium VPNs have server networks numbering in the thousands, PrivadoVPN's pool is relatively shallow.

The other issue is that we're unsure how many of these servers are accessible to free users. There may not be a fixed number, either, as PrivadoVPN Free could allocate different numbers depending on the time or user demand.

We do know that PrivadoVPN Free offers 13 free server locations. This is more than the 8 countries users have access to with Proton VPN Free, and edges out Windscribe Free, too, which offers access to 10.

These server locations are spread across 10 countries, including 4 locations in the US. There's also coverage in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Considering that there are so few options available, PrivadoVPN Free has done a good job of distributing them as evenly as possible around the world.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, during our investigation, we didn't see any mention of servers having specific limits for free users. We weren't told that free users can't stream or torrent. As far as we can tell, all free servers appear to support the same core features as those in the paid network.

PrivadoVPN Free doesn't make it clear whether it uses virtual locations. We couldn't see any icons in the server list that indicated whether a server location was real (physically hosted in that country) or virtual (physically hosted elsewhere). When we visited the Network page on the PrivadoVPN site, we couldn't find any mention of virtual servers at all.

This meant that we had to do our own hands-on testing. We tested 13 server locations to confirm that they returned IP addresses from the location they were listed under.

We found that PrivadoVPN Free makes heavy use of virtual locations. 6 of its 13 locations are really hosted in Amsterdam, 4 are hosted in Washington DC, and the 13 locations are hosted via only 7 data centers.

Some of these data centers are far from the supposed location of the server. For example, the Argentina, Brazil, and India locations are really hosted in Amsterdam. This can have a negative impact on your speeds.

If you're in India and connect to the free India server to access a local website, for example, routing your traffic to the Netherlands and back will take a toll on your overall performance.

Neither PrivadoVPN Free nor its paid alternative uses RAM-only servers, unlike ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark, and that has privacy implications. More on that in a moment.

Score: 5/10

Privacy

• No logs policy does leave room for some logging to take place.
• Scramble tool is basic, but will mask OpenVPN traffic.
• Split tunnelling feature is customizable, but not available on macOS.

On paper, PrivadoVPN Free's no-logs policy looks sound enough. It claims not to store details about user browsing sessions while connected to a server, that it never logs identifiable data like IP addresses, traffic destination, and DNS queries, and that it won't sell data to third parties.

However, even if all of these promises are 100% true, there's still scope for some logging to take place.

PrivadoVPN Free could log metadata about your sessions, like connection time, your approximate location, the server you chose, and maybe more – and all without technically breaking its no-logs policy.

The Data Retention clause in its privacy policy states: "We store the data we collect about you for as long as necessary for the purposes for which we originally collected it."

We've seen other VPNs say similar things, but they'll typically provide a timescale, too, like deleting your custom records two years after you delete your account. PrivadoVPN Free doesn't provide any limits, so there's no way of knowing how long it keeps hold of user data. A month? A year? Forever?

Users do have the right to contact PrivadoVPN Free and ask for the company to delete their data, but they shouldn't have to. We'd rather PrivadoVPN Free set clear limits for how long it takes for different types of data to be erased.

PrivadoVPN Free's Windows client includes an OpenVPN setting called Scramble. Once enabled, it claims to "[add] obfuscation capability to OpenVPN, allowing it to bypass network traffic sensors which aim to detect usage of the protocol and log, throttle or block it".

PrivadoVPN Free doesn't provide any information about how Scramble works, though we suspect it's a straightforward implementation of a standard OpenVPN feature.

Scramble isn't innovative, but it will come in handy to anyone who needs to conceal their VPN traffic – especially if they live in a country where VPN usage is banned, or if it's prohibited by their network administrator. We're glad to see that it's included in the free offering.

We do prefer Proton VPN's Stealth protocol, however, which is included in its free plan. Stealth is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, and is fully open-source – so there's no mystery about how it works or what it's doing to your data.

As I said in the Server Network section just above, PrivadoVPN doesn't use RAM-only servers.

We dug into the privacy policy to see if PrivadoVPN offered any justification for this decision (Proton VPN, for example, chooses not to use RAM-only servers, claiming that they offer no real security benefits). We found a relatively generic clause:

"Our infrastructure and secure servers are contained in fully locked and 24/7 monitored data facilities that are best in class.

Even if a regulatory authority physically seizes a PrivadoVPN server (assuming it could break the disk encryption) there would be no logs or information that could be tied [to] an individual user."

The second paragraph revealed a new detail to us: PrivadoVPN Free's server disks are encrypted. This is an encouraging security measure, but we need more (or any) articles detailing how it works, as well as annual audits of the infrastructure to confirm that PrivadoVPN Free is doing everything it can to safeguard user data privacy.

In happier news, PrivadoVPN Free is headquartered in Switzerland. This means that there are no mandatory data retention laws that would require it to store and log user data, and users are protected by strong Swiss privacy laws.

PrivadoVPN's split tunnelling feature is called SmartRoute. During our testing, we found that it was a very complete implementation of split tunnelling that can apply to apps, websites, and IP addresses.

It also supports Bypass (where items in a list are excluded from the VPN tunnel and use the regular, unencrypted internet) and Tunnel (where items in the list exclusively use the VPN tunnel, not the regular internet).

Split tunnelling is a useful VPN feature that allows you to pick and choose which sites, apps, and services make use of VPN encryption and geo-spoofing and which don't.

If you're connected to a VPN server but want to tune in to a local streaming platform, for instance, you can add the URL to the Bypass list (or otherwise exclude it), and you'll access the site using your original internet connection.

The implementation of split tunnelling differs depending on which device you're using PrivadoVPN Free on. The Windows and Android apps support SmartRoute for Apps, IPs, and sites. iOS supports SmartRoute for IPs and sites only.

Score: 7/10

Security

• OpenVPN encryption is slightly outdated.
• No post-quantum encryption.
• Significant kill switch issues resulted in risk of IP address exposure.

PrivadoVPN uses conventional ChaCha20 encryption with WireGuard connections. For OpenVPN, it uses AES-256-CBC encryption, which is secure enough, but most providers have moved on to AES-256-GCM.

The latter is regarded as more secure because it has built-in integrity checks. It’s also potentially faster because it’s written to support parallel processing. This means encryption and decryption can be split into multiple tasks that run on your CPU cores at the same time, reducing overhead.

Privado VPN OpenVPN connections use TLS (Transport Layer Security, the technical name for what many people still call SSL) 1.2 to establish secure and encrypted connections. This is also a little behind the competition; most providers now use the faster and more secure TLS 1.3.

We couldn't find any evidence that PrivadoVPN Free has implemented any post-quantum encryption measures. This tracks, however, as PrivadoVPN Free is still using outdated setups for its OpenVPN encryption.

This is something we'd like to see change. VPNs like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Proton VPN have all introduced some form of post-quantum encryption into their products.

This protection is a proactive measure that'll ensure that user data isn't left vulnerable to the fallout of Q day, when quantum computers are finally able to decrypt traditional encryption methods.

PrivadoVPN Free also includes a kill switch. It's available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android – which is now outside of Android's integrated kill switch too.

When we used it on Windows, we saw that there were two kill switch options, and that they work differently from most other VPNs.

Most kill switches attempt to block your device's access to the internet if the VPN connection drops. PrivadoVPN Free instead tries to suspend apps using the internet.

That's an immediate concern for us. In addition to the vague definition of what it means to "suspend" something, we can't be sure that PrivadoVPN Free can identify all "open internet applications and browsers" to suspend them. Even if it can, what about apps that aren't "open" when the VPN fails, but that try to connect later?

The usual approach of blocking internet access is simple and should work for everything; trying to identify ‘all open internet applications and browsers’ and ‘suspend’ them is complex and very unlikely to work for everything.

We decided to test this for ourselves, and we use a variety of methods. These include switching our router on and off, leaving the range of a Wi-Fi signal, and force-closing apps and processes on our devices. We then monitored what happened next.

In this instance, we connected to PrivadoVPN Free's Windows app using WireGuard. Then, we crashed the WireGuard connection to prompt the VPN connection to close.

The kill switch kicked in immediately and blocked our internet access, but the app automatically disconnected and reconnected moments later. The kill switch also stopped working for a few seconds during reconnection, exposing our IP address.

This is the second time we've tested PrivadoVPN Free's kill switch, and the second time we've seen this happen.

While the kill switch was down for just a few seconds, it's still long enough for someone monitoring logs to capture a real IP address if they were carrying out an internet action.

Worse still, we repeated our test with IKEv2 and OpenVPN connections with the same result. If the VPN fails, the Windows app closes the current connection and reconnects, and the kill switch isn’t active for a few seconds during the reconnection process.

We tested this for ourselves on Windows by adding Chrome to the app exclusion list, then connecting via IKEv2 and forcing the VPN to close. PrivadoVPN successfully prevented Chrome from accessing the internet in any current or new tab.

Our concern about other apps was confirmed through. Despite the fact that our VPN connection was down and access to Chrome was blocked, we could launch Edge and immediately access the internet via our usual connection.

When we combine the results of all this testing, we have to say that PrivadoVPN Free's kill switch functionality is partial at best. There is no guaranteed way to block all internet traffic until the VPN reconnects.

If you're looking for a free VPN with a more reliable kill switch, Proton VPN Free's iteration of the tool worked like a charm – and Windows and Linux users also get access to a stricter Advanced mode.

Score: 6/10

Speed

• PrivadoVPN Free is one of the fastest free VPNs we've tested.
• Incredible WireGuard speeds of 950 Mbps, ideal for any activity.
• Further speed testing hampered by data limits and server access.

It's not easy to run speed tests for PrivadoVPN Free because it limits users to 10 GB per month of data, and our speed testing process uses far more than 10 GB of traffic.

This meant that we were only able to run a short and basic test of the best median download speeds to our nearest server (which is effectively Dublin to the Netherlands, as the UK server location is actually hosted in Amsterdam).

Using the WireGuard protocol, we saw PrivadoVPN Free clock in with an incredible 950 Mbps average download speed. That's in the same ballpark as premium VPNs like Surfshark and Norton, showing price doesn't guarantee performance.

We also just about found enough data to perform a full Dublin-to-US connection test, but it didn't quite perform so admirably, achieving only 393 Mbps. That said, this is more than enough for many use cases.

OpenVPN also performed admirably. It achieved 603 Mbps, just short of NordVPN (688 Mbps), but ahead of Proton VPN which only achieved 449 Mbps. This is great if you'd prefer to use OpenVPN for its superior security over a WireGuard connection.

PrivadoVPN Free's impressive performance is more than enough to keep up with daily browsing; think checking emails, scrolling through social media, and quick calls with friends or family. It'd be enough for smooth streaming, too, but the 10 GB cap doesn't really allow for this.

Once you've reached the monthly data cap, PrivadoVPN Free switches to Lite mode.

Users can still connect to a server, though they can't manually choose it themselves, and speeds are throttled. We recorded a grim performance of 1 Mbps during Lite mode – but we prefer this to being cut off entirely.

Still, as we say, this is more than fair for a free product with speed, an area in which PrivadoVPN Free excels.

Score: 7/10

Unblocking streaming services

• Unblocks US, UK, and Canada Netflix.
• No servers to unblock with in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
• Could not access Amazon Prime Video or US YouTube (while logged in).

Right off the bat, it's important to note that no free VPN with a set data cap is going to be a good choice for streaming. No movie marathon or binge session is going to last long when you're limited to 10 GB a month.

Some free VPNs struggle to access streaming platforms, too, because they can't invest in their infrastructure and technology the same way that a premium VPN supported by subscriptions can.

Whether a VPN works with a platform is always a cat-and-mouse game, with both sides of the equation trying to stay one step ahead of the other, and paid VPNs simply have more resources to pour into the effort.

With that said, Privado VPN Free has consistently performed well as a VPN for streaming throughout our unblocking tests, and this time was no exception.

We were able to unblock UK Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV, and Channel 4. We were also able to access Canada and US Netflix and Disney+.

We're also happy to report that PrivadoVPN Free unblocked these platforms first time, every time. At no point did we need to switch servers or locations.

There were a few stumbling blocks, however.

For a start, we were only able to access US YouTube while we were signed out of our account. When attempting to access the site while logged in, YouTube threw a "VPN/Proxy detected" notice at us, no matter which US location we were connected to – and we tried with the New York, Miami, and Washington locations.

This warning isn't as serious, as it means YouTube is only suspicious, and not certain, but it's still a fail overall.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to access Amazon Prime Video with any of Privado VPN Free's US servers. It was the same situation trying to connect to Prime Video in Canada. No locations in Australia or Japan meant we couldn't complete our full spread of tests in these areas.

All in all, we're still impressed by PrivadoVPN Free's streaming results. They're especially impressive for a free service, with many of the best VPNs recording very similar results when trying to access US YouTube and Prime Video.

The only real difference between PrivadoVPN Free and the best paid products is the limitation of its server network.

If that's what you need, then you need to put your hand in your pocket for a VPN instead.

Score: 7/10

P2P and torrenting

• All servers support P2P activity.
• Test torrents completed quickly.
• No port forwarding, and SOCKS5 proxy is restricted to paid users.

PrivadoVPN Free supports P2P activity on all of its servers. However, like most viable torrenting VPNs (paid or otherwise), the company doesn't draw attention to the fact.

We didn't find any specific information about P2P support. When we delved into the support pages, we did find an article that seemed to imply that P2P activity is supported everywhere without saying it overtly.

We decided to test PrivadoVPN Free's torrenting compatibility for ourselves. We used qBitTorrent to download test torrents, and used the New York and London servers to download them. Both torrents completed quickly and without any issues.

The monthly 10 GB data cap will come into play here, too, though, and users may need to budget their allowance if they plan on doing a lot of torrenting.

PrivadoVPN Free has no dedicated P2P servers – users will need to select the server nearest to them for the most optimized connection and best performance (keeping in mind that most of PrivadoVPN Free's servers are virtual and located far from the labelled location).

There is no support for port forwarding, either, and only paid PrivadoVPN users have access to a SOCKS5 proxy, which can improve P2P speeds and security.

Score: 4/5

Compatibility

• Apps for all major platforms.
• Consistent feature parity across apps.
• Chrome extension and router support are limited to the premium plan.

PrivadoVPN Free's apps are colourful and relatively compact. They lack the clean design aesthetic of ExpressVPN, or the bells and whistles of NordVPN, but the look and feel remain consistent across desktop and mobile offerings.

Feature parity between apps is mostly consistent, too. Desktop and mobile users get the same basic toolkit – though iOS is missing a kill switch, and, as with many VPNs, there's no split tunnelling on Mac.

PrivadoVPN Free has apps for all major platforms. This includes Windows (and Windows ARM), macOS, Android, and iOS, which covers the most popular devices.

There are also PrivadoVPN Free apps for Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV. Most VPNs now offer browser extensions for the likes of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, but PrivadoVPN now restricts access to them for its paying customers.

Its closest competitors, Proton VPN Free and Windscribe Free, both let free users install Firefox and Chrome extensions. We'd like to see PrivadoVPN Free reverse its decision to lock browser extensions behind a paywall – after all, they're a great and lightweight way to benefit from VPN protection and geo-spoofing.

It's technically possible to set up PrivadoVPN Free on a router, and there are even a handful of setup guides on the support site. However, when we dug into them, we saw warnings that manual router configuration was only available to premium users.

Score: 3/5

Usability

• Installation is quick and simple.
• Apps are easy to navigate on all platforms.
• Server list is well-organized, but virtual locations can cause confusion.

Before we downloaded PrivadoVPN Free, our first port of call was the PrivadoVPN site. We saw that PrivadoVPN does its best to try and persuade users that they're better off with a paid subscription rather than the free service.

We scrolled almost halfway down the homepage before we even saw a mention of the free VPN, and there's no "free VPN" link in amongst the others in the page footer.

There are two ways to find a link to download PrivadoVPN Free. The first involves scrolling down to the FAQ section at the bottom of the home page, selecting "Free Plan & Pricing" tab, then expanding the first question and clicking "Free Plan".

This link will take you to the download page. Input your email and click the orange button, and the download will begin.

Alternatively, in your search engine of choice, searching for "PrivadoVPN Free" and selecting the link to the free VPN landing page will take you to the same place.

Thankfully, we found the download and installation process to be much more straightforward.

After creating our profile (and verifying our email address), we downloaded the installer (or the app from the App Store), punched in our login details when prompted, and PrivadoVPN Free launched without a hitch.

User experience

PrivadoVPN Free's apps recently underwent a significant overhaul, though with the primary aim of cleaning up an already simple design.

The app retains its huge connect button, though it now resembles more of a toggle. You continue to have quick access to key settings via the hotbar, and via small icons, though there are now fewer of these. You also retain the near-identical layout across both mobile and desktop devices.

What this means is that for beginners, you get quick access to the few settings PrivadoVPN Free offers. Once you've found them, and get comfortable using them, you then needn't worry about finding them as they'll be in essentially the same place on most devices.

All in all, we found PrivadoVPN Free much easier to navigate than Windscribe Free. While the latter is more compact, finding your way around the the various features and options takes a little longer, and there's no quick access to the tools that you'll likely use regularly.

If you want a free VPN that's as unobtrusive as possible, taking the form of a small tile until expanded, Windscribe Free could be ideal, but PrivadoVPN Free's layout is more centralized and intuitive.

The home panel clearly displays a reminder of how much data remains in the month. There's also an ever-present option to upgrade to a paid plan.

We saw this number tick down as we browsed and did our speed and torrenting tests. It's a useful bit of UI, but we noticed that different apps sometimes displayed different numbers. At one point, we saw 2.3 GB remaining on Windows and 2 GB on our iPad.

The mobile app is virtually identical to its desktop counterpart, though we felt like the long and tall design worked better on a phone screen. We saw the same connect button and IP information, and the same selected server location.

The only major difference is the tool quickbar at the bottom of the screen. It's much simpler, with shortcuts to the main VPN, Control Tower tool, and account information. Ultimately, we prefer the desktop version.

Pivoting back to the home panel and clicking the currently selected location displays PrivadoVPN Free's full location list. Unlike ExpressVPN, it doesn't pop out in a new tab – it's contained in the same slim window.

The free servers are listed right at the top, which we liked, as it meant we didn't have to sift through the entire list looking for free options.

The location list only displays country names, though. To connect to a server, we had to click a country, then choose a city from the menu that expands out. Once we clicked that, PrivadoVPN Free connected us to it.

This system isn't cumbersome, but joining a server does take one more click than it does with most other VPNs. With NordVPN, for instance, it's possible to connect to the fastest server in a country by clicking the country name and nothing else. You only have to expand the country menu if you want to choose a particular city.

The location list is sorted by latency but defaults with the closest geographical servers at the top of the list. That's useful in theory but, in practice, there's a problem.

As we mentioned in our Servers section, most of PrivadoVPN Free's servers are located in just a handful of places: the Netherlands and Washington, US. It meant that, in the UK, when we opened our location list, we saw India ahead of the UK.

This makes some sense, as both servers are hosted in the Netherlands, and ping times are likely so similar that the servers could be listed in any order. For first time users accessing PrivadoVPN Free's location list, however, it might look like nonsense. There's no way, geographically, that Indian or Brazilian servers should have lower latency for a UK user than the actual UK server.

Fortunately, it's possible to sort the servers alphabetically, which is far more logical.

We were also glad to see that the location list has a Favorites system. Adding servers to this list is as simple as tapping the star next to the individual server you'd like to include. Then, they're accessible via the tab at the top of the app.

The options menu expands the PrivadoVPN Free app on desktop, which we appreciated, as it gave the UI more room to breathe.

This is where you'll find the auto-connect, kill switch, and account options, and most of them are formatted as a simple checkbox.

For instance, we when wanted to switch protocols, we unchecked the box that had PrivadoVPN Free automatically choose one for us, then checked the box next to WireGuard.

On mobile, the settings are where PrivadoVPN's Free features are housed. It generally takes an extra tap or two to find a feature and enable it than it does on desktop. Auto-connect, for example, is listed under the "VPN" settings, and after tapping on the feature, we're taken to another menu where we can toggle it on or off.

Most mobile VPNs work this way, though, in order not to overload the user's screen with text, checkboxes, and toggles.

Despite the extra legwork, we preferred PrivadoVPN Free's mobile apps, though they work just as well on desktop.

Score: 3/5

Accessibility

• Decent language support, with 16 included.
• Poor accessibility scores – especially for screen readers.
• Hardly any keyboard support.

To put a VPN's accessibility to the test, we use AccessibilityChecker to scan its home page for any issues. These include things like a lack of support for screen readers, whether color schemes and text have strong contrast, and more.

Unfortunately, PrivadoVPN Free did not perform well. It achieved a score of just 10%, which puts it right at the bottom of our scoreboard. Even the second-to-last entry, CyberGhost, managed a score of 17%, and Proton VPN outperformed both with 35%.

The AccessibilityChecker audit highlighted particular problems with screen reader support. This is a significant problem for sight-impaired users, as they may not be able to navigate the website.

It is worth noting that this test only covers a single page on the provider's website and, as a result, only gives us a general indicator of a VPN's accessibility credentials.

PrivadoVPN also has no accessibility-specific features that we could find. Plus, its free plan lacks some of the most useful automation options – like the option to automatically connect when accessing potentially dangerous free Wi-Fi hotspots. Like most of PrivadoVPN's most powerful tools, it's restricted to paying customers.

We were also disappointed to see that PrivadoVPN Free has no support for Siri Shortcuts to enable voice control on Apple devices.

PrivadoVPN Free does, however, have decent language support, offering 16 in total. It's a number that still trails behind other providers, like Proton VPN (28), but it's on par with leading premium services. ExpressVPN, for instance, has 17 languages, and NordVPN and Surfshark both offer 13.

Popular languages are readily available, like English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, Spanish, and Russian. We'd like to see more included in the future, though, like Japanese, Arabic, and Korean.

Finally, we tested PrivadoVPN Free's keyboard support. This is an important part of app accessibility. If a user can't operate a mouse, they should still be able to access every feature of a VPN app with their keyboard.

We stopped using our mouse in favour of our keyboard, and used standard Windows keypresses like Tab and Enter to navigate the app, open lists, and click buttons. We aimed to see what we can and can't access.

PrivadoVPN Free did not perform well here, either. We were unable to do virtually anything. After hitting Tab and the arrow keys multiple times, we managed to reach the location list, but little else.

The PrivadoVPN Free app doesn't display a consistent focus rectangle to highlight the active part of the window and guide navigation, and it doesn't appear to support standard Windows keyboard navigation rules in any consistent way.

Score: 1/5

Customer support

• PrivadoVPN Free has 24/7 email and ticketing support.
• There is a well-stocked support site with tutorials and troubleshooting guides.
• Some information is questionable, and needs know-how to spot.

PrivadoVPN Free's support team is contactable via the main site, and a 24/7 email and ticketing system.

We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of content on the support site. Some of the articles go to surprising lengths to help, too.

The article on troubleshooting connectivity issues suggests that an antivirus or firewall could be the problem, and whitelisting PrivadoVPN could make all the difference.

Other VPNs usually stop there, but PrivadoVPN Free goes further, with links to articles from antivirus vendors including Bitdefender, ESET, Avast, Norton, Microsoft, and more, explaining what to do next.

We found the support site nice and easy to search through, too, and it did a good job of sorting results into a sensible order.

When we searched for speed, for example, the first three hits were practical and relevant: a guide on performing a speed test, another on how to speed up the VPN connection, and an explainer covering the differences between UDP and TCP.

As we dug deeper, we did notice questionable information in some articles.

‘How to speed up my PrivadoVPN connection’ suggested users try another protocol, for instance, but suggested that IKEv2 was the fastest option. In our experience, WireGuard is much faster, and telling users otherwise is likely to cause problems. It also leaves us wondering what other dubious recommendations the database might contain.

What's more, we found some articles are rarely, if ever, updated. Searching for articles on Control Tower brought up set up tutorials for Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 10, but nothing for Windows 11, the only actively updated version of Windows.

All in all, the support site doesn't compare to the polished and in-depth libraries of NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Still, most articles contain genuinely useful content, although it helps if you’ve the experience to spot poor advice like ‘IKEv2 is fastest’ and focus on the quality information.

Score: 3/5

User reviews

• Trustpilot reviews have dropped slightly.
• Complaints center around virtual locations and abuse of the free service.
• High percentage of one-star reviews on the Android App Store.

We take a look at user reviews on Trustpilot to get a sense of what real people think about the VPN and its reputation amongst the userbase. While these reviews offer valuable insight, we still take them with a pinch of salt.

As of April 2026, PrivadoVPN Free has a Trustpilot rating of 3.5. This is pretty subpar, and marks a slight drop from the 3.6 rating we saw in our previous round of testing.

It's not an encouraging performance, but none of the other VPNs we tested saw an increase, either, and three of the six providers also saw a drop.

It's also worth noting that these Trustpilot ratings pertain to the entire PrivadoVPN service and not just its free tier.

PrivadoVPN's mobile app ratings are good. We interpret this as meaning that people who are expressing their experience with the service are reasonably happy. We also think that low scores are more likely to come from paid users who have higher expectations of what they want for their money.

When we looked at the latest one-star reviews, they do seem to mostly come from paying customers.

One of these reviews says: ‘I needed a VPN and tried the Free tier. It seemed to work fine, but a lot of websites (Google, YouTube, Reddit) are "blocked due to abuse," as you'd expect from a free VPN’, before going on to say that they signed up to try and fix the issue, but it didn’t help.

We also noticed that other one star reviews claimed that PrivadoVPN's locations were "fake", claiming to be in one place but giving a location in the Netherlands, for example.

PrivadoVPN does host a lot of locations in the Netherlands, true, but users are heading to sites like iplocation.net, reading that the location is supposedly in the Netherlands and assuming that’s true. But it’s almost certainly not; it’s just that these sites don’t have the latest IP data yet.

We experienced this for ourselves during this testing period. We saw a Netherlands location when it shouldn't shown somewhere else, and only updated after we tried other sources.

Overall, while PrivadoVPN Free's Trustpilot scores aren't great, they're not a disaster, and there are strong reasons to believe free users are happier about the service.

We also took a look at the US ratings in the Google Play, the App Store and the Chrome Extension Store.

PrivadoVPN lags behind the majority of the competition across the board. However, like its Trustpilot rating, these scores cover the entire service, including the paid VPN plans. It's possible that free users rate PrivadoVPN far higher than the scores we see here.

Still, an Android app score of 3.4 is very low. When we studied Android ratings previously, the middle 50% of Android VPN apps rate between 4.0 and 4.5, and the bottom 10% score 3.5 or lower. We don’t blindly trust reviews, but this is bad, and it’s getting worse.

The percentage of one star reviews also looks significant. PrivadoVPN has three to five times as many one star reviews (as a proportion of the total) as the other providers here. Users aren’t just gently deciding PrivadoVPN isn’t quite right for their needs; they seem to actively dislike it.

Track record: can you trust PrivadoVPN Free?

• Has never undergone a third-party audit.
• No history of privacy issues.
• No data breaches on record.

Unfortunately, PrivadoVPN Free hasn't undergone any kind of privacy or security audit.

This means that there's no way for us to verify whether this VPN is adhering to its (already questionable) privacy policy and whether it's taking active steps to resolve vulnerabilities.

This isn't what we like to see from a VPN. Transparency is key, in our book, and regular audits of a provider's policy, servers, apps, and infrastructure go a long way to reassure users that their data privacy is being handled with care. Currently, PrivadoVPN Free cannot back up its own assertions.

The silver lining here is that we couldn't find any press reports of privacy issues or dubious activities, and there are no related entries in the CVE vulnerability database. It's encouraging, but it doesn't make up for a lack of regular audits.

We should also mention that PrivadoVPN recently said it would leave Switzerland on privacy grounds. The provider is to move to Iceland after the Swiss government proposed expanding surveillance obligations to include VPNs. This would massively diminish Switzerland's place as a privacy haven, and would likely see more providers than just PrivadoVPN leave.

Final verdict

Who should use PrivadoVPN Free?

✅ Anyone who wants a reliable free VPN: PrivadoVPN Free's apps work well across all devices, and they're quick enough to keep up with day-to-day browsing.

✅ Users looking to stream with a free VPN: although PrivadoVPN Free doesn't work with all streaming platforms, and has a monthly data cap, it performs better than other free services by unblocking a handful of sites.

✅ Torrenters and P2P file sharers: all free servers support P2P traffic, and our test torrents downloaded quickly.

Who should try a different VPN instead?

❌ Anyone who needs a full VPN toolkit: PrivadoVPN Free comes with basic VPN functionality, though some core tools (like kill switch on iOS and auto-connect) are missing.

PrivadoVPN Free FAQs

PrivadoVPN Free testing methodology

Whenever I state that "I" did something in this review, or offer a personal opinion, I'm leveraging my own experience with the VPN.

When I say "we", however, I'm referring to the TechRadar VPN team that tested PrivadoVPN Free. Mike Williams, Technical Editor, performed this testing, having built his own VPN testing software and methodology over 11 years in the VPN world. Mike applied the same lab conditions to PrivadoVPN Free that we apply to all of the VPNs we stress test and review.

This process involves standardized speed testing in conditions optimal for VPN performance, determining whether the kill switch causes IP address leaks, and manually checking the VPN protocols. For more information about Mike’s process, head on over to our lab testing methodology explainer.

You can also check out our author biographies to learn more about our experience with VPNs.

Our team has fact-checked this PrivadoVPN Free review. It also contains information from the provider itself. We take the time to update the review every month, too, ensuring that our content is always up-to-date, containing new audit results, feature updates, and other information. This also means that there won't be a discrepancy between our review and the product you download.

If you had a different experience with PrivadoVPN Free, or if there's anything we missed, reach out via the comments section or email us directly. We’ll do our best to provide product support, correct any mistakes, or warn other users and readers.