Disclosure: TheBestVPN is reader-supported. When you buy a VPN through links on our site, we may earn commissions. Learn more.

Betternet Review

Rob Mardisalu

Rob Mardisalu

Betternet is more of a proxy than VPN service. Although their virtual private network is secured through OpenVPN VPN protocol and 256-bit AES encryption, their software not the best option for security and privacy as we’ve found several DNS and WebRTC leaks. You can use their free app to hide your IP, but not much more.

betternet reviewI almost never recommend free VPNs over paid ones.

Free VPNs, such as Betternet can have a tendency to sell your data, show you lots of ads, not be as secure, and not perform as well.

Betternet says that it does things a bit differently and protects your privacy and security better than the other free VPNs out there.

But is Betternet VPN a good choice for protecting your security and privacy?

Is it safe for torrenting?

I took a deeper look to see if this free VPN can stack up to its paid brethren.

What Is Betternet? How It’s FREE?

If you’ve never heard of Betternet, it’s probably because they’re a newcomer to the VPN scene; they’ve only been around since 2015.

Since then, though, they’ve been growing rapidly and gaining a lot of users (especially on Android).

The main draw to this VPN is, of course, the fact that it’s totally free.

You can use their iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac apps, as well as Chrome and Firefox extensions, without paying a single cent. You don’t even need to register, so they don’t get your name or email address.

It definitely sounds good. But as we’ve seen in the past, VPN providers need to make money somehow, and they don’t always do it scrupulously.

Betternet relies on affiliate apps and videos, served through their apps, to make money.

Whenever you tap the “Install an App” or “Watch a Video and Connect” button, Betternet gets a small payment.

Betternet makes money when you download apps or watch videos
Here’s how Betternet makes money off of you.

So far, it’s been enough to keep the servers running and the lights on.

Rising costs, however, pushed Betternet to release a Premium version of the mobile app in late 2017. The premium version offers access to dedicated servers, more location and IP selection choices, and 24/7 support. Fortunately, there’s a free seven-day trial of the premium plan that lets you try out these features without paying.

With the premium version, you get access to 11 servers in 10 countries (only).

But you don’t get to choose which server you connect to on the free plan; Betternet picks one for you. You can also choose from seven different cities in the US if you’re a premium member.

Betternet VPN Overview

OVERALL RANK: #74 out of 78 VPNs
USABILITY: Average
LOG FILES: Some Logging Policy
LOCATIONS: 10 countries, 11 servers
SUPPORT: 24/7 support for premium members
TORRENTING: Discouraged
NETFLIX: Blocks Netflix USA
ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL: 256-bit AES encryption, 128-bit encryption; OpenVPN, IPSec
COST: Free or $35.99/yr
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.Betternet.co

Betternet Pros

1. Solid Privacy and Security Options

It’s not easy to find information on the technology that Betternet VPN uses to protect its users. I like to see that kind of information presented upfront, where it’s easy to see. After a bit of digging, though, I was able to find some information.

For example, a blog post from 2015 states that Betternet VPN offers both 256-bit AES encryption over the OpenVPN protocol and 128-bit encryption over IPSec:

Betternet's blog says they used both 256 and 128 bit encryption
Image from: https://www.betternet.co/blog/7-reasons-you-should-use-betternet/

That’s industry-standard encryption, but there’s no indication of when either of them are used. (And their privacy policy makes no mention of 256-bit encryption, which is a bit worrying.)

Other, more fully featured VPNs offer more protocol options, but in general, you won’t need them. OpenVPN is one of the most secure out there, and when you can’t use it, IPSec is a strong second choice.

Beyond that, there’s not a whole lot to Betternet security. Because it doesn’t have as many features as other VPNs, everything is pretty straightforward.

If you’re concerned about government surveillance, you may want to know that Betternet is based in Canada, one of the countries that does a great deal of intelligence-gathering and collaboration with other members of the Five Eyes agreement. Their servers are all over the world, but the company headquarters is under Canadian jurisdiction.

That’s not necessarily a drawback, but I know that some people are nervous about working with companies in the Five Eyes countries.

Unfortunately, there are some other issues that might negate their use of solid security tech. We’ll get to those in a moment.

2. Totally Free

If I haven’t mentioned this enough times, this should make it stick.

Betternet is 100% free.

Of course, there are a couple catches: you’ll see ads, and you won’t unlock all of the features without signing up for the premium plan. But if you want to make your browsing more secure and can’t afford even the cheapest premium VPNs, this could be an important factor.

3. No Log Files

Beyond the price tag, Betternet’s no-logging policy is probably its biggest draw. The help file says it simply: “Betternet does not collect, log, store, share any data log of users.”

If you dig into their privacy policy, you can find a bit more information:

 

Betternet logging policy
Image from: https://www.betternet.co/privacy-policy

That’s a pretty straightforward no-logging policy, and I like to see that.

This policy also means that they can’t share your IP address if they get a DMCA takedown notice, which is how some VPNs have revealed their customers’ identities in the past. They do their best to comply with the DMCA notice, but they won’t give out your data. They also say that they’ve never received a valid court order to turn over data that they don’t have.

So Betternet is doing this right.

4. OpenVPN Encryption

This is industry standard tech, and it will keep miscreants from spying on your connection. It also helps prevent throttling from your ISP, site blocking from a coffee shop or school campus, and all of the other great things that you get from a VPN.

Again, we’re not sure when Betternet uses OpenVPN and when it uses IPSec (it’s possible that IPSec is used on older devices), but even IPSec isn’t too bad when it comes to security. They are compatible with Tor browser.

Also, while one of their blog posts says that they offer AES256 encryption, their privacy policy says that they use 128-bit. So it’s unclear as to how much security you’re actually getting.

There is also no router support at this time. So they will only provide access for Windows, Mac, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, and Android users.

That also means smart TVs and game consoles are off the table, too.

5. Customer Support

While you won’t get 24/7 support unless you’re a premium member, I do like to see that it’s available.

There’s no live chat option, which would be nice, but isn’t always 100% necessary.

The site’s FAQs don’t offer a whole lot of information, though, so if you need something, you’ll probably have to go through the customer service system.

Betternet's FAQ isn't all that useful

As you can see, there are still FAQs posted from their help software that should have been deleted.

The Betternet team is pretty active on Twitter, though customer support questions are usually redirected to the standard system.

You might see this level of customer service as either a pro or a con—but we’ve definitely seen worse, so I think it’s pretty good.

6. App Simplicity

While the lack of features makes for a VPN with less functionality, it also makes for an app that’s very easy to use. Especially if you’re not trying to connect to a server in a specific place.

All you need to do is download the app and hit the Connect button. That’s really all there is to it.

Betternet app

That’s all there is to it. Betternet will let you know that you’re connected, and there’s nothing else you need to do.

The mobile apps are a little more complicated, as you need to start a free trial (and then figure out how to cancel it), but in general, Betternet is very user-friendly.

Betternet Cons

1. Potentially a Security Threat

It’s undoubtedly popular, but Betternet might not be as secure as it seems. In 2017, several outlets reported the result of an academic study on VPN apps and whether they might be injecting malware or adware—or just not providing the security they advertised.

Betternet was ranked among the ten worst.

Betternet's AVrank is very worrying
Image from: https://research.csiro.au/ng/wp-content/uploads/sites/106/2016/08/paper-1.pdf

Many of the other apps in that list were removed from the app store, but Betternet is still around.

So far, I haven’t been able to find any evidence of Betternet injecting malware or doing anything else nefarious. But the fact that an academic study identified them as suspect is very worrying.

As you can see, Betternet has more downloads than all of the other free VPN apps combined, which does lend it a bit of credibility. However, we’d much prefer that its AV-rank be significantly better than 13.

2. Ads

No one likes seeing ads in their apps. They’re a necessary evil when you want to offer a free product or service, but it’s still unpleasant. And unless you’re using the premium version of Betternet, you’ll be seeing ads.

It’s great that Betternet is very transparent about how they make money and where that money is going (if you’re curious, the affiliate downloads pay for server space, and premium subscriptions pay for everything else).

But there’s no way around the fact that the VPN is selling access to its customers. That sucks. It might not be a big deal breaker for you, but when there are so many cheap VPNs out there that don’t show any ads, it’s tough to justify it in a free app.

3. Unclear Documentation

In one place, they say that Betternet uses 256-bit encryption. In another, they say 128-bit. And it was tough to dig up that information in the first place.

If you want to find anything more than the absolute basics about the app, you’ll have to do some investigating. And you might get some strange answers.

The user experience with the Betternet website isn’t great. The app is straightforward, but if you want anything more than that, you might have some trouble.

4. VERY Slow Speeds

You can’t expect a whole lot from a free VPN. But on my 100 Mbps connection, I got a download speed of 3 Mbps.

Betternet VPN performance

That’s just crazy.

To be fair, the upload speed was 12 Mbps (seeing a higher upload speed than download is weird, but that’s what happened). You could see better speeds than this, especially if you pay for a premium plan, but don’t count on blazing fast downloads when you’re using Betternet.

This makes it a poor VPN for torrenting. In general, Betternet users are able to use P2P file-sharing apps, which is nice. But if you’re trying to download anything other than a very small file, you could be waiting a long time.

5. Too Slow for Torrenting and No Netflix

If you are a heavy torrenter like me, Betternet isn’t the right option for you. Betternet does allow torrenting on their servers, but warns they will comply if they receive a warrant or other valid court order. And also…

It’s just too slow. I tried to download different files through uTorrent and I never managed to achieve a download speed that was worth waiting for it.

Another huge problem in my book is that they don’t work with Netflix. Till date, Netflix has managed to block all Betternet servers and IP’s, so there’s no way for you to stream Netflix (or Hulu) using their software. If you need a VPN that works with Netflix, click here.

Pricing, Plans & Facts

The main draw to Betternet is that it’s free. And you can use it as much as you want without paying. That’s all most people will want to know about the pricing.

But the premium pricing is fairly competitive if you skip up to the annual membership:

  • One month for $11.99
  • Six months for $23.99 ($3.99 per month)
  • Twelve months for $35.99 ($2.99 per month)

It’s not the cheapest VPN out there, but if you prepay for a year, the cost is very reasonable.

You’ll also get a free 7-day trial to test out the premium version (in fact, you have to sign up for a trial to use the mobile apps).

Here’s what’s included and what’s not:

  • No Kill-Switch
  • No Netflix
  • 5 simultaneous connections (only for premium accounts)
  • VPN protocols: OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec

There are a few bodies buried in the Terms of Service, though.

First and foremost, you agree that Betternet can terminate you at any time, without notice, without refund, and they won’t be liable. In some cases, they’ll pro-rate your refund. But if you breach the rest of their agreement, you won’t get squat.

You can terminate the agreement at any time. IF you “certify in writing to Betternet.” That’s the only way to get your data destroyed, anyway.

Do I Recommend Betternet?

No.

Unfortunately, Betternet doesn’t live up to its name. I love that it’s free. And if you absolutely need a free VPN, you could do worse than Betternet.

But the amazingly slow connection speed combined with the alarming results from the academic study showing that Betternet could be a security threat is just too much.

You get what you pay for, and free VPNs just don’t cut it.

You’d be better off with either NordVPN – $3.49/mo (Read NordVPN Review) or Surfshark – $1.99/mo (Read Surfshark review)- both are safe, fast and secure.

Add your own Betternet review

    To keep up the quality content on our website, we only accept user reviews that provide valuable information for our visitors. Not all reviews will be published. If you want your review to be accepted, please write a helpful, informative and unique review - either positive or negative. Thank you for your support!

    By clicking the button below, I acknowledge that I have read and accept the Terms of Use.

    36 user reviews for Betternet

    Slick 1/10 June 15, 2021

    Can of worms with a flashy label.

    You would get the same promise from using free proxies in your browser or use proxied search engines. Point being their complete junk as far as calling themselves a vpn go, you may even opt for openvpn and free servers instead. If you care about privacy don't use a service hosted in the U.S.!

    Doug L 1/10 August 21, 2020

    Betternet SCAM!!!

    This company is a complete ripoff- DO NOT give them any payment information. It's been two years of them charging my credit card without authorization, and YOU CANNOT CANCEL THE SERVICE! EVER! WHAT A RIP OFF!!!

    Anon 1/10 May 25, 2020

    Not Free Anymore

    It is not free anymore. They have put up a 500MB daily limit and speeds are considerably slower (at least for me). Please update this information, guys.

    Aaa 1/10 April 7, 2020

    Can't cancel subscription

    I was recommended this VPN by my friend because it was free. I then decided to try their free trial, and subsequently used it with no problem. However, when I no longer needed the VPN, I could not find an easy way to cancel my subscription. I then proceeded to email them, which they replied with a seemingly copy-pasted message to try to "convince" me to not cancel. When I subsequently indicated my intent to cancel, they did not reply me for over a week. Avoid this VPN at all costs.

    Bella 5/10 February 14, 2020

    How to cancel if you got it on your PC

    Trying to put this out here to help anyone who can’t figure out how to cancel your subscription because you didn’t purchase through iTunes or play store or anything. Just go to their website. You will find a link called “submit a request.” Do it. Say you want to cancel your premium subscription. You will email back and forth with someone (for me it took about a day) and they will try to convince you to stay. But confirm once again you are leaving and tell them your reasoning. I got a final email confirming that I was taken off the subscription. I will update if they still charge me, but it seemed final.

    Bryan 5/10 February 1, 2020

    Ads even on my HOME SCREEN!

    I installed the Android version of this VPN to provide some security when using public Wi-Fi. But after a while I started noticing that I was getting ads and they were coming up at all kinds of random times -- in the middle of games, and even when I was on my home screen not doing anything in particular. I stopped using it for a while and didn't give it any more thought. But the last time I started it, almost immediately I started getting ads and I know that was the issue. I had to uninstall it. I don't recommend it

    juho from finland 1/10 June 3, 2019

    Pretty much 100% scam

    I tried to install this to my computer, it says that its "installed"́but i can't find it anywhere on my computer. So I tried installing it many times again, and still nothing happened. So then I googled these reviews, and can't say I'm surprised. I don't even have a firewall installed, so I’m pretty fcked right now. Avoid this app at all costs!!

    Four20PlusTax 8/10 April 15, 2019

    Nothing wrong except for random disconnects.

    I have been using the secret ACTUAL free version of this program for several years, and have had no problems with torrenting, except for random disconnects, so I have to sit and watch it whenever I can. Otherwise, my torrent client is not active. For the actual FREE version, install the program, and run it. When it displays it's "free trial for 7 days", click on the X at the top-right corner of the window, and it will disappear. Another window will open at the bottom-right of your screen, allowing you to use the program for free for as long as you want. I have done this for a few years now, with no trouble. Good luck!

    Amanda 1/10 April 15, 2019

    Literally keeps charging me!

    I decided to give the free trial a try. Once it was up it automatically charged me luckily I had enough money in my bank account. But I looked all over there site for a cancel my subscription option and there is none. So I emailed them never got a response took it as okay I guess they canceled it. Only to find out I was just charged again I didn't have enough money in my bank account so I got charged an overdraft fee. So something that should've been canceled a long time ago has now cost me over $100! IT WON'T LET ME STOP THE SUBSCRIPTION EITHER!

    Anonymous 8/10 April 08, 2019

    Honestly its not that bad

    I'm most definitely not an experienced VPN user but from an outside standing point where I just need it to get past my school's website blocking thing. It's decent, it's free which is practically all I really want, and it's easy to use. Don't get me wrong while torrenting it is absolutely the worst.

    People complain about their IOS betternet forcing them to partake in their 7-Day trial but this isn't true. There is an X, I think in the top left corner, giving you the ability to close it. After simply closing it, it's just like the desktop version.

    As class is almost over and i don't care enough about this review here ya go.

    Ralph Presgrave 1/10 January 4, 2019

    Scam. Avoid like the plague!

    I was scammed via this app, basically I was redirected via another site with false promises, the install happened almost instantly. Once had been signed up to “free” trial via third party that tried to auto charge my credit card, the result I had to raise a case with Apple and cancel my credit card causing me a complete headache. I’ve asked Apple to consider removing the app as their practices are completely unethical and unfair and I’m going to make sure everyone who connects with me knows about their practices.

    Avoid!

    Chris M. 2/10 January 3, 2019

    Bad VPN! Very BAD!

    It's a low on resource use for PC and very easy to install and use but I got so much malware while using this VPN! I had to reformat my PC 2 times while using this Betternet! I've never seen my PC act so bogged down and downright strange from viruses, trojans, ect. Whatever my PC contracted through this managed to delete system restore points from my system and then system restore itself was deleted. My antivirus program mysteriously disappeared over night! And my PC went full hard drive usage and was completely unable to open any programs. You're better off NOT using this VPN! Since the last format my PC has been completely fine without it!

    Natalia 1/10 December 2, 2018

    they are not unsubscribing me after numerous email request

    They have a foggy payment system. You don't have a cabinet or PayPal option to cancel a subscription. You need to write them an email asking for it and wait 2-3 business days for an answer. After that, they ask you again about how can they make you stay and even after the second "thank you, but no, unsubscribe me" answer, they don't do that. And after a couple of days, I receive another SMS about an attempt to charge money for a subscription, but they will not receive my money! I put a limit on that card in $1...it's a fraud!

    Anonymous 1/10 October 30, 2018

    Even more shady

    To add to my last review: I decided to turn off my cell data and it won’t even connect to a VPN server now despite having a WiFi connection. This sort of confirms they are sending some unknown data over your cell data, and if they don’t get it you can’t use the service. Again, I don’t trust this sort of behavior for good reasons. Maybe Brad should reach out to this device asking for an explanation and update his review. For now, I’m going to report the app to have Apple look at what it’s doing. Sorry to those that use it if the app gets pulled, but I’d rather you stay safe and your information remain private then to have some free VPN lie to you and steal your information. It defeats the purpose of a VPN.

    Anonymous 1/10 October 30, 2018

    Shady iOS client behavior

    So I saw betternet traffic on my network and decided to look into this. I currently use Nord that I was able to secure at 70% off for a three year deal. When I tried this betternet I saw something concerning, why would the VPN client need to disconnect you from your home ISP WiFi, make some random communications on the cell network and then connect back to the WiFi for the VPN tunnel? Seems to me they are taking some data from you and sending this over the cell network in hopes I can’t see what they send on an iOS cell phone. That’s just pure shady, I don’t trust them. Oh, and they are horribly slow compared to my laid VPN, heck they are slow compared to using OpenVPN on my home router, or my Cisco VPN on my home firewall. So what I’m saying is using my Home ISP 200 down, and 10 up with a VPN on a ASUS router WiFi router is still a secured connection if I’m on a public WiFi, and faster then the servers they offer for this free VPN.No, your home ISP won’t do Netflix, but if you are just using a VPN for basic web, banking, emails and don’t trust the public WiFi you can set your own free one up with faster speed then using this shadey free VPN service and have no advertisements. I would like to know what data they share when they access the cell data? I would also like to know how they have access on iOS to turn off my WiFi, I’m almost sure this against the iOS terms for an app. They didn’t install any profile for this, I only saw a VPN config installed and still I have never seen a VPN config need to disconnect from WiFi unless you don’t allow WiFi at all, but then it recounts after switching it Cell data and uses the WiFi for the VPN connection. ????

    Jeff 9/10 October 16, 2018

    Not bad like everyone is making them out to be

    I dunno if they have upgraded their services since most of these terrible reviews have been done, but, I've been using this service for the better part of a year now with few complaints to make. It may still not be the fastest, I dunno I haven't done a speed test recently but it's fast enough to do most of what I need. Which is mainly masking my location to play at certain online casinos. But I will give them credit where it's due. Customer service is pretty good. They always respond very promptly and politely and always fix my issue. It's also dirt cheap for the premium service. The only recent issues I've had are sometimes it gets the location of a server wrong. Like I was trying to get on a Canadian server and I was actually connecting to a US server in Virginia. Other than that, I really don't have many complaints, and they are not as bad as the majority of these reviews are saying. Just my 2 cents though. And I work in the tech industry at a large data center in Seattle, so I'm not retarded when it comes to these things. Cheers.

    Pssst3 7/10 October 7, 2018

    Decent but not great, and AV concerns are over

    There is a lot of confusion about VPNS, and the services that lend themselves to illegal traffic do little to clarify what they do.

    AV Concern: Since Google has started to aggressively check all app in the Play Store and extensions in Chrome Store for malware, and has a good user reporting system, apps and extensions from those sources are as safe or safer than those loaded from services sites., and significantly more secure than those loaded fro secondary sources.

    Data Privacy: The primary legal application for a VPN is to protect the privacy of data in transit. Having a "tunnel" that is secure allows someone to connect to a work network with added assurance that the data won't be exposed to in the middle intercept.

    A business VPN uses a gateway providing encrypted connection to authorized remote connections. Hardware in the form of routers or software used with private keys at the remote side of the connection provides a secure tunnel to the work gateway. The user identity is known by use of the key.

    Betternet is not such a VPN. Its design and intention is to conceal the origin of a remote connection. It provides data protection between the user and Betternet's servers, any snooping on the server at the other end of a connection is seeing a standard http or https connection with no added security. The IP of the user is replaced on the data between Betternet and the destination server, the link between the user has the users true IP. That part of the connection can still be logged, even though it doesn't reveal the contents.

    The legal application of Bettenet and its peers is to protect data sent and received by the user from low tech snooping. This is is a reasonable precaution when using public wi-fi hotspots. Betternet handles this reasonably well - when it is working. The VPN tunnels are able to get past some, but not all firewalls, depending on the location of Betternet server used. Because the Betternet servers can't conceal their own IPs, firewalls can be configured to block all traffic from its known servers.

    I have used hardware and software based VPN for business and private use, and tested Betternet as a totally free service for 3 months before net neutrality was considered being repealed by the FCC. According to the Play Store downloads, the number to users has increased substantially. I would expect that the quality of the free service would be proportionate to the ratio of free to paid users, and might have declined if fewer users were paying for service.

    I have not used this service recently, but when I did, it worked ok for normal web browsing, allowed connection to some services that had region filtering implemented. During my 3 month test period it was totally free and not data capped. Connections were completed in a few seconds, but the quality of those connections varied widely. I was not able to consistent transfer large files or stream high res video from my test server without pauses in the data transfer and buffering of the video. This was not because of a slow ISP connection from my server.

    me 1/10 August 31, 2018

    Do not download E v e r

    The browser extension has 0 support for Firefox under any circumstances. It slows the browser and changes languages on Google. It does work, at least.

    NEVER ATTEMPT INSTALLATION OF THE APP VERSION. It requires payment to use. It has a fake 7-day trial which only can begin when you give it your payment information so that it can just straight up steal from you. Once you install the app, you are unable to uninstall it. They give uninstall instructions on their website, but they're fake instructions that work on literally no device of any kind. You're forced to have traces of it stuck in your computer if you try it. I'm sick of wasting space on my Mac because of absolutely atrocious programs like this. It's a shame, because I literally needed this in order to visit 75% of sites, as my ISP is beginning to block every single site on the planet because the FCC lets them.

    I didn't believe the people who said it was bad, and I regret it. Never download this ever.

    anonymous 2/10 June 13, 2018

    Betternet Sham

    click on the left just under the word Better net, in the tray icon, and read the faded …small… print on the website – “Why is Better net free?”

    “It’s free for one week” If you give them your credit card details – Then then they can charge your credit card! You’ll have to pay $11 per month! Scam!

    J. 1/10 June 9, 2018

    Very limited free version

    They want to charge you after 7 days. So not really free.

    Joey 7/10 January 6, 2018

    pretty good service

    I’ve been using the free version of betternet for over a year and the performance I’ve gotten with the two free locations USA and UK they have both been good enough for my needs in terms of speed but in case you want a VPN for downloading/streaming etc, I can’t recommend betternet as it would be too slow.

    For a free decent VPN that you only need for minimal tasks I do recommend betternet.

    Hopefully this review helps someone!

    Carol 1/10 December 30, 2017

    Don’t Do It!

    I had BetterNet as a subscription for several months @ $12.71 (includes tax). I never got the app to work. I followed all customer support instructions many times, always assuming that I was at fault. After receiving a message from customer support telling me that I had used the trial subscription too many times and that this was the root of my problem, I finally canceled. I have the receipts on my phone showing monthly subscription payments. They apologized for “inconvenience” with no mention of wasted money for no service. I followed directions repeatedly to no avail.

    I just don’t have time to babysit an app.

    Brett 1/10 December 29, 2017

    Zero response, complete scam

    I tried the 7 day free premium trial and decided after day 3 that it wasn’t for me. It would randomly drop my connection and leave me exposed without warning. I was using the desktop version of the service and could not figure out how to cancel the service.

    Their website has very detailed instructions for canceling using the Android/iOS versions, but not PC. I didn’t want my credit card to get hit, so I sent them a service request with my details and a polite request to cancel using the aforementioned zendesk service. After 3 days, they’d given me no response.

    I didn’t want to get charged, so I put a temporary block on my credit card. The charge was attempted and blocked on day 7, as I expected. Then, I lifted the block. Three days later, with still no response, they ran my card again and got through. I had to have my bank reverse the charge, cancel my card entirely, and send me a new one to prevent this from continuing. I’ll now have to set up all my recurring accounts for that card.

    Their own help site’s forum has several posts from people saying they’ve had the same problem and worse, that they’ve had to enact the same solution. Cancel a credit card to stop a service? Really? And it really blows my mind that they don’t even care enough to remove those comments from their help site. Perhaps they think it makes them look honest. This service is a complete scam.

    Mark 1/10 December 1, 2017

    Don't waste your time

    For me, I just wanted to keep myself secure and fully hidden online, so I decided to “try” Betternet.

    I used it for 7 days and all I can say is that their product sucks (seriously). Here’s why:

    • It crashes at least once a day
    • After 7 days they want you to pay money
    • Constant ads and the whole experience is slow.

    Not to mention using them for Netflix (which is impossible). Overall, I don’t recommend Betternet.

    Matthew 5/10 November 29, 2017

    Usable, but too slow for Netflix.

    I recently installed the free version of Betternet (about 1 month ago). Although it’s usable most of the time it’s pretty slow. Streaming services like Netflix are therefore not something I recommend doing. However, I mostly use Betternet for regular browser which seems to be working most of the time. So if you’re looking for a VPN to stream with I recommend going for something else.

    Aaron Bradle 6/10 November 2, 2017

    Drains your battery

    I use Betternet on my IPad as it was the first one I came across. It is simple to set up and all you need to do is press a button in the app and you are connected.

    However, it does greatly decrease your internet speed and you lose battery extremely quick if it is not plugged in. On the other hand, it is a free app (Powered by ads) so I can not complain but the main issue is the power loss.

    Carter Harrison 1/10 October 15, 2017

    Misleading and disappointing

    Well, my experience with Betternet consists of mobile and Chrome extension use.

    When you first download Betternet, it works perfectly connecting fast and giving you a fast speed. While this is happening, they ask you to leave good reviews on the App Store. They only ask you to leave a review if you answer “Very Good” to “How have you enjoyed Betternet so far?” which I believe is quite misleading.

    As I used Betternet and chose not to watch any ads of theirs and not leave good reviews, the performance of the VPN deteriorated. Slow to connect to the VPN itself, and then a slow connection speed. Then, of course, you get the prompt for their Premium service.

    Disappointing.

    Pete 2/10 October 14, 2017

    Ridiculous service

    I installed Betternet free version just few days ago. I was enthusiastic as I thought I can use it forever. However, I quickly realized their too slow and they don’t allow any sort of Torrenting, let alone Netflix.

    What’s even worse, today I got an notification that my FREE version is over. What?

    Don’t recommend this VPN at all..

    Ege 8/10 October 8, 2017

    Betternet is fine

    I’ve been using Betternet VPN for a few months now. Obviously the best thing about it is that it’s completely free unless you decide to support the developers. Free version only offers two regions (UK and US). It doesn’t ask for any private information. However, the connection can be slow sometimes and randomly cut off. There has also been some claims in the past about the VPN, saying that it was malicious, but if you don’t care about claims, this is a really nice and basic VPN.

    Rick 2/10 August 20, 2017

    Terrible - and service worse

    Signed up for the free trial using my card number (bills you after 7 days).

    Signed up on their website, downloaded, installed and couldn’t get it to even connect.

    Emailed them to ask them to cancel the service which the refused to do saying that I had to do it on the App Store on my IOS Device or from my Mac. I don’t have either and explained this and told them I had signed up using Chrome on their Website. Again asked them ho to cancel (twice) – No reply.

    Molly 1/10 August 15, 2017

    Higher prices

    I have been using Betternet premium for a year and love it.

    However, just went to renew my subscription and it’s going to cost nearly 4 times as much as last year.

    Guess it’s time to look for another provider.

    Anna 5/10 July 28, 2017

    Not for serious use

    It works well for hiding your location – I can use Spotify with them, but it’s just too slow.

    Juuso 4/10 July 1, 2017

    Free but with ads

    The service is free, but you get tons of different ads, which are really annoying. So you still pay a “price” for it – your precious time. Other than that it is really slow, does not have a live chat support. I would not recommend it to people, who like to enjoy their browsing experience, but if you like to waste your time on ads and slow page loading, then go ahead!

    Nate 1/10 June 3, 2017

    Crashing all the time

    This VPN is not for serious use. I installed their software on my Windows 10 and it crashed constantly. I tried connecting through their server list, but the app just crashed and that was it.

    When I googled it I found out that I wasn’t the only one who had problems with this VPN. Waste of time.

    Shahid 6/10 May 3, 2017

    Works in India, but slow

    As our Government banned social media sites like Facebook and Twitter here in India, we’ve no option to use Betternet. It’s free and does the trick, but the downside is that it’s VERY slow..

    Justin 4/10 March 4, 2017

    OK for hiding your IP, but...

    It’s a good service for hiding your IP, but the load times are a bit slow and the constant ads and upsells have pretty much ruined it.

    However, if you don’t have a budget for a VPN – it’s probably a wise choice.