SlickVPN Review

SlickVPN is a U.S.-based VPN service with over 150 servers.

One of those things is false. And the other is bad news.

From protocols like OpenVPN and PPTP, to encryption standards, privacy connections, proxy servers, and more — we’ll unveil it all in this SlickVPN review.

Keep reading to discover if their private network is as private as they say it is. Or whether it’s all overblown in the end.

SlickVPN Overview

OVERALL RANK:	#27 out of 78 VPNs
USABILITY:	Bad Usability
LOG FILES:	No Logging Policy
LOCATIONS:	40+ countries, 150+ servers
SUPPORT:	Ticket System, Average response time
TORRENTING:	Torrenting Allowed
NETFLIX:	Yes 1/5
ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL:	256-bit , OpenVPN,PPTP, IPsec
COST:	$10/mo or $4/mo (yearly)
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:	www.slickVPN.com

 

SlickVPN Pros

SlickVPN provides protocol and encryption standards that would make even the grumpiest I.T. professional crack a grin.

They support a wide range of apps, allow unrestricted torrenting, and are even willing to throw in a refund if you can’t get Netflix to work properly.

1. Protects Your Privacy 

SlickVPN offers the outdated PPTP protocol for Windows, Linux, and Android devices. And they have IPsec for Apple devices.

Then why is this a Pro?

Because they thankfully also offer the latest-and-greatest OpenVPN.

Despite only being around for a few years, OpenVPN has quickly established itself as the de-facto industry standard. Thanks, in large part, to its bank-grade 256-bit encryption.

It’s never been successfully hacked.

And quite simply:

It won’t be in the near future, either. The technology simply doesn’t exist.

Contrast that to PPTP, for instance, which is successfully hacked on the regular by amateurs. The only reason to downgrade is if your device or network don’t allow for the stronger OpenVPN.

In addition, SlickVPN also packs their apps with a built-in kill switch. That means if your connection were to drop for any reason, your guard wouldn’t — the kill switch would sever any connection before anyone can see what you’re up to.

2. Zero-Logging Policy

No matter what their website claims, every single VPN on the planet logs something.

The key is to uncover what that something entails.

SlickVPN will keep track of their website usage data, like aggregate Google Analytics information, cookies, and even the IP address of visiting users.

All of this is pretty standard, to be honest.

Companies use this data to help them get better at getting more users for less money.

The key is that they don’t keep track of any of this data for logged-in users. That means your actions inside the app, like the sites you visit or the stuff you download, is not logged.

That’s good news in the end.

Because if they were to keep track of any of this data, their local jurisdiction could spell trouble for you.

More on that below in the Cons.

3. No Leaks 

Shoddy VPN connections aren’t worth the digital currency you paid for them.

Seriously. They’re often a mirage. Here’s why.

The app you’re connected to will display which server location you’re on.

The green indicating light looks A-OK.

Except, it’s not.

Because if your DNS information is being leaked, it means your ISP and every two-bit government employee can see exactly your true IP address.

These leaks can also happen with WebRTC conflicts.

Fortunately, SlickVPN passed each over our leak tests and lived to talk about it. So you don’t have to worry about either of these potential leak issues.

Leak Test Result 1:

Leak Test Result 2:

Leak Test Result 3:

Leak Test Result 4:

4. Get Netflix or Your Money Back 

Yes, you read that right.

SlickVPN is so confident in their service that they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is.

That’s encouraging.

However, they should maybe exercise a little caution.

A UK server we tested did successfully stream Netflix. That’s why they’re listed on this side of the table.

But…

Our experience wasn’t exactly flawless.

We also tested the following servers and struck out each time:

• United States- New York
• United States- Chicago
• Canada
• Netherlands

Now, we’ve reviewed and ranked dozens of the top VPNs for Netflix and found 25% to be a pretty good rate.

SlickVPN, to their credit, also offers to give you a complete refund if you can’t find a Netflix-friendly server. So you might have to hunt around a bit. But the knowledge of a full refund behind that claim should help provide a little more patience in your endless pursuit of server switching.

5. Torrenting is Allowed 

We’ve noticed a troubling trend recently.

More and more VPNs are turning their backs on torrenting.

Sadly, that’s a shame.

Torrenting to download massive files at blazing speeds can be a godsend. But not when you’re left completely unprotected and vulnerable to everyone else on the same network.

That’s where a VPN comes in handy, providing a little peace of mind in an otherwise questionable area of the internet.

More good news.

SlickVPN allows unlimited, restriction-free torrenting on their servers. That way, you’re not forced to find some slow, overcrowded P2P server. And your actions are scrutinized, either.

6. Supports Multiple Devices 

SlickVPN natively supports almost any app imaginable, up to five devices at a single time.

Check out this list: 

Computers and tablets

• Windows
• Mac
• Linux (Ubuntu)

Mobile phones

• Android
• iPhone
• iPad
• Windows Mobile
• Nokia

Routers

• QNAP
• Synology
• Asus

We did uncover one slight stumbling block.

They don’t have any native support for game consoles or smart TVs. The only silver lining is that you can hook up a router, first, then connect those devices to make sure your entire household is properly secure.

7. SlickVPN Support is OK

SlickVPN uses ticket-based support.

You fill out a contact form, and they’ll supposedly get back to you within one business day.

Now, here’s the thing.

Ticket-based supports don’t have to suck. We’ve tested a few that only took about an hour to respond.

SlickVPN was one of those relatively-quick examples.

We sent a query at 10:39 am on 5/7/2018.

They responded in about six hours.

It wasn’t the most exhaustive, so we had to dig a little deeper to clarify a few points. And then they responded within minutes on this second go-around.

SlickVPN’s customer support was pretty good.

 

SlickVPN Cons

SlickVPN excelled in a few key areas. But our hands-on tests was infuriating, to say the least.

And unfortunately, that wasn’t the only speed bump we ran into.

Here’s a complete list.

1. U.S. Jurisdiction

Greenville, South Carolina provides old Southern charm.

It also provides a built-in way for its government to spy on its citizens and share the results across the world.

The 5 eyes jurisdiction sounds like something out of a bad Bond film.

But it’s as real as it gets.

This extended security alliance legally allows a government to gather data on its people. Coincidentally (or not), it also allows other governments to spy on them, too. This way, if something does fall outside “legal” thresholds, they can simply have someone else get it for them.

Nice, right?

Well not for the people in these countries.

And most importantly, not for you — if you’re entrusting private information to a company in one of these countries.

The problem is that any court order would force them to instantly hand over everything they’ve got on you.

Thankfully, in the case of SlickVPN, that’s not a lot (as they’re not supposedly logging any of your app usage). But you always need to keep these questionable jurisdictions in the back of your mind when purchasing a tool for ‘privacy.’

2. A Potential Virus Discovered

We loved that SlickVPN’s connection came out leak free.

It’s encouraging. It shows that they know what they’re doing.

So… how would they explain this?

After running a VPN through leak tests, we also run their install files through VirusTotal.com to be absolutely sure you’ll be safe.

And we’re glad we did in this case.

Because one test found a potential virus.

We’re crossing our fingers that this is just a false positive. We’ll try to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Otherwise, you might want to run your own test before installing anything.

3. Slows Down Your Internet Speed

SlickVPN’s 256-bit encryption adds an impenetrable layer of security around your internet connection.

The downside?

This almost always affects your performance.

Browsing slows down. Downloading crawls to a halt.

The best VPNs can escape unscathed. You won’t see a noticeable decline in speed.

But we can’t say the same for SlickVPN.

Our original, benchmark speeds were around 98 Mbps download and 53 Mbps upload.

We then connected to a server in the Netherlands, and here’s what we saw:

• Ping: 43 ms
• Download speed: 22.72 Mbps (77% slower)
• Upload speed: 17.48 (67% slower)

Not good.

And the U.S. server test was only marginally better.

• Ping:124 ms
• Download speed: 56.54 Mbps (42% slower)
• Upload speed: 19.68 (63% slower)

Overall, this combined score only got them to number 47th out of 78 VPNs we’ve tested. Just slightly faster than ProtonVPN, but slower than ibVPN.

4. Does Not Work with the TOR Browser 

Think of The Onion Browser (TOR) as an extra layer of privacy.

It’s a web browser, just like Chrome or Firefox.

Except, it pushes your traffic through several relay points. This way, the sites you visit (and even the ISP you’re on) can’t tell exactly where your original point started.

While it’s good for anonymity, it doesn’t do anything for security.

But our tests revealed that SlickVPN won’t work well with Tor. See for yourself:

TOR test 1

TOR test 2

Chrome test

5. Not User-Friendly At All

SlickVPN impressed us with their vast array of device apps.

The individual apps themselves are also feature-rich. Check out this insanely long list of features on the Android app:

And yet this shows up under the Cons list.

Why?

Install went OK. (Despite that potential virus we warned you about.)

But the app crashed on our first run through. Not a good start.

Things only continued to spiral downward from there, lagging so that it took minutes before we could even use

And to make matters worse?

They used fake server locations:

The image above shows an IP address coming from New York.

However, we weren’t connected to a server in New York.

We were supposed to be connected to a server in Miami.

Why the discrepancy?

Only two logical reasons:

1. The app sucks. (Likely, based on our experience.)
2. Or they’re intentionally lying about their server locations to artificially boost the total count.

Because, after all, no typical user would double-check their IP like this. Especially when our leak tests show the connection is legit.

Only crazy people would triple-check stuff like this. (Oh right, us.)

Here’s why they might want to potentially lie about their server count.

6. Only 150+ Servers Over 40+ Countries

SlickVPN reportedly has access to 150+ servers in 40+ countries.

Here’s how those break down over the globe:

Location	Servers
Europe	62
North America	62
Asia	19
Oceania	4
South America	2
Africa	1

The first issue we see is concentration.

There are TONS of available servers in Europe and North America. Not very many in Asia, Oceania, South America, or Africa.

That means if you’re located in those other places, or find yourself in them for business or pleasure, your chances of getting a fast server are much, much less.

Compare that to a few other VPNs and that total server number gets exposed.

Private Internet Access has a spectacular 3,200+ servers, ExpressVPN, has an impressive 2,000+ servers, while SaferVPN has over 700 servers.

This is especially troubling if SlickVPN is using fake locations to artificially boost their total count.

Over-reporting their already-low total server count is a troubling sign.

SlickVPN Pricing & Plans

SlickVPN’s month-to-month pricing starts at $10.

That’s on the high end from comparable plans we’ve seen.

So if you are sold on SlickVPN, you should take them up on the semi-annual plan that drops the price down to $5/month, or the annual one that drops it even further to $4/month. That’s a 50% and 66% savings respectively.

You can also get the first seven days for free to make sure you like the service before paying.

They accept payment by Paypal, credit card, or Bitcoin.

And all plans are covered by a no-hassle 100% money-back guarantee for your first 30 days.

Do We Recommend SlickVPN?

No, not really.

SlickVPN does a good job providing industry-standard protocol and encryption options. We also liked that their connection was leak free, and that they provided restriction-free torrenting.

One out of five Netflix servers worked. And if you can’t find a successful one, they’ll give you a refund.

So that’s a decent perk.

However, there were a few other issues we just can’t look past.

It all started with a potential virus in their installation files. Then, there was the issue of slow server speeds.

Getting their PC app to work properly was like pulling teeth. And the fake server issue, coupled with the already-low total server count, was the last straw for us.

It’s not like you’re getting an amazingly-low deal, either.

We feel that there are simply too many other better VPNs out there on the market at the same price (or less).

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