BulletVPN Review 2023 — Keep This in Mind Before Buying

BulletVPN is another service in a crowded market, and it makes some bold claims. Its website says it can unblock all the top streaming platforms, along with offering fast speeds for buffer-free streaming. There’s a ton of competition out there, and BulletVPN’s plans are all quite expensive, so is it worth the price?

To find the answer, I tested its speeds, streaming capabilities, security features, server network, device compatibility, and how well it handles customer support. I also went through its privacy policy to see whether you can trust it to be responsible with your data.

Overall, I can’t recommend it. While BulletVPN did unblock every major streaming platform, its server performance is seriously hit-or-miss. Furthermore, its customer support disappointed me. I recommend comparing it with other options. For that, check out the top premium VPNs.

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Streaming — Great Unblocking Ability With Decent Playback

BulletVPN unblocked every major streaming platform, but there were some issues with Netflix. Some servers will only let you access Netflix originals while others will unblock the full library. It can be time consuming testing which servers give you full access to its libraries. On the positive side, the playback quality was mostly good – although on some sites the load times were a bit long. UltraHD servers are optimized for 4K streaming, but I was disappointed that I didn’t find any difference between these specialized servers and the regular ones. In addition to the platforms below, I was also able to unblock ESPN+ and BBC iPlayer.

Unblocked: Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu

I unblocked Netflix’s US library successfully after trying a few servers. The website loaded quickly, and I was able to watch movies in HD without any buffering. Unfortunately, you will have to perform some trial-and-error to find servers that unblock everything, which is frustrating.

It only took Netflix 5 seconds to load

I tested 6 server locations, including Chicago UltraHD, Miami UltraHD, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, and New York. I was disappointed that I didn’t find any difference between the “UltraHD” servers and the regular servers. In terms of buffering and loading times, they performed identically.

Next, I tested BulletVPN’s European and US servers with Disney+. I was able to unblock Disney+, but the load times in all regions were long and annoying. Thankfully, once videos loaded, I was able to stream in full HD resolution without any interruptions.

BulletVPN’s servers unblocked the full Disney+ library

BulletVPN also allowed me to access YouTube. To test the streaming performance, I connected to servers in Europe, the US, and the Middle East. Typically, distant servers on VPNs tend to be slower. But I did not notice any reduction in BulletVPN’s performance on faraway locations (I’m located in Pakistan).

I experienced no buffering delays on YouTube

US servers also successfully unblocked Amazon Prime Video, and I was able to watch a movie in full HD quality.

Other than some occasional buffering delays, the stream worked smoothly

While all BulletVPN servers unblocked Hulu, the streaming experience was underwhelming. During these tests, I tried multiple servers in the US, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

The video playback was very choppy and pixelated

It took around 30 seconds on average for the titles to load. For a better streaming experience on Hulu, I suggest you check out this list of the best VPNs for Hulu.

Speeds — Good Speeds That Hold Up On Long-Distance Servers

While not as fast as a premium VPN, like ExpressVPN, BulletVPN’s speeds are strong, with minimal drop-off at long distances. To start, I conducted 10 tests on my base speed. I calculated an average download speed of 19.88 Mbps, and BulletVPN reduced my speeds by up to 16%. My connection is a little slow, but that drop in speeds won’t affect most people. The average speed in the US is 43 Mbps for example. They would still have more than enough to stream in 4K because that only requires 25 Mbps.

After I recorded my baseline, I tested my speeds on different BulletVPN servers. I chose some servers that were closer to my home country and some farther away for a comparison.

My speeds were the highest on UK servers

Some BulletVPN servers that are farther away are still fast. I was surprised that a German server was slower than one in Australia. Germany is much closer to Pakistan (5,297 km away). Australia is 9,230 km from me. Similarly, the distance between Pakistan and the US is roughly 12,346 km. Yet, my speed on the US servers was faster than in Germany. So, distance is less of a factor with BulletVPN.

Based on the data I obtained, I calculated the drop-off in speeds and compiled the results in this table.

I was impressed that BulletVPN never reduced my speeds by more than 16%. It's common for VPNs to reduce your connection speed by much more, especially on distant servers. In all the tests, my internet speed remained well above 15 Mbps regardless of the location.

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Are BulletVPN’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? No

Unlike ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, BulletVPN’s ping (latency) is too high for fast-paced games. Ping is the main factor used to determine network performance during gaming. Basically, the higher the ping, the longer it takes the game to recognize your inputs. Low ping is preferable for competitive games like first-person shooters, where even slight lag can ruin your game.

I tested BulletVPN with Rocket League. Since I was aiming for low ping, I connected to Germany, which is close to my physical location, allowing me to do in-game matchmaking in the Europe region.

I experienced a lot of jitters due to high ping and packet loss

My ping was too high to enjoy a match in Rocket League. When you’re up against opponents that have low ping, you’ll be at a significant disadvantage. If you want to keep your ping low and enjoy competitive games, check out our list of the best VPNs for gaming.

Server Network — Limited Network With Some Faulty Servers

Some servers took forever to connect while others never connected. These issues took place during my tests with servers in the UK and the US. Despite loading for up to 10 minutes, some could never achieve a connection.

Its server network is also small compared to its competitors. Such a low number of servers can increase network congestion, lowering speeds. Even worse, a limited network means you could have trouble accessing online accounts when you travel. With only 155 servers, having a number of broken locations is just unacceptable. Check out this list to find VPNs with way more servers (that work reliably).

Security — Decent Security Features with Strong Encryption

Overall, I was impressed with BulletVPN’s security features, and it passed all my tests.
BulletVPN uses military-grade AES encryption to protect your data, which is then routed through secure VPN tunnels. On top of that, it also offers a kill switch which prevents your IP address from getting exposed during disconnections.

I tested the kill switch feature on its Windows client by switching servers while a browser window was open. As soon as the VPN disconnected, my network traffic came to a halt, proving that the kill-switch works as advertised.

The Bullet Shield feature blocks any network connections while the VPN is disconnected. I tested it by turning off my VPN after the feature was enabled. It completely shut off my internet access until I turned the VPN on again. I found Bullet Shield quite helpful, as it adds another layer of security. This makes sure your IP address won’t be exposed even if you disconnect the VPN by mistake.

After that, I checked the BulletVPN windows installer for any viruses. I did this by running it through VirusTotal. This is a website that checks any installer file you upload for known viruses, malware, or trackers.

Windows Defender didn’t detect any viruses either

I also performed leak tests, which showed me what websites see while I’m connected to BulletVPN. No IP leaks were found, and my actual physical location remained completely hidden. Instead, the results showed me the IP address associated with my VPN connection.

My actual IP address remained hidden in the WebRTC leak test

BulletVPN also offers 3 VPN protocols, giving you some customization options. You can choose between WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, PPTP, and L2TP. OpenVPN is the most secure since it’s open-source, which means the code is constantly being updated by people around the world. L2TP is the fastest, but it’s an older protocol, which makes it a little less secure. Wireguard is a newer protocol that offers a good balance between safety and speed.

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Privacy — BulletVPN Keeps No Logs

Overall, BulletVPN is a very privacy-friendly VPN since it does not keep logs. It is headquartered in Estonia, which is outside of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (an intelligence sharing agreement between several countries). Estonia is also a country without any data retention laws, so BulletVPN will not be forced to store or share your data, which occurs in some countries like the US.

However, it does store your email address which is required at the time of signing up. The company needs email addresses for different purposes, including sending payment notifications, updates, answers to customer support queries, etc. If you’re not comfortable with them storing your normal email address, I suggest using a throwaway email not associated with your other accounts.

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Torrenting — Slow and Does Not Offer Port Forwarding

BulletVPN gave me very slow speeds while torrenting. Plus, it doesn't offer port forwarding, which is one way some VPNs let you increase download speeds.

To test it, I connected to BulletVPN’s New York server and The max download speed that I could achieve was 45 kB/s. The upload speed remained at 108 KB/s with a total of 28 peers. This meant it would have taken hours to download a file I can normally finish in 20 minutes.

My torrenting speeds without BulletVPN were much faster

Overall, I was disappointed with BulletVPN’s torrenting performance. For optimal torrenting speeds, I suggest you check out our top VPNs for P2P file sharing.

However, I advise you to be extra careful to avoid accessing copyrighted files. VPNMentor does not condone piracy through torrenting or the downloading/sharing of pirated or illegal content.

Does BulletVPN Work in China? Not Guaranteed

It’s uncertain whether BulletVPN will work in China. I contacted BulletVPN’s customer support to ask whether its Hong Kong servers could be used in the country. The support agents were not sure about its useability in China. They did suggest connecting to Chinese servers using the Wireguard protocol.

VPNs that aren’t approved by the Chinese government are banned in the country. However, Chinese officials generally go after the VPNs rather than the people who use them. To find a VPN that works, check out this list of the best VPNs to use in China.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Up to 6 Devices

You’ll be able to use up to 6 devices simultaneously with BulletVPN without experiencing any performance issues. I connected to BulletVPN on a Windows PC, Android smartphone and tablet, iPad, iPhone, and Mac at the same time. During my tests, I started streaming Netflix on every device. There was no dip in the playback quality, and I didn’t experience any buffering.

You can also install BulletVPN on your router to use it with more than 6 devices. After setting it up on my router, I was able to use BulletVPN with 10 devices. However, this did considerably lower my internet speed.

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