Malwarebytes Privacy Review 2023 - Keep This in Mind Before Buying

Malwarebytes Privacy VPN is predominantly an anti-virus company, but it also offers users a VPN. Since its main focus seems to be malware protection, I wanted to find out whether its speeds, streaming abilities, and device compatibility are just as good as its security features. Is it good enough to be declared a great VPN service?

After testing its features I have to say that for a high-cost option, this VPN is lacking in some of the most fundamental areas. It failed to unblock my favorite streaming sites, and its customer support is practically non-existent.

If you’re considering Malwarebytes because of its cyber security reputation, I’d recommend you try one of my other top ranked VPNs. These options all have military-grade security features but also come with outstanding speeds, a network of world-class servers, and 24/7 customer support.

Try Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Today!

Try Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Today!

Streaming — Limited Streaming Capabilities

Malwarebytes Privacy VPN couldn’t unblock most of my favorite streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu. This was a surprise considering its price, as more premium VPNs tend to perform well in streaming tests.

I did manage to unblock BBC iPlayer and YouTube TV using its UK server.

Unblocked: BBC iPlayer and YouTube TV

Its picture quality was excellent and I had a solid connection throughout my test

Since its UK server gave me a strong connection coupled with great speeds, I could easily access BBC iPlayer and watched a few shows without any problems.

Blocked by: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, DAZN, Disney+, and 10Play

I tested multiple servers in different locations, but Malwarebytes Privacy failed to unblock most of the popular streaming platforms.

None of the US servers I tried bypassed Netflix’s blocks

When I tried to access Netflix US, I couldn’t get past the blocks. Even though I had the US server up and running, I could only access my country’s library homepage.

It told me I was connected to the US, but Hulu wasn’t fooled

Hulu immediately knew I wasn’t in the US, meaning that it either recognised the Malwarebytes server as being a VPN, or the server failed to assign me a new location.

After multiple attempts I had to give up as HBO’s blocks were too tough

HBO Max’s geoblocks are tough to beat, and Malwarebytes’ US servers didn’t stand a chance from my location.

None of the servers I tested managed to get past DAZN’s blocks

I tried a few server choices in the US, but none of them were able to access DAZN.

There are few servers in and around Australia, so this wasn’t too much of a surprise

Its Australian server performed extremely badly in my tests, and couldn’t unblock any of the streaming platforms I tested, such as 10Play.

Because of these results, I can’t recommend Malwarebytes Privacy VPN for streaming. Its inability to unblock most of the top streaming platforms makes it a terrible choice if you want to it to access international TV. Instead, I recommend trying one of these great VPNs, which all performed fantastically in my streaming tests.

Speeds — Good on Local Servers

I got good results on servers closer to my location but my speed dropped by over 60% on faraway servers in Australia. My speed tests measured:

• Download speed — measures the amount of data you can transfer per second. Faster download speeds mean you’ll have zero buffering or lag while you stream.
• Upload speed — how much data you can send data through your connection in a specific timeframe.
• Ping — how long it takes for your device’s data to reach its intended location. This shows you how responsive your connection is. The higher your ping, the more lag you’ll have.

My speed barely dropped at all using its UK server

In the UK and the Netherlands, the speeds only dropped around 5% from my base location which was a great result. My upload speeds throughout were pretty standard, giving me more than enough on most of the servers I tested.

Although local servers performed quite well, I had mixed results further from my location

My download speed dropped below 25 Mbps on its US and French servers, which is more than enough to successfully stream, game, and download content. This gave me around 60% less than what I started with.

The worst result I had was with its Australian server, where I had the slowest speeds and the highest ping. You can see the full results of my tests in the table below.

Since I had such great results on many of the servers I tested, I can conclude that Malwarebytes Privacy’s speeds are pretty good on local servers. However, a VPN shouldn’t slow you down by more than 20% on any of its locations. If you’re looking for a superfast service, take a look at these VPNs.

Are Malwarebytes Privacy’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? Only on Local Servers

I could only manage to game on selected nearby servers. I had good ping results when I tested the servers that were near to my location. However, gaming on faraway locations like the US and Japan was impossible due to the high ping.

It was only when I tried to game using the farthest servers that I had problems

Ping is a measurement of the time it takes for a website to respond to your request to connect and anything over 150 ms is considered very high. While the local servers allowed me to play with my teammates in real-time, I was constantly lagging while connected to its US servers.

If you need a good VPN for gaming, give one of my favorite options a try. All of these performed well in my latency tests, making gaming online easy.

Server Network — Multiple European Locations

Malwarebytes Privacy VPN has 270 servers in 30 countries, which is a fairly average network. It’s better to look for a VPN that has a large server network because there’s a higher chance that there will be a server close to your actual location. When there are less servers slowdowns caused by overcrowding are likely.

If you’re looking for a server in Europe, this VPN could have you covered. But it has minimal locations in South America and Asia.

Security — Generally Safe

Overall, its security is excellent, which I would expect from a company focused on anti-virus technology.

Encryption and Protocols

Malwarebytes Privacy VPN uses the WireGuard protocol, which is much faster than OpenVPN. It’s renowned for its security and reliable data protection, and is compatible with Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android.

It has military-grade 256-bit encryption, meaning that your data is completely secure. Even if a hacker did manage to access your data, they would never be able to decode the encryption key to work out what it says.

The website indicates that the more expensive plan that covers 5 devices also includes ransomware and malware prevention and removal. This means that Malwarebytes Privacy VPN incorporates some of its cyber-security measures into its more premium plans, blocking any attempts to infect your devices with malware. It also includes anti-virus software to clear away any existing bugs or trackers.

IP, DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 Leaks

All the servers I tested were fully secure. I ran it through a leak detector tool and no IP, WebRTC, or DNS leaks were detected on any of the servers I tried. A DNS leak is a breach of your security that allows your ISP to see your internet activity. In the event of an IP and WebRTC leak, your real IP address would be revealed to third parties, such as hackers and the websites you access.

All of the servers I tried were fully secure

Malwarebytes Privacy VPN failed to disable IPv6, though. This means that my IP address could still get exposed if a website requested it. This is not a very big problem, as the default was set to IPv4. However, it’s still something the VPN can improve.

Kill Switch

The VPN has a kill switch to protect your devices and privacy. A kill switch kicks in immediately in the event of a VPN failure, disconnecting you from the internet completely. This tool stops malware attacks, IP address leaks, and your data from being released into the wrong hands.

I tried this feature by disconnecting the VPN while a web page was loading. My internet immediately shut down and only started working again when I reconnected the VPN. This let me know that my data was secure, and my IP address wasn’t in any danger of being leaked.

Auto Connect

This auto-start feature connects the VPN every time you go online. This is a reassuring feature if you’re always on the go and connected to public WiFis, as it will keep you safe no matter what. You can also turn off this setting using the menu if you’d rather keep control over when it kicks in.

If you were attracted to Malwarebytes Privacy because it’s an existing name in the cyber-security world, you won’t be disappointed by its security features. However, if you want top-notch security coupled with an all-around VPN service including great streaming ability and customer support, I’d recommend taking a look at these VPNs instead.

Privacy — No-Logs Policy but Based in the US

Its privacy policy is fairly standard and gave me no cause for concern.

Malwarebytes Privacy Doesn’t Keep Logs

Malwarebytes Privacy admits that it collects user data at the point of subscription, such as contact details. But since it doesn’t keep tabs on what you’re using your VPN to access it can be considered no logs. This is essential if you live in a country that has strict restrictions in place in terms of what its residents can view. If you accidentally click on a page that is forbidden, there will be no way for the government to find out.

The privacy policy is transparent and informative

Location

The VPN is located in the US, which is a founding country of the 5 Eyes Alliance — the biggest intelligence-sharing agency in the world. This means that any data that the company gathers when you use the VPN may be shared with all the countries in the alliance. If you are conscious of your privacy, it may be better for you to use a VPN that is based in a country outside of the alliance.

Torrenting — Unclear Torrent Policy

Whether you can torrent using Malwarebytes Privacy is unknown. I couldn’t find any information telling me I could or couldn’t torrent using its VPN. This is important to me as some VPNs have very strict rules about P2P file sharing, and can ban you for using it for that purpose. While this usually relates to the downloading of copyrighted content, some VPN providers don’t like to take any risks and so forbid torrenting completely.

There was nothing in its FAQs about torrenting, so I contacted customer support to see if they could tell me. The reply I received was completely unhelpful, so I have no idea whether torrenting is tolerated by this VPN company.

The Chat Bot couldn’t answer any of my straightforward questions

If you are hoping to find a good VPN to torrent, always remember to be cautious of the files you download. Certain countries have very specific laws about torrenting, so be sure to check before you begin. You can find out more about the best VPNs for torrenting here.

Does Malwarebytres Privacy Work in China? Probably Not

Since the majority of VPNs struggle to get past the so-called Great Wall of China, I wanted to find out whether Malwarebytes was one of the exceptions. I couldn’t find the information in the FAQs page, so I contacted customer support to find out. The email I received told me nothing about whether it works in China, but I’d guess that it is unlikely.

Instead, if you want to get a reliable VPN that can bypass China’s blocks for a similar price, I suggest checking out these top-class VPNs instead.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Up to 5

The number of devices you can connect varies depending on the plan you sign up for. You can choose 1, 3, or 5 devices under one subscription. Before you sign up based on the amount of devices you can connect, you should know that you can only use it on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.

Unlike many other VPNs, there is no way to connect it to your router and run it through your TV or games consoles. Because of this, multiple devices may not be required.

Malwarebytes does promote sharing your account with family members, which is nice to see. However, this may be a shrewd marketing ploy to make up for the fact that its connection options are limited.

Device Compatibility — Limited

It’s only compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. If you are happy to just use the VPN on your phone and laptop, this might be all that you need.

Personally, I like to run my VPN when I’m using my smart TV, games consoles, and Firestick, not to mention having the added protection on my router. Malwarebytes isn’t compatible with any of these devices, which was a huge disappointment during my tests.