OperaVPN Review & Test 2022 - Only If You Have To

OperaVPN comes free with the Opera browser, but it only protects traffic via the browser itself. Most VPNs protect all of your internet traffic, keeping your information safe from cyber attackers. Even more concerning, Opera has been known to sell its user data to advertisers for a profit. But, for those of you who are willing to give it a little leeway because it’s free, I took a deep dive into what it has to offer.

After extensive testing, I put it through its paces checking streaming capabilities, security and privacy features, and ease of use. If you’re looking for a VPN that can help you stream movies and shows on your devices, OperaVPN will not be the choice for you. And, even more worrying, its security and privacy left a lot to be desired.

My honest recommendation? I'd instead go with a more reliable VPN. ExpressVPN is ideal for quickly accessing your favorite streaming platforms anywhere as it has a global network of lightning-fast servers. Since it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can also try it risk-free. Alternatively, CyberGhost has a 45-day money-back guarantee and protects your online privacy with robust security features.

Or, you can read on to see whether OperaVPN is worth the risk.

Streaming — Couldn’t Bypass Most Geoblocks

OperaVPN only unblocked 1 of the streaming platforms I tested, but the slow speeds made it impossible to actually load the website.

The VPN offers 3 connection options in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, making it impossible to choose a specific server. This is inconvenient, as I couldn’t test any European platforms (like BBC iPlayer). No matter how many times I tried to connect and disconnect from the European server, I got the same server – in the Netherlands.

Unblocked: HBO Max

The only platform OperaVPN unblocked is HBO Max. While the website didn’t identify the VPN, the login screen never loaded.

While the website never loaded, it didn’t block my access

Blocked By: Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video

Any other streaming platform I tested blocked OperaVPN.

Netflix couldn’t see that my location was changed, so it didn’t let me access any US-exclusive titles, such as Shameless or Criminal Minds.

Even more, I waited about 5 minutes for the page to fully load

When I tried to access Hulu, I received an error telling me that the platform was only available in the US.

OperaVPN couldn’t unblock Hulu

Amazon Prime Video identified OperaVPN, so I couldn’t stream any of my favorite titles.

I was not allowed to stream at all with the VPN connected

Disney+ blocked me too – I couldn’t access the login page and I was stuck with a black screen.

Overall, I can’t recommend OperaVPN for streaming. It only unblocked 1 of the streaming platforms I tested, but I couldn’t actually stream due to the super slow speeds. I recommend you pick one of these VPNs if you need a reliable service for streaming.

Speeds — Inconsistent on Most Servers

OperaVPN’s speeds were very inconsistent. While I didn’t experience a big drop on local servers, the long-distance ones made my connection impossible to use.

In order to get a correct reading, I started by measuring my base speed. I had 449.59 Mbps download, 414.52 Mbps upload, and a ping of 4 ms. Then, I measured the VPN’s:

• Download speed – it’s measured in Mbps and determines the amount of data you can get on your device in a determined time.
• Upload speed – measures the amount of data you can send in a specific amount of time. This is useful for sending messages and initiating video calls.
• Ping – also known as latency, measures the server response time. It’s important in gaming, as high ping often leads to lag.

The first location I tested was Europe, as it’s close to my base location. The results were good, and OperaVPN only slowed me down by 9%. This is a good result and it means that I wouldn’t have any problems watching my favorite titles if I had access to more than 1 server.

On long-distance servers, though, I could barely load a website. On the Americas connection, I had a download speed of 0.82 Mbps, which is a 99% decrease. While OperaVPN announced to me before activating the VPN that it may slow me down, I wasn’t expecting such a drastic drop.

The Asia connection performed a little better, with download standing at 4.24 Mbps. However, this is not enough for watching a movie or show in HD or even initiating a video call.

OperaVPN’s servers in the Americas and Asia wouldn’t allow me to properly stream

Here is a breakdown of my speed test results:

I can’t recommend OperaVPN at all for its speeds. The only good result I got was from the Europe connection, but even then, my upload speed dropped terribly. Therefore, I recommend you take a look at one of these VPNs that will provide you with much faster speeds on any server.

Server Network — Very Small and Unreliable

OperaVPN has 3 locations you can connect to, on 3 continents: North America, Europe, and Asia. During my tests, I got the same IP address every time I connected and disconnected from a location. This is bad, as limited servers can get overcrowded and deliver very slow speeds.

It also offers an Optimal Location, but I found that to be the same as the Europe connection since I’m based in Europe. Other than that, it doesn’t have any other features or servers.

Security — Minimal, but Decent Protection

OperaVPN has decent security features, but it fails in some basic areas.

It uses military-grade AES-256 encryption but doesn’t pair it with a protocol. This is an odd arrangement and doesn’t provide the best security. It is, however, a browser extension, so I wasn’t expecting much from it.

In the Opera browser, you’ll also find an ad and tracker blocker, which worked great in my tests. Even when accessing websites filled with popups, I didn’t have any issues and it successfully blocked every ad. However, since Opera has been known to sell user data to advertisers for a profit, this isn’t as impressive when you may find you’re later targeted by ads that have been directed to you thanks to Opera’s exploitation.

Since this is a browser extension VPN, it doesn’t come with a few of the standard security features I usually look for. Whenever I choose a VPN I like to be sure it has additional security such as a kill switch, which is pretty much standard now for all decent VPNs. A kill switch cuts your internet connection completely as soon as the VPN disconnects, meaning you never expose your IP address.

A major disappointment is that OperaVPN uses IPv6 traffic by default. While it didn’t leak my IPv6 address, I’m not confident that it won’t happen, especially since it doesn’t have a security protocol in place.

While OperaVPN hid my information, it couldn’t block IPv6 entirely

Overall, I can’t recommend OperaVPN’s security. While it provides some basic protection and didn’t leak my IP address and DNS requests, that’s where it stops. It doesn’t have any extra security features and I’m not confident that it can keep you fully protected online. Instead, take a look at these VPNs with superior security that will keep you safe no matter what.

Privacy — Probably Stores a Lot of User Data

OperaVPN doesn’t store any data, but the Opera browser does. This feels a little conflicting for me. If the browser keeps user data, such as your IP address and DNS requests, the VPN can either block those logs, or work alongside the browser. This means it will simply hide your data from websites you access while also keeping a ton of logs, which can put your privacy at risk.

The VPN and browser information logs seem to contradict each other

Considering Opera makes a profit by providing international advertisers with this data, it’s no surprise to find there is some element of log-keeping going on. It is known to share data internationally, providing companies such as Facebook and Google with the means to bombard you with targeted ads.

The VPN is based in Norway, which is part of the 14 Eyes Alliance. This means that if the government asks Opera to share data about you, it will – and it might be shared with all the countries in the alliance.

Its location, coupled with the potentially shady privacy policy, means that I can’t recommend Opera for its user privacy protection.

Torrenting — Not Supported

OperaVPN is basically a browser extension, meaning that it only routes browser traffic. You won’t be able to use it for torrenting clients such as BitTorrent. However, it wouldn’t be safe for torrenting anyway, since its security and privacy are lacking.

I recommend you take a look at one of these VPNs for torrenting that will keep you safe while torrenting.

Does Opera VPN Work in China? Probably Not

There was no way to contact OperaVPN’s support team to ask if it works in China, but since it lacks so many security features, I couldn’t recommend it anyway.

OperaVPN works like a proxy, so it doesn’t provide you with obfuscation. Even more, it doesn’t use a protocol that could be able to bypass the Great Firewall – it doesn’t use any protocol. The fact that it has no kill switch and the privacy policy is a little shady only adds up to the reasons why you shouldn’t be using OperaVPN in China. Take a look at these VPNs for China, with improved security features and real no-logs policies.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Unlimited

OperaVPN can be used on an unlimited number of devices, but since it’s only compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Windows, this feels a little redundant.