RusVPN stands for “Reliable, Unlimited, Secure,” but it doesn’t quite fulfill that promise. It operates 390 servers across 50 countries, with military-grade encryption and an automatic kill switch. It doesn’t log any of its users’ data.
I put the VPN through a series of tests to determine if it delivers on its claims, assessing its speeds, security, privacy, streaming, and more.
RusVPN’s apps are available in English, German, and Russian, and overall it seems like an “okay” choice. However, it can’t unblock Netflix and leaked my DNS. It isn’t particularly competitive against the bigger and better VPNs available.
Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings
- Can’t unblock Netflix. RusVPN didn’t unblock Netflix, but managed to unblock some other major streaming sites in my tests.
- Superfast speeds. I got some high speeds during my tests, even at long distances. Although, I had a few connection problems.
- No-logs policy is transparent. The privacy policy states that no logs are recorded. The VPN is based in the Commonwealth of Dominica, outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.
- Security is flawed. RusVPN has strong AES-256 bit encryption and a kill switch, but my DNS leaked during my tests.
- Medium server network. RusVPN has over 390 servers, including in the US, South America, and Africa. You’ll get decent worldwide coverage.
- Torrenting is allowed. You shouldn’t have any problems with P2P connections, but some servers aren’t very reliable.
- Fast enough for gaming. Speed and ping are great for gaming most of the time, but some servers might let you down.
- 7-day free trial for mobiles. You can use the mobile apps free for a week, so there’s no obligation to sign-up first.
- 30-day money-back policy. You can try RusVPN risk-free as it’s backed by this guarantee.
RusVPN Features — Updated in July 2021
| Price | $2.99/month |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 |
| Does VPN keep logs? | No |
| Number of servers | 390 |
| Number of devices per license | 5 |
| Kill switch | Yes |
| Based in country | Dominica |
| Support | Via Email |
| Supports torrenting | No |
Streaming — Doesn’t Unblock Netflix
RusVPN fails to unblock several streaming platforms, including Netflix. Where it did manage to bypass geoblocks, I couldn’t reliably watch in HD. I had fairly frequent buffering, and I can’t recommend this provider for watching your favorite movies and shows online.
Unblocked: HBO GO, BBC iPlayer, Crunchyroll, Disney+, YouTube
I could only unblock a handful of US-based streaming platforms. HBO GO worked after a few attempts, and YouTube seemed to work without any problems.
Getting BBC iPlayer to work can be tricky, so I was pleased that RusVPN managed to bypass the geoblocks with the UK server. That said, I couldn’t maintain consistent HD and it took a long time to load the stream.
Although I could watch BBC iPlayer, the quality was quite poor at times
Blocked By: Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, CBC, NBC, HBO Max
Some of the big US streaming platforms were blocked, most notably Netflix. You might expect this for some of the more difficult platforms, like Amazon and HBO Max. Unblocking Netflix is one of the main reasons for using a VPN, so this was quite disappointing. It seems the US servers don’t have the ability to smash through most geoblocks.
Having said this, I did manage to access Wikipedia, Reddit, Instagram, Vkontakte, and LinkedIn while connected to the VPN. It does live up to its claims for some non-video-based unblocking capabilities.
In conclusion, I’d say that this VPN isn’t the best choice for streaming. There are some top-rated VPNs out there that let you watch just about any movie or show online.
Speeds — Superfast But Not Very Reliable
RusVPN delivers some decent speeds, but connections are unreliable. Connection speed is one of the most important things to consider when you’re choosing a VPN. Nobody wants a sluggish connection, so it’s vital that you choose a superfast service.
The important measurements of speed are:
- Download speed — determines the quality of your streaming and how fast you can download data. It’s measured in Mbps.
- Upload speed — measures the amount of traffic you can send. This is usually slower than download speed and is also measured in Mbps.
- Ping — vital for gaming, you’ll want as low ping as possible. It’s the time it takes for a server to respond, measured in ms.
Local Speeds
I measured my base speed against the connection speed of the nearest RusVPN server first. It’s normal to experience some slow-down when you connect to a VPN, because your data needs to travel farther to reach the server. It also takes extra time to encrypt and decrypt it. However, the difference should be barely noticeable with a premium VPN.
When you’re browsing local sites, you’ll get the best connection speed by connecting to a server close to your physical location. My base speed before connecting to RusVPN was 76.15 Mbps download, 7.38 Mbps upload, with a ping of 10 ms. This is just above average for the UK.
| VPN Disconnected (UK) | VPN Connected (UK) |
Speed Percentage Change | |
| Download | 76.15 Mbps | 43.89 Mbps | 42% decrease |
| Upload | 7.38 Mbps | 2.94 | 60% decrease |
| Ping | 10 | 251 | 2410% increase |
My connection speed decreased considerably by 42%. Though not terrible, it did take some time for the test to load. Although upload decreased by 60% it was still usable, and ping increased significantly.
Long Distance Speeds
RusVPN gave me fast speeds, but the connections remained unreliable. I couldn’t perform speed tests on some servers at all, like France and Germany — I just got stuck on “finding optimal server”. Despite this, I was impressed with some of the results I got with distant servers that worked.
My results were unusual in that distant servers gave me superfast speeds
I got excellent speeds with most RusVPN servers
The server in Canada performed exceptionally well, as my speed was almost as high as my UK base speed. The pattern was mostly the opposite of what I’d expect, with speeds getting faster with more distant servers. This is quite a rare occurrence for a VPN, especially when the servers are physically located.
When I connected to Canada, my speed was much higher than I expected
Although the speeds were very impressive, I had trouble connecting to many servers and couldn’t perform some tests. The Android app fared a little better, connecting me to more servers and in a quicker time. Whilst it’s delightful to get blazing-fast speeds, if they’re not consistent and reliable I can’t really recommend this VPN. Take a look at these ultra-fast VPNs that are more dependable.
Are RusVPN’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes
Although RusVPN’s speeds are fast enough for gaming, the servers may not be reliable enough. For most gamers, a ping below 120ms is desirable. Even the server in Canada gave me a ping as low as 12ms, so this VPN delivers that. However, it can be hit and miss whether you’ll get a dependable connection at times. If you’re an elite gamer, a ping lower than other players will give you an advantage. But they’re going to get the biggest advantage if you find yourself unable to connect to the server in the first place.
You’ll be able to use the VPN on your Xbox, Playstation, and more by setting up RusVPN on your router. This will enable any device connected to your WiFi to be securely routed through the VPN. It offers additional protection against DDoS attacks and other malicious online threats related to gaming. If you’re a super competitive gamer, I’d recommend checking these top gaming VPNs.
Server Network — Medium-Sized Network
RusVPN’s network is on the average side, with 390 servers in 50 countries. These are mostly based in Europe, so you should take this into consideration before signing up. Key locations are there, like the UK (for BBC iPlayer), France, Germany, and Spain. The US is also covered, although I found its unblocking ability to be limited, as well as Russia. I was pleased to find that RusVPN now offers server locations in South America and Africa, too.
All in all, you’ll get a large pool of IP addresses to choose from, so there are no problems here provided the servers work.
Security — Strong Encryption but Leaked my DNS
RusVPN carries some robust encryption protocols but failed in my leak tests. Carefully consider using the VPN if you want to avoid the risk of your internet traffic being intercepted.
Encryption and Protocols
You’ll get military-grade AES-256 encryption and the choice between OpenVPN (2048-bit RSA, UDP/TCP), IKEv2, L2TP, and PPTP protocols. It didn’t appear to select OpenVPN by default, which is definitely the most sensible option here. P2TP is quite up to scratch, and PPTP and IKEv2 are older protocols that don’t offer the same level of protection. The app has a setting for encryption to be “optional”, which is concerning.
If you set up the VPN using OpenVPN Connect, you’ll always be sure that you’ve got the most secure connection. However, I think the app should be more adept at keeping you protected, especially for beginners. There is no comparison to these VPNs with stellar apps.
IP, DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC Leaks
The VPN failed to prevent DNS leaks. This is concerning as your internet traffic could be compromised.
Leaks tests look for the following:
- IP leaks — your location can be exposed, making you susceptible to online threats.
- DNS leaks — risk your private internet traffic that can be intercepted.
- WebRTC — the peer-to-peer communication between your browser and the web pages you visit can slip outside the safety net, and mistakenly reveal your IP
- IPv6 — some data isn’t sent through the VPN ‘tunnel’, potentially falling into the wrong hands. Most VPNs disable it entirely.
My IP, WebRTC, and IPv6 were safe, but RusVPN leaked my DNS
My IP address successfully changed to a Czech server, WebRTC was blocked, and IPV6 was safe, but my actual DNS addresses appeared in the leak test. This is not good news, as it puts you at risk of prying eyes extracting confidential information from your online traffic. I experienced the same flaw with all the servers I tried.
Kill Switch
RusVPN employs a kill switch, essential for maintaining your secure connection. Should the VPN suddenly disconnect, your whole connection will be terminated to avoid detection. During my tests, the app wasn’t very stable and I suspect this was due to the kill switch being enabled. I think it would also be better if the app also notified you, should your connection drop while the kill switch is disabled.
Double VPN
This feature sounds most similar to split-tunneling, and adds an extra layer of encryption. The webpage description explains that “your traffic is routing through two different servers (instead of one) and therefore gets encrypted twice”. The best way to imagine this is if you shredded a document, and split the pieces between 2 trash cans — it’s extremely unlikely anyone would be able to put it back together again.
Privacy — Relatively Clear Policy
The VPN outlines its terms and doesn’t appear to misuse your data. It’s important to research VPN policies before using them, to avoid your data being handed over to 3rd party advertisers, or worse. I don’t condone using a VPN for any illegal purposes of course, but this is still a reassurance that your private info won’t be sold on.
Location
Based in the Commonwealth of Dominica, RusVPN is outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. This reinforces the trust that your data cannot be passed on, and will remain strictly private.
RusVPN Doesn’t Keep Logs
The policy is transparent enough to determine that RusVPN won’t hold onto your information. It does state that their legal department will be in touch should you download any material with copyright infringement. This is common practice for VPN providers. Again, I don’t condone illegal downloads — so long as you’re using the VPN lawfully this isn’t a concern.
It’s not evident that RusVPN has undergone independent security auditing. This is a sure-fire way to boost confidence in a company that handles your online traffic, and I’d like to see this done in the future.
Torrenting — Allowed
RusVPN references torrent downloads on its webpage, suggesting they are allowed. Provided you are only downloading files without copyright infringement, you shouldn’t have any problems. The VPN will give you added security benefits like encryption, and the kill switch, helping you avoid malicious online threats and hackers.
Although I got high speeds in my tests — perfect for P2P downloads — bear in mind that I experienced connection issues. You may want to explore other secure VPNs for torrenting.
Does RusVPN Work in China? — Not Guaranteed
I contacted RusVPN’s support and they advised me that it works in China. Despite this, I would exercise caution given the leaks I detected in my tests. The difficulty with some servers and lack of confidence in the native app may also put you off.
RusVPN told me it will work in China
I can’t fully recommend it for use in China at the moment. Consider these tried-and-tested VPNs that work in China instead.
Simultaneous Device Connections — Up to 5
You can connect up to 5 devices simultaneously — about average for premium VPNs. Coupled with the wide range of device support, you’ll be able to use it on most of your devices at the same time without connectivity problems.
Enjoy RusVPN on All Your Devices
Device Compatibility — Multi-Platform Support
RusVPN has a good range of device support and installation options. It was easy to determine what options there were, and determine the best way to use the VPN. The browser extensions are free but offer limited server choices.
You’ve got dedicated apps for Windows, macOS/OSX/iOS, Android, and Linux. Browser extensions are available for Chrome and Firefox, with manual setup options for OpenVPN and routers.
The ability to install the VPN via OpenVPN is a bonus, because you can bypass some of the inadequacies of the app. By enabling RusVPN on your router, you’ll be able to use any WiFi device with it including smart TVs. I’d like to see Opera and Internet Explorer extensions added too.
I would like to share my experience of using a paid RUSVPN subscription. I have been using the subscription for several months and there have never been any failures in the service. At any time of the day, all sites open quickly. VPN synchronizes with the server instantly. This resource is worth its money, I will definitely continue to use a subscription to RUSVPN.