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ShellVPN Review 2022 —Keep This in Mind Before Buying
ShellVPN promotes itself as an all-around service providing extensive access to geo-blocked content at fast speeds. So, I had to take it for a test and see if it can keep its promise.
I tested its unblocking performance, speeds, and server network, and I also paid close attention to its security and privacy features. I found that it’s a service with great potential, but the privacy policy is a big red flag. Overall, it’s not ready to compete with the best VPNs just yet.
Limited streaming capabilities. ShellVPN couldn’t unblock all the streaming platforms I tested, but I could access Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Take a look at my results.
Fast but inconsistent speeds. ShellVPN didn’t slow me down too much, but I didn’t get consistent results on all the servers I tested. Check out my speed test results.
Modest server network The VPN has 495 servers in 18 countries, and all of these servers are pretty fast to connect to. Take a closer look at this below.
Good encryption. ShellVPN uses AES-128-GCM encryption, which is fast, efficient, and keeps your data safe. Read my security breakdown.
Flawed policy. The VPN has a flawed privacy policy as it is copied from IVPN. Take a look at my analysis.
7-day money-back guarantee. ShellVPN is a bit pricey unless you purchase a long-term (annual) plan. However, to check if it is worth the price, you can take the free trial. It is also backed by a 7 money-back guarantee, so you can try it free for 7 days.
Streaming — Does Not Unblock all Streaming Platforms
ShellVPN unblocked a couple of streaming services but couldn’t keep up with the most popular names. I had no problems accessing Amazon Prime, and Netflix, but HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+ were out of reach.
Unblocked: Netflix and Amazon Prime
ShellVPN easily accessed Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. I used the same US servers for both of them, and I had instant access to thousands of normally blocked shows and movies.
The best part is that I could watch in UHD as the servers provided me with fast speeds.
I could watch US Netflix using ShellVPN.
Amazon Prime Video was just as easy to access, and I could watch Green Lantern and other titles without buffering or interruptions.
ShellVPN allowed me to access Amazon Prime Video and watch Green Lantern.
Blocked By: HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu
ShellVPN couldn’t unblock HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu. While I was able to unblock Netflix and Amazon Prime with ShellVPN, I was surprised to see an error message on the screen while accessing HBO Max.
I couldn’t access HBO Max using ShellVPN.
I was not able to unblock Hulu either. When I tried logging in, Hulu told me my login had been blocked. It seems that like HBO Max, Hulu didn’t see my location was changed — so I couldn’t log in.
I couldn’t even open up the Disney+ login page. I got a completely blank page while accessing the website.
As ShellVPN does not unblock every streaming platform, you’re restricted when it comes to accessing shows and movies. If your main focus is streaming, I recommend checking out one of these VPNs.
Speeds — Decent Speeds for Almost All the Locations
ShellVPN provided me with fast speeds on all the servers I tested. I tried all the servers (over 30), and my speeds averaged around 26 Mbps.
In order to calculate ShellVPN’s performance, I measured:
Download speed — the time it takes to download files and information from the internet, measured in Mbps.
Upload speed — the time needed to send files from your computer.
Ping — how fast you get a response from a website or app, measured in ms (and important in gaming).
The maximum download speed that I got was in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was around 36.5 Mbps with a ping of 155 ms. This was a bit lower than my base speed in Chandigarh, India, where I got 41.63 Mbps. However, in Hong Kong, which is far away from the Netherlands, I had similar results and lower ping.
ShellVPN provided me with fast speeds on its Amsterdam server
I tried connecting to other faraway servers in the US, Australia, and Canada. My speeds fluctuated quite a lot, with the biggest drops on the most distant servers.
Country
Download Speed (Mbps)
Upload Speed (Mbps)
Ping (ms)
No VPN — Chandigarh, India
41.63 Mbps
36.17 Mbps
14 ms
Amsterdam, Netherlands
36.48 Mbps (12% decrease)
26.38 Mbps (27% decrease)
155 ms
New Jersey, United States
25.94 Mbps (37% decrease)
8.52 Mbps (76% decrease)
236 ms
Frankfurt, Germany
33.50 Mbps (19% decrease)
29.35 Mbps (18% decrease)
166 ms
Hong Kong, China
30.17 Mbps (27% decrease)
23.86 Mbps (34% decrease)
127 ms
Istanbul, Turkey
14.35 Mbps (65% decrease)
21.26 Mbps (41% decrease)
183 ms
Fussa Shi, Japan
22.71 Mbps (45% decrease)
23.27 Mbps (35% decrease)
284 ms
London, UK
32.02 Mbps (23% decrease)
26.78 Mbps (25% decrease)
148 ms
San Jose, California
13.21 Mbps (68% decrease)
25.17 Mbps (30% decrease)
274 ms
Singapore
20 Mbps (51% decrease)
18.69 Mbps (48% decrease)
362 ms
Taipei, Taiwan
27.80 Mbps (33% decrease)
10.88 Mbps (69% decrease)
140 ms
New York, United States
27.77 Mbps (33% decrease)
13.57 Mbps (62% decrease)
234 ms
Zurich, Switzerland
31.89 Mbps (23% decrease)
26.03 Mbps (28% decrease)
158 ms
I had fast-enough speeds for HD streaming on all the servers I tested, and most were even fast enough for UHD. Only my ping took a noticeable hit. 50-100 ms is considered a good to average ping, and ShellVPN almost never achieved this — which is bad news if you’re an online gamer.
ShellVPN has 495 servers in 18 countries, which is a modest number. It has servers in:
Continent
Country
Asia
Russia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, Turkey, Taiwan, Korea
North America
USA, Canada
Europe
France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Switzerland
South America
Brazil
There’s a ”Smart Connect” feature, which connected me to the closest and fastest server for my location.
Even though it doesn’t have a large server network, it’s nicely distributed
When I tried selecting each server manually, most connected within seconds.
However, there were some servers on the list that took longer such as those in Taiwan and Japan. Others even showed the message “Failed to fetch” and wouldn’t work at all.
Security — Strong Encryption
ShellVPN uses state-of-the-art security protocols that have a high level of encryption.
Since there was no information about its encryption on the website, I turned to customer support. I got a prompt answer and discovered that it uses a self-developed security protocol that is similar to Wireguard, but I wasn’t given a name. Further, the chat representative mentioned that the protocol uses AES-128-GCM encryption.
ShellVPN uses strong encryption, so your data is secure
I was a bit relieved as AES-128-GCM encryption is one of the best encryption techniques — it’s nearly impossible to break, even for the machines that are used for cryptocurrency mining.
The standard is AES-256, as it’s very strong against brute force attacks and more secure overall. However, AES-128 is faster and won’t take as much time to encrypt your data. If you prefer 256-bit encryption, you can opt for the best VPNs for security.
I performed a couple of IP and DNS leak tests on its servers to check if my data was really secure. None of the servers I tested exposed any information about me and managed to hide my IP and location and also disable IPv6.
My data was completely secure while connected to ShellVPN
Privacy — No Logs, but With a Catch
ShellVPN claims it doesn’t keep any logs. As per the privacy policy of ShellVPN, it does not store:
Traffic information
User bandwidth
Your IP address
DNS info
Connection timestamps or durations
However, I found that the privacy policy mentioned on the website is an exact copy of some other VPN’s privacy policy. So, to confirm if it was legit, I contacted its customer support team. The support executive gave me a dodgy answer saying that it is some text bug.
ShellVPN has a copy of the IVPN privacy policy so it is a bit tricky to trust it
ShellVPN allows torrenting on specific servers. I messaged the support team to find out more, and a representative told me that only its servers in the Netherlands support torrenting.
You can use ShellVPN’s Netherlands servers for torrenting
However, ShellVPN doesn’t have a kill switch. That means you’re at risk of being exposed if the VPN disconnects.
Always bear in mind that downloading copyrighted content is illegal in most parts of the world, and you may get in legal trouble for it. My team and I do not condone illegal torrenting, so double-check each file you access.
ShellVPN works in China. I contacted the VPN support team to find out more, and the agent told me that the VPN doesn’t have any problems bypassing the Great Firewall. Users in China can also use the VPN for gaming or streaming.
You shouldn’t have any problems browsing the internet from China
Though the customer support claims that ShellVPN can work in China, it does not have a kill switch. It means that if the VPN suddenly disconnects, you and your data will be visible to the operators in China. This can put your security at risk.
If you want absolute security of your data and access to the streaming networks in China, you can check out the best VPNs for China.
Unfortunately, the VPN’s compatibility is pretty restrictive, so you may not be able to use all your connections.
Device Compatibility — Limited
ShellVPN is only compatible with Android, Windows, and macOS. It doesn’t have support for iOS, Linux, smart TVs, or gaming consoles, and it doesn’t have browser extensions either.
Setup is super easy. All you need to do is go to the official website of the VPN and make the purchase first. After that, you will get your ID and password.
Next, you need to download the ShellVPN app on your Android phone, Mac, or Windows PC. I downloaded the Windows app and installed it. The process took only 2-3 minutes. I logged in with the obtained ID and password and started using it.
I was able to select servers easily and connect to almost all of them in under 5 seconds.
ShellVPN accepts payments through PayPal and credit cards. I found the pricing a bit steep; the VPN costs around $9.99 per month. However, the good thing is that no matter which plans you choose, you get the same services under all of them.
According to the privacy policy, ShellVPN should also accept anonymous payments through cryptocurrency. However, the support agent told me that it’s not the case. This is worrying, and another indication that ShellVPN copied the privacy policy.
ShellVPN does not accept crypto as per their customer support
The annual plan is more affordable; that costs you $2.03/month per month. This helps you save around 80% on the total yearly cost.
I checkout out the money-back guarantee, and it was only 7 days. Most services give you at least 30 days, so this was a bit disappointing but you can still try ShellVPN for free for a week.
Reliability & Support
3.3
ShellVPN’s online chat support team may not be good in all aspects. The team answered almost all my questions quickly, and I was able to use the VPN correctly. However, they were not able to answer my query related to privacy. As its privacy policy is copied from some other VPN, I was not satisfied with the answer. They called it a text bug when I pointed it out.
Other than that, the online guides for users are also well-documented. You can find guides and FAQs for almost any problem you may encounter.
ShellVPN is a decent service. It offers super speeds fast enough for streaming and file transfers. Besides, the support team was prompt, and I had no issues setting it up. It has decent security features but does not have a concrete privacy policy.
However, it didn’t give me access to a lot of streaming services, so you won’t be able to use it for streaming international TV. Even more, the privacy policy is vague and seems to be copied from IVPN. Overall, I can’t recommend ShellVPN. There is no real way of telling what information is kept and how it’s used, so I’m not confident that your data will be truly hidden.
The safety factor of ShellVPN is dicey. Though it uses AES-128-GCM encryption for data security, I can’t vouch for its privacy measures. The privacy policy seems to be copied from another VPN, so I’m not sure how accurate it is.
Can ShellVPN unblock Netflix?
Yes, ShellVPN can easily unblock Netflix. It can also unblock other streaming services like Amazon Prime Video.
However, my connection was nearly always fast enough for at least HD streaming. Only my ping was severely affected, which made online gaming difficult.
Very good, it's very fast for my devices. good vpn service, I have paid for 2 years.
It's easy to use and the servers are well distributed.
But I hope iOS is released soon so I can use it on my iPad.
If you need a reliable VPN, I think you should choose it.
Very good, it's very fast for my devices. good vpn service, I have paid for 2 years. It's easy to use and the servers are well distributed. But I hope iOS is released soon so I can use it on my iPad. If you need a reliable VPN, I think you should choose it.